༺ My Lady ༻

The Shadow of the Military State was the rabble.

Even if they were ordered to cause a disturbance all at once, when the time actually came, they could be too scared to act. In fact, it was highly likely.

A mere thug undertaking a suicide mission to attack a specific facility? If that were possible, the Military State wouldn’t need such harsh military training.

Everything they had done so far was merely a crime.

But what they were about to do from now on was akin to rebellion. There was a risk of death or the possibility of being sentenced to hard labor until death graced them with its presence. No matter how firm their resolve was, how could they easily take action?

Much less cause a disturbance, they might hide deeper, scared of the consequences that came with disobeying orders.

…But if Wolfen had anticipated even this…

“…The outlaws who call themselves the Shadow of the Military State. He has hidden them in various places in Amitengrad like a kind of wedge that would make the Military State turn this city upside down.”

Wolfen only wanted one thing from the very beginning.

Mutual destruction.

“He plans to spread the Taboo of the Military State while causing a disturbance! He intends to make every witness or listener of that truth a target at the gunpoint of the Military State!”

Family and Market. Some of the few organizations existing in Amitengrad, where the State’s strength was powerful and prosperous.

He was planning to provoke the delinquents, which included orphans from Shelter, and make them fight with those two organizations, thus causing an unexpected commotion for the Military Police to intervene in.

In that moment, he would spread the Taboo. Secretly, from the shadows.

Just hearing it or brushing by it was like a deadly poison; a lethal toxin that was disguised in the form of information.

The Taboo of the Military State would disperse among them.

And when it did…

“The Military State will eliminate everyone suspected of having come into contact with that Taboo…!”

No one was safe. Not Family, Not Market. Not even Shelter, which former general officers were a part of.

In the face of the Taboo that shook the very foundation of the Military State, everyone associated with an organization, whether big or small, would be swept away.

｢In the process, Anna, Smen, or even you1Abbey has actually started to use “You” instead of the honorific version of “You” in Korean. Because English does not have a formal way of saying “You” we have used it just as is. But I think this is an important change in Abbey’s character as she is now bringing down her barriers when it comes to Hughes, even if it’s just in her thoughts. Just a fun fact for you guys to know! could get hurt!｣

When pulling out weeds, the soil clinging to the roots would also come out. Not only Anna and I, but all the lower-class people involved would also be pulled out and thrown into the trash heap.

The best-case scenario was being dragged off to a labor camp; the worst was being sent straight to the incinerator.

I muttered hesitantly in front of the convinced signaller.

“It appears as though it’s a truly tremendous Taboo.”

The Captain suddenly raised her head and urgently spoke to me.

“You must forget it. Do not be curious about the content. Never, ever find out about that Taboo. You cannot show a hint of even knowing that it exists!”

｢Please, I beg you. Just learning about that incident of itself is dangerous. No, just knowing that this kind of Taboo exists is fatal! If only you could forget what I just said…!｣

The Captain’s emotions were so desperate and urgent that I wanted it to be that way too.

But what to do? I already read your mind.

…A massacre of 162 Secondary Military School students by ‘someone’, you say?

Give me a break, Captain. I wanted to know about the conspiracy lurking in the back alleys. Not such horrible information that could get me killed just by knowing it, you know?

I’m a victim too. A victim of Mind Reading! The Mind Reading did all of that on its own, I tell you!

Haaa. This had become blown way out of proportion. I scratched my head as I spoke.

“…Seriously? Damn it. I just wanted to scam some money with a fake marriage, but now I might end up buried in a grave. It’s just like that saying. Marriage really does mean the end of life, huh. It refuses to let me off easily.”

When I mentioned marriage, the Captain flinched. I let out a sigh that held a different meeting from before and looked towards the Captain.

She, who had been immensely wrought up because of the situation regarding the Taboo, felt a different kind of warmth starting from her heart and avoided my gaze. Her neck that could be seen under the straw hat was flushed red.

I spoke in a carefree manner.

“Alright then. I’ll try to forget it. At any rate, wasn’t there something we kept postponing, even though we said we were going to do it?”

“A…. Affirmative.”

“I’m pretty sure we agreed to do it if we see a government office along the way of me helping out with your investigation. But we never saw one on our route. My oh my, what kind of coincidence is this?”

“A-Affirmative. It is the very definition of a surprising coincidence.”

I cut off the stammering Captain and leisurely asked.

“You aren’t perhaps embarrassed, are you, Captain? You said it’s just a sham marriage for compensation, right?”

“Of course! It is purely to legally compensate you, without any personal gain involved whatsoever!”

Her voice, raised half an octave, held the same intensity as when she mentioned the Taboo of the Military State. The Captain covered her mouth with her hand, flinching at her own words.

｢What should I do…! To be entirely frank, I might have had some personal gains in this matter…! Danger, danger! At this rate, it has become a false report! I have essentially told a lie!｣

So what if it’s a lie.

I chuckled and pointed across the road.

“Then shall we first stop by the government office? I refuse to be cheated out of my compensation, you see.”

“A-Affirmative….”

The Captain’s voice gradually faded away.

As we walked down the street, the Captain’s heart was torn in two directions.

The hostility towards the Shadow that aimed to overturn the peaceful back alleys using the power of the Military State.

And the excitement of getting married, albeit in an informal and casual way.

Even though she knew this marriage was different from the norm, her heart fluttered just like that of a newlywed bride.

｢Am I really…?｣

The Captain glanced at me briefly before firmling pulling her straw hat down.

｢It will be fine. All we need to do is get consent and sign. That is all it is…but. Even if it is just for a brief moment, I can call him my spouse, right? I can at least pretend for a short time, right? I can say he is my spouse. That he is my beloved. That he is my…husband.｣

Covering her burning face, the Captain trembled briefly in embarrassment. But as soon as she directly faced the swelling happiness and the flutter in her heart, she smiled bitterly.

｢I understand now. I understand why I needed the Windowless Room.｣

When she was a signaller, she saw the world through a golem, trapped in the Windowless Room.

The world of a signaller was only visible through a golem. Captain Abbey saw the color of the sky but could not fathom its height, and while she felt the wind’s strength, she couldn’t enjoy the coolness ruffling her hair. Even if she lived with people, she could not feel their warmth.

The world was right before her eyes, but it was a scene beyond a glass window. The Captain could not live inside of that world.

However, during the few days she lived fully in her own body, the Captain’s heart underwent a tremendous change.

Taste, smell, touch, emotions. Life and death. Joy and sorrow. Pain…and happiness.

The moments spent with people brought warm sunlight, blooming something within her; from the very center of her heart, the sun-like warmth spread in all directions.

And it was accompanied by an excess of happiness.

｢If one desires something small, they will one day desire something bigger. Gradually, they start coveting things they should not even touch. Eventually, they will crave everything that can be had in this word. As such, I must not be greedier. I must kill my emotions and fulfill my duty.｣

The Taboo and Shadow of the Military State.

The information the Captain now possessed was not to be taken lightly. If she reported this information to headquarters, the disturbance would be quelled much faster.

However, it was only half of a success if the Shadow wasn’t found. They had to find them before the Taboo spread.

The only way to find the Shadow before an incident unfolded was…

For her, a military officer, to become bait. The Shadows would also consider her, an officer, as the perfect signal flare for their insurrection.

｢It is enough. In the first place, this is a job only I can do. The Taboo of the Military State, Hamelin. As a signaller who knows about this story…It will not be an issue even if I am exposed to it.｣

The determined Captain closed her eyes and clenched her fist. Her heart was no longer shaking.

｢I have decided. After I make the report and complete the procedures, I shall hand this information over to him. And then, I shall immediately contact headquarters to have them chase after me.｣

With her mind made up, all that was left was to find the way forward. The Captain spread her mana again and connected to a golem.

｢Window Connection.｣

Intangible tendrils flowed into various parts of Amitengrad. Soon enough, the golem’s field of vision appeared before the Captain’s eyes.

What was reflected was the street where we stood. In the narrow alley where few people passed, only the Captain and I walked, side by side. If we left this street and headed to the main road, we would reach the government officer. There, a simple marriage ceremony would mark her end….

The Captain and I continued to walk down the street.

And several people cloaked in capes watched us from a distance. When we began to walk, they quietly followed behind us.

The Captain abruptly turned her head. In the golem’s field of vision, the Captain’s eyes met her own. Shock and horror was evident on her face.

｢Pursuers?!｣

Huh? Pursuers? I didn’t sense any hostility, though?

Right as I was about to turn around, the startled Captain, still maintaining her connection, grabbed my face and pulled me towards her. The Captain’s whisper reached my ears.

“…There are pursuers.”

“Pursuers?”

During my time in Amitengrad, I did not envelop too wide of an area with my Mind Reading.

This alley may look quiet, but the building next door alone housed over two hundred people. If I used Mind Reading carelessly, the barrage of thoughts made it hard to focus, so I suppressed it a bit.

Even so, I should have immediately sensed any hostility or fear directed at me. How strange.

“Where?”

I broadly scattered my Mind Reading. The dam broke and countless thoughts poured in. I filtered out the trivial ones and traced the thoughts regarding my existence to their owners. My Mind Reader reached the caped group watching me.

And then, I blurted out in surprise.

“What the? Why are you guys…?”

Right at that moment, the Captain grabbed my wrist and started running.

“Now is not the time! For now, we must deviate away from this place!”

“Huh? Uhuh.”

I followed the Captain, running without even knowing why. It almost felt as if we were people fleeing in the dead of night.

Even as she ran, the Captain continued to synchronize with the golem.

Observing oneself in the third person was a fascinating feeling. She previewed the continuation of the alley through the golem, then synchronized with the next alley’s golem. The road continued at the end of her gaze. And at the end of that road, two caped pursuers were present.

The sprinting Captain let out a small groan and then turned in the opposite direction. The view of the opposite street came into her vision.

“Tch! They are systematically blocking the roads! This level of organization…! It’s different from what we have faced before!”

Yep. I’m sure it is.

They’re different people, after all.

But I still don’t understand what the intention of those chasing me and the Captain are, though.

The caped figures were precisely targeting and moving towards us. It was evident just from looking at their movements in the Captain’s field of vision.

Moreover, from the thoughts I subtly read, they were clearly moving accordingly while keeping us in their sights.

“Captain, I think we are being cornered.”

“I’m…sorry…! I was careless for a moment…!”

｢This is why I should not have sought joy! If it were just me, it wouldn’t matter, but to think that it would involve him too…!｣

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed loudly in the narrow alley. The captain, running desperately, assured me.

“Just leave it to me. Whatever happens, I will make sure to save you!”

｢Even if I have to use a golem! No matter what!｣

Use it to save yourself for once. Stop trying to save others instead. Why are you like this? Why doesn’t that protective instinct show itself when it comes to your own circumstances?

Having roughly guessed the identity of the pursuers, I was more relaxed in our escape than the Captain.

“Bbey. Rather than that.”

I pointed behind us. The caped figures were not chasing us, just approaching slowly instead. As if they didn’t mind the distance between us widening.

I pointed this out to her.

“Doesn’t it feel like we are being led somewhere?”

“…!”

The Captain closed her mouth and looked around. The alleys we had passed earlier were recalled in her mind.

Just as I said, we were being forced into a single option. Like how a river flowed in one direction when a dam was built, unseen hands had driven us to the main road without us realizing it.

｢I noticed it far too late! Of all the places we were herded to, it just had to be the main road instead of some obscure corner…!｣

If we were being cornered, the Captain would have noticed something odd. After all, remote places naturally enabled caution.

But ironically, we were being pushed towards a large main road where even 4 rows of automaton carriages could pass without hindrance.

｢But why would the enemies aim for the main road…! Could it be to make this incident witnessed by everyone? To think they would move into action this soon…!｣

However, we were already cornered. Being on the main road meant there were even more escape routes.

The Captain clenched her fists and thought.

｢We must forcefully break through!｣

It was the moment the Captain, her shining eyes filled with the golem’s field of vision, began to gather her mana.

I ran one step ahead of the Captain onto the main road. Right as the narrow alley ended and the open main road came into view…

The first thing I saw was not an automaton carriage, but a real one.

Two horses with flaming red manes stamped the ground fiercely. The force in their legs seems violent enough to break the ground, but the horseshoes, made of high-level special alchemic steel, absorbed both the shock and sound smoothly.

Additionally, there was a carriage, twice as large as its average automaton counterpart. Its design was simple but no less luxurious than anything else in the world.

As if waiting for me from the very start, the moment I appeared on the main road, the carriage door opened. The first thing that stepped out was clean dress shoes.

While dressed in neatly tailored pants with a bright red shirt tucked inside and draped in a formal scarf, a young woman with striking sky-blue hair tied to one side stood before us.

“It is dangerous! Step away!”

The Captain, who had run after me, stopped in her tracks before closing her mouth at the sight of the woman’s face. Her eyes widened.

“You are…!”

“It’s okay. It’s someone I know.”

I waved my hand to reassure the Captain.

My longest human connection since I started living in Amitengrand. And my most successful investment.

Once upon a time, she was my disciple, my backer, and a splendid source of funds.

With the mindset of a swindler facing a naive investor, I waved my hand with a flattering smile.

“Heyoooo, long time no see. Sephi. How have you been?”

In response to my light greeting with a wave, Sephier Bakiya placed a hand on her chest and bowed deeply.

“Have you been healthy and at peace, Master? I have been eagerly waiting in hopes of meeting you again.”

｢Did you become a deadbeat dad? Are my attempts to contact you akin to unwanted children? There should be a limit to how much you can ghost someone, no? Do I really have to hear about Master through others, you damn playboy?｣

Wow, her mouth…I mean, her thoughts had become much bolder than before, huh.

While gazing at the young president, whose mouth had turned fouler in my absence, I smiled ambiguously.

Footnotes:

1Abbey has actually started to use “You” instead of the honorific version of “You” in Korean. Because English does not have a formal way of saying “You” we have used it just as is. But I think this is an important change in Abbey’s character as she is now bringing down her barriers when it comes to Hughes, even if it’s just in her thoughts. Just a fun fact for you guys to know!