The sun, having exhausted the time known as midday, gradually entered a stage of incomplete combustion as its fuel dwindled.

Was it perhaps because the Meta Conveyor Belt was moving from west to east? It felt like evening came even earlier today. Maybe the long chase that had been going on since morning had even driven away any leisure.

Having regained some breathing room, I lazily watched the setting sun and muttered.

“Hooo. We barely managed to escape, huh.”

Looking at the outcome alone, it was a great success. After all, we had shaken off the Military State's pursuit before the sun had even set.

However, the process was not as smooth as I had thought. It was the result of various incidents and variables.

Anyway, I excessively praised the Regressor, who was the key to our escape.

“Mr. Shei! You are amazing! It really was a power that made the heavens vibrate and the earth split! How were you able to exert so much strength?”

“Ah, that? That’s nothing much.”

The Regressor waved her hand, glanced at the Jizan hanging at her waist, and scratched her chin.

｢When I saw the Mage Marsal grab the stems of the earth and shake it, I wondered if I could do the same with Jizan, so I tried it…. And I guess it worked?｣

The general officers, deprived of their darling little girl, reacted more violently than expected, as if they were actually fathers who were a fool for their daughter. The Mage Marshal was especially enraged, shaking off the general officers’ warnings and seizing the entire Meta Conveyor Belt to shake it.

The Meta Conveyor Belt was a flowing land. Though one could step on it, its flow was ultimately a combination of magic and Earthweave.

The Mage Marshal couldn't touch the land itself but was able to interfere with part of its flow, lifting and swinging it like a whip.

Even I was surprised by the sight that almost seemed as if a monster had burst out of the ground.

However, one of the Regressor's swords, Jizan, was the essence of Earthweave itself. While opposing the Mage Marshal, the Regressor used Jizan's Earthweave to calm the land.

｢Isn’t this the power of the Earth Sage?! Impossible!｣

As the Mage Marshal was taken aback upon witnessing the power of an old friend, the Regressor, resonating with Earthweave through Jizan, tilted her head and lightly swung at the ground.

Then the Meta Conveyor Belt was severed.

The following land stopped according to the boundary set by Jizan's sword mark, as if a dam had been built.

With the Military State's main artery blocked, the general officers, the Mage Marshal, and even the approaching main force of the Military State were quite literally immobilized. The soldiers could only watch us, horrified by the terrible act committed by the Regressor, as we went further and further away.

This phenomenon didn't last long. Blocking a flowing river with a dam was, after all, a makeshift solution. Moreover, the pressure of the earth far surpassed that of water, so the dam soon collapsed.

But they were still immobilized, regardless, and realizing that we could cut off the flow made them hesitant before approaching us rashly….

I’ll admit it. Well done, Regressor. With overflowing Qi and Earthweave, I guess one could even cut through flowing land.

But you know…

“What do you mean it’s nothing much? You should have said earlier if you had such an amazing ability!”

“Well, it’s just the power of Jizan, so.”

Even while nonchalantly waving her hand, the Regressor was inwardly quite pleased. So much so that she even puffed up her chest.

｢It’s a tremendous ability! So, Jizan’s power can control anything influenced by Earthweave, huh? And above all, I was able to freely use Earthweave! Usually, only believers of Mother Earth and those who are directly taught can wield it! This is an incredibly fruitful outcome!｣

Yes. It must be exhilarating to unlock such incredible power, especially since Earthweave is so versatile and can be used in many places.

But my dear Regressor…

Does it sound like I'm complimenting you?

“Even if it’s Jizan’s power, it doesn’t change the fact that Mr. Shei wielded it! It is the owner of the weapon who draws out its power. After all, it’s Mr. Shei who controls that power!”

“Is that so? H-Hmm, well. I’ve exerted strength through Chun-aeng before. So, it’s not particularly surprising that Jizan has similar power.”

｢That’s right. Using Jizan just as a heavy club is a waste. It’s just that properly handling Jizan’s power could only be done by Earthweavers at the level of Sages like the Earth Sage. And that’s why the Sanctum entrusted Jizan to me after retrieving it….｣

“If you had such power, you should have used it earlier!”

“I realized it during battle. When the Mage Marshal tried to attack by lifting the land itself, I just followed suit.”

｢Dangerous as it may be, practical experience is invaluable. After all, during the clashes in real combat and the sparks that occur from it, there are many opportunities to gain inspiration. Huhu. I’m still not very confident in Earthweave. But if I can use the authorities of both Chun-aeng and Jizan…!｣

The Regressor was thrilled as if she had discovered a new toy. Right in the moment she was contemplating a future full of hope…

“Wowwww. You just tried drawing a line on the ground without knowing what would happen? Without any thought behind your actions?”

“Yeah! …Yeah?”

｢Without any thought? Huh? Something feels off with his words.｣

Have you only realized now, Regressor!

“How can someone who doesn’t even know their own strength just swing that around without abandon? Who knows what would happen to others?”

“Huh?”

Wow. We had to go back and forth about ten times until you got my point.Right as the Regressor felt something was off, I pressed on.

“Are you kidding me? Thank goodness I was in front of Mr. Shei or else I could have been swept away by the wave of earth too, you know? That’s not water. That’s the earth! If so much as my feet got buried, I would have been stuck in between rocks, doomed to be buried alive. Yet, what did you just say? You just tried it out for fun?”

“I-It wasn’t for f-fun! The Mage Marshal did something similar. Just as I was about to block it, a good idea happened to come to me!”

“Happened to? Good idea? Seriously, are you kidding me? With such strength, you should be thinking to use it strategically! If you can use Earthweave, you should have pondered about its functions whenever you had a chance and even practiced in advance!”

Regressor, I don't know why everything about you is so impulsive, from your personality to your ideas to even your awakenings.

Can't you allow me to read a bit of your thoughts? The time that it takes you to convert thought to action is so short that even a Mind Reader like me couldn’t react! I almost got swept away by a wave of dirt!

“T-The s-situation was urgent!”

“That’s why if you knew in advance, it wouldn’t have been urgent! Listen, Mr. Shei! Is your power some piece of junk shoved in a corner of a room? If you have the strength to sever the earth, you should have known about it way beforehand! If it were me, I would have eagerly gathered as much knowledge as I could in order to use it properly!”

“What did you say?! You didn’t even show a glimpse of yourself during the fight, yet you have the audacity to say that?! You’re all talk!”

“Whaaaat? What kind of nonsense is that? Look at you denying the fruits of my labor. Can you not see this achievement of mine?”

I lifted the chain I was holding, making it jangle. The chain, tied somewhere, shook briefly.

At its end was the youngest Star General of the Military State. Gunmaster Historia, the Daughter of the Military State, was bound tightly. Her eyes were droopy, seemingly tired, and she had a cigarette between her lips.

“Look here. Do you know who this is? She’s Gunmaster Historia. And who caught her? Me. Who tied her up tightly and took her prisoner? Also me. Who used Historia to threaten the Military State’s general officers so they could not rashly follow us? That, too, was me!”

Fact on top of fact on top of fact. Only facts were added. Even if she did not know about the process, the result clearly showed I was the key contributor.

Despite the clear evidence in front of her, the Regressor stubbornly insisted, perhaps feeling wronged.

“She was just weakened because I was halfway into defeating her!”

“Aaaaah, sureeee. Halfway into defeating her, huh~ I guess you were also halfway into being evenly-matched with the Mage Marshal~ And scraped the earth because you were halfway into having fun~. Are you seriously going to live your life so half-heartedly without any sort of certainty? Do you have, what, dozens of lives to live or something?”

｢Hut! How did he know…?｣

You’re supposed to just let it slide, thinking they were just meaningless words! What do you mean how did I know? Can I not even make a joke?!

｢No, I’m sure there’s no real meaning behind his words. But at any rate, why do I even have to listen to this? Do you even know how hard I worked?!｣

“Moreover, I heard the last one to face her was Nabi! All you did was adequately deal the final blow to the exhausted Gunmaster before tying her up!”

“That’s easy to say. But if it were that easy, why didn’t Mr. Shei do it? If you had subdued and tied up Ria in 1 second, you wouldn’t even have to hear this.”

｢If that were possible, I would have done it long before…!｣

The sight of her flustered and unable to retort was laughable. I chuckled mockingly while jangling the chain.

“Just as a dried bean is still a bean and a soaked bean is still a bean, an exhausted Star General is still a Star General! Even if it was a Star General, exhausted and injured to the point of death, I didn’t let down my guard and attacked with full preparation and all my might! That’s how I defeated and captured a Star General!”

I pulled on the chain again. I recalled when Historia once thought an ixeridium dentatum was a cigarette and chewed on it, before realizing too late it was a bitter herb. The solemn expression she showed then was similar to now, as she reluctantly followed the tug of my hand.

“Look here. This laughable sight of her, bound tightly with solid chains and neutralized, even though she once pranced around as one of the Six Star Generals!”

As I kept pulling and shaking the chain, Historia became irritated, thus glaring at me with a cold, sunken gaze.

“Stop pulling.”

“Haaa?”

That’s a lot of yapping for someone who got caught.I swaggered over to Historia, whose arms were tied behind her, and lightly tapped her cheek.

“Hey. Are you not even aware of your own situation? You’re a prisoner, you know? A prisoner. You hear me?”

Tap, tap. I only slapped her cheek enough to annoy her.

Even if one acted with a specific intention, it was difficult to expect that their intentions would be directly conveyed. The words misinterpretation and misrepresentation didn’t exist without reason, after all.

However, harassment that made the other person feel bad was an exception. It was a form of communication that yielded the most honest results in this world.

As I kept tapping, Historia's mood soured further.

“I told you to stop.”

“And what if I don’t? What are you going to do about it? Huh? You might have the rank of a Star General, but here, you’re nothing but a prisoner. Isn’t that so? How dare a prisoner act so arrogant. Huhhhh?”

Kekek. This feeling of superiority that comes from wielding power over someone in such a dominant position. It feels so good.

While I was smack dab in the middle of taunting her, Historia was busy counting the beat, timing it with my next tap. She suddenly turned her head sharply, hitting my hand with her cheek.

With a sound like a crack, my hand flew back as if it had been whipped.

…It hurts.

My hand hurts from being slapped by her cheek!

“...Mr. Shei! Look at this prisoner! A mere captive just hit my hand with her face! Quickly punish her for me!”

But Historia, who had slapped my hand away just moments before, was now indifferently looking around with a languid expression, as if she had nothing to do with it. The Regressor muttered incredulously.

“If anyone is going to do it, it should be you. She’s your prisoner, after all.”

“Are you really going to give me the cold shoulder like this? Even if I captured her, we’re comrades! We should share the responsibility! A bound Star General is still a Star General. What if she regains her strength, breaks free of her shackles, and attacks us?!”

“...Ugh.”

｢That’s also true. Unless we kill her outright, we need to keep some level of surveillance. Ummm. For now, keeping her as a prisoner wasn’t all that bad of a choice.｣

The moment Historia was taken prisoner, the Military State's movements noticeably slowed. Aside from being intimate enough to be called the Military State's Daughter and a Star General, she was also one of the Military State's top forces. Her neutralization was a significant loss of power for the Military State.

On the other hand, we had the Regressor, wielding swords of earth and sky, as well as the Progenitor of Vampires, Tyrkanzyaka. Even three of their members might not be enough to face them, let alone just the duo of the Mage Marshal and Sunderspear.

｢Since I can cut off the earth, they can’t deploy their army against us. But attacking with a small elite force is also difficult due to the lack of Star Generals. Maybe we could even negotiate with the Military State using the prisoner as leverage…. Wait. Eh? But don’t these scenarios sound way too favorable to us? Almost suspicious so?｣

While deep in thought, the Regressor suddenly looked at Historia with suspicion.

｢By the way, why did the Gunmaster allow herself to get so easily caught? I’m fairly sure she must understand what exactly her capture entails, though…?｣