The Regressor closely observed Shiati and spoke.

“Black magic.”

The Regressor’s assessment was spot-on.

She synchronized the cannon barrel with her finger and then snapped it.

Instantly, the barrel also snapped, mirroring the condition of her finger.

It was similar to a voodoo doll’s curse, but different.

While voodoo dolls used effigies to harm someone's body, Shiati sacrificed her own body to damage enemy weapons or equipment.

She could use it only ten times, once per finger…

Wait, I just realized something.

With Shiati having only one arm, she could use it only five times!

Even black magic discriminates against the disabled.

So unfair!

｢I know some of the Resistance dabble in black magic… Seeing it in action like this makes me suspicious again. A pointless suspicion, though.｣

The Regressor eyed me suspiciously.

“Hey, it looks like your friend has learned black magic. Did you teach it to her?”

“What nonsense? Why would I teach her that? She learned it on her own.”

“From where?”

“How should I know? But it’s not that surprising, is it?”

I muttered casually as I continued driving.

“Most of the magic used by the Military State is of that kind.”

“…That’s true.”

I was glad I didn't need to explain further.

Since the Regressor already experienced so much, she easily accepted my explanation.

The white horse carrying Shiati and the Princess returned triumphantly, like a victorious general.

While the Princess couldn’t smile, worried about her friend's injury, Shiati beamed with joy.

The satisfaction of bending the enemy's cannon barrel outweighed the pain in her bent finger.

I wonder how her mind worked.

Well, maybe the reason she could use black magic was because her moral compass was broken.

However, Historia, quietly bound until now, didn’t look happy.

As soon as the white horse returned, she leaped out of the luggage compartment and walked across the automaton carriage.

These people walk on the automaton carriage as if it’s solid ground.

Especially you, Historia.

A tied-up person shouldn’t be able to walk like that.

The rope will be sad.

Anyway, Historia frowned at Shiati’s left-hand glove and the grotesquely swollen pinky inside.

“Shiati. Your finger.”

“Oh, you noticed!”

Shiati grinned brightly, proudly extending her gloved left hand.

“How is it, Historia? Now I’m somewhat useful, right? I’m not the same as before. Even with this wretched body, I can hurt the enemy a bit. I’m not helpless like before.”

“It’s black magic. Stop it. It will hurt you.”

At Historia’s appropriate counsel, Shiati stopped smiling and tilted her head.

“Is it okay for one of the Six Star Generals to say that?”

“…It doesn’t matter whether I’m a Six Star General or not.”

“Of course, it matters. The Military State isn’t in a position to criticize black magic. The Military State’s standard magic is a form of black magic, isn’t it?”

Seeing Historia remain silent, Shiati narrowed her eyes.

“Are you going to say you didn’t know, Historia?”

The magic system established by the Mage Marshal, known as standard magic.

But it raised a slight question.

Before the rise of the Military State, the Mage Marshal was so incompetent that she couldn’t even handle her magic properly.

How could such an incompetent mage have invented standard magic?

Shiati explained.

“When you use standard magic, your body pays the price. Fire magic burns you, water magic causes freezing or swelling. Even light magic can scorch your skin. To avoid this, you either use magic very weakly... or transfer the cost to a valuable sacrifice.”

The Mage Marshal, who had extensively studied to surpass her natural limits, discovered the solution in black magic.

Specifically, the technique of black magic where it substituted the cost with another was integral to their magic.

The result was standard magic.

What was once special became ordinary.

One of the seven major inventions that laid the foundation for this country.

“Using your body as the price. The standard magic created by the Military State is… magic for those who are incompetent, ritual magic where you sacrifice your body. It’s refined to minimize power and cost, but it’s a form of black magic that grants miracles to the ordinary at the cost of physical harm.”

｢Thanks to that, it was easy to learn this black magic. Heh, at the very least, the Military State gave me that.｣

Magic was an expression of one’s worldview.

In this act of reshaping reality, there was no concept of paying a price.

While it initially consumed resources, once established, it sustained itself.

On the other hand, standard magic demanded a toll each time, akin to black magic.

Not only that. Even the Chimera Beans that were created in the southern floodplains.

Why was ‘Chimera’ in the name?

The Military State was a nation built on top of many Anathema.

Historia weakly defended standard magic.

“It’s different. Unlike standard magic, black magic hurts both you and your opponent. It requires strong resentment and hatred, eating away at the user’s mind.”

“Haha! Historia, are you worried about me? A Star General of the Military State,

concerned about a lowly resistance member like me? Then, what should I do? Will you destroy the cannon instead?”

Shiati tried to be sarcastic, but Historia nodded quickly.

Shiati was momentarily speechless.

“A Star General… destroying the Military State’s weapon? Are you serious?”

“…If I take off my uniform, no one will recognize me. Not many have seen my face directly.”

“Well, you’d look like a weirdo tied up and doing strange things. What nonsense.”

Shiati was about to flatly refuse.

The Princess, listening to their conversation, closed her eyes and interjected.

“Um, Shiati! I’ll go with her next time! You rest in the back!”

｢Black magic or not, your fingers will be permanently damaged if you keep snapping them…! If there’s a way to avoid getting hurt, let’s do that!｣

Historia’s words resonated with the Princess.

Feeling betrayed by the Princess, Shiati was visibly shocked and scolded her.

“Princess? She’s one of the Six Star Generals, a high-ranking officer of the Military State.

Even bound, she could easily overpower you with a flick of her finger and turn against us. How can you trust her?”

“Trust should be reciprocal! And I trust her character!”

“I’ve told you. Unlike you, she has no interest in the weak. You might as well trust the Military State itself. No, I can’t leave this to the enemy.”

Shiati firmly refused, but the Princess remained equally stubborn.

The Princess pretended to listen to the white horse.

“What? Selphy, what did you say? You don’t want to carry Shiati anymore?”

The clever horse, understanding its master’s intent, neighed in agreement.

Nodding, the Princess called out to Shiati.

“Selphy also doesn’t want to carry Shiati anymore! Right, Selphy?”

Neigh!

The loyal horse understood its beautiful master’s intentions perfectly.

Shiati was dumbfounded by the human-horse melodrama.

“Wait. Princess....”

“AHHHH, I can’t hear you! Anyway, Gunmaster Historia! You’re going, right?”

Historia nodded firmly.

Did her ability to avoid hostility also make her stubbornness effective?

Even Shiati couldn’t resist the stubborn princess.

It was decided that Historia would go next.

“They’re ambushing us over the hill!”

The Regressor, who had been scouting, reported an ambush corps.

A larger group than before, with more cannons aiming at our carriage from the high ground.

The scale was significant enough for the Regressor to consider intervening, but she was the versatile final defense capable of handling any attack.

It was better to operate a separate unit.

It’s not because I’m in danger. Yeah, that’s it.

After a brief debate, Historia and the Princess were chosen to go.

The Princess gave a faint smile, glancing at Historia seated behind her.

｢Oh, I see. She genuinely cares about Shiati. She wouldn’t harm me...! Oh, stop worrying, Yerien! Trust should be met with trust!｣

Resolutely, the Princess gently greeted Historia.

“Ah, haha. Please take care of me, Gunmaster...?”

“…Just drop me off ahead.”

“Yes! Of course! But, um, isn’t it dangerous to be tied up? Selphy is a gentle horse but at full speed...”

“I can stay upright even when tied up, don’t worry.”

“If it gets shaky going uphill–”

“You worry a lot, leader of the Resistance. It's strange that someone so concerned only watches as Shiati snaps her fingers every time.”

Stung by the remark, the Princess flinched as though struck.

“I-I’m sorry! I’ll go fast!”

The Princess urged the horse forward.

The white horse quickly reached top speed.

Selphy, the white horse, outpaced the automaton carriage.

Though somewhat exaggerated, the horse seemed swifter than the setting sun.

Before we even entered the cannon’s line of fire, the white horse reached the enemy.

“Gunmaster? How much further?”

“This is enough.”

Approaching, Historia, seated with her legs together, smoothly dismounted the horse.

Though it looked unstable to jump off a speeding horse with bound arms…

Thud.

Historia landed securely and sprinted at the same pace.

Even Selphy blinked at her speed.

“W-What the!”,

“A tied woman is attacking us...!”

“Wasn’t she a prisoner? Stop her!”

Even bound, she was one of the Six Star Generals.

Historia, running with powerful strides, extended her long legs.

She vaulted over a tall rock in one bound, heading straight for the cannons.

An officer in uniform thrust a sword toward her.

It was more an attempt to impede her progress than an attack.

Historia flicked the hilt with her toe, twisted in midair, and lightly tapped his chin with her heel.

That was enough.

The officer’s eyes dulled, and he crumpled.

Historia moved on before his head hit the ground.

“S-Stop her!”

She quickly reached the cannons and kicked them.

A predictable outcome followed.

There was a resounding crash, and the cannon’s barrel bent sideways, hanging limply.

Watching the scene unfold , I calmly spoke.

“Is it more reasonable to bend the barrel with black magic or to kick it?”

“It’s reasonable for the driver to look ahead! Stop sightseeing and drive properly!”

The Regressor’s practical answer was too logical to be interesting.

Meanwhile, Historia systematically neutralized the defense forces and selectively destroyed cannons.

Without needing to lift a finger, she just used her feet to incapacitate the cannons.

Panicked soldiers adjusted their aim, but they were unable to match her speed.

However, as her goal became apparent, soldiers converged to protect the last cannon.

A thin officer in a uniform blocked her path.

“This is the end!”

Literally obstructing Historia with his body, he made her hesitate briefly.

The officer aimed a broad scimitar at her.

“Impressive skills...! You don’t look older than the Gunmaster of the Military State!”

That was the strongest attack Historia faced all day.

Seeing her falter, the officer confidently shouted.

“But it’s futile! You’re no match for the unparalleled genius, Major General Historia!

The Military State isn’t easy! You can’t win with your arms bound! I, Major Girant of the Military State, will teach you that!”

Major Girant stepped forward with confidence.

Yet it was in vain.

He was facing one of the Six Star Generals. Bound arms or not, she was more than capable of winning.

With a kick, she deflected the scimitar, and another kick to his stomach ended the fight.

It was a disappointingly brief result.

“D-Damn...! I couldn’t protect... I-I’m sorry…!”

The officer fainted after saying that.

Seeing their leader fall, the soldiers clenched their teeth.

“The Major is down!”

“You perverted bastard...! Are you showing off that you can win even while tied up!?”

“Is she mocking us...! Such disgrace...!”

“Damn it! If only we had the Star General with us!”

Historia had a lot to say but couldn’t.

She swallowed her words, keeping her head down to avoid recognition, and angrily kicked the cannon.

A Star General’s wrath was terrifying.

The cannon, once cherished by the officer, not only crumbled but its barrel even detached as well.

The soldiers lost their resolve after that.

“…Hey, doesn’t she look like the Major General? I think I saw her from afar once.”

“What nonsense are you spouting? The Major General isn’t a pervert, she wouldn’t attack us while tied up like that!”

“Right?”

And with that, Historia also lost her will to attack.

Leaving behind the intimidated soldiers, she fled.

Not from the enemy, but from shame and embarrassment.

Now, a legend of a mysterious bound female warrior who attacked them with just a shirt would surely spread far and wide in the Military State.

This was becoming quite interesting.