The princess, who had followed them in, let out a small gasp as she took in the scene. The sight of tiny golems wrestling with machinery suited to their size tugged at her sense of charm.

But her admiration was short-lived. She quickly realized that the golems were handling numerous documents. Her expression changed, for she, as a leader of the Resistance, understood the significance of those papers.

"So, is this the true nature of the Command? The golems are the Command’s real face…?"

"That can’t be. Obviously, there’s someone who commands the golems."

Siahti lacked the sensitivity to be moved by such whimsical scenes. Instead, all she felt was a sharp, honed hostility.

"And that person... they’re the real mastermind. The one who turned me and this Military State into what we are."

Siahti’s voice trembled, as if exhilarated by the discovery of a long-sought treasure or prey. The princess, sensing the imminent danger from Siahti’s almost pouncing stance, cautiously interjected.

"Siahti, we're not here for a bloodbath. Remember, we’re just here to assist Huey with the negotiations…"

"Stop saying nonsense. Do you realize what kind of opportunity this is? And you’d let it slip away without digging deeper?"

Siahti grabbed one of the still golems with her bare hands. She strained to crush it as if trying to tear it apart, but with broken fingers, even a single steel finger of the golem was impossible to break.

But she wasn’t disappointed. After all, she still had her thumb—a finger of black magic capable of breaking anyone.

"The Command needs to understand suffering. Even those of you who played god and determined everything in this Military State should feel the pain of the abandoned and the dying!"

"Siahti..."

"I can’t let this chance go. I came all the way here to make them feel the same pain I do!"

Ignoring the princess’s attempts to dissuade her, Siahti yelled, making her voice reverberate through the headquarters.

"If you’ve called for us, then come out! You said you wanted to talk, didn’t you?! Or were you planning to talk to us through a golem?"

To everyone’s surprise, the Military State—never known to respond to such calls—answered Siahti’s summons. The door opened. It was the second door, one with noticeably fewer documents stacked in front of it, as if someone had frequently come and gone.

Siahti’s eyes gleamed as she asked, "Finally, you’ve shown yourself. Are you the Commander of the Military State?"

"Negative. This entity is not such a being."

The response, delivered in a businesslike tone, was as devoid of passion as an office worker going about their assigned tasks. Siahti frowned at the sight.

"Not the Commander, then. What should I call you? The Chief? General? Or perhaps, the Leader?"

"Negative. The Military State has no such titles, nor does this entity hold such a position."

"Then what are you…?"

Siahti trailed off, puzzled. The Military State had a hierarchy. Every soldier was assigned a status according to their duty. Those in higher ranks made their positions known to everyone and had the authority to command those of lower ranks.

The figure before her also belonged to the State’s hierarchy. She wore the insignia of a captain and a uniform, though it wasn’t the grand high-cost uniform of a general—just a simple, ordinary one. Confirming the rank, Siahti repeated in disbelief.

"A captain?"

While not a low rank, it wasn’t impressive either. In any city, a captain could hold their head high with pride, but just that much. A captain wasn’t enough to be a part of the Command that controlled this nation.

"A mere captain?"

Siahti’s meaning was clear: questioning if someone as low as a captain could be a member of the Command. The captain before her took the words literally, responding without hesitation.

"Affirmative. Captain Ivy of the Military State, here to convey a message to you."

And then our eyes met. After taking in her face and thoughts, I scratched my chin with a strange feeling.

How curious. Normally, people formulate their thoughts before speaking. The mouth merely serves as a conduit, while intent resides in the mind.

But this person was different.

"Long time no see. Have you been well these past few days? I heard from the Signalers, it seems you’ve been as busy as I have."

What could have happened to Captain Ivy?

It wasn’t like she was lying to hide her true intentions. Liars usually cling to the truth, like two sides of a coin. But the woman before me was different. The words she wanted to say and the ones coming out of her mouth were completely different, as if someone else was controlling her body.

This was more akin to a golem than a person.

"No, it doesn’t matter who or what they call themselves. From the start, there was only one question I wanted to ask."

As I momentarily faltered, Siahti gathered herself, scanning the surroundings. Scattered documents, a cluster of golems, the information written on those documents, the Signalers’ tale about transmitting orders—everything began to piece together in her mind.

Was it her natural intuition or her sharply honed aggression? Siahti deduced the answer instantly.

"Every order issued by the Command of the Military State is transmitted through the Signalers. Isn’t that right?"

Captain Ivy nodded at Siahti.

"Affirmative."

"And the information handled here includes secrets across the entire Military State."

"Affirmative. The information processed here varies in security levels depending on the content."

"And there must be information about forbidden matters as well, right?"

"Affirmative."

"Yes, of course."

Muttering calmly, Siahti raised her prosthetic arm in a menacing manner. She twisted a mechanism embedded within, glaring at Captain Ivy.

"The incident in Hameln. Do you remember it?"

This wasn’t a normal inquiry. It was the final hurdle to brand her target with an indelible mark. The perfect moment to deny the accusation, yet Captain Ivy answered with stubborn honesty.

"Affirmative. The Signaler records and remembers major and minor events concerning the Military State."

"Then it’s clear. You permitted Nicolas to use the forbidden technique. It was you, wasn’t it?"

"Negative."

Siahti’s hand paused briefly, though it was only for a moment.

"Permission to use forbidden techniques lies within the discretion of the respective personnel. The Signaler merely conveyed the relevant information."

"Hah!"

The brief hesitation was replaced with full-blown contempt. Siahti resumed her glare.

"Yeah, of course. Nicolas couldn’t have figured it out on his own. Someone handed him that information, granted him the authority to use it, then controlled the situation and erased all records when things went wrong."

The captain offered no response. Siahti wasn’t expecting one. She merely twisted her lips into a mocking grin.

"Yes, the Signalers. It was you. Sitting back, monitoring everything, issuing orders to countless soldiers all at once. It was actually the Signalers all along. Isn’t that right?"

"...That’s…"

"Don’t answer. Even if it isn’t, it doesn’t matter. What’s certain is that you are at the very core of the Military State!"

"Siahti!"

Before the princess could intervene, Siahti charged forward, concealing her left hand within her prosthetic. Her plan was to immobilize her target and drive a blade into the empty chest if there was any resistance.

Captain Ivy stood silently, unmoving, as if ready to absorb Siahti’s hatred.

"Stop!"

Naturally, I didn’t leave things as they were. I tripped Siahti with a well-placed tackle.

She fell rather ungracefully, fortunately only sliding due to the stack of documents instead of taking any real injury. But she shot me a furious glare.

"Huey!"

"I told you to stop."

"Are you just going to keep spouting sophistry?! How much longer do I have to endure this?!"

"Don’t hold back. I don’t like enduring either. But before you use your final finger, make the most of this opportunity."

"I’ve had enough! The Signalers are part of my revenge! If you try to stop me—!"

Siahti sprang up and swung a fist at me. Her attacks were sharp, evidence of her training. She’d make a formidable Resistance fighter.

But my mind-reading ability lets me counter surprise attacks like these.

Alchemy Transformation. Diamond Grade 2. Multipurpose Hook.

By the time Siahti uttered her chant, the transformation was complete. I flicked a card from my fingertips. The hook latched onto the paper, sweeping her foot out from under her as she approached, causing her to slip.

As Siahti lost her balance, I swiftly moved around her prosthetic arm and brought her to the ground. With a firm grip on her head, I restrained her, speaking into her ear as she thrashed.

"Dark magic requires a line of sight, doesn’t it? If you can’t see, you can’t cast. So forgive me for holding you down like this."

"You... damn you…!"

"Sorry. But if I let you be, you won’t achieve your true wish."

"Your comrade even said we should destroy this place first! If that’s a Signaler, then we should destroy the Signalers!"

Ah, that time traveler did say this place was one of the Military State’s core facilities. Amidst all that chaos, Siahti remembered it.

"Yes. But even if you destroy it in the way you’re thinking, it will be useless."

I explained dispassionately, looking at the captain. She stared back at our struggle with an impassive expression.

"You don’t have to save me. I’m a discarded entity… just here to be used up and disappear."

Her body wrapped tightly in morning glory vines.

Unique magics are visualizations of the mind. Some are visible to others; some aren’t. The captain’s unique magic was of the latter kind, without a physical manifestation.

Captain Ivy’s body was entangled in morning glory vines. They resembled ropes binding her or perhaps tendons animating her body. The vines wrapped around her from her feet, blooming into beautiful flowers.

There were twenty-five blossoms, each pointing toward a door, as if receiving commands and intentions from someone beyond.

So this is how it works. Smirking, I crushed a sheet of paper into a ball with my other hand.

"Siahti. You wanted to exact revenge on the Military State, right? But you don’t even know what the State is, do you?"

"I’m not lost!"

"You’re lost. Instead of feeling anger at the captain, you sought a reason to be angry and raged at her. Can you fulfill your desire by slapping together excuses and executing her? Is that how you want to do this?"

"That’s enough! What else is there?!"

"This is your answer."

I tied the paper ball with string, creating an improvised toy, and whirled it overhead.

"Aji!"

"Woof?"

"Fetch!"

"Woof!"

I threw the paper ball, and Aji dashed forward. Amid the fluttering paper fragments like snowflakes, Aji lunged forward, catching the ball in his mouth as he barreled through the door.

Efficiency defined the Military State. Without the presence of someone like Aemedre, there was no need for high-level alchemic steel doors for the Signalers’ headquarters. With a loud crash, Aji busted the door open, vanishing into the darkness beyond.

A small room, barely enough for one person, with a cot and a water dispenser. From within, a voice emerged.

"Ugh…!"

At the faint groan, Siahti’s expression twisted in displeasure.

"One officer?"

"This is the communications center, so why is there only one communicator?"

They're all communicators, controlling Lt. Abby with a high degree of 'tuning in.' Twenty-five other communicators.