I left Siahti behind and approached the Signaler beyond.

"I’m sure you know that I’ve met Captain Abby before, so why did you put her forward? As a hostage? Or are you just so uncomfortable with people that you need a stand-in because it’s been too long since your last direct interaction?"

Signaler IA remained calm, even as Aji broke through the door. The momentary disruption quickly subsided, and once IA had fully grasped the situation, she resumed her unique magic.

Her magic, Spider’s Web.

Countless thin strands spread out from her, connecting with the many other Signalers nearby. Through these threads, memory, sensation, and information flowed back and forth. Although it didn’t have the same range as Captain Abby’s morning glory flowers, IA’s magic was effective for close-range, tightly woven connections.

Now linked with every Signaler in the module, IA stood and stepped outside.

"It’s different. This is the message we wish to convey."

Despite emerging from the darkened room after several years, IA only showed a slight squint, adjusting quickly. Her voice was as dry and mechanical as Captain Abby’s, devoid of emotion.

"At this point, the Command has assessed that the costs of maintaining secrecy outweigh the costs of recovering from your terrorist activities. So, we decided to reveal ourselves to speak with you."

"How disappointing. I always thought the Military State would maintain its secrets, even if it meant dying."

"Of course, this decision wasn’t made lightly. There was a dispute during the calculations. Normally, there would be no such conflict among Signalers who are synchronized…"

One of the strands extending from IA touched a flower of Captain Abby. Like a butterfly sipping nectar, IA absorbed both information and emotions, then turned to me.

"It was thanks to Captain Abby’s strong insistence that this module unanimously agreed to bring you here."

"Oh, so Captain Abby must have pulled some strings. Is she high-ranking among you, then?"

"There is no hierarchy among Signalers. We all synchronize as equals. However, individual capabilities do differ."

With her thread, IA brushed against one of Captain Abby’s flowers. Though invisible to others, it seemed the Signalers shared a much closer connection than ordinary people. The flower, as if forced, bloomed toward IA.

"Abby, as one of the closest to the original A, is a powerful Signaler. Her unique magic, a pervasive synchronization, excels in both close and long range, as well as the number of synchronized entities."

"Impressive. So, did she convince you all to accept me?"

That’s why it’s good to have at least one connection. This political maneuver on my part—to establish rapport with Captain Abby first—had been a success.

"No. Signalers are many and one, one and many. No matter how exceptional her abilities, there is no ‘strength’ in synchronization. In fact, the stronger the synchronization, the more inevitable the failure becomes. And she resisted with all her might."

Or perhaps not? Was it all for nothing?

"Did Captain Abby end up like this because of that…?"

"When her proposal was rejected, she tried to resist all the other Signalers. But for a mere Signaler to oppose the module is impossible—especially when one’s abilities are as powerful as hers. After persistent resistance, she was stripped of her role as Abby and reassigned to the vacant slot in the Inner Circle Module."

Reassigned. So, she was basically turned into a puppet.

That explains why the morning glory vines seemed to be forcibly moving her body. Abby had become entangled in her own synchronization backlash. Now, she was nothing more than a golem. At least she hadn’t been disposed of… but I hadn’t expected her to end up like this.

"Then why call me here if her efforts were in vain?"

"That’s precisely why. Pied Piper, we don’t know how you managed to corrupt her mind, but if she is indeed mentally compromised, maintaining secrecy from you is meaningless."

"Are you calling me a disease?"

Despite my grumbling, I understood IA’s point. Since I already knew the Signalers' secret, there was no point in keeping it hidden.

"You are eroding both the internal and external aspects of the Military State. Therefore, we demand that you immediately cease your hostile actions."

"Hmm. Be that as it may, if this is a negotiation, then surely you have something to offer in return? What exactly do you have to offer?"

"First, to facilitate negotiation, we would like to clearly understand your demands."

"And what can a mere captain offer in response? No, bring someone with higher authority."

Wow, a day has come where I can call a captain ‘mere.’ I must have come a long way. Still, it’s strange to send only a captain to face someone who could bring down the entire Military State.

"Specifically?"

"Let’s see. At the very least, someone from the highest level of leadership in the Military State. Perhaps a member of the Command would be fitting."

"Command? Would that be sufficient?"

"There’s no one higher than that."

Like a troublesome customer, I demanded to see the person in charge, as only they could satisfy the curiosity of everyone present.

IA’s response, however, was entirely unexpected.

One of the strands she had extended quivered slightly. IA processed the subtle vibrations, and though she showed a moment of surprise, she quickly regained her composure and absorbed the new information.

"In that case, speak to me. I am qualified."

IA revealed one of the Military State’s deepest secrets.

"Because, in truth, ‘we’ are the Command."

The impact of her words was tremendous. Siahti, the princess, even Historia—all of them widened their eyes at the unexpected revelation.

"To be precise, there is no single individual or group issuing orders through all Signalers. However, if we define the Command as an entity that synthesizes information and makes value judgments for the Military State’s benefit, then it can only be the Signalers."

In other words, IA was asserting that the Signalers were the Command. Even Historia seemed stunned by this revelation.

"The Command that has run the Military State… has been the Signalers all along?"

"It is not an individual’s orders. Information relayed from deployed Signalers reaches others throughout the Military State, is verified, sent to the module, and undergoes simulation to find the optimal future. The commands labeled as coming from the Command represent the collective will of five hundred Signalers, the very reason for our existence."

Once, I had likened the Signalers to the nerves of the Military State, transmitting orders to its farthest reaches through golems.

That analogy was quite accurate in a way I hadn’t expected. The brain of the Military State was indeed an intricate network of interconnected nerves.

"-Therefore, if you seek the leadership of the Military State, it can only be ‘us.’ The Signalers who monitor, control, and classify information as confidential."

The Command that no one had ever seen, the Signalers who had been invisible to everyone. The Command appeared only through orders, like a ghostly, godlike, metaphysical entity.

But now, thanks to the confession of the Signaler standing before us, that identity was unveiled.

"The Military State was a utopia. A nation where everyone receives orders from someone."

From what I had seen, only innocent people lived in the Military State. Citizens were burdened with harsh rules, working like yoked oxen to sustain the State. The soldiers who seemed to exploit them were, in fact, merely following the Command’s orders.

And yet, those issuing the orders were none other than the Signalers themselves.

"But for every soldier, even the Six Star Generals—the absolute power in the State—the orders come from Signalers. And these Signalers are just captains, trapped in tiny rooms, only communicating through golems. What now, Siahti?"

"I don’t care about their circumstances!"

Siahti, not yet comprehending the full extent of this revelation, burst out in anger.

"What does that matter?! They killed my friends. I swore not to forget them! The Military State must atone. If not willingly, then by force!"

Consider a sword wielded to commit murder. The sword is blameless; the blame falls upon the one who wields it.

However, in the Military State, every human is treated as a tool.

Every person is a tool, functioning solely according to someone else’s orders. Therefore, every person in the State is innocent.

Even these Signalers who appear to give orders…

"Siahti."

"What?!"

"Do you want to ask her age?"

"What difference does it make?!"

"It might change things. Just give it a try. This will be the last one, I promise."

Glaring at me, Siahti clicked her tongue before looking at the officer in front of her. There stood the embodiment of everything she loathed about the Military State, dressed in a stiff uniform and staring back with emotionless eyes.

"Fine. The least I can do is ask how old she’ll be on her grave marker. What’s your age?"

A routine question, the kind asked every day. Asking someone’s age, evaluating their years. It seemed like a question that reinforced an outdated notion of respect based on seniority.

"Twenty-one."

And with just that, a significant change occurred.

Twenty-one. These Signalers had been born three years after the founding of the Military State.

Of course, because Signalers could only be created in a perfectly controlled environment, raising and training children until they became fully indoctrinated.

In other words…

"A junior…?"

Siahti’s blazing rage, which would have engulfed the Military State, if not for lack of strength, wavered in front of this youthful, pale face.

During the incident at Hameln, they were likely also enduring the harsh training of the Signaler Headquarters.

"At twenty-one, you remember the Hameln incident?! You said you remembered…?"

"I remember it from the records left by the former Signaler."

"Then where is that former Signaler?!"

"The whereabouts of the former Signaler are classified, so even I don’t know."

But I could guess. If this invaluable asset to the Command became unusable, the Military State would surely…

"Most likely dead. Whether by their own choice or not."