Yuel Prayed Until We Were Nearly Upon Her, Holding a Corpse in Her Lap.

Her reverent posture, resembling a stone statue, made it seem as though nothing in the world could disturb her focus. But of course, absolutes rarely exist in this world. The moment Captain Abby mentioned the corpse, Yuel’s emotion returned, and she reverted to being human.

“It’s my first time meeting you in person. Nice to finally see you, Abby. Really, I’ve been wanting to meet you for a while.”

Her greeting was cheerful, but then Yuel’s expression hardened as she looked up at Abby.

“And I curse you.”

Abby appeared to take it in stride, but Yuel’s gaze remained icy.

“Of all people, you—the Signaler most like me—betrayed the Military State. This is the worst possible scenario. The most dangerous person has been brought right to me. I took every precaution to keep my identity hidden, and yet here you are, betraying the Military State?”

“Negative. I have not betrayed the Military State.”

“Are you trying to cover the sky with your hand, Abby? You led an enemy of the Military State here. How can you say you haven’t betrayed us?”

“That is precisely the issue. I do not understand why the Command went to such lengths to treat them as enemies. It is illogical.”

In truth, Captain Abby had never directly attacked the Military State. At most, she had resisted and attempted to persuade other Signalers. Thus, Abby’s claim was entirely truthful and sincere. Yuel’s head turned as if on rusty hinges.

“…You don’t understand? Truly?”

“Affirmative. Even setting aside my personal feelings, I still find the lack of negotiation and hostility towards them to be unproductive and unlikely to yield better results.”

“Them?”

Captain Abby faltered, and Yuel chuckled darkly.

“‘Them,’ you say! Oh, dear! Them!”

Her chuckle became increasingly bitter until it sounded almost like sobbing. She calmed her breathing before speaking again.

“I take it back. You really are like me, Abby! Falling for a worthless man, of all things!”

To my surprise, Captain Abby didn’t deny it. Yuel’s expression softened as she gently stroked the corpse’s face.

“There was no need to resemble me in every way.”

The presence of a shrine deep beneath the Command Center puzzled Abby. A Signaler named Yuel cradling a corpse—who would have guessed she was Eymeder’s true identity? Yet Abby, as a Signaler herself, kept her composure, sorting through her thoughts even amidst the confusion.

“Yuel. I’m not entirely sure of your intentions, but as a Signaler and one of the Six Pillars, Eymeder, I request that you comply with my current mission.”

“Mission? What mission?”

“To cease these meaningless hostilities and make rational judgments.”

“Hah!”

Yuel clicked her tongue with a smirk.

“Abby, did you really watch Tantalos without realizing it? I must have overestimated you.”

“You are speaking without an object. Please communicate more clearly.”

“About the Mystics. I left you there to see them with your own eyes, yet you seem to have felt nothing.”

“Rephrase. What did you expect me to feel?”

“Did you not feel the terror of the Mystics in the Abyss, that deep void which even I cannot peer into without directly observing it?”

Captain Abby tilted her head. In her memory, Týr and the Regressor were powerful, but she had felt no fear towards them.

“Partially affirmative. They are indeed powerful to a fearful extent. However, I still believe the Military State could negotiate with them.”

Yuel scoffed.

“That’s precisely the problem, isn’t it? Why should a nation engage in ‘serious talks’ with just a few dangerous individuals?”

“Because they possess the capability to warrant it.”

“The ability to destroy a nation on a whim? It’s terrifying power, wouldn’t you agree? For a mere fugitive, to roam the Military State leisurely, only to storm the Command Center at the end—and still go unopposed!”

Abby flinched but held her ground. Yuel chuckled briefly, then murmured to herself as she ran her fingers over the corpse’s cheek.

“This nation is the fruit of what he and I created together. We believed in each other, relied on each other, and built a home for ourselves. A safe haven for millions, soon to be billions, born and raised here. I must protect this nation from the whims of Mystics.”

“I understand your intention.”

“No, you don’t understand at all. Mystics don’t just mean strength.”

Yuel explained.

“Patraxion was powerful, but he was just one man. The damage he could cause was limited. While he’s hailed as the one who overthrew a kingdom, he would have faded like anyone else if it weren’t for his allies. But the Founder? She alone can create entire legions of vampires and lead them. She’s the queen of the Mist Empire. She changes the world on a whim.”

While I casually spoke with her, the Regressor’s capability to reshape the world with their every move was undeniable.

“That’s right, Abby. To engage with them reasonably while facing individuals, yet remain helpless before their whims. No matter how strong they are.”

Remarkably, Abby grasped the essence in an instant. Yuel’s surprise softened into a faint, weary smile.

“…You were exceptional, Abby. Without your mind being corrupted, you could have become the center of the Signaler network. Then, even without me, this nation would have carried on. But now, both of us are gone.”

Yuel’s tone hinted at a sense of both of their deaths. I caught onto the disquieting thoughts in her mind, but it wasn’t yet my turn to intervene.

“Query. You have repeatedly used the pronoun ‘he.’ Who is this ‘he’?”

The mention of the corpse came up again, and Yuel’s hands froze as though the attention made her uncomfortable. She clutched the body tightly, as if wishing to shield it from our view. A contradictory demand, given she held it so close. Humans are indeed paradoxical beings.

“The one you no longer remember. The father of the Military State, yet you know nothing about him.”

“Counterargument. The Military State is not a living entity, and thus it has no father.”

“It’s a metaphor.”

“However, even as a metaphor, there is no one called a father within the Military State…”

Abby trailed off as she looked at the corpse again.

Having established the Military State’s foundation, the hero was someone even a Signaler would recognize through photos or paintings. Abby herself had seen his likeness. Despite the Military State’s indifference towards deification, Yuel’s words triggered a faint recollection in Abby’s mind.

“…Hero Valiorant? But he was killed by remnants three years after the founding of the Military State. So why is he here?”

“Remnants? Remnants, you say! Hah, ha-ha!”

Yuel laughed bitterly. She seemed afflicted by manic-depression, and after nearly twenty years alone in this grim, secluded underground with a corpse, it would make sense.

“If it had been mere remnants, if only it had been remnants! But I saw it! Yet I couldn’t see the truth. I, who should have known better, couldn’t see the truth!”

This was no longer a conversation. It was a one-sided monologue. My ability to read thoughts gave me an idea of what she meant, but Abby remained confused.

“Yuel?”

“I couldn’t bear to let her stay by his side. My jealousy nearly drove me mad, yet I was buoyed by a sense of superiority. She could never replace me, yet I could take her place. And so…”

Yuel’s thoughts were interesting.

Hero Valiorant had a family. In the kingdom days, he was given a noble’s daughter by the royal family. Although she came from a fallen household, the marriage elevated his status. He accepted her as his wife with grace.

He was a devoted husband, and she grew to love him. Their relationship was widely regarded as harmonious, and the hero had taken every care to protect her family after the uprising.

But her family had connections to the knightly nobility, and many of her kin had died in the revolution. Even if she loved him, she could not help but feel uneasy.

If he had returned from the Holy Papal City with a mysterious woman, showing her favor, she might have been pushed to the edge.

It’s just speculation on my part, but it’s plausible.

“I should have watched. Even if it was distasteful, I should have watched over her. If I had done so without pride, maybe then he…”

“Yuel. I don’t understand what you’re saying. Wasn’t Hero Valiorant killed by remnants?”

“Yes, remnants! Or do you mean to say he died in a lovers’ quarrel?”

Yuel threw herself over the corpse, covering it with her arms as if to hide it from us. Her unkempt hair fell across his pale face, giving the impression that he was merely sleeping.

“She may have taken him from me, but in the end, I won. She couldn’t bear his child, yet I created a legacy with him. This blessed nation, which will continue to birth and nurture billions.”

“Yuel…”

“This nation, the Military State, is the fruit of my labor. Even if I die, it will carry on.”

Yuel clenched her skeletal hands, and the shrine trembled. Stones began to fall from the ceiling.

This was the hidden heart of the Military State, buried deep beneath the surface. The simplest means of concealing a secret is sometimes the most effective.

“Well, this isn’t good. This place looks like it could collapse at any moment. Is this some kind of clichéd trap?”

“Surely not!”

‘This is bad! While talking, we gave her time to act. We should have subdued her first!’

Panic set in as Abby approached Yuel, gripping her shoulders, but Yuel didn’t move.

She wasn’t resisting but had instead invoked some kind of holy power to freeze herself in place.

“Stop, Yuel!”

“We may be alike, but there’s one crucial difference.”

Of course, Yuel had no intention of stopping. And it was impossible to stop her.

The Prophetess’s Far Sight was merely observational, but high-ranking clerics like Yuel could summon divine power.

The pillars supporting the room, thirty meters underground, began to crumble. The land above would soon collapse.

Even with divine power, being buried alive would be fatal. Yet Yuel seemed unfazed.

“My eye for men is far better. Farewell, Abby. This short meeting was enjoyable. Let’s meet again in heaven.”

Hey, what did I do to deserve this? I was about to protest when Abby, her voice stern, wielded her magic.

“Negative! I will not accept this!”