Sigh "It’s always the same. Going down is easy, but climbing back up is twice as hard."

I grumbled as I climbed the ladder, step by step, groping my way up in the darkness. I couldn’t see anything in front of me, relying only on my sense of touch. After fumbling for what felt like ages, I had no idea how high I’d climbed or even where I was. It felt like I was climbing an endless ladder.

If only my senses were working properly, maybe it would be different. But thanks to the drug I took earlier, even those were dulled. If I let my guard down for even a moment, I might let go of the ladder and attempt a flight.

Wait, now that I think about it, why am I not flying? Why am I bothering to climb one rung at a time when I could just spread my wings and fly? On the count of three, I'll—

"STOP!"

My own voice echoed loudly through the dim passageway, jolting my senses back to reality. Startled by the sound, I regained some clarity. I spoke aloud on purpose.

"Whew, that was close. Almost tried to jump to my death in this sewer. Not exactly a stylish way to go."

Even though the drug had messed me up, I’d still been able to stay somewhat aware by reading other people's thoughts. By observing others through my mind-reading, I remained objective. The drug couldn’t fully break my reason—one of the few advantages of mind-reading, I suppose.

But now that there was no one around, I was completely subjective.

In other words, right now, I’m nothing more than a drug-addled lunatic.

"If only there were someone normal around. Too bad there’s no one here. Maybe there will be once I get to the top."

There had been plenty of people when I came down here. But now, I was alone.

The others had decided to stay down below.

It wasn’t surprising for Aby and Yuel, but Siaty’s decision had caught me off guard.

Siaty had openly declared that she didn’t trust Aby or Yuel. She said that becoming a king didn’t erase the sins of the past and that she couldn’t trust them without some sort of guarantee. Only Siaty could pull off a stunt like throwing cold water on the situation like that.

However, unlike before, Siaty didn’t go on a rampage, trying to kill them. Instead, she decided to stay behind and wait, prepared to deal with them if they ever strayed from the path. She might not have any special powers, but she still had a talent for taking down humans with just her thumbs.

Yet, there was something curious about Siaty's thoughts at that moment. Reflecting on it, I muttered to myself.

"Is that what you’ve decided, Siaty? To become a judge? Whoever judges the king would hold the highest position in Gun-guk. In that sense, you might end up being the most successful among us."

A judge. What a lofty position. Not someone who rules or creates, but someone who watches and delivers judgment when things go wrong—a position of power without responsibility. Siaty had decided to take that role.

The princess had been horrified and tried to stop her, but there was no stopping Siaty once she made up her mind. And, well, if the princess had truly understood Siaty, she wouldn’t have tried to stop her in the first place.

In the end, Siaty's resolve was so firm that the princess couldn’t change her mind. Torn between decisions, the princess eventually chose to stay with Siaty, though she emphasized several times that it would only be "for a short while."

"But I never imagined I’d be the only one heading back up. It’s easy to fall, but hard to climb. Maybe that’s why they all stay down below."

Unlike Aby and Yuel, I don’t have the ability to sit in one place and observe the world outside. That’s just not the way I live.

Steeling myself for the climb, I continued upward until I reached the point where the ladder ended. Who left this unfinished? Should I just jump…? No, wait, that’s the drug talking again. I shook my head to clear my mind.

If the ladder ends, that means I’m almost back to the surface. Steadying myself, I reached up and felt something solid. Instead of slamming into it, I should open it and step outside.

I hooked my foot on the top rung and pushed the hatch with all my strength.

"Ughhh."

As I pushed the hatch open, I was greeted by the sight of a partially collapsed building. It was the communication headquarters, destroyed during the battle between Historia and the angels. Sticking my head out like a mole, I peeked around, only to be hit by a gust of dusty wind. It tasted of dirt.

The air outside is worse than underground. Maybe it’s better to live down there. After fully pushing the hatch open, I crawled out, stomach to the ground.

Hello again, dust-filled surface. I’ve returned, leaving the secrets of Gun-guk buried beneath the earth...

Wait a second. Dust? Wind?

Wasn't this supposed to be an indoor space? Even if the building had partially collapsed, had it crumbled enough for the wind to blow through?

A chill ran down my spine, not because of the wind, but because my instincts were alerting me to something.

A thought surfaced in my mind. Not Historia’s. Someone else’s.

Slowly, I turned my head. My eyes met with someone else’s—someone who had been waiting for me to notice them. As soon as I did, they called out with a beat-too-late shout.

"Welcome! I’ve been waiting so long, I thought my neck might stretch from the wait!"

The voice belonged to a man with a wide grin, wearing a monocle with toothed edges and wrapped in a heavy-looking cloak.

A friend? No. The only time we’d ever met was once before.

A pleasant memory? Not at all. That time, we fought, and I’d landed a punch on his face.

We weren’t on friendly terms, yet here he was, approaching me as if we were the best of friends.

This isn’t good, but I can’t afford to show that.

After all, this man was one of Gun-guk’s Six-Star Generals—the strongest warriors in the nation. I forced myself to greet him.

"Maximilien? It’s been a while. Have you been well?"

"Well? I’ve been waiting so long to meet you again that my neck practically stretched! I didn’t expect to see you so soon!"

I hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him until now, and of course, he shows up when I’m at my most vulnerable. He laughed heartily and said,

"Such a strange thing! I was planning how to meet you, bypassing that young man who uses the power of ancestors and demons, but here you are, walking right into my arms! Calling for backup was pointless, wasn’t it?"

"I wasn’t exactly trying to meet you."

"You came for the Thousand-Mile Eye, didn’t you? I know! But what does that matter? What’s important is that we’ve met now, without any interference!"

Wow. If I’d heard that from a woman, my heart might have fluttered. But since it’s from this crazy guy, I’m feeling a different kind of anxiety. I took a step back, clearly unsettled.

This isn’t good.

The two backups I’d been relying on—one was Historia, and the other was the princess. Between them, I’d placed more faith in Historia since she was more reliable.

I may have depended on her a bit too much, but she’s one of the Six-Star Generals. I figured she could handle most crises...

But if Maximilien is here waiting for me, that means...

"Are you looking for this?"

Maximilien snapped his fingers.

A deafening noise, as if a giant had grabbed the world and crushed it in its grip, filled the air.

The collapsed building shifted. No, something that had destroyed the building moved, causing the concrete debris to ripple and crumble.

It was like watching a sandcastle collapse from within. The support columns, the steel bars that served as the skeleton of the concrete, were effortlessly crushed like dry sand.

From the wreckage emerged a massive machine made of gears—a gigantic mechanical carriage.

At first glance, it looked like an oversized skeleton of an automated carriage. But its movements resembled those of an insect rather than a vehicle.

Gears never move alone. They always turn in conjunction with others.

And so, as the massive body moved, hundreds of gears shifted in a wave-like motion. It looked less like a carriage rolling forward and more like a caterpillar crawling along the ground.

The monstrous machine, which crushed the building as it approached, finally stopped a few steps in front of me. Its presence was so imposing I had to tilt my head back just to see it properly.

Swallowing nervously, I tried to respond calmly.

"I’m not in the scrap business, you know."

"This isn’t scrap. It’s the 'Steel Beetle'—my masterpiece, created over half my life!"

"Half your life spent on a toy? Seems like a waste."

"Hmm, perhaps. But a life that isn’t spent in pursuit of joy is a far greater waste, wouldn’t you agree?"

I had tried to provoke him a little, but Maximilien just laughed it off. For some reason, his favorability toward me was inexplicably high. Why do the people who like me the most, based on first impressions, always turn out to be men? It’s depressing.

Maximilien, acting as though he were doing me a favor, said,

"I’ll give you the chance to inspect it closely. I’m sure you’ll quickly understand the structure of the Steel Beetle!"

"I’d rather not. I’m more interested in your hobbies than your machine."

"You’ll have to. Whether you’re interested or not, what you’re looking for will be inside."

Now he was flat-out forcing me. I couldn’t pretend to ignore it anymore. I watched him carefully as I walked forward.

At the front of the machine, where a figurehead would be on a ship, was a figure bound like a statue. She had long, black hair draped limply over her face, and her body was covered in blood—she looked more fitting for a ghost ship than anything else.

Her arms and legs were buried, crushed between the interlocking gears.

As horrible as the thought was, if those gears were to start turning...

"Hi...sto...ria..."

Historia’s limbs would be crushed by the giant gears.

What happened while I was away? Standing in front of the bloodied Historia, I touched the gears binding her.

"You even learned a new special move? How did you end up getting caught?"

"...Tch. I wasn’t at full strength. If my body had been in better shape..."

"Still holding onto your pride? Just hang on for a second. I’ll get you out of this."

I tried pulling on the gears, but they didn’t budge. My strength wasn’t enough to free her. It would take someone with at least Historia’s level of power to pry these gears apart.

'Don’t waste your effort. Those are gears I designed. The more strength you apply, the more that force will tighten the grip on Historia. Of course, I’m sure someone as clever as you could figure that out!'

Of course. It was needlessly complicated. An insidious trap.

While my strength alone wouldn’t put Historia in immediate danger, there was no point in wasting it on a futile effort. I let go of the gears and said,

"It’s no good. The gears are too precisely interlocked. If I apply too much force, you’ll get hurt."

"...Now’s not the time to be worrying about me."

"Is that so?"

I guess she’s right. I’m not exactly in a position to be worrying about others.

I’m weak, I have no special abilities, and I’m not well-prepared for this encounter with a Six-Star General. To be honest, I’m probably more helpless than Historia, even though she’s stuck in those gears.

It seemed Historia shared my thoughts.

"Run. Or at least stall for time until your ally arrives. His gears are pure physical power. If the ancestor shows up, they’ll have the upper hand against Maximilien’s gears. So... whether you flatter him or whatever, it doesn’t matter. Fortunately, he seems to like you..."

"Hey. Do I really need to take advice from someone who’s tied up?"

"Do you have a plan? You won’t be able to escape from Maximilien. After clashing with him, I can tell there’s something... strange about him."

Historia spoke with a seriousness as if she were revealing a military secret. I thought about her words for a moment before responding.

"I know. You can tell just by looking at him. Did you really need to fight him to figure that out?"

"I’m serious! There’s something off about his energy techniques... Ugh!"

"Don’t move. The gears are turning."

The pressure applied to her arms could bend steel. Historia was only able to endure it because she had reinforced her body with qi. A normal person’s limbs would have been severed by now.

It seemed extreme, but then again, to restrain someone as powerful as Historia without killing her, this was the only way. In a strange sense, it was even considerate—at least they didn’t want to kill her or inflict unnecessary harm.

"There’s something he’s after. I don’t know why he hasn’t killed me yet... But if we figure that out..."

"I’ll tell you."

Instead of brute-forcing everything as she used to, Historia was now thinking and strategizing. It seemed her time as a general had given her a talent for reading the big picture. As they say, circumstances make the person.

Naturally, my approach would also change with the situation.

"What?"

"The gears already know, and so do I. It would only make sense for my ally to know as well. Otherwise, the math wouldn’t add up."

Historia’s tactical mind made her suited to being a general. If I could share this small truth and help her assess the situation faster, it would be to my advantage.

So I said,

"Maximilien isn’t my enemy."

Of course, this relied on the assumption that even after hearing this, Historia would still remain my ally.

After all, if you can’t trust the cards in your hand, you can’t call yourself a gambler.

"...Not your enemy?"

I nodded and began to explain.

"There are six Six-Star Generals. Take you, my ally, out of the equation, and we’re left with three—Zero Ghost, Maximilien, and Heavenly Command. With Zero Ghost gone, that leaves only Maximilien and Heavenly Command at the headquarters. So, it’s a simple math problem. Even a child could solve this inequality between one and two."

I raised my hand and counted my fingers. On my side, one. On their side, two. Of course, two beats one. Even if there’s a difference in strength among the generals, at some point, it becomes a matter of numbers.

When strength reaches a certain level, it all comes down to numbers. Anything less gets dropped below the decimal point, leaving only the whole numbers.

"But if Shay’s not here, then the inequality flips. Like this."

I slowly folded and raised my fingers again. Now, on my side, two. On theirs, one. The advantage was mine now.

Obviously, "they" referred to Heavenly Command. The one who created and protected Gun-guk and who would never allow change. Heavenly Command would never tolerate that.

But Maximilien, who had helped create Gun-guk but saw it only as an interesting toy...

"Exactly!"

Maximilien, grinning from ear to ear, confirmed my words.