Historia, momentarily unable to follow the unfolding situation, stammered in confusion. Maximilien's boisterous voice filled the silence left by her shock.

"Colonel Historia, now do you understand how troublesome my situation was? You and I had no real reason to fight. If only you hadn’t attempted guerrilla tactics against me, I would have simply ignored you."

"...How... did this happen?"

She wore a shocked expression—and rightfully so. Who would have thought the head of Gun-guk's Weapon Development Department would turn out to be my ally? Even I hadn't known until I read his thoughts.

"This is partly your fault, Maximilien. If you'd shown up earlier, we could've avoided a lot of unnecessary conflict."

Honestly, having him as an ally didn’t help much, considering the person I ended up fighting was Historia. What kind of ally is that? I chastised him, and Maximilien offered an explanation.

"My lateness was due to Heavenly Command. By the time I’d finished my urgent business, the Command's oversight had already begun. The communication officers didn’t respond to my calls, and while I was away, my loyal aides were reassigned elsewhere. I was left without any reports, and I only moved once I heard gunfire. So naturally, I arrived now."

"Are you blaming others?"

"I’m merely stating the facts! Had Heavenly Command not been so wary of me, would you have made it this far so easily?"

He had a point. Heavenly Command was led by Saintess Yuel, who had the ability to foresee events with her far-sighted vision. She had noticed our approach and secretly sent an angel to guide us, aiming to resolve things quietly by revealing the communication officer’s secret. This was partly because our forces weren’t particularly formidable, but Maximilien’s presence was undoubtedly another reason.

Yet thinking about it now, it makes me angry. If he had arrived earlier, things would’ve gone so much smoother! Why does everything fall apart just when my life’s on the line?

"You didn’t help much in the end, did you? In the end, it was Lia who handled most of the heavy lifting. You show up late, only to attack an already-weakened Historia!"

I couldn’t just let this slide. Ineptitude, past a certain point, becomes a crime. He owed me something for his failures!

Maximilien responded calmly to my accusations.

"You keep passing the blame, but isn’t it more your fault for not informing the colonel in advance? If you had, we could have avoided the unnecessary conflict."

"Well, what's done is done. Let’s move on and think about the next steps."

"Exactly. Now you're making sense."

"Since we’ve cleared the air, why don’t you start by freeing Lia?"

If we were truly allies, there was no reason to keep Historia bound. But Maximilien refused.

"Before that, we should resolve the colonel’s lingering doubts. I’d rather not release her only to be attacked again."

He didn’t want to risk being attacked once Historia was freed. This meant he still didn’t completely trust me—after all, Historia had attacked him because I hadn’t given her any warning.

"You’re quite thorough."

"It’s an occupational hazard. Don’t take it personally. Even I need some assurance. Gun-guk is the toy I’ve poured the most effort into, so I can’t bet it all on a mere possibility."

His response was logical and left no room to argue. I had to explain things to both Historia and Maximilien in a way that satisfied them. Damn, he’s holding all the cards here and using his advantageous position perfectly.

At that moment, Historia raised her head and looked at Maximilien.

"Director, what is this possibility you speak of? Why do you claim to be Huey’s ally?"

"Patience, Colonel. You’ll hear it from him."

"Why don’t you tell me, Director? It’s hard to take Huey’s words at face value."

There was distrust in Historia’s eyes as she glanced at me.

Hey, how many times have I lied to you? It’s one thing to hear that from people I’ve conned, but from you? That stings. Maybe I should give her a smack while she's tied up.

I shot her a glare, but she didn’t flinch.

"Director, you’re favorable to Huey, but Heavenly Command tried to kill him with everything they had. What exactly does Huey have that makes everyone act this way? Why did Chief Ziggrhund try to kill him, only to later show him kindness?"

"Chief Ziggrhund? Is that so! Ha ha! This only makes me more certain!"

It wasn’t just Maximilien who was pleased by this revelation—Historia was also using the moment to get her questions answered. I was helpless against the flow of conversation between these two Six-Star Generals.

"First off, let me clarify something. Neither I nor Ziggrhund are directly under Heavenly Command’s control. Heavenly Command brought us into Gun-guk, yes, but there’s no strict chain of command. If anything, we’re more like contractors."

"Contractors? That might explain you, Director, but what about the Chief?"

"I’ve worked diligently, in my own way... But compared to the Chief, I pale in comparison. He was likely part of the Holy Sword Order."

The name slipped from Maximilien’s lips, and Historia’s eyes widened at the mention of the world-renowned military group.

"The Holy Sword Order...? You mean the elite knights of the Holy See...?"

"Elite? No, more like slaves."

Maximilien let out a brief, mocking laugh before continuing.

"These are strong warriors abandoned by fate, only to be taken in by a god who pitied them. They no longer have a life of their own—only their faith remains, and they don’t value their lives. Ziggrhund was likely one of them. Hence, Heavenly Command trusted him implicitly."

"Then... does that mean Heavenly Command is...?"

"I’ve never met Heavenly Command in person, so I can’t say for sure. But who else commands angels like that besides a saintess? Don’t act so surprised at the obvious."

With a condescending smile, Maximilien explained to her like she was a child. He wasn’t wrong. The existence of Gun-guk’s guardian angel was a clear indicator of ties to the Holy See.

Though Yuel had personally and politically distanced herself from the Holy See, it still wasn’t surprising.

"The Chief was Heavenly Command’s right hand. But faith shatters when it comes up against something more tangible. No matter how much one believes in a god that can’t be seen, it’s hard to deny what’s right in front of you. That’s why the First Saint had to rid the world of kings to create a god."

"A... king."

If you’re going to cut ties, you might as well cut them completely, instead of clinging to a sliver of faith like that.

"That’s right. I believe he’s the human king."

"...A human king?"

Silence filled the secretive underground space.

This wasn’t the kind of silence that came from the absence of people—it was the kind that made you hesitant to speak, as if words themselves might disturb the revelation that had just been made. It was too incredible to dismiss as a joke, but too unbelievable to accept so easily.

The first person to break the silence was none other than Eryen Grandiomor. Perhaps it was her connection to royalty, or maybe just her personality, but she couldn’t hold back.

"Wh-What? How do you know?"

"I don’t."

"Huh?"

And Yuel, who had revealed all these secrets, responded with a careless shrug.

"I can’t know for sure. No one can."

"But you said he was the human king!"

"The scent of blood is best recognized by the wolves that follow it. If those chasing the human king judged him to be so, then they must have some evidence I haven’t seen."

With an air of indifference, as though it wasn’t her problem, Yuel responded with nonchalance. Eryen, feeling betrayed, grabbed her head in despair and trembled.

"Wh-What have we done? What sacrilegious act did we commit...?"

"The sacrilegious one is Huey, not you. Are you really going to believe this nonsense?"

Siaty, still filled with doubt, glared at Yuel.

"He’s just a boastful fool with no real skills. That guy could never be the human king."

"But isn’t there something extraordinary about him, beyond mere boasting?"

"I went to school with Huey. If he were truly the human king, there would’ve been something different about him from the start. And if he’s just a king who stands by and lets tragedies happen, then he’s not needed anyway!"

"...I’m not defending the human king, but..."

Yuel finally spoke, unable to remain silent after hearing Siaty.

"The human king doesn’t possess any special powers. The First Saint, with her powers, rejected the human king throughout all futures. Even the human king was just an ordinary person. The world was meant to be free of kings... and left to humanity alone. All sins, punishments, virtues, and morals were meant to be entirely human."

Yuel’s voice gradually softened, her words becoming more like a prayer than a conversation. The gentle tone seemed to irritate Siaty even more.

"Humanity’s? This was your doing!"

"...Yes. That sin is mine."

"Saying it’s your sin doesn’t make it right!"

Siaty, angered, began accusing Yuel harshly, questioning why she created this hell and insisting that Yuel had no right to speak about sin after what she had done. Each word pierced Yuel’s heart sharply, but she suffered from a different kind of pain.

"If... if he truly is the human king... then... humanity rejected this nation..."

Yuel bowed over the corpse of the warlord, clutching her aching chest, as though trying to comfort him—or perhaps herself.