Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint
Chapter 345: The King Who Kills Others, The God Who Kills Himself (1)

The hatch of the Golden Ark lowered.

As we stepped outside, we were greeted by an elderly man wearing a straw hat.

For a moment, we were at a loss for words.

The old man stood before us on his knees with nothing else below them, gazing up at us.

It was eerie, but the sheer suddenness of it was more bewildering than frightening.

It was hard to tell if he was trying to invoke pity or be intimidating.

Before we could decide how to react, he spoke.

“Kuhaha! Seeing those dumbfounded faces is always a delight!”

The old man chuckled mischievously, then took a deep breath.

- Shhhiieeek.

A sound like air rushing in echoed and his body suddenly rose.

Before we knew it, he was at eye level with me, grinning broadly.

It wasn’t just his knees that were missing.

He had no lower half at all.

Instead, he had pistons attached where his legs should have been, allowing him to move.

It was the Dominarch, Hector.

The Primarch of the Fallen Dominion who could control pistons as if they were a part of his own body.

With the soft hiss of releasing pressure, he walked toward us with a friendly gait.

“Been a while, Wither. Apologies for the abrupt stop. I was in the middle of something and didn’t read the report until a few moments ago. Still, I trust you’ll understand.”

“Is a simple ‘sorry’ supposed to cut it? I spilled my tea all over myself because of that sudden stop!”

While everyone else was processing the encounter, I was the only one grumbling like a child.

What about the mental and emotional damage I suffered?

Who’s paying for that?

As I complained, Hector shrugged his shoulders.

“What was I supposed to do? A ship of crushing iron, tearing through stone and steel, was about to trample a cornfield. The apology was just a courtesy. If you’d actually crushed the field, I would’ve flipped the whole ship.”

His answer was so refreshingly honest that I doubted my ears for a moment.

So far, the Primarchs of the Fallen Dominion we’d met were all screw-loose fanatics: obsessed with gears, prone to fits of rage, or just socially inept.

I’d assumed, through inductive reasoning, that the next Primarch would be just as bizarre.

And to top it off, he had just hoisted the Golden Ark into the air with a lift.

I thought he would be either a lunatic or an enemy, but he is surprisingly reasonable.

“What’s this? Why does he seem like a normal person?”

Ah.

I accidentally said that out loud.

“Kuhaha! In this country, I’m the strange one! Don’t you think every country needs at least one sane person for it to function properly?”

He’s definitely strange.

He took my remark as a joke and just laughed it off.

Is this really a person from the Fallen Dominion?

I guess you really can’t judge people by appearances.

Here’s a man with no legs, yet his personality is this lively.

Hector, ever friendly, pulled out a cane and extended it until it touched the ground.

Balancing himself on it, he shot a sharp look at Peru.

“Now then. If you had no business here, you could’ve just gone around, but since you’ve come down, you must have a reason. I’m already old and it’s hard for me to stand for long, so get to the point.”

Before Peru could respond, the Regressor stepped forward.

“We’re peace envoys from the Military State. We want to talk to the Golden Lord about ending the war and forming a treaty.”

It was a direct pitch right down the middle—so straightforward it left no room for misunderstanding, but it was also too blunt to be easily believed.

Even Hector blinked in surprise for a moment.

He gave the Regressor a skeptical look as if trying to see if she was lying.

Fortunately, we had Peru, who could vouch for us.

“Is that true, Wither?”

“…Yeah.”

“Do you have anything to prove your identity?”

It was a reasonable request, but the Regressor had nothing to show for it.

As she hesitated, Hilde stepped forward.

“We do have something to prove it, but would you recognize it even if we showed you? Otherwise, I’ll tell you why Maximilien wasn’t a Primarch.”

“That won’t be necessary. If you’re truly from the Military State, then I’ll believe it. After all, who in their right mind would ride the Witherarch’s juggernaut across the Fallen Dominion unless they had real business with the Golden Lord?”

Satisfied, Hector rubbed his beard with a furrowed brow.

“Hmm. Peace envoys, huh? I didn’t expect the Military State to send one first.”

It makes sense.

The Military State didn’t expect it either.

If it weren’t for the Regressor, they would have sent an army instead.

This kind of matter isn’t something one can decide on the spot.

Hector scratched his head under his straw hat and looked back at the pack of Dholes surrounding us before speaking.

“This isn’t the best place to talk about politics. Let’s step inside for a proper discussion.”

“Fine. Lead the way.”

The Regressor nodded without hesitation, but Hector cast a sharp glance her way.

“You’re awfully eager to walk into a place that could be a trap. Aren’t you worried? If you disappear, the whole peace process could be ruined.”

“Try me.”

Whoa.

That was cool.

When will I be able to say something like that?

Even with Mind Reading, I couldn’t pull it off.

There’s always that one person who takes a joke too far.

You need the confidence to survive being in the middle of an explosion to say something like that.

Her words were borderline reckless, but Hector burst into hearty laughter.

“Haha! I like your spirit! Sure, sure, there are traps in this city, but I promise not to use any of them on you. Come, I’ll lead the way!”

Looks like this is going to go better than I thought.

Even if the Regressor’s recklessness caused some issues, this guy seems to take it smoothly.

Then again, he could be playing along only because he’s on the same level as her.

｢He’s responding, not reacting. He’s not hostile even though we were forceful. I should keep that in mind.｣

The Regressor sheathed Chun-aeng.

Watching Hector’s limping gait as he walked with his piston legs, the Regressor’s thoughts lingered.

｢Fireblastarch, Witherarch, and now the Dominarch. The leadership of the Fallen Dominion may change quickly, but I haven’t heard of these Primarchs’ before. The only one I knew was the Thunderarch of Claudia.｣

Hector’s appearance was distinct.

His piston legs hissed and squeaked with rhythmic precision.

It was a sight—and sound—you wouldn’t forget.

It wasn’t just Hector.

Fireblastarch Rocket was the same.

Peru, as normal as she seemed in comparison, could only ride a Juggernaut or walk due to her ability to wither metal.

But none of these faces were familiar to the Regressor.

I couldn’t read memories from past timelines, but I was sure she hadn’t met them in any previous cycles.

｢Did they all die in the war? Or… were they killed before the war even began?｣

***

It was still midday.

Tyr disliked the sunlight and Azzy wouldn’t listen to anything more complicated than a dog whistle.

Only Hilde, the Regressor, and I decided to follow Hector into the city.

I didn’t need to tag along since we had two capable negotiators, but hey, Mind Reading has its perks.

Several of Hector’s subordinates ran up to him.

With just a few words from him, they dispersed quickly and efficiently.

Their unity and discipline were noteworthy.

They weren’t as disciplined as the Military State, but everything is relative.

Hector led us down an avenue, guiding us to the center of a wide, open plaza.

The ground was paved with white stone and there were a few backless benches surrounding a statue in the center.

Hector sat down with a sigh and adjusted his piston legs for comfort.

The Regressor glanced around and muttered.

“This doesn’t seem like a great place for political talk either, does it?”

“Of course not. Just wait.”

Hector raised a hand, pointing at the statue.

It was a statue of a middle-aged man with a solemn face.

The craftsmanship was incredibly lifelike, except for the lid-like object placed on his head like a hat.

Hector pointed his finger at the metal lid, activating his Unique Magic.

To forge steel, it must be hammered and flattened.

Even after the advent of alchemy, the process of shaping steel by pounding it remained a common technique.

The Dominarch’s Unique Magic manifested with the image of hammering steel.

The Unique Magic of the Dominarch applies pressure to steel.

The form or appearance doesn’t matter.

As long as it’s steel, he can apply pressure to it unconditionally.

If the direction of the pressure is twisted, the movement might be difficult, but if it was shaped like a piston, the immense force derived from his Unique Magic could be controlled in a single direction.

Because of this, his pistons operated regardless of heat or wind.

This is also how he was able to lift the Juggernaut.

Hector applied that power to the steel lid, from the inside out.

The lid began to expand.

The Alchemic Steel, known for its high ductility and malleability, swelled like a balloon under Hector’s power.

Normally, when metal expands beyond a certain point, it tears, but this was a Primarch of The Fallen Dominion, a master in both alchemy and Unique Magic.

The finely controlled Alchemic Steel expanded steadily without tearing or breaking.

At some point, the lid reached the ground, having grown larger than the statue.

But it didn’t stop there.

The steel lid continued to swell until it completely covered the square.

While alchemy could alter substances, creating a precise shape is difficult.

Especially when it comes to spreading steel into thin, uniform sheets, it required an artisan’s sense more than it relies on the power of alchemy.

However, the Dominarch, who could simulate the rolling process with his Unique Magic, could create steel plates thinner than paper with his bare hands.

The Regressor observed his ability and reflected.

｢Impressive. If he can make it expand, he can probably compress it too. Is he planning to warn us that he can attack at any time if necessary…?｣

“Hahaha! How is it? Doesn’t it feel a bit more private now?”

No, it seemed like he just wanted to show off.

Cackling as he adjusted the length of his legs, Hector wiped the smile off his face and got to the main point.

“Well, first of all, let me be clear. I have no particular desire for war.”

The Regressor nodded in satisfaction, but it wasn’t for the same reason Hector was thinking.

“I harvest and sell the food of The Fallen Dominion. If a war breaks out and many people die, it’s no different from my potential customers decreasing.”

“That’s the reason?”

A cold and rational cost-benefit analysis.

That’s the Fallen Dominion for you.

Different methods, but the same foundation.

“I have no issue helping you. You should already know, Wither. The Golden Lord is not far from here. I know his exact location.”

“Then why not guide us there right away? Why bring us here?”

“Well, it’s not possible at the moment. I need you to wait a day.”

There was still time left, but dragging it out wouldn’t be beneficial, so the Regressor asked, dissatisfied.

“Why?”

“I don’t really have to explain myself, but since you’ve been honest with me, I’ll return the favor. The Golden Lord is currently farming in a nearby field.”

“A field? Isn’t there already a field right here?”

“More. It’s not enough.”

The cornfield we had seen earlier was massive.

But they were growing an even larger field?

Could they really consume all that food in The Fallen Dominion?

The Regressor’s thoughts were similar to mine.

“Isn’t a Homunculus field meaningless anyway? What you really need is Claudia’s real food, isn’t it? This corn should already be enough, so why more?”

…It was a bit harsh in tone.

At the mention of “Homunculus”, Hector’s body jolted.

He glared at Peru in shock.

“Wither! Did you tell them?”

“…They already knew.”

“What? They already knew?”

“…As if I’d be the one to tell them…”

｢That makes sense. Even the Witherarch wouldn’t reveal that to outsiders, especially to envoys from the Military State. The Military State’s intelligence network… should not be underestimated.｣

After calming himself with a sigh, Hector spoke.

“Even so, this food isn’t meaningless. If you’re starving to death, it’s better to eat something rather than nothing. Besides, humans process the food they consume in their own way. Eating Homunculus food doesn’t immediately resonate with him. There’s a few weeks’ grace period. If you ferment it into alcohol or turn it into animal feed to fatten up livestock before eating them, the end result is even delayed many times over.”

Hector tapped his cane against the ground as he continued.

“That’s the role of my Drum Trading Company. We process Homunculus food. The more I work, the more food gets distributed in The Fallen Dominion. It’s food that can be eaten without any major issues! This is my job, my mission, and my pride!”

Speaking with conviction, he added one more thing in a quieter tone.

“Of course, I also make a little money from the process, but that’s unavoidable.”

“So it really is all about money, huh?”

“It’s not just about money. It’s also for The Fallen Dominion. The days when Homunculus food ripens are limited. If we miss this peak period, The Fallen Dominion’s food supply will dwindle. That’s why I’m asking for just one day’s grace. If you insist on going to the Golden Lord without my help, I won’t stop you, but if you wait just one day, I’ll guide you to him personally.”

It was a reasonable explanation and not a bad offer.

The Regressor pondered it for a moment.

｢We need time to find the Golden Lord anyway. We should accept this offer in case we can’t find him ourselves. If it comes to it, we can just ignore him and head straight to the Golden Palace.｣

The Regressor masked her dark thoughts and was about to accept the offer when—

“Hold on a second. I’ve got a question.”

We just had a proper discussion, but I still had something on my mind.

Sure, I could pick it up from his thoughts, but if I got him to say it out loud, I could gain more clarity.

Hector responded.

“Ask away.”

“What happens to a human who resonates with the Golden Lord?”

“I’ve already told you plenty. There’s no need for me to say more–”

“Do they end up like that statue, by any chance?”

I pointed to a statue on a platform with a repetitive, monotonous pattern.

The statue depicted a man in such lifelike detail that it was hard to believe it had been sculpted by human hands.

After all, that kind of artistry was beyond what any mediocre craftsman could achieve.