229

While waiting for my injuries to heal completely and for the major to return, I devoured the documents in the research facility.

What I learned amounted only to the hopeless situation that Major Estorque, who had become a test subject in the Ultimate Lifeform Project, did possess the Nemesis Code, and that the only remaining genetically modified soldiers were the major and me.

Since the major had no possibility of meeting a third person, it was certain he would lose his reason and become a monster. I kept digging through the materials, trying to somehow change that future, wondering, “Is there anything like a weakness?” Unfortunately, the more I learned of his detailed specifications, the clearer the difference in combat power became, and my shoulders slumped.

“No matter how I think about it, fighting him alone is far too reckless.”

Once again, I concluded that cooperation with the elves was absolutely essential.

At minimum, I had to take the major down with me—and the sheer height of that hurdle was already absurd.

I knew I had no chance in ordinary combat, but he also had resistance to poisons and was himself an elite soldier who had run across battlefields as a military man.

If possible, I wanted to live and become the third, but to be honest, even if I obtained the elves’ cooperation, I was unsure whether we could win.

The standard for comparison was the Sword Saint old man, the strongest fighting force in the elven village.

From the feeling of our light clash, I had held the advantage to the extent that I could “probably win,” but I did not think that had been his full strength.

The wielder of the spirit bow, another holder of a spirit weapon, apparently possessed a remarkable talent that earned them the title “Spirit’s Chosen Child.”

However, I remembered hearing that because of their youth, they had not been compared with that old man.

(If I think of it as two vanguards and one rearguard, it isn’t bad.)

How well that beam-weapon-like attack worked on the major would probably decide everything.

It had seemed to pierce even tanks, so I had hopes for it, but how far it would work against the ultimate lifeform was unknown.

If the spirit spear wielder was actually being kept secret, and the spear’s ability had an effect like “ignoring defense” that often appeared in games, things would become much simpler, but hoping for such convenient developments was just escapism.

“It’d be nice if that really were the case,” I grumbled as I continued reading the unread materials.

It was now the third day since the major departed. The iron pipe that had been fixing my arm in place had already been removed, and I had recovered to the point that I could freely use both hands, allowing me to investigate the inside of the facility smoothly.

I had never imagined a bone fracture would effectively heal in two days.

I doubted it was fully healed, so combat would probably still be impossible, but for ordinary movement, there was no problem.

As for the discrepancy from the major’s estimate, it was probably caused by the power-up I had gained from eating other test subjects.

It seemed even the major, who had been directly involved with the project continuing from the Chimera Project, could be wrong about such things.

I also wondered whether this difference might work in my favor somehow… but this much was within the margin of error, and it probably would not become a decisive factor.

I returned another document I had finished reading to the shelf.

Since I could now use both hands, I was taking them out and putting them back one by one like this so I would be ready whenever the major returned.

As I was searching for the next material to take out, my ears picked up a sound.

Apparently, the major had returned.

I slowly pulled my body out of the document room, returned to the room with the cryosleep device, picked up a piece of rubble, and sat down.

As I pretended to be doing rehabilitation and waited for a short while, the major entered the room without a word.

Then he approached me as he was.

“…Why did you not tell me?”

The first thing the major did was question me in an accusing tone.

He was probably talking about the area around the Imperial Capital having turned into a desert.

“If I had told you, would you have believed me?”

More than that, the feeling of not wanting to believe it would surely have come to the front.

“I myself could not believe that place was the Imperial Capital.”

Even I, who had obtained information from newspapers of the time in advance, had found it hard to believe.

If the major, an Imperial soldier, had heard me talk about it, he would have been unable to believe it and would surely have gone to confirm it with his own eyes.

“…That is true. Even if I had heard of that devastation, I would have gone to the Imperial Capital to confirm it.”

“Forgive me,” said the major, lowering his head, and I also apologized for keeping silent.

That matter ended there, but next, the major asked me what I least wanted to be asked.

“It is regrettable that the Imperial Capital ended up that way. But in that case, what happened to the people? Even if a nation falls, its people remain. Where did they go?”

Since he had asked, I had no choice but to answer.

If possible, I had wanted to keep him from becoming involved with Rachel, but considering the risk if I lied, there was no option except to tell him.

“They committed all their forces to the south, destroyed Haile and Reberen, and established a new nation.”

At my words, the major’s eyes widened.

“Its name is the Furon Council-State. Its political system seems to have changed, but I am not well-versed in that field, so I cannot say I understand the details.”

“If my memory is correct, you should have been the son of a politician.”

Do not say that, I returned with a self-mocking smile.

When I told him that area had all been under my elder sister’s jurisdiction, the major remembered my family circumstances and said, “Come to think of it.”

Perhaps it was fortunate that my family had been famous, for better or worse, because I was grateful that there was no need to explain the details.

“But the system has changed, has it…”

“I did try making contact, but after all, two hundred years have passed. If I carelessly revealed my identity, I could not predict the result…”

When I trailed off, the major stopped me with his hand.

“No, that is fine. As things stand, there are certainly problems with making our existence public.”

“In addition, from what I saw of the Council-State’s soldiers, their technology has clearly regressed compared to the Imperial era.”

A brief pause followed my words, but the major remembered the state of the Imperial Capital and accepted it.

“I see. If the desertification spread that widely, then researchers and engineers would have been unable to escape in time as well…”

If one imagined the massive decline in national power caused by abandoning every city, it was only natural things had turned out that way.

The major showed particular displeasure at the abandonment of the industrial district, but when he learned it had not fallen into any country’s hands, he seemed relieved.

“In the worst case, the Lead Industrial Zone, which supported the Empire’s military industry, would have needed to be blown up. If it has been swallowed by the forest, then for the time being, we can rest easy.”

As the major spoke his thoughts, I remembered that Seizeria had begun expanding west and accidentally voiced, “What should be done about that?”

“Shall we strike Seizeria first?”

“No, first is the Republic. Those long-ears cannot be left alone.”

Failed to buy time.

I too crossed my arms and looked up at the ceiling, wondering what to do.

“Still, to think I would see the power of an anti-dragon weapon in that form.”

“Anti-dragon weapon?”

When I asked back, the major silently nodded.

Apparently, the Empire had created that thing as a weapon to oppose dragons.

The final weapon I knew of referred to an anti-dragon weapon, and although it was unclear whether it had actually been used or had been made to run out of control, it seemed certain that this was what had turned the area around the Imperial Capital into a desert.

The major’s assessment was that it was “a mere oversized bomb that focused only on destructive power and could barely even be transported.”

In the end, the Empire had destroyed itself with a bizarre weapon of its own creation.

When it came to weapons, I truly did not know whether our homeland had been incredible or stupid.

At any rate, right now I had to keep the major away from the elves as much as possible and somehow prepare a cooperative framework with them.

The sacrifice I chose for that purpose was—yes, the Kingdom of Seizeria.

“Major. I have one concern.”

The major nodded as if telling me to say it, and I continued.

“The development of Seizeria’s magical technology in recent years is abnormal. When I investigated, it appeared there was a genius in a research facility called the ‘Tower,’ and new weapons using magical technology have been born one after another.”

“…Have you seen them in person?”

“What I encountered was, uh… something like a golem from a game, but despite being mass-produced, it had enough power to contend with Type Goliath.”

At my explanation, the major thought for a while.

As additional information, I emphasized that something like a cannon also existed and that I believed it to be the most dangerous.

“This is information I drew out from a mage of Seizeria, so I do not believe its accuracy is low.”

“…It would be troublesome if they installed it at a frontline base.”

I nodded at the major’s murmur.

The major himself probably did not see it as a threat, but this superior officer who cared for his subordinates was taking into consideration the possibility that it could deal fatal damage to me and was worrying over it.

I was not exactly deceiving him, but there was no doubt this way of doing things did not feel good.

Even so, the conclusion the major reached was to put the matter on hold.

It seemed he intended to at least confirm it with his own eyes, but the time I could gain would be one or two days at best.

After that, we spent some time sharing information, and after checking my condition, the major left the research facility again.

When I stood and said, “If we are fighting the Republic, then I should also—” he stopped me, so it probably was not yet time.

While I could, I had to find a breakthrough from the remaining materials.

At present, in order to attempt contact with the elves, the safest method was to turn the major’s eyes east.

However, the major recognized the Republic as the greatest threat and seemed to prioritize eliminating it.

(If that’s the case, I need another plan.)

I did not possess a head capable of producing such ideas so easily, so I gathered as much information as possible about the major—or rather, the ultimate lifeform.

If I discovered a weakness, that would be ideal.

Information could also become material for cooperation.

However, after the first day, I obtained no useful information, and the next day, the major returned to the research facility.

When I greeted the major, I was shocked by his appearance.

Countless cuts all over his body had not yet finished regenerating.

Seeing him with traces of blood still left on him, I imagined the worst.

“Time is cruel. If it had been the sword demon I knew, I would have lost at least one arm.”

Before the major, who spoke in high spirits, I realized that one of the pillars for opposing the ultimate lifeform had broken.