༺ Star of the State ༻
The two exuded an extraordinary air. One was a robust officer, who seemed to be receiving the full benefits of clothing packets. Without them, he would’ve had to personally craft clothes to fit his huge figure.
The other, striding half a step ahead, was a tall officer of upright posture. His upper body maintained perfect stability as he descended the stairs. What stood out was the tall officer’s attire—a luxurious dark blue, distinct from the regular uniforms. And instead of medals, he bore two glinting stars on his chest, as if they alone sufficed to introduce him.
Indeed, it was enough.
“A general…”
General officers. The embodiments of war, the figures who had toppled sovereigns—the Stars of the Military State. The stars on the officer’s chest bore the weight of the State’s history, forged through blood and iron.
Cowed by its presence, Callis instinctively offered a salute.
“Sir—”
“Wait. I go first.”
Raising a hand to silence Callis, he stood tall and commenced a solemn declaration.
“Lieutenant General Ebon Crimsonwilde, reporting for duty. In conjunction with the ongoing investigation, I have been appointed as the chief instructor and warden of Tantalus. As of now, Tantalus falls under my jurisdiction.”
It was a perfunctory announcement, yet his words carried gravitas, matched only by his authority. He had merely uttered a statement, yet it felt as if Tantalus had fallen into his grasp. His power, and the weight of the Military State’s authority, seemed to hang heavily in the air.
While all eyes were focused on him, Nabi reached his side before anyone realized it and began to pester him.
“Mee-ow! Myew are late!”
Lieutenant General Ebon coaxed her in a quiet, and far more mature manner.
“Nabi. Unlike you, we cannot land so lightly. Especially when descending from such heights, we must rely even more on the parachute’s function.”
“Meow! Whatever! Just bring the tribute already meow!”
Ebon sighed.
“The frequency of her demands…”
“Me-yeow!”
Sighing, Lieutenant General Ebon glanced at his accompanying officer and issued an order.
“Colonel, the item.”
“Yes sir!”
The colonel took out a stick from a square paper pack. I quickly recognized it—a magic herb cigar. The moment it partially revealed itself to the world, Nabi snatched it like lightning.
With an entranced look, she used her claws to cut the paper roll and buried her nose in it. She sniffed with intense urgency, as if hyperventilating. After indulging in the herb’s fragrance for a good while, Nabi smiled in ecstasy.
“Myahah! Mewhaa—meow—.”
Her eyes turned dazed, a melting moan escaping her teeth. This magic herb cigar was made solely for Nabi, containing processed catnip and world tree leaves. It was a tribute that combined cat preference, human technology, and world tree vital essence.
And at the same time… it was the means to control the Cat King.
“Mya-hah-hi-myahaa—.”
Saliva dribbled from Nabi’s mouth as her lithe body swayed unsteadily. Her whole form twitched as she frenziedly savored the cigar’s fragrance.
Lieutenant General Ebon asked her.
“Did it satisfy you, Nabi?”
While his tone was polite, there wasn’t a trace of respect in the cold, disdainful way he looked at her. All he saw was a tool.
Nabi stopped writhing around and held out the cigar, crying out.
“Myahaa—! Fi—re! Give it fire for mew!”
“Nabi, did I not explain to you? This is a contract. If I offer the tribute, you must catch the mouse. Is that not the deal?”
“Meow! So! Tell mew already! What mewst Nabi do?”
“Please wait a moment. It will come soon enough.”
Just as he muttered these words, a fierce gust of wind blew and the regressor appeared, landing at the end of the corridor. She had wind-walked this far.
The regressor began shouting with a serious expression.
“Just now, something fell on the roof—!”
But before she could finish, Nabi instantly pounced at her, carried away by excitement.
“Is it myew?!”
“Agh?!”
Nabi wasn’t as swift as Azzy, but her ability to move with sound-consuming stealth concealed her presence. She closed the distance in the blink of an eye, raising a menacing front paw.
Even as she felt bewildered, the regressor responded with her Heavenly Counter Domain, raising her arm to parry using Chun-aeng. Compressed space unfurled and pushed the two away…
However, that still didn’t dampen Nabi’s spirits. Her front paw trembled faintly, and the regressor reflexively turned her head. Sft. Blood trickled from her cheek.
The regressor yelled at her opponent.
“Cat King!”
“Myahaah! Become mew tribute-!”
Thump. The regressor kicked Nabi away and leaped backward. Nabi nimbly kicked off the staircase railing and pounced for her target again.
Entangled in combat, the two vanished into the distance in an instant, and seconds later, a thunderous crash shook the world.
Lieutenant General Ebon gazed in the direction Nabi disappeared, clicking his tongue.
“Tsk. She seems on the verge of breaking… Perhaps the human body she wears is the issue. She succumbs the way humans do.”
At last, Lieutenant General Ebon turned his gaze toward me and Callis, huddled in a corner. Only then did Callis, extremely tense, offer a salute.
“Sir Lieutenant General Ebon, it is an honor to meet you.”
“And you are?”
“I am Callis Kritz. I came to Tantalus as the logistics overseer but ended up isolated.”
Ebon furrowed his brow for a second, then sighed as if finally recognizing her.
“Ahh. I did not recognize you for a moment without your officer uniform, Lieutenant Colonel. You were alive.”
“Yes I was… sir.”
“I had assumed you died helplessly as all four gems were shattered. Turns out you were more capable than I expected.”
Callis’ eyes went wide.
“Gems? How did you…?”
Ebon flashed a benevolent smile at her.
“Why ask when you already know, Colonel? Is it not obvious? I am your ‘patron.'”
Deep down, Callis had already realized the truth.
For people to arrive at the abyss at this timing, with the Cat King in tow at that… they could only be from the Human Regime. She simply didn’t want to accept it after selling out the organization just minutes ago.
Fortunately, the lieutenant general was unaware of her betrayal and showed warmth.
“Though we have never met before in person, I knew about you, Colonel. And that includes all the medals you ever earned.”
“It’s an honor.”
“I provided the opportunity, but without your abilities, those achievements would have been impossible. You have every reason to be proud.”
As someone who had narrowly dodged forced suicide, Callis was confused by his attitude. Regardless, Ebon offered a smile full of goodwill.
“I am here under the pretext of investigating the events surrounding Tantalus. Now, your evaluation will change based on my report. But, of course, as your ‘patron’, Major, I will naturally erase any suspicion directed at you.”
“Th-thank you, sir”
“It is par for the course among comrades. But, of course, we must complete the mission first.”
His words held depths as profound and dark as ocean trenches. The truth was slowly starting to reveal itself.
The golem had mentioned that an investigation unit, which included a general officer, would be arriving to thoroughly look into Callis’ fall into the abyss and the events surrounding it.
If Callis had succeeded in her task and won Azzy over… who the heck could’ve sent Azzy to the surface, knowing that a team led by a general officer, a Star of the State, was on its way?
Simple. That investigation unit was the Human Regime. From the start, their plan was to push Callis into Tantalus and use the pretext of investigating her to go in after her. They needed a solid reason for a general, of all people, to venture into these depths.
And this way, it became easy to deal with Callis. She could be salvaged from the abyss to be recycled, or outright buried beneath it. They were given a broader range of choices.
You really were disposable from the beginning, Lieutenant Colonel Callis. So, who betrayed whom first in this case? This’ll be quite an intriguing contemplation.
Lieutenant General Ebon still regarded Callis as an ally as he spoke.
“I notice you refrained from using the escape packet despite facing hostility from every being in Tantalus. A spirit of unwavering determination, is it? Impressive, Major.”
“Thank you, sir. Your recognition, it’s an honor to me…”
“It was your courage that called us to action. We had been waiting for nothing else than your escape alongside the Dog King. But when you did not appear, we took it upon ourselves to brave the dangers, rescue you, and fulfill the mission!”
Needless to say, he wasn’t being truthful. The escape packet was a death ticket. Seeing Callis alive, he assumed she hadn’t used the packet and proceeded to calmly spout lies… to motivate Callis after she nearly died.
“Worry not, Colonel, for we have arrived. All you need to do is carry out your mission. Lead us straight to the Dog King. Then, all the credit shall belong to you.”
Callis trembled violently. The memory of the escape packet’s fatal intent was still fresh in her mind, yet her so-called patron, Lieutenant General Ebon, claimed that the Human Regime had come for her. His nonchalant demeanor in the face of such a despicable lie filled her with instinctive repulsion.
However…
｢I have… no way to go against him.｣
Looking at the benevolent smile of his, Callis desperately suppressed the shaking of her body.
｢I’m facing a general, a Star of the State, who’s also part of the Human Regime. They even have control over the Cat King.｣
She had to align herself with them again, even if it was ignoble, to survive in the present. She had to forget her near-death experience, let the promise of merits blind her, and remain loyal. This was the normal bet to take…
｢But, is it right?｣
As Callis’ troubled thoughts deepened and a crack threatened to appear in Ebon’s smile, the undying grasped Callis’ shoulder and encouraged her.
“Why dwell on nearly dying? Pull yourself together! Colonel, you have not died yet!”
Callis hastily composed herself and responded.
“I am fine. I could not have accomplished anything on my own. On the contrary, I even came close to death… There are no achievements to my name.”
“I never sought such humility, but nonetheless, it is a virtue among our kind.”
Ebon nodded in approval before turning his gaze to the undying, who stood smiling behind Callis.
“The undying, trainee Rasch. Correct?”
“Precisely!”
“Seeing that you are awake, it seems the colonel owes you thanks.”
“I should be doing the thanking! She handed me the world tree leaf when I was down!”
As Ebon was the one who provided that leaf, he wasn’t puzzled to hear its mention. He nodded before continuing.
“Hmm. I am relieved that you are an undying of manners. On another note, I still wonder why you are imprisoned in Tantalus.”
“When in State, do as Statesfolk do, they say! A crime should be met with punishment!”
“No, that is not necessarily the case. Some mistakenly presume the State’s law to be their own weapon and rely on it to commit all kinds of disrespect. Those who consider the law their friend more than deserve being torn to death, as you did. I feel the same urge at times.”
Unusually enough, the undying put on a great frown. Not hiding the displeasure evident on his face, he spoke.
“I say, you have a bad hobby of airing people’s laundry! I ask you to refrain. If I were to return to that time, I would rather choose to block my ears and run away!”
Surprised by his unexpected reaction, Ebon blinked his golden eyes and promptly apologized.
“I apologize, trainee. I simply wanted to express my perspective. Everything aside, you are a virtuous man who attempted to protect even a laborer with no connection to you. I trusted that you would aid the colonel…”
“You speak as if you foresaw everything.”
The undying shrugged.
“Well, it matters not. Anyhow. I will take my leave now. Please take care of the colonel.”
“Leave? Where are you going?”
“I intend to go to where those two are fighting!”
“For what purpose?”
At Ebon’s inquiry, the undying answered as if it were self-evident.
“To stop their fighting, of course! The boy is strong but still young. Injuries will surely come back to bite him. And Miss Cat is in a peculiar state indeed! I must do my best to stop them. Since I do not die, I am perfect for that role!”
Ebon’s expression turned strange. He gazed at the undying, something between interest and displeasure in his eyes, and muttered a remark.
“You are… far more virtuous a man than I had anticipated.”
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