Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

EP.294 A world made of cogwheels – 1

The more you have a trump card, the more you should hide it in your hand. Especially if it’s a rare but impractical hand. Spilled water cannot be picked up and exposed information cannot be hidden again. It’s best to hide as tightly as possible and aim for the most important moment.

But if you’re not going to take it to the afterlife without holding it tight, you’ll have to use it someday.

So what are you lying about?

I am actually the king of men.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m a great person. This fact has not helped me in any way throughout my life.

If you are the king of beasts, you must reign over the individual with strong power that would originally represent each beast. That is the providence of the world and the right reason.

But I have no power.

I don’t even have the means to prove that I am the king.

The crown, the dragon robe, and the throne. nothing was given to me

The naked king, who was left alone in a foreign country, that is me. Not naked, but anyway.

“The human king…?”

Historia was dubious. In fact, the dubiousness was also very good. If Maximilien hadn’t said it seriously, I would have just dismissed it as nonsense.

I set out to dispel Historia’s doubts.

“that’s right. I am the king of men So from now on, call me your majesty, please me and pay 50% of the money you earn as taxes.”

“It’s noisy, so be quiet.”

“yes.”

Look at this. If you don’t recognize the human king or whatever, you’re useless to anyone?

While I kept my mouth shut, the cheeky people continued to ask questions on their own.

“…I have heard that the human king does not exist. Humans are the lord of all things. A dignified being who rules the earth because he can choose his own king.”

“Do you really think so? Are you saying that humans are dignified beings?”

A mechanical sneer crept across Maximilien’s face.

“Even a great man like you is fooled by such words, but what about the other commoners? No matter how much you want to turn away, the truth is clear. Humans are inherently beasts, and the only advantage compared to other animals is that they are slightly stronger. A foolish man believes he is special, but hope is always far from the truth.”

“But…”

“But! Humans used extraordinary methods to become special! By killing their king with human hands! It has become a ‘special’ existence that has done things that even animals would not do! I can’t figure out how the hell he killed it!”

FYI, I don’t know either. It happened before I was born.

Even the king does not know what happened during his lifetime.

“How can I prove that Huey is the king of men?”

okay. If possible, inform the world with clear evidence. Why are you just sneaking around in the shadows? If possible, use the power you have and appoint me as king.

To Historia’s question, Maximilien gradually gained momentum and answered.

“I can’t!”

“Isn’t the director convinced?”

“assurance? at all! No one is sure! Man has many kings thanks to killing kings with their own hands! In a world where even a beggar becomes a king when he puts a crown on him, how can he identify a human king!”

Unlike before, when he measured this and that against me, he boasted proudly to Historia. He seems to be the type to feel good while pretending to know.

He’s not the right personality to run a secret organization.

“Nevertheless, the king of men is the king and the advocate of all men! If there is a human king, he will surely be able to understand any human being. No matter how twisted and straying a human being is, if it is human, surely!”

twisted and stray humans. Hearing those words, Historia instantly thought of a person.

‘Lancart. The unlucky bastard that others looked at like a bug was friendly only to Huey. Not only that. Hui, the founder of Tirkanjaka, paid attention every time. Compared to what I showed, everyone was exceptionally friendly.’

Hey, I wonder if it would be better to think of yourself first. Why do you think you’re normal?

While tackling with his mouth shut, Maximilien even began to spit out unanswered questions.

“A human king would understand. That some parts of human beings can be turned into gears! The joints and muscles of the arms and legs are nothing more than machines made of organic matter, and cogwheels can sufficiently replace them! Humans can get better with gears…!”

Historia recalled the memories of fighting Maximilien.

A little while ago, Maximilien appeared with a steel beetle. The appearance was so tumultuous that Historia spotted Maximilien long before he reached it.

Historia’s physical condition after fighting against the angel was not normal. To the point where I wasn’t sure if I could use even machine gun ammunition, let alone a bayonet rifle. Historia, who was at a disadvantage in many ways, tried to wage guerrilla warfare from a distance.

But Maximilien did not respond. While inside the beetle, it steadily approached the communications headquarters. Historia’s bullets are powerful, but not strong enough to pierce a steel beetle with level 5 alchemical steel meshing. Historia, who could not be allowed to approach, had no choice but to choose a hand-to-hand combat.

When he single-handedly confronted the steel beetle, grabbed the cogs with his bare hands, and attacked Maximilien, whose body was torn apart and exposed by the saw blades he managed to make.

Maximilien’s limbs moved in a very strange way. It’s like a cog on a gear turning…

“Like the director’s limbs?”

There was no intention whatsoever. I simply explained what I learned through the battle.

However, the most uncomfortable thing in the world is the truth.

The smile disappeared from Maximilien’s face. Ticks and gear shifts were heard in his head.

“…the words were too long. I believe that you who have the qualifications to be the director of the Historia would have understood. That I have no intention of harming the king of men.”

However, Maximilien’s mechanical words and actions were not suitable for expressing emotions. Historia added another word, unaware of his discomfort.

“What does the Commissioner intend to do with Huey? I don’t have any other intentions… ah…!”

Water overflows always because of a drop that fell just before overflowing.

Offended, Maximilien snapped his fingers. The gears moved heavily, pulling Historia’s limbs.

Among the bows, there is a kind that uses the power of a winch to pull the bow. Historia’s body moved just like that bow. Every time the gears twisted her limbs, her back twisted even more. A tearing scream escaped Historia’s mouth.

Maximilien twisted human limbs, but his expression did not change.

“Aware of your location, Director of Historia. I have the right to your life and death. Are you interrogating the man who holds your lifeline right here? How foolish are you?”

“Ah! I’m sorry…!”

“You deserve to be my allies, but if you repeatedly disappoint me, I will reconsider my judgment. A friend who doesn’t know his own way is more dangerous than an enemy.”

It’s downright torture. I, worse off, approached and pulled the cog wheel with all my might, but there was no effect either. Thinking about it again, I wonder if this is a king.

Maximilien did not relax even when he saw me whining.

“It was my pure good will to explain the situation to the subdued opponent. But the Warden betrays the favor. Do you understand?”

“iced coffee. Of course. I got it perfectly. Was our Historia too presumptuous?”

Enough time. There were also many clues.

Whether it’s a steel beetle or a sophisticated mechanism with hundreds of thousands of cogwheels organically connected.

power? does not exist. It can only move with the power of Maximilien, who turns the cogs, and must be controlled by him to exert its maximum power. To others, it is nothing more than a pile of scrap metal, but to Maximilien, it is a weapon that will never be taken away.

among them here. In addition to authority, a prison made of gears that crushes arms and legs with mechanical power amplification.

Unlike the Cheonjamsa, which was tied by the regressor, continuous force is applied to the cogwheel. You cannot escape by transforming your body with qigong. As soon as it transforms, it will tighten even more.

“…But escape magic is most dramatic when it seems impossible.”

While saying that, I grasped the cogs on Historia’s legs with both hands. Maximilien’s eyes sank.

‘Do you want to unscrew the cogs? Foolish, if you knew the structure of the steel beetle, you would know it was a futile attempt. Didn’t you understand?’

I did understand. From what I’ve read, in order to unscrew these cogs with human brute force, the steel beetle’s tail must be removed and disassembled piece by piece. it sounds impossible

Maximilien, who knew this better than anyone else, said while hiding a hint of disappointment.

“Don’t let me disappoint you either. Steel beetles cannot be moved by force.”

“Because I understand.”

It is absolutely impossible to move only by force. Moving the steel beetle is something only Maximilien can do.

“Are you protesting to see me stop? If so, that’s even more disappointing. If you think I’ll change my mind just because of the crowd…

”

Hearing a sound he should never have heard, Maximilien fell silent. Not understanding the current situation, he belatedly looked at what was happening.

The cog wheel is spinning. Backwards.

It was not something that was done by force. I don’t have enough strength. No, even if Tyr came, sheer brute strength would not be able to defy the power of these steel beetles. A mechanical device created by a mad genius over the years amplifies the force of a finger swipe by tens of thousands of times.

One way to move this. Maximilien’s Authority Geongon Supervision Lee… A

unique magician who pretends to be Lee. Just use it to turn the gears.

“…!”

Maximilien was stunned. Even his mechanical thinking can’t keep up with the shock so great.

A cog that is completely under his control and must move at his will. The steel beetle, his only weapon, gets out of his control.

‘no way…! The King of Humans is not even a unique magician…!’

It took only a few seconds for him to regain consciousness. That’s enough time.

Historia’s body jumped out. When the force exerted by the cogs disappears, the right leg and right arm lightly come out. Then the rest is easy. Before she could touch the gear on the other side, Historia violently pulled it out with force.

Freed in an instant, Historia staggered and landed on the ground. I waited for her to land, then spread my arms and shrugged my shoulders.

“Voila. Did you enjoy it? Escape magic! Applause everyone!”

When I proudly shouted, Maximilien raised his hands with his eyes wide open. Historia thought it was a precursor to an attack and moved, but it wasn’t an attack.

Maximilien laid one hand down and began to clap, moving only his right arm. The applause was so fervent that Historia, who took a defensive stance, was in vain.

It has been a long time since I met an audience that responded well.