Both exuded an extraordinary presence.

One was a massively built officer who seemed to have benefited greatly from clothing packets. Without them, he would have needed custom-made clothes to fit that enormous frame.

Descending the stairs half a step ahead of him was a tall officer with ramrod-straight posture. His upper body did not sway in the slightest, even as he walked down the steps.

What stood out was his uniform: unlike ordinary officers' uniforms, it was a luxurious blue-black. Two gleaming stars adorned his chest in place of medals.

As though those were explanation enough of who he was.

And indeed, they were.

"A general..."

Those who had toppled monarchs.

Walking wars.

The stars of the Military State.

That was what the stars worn upon the chest signified in the history of the Military State, built on blood and iron. Overawed, Callis instinctively began to salute.

"Loy—"

"Wait. I go first."

Stopping Callis with one hand, he stood straight and solemnly announced,

"Reporting for duty. I am Lieutenant General Ebon Crimsonwild, appointed Tantalus's lieutenant general of training and Instructor, in addition to investigating the present situation. Effective immediately, Tantalus is under my administration."

A formal report.

Yet his words carried weight. As much weight as his authority.

He had merely spoken, but it felt as though Tantalus had fallen into his grasp. His power, the authority of the Military State, settled heavily upon us.

While everyone's attention was fixed on him, Nabi had already reached his side and began pestering Lieutenant General Ebon.

"Meooow! You're late!"

With far more maturity than Nabi, Lieutenant General Ebon quietly chided her.

"Nabi. Unlike you, we cannot land lightly on our feet. From such a height, we have all the more need of parachutes."

"Meow! Enough of that! Hurry up and give me my tribute!"

"Whew. You're demanding it at ever shorter intervals..."

"Meow, meow!"

Lieutenant General Ebon sighed, glanced at the officer who had followed him, and gave an order.

"Colonel. Give it here."

"Yes, sir!"

The man addressed as colonel took a paper-wrapped stick from a rectangular cardboard box. I immediately recognized it. A mana-herb cigarette.

The instant it was halfway out, Nabi snatched it up like lightning.

As though entranced, Nabi slit the paper with a claw, buried her nose in the stick, and began sniffing. Her breaths came fast and shallow, almost as if she were hyperventilating.

After drawing in the scent for a long while, she smiled in ecstasy.

"Nyaaah! Myeaaah. Mew..."

Her eyes lost focus. Nabi swayed, a melting groan escaping between her teeth.

A mana-herb cigar made from processed catnip and World Tree leaves, rolled exclusively for the King of Cats.

It was a tribute combining feline tastes, human technology, and even the World Tree's vital energy. At the same time... it was a means of controlling the King of Cats.

"Nya, hah, hic, nyaah..."

Drool streamed from Nabi's mouth. Her supple body writhed this way and that. Twitching all over, she indulged madly in the scent.

Lieutenant General Ebon asked,

"Are you satisfied, Nabi?"

His words were polite, but there was not a shred of respect in his eyes as he looked at her. He merely gazed coldly down at the King of Cats as though she were a tool.

Nabi, who had been rolling around by herself, held out the mana herbs and cried,

"Nyaaah! Fiiire! Light it for me, meow!"

"Nabi, haven't I told you? This is a contract. When I give you tribute, you must catch mice for me. Isn't that our agreement?"

"Meow! Then hurry up and tell me! What am I supposed to do?"

"Please wait a moment. They'll be here soon."

Just as he murmured those words, a fierce wind blew in. At the same time, the Regressor came running through the air and landed at the end of the corridor. With a grave expression, she shouted,

"Something just landed on the roo—!"

The Regressor never finished her sentence.

Nabi, worked up into a frenzy, had lunged at her in an instant.

"It's you, meow!"

"Ugh?!"

She was not as fast as Azi, but a stealth that seemed to swallow sound concealed her movements. In the blink of an eye, Nabi closed on the Regressor and raised a forepaw menacingly.

Even caught off guard, the Regressor countered with the Heaven-Reversing Realm. Raising her arm to meet her opponent, she unfurled Sky Cherry Blossom. Compressed space expanded, pushing them apart...

Yet even that failed to halt Nabi's momentum. Her forepaw flickered in a blur, and the Regressor reflexively twisted her head aside. A thin line of blood sprang from her cheek.

The Regressor shouted,

"The King of Cats!"

"Nyaaah! Become my tribute, meow!"

With a thud, the Regressor kicked Nabi away and leaped back. Nabi lightly touched down on the stair railing, then flew at her again.

The two vanished into the distance in an instant. A deafening crash followed, as though the world were breaking apart.

Lieutenant General Ebon clicked his tongue as he watched where Nabi had disappeared.

"Tsk. She'll break soon... Is it because she's wearing a human body? She breaks much the same way humans do."

Only then did Lieutenant General Ebon turn his gaze toward Callis and me, huddled together off to one side.

Callis, tense as a bowstring, finally saluted once his attention returned to her.

"Loyalty. Lieutenant General Ebon, sir. It is an honor to meet you."

"And you are?"

"Lieutenant Colonel Callis Kritz, sir. I came to Tantalus as supply supervisor and became stranded here."

Lieutenant General Ebon furrowed his brow, then sighed as though recognition had finally dawned.

"Ah. I didn't recognize you at first without your uniform. Lieutenant Colonel. So you're alive."

"Yes... sir."

"All four jewels shattered, so I was certain you were dead. You appear to be more capable than I expected, Lieutenant Colonel."

Callis's eyes widened.

"The jewels? How do you..."

Lieutenant General Ebon smiled benevolently at her.

"Why ask when you already know, Lieutenant Colonel? Isn't it obvious? I am your 'patron.'"

Deep down, Callis had already realized it.

The only people who would visit the bottomless pit at this moment, with the King of Cats in tow... were the Lords of Creation.

Having just betrayed them by selling their information, she simply hadn't wanted to accept it.

Fortunately, Lieutenant General Ebon had not noticed her betrayal and treated her cordially.

"We may never have met in person before, but I knew about you, Lieutenant Colonel. I knew every medal you received."

"I'm honored, sir."

"I provided the opportunities, but without your ability, you could never have succeeded. You have every right to be proud."

Callis, who had nearly been made to commit suicide only moments ago, was bewildered by his attitude. Regardless, Lieutenant General Ebon gave her a smile brimming with goodwill.

"I came here ostensibly to investigate the events surrounding Tantalus. Your evaluation now depends upon my report. Of course, as your 'patron,' I naturally intend to clear you of all suspicion."

"Th-thank you, sir."

"It's only natural for those who share the same connections. Of course, we'll have to finish the mission first."

Words concealing schemes as deep and dark as an ocean trench.

The truth was slowly coming into view.

The golem had said an investigation team that included a general officer was coming to conduct a thorough inquiry into Callis's fall into the bottomless pit and the series of incidents surrounding it.

But suppose Callis had successfully carried out her mission and lured Azi away... Who, exactly, would have sent Azi up to the surface? With an investigation team containing a general, a star of the Military State, due to arrive any moment?

Simple.

The investigation team that included a general officer. They were the Lords of Creation.

From the outset, the Lords of Creation had planned to push Callis into Tantalus first, then visit under the pretext of investigating her.

After all, someone of a general's stature needed a reason to visit such a remote place.

And this arrangement made Callis easy to dispose of. They could fish her out of the bottomless pit and reuse her, or bury her at its bottom for good. It gave them more options.

You really were a disposable pawn from the very beginning, Lieutenant Colonel Callis.

Who had betrayed whom first in this case? That would make a fascinating subject to ponder.

Still considering Callis an ally, Lieutenant General Ebon continued.

"It seems you never used the escape packet, even with everyone in Tantalus against you. A spirit that never retreats before the enemy? Admirable, Lieutenant Colonel."

"Thank you, sir. I'm honored... that you recognize it."

"Your courage brought us here. We were waiting for you to escape with the King of Dogs. But when you failed to emerge, we took the risk of coming ourselves, to rescue you and complete the mission!"

A lie, of course.

The escape packet was meant to provide an escape from the world of the living. Seeing Callis alive, they mistakenly assumed she hadn't used it and calmly spun their lies. All to motivate the woman who had nearly died.

"Now that we're here, you needn't worry, Lieutenant Colonel. All you need do now is carry out your mission. Take us to the King of Dogs at once. Then all the credit will be yours."

Callis trembled.

The escape packet had tried to make her kill herself. Only a short while ago, it had nearly taken her life.

Yet Lieutenant General Ebon, the self-proclaimed patron, was calmly, shamelessly lying that the Lords of Creation had come for her sake.

His delivery was so practiced in deception that it sent chills down her spine. Instinctive revulsion welled up within her.

But.

'There's... no way I can refuse.'

Looking at Lieutenant General Ebon's benevolent smile, Callis desperately fought to keep her body from shaking.

'He's a general, a star of the Military State. And a member of the secret society, the Lords of Creation. He even commands the King of Cats.'

To survive this moment, she had to side with them again, however humiliating it might be. She had to erase the memory of nearly dying and serve them loyally, blinded by the promise of merit.

That was the sensible bet...

'Is that really... right?'

As Callis sank deeper into indecision, just before cracks could appear in Lieutenant General Ebon's smile, the undying one gripped her shoulder firmly and gave her a push in the back.

"Why are you so dazed just because you nearly died a little? Pull yourself together! Lieutenant Colonel, you aren't dead yet!"

At his words, Callis hastily gathered her wits and answered.

"It's all right, sir. I would have accomplished nothing on my own. In fact, I nearly died... You might as well say I have no achievements to my name."

"I never asked for such modesty. Still, that too is a virtue for people like us."

Lieutenant General Ebon nodded, then looked at the undying one smiling behind Callis.

"The undying one, Trainee Rash. Correct?"

"Precisely!"

"Seeing you awake, I take it the lieutenant colonel is in your debt."

"I'm the one in her debt! She gave me a World Tree leaf when I was laid low!"

Since Lieutenant General Ebon had supplied that leaf himself, he showed no surprise at the mention of a World Tree leaf.

He nodded and said,

"Hmm. I'm glad you're an undying one who understands courtesy. While we're on the subject, I still find it puzzling that you were imprisoned in Tantalus."

"As the saying goes, when in the Empire, obey its laws! If one commits a crime, shouldn't one rightly be punished?"

"No, not necessarily. Some people treat the Military State's laws as their own weapon, relying on them to commit every manner of insolence. For those who think the law is their personal friend, even tearing them to death as you did is too good for them. At times, I feel inclined to do the same."

In a rare display, the undying one's face twisted into a deep scowl. He spoke without concealing his obvious displeasure.

"You have a nasty habit of dredging up things people are ashamed of! Don't do that. If I could return to that moment, I'd choose to cover my ears and run away instead!"

Lieutenant General Ebon blinked his golden eyes at the unexpected response, then readily apologized.

"My apologies, trainee. I merely wished to state my position. In any event, you're a kind man who tried to protect even convict laborers you barely knew. I trusted that you would help the lieutenant colonel..."

"You speak as though you anticipated everything."

The undying one shrugged.

"Well, never mind. At any rate, I should be going. Take good care of the lieutenant colonel."

"Going? Where do you intend to go?"

"To where those two are fighting!"

"To do what?"

The undying one answered Lieutenant General Ebon's question as though it were obvious.

"To stop the fight, of course! The boy may be strong, but his body is still young. If he gets hurt, he'll suffer for it later. And there's something terribly wrong with that cat young lady! I'll have to do my utmost to break them up. Since I cannot die, I'm perfect for the role!"

Lieutenant General Ebon's expression turned peculiar. He regarded the undying one with a look that might have been interest or displeasure, then murmured,

"You are... an even kinder man than I expected."