Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

Who would believe such a thing?

Although they didn't understand what Noron was up to, the surrounding countries requested that a working group be sent in to supervise. However, after that, a more sudden change forced everyone to temporarily shelve this request and instead plunge into sudden and intense preparations for war.

That is, the fact that Noron suddenly began to deploy troops to the northern border.

Chapter 21: The Vortex of the Western Continent (Part 2)

"But—why?"

Evelyn repeated the question she had asked while talking to herself.

Admittedly, the reason itself does not seem to be important in this situation. No matter what explanation Noron will give, their current actions are just clear "provocation" and "deliberate escalation of the situation". Even if their diplomats are eloquent, it will not bring them any advantages. However, Zerhar's purpose this time is not to start a war after all. If they want to negotiate, it is naturally necessary to find out the other party's ideas.

No...no...not only that...

Knock, knock, knock——

Evelin still tapped the keyboard in front of her rhythmically, like the ups and downs of her thoughts. It was not easy for a person to think about these things. Although she was in a high position in the Glorious God Court, it did not mean that the information she could grasp was really "enough" - there was really too much to grasp. If she could not grasp so many inside stories, how could she trace back what happened in the past and deduce what would happen next?

The disaster that swept across the Western Continent twenty-four years ago - the Continental War - everything related to that time has not been fully understood to this day.

Noron is not a country that was established only nineteen years ago. Through long-term contacts and frictions, neighboring countries have long been aware of Noron's human supremacist tendencies, but they simply did not interfere. However, no one had ever imagined that this situation would eventually evolve into a war, although this cannot be said to be solely Noron's fault.

The Elven Empire's isolationist policy and arms expansion - on the surface, people claim that this is part of the responsibility that Tyriati should bear for the outbreak of the war, but Evelyn does not think so. Or rather, she does not simply think so. As a descendant of a military noble, even if she is a rebel who left the country alone, she has more ways to obtain intelligence than others.

"Divine Disaster"

Evelin quickly suppressed the sudden thought.

No, it's not certain yet. We can't say with certainty that it was the unknown "divine disaster" that befell the depths of the Elven Empire that caused the Elven Empire's military expansion and the strengthening of isolationism. "Divine disaster" is not something that can and should be easily discussed or assumed. If there is no more evidence, don't think in this direction. However, one thing is certain. Twenty-four years ago, before six hundred and nine years, no, maybe even earlier, some unknown disaster befell the Elven Empire, which led to the uncharacteristic tendency of the Terriati and the fact of population outflow.

At that time, Noron in the south of Tyriati first had a stress reaction because he noticed the strengthening of the Elf Empire's armaments. Then, the elven refugees migrating from the Elf Empire further intensified the friction between the two countries.

It is not only because of the elven immigrants flowing into Noron for various reasons, but also because originally only Noron had unilaterally set up outposts and other facilities near the border between Noron and Teriati. The closed nature of the Elf Empire made these elves lack interest in their actually remote territories. Even though their southern territory is actually a resource-rich area, the border line between the two countries has been blurred for a long time. Many elves who migrated but were unwilling to leave simply established settlements in this originally "uninhabited area" and "unclear border", which further caused differences and conflicts.

The Peretán Affair, the direct trigger of the Continental War, was a tragedy that was almost inevitable as a result of this friction.

Because of a dispute over land and materials, the elven settlers beat and drove away several Nolon border guards who came to their settlement to provoke them. Then the Nolon army took the initiative to attack and massacred more than 200 elves in the entire settlement. What's worse is that although most of the killed elves were just ordinary civilians, one of them was a descendant of a noble like Evelyn, but he did not have the same martial arts as Evelyn, so he could not change his fate.

All these factors mixed together and eventually ignited the chaotic situation at the time - the two countries declared war on each other, and the situation escalated directly from conflict to war. For five years, a continental war involving the three countries of Noron, Terriati and Zerhar broke out.

...At least from this aspect alone, everything seemed normal regarding the reasons for starting the war. It could even be said that, until the negotiations after the war, as a direct participant in the war and the "Sword of Heavenly Glory" with outstanding achievements, Evelyn did not notice anything very wrong.

But - what is this all about now?

In Evelyn's personal judgment, she did not think that there was any possibility of the "Second Continental War" breaking out - yes, Noron's human supremacist tendencies were revived and were likely to intensify, but so what, did the Noron royal family have any ability to provoke war again at the official level?

She would not consider the reasons. If she really wanted to declare war, there would be many reasons. For the Ain Dynasty, the ability to declare war was the most important.

Evelyn could only learn about the situation in Noron through reports delivered to her desk. Due to her busy official duties, her last opportunity to conduct a field trip was after the signing of the armistice agreement. Although Noron had left the post-war stage of reconstruction, it had not yet recovered to its heyday under the strong attack of the Elf Empire. The deterioration of public security caused by poverty and a series of other problems were plaguing the people of Noron - at least that was what Evelyn knew.

Perhaps out of confidence, Terriati did not eliminate the military capabilities and military technology that Noron had developed due to overreaction before the war, and Evelyn did not think that Noron had the ability to declare war now.

You know, just a few years ago, the Ain Dynasty had just indicated that it had amended the Grand Code to allow Kalulerea in the southwest of Noron to secede from the country and become independent as the Kalulerea-Alencia Autonomous State. The reason is that there are many sky island ruins in this area that are regarded as holy places by the Letoni, which are of great significance to the country's religious beliefs and archaeological excavations - and they are willing to pay for it, although the average price is far lower than the price that should be paid for "purchasing this land."

After this, the Kalulerea-Alencia Autonomous Prefecture actually became an area under the control of the Letoni. The local Noron people seemed to have many choices, but in fact it was not the case. The Noron people had long discriminated against the Letoni people, believing that the latter were a group of shameless people who mixed with lizards. Conversely, the Letoni people naturally would not treat the Noron people well.

This will inevitably further reduce the outside world's evaluation of Noron, right? Who would think that such a country is capable of declaring war?

But they do seem to be planning on doing so...

"This is true for other countries, but for Zelhar... it's more than that..."

Evelyn continued her quiet soliloquy.

Yes, perhaps other countries' intelligence agencies would only consider military strength, economic power, and social needs when assessing the possibility of declaring war on Noron, but as Zelhar's second-in-command, Evelyn had other reasons.

"Although... I personally wouldn't do that... But what about Garcia III?... Why does he believe so firmly?"

This is another incident that dates back to nineteen years ago, when the armistice agreement was signed.

In order to ensure the effective implementation of the treaty, the royal family of Noron should send a hostage to Zerhal as a handle for Zerhal to hold against the Kingdom of Noron. There happened to be a candidate, and that was the newly born fifth princess of Noron, Celestine Ain, the youngest daughter of the royal family, born to Garcia III's lover.

This was a proposal put forward by the "Perfect Hunt" Leopold Greenhilt. Although Sieli and Evelyn strongly opposed it, believing that this behavior was contrary to the style of the Glorious Court, it seemed that a direct rejection would arouse the anger of everyone in the Inquisition headed by Leopold. So it eventually became a compromise plan, changing "pledge" to "learning", and the reason proposed to the Nolon royal family was "to keep the princess away from the educational atmosphere of hatred, so that when she grows up, she can influence Nolon's evaluation of other races with a gentle attitude" - the Nolon side did not refuse.

Of course, despite the claims, Evelyn believed that the Norron royal family and Garcia Ain himself would certainly regard Princess Celestine as a hostage.

Today, Celestine Ain has grown from a newborn baby into an outstanding lady, and now serves as the captain of the ceremonial guard under the name of the Inquisition. In other words, she is still under the firm control of the Divine Court.

"You don't have any concerns at all..."

It is not impossible. Although they are his own blood, they have not seen each other for 19 years. Garcia III did not raise him personally. If there is no affection at all, even if Zelhar really chooses to kill him directly, Garcia Ain may not even blink an eye...

"Alas...if that's the case, it's too cold-blooded."

Thinking of this, Evelin couldn’t help but sigh.

Evelyn Tigridel has lived for more than two hundred years without realizing it. With the blessing of her elf talent, she has nothing to do with aging as humans understand it. Even so, she has never experienced love, marriage, and childbirth, but she has plenty of experience in raising children - and because of this, she is now completely unable and unwilling to imagine others, including her parents, as such cruel beings.

But the situation continued to torture her, forcing her to think in the worst possible way.

"……but……"

However, maybe it's not completely hopeless.

Although it may sound ridiculous for the Glorious Divine Court, a force that is in an absolute advantage in the current dispute, to say that they are "desperate", the fact is that Zelhar's appeal is to "resolve disputes". If the war really begins, it will inevitably continue to slide in a more complicated direction, which also means the complete failure of the Glorious Divine Court.

And it's not a completely desperate reason -

Noron did not declare war immediately, but continued to station troops on the border. Now he came here normally according to the suggestions of other countries, as if he wanted to negotiate in accordance with the wishes of Zerhar and other countries. This itself is an opportunity.

There is indeed a possibility that the negotiations will break down, but it is better than having nothing to talk about, right?

Knock, knock, knock——

The rise and fall of his knuckles echoed the back and forth movement of the pendulum.

"Um……"

Since the Noron side lacks the ability to start a war and is acting in a disciplined manner, does that mean they never intended to let the situation develop to the point of war? The war preparation posture is just a bargaining chip, and by posing this posture of wanting to die together, they coerce the other countries and gain their own interests at the negotiation table. Considering the attitudes of Letoni, the Roklia Union, and Zelhar, it seems that only the Terriati, whose interests may be most damaged, will resist the negotiation itself. After all, the arrogance and strength of the Elven Empire make them likely to choose to defeat Noron head-on on the battlefield rather than cede their own interests at the negotiation table.

For example, designating the southern part of Teriyadi as a buffer zone to establish a private reserve for other races... This is a request that Nolon is likely to make.

If this is the case, then the biggest obstacle to the peace talks does not lie with Noron, but with Terriati.

thump, thump, thump

Just as Evelin continued to think, there was an inopportune knock on the door.

Emerald green pupils drifted towards the pendulum clock in the room: There was still some time before the meeting started, and Novia looked overly tired, so she probably wouldn't recover so quickly, and as for the others... Evelyn didn't remember that she had any other appointments. Did the Ritual Bureau have anything else that needed to be reported to her directly at this juncture?

This made her feel somewhat uneasy, but she didn’t show it on her face at all. Evelin simply cleared her throat and said:

"Come in."

The door of the office opened in response.

"Excuse me then."

The figure that pushed the door open surprised Evelin.

The lady who was closing the door had wonderfully lustrous black hair, and the closer it got to the ends of the hair, the dark color gradually turned into a red that was almost black. Her pupils were honey-colored, her face was between mature and immature, and her dress was equally eye-catching: unlike the northern countries with a stronger traditional atmosphere, such as the Elf Empire, Noron or Zerhar, the people in the Rocklia Union that occupied the southern coast of Mu Continent would choose to wear more "novel" formal clothes on such formal occasions. In our concept - that is, in the concept of all readers - this kind of clothing is called a suit, with black and white as the colors, a bright red tie, and the lower body is matched with a short skirt, black tights and black high heels with red soles.

Ruby hair ties, ruby ​​tie clips and collar pins, and even shoe buckles with ruby ​​accessories inlaid with gold wire. She seems to be quite fond of rubies, and this color seems to suit her very well.

This outfit, which I don't know whether to call "simple and plain" or "unwilling to be mediocre", is in line with people's stereotypes about the Rocklia Union - the Commercial Federation, Muirand, Arkham and other regions, and this stereotype is often combined with terms such as machinery and technology, which is quite subtle, so that Evelyn couldn't help but sit up straight, even though she was sitting straight. And if you look at this lady as a whole, her plump but well-proportioned figure just complements her outfit, which not only highlights her professionalism in which aspect she is not sure whether she is inclined to - business, diplomacy or administration - but also is charming enough to attract attention. She did not deliberately highlight her presence, but she also did have a vague appeal.

This attraction does not necessarily come from her appearance or temperament - or perhaps it is some other unknown element that makes her neither charming nor dangerous.

"Emma, ​​Emma Pola—what can I do for you?"

"Hmm?" The woman called Emma crossed her arms and chuckled. "Is it my illusion? Could it be that Zerhal's foreign minister does not welcome my arrival?"

Evelyn wanted to say "It's really not welcome", but this was definitely not a mature diplomatic statement - she smashed the sentence and swallowed it back.

"No, of course. Please come in, and take a seat."

She took the cup and poured a cup of scented tea for the "uninvited guest". Without Evelin's eye signal, Emma had already sat leisurely in the seat opposite her, as if this was Emma Bola's own office.

It seemed like she wasn't planning on just chatting for a few minutes and then leaving.

"So--"

In the end, it was Evelin who took the lead in opening the topic.

"What would you like to talk about, Miss Emma Pola, the Roquelia United Representative?"

Her attitude made Evelin frown secretly - not that it was frivolous or improper, but that Evelin felt that she could not grasp the other party's attitude and thoughts.

At least it seemed that Evelyn couldn't even tell whether the other party really valued this meeting, even though it was closely related to the interests of the Rocklia Alliance.

Facing a thick fog that only lets in a little light and shadow - it's really uncomfortable.

Chapter 22 The cheers faded away and the front hall was empty

boom!

bang bang bang bang-

boom!

...The sound sounds somewhat abstract, but on this ice field where the only sound is the howling wind, it is hard not to hear it unreal. First there is a bang, then the sound of something swooping down, followed by a colossus hitting the ground, then a series of messy clanging sounds, and finally ending with a bang... It sounds quite rhythmic?

“Hmm, Hmm…”

"What's this position? ... The lower half of this machine seems to be misplaced. Miss Ella, can you help straighten it out?"

"Get up first! Asshole, you're crushing Lady Luna!"

"It's a bit difficult—"

There was a sound of metal friction, accompanied by the sound of iron chains colliding. Apparently, Ashlee used the excuse of being "entangled in the chains" to say that she seemed unable to break free.

That was about it... Although the group managed to escape the blockade of the last wave of magic circles and escape from the warning range of the wizard tower in mid-air, at the very end, a magic missile hit the nozzle behind Ashetherin, causing an explosion. The group fell under the double impact... tumbling passionately... and then crashed into the nearby ice with a bang, and finally scattered all over the ground.

"Stop talking nonsense, can't you pull the cable open?"

makes sense.

Ella Hepper finally crawled out from under this "pile" of things - including metal mechanical puppets, fully armed paladins and a pure iron coffin. Before she could recover from the state of almost losing half her life, she turned around and kicked Ashlee, who was lying on the ground, twice in annoyance.

Bang, bang——

The tip of the shoe kicked on the metal butt, making a very crisp sound, like a drum set.

“Don’t, don’t do this—”

Lunicea, who was at the bottom, or to be more precise, was almost buried under the broken ice in the collision. At this time, she accidentally stretched out one arm from under the ice, shaking it and making a "wuwuwu" sound from under the ice.

"If the chain breaks... we won't be able to carry it any further..."

That seems to be true.

"Please don't worry about this."

Clatter, clatter—click

With an equally crisp sound, Ashlee easily broke the chains that were tangled around her body, then climbed up from the pile of ice, kicking away a few pieces of broken ice that were pressing on Lunicia.

"You can get up now. Are you okay, Lady Luna?"

It didn't look like anything was wrong, but Ella still showed a serious expression of extreme concern - then again, it was Ashlee who was injured first, but Ella didn't seem to say anything to her at all.

"It's not like he's going to die."

Doesn't Lunicia know how to do it?

"Ms. Luna will still do it. And Mistress Luna will feel pain, but you won't."

"Um……"

Ashlee pondered for a moment, and it seemed that she also felt that what Ella said made sense.

"Don't say that, Ella. Someone please pull me out..."

So Ashetherin and Ella teamed up to dig Lunicia out from under the broken ice. Although there was no water under the ice, Lunicia was still covered in ice chips. She could only shake her head continuously to shake off the ice crystals from her collar and hair, and they stuck to Ella and Ashetherin's faces.

"What is the situation now?"

After finally clearing away all the ice that appeared in places where they shouldn't be, Lunicia couldn't help rubbing her head, as if to make sure that the thing was not broken when it fell, and then looked around.

"Got hit, and then just flew out like that."

"Is it okay, Ash?"