The blood drained from Kuranmor's face. His formerly oily complexion seemed to transform into that of a dried squid in an instant.
"What nonsense are you saying! How dare you confuse me with such absurdities!"
Kuranmor chose to go on the offensive. After all, it was unrealistic to believe that the mayor personally delivered such a message.
"It wasn't just one person."
"What? What do you mean?"
"W-well, two mayors directly issued the orders..."
As the reality he tried to deny came back doubled, Kuranmor's face contorted like someone confronting something indescribable.
"No, the mayor. How could. More importantly, how could a fixer possibly, with the mayor..."
Kuranmor rambled incoherently, unable to accept the reality. Sestain was in a similar state of mind. He asked Osian, who looked tired and eager to leave.
"Don't tell me you were the one who made contact?""Well. One side was indeed the mayor."
The two mayors who supposedly made contact were likely Aspirex and Deliphiros. However, from Osian's perspective, the perplexing thing was that he had only contacted Aspirex.
The other person he contacted was Delan Goldiron, so why would orders suddenly come from Deliphiros?
'Could they have been watching us all this time?'
Even if that weren't the case, it was clear they had acted swiftly after receiving reports about the current situation.
Osian found Deliphiros' choice quite unexpected.
'To think he would help me.'
He had believed that Deliphiros, who was at odds with Aspirex, opposed most of his decisions. It wasn't unusual for him to politically attack the Aspirex faction and block their legislation efforts daily.
This was due to Deliphiros' symbolism.
Since he stood only for humans, he desperately opposed anything put forth by non-humans.
Yet now, Deliphiros has aligned with Aspirex. Did he think that because this was a minor matter, it was acceptable to make the same choice as Aspirex?
'If not that, perhaps despite the minor risk, he needs to make a good impression on me.'
What Deliphiros wanted was humans who overcame challenges on their own. And Mayor Deliphiros thought Osian was the most qualified person for that position.
If it were just Osian alone, that would be fine. But when other knights joined this Battle Trench incident, Deliphiros changed his mind.
The knights who followed Osian were merely fixers from the back alleys before becoming knights. They lived day to day without anyone's attention, just scraping by. That's how they lived and how they were expected to continue.
But now. These knights, alongside Osian, had raised the flag of victory. They had clearly overcome the insurmountable reality placed before them.
Deliphiros, with his desire for pure human talent, didn't want to miss this opportunity. Even if it meant making the same choice as his enemy Aspirex, betraying his political beliefs, he chose this path without hesitation.
For Osian, this was fortunate, so he decided to accept the goodwill positively.
After all, Deliphiros wouldn't use this as leverage for conditions. Hadn't he stepped up voluntarily without being asked?
"Whatever the case, things are going well, right?"
Sestain approached Deputy Inspector Kuranmor, whose soul seemed half-departed, with a slight smile.
"Hey, Kuranmor. Wasn't your promotion to Inspector in less than a month?"
Perhaps those words brought him back to reality. Reason returned to Kuranmor's eyes. Of course, this didn't signal the beginning of a counterattack.
Rather, having regained his senses, Kuranmor had no choice but to accept the terrible situation he faced more precisely and objectively.
As his skin turned dark and lifeless, Sestain mocked him.
"What a predicament. Looks like you were planning to climb quickly to Inspector by pulling the right strings. But you were so confident, only to find the rope was rotten."
Sestain tapped Kuranmor's shoulder. Particularly, the deputy inspector's insignia on his shoulder.
"A candle in the wind. That's exactly what they call this. It's ironic. The torch that was more spirited than anyone else turns out to be just a candle."
No, considering Kuranmor, he might still have been a torch. However, a storm had blown in that made even such a torch weaker than a candle flame.
"Y-You! You brute who only knows how to fight!"
"My goodness! Mind your language, Deputy Inspector Kuranmor. You know, right? Orders came down from two mayors. And they were in favor of that young man over there. Do you know what that means?"
Kuranmor shut his mouth. Not because he didn't know, but because he understood all too clearly.
"Tirna has made its decision. Battle Trench has crossed the line too far with this incident. And that malicious profit distribution you're after ends here."
But Sestain, cruel and cunning, forced the well-known fact deeper into Kuranmor's mind once more.
"Deputy Inspector Kuranmor. Intoxicated by dreams of becoming the next Inspector, you'll end up unable to even keep your current position."
How many times in his life had he endured such humiliation and mockery? Kuranmor tried to get angry, his face turning bright red, but then he clutched the back of his neck with a groan.
"Ugh, kuh-huck!"
"K-Kuranmor sir!"
His attendant hurriedly supported Kuranmor and helped him back onto the airship.
"Medic! Medic!"
Watching the airship disappear amid the commotion, Sestain chuckled.
"Well, unintentionally, we've shown an unsightly image of the constabulary. Anyway, to summarize the situation again."
Sestain turned to Osian's group with a cheerful expression.
"Congratulations on your victory."
The knights who had been anxiously watching the scene erupted in cheers.
~In the mayoral office where Deliphiros stayed~
Looking down at Tirna's night view through the large window, he gently swirled the glass in his hand.
-Chink.
The beautifully crafted whiskey glass made a refreshing sound as it lightly collided with the ice inside.
Just as Deliphiros took a sip of whiskey.
"You made an uncharacteristic choice."
The man silently guarding him spoke up. Deliphiros' eyes, which had been looking down at the night view, shifted sideways.
"Surprising. I didn't expect you to speak freely here."
"This concerns a major corporation, no less. The fact that you made the same choice as Mayor Aspirex shakes your fundamental principles."
"In some ways, that might be true. But you know, if we only oppose for the sake of opposing, the city will eventually rot. For such an important matter, one should even join hands with enemies."
"Will your supporters believe that too?"
"Of course not. They're driven by inferiority complexes and anxieties about society. They won't believe it, even if it's the truth."
-Gulp.
The golden liquid flowed down his throat into his stomach.
"But such discontent will quickly subside with a bit of showmanship. For me, it's not a losing deal."
"Was that fixer so enticing?"
"Haha. You're quite heated today. Are you upset because I'm going after the automaton company you frequently use?"
"All the products I use are Antique Gear custom-made, so that's not the case."
"Then isn't this good? What Battle Trench was secretly developing clearly crossed the line by anyone's standards."
"That's rich coming from someone who turned a blind eye despite knowing."
Deliphiros chuckled. Yes, he had known for a long time that Battle Trench was doing such dangerous things in Area 38.
For a corporation to do such things when success or failure wasn't clearly determined was essentially a do-or-die move, even for a major corporation. As mayor, he couldn't help but watch closely.
"If they were going to do it, they should have succeeded completely. Then they would have been emboldened and tried to negotiate with us. Perhaps asking to lift the performance specification restrictions on automatons supplied to the military, or requesting permission for more classified projects. Or even asking for tax reductions related to automaton transactions. I could have granted that much. After all, they would have created an excellent weapon for humans to use."
Just thinking about it, there were quite a few potential demands. But all of that was relevant only if their [Giant Project] had succeeded.
"If they failed, they should face the corresponding punishment. Even for a major corporation, it's outrageous to try to secretly cover it up by bribing officials."
"This incident will have significant repercussions."
"Indeed. I'm not trying to take them down lightly. Of course, nominally, they will maintain their appearance. We're not completely eliminating them."
It would be too much to finish off a major corporation over this incident. Considering Battle Trench's scale, if they decided to resist seriously, it would be troublesome for the city government as well.
So he intends to apply just enough pressure on Battle Trench that they can accept.
"Let's put on a show together, moderately. Although it won't be easy for the corporation's pride, they have no choice but to accept. Losers don't have options."
"Battle Trench might look fine on the outside, but inside, they'll be eaten away like cheese by mice."
"I was already irritated that, unlike other industries, the automaton sector had two major corporations. It's about time one of them gave up the throne."
For Antique Gear, this was a windfall. Their most feared rival competitor had tripped over their own feet.
Of course, it's also a well-known fact that Antique Gear had put effort into placing obstacles in their path.
"The current chairman's youngest granddaughter, I believe. She has an excellent eye for people. It would be nice if she supported me too."
Deliphiros, who knew Shaloni’s personal details, looked back at the city landscape with a playful smile.
Tirna's lights were embedded in his eyes like stars. It was an artificial beauty that transcended nature, one that only humans could create.
Yes. Only humans could create such a view.
"Then what about them?"
"Them? Ah. The steam suit company, Full Metal Heart, you mean?"
Full Metal Heart. A company that primarily manufactures steam suits and holds the undisputed number one position as a major corporation. And also, a place under close observation by the city government.
"Those guys are ridiculous too. A corporate name meaning 'heart of steel'? It doesn't match at all."
Steam suits are ultimately controlled by people. In other words, the heart of a steam suit could be said to be the human pilot who controls it. Essentially, humans are the power source and heart, yet they attach the word 'steel'.
That didn't make sense from the start, but what they secretly did made even less sense.
"I don't know where they found these people to work with, but the idea of capturing people, extracting only their brains to control giant steam suits—it's truly disgusting."
"But it's efficient. They can now freely move suits that are over 5 meters tall."
"I understand that part, but I don't like the fact that it costs so many human lives."
As if he truly meant it, Deliphiros' voice was tinged with displeasure. The puppeteer, who was his bodyguard and aide, just listened quietly.
That's the kind of person Deliphiros was. While implementing policies for humans, he didn't hesitate to use any means necessary. Even if other races suffered massive damage in the process.
Because his goal was singular: To create a world where only humans could prosper.
But what Full Metal Heart did violated his views.
"Then should we somehow implicate them as well?"
"No. Fortunately, there's that unpleasant organization they're involved with."
"Dead Dagger."
"Yes. They seem to be on bad terms with the Blood Brotherhood."
The moment Deliphiros said that, the puppeteer understood.
"I see. Then we should naturally intervene there."
He bowed to Deliphiros, then sat down, drooped his head, and closed his eyes. Suddenly falling asleep, he looked like a corpse without sound. Surprisingly, what resonated from within his body wasn't the sound of a beating heart, but the sound of a small, precisely operating wind-up mechanism.
The puppeteer who guarded Deliphiros was a genius with automatons. Naturally, he who existed to protect the mayor was nothing more than a doll, not a real person.
Even now, invisible puppets of the puppeteer, perfectly imitating human appearances, were busily moving among people.