Then she deftly maneuvered the ten lines drawn in her hands as if she were hurrying, moving her fingers and waving her arms.
　The figure seemed to be dancing, but the screen was switching at a dizzying pace.

'Huh, hah, hah, Beric, I'm going to go back in history now, so don't miss it.
I understand!

　Beric had no idea why this thing called Babel was created in the first place, but now he had a feeling that this was a clue as well as a bad sweat running down his back in this cold air.

　Cisernia had never used this power before, either, due to the sinfulness of this Ahrzeit royal family. She didn't want to use it or see it if she could.
　So surely this is something she had to be prepared to bear when she became head of state.

　The Ahrzeit family obliged her to master this power first and foremost. She herself had her own thoughts about this power at an early age, and had explored what she could do with it.
　This power called [Melodist] was only for operating the Tower of Babel. I tried not to think about what it was for, but I couldn't fool myself anymore.


　Sweat floated up one after another on Cicernia's forehead at the extent of the diminishing magic power in her body. Her fingertips lost their sensation as if they were frostbitten, and her arms gradually began to tremble.

　You need to concentrate, but Cicerunia, who has abhorred this power itself, thinks to herself.
　In the end, she thought that she too would not be able to put an end to this cause and effect.


''Kuh!　

　The line of light disappeared from Cicernian's hands as he broke his knees with a gulp, and the hologram disappeared as it switched screens.
　But at the last minute, Beric's eyes widened.

　I had to ask her a few questions, but I'm sure they were beyond her position as Head of State and Governor. The first thing he showed her was his history, which was a profile with a picture.
　It's quite detailed. Moreover, it contains a variety of physical information, which is comparable to the amount of data that could be stored in a military precision machine.
　The data we were able to confirm was probably around 70%. Some of the dates even went back more than 50 years.

　Cicernia turned around with a sign of magic depletion on her face as she coughed roughly.

'Beric ... what's the harvest?'

　The gaze that makes you cling to a straw that suggests it might be your last chance, in fact, her body cannot withstand this power. This is probably because it is not something that was originally possessed.

　However, this old general was able to respond to that fading question with a strong heart.

If this data is correct, his actual age must be over 50 or else it's strange. But.........

　She didn't know what was being said, but Cicernia was going to answer Beric's question at this point in time. This was a secret between the two of them in the first place.
　She felt bad for Beric, but she revealed it to him. He didn't want Linne to know any more. Maybe he would hate himself.

'What do you mean?'

　It definitely takes a huge amount of knowledge on his part for Cisernia to reveal this to Beric. Most importantly, he was the only one who knew about Ars's childhood.
　So instantly Cisernia couldn't understand what Beric was saying.

　What on earth did he see?

　Beric tells her, deep wrinkles darkening further. Things would be better later on. Still, Beric sees this and guesses evil. It's not on the level of an evil guess either, but almost a certainty.
　It may not be the right time to do so, but it is something that must be asked at some point. That is, the cause of the weakening of Babel's protective barrier is probably a discrepancy between the information available to heads of state and the information available to them.

　The protective barrier is being weakened by increasing the range. There should be no doubt about this because we know it firsthand. But if Babel is a human creation in the first place, what is the driving force behind it?

　Beric shook his head, as if further thoughts were unnecessary right now. A problem too big to be kept in a corner by any means, it would be difficult to force it away.
　For now, it was about Ars.

'I knew I was right to let Teresa go.

　What's more, the fact that Letty is ready to move is a real plus. The rest is behind the scenes, but it's not too late to make a move.

I'm not going to leave you here and leave you behind.　I tried my best with this one, though!
"--!　I'm sorry, Lady Cicernia.

　As you can imagine, the information will have to be shared before you go up to the Oval Office. There was no telling who might be listening.
　In any case, it doesn't look like she's going to be able to move anytime soon either. No, she looks so pale that I would have asked her to go up and lie down on the bed right away if possible.
　But perhaps sensing such a concern, Cisernia hurried on, "Just go ahead.

''I understand.''

　Bellick didn't get confirmation from just looking at it himself. I need to confirm that as well. At the very least, if she is going to leave the secrets she can't reveal intact, she should leave the decision up to her.
　Beric takes off his jacket and lets it fall over her bare shoulders before recounting everything he saw.

'There is one thing here that I must check first. As far as I can tell, an image was played of an Ars and an exact duplicate, is this what you wanted to show me?
I knew it.......................

　His concern was well founded, and he wrinkled his brow with a small face, sweat running down his face.
　Then he opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind. The shivering throat wasn't just due to the cold. It was because she herself felt a great deal of repugnance at the thought of saying this.

'Ars is definitely a Babel subject.
Huh?

　It was Beric, who was becoming more and more unsure of the thing called Babel. The shock is tugging at the string that was obscure at the same time. He had such an uneasy feeling of unease that he couldn't even understand the response.

　Cisernia leaps out of her thoughts with a gesture of biting her nails and says, "You've noticed that too, Beric. The fact that it was so unnatural to call it Krama's countermeasure," she draws back her memory.

'Of course,'

　If Krama didn't have a known anomaly about Ars, there would be no such word as certainty. For a look at that place, he didn't feel the slightest hint of the prudence that Krama had been able to slip through the hands of the nations so far.
　That discomfort was even more so because it was Beric.

　Of course, he hadn't revealed everything about Ars's abilities. Even if the worst happened, including the ones related to magic, Ars would still be a footnote.
　Of course, each single mage must have noticed that. That it wasn't all that bad. But in that moment, Beric was focused on making them think he had revealed everything.
　Only Cisernia would have noticed that meticulousness on his part.

Unknown abilities still existed in Ars. That should have impressed him. That's why there was much doubt about the man named Mekphis's assertions.
　That was also confirmed by the information on the test subject that Cicernia showed me.

　Another person other than Ars.........




　It didn't take more than a few minutes in terms of time.

'Beric, I stand corrected. Other than Alpha, the other heads of state have limited, if any, access to Babel. I'm the only one who can interfere with the system.

　Beric nodded at the confirmation. No problem so far, as I've heard.
　However, with a bright blue face, Cisernia gave a petulant, strong look.

'Totally, all wizards are buckets.
Yes?

　It was probably the first time she had ever experienced that using magic power was accompanied by such exhaustion. Perhaps she was referring to the extreme state of depletion, though.
　Cicernia's throat rises and falls as she moistens her dry throat.

'Of course, as you just saw, with access to the main system I can get into Babel. There is an entrance in there that is not visible from the outside, but there are several layers of bulkheads in the passage. That said, I've never been in there, but I'm not sure about your father....
So, the secret of Babel is in....
'Oh well, in case you're wondering, I have top level access to some of it. But it didn't work.
What?
I can't get into Babel when I'm supposed to.
What do you mean by that?　That doesn't make sense.
It's a small matter to go through the steps.

　She forced a smile, and it made me feel like she really wanted to. There was a sense of shame that he wished it was a trivial matter.

'Originally only the Earlzeit royal family had access to Babel. But, you see, when I became aware of this authority, I had access, but I couldn't open all the bulkheads. That's the only place where the authorization code had been changed to deny entry, I think I could only get in a few meters from the entrance... If this was going to happen, I should have known sooner... if I had been born... For the first time I hated my father. How could he leave all that stuff behind and not be able to do anything about it?

　Gritting his teeth together weakly and weakly, Cicernias closed his eyelids in frustration and tears appeared in the corners of his eyes. Even with the highest level of access privileges, there is practically little that can be done, and it's not limited to the bulkheads. It is originally designed so that it cannot be operated remotely, and the only adjustments are to the minimum current protective wall, and the rest is limited to viewing even if you can access it.

　Even with that, Beric can't even make a guess.

　The Babel she calls that thing is a noble wall that has protected humanity to this day. So perhaps there were things he didn't know, but it wasn't all he didn't know either.

'Lord Cicernian, if I may be so presumptuous, the previous 31st Head of State, Lord Clowney, was always concerned about the threat of demons and always spoke of a peaceful world for the next generation.
Your father?
'Yes, perhaps you would have wanted to do something about it before Lady Cicerunia took her seat at the head. If you are more gentle than anyone else.

　Beric's smile, which overflowed as if he was reminiscing, showed no signs of age. It's as if he was recalling memories so vividly that he had no trouble remembering them. No, in fact, he was hallucinating as he was seeing it in the present.
　The Beric of yesteryear hadn't held the office of Governor, but he was in a position to make a name for himself as a candidate in his own right. Perhaps that was why he was less likely to be consulted at every turn.

　I thought to myself at the time that I might have stopped at his good eye.

　This palace, although there are many remnants of the old days in the office now, the arrangement has changed a lot, but the veranda behind the office desk is no different from that time.
　I was even forced to drink on that humble balcony, which was a problem for the next day.

　Beric was not infrequently fed up with his daughter's bragging rights, but in hindsight, he couldn't blame him because the daughter he saw was so talented that he wanted to brag about her.
　He could now understand the distant look that the head of Clowney's head of state had unexpectedly shown him at that time. The expression of regret and remorse that continues to hold its shape in that crucible.

　'I don't think I'm going to be able to fulfill the problem that no one else has been able to handle, even in my generation,' he said over drinks, and Beric was relieved that he hadn't missed it at the time.

　At the time, he had only thought it was in response to a demonic threat, but now that he thought about it, he was sure it was this.

'Clowney-sama probably had no choice but to leave it to you. Perhaps he wished it was Master Cicernian rather than himself. Now I finally understand what he meant when he said that.
Your father....
I suppose you know that better than anyone, Lady Huriba.

　With a beat, Beric advanced to the young head of state.

'I do not know what this is all about, and I suppose I do not need to know. Still, those entrusted with it have a responsibility to provide answers.
It's selfish.
'Yes. I know it's selfish, but it's helping us now.
'Yes it was...'
Let's go, my dear Sisernia. Whatever our intentions, what we have to do will be the same as it was in the beginning.

　Cisernia took the thick hand that was so extended to her with a wry smile. As for Babel, it's the matter that will be the most troublesome to think about later on.
　But rather than that, right now, there was no choice but to ensure that the immediate problem was resolved.

　At that stage of the switch, Cicernias' expression was powerfully focused on the future.

''Thank you, Beric.
You're welcome.

　The first elder, who kept his eyes downcast, wondered if he had been able to repay his predecessor in some small way for his age.

''Beric, this is an even bigger harvest than I expected. We now have a pretty good idea of what Rusalka is looking for. We are clearly ahead of you in terms of information. Let's get that stupid, perfumed b*tc* in the ring first.
Yes, sir.
He's a good target.
You'll be joining the Viziest.
The Execution Squad.
I'm sure I've been very thorough. I've brought Theresa with me, and Letty is here.
"Minimal communication, so that our intentions are not compromised.
I'll be thorough.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of your time with us.

''It's time for the rest. Hmph........I'm going to strike out, Beric!