Chapter 133: Marley's Negotiation with Kyubey
Marleyan Military Command, High Command Conference Room.
The atmosphere was heavy. Thick curtains cut off the sunlight, leaving the room in fractured light and shadow.
Pieck Finger stood in the center of the room. Her face was pale, but her eyes were bright, shining with a desperate resolve to fight for Marley's fate. Her dark grey Magical Girl dress was a stark contrast to the stiff, standard-issue uniforms of the Marleyan officers around her. The initial whispers and appraising glances had been replaced by more complex emotions.
"Are you certain," the Minister of Defense spoke first, his hair neatly combed, his voice hoarse and trembling almost imperceptibly with a mixture of suppressed excitement and caution, "that the power you now possess is completely different from the Power of the Titans?"
The gazes of the other high-ranking generals, including Magath, were all focused on Pieck. Shock, suspicion, and an undeniable greed flickered in their eyes.
Pieck took a deep breath. "Yes, Mr. Minister," she said, her voice quiet but clear. "This is an entirely new power. Please, allow me to demonstrate."
…
Command Headquarters, Underground Training Facility.
The vast, reinforced room was cold, the metal walls reflecting a harsh glare. Pieck stood alone in the center. Marley's high command watched from behind a thick, bulletproof glass observation window. Some of the generals still looked at her outfit with confusion. When the Minister gave the order to "Begin," everyone's attention snapped into focus.
Pieck closed her eyes. The next instant, a deep grey aura of magic exploded from her body. Unlike the violent steam and lightning of a Titan shift, this power was more condensed, its pressure unsettling.
She moved.
Fast. Though not nearly as fast as Eren, to these ordinary humans, it was blinding. Her figure left afterimages as she zipped across the training ground.
"That speed!" a general exclaimed, his eyes wide behind his spectacles. He was known for his own quick reflexes.
Pieck stopped abruptly next to a decommissioned armored vehicle that was being used as a target. She held out her right hand, palm up. Dark grey light gathered, rapidly forming several diamond-shaped, metallic-looking plates.
SHOO! SHOO! SHOO!
The plates shot out, striking the vehicle's thick steel armor and erupting in bright sparks. THUD! THUD! THUD! The front armor of the vehicle was easily penetrated, leaving several clean-edged holes.
A sharp intake of breath was heard in the observation room. "Incredible penetration power…"
Magath's eyes narrowed. He recognized those plates. Their pattern was identical to the one on Pieck's magical dress. But what shocked the high command even more was what came next.
Pieck's figure blurred again. The next second, she appeared at the far end of the training ground. She had been at least 50 meters away from the vehicle.
"Was that… teleportation?" the head of intelligence asked, his voice dry. He could hardly believe his eyes.
Pieck panted slightly, sweat beading on her forehead. She was demonstrating the partial abilities derived from her wish to "return to Marley and report"—superhuman speed, condensed energy attacks, and short-range teleportation. This power was completely different from the Cart Titan's focus on endurance and carrying capacity. It was more flexible, more lethal, and far more unpredictable.
A dead silence fell over the observation room. Marley's high command was completely sold by this tangible "possibility." This was no longer just a cold line in an intelligence report. This was a new power, one that could overturn the current balance of war.
[Non-Human Chat Group]
Tom Cat: [Cat_peeking_curiously_from_around_a_corner.jpg] [Cat_sips_a_drink_Ran_gave_him.gif]
SpongeBob SquarePants: Wow! Miss Pieck got super strong! And Kyubey is there too!
SpongeBob SquarePants: But, but Marley isn't being attacked like before, so everyone won't be as scared, right? They won't all be rushing to make wishes like last time, right? They'll be more careful, won't they?
Squidward: [Squidward_facepalms_with_a_tentacle.jpg] Hopelessly naive. The lure of power… when have idiots ever been able to resist it?
Monokuma: Upupupupu! SpongeBob-kun, you're still so naively cute! You think people only crave power when they're being shot at? Upupupu!
Monokuma: Desire, ambition, dissatisfaction with the status quo, all those so-called 'noble' causes… can't any one of those push someone into the abyss?
Monokuma: The seeds of despair don't need much water to sprout! Upupupu!
SpongeBob SquarePants: No way! Absolutely not!!! [SpongeBob_raises_hand_in_protest.jpg]
…
The Minister of Defense's Office.
Only the Minister remained. He paced, brow furrowed, calculating the possibilities and risks of this new power. Suddenly, he stopped, sensing a slight change in the room's light.
A shadow slowly detached itself from a dark corner by the bookshelf. A small, white figure appeared silently, sitting on the corner of his expensive mahogany desk.
It was Kyubey. Its red eyes calmly watched the Minister of Defense, the man who held Marley's military might in his hands, as if it had already seen through all the turmoil in his heart.
"It seems you've already made your choice," Kyubey's voice sounded in the Minister's ear, flat and emotionless.
The Minister's eyes narrowed, but he quickly composed himself. "I already know why you're here," he said, his voice deep, suppressing his astonishment. "This power… 'Magical Girls'… what is the price?"
Kyubey tilted its head, its long ears twitching. After some initial contact and negotiation, Kyubey had revealed the necessary information: Magical Girls. Wishes. Corruption. And the final end… becoming a Witch of despair.
The Minister was silent for a moment, a calculating glint in his eye. After all… the one thing Marley has in endless supply… is expendable Eldians.
If… if the Eldians are the ones who make the contracts, if they make the wishes Marley needs, and if they are the ones who pay the "price" in the end… while Marley reaps the benefits?
And according to Kyubey, Eldians, due to their unique nature, had a higher "Karmic Load" than the Marleyans who had persecuted them, and would become stronger Magical Girls.
How is that fair? They're just a pack of devils' spawn.
A cold smile touched the Minister's lips. In the face of Marley's state machine and long-term indoctrination, the Eldians in the internment zone were just clay, to be molded at will.
"Very good," he stood and walked to the large window, looking down at the military base below. The Titan power was strong, but it was restricted by bloodline, and most of it had been stolen by the island. But this "Magical Girl" power… this would break the stalemate. And under the "benevolent" rule of the Marleyan people, these Eldians weren't entirely useless. They still had the "privilege" of becoming vessels for Marley's new power. They could continue to atone for their sins and serve Marley's future. They should be proud of that.
Marley would "designate" their wishes, and they would "devote" themselves to Marley's glory. The successful ones would receive what they craved: the status of "Honorary Marleyan." A meaningless title, but one that was more than enough to drive those souls, wrapped in despair and discrimination, to fly into the flame. Just like Reiner, Annie, and Bertolt. Their families and their desire to change their status were their eternal leashes.
As for true Marleyan patriots, if any wished to make a contract for a greater goal, for their own ambitions, the state would support them. On one condition: the power they gained must serve Marley, absolutely.
The Minister of Defense stood there, planning out Marley's glorious new future.
Kyubey just watched, offering no opinion.