Chapter. 14. One Empire, Three Legends (18)
****
Even with his heavy heart, Borka couldn’t stop his steps from speeding up.
From the 3rd floor to the 2nd floor. To the amphitheater and back underground.
As he ran to the point where he was out of breath, what he saw in his eyes was a scene he had seen so many years ago, so many times.
“…Are you a werewolf? Pooh wow! I understand what the guys outside were thinking and why they came down here. go away. This is not a place for outsiders to come. “I think we’re here because we can’t just ignorantly push on.”
The wild boar beast snorted and pointed to a wooden prison with an open door next to him.
A wooden grate that looks like it will crumble if you hit it. It is the best representation of the situation of slave gladiators and the most humiliating living quarters prepared for them.
Slave gladiators lived right under the arena, closest to the ground, and often when wild beasts, slaves, or gladiators escaped, they had to break the cages with their own hands and throw them back into the prison, where they were as good as nothing. Otherwise, you will be whipped. The price for rebellion was death. A meaningless death that does not even give you a chance to make eye contact, let alone swing your claws. A fleeting life that can be lost with a single word or a hand holding a contract.
Seeing the sight as if it were an insult to a slave gladiator, Borka walked towards the wild boar beastman who was blocking his path. Unlike the beastman, who stood up and snorted at the sight, Borka simply pushed the wad of paper he was holding in front of him.
“You had a hard time. “You are now free.”
“This….”
A prison managed by prisoners and guards. There was a small commotion in the dungeon where there were only slave gladiators in wooden cages.
Palak. Palak. Palak…. Palak.
The wild boar beastman’s hand, which had been searching through papers with trembling hands, stopped.
“Khuu, khuh, phuh! Finally, finally!!!!”
At the same time, the wild boar beastman, who found an old piece of paper with his name written on it, snorted and tore the paper apart.
Ujikkeun!
simplicity and honesty!
“Freedom!”
“contract! “Finally that damn contract!”
“Kwoaaaaaak!”
Slave gladiators who had escaped their contracts began to break through the infinitely thin wooden cage and rush out.
Leaving behind them rushing towards the bundle of contracts, Borka passed the gladiators who kept out of his way despite the confusion and stood in front of the prison that had not yet been broken.
A werewolf with long claw marks on his chest.
Next to him, there was another werewolf with a pale face and letting out his breath.
“Tushan… Marka….”
Ujikkeun!
The sight of him tearing off the thin cage with one hand and kneeling down. A call filled with indescribable emotions. and,
“Benard Fang. It can’t be you… no, it can’t be. I will definitely see the end with my own eyes….”
“Don’t say anything.”
The unknown feelings that were directed at him until the last moment of the battle that took place in that arena.
Borka interrupted as Tushan looked at his empty arms and opened his mouth.
What should I say first when I meet children? A time when I spent a lonely night alone in the forest. It was a topic I thought about countless times when I still had hope.
I guess I should apologize. Because of my mistake, the entire tribe lost their lives and caused you to suffer like this. No, shouldn’t I say thank you first? Shouldn’t you be thankful that you, who were taken captive by humans, survived and endured such harsh hardships? Should we brush the hair below the ears and let the children know that their lost parents have returned?
Although I thought about it for several years and the words I chose were tickling my throat. There was so much I wanted to say that when I first wore it, it felt like three days and nights would be filled with stories I couldn’t share before.
“….let’s go.”
His fur had turned from gray to silver-grey and his arm had been cut off. Because his aged face and the contract in his hand replaced all the excuses.
Borka decided to embrace his son and daughter with his only remaining arm.
15 years of longing. Beyond the pain and humiliation, there is only one thing I have longed for while throwing it all away.
“Are you… alive?”
“Umm…. Ah, Dad?”
The sight of the son in his arms, not knowing what to do, and the sight of the daughter recognizing him as soon as she opened her eyes, even after so many years had passed. At that moment, Borka felt the pain of 15 years melting away like snow. Molten pain flowed through his eyes.
“Let’s go back. “To the forest.”
Borca finally declared that his long journey was over.
Now it’s time to go back. To the forest I desperately miss. Back to where we need to be.
****
“….So. Borka confirmed that he was safely reunited with his two children. “She carried her daughter Marca on her back and, supported by her son, headed out of her arena.”
“I saw it too, even from afar. “You seem very awkward with your son.”
“I think it was a natural reaction for a son who unintentionally blew off his father’s arm while he was running for his life. From what he heard, ‘He took after his mother, was stubborn and never hesitated in his actions, so the only answer was to break him on the spot.’ “Borka explained.”
“That’s ridiculous. “If I had just said, ‘I am your father~ I am your father~’ right then and there, I could have ended the game.”
The half-collapsed rooftop of the Colosseum. The professor sitting at the end was listening to the report of Idrasil, who had secretly followed while feeling the winter wind.
“Human emotions… seem to be very illogical and complex. Borca was a man who was not averse to using somewhat cowardly means, but strangely enough, he was so stubborn in the end that he lost his arm.”
“Of course. For 15 years, the only person I could properly talk to was myself, who was so self-destructive. It must be complicated and tangled like kudzu roots. There will also be a sense of guilt for hastening the destruction of the tribe. I was so relieved to see my son growing up without me, and thought, ‘If only he were given freedom, he would be able to stand on his own without me.’ “You must have thought that.”
Unfortunately, it was the same for me. The strange distance between the boy and his son, who was carrying his daughter on his back with one arm. If I had the other arm left, it would have been really nice if I could have just gently swept the shoulder.
“I’m sure there won’t be any obstacles on the way, right? A lot of those who escaped followed along. “What is that?”
“The fallen younger brother was the spiritual supporter of the gladiators… It seemed like he played a similar role. “I heard many people say that he was the heir of a great lineage, and that he had a green mane and roots.”
“Hmm…so?”
“It seems that the freed slave gladiators have decided to act together for the time being, since they do not yet know how the situation will turn out. The bond between gladiators was deeper than I thought. “It appears that Borca has decided to join them because they don’t know what will happen if the angry gladiators are released into the city.”
“good. Good. Prisoners who often say, “I owe you a debt, and my heart won’t allow it until I pay it back,” will continue to listen to me since I owe them my freedom. Blue mane, werewolf, and heir to a great lineage… I feel like I missed the lottery, but I can’t use the calculator in front of my departing colleagues.”
The professor looked for a long time in the direction where Borka and the beastmen disappeared, then turned his head to the other side. I got up from my seat after seeing the Holy Knights rushing in from the Marquis of Vilderland.
“T-cha. Now that you’ve gone, let’s finish up. Ah, Hydrasil. Good job. “The prisoners have good senses, so it would have been difficult to follow them secretly.”
“It was nothing. “I do it because I enjoy it.”
“…Be sure to say that to your godmother too. “She never says who she learned from or what impressed her-”
“Hehe. It means choosing your words. “I know that much now.”
In the end, the professor chuckled as he saw the corners of the mouth of the elf, whose hobbies and specialties were hiding, tracking, and spying, raise, asking if he could now even laugh.
Crack!
“Hmm, heeeeee! Cough! Hi!”
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“Stop crying, you brat. We met the kids and we can’t hold them any longer. “I have to make you happy for the rest of your time.”
“But, but…ugh!”
The professor came down and lifted Lucilla, who was still crying, into Notum’s arms, and then bent her neck this way and that to relieve herself.
“Okay, let’s finish, finish! Still, a high-ranking noble in the empire is dead! If you’re unlucky, the empire might send a chase after the escaped prisoner gladiators, right? Please erase any traces of magic. Burn all the remaining contracts, and Lucilla and the others return to the inn~ Idrasil, you got that, right?”
“yes. here.”
The professor placed the half-broken helmet of ‘Benard Fang’, which Idrasil had presented to him, in the blood-soaked room of the Marquis, and then placed it next to one of the mercenaries who had died after being crushed by his body and struck him down with all his might.
Quack!
While the professor was looking down at the dented helmet with satisfaction, Aldrich, who was muttering next to him, said as he put the soul jar in.
“That’s it. “The vengeful spirits of the dead have all been sent back to their destinations, so if the site is damaged to the point where it is unrecognizable, even necromancy will not be able to tell who is who or what happened here.”
“Okay, good! Okay, now, let’s go now. “I’m finishing up with the church, and now let’s go get some rest.”
“Now, wait a minute! I…sniff! “I have something to do!”
Before the professor, with his arms puffed out, destroyed the scene for the final time, Lucilla, who had been sobbing on Notum’s back, rushed over and lifted her skirt.
“Eight! bad guy!”
Pow!
And then, with that small foot, he kicked the dusty Marquis’ head with all his might, sending it flying out.
“Whoa! That’s Okay! Let’s go now!”
“Uh… um… uh, yeah.”
The professor, who flinched at the sound of a watermelon breaking below, shook his head as he looked at Lucilla rubbing the blood off her small shoes.
and.
Quang! Kurrrrrrrr-!
The pillars below were swept away by that final blow. The Colosseum, built with the blood of countless gladiators, began to collapse.
****
Square, square-
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[Hero Journey Progress Report]
Area of Operation: Northwestern Baltin Empire. Haunuman, a vassal nation and a cross-ethnic city.
Reporter: Hero, saint, and leader of the peace delegation of Lee Jong-jok, representative of Roharam, professor.
Goal: Purification of evil.
Key Progress:
1. Immediately after rescuing and handing over the Virgin of Wuthering Heights. With the cooperation of the wind wizards, board the wind balloon to the elven forest. On the third day of operation, an unexpected accident led to an emergency landing.
2. Immediately after the crash, while reorganizing, he felt ‘guidance of an unknown light’ and infiltrated Haunuman. In order to approach evil in the most natural way before it hides its roots, he collaborates with gladiator ‘Benat Fang’ and participates in fighting competitions.
3. Immediately after confirming the identity of the evil, they cooperated with the Haunuman Parish to attack the Marquis of Wildeland. Encounter and battle with the cult enemy ‘Red Mute’. There were no civilian casualties except for the 478 people who responded quickly and actively cooperated with the religious group.
4. Red Mute is defeated after a fierce battle. In the subsequent investigation, no physical evidence was found of collaboration between the Marquis and Mutation Blood, but it was revealed that they had a very deep relationship with the empire’s underworld (Appendixes 1, 2, and 3: Black trade ledgers for slaves, drugs, and imperial prohibited goods, respectively). Through sacred communication, the Third Princess promised to move immediately.
texture :
* Through a series of events, the church showed itself to be cooperative and sincere toward the different races within Haunuman, and due to the nature of orcs and beastmen who change generations quickly, it is expected that new believers of Ro Haram will arise from the generation that does not remember the evil deeds of the church in the past. Can be expected. As they are imbued with the divinity of light, it has become possible to prove that Ro Haram’s policy of being friendly to other races is sincere.
* It is estimated that the chaos in Haunuman will accelerate due to the fall of the Vildeland family, one of the eight tribes that rule Haunuman, and the disappearance of Tolkanu Vitle, the leader of the Open Rib Tribe. The church was recognized for its role as a mediator in the chaotic Haunuman, including its contribution to organizing a series of incidents without any major casualties and the ‘Saint Professor’s’ right to win the fighting competition. It is estimated that cooperation from the other six tribes can be expected in expanding the power of the church in the future.
* Many of the grassland tribes moved to the Kingdom of Rodrik. We expect it to be very cooperative with the defense front.
* The death of the Marquis of Wildeland. Red mute escapes.
* Collaborator, ‘Benard Fang covered in blood’ dies. Ratura.
* In the future, the warrior corps plans to move to the Empire and request support to fight against the evil god Mutation Blood Queen.
May the future of humanity be filled with light.
Ratura, Lo Haram.
=========
“It’s been a long time since I used this.”
[What kind of report do you post only when necessary?]
‘Honestly, it’s past time to write this. I just needed to get it official on paper.’
A temple with a soft glow.
In a place decorated with all kinds of holy relics, icons, and sacred things, the professor put down his finest quill and neatly folded his report.
“here. “Let’s see this first.”
“Yes, old! “Saint!”
Haunuman Parish. Before I knew it, in the guest annex, which was decorated as sacredly as the bishop’s office, the professor, wearing a snow-white robe, was finishing a report to be sent to the church.
The implications of the Marquis’s broken head falling like a signpost in front of the Colosseum along with its collapse were clear, and the rumor quickly spread beyond Haunuman and reached the empire.
‘I like it because the Empire kids get things done quickly.’
[I know. If it were Roderick, it would have taken a week longer to reach the inspector general.]
The imperial inspectors had already arrived that evening, perhaps because they were nearby, or because they had been watching the situation in advance.
Arriving with the wizard, they took the Marquis’s head, which was stained with spit and dirt, and searched the collapsed remains of the Colosseum and the ruined Marquis’ territory, trying to find out what happened in its entirety.
Thanks to that thorough investigation, the Marquis’s corruption and evil deeds were all tangled together like pumpkin vines.
The inspectors who had been investigating for a while suddenly received a letter from the empire saying, ‘There is no need to investigate further.’ With the same sound, he hurriedly left the territory.
[It must be external pressure, right?]
‘yes. If we dig up to the root, is there any way we can just ignore the corruption that will involve the prince and the empress? They will probably cut off the tail by tearing the Marquis to pieces. The Marquis de Vilderland, who was living comfortably in the capital, will die in droves. There is no physical evidence of heresy, so you won’t be burned at the stake.’
For reference, the Holy Knights of the church tenaciously collected what was presumed to be the corpse of the Marquis from the collapsed Colosseum, scolded the departing inspectors, took the almost tattered head, carefully cared for it, and finally burned it at the stake.
‘If I had seen it, I would have said it was really good.’
[Wolf. He was a friend worth remembering for a long time.]
Sabak, Sabak, Sabak.
The professor frowned at the flower petals sprinkled at his feet as he walked from the outbuilding to the temple barefoot, the robes trailing behind him so long that they looked like a noblewoman’s dress, and the group of bright-eyed priests supporting them.
When we arrived in front of the bishop at the end of the noisy procession, the bishop, who bitten the crowd, opened his mouth with a bright smile.
“thank you. “You must not be used to it.”
“It was more than just unfamiliar, it was shameful. “If the intention was to cause the saint to die in shame, I would say he came very close.”
“Ha ha ha ha ha. Still, wouldn’t it be an unforgettable memory for them for the rest of their lives? Now, those believers will boast every day that they have served the saint who defeated a huge religious enemy with his bare body. Every time your name rings, you will remember that feeling of pride. He gave them eternal happiness by stepping on the flowers and wearing fancy clothes. “Isn’t a little inconvenience worth it?”
“It’s not a small inconvenience, right? “Anyway, I’ve fulfilled all of your requests, so now you can hear what happened to my request.”
Seeing the professor grumbling and changing into the simple robes the bishop had presented him with, the bishop smiled once more and continued speaking.
“Actually, asking the believers to adapt was just something I did. These are the words of the saint, and of course we must listen to them. “I received communication from the shadows of the Order two hours ago that the job was completed.”
“So… are the records of escaped prisoner slaves now gone?”
“yes. Well, what do you mean, a cart of magic stones overturned in the contract wizards’ residence? It is said that empty magic stones poured into the warehouse where magic contracts are recorded, so there are probably no records left.”
Contract Wizard’s Records. It was the last piece of evidence to guess about the whereabouts of the escaped slaves, including Borca’s two children. What if the owners of the arena and their traders died, and the contracts of slaves that were their property were suddenly canceled en masse?
It wouldn’t be that difficult to guess that slave gladiators were involved in those two murders.
It may have taken some time to find the slave records, as there were more than one or two, but if left alone, they would have surfaced at some point, so I decided to ask the church to handle them until the end.
“Well… I guess I should go now. Don’t get up. “I’ll just leave quietly.”
“yes. “You’re a busy person, so I can’t hold you back.”
When the professor, who was dressed in a well-fitting robes that had been adjusted to his measurements, turned his back, the bishop who had seen him off with a quiet greeting gave him a final greeting as he walked out the door.
“Saint. “Do you know that?”
“what?”
“70 years ago. With the loss of the saint, our denomination lost its lighthouse. Because there is no voice from Him to tell us the way ahead. One step at a time, like walking on thin ice. “I went forward, trembling in fear that this path might lead to corruption.”
The bishop’s simple but pious office. The bishop, who had been carrying out his duties without sleep for several days due to a series of incidents, stood up and bowed deeply.
“But now I can move forward without hesitation.”
“…There is no change in the fact that the saint is not there?”
“We don’t have a saint who shows us the way, but we do have a saint who can tell us what to do, even if it means breaking the legs of those who are taking the wrong path. I hope that your journey will be filled with light. Ratura.”
“…Latura. “Let’s do it.”
Mei profit-
The professor bowed his head to the deeply bowed bishop, then took a long stride toward the carriage where the group was waiting.
The bishop transmitted the image of the back of the saint disappearing through the bright sunlight for a long, long time.
The bishop, who burst out laughing at the sight of him pulling the cart himself without any sign of reverence, sat down and moved his pen over the paper where he had just taken his first horse.
=========
….After losing the saint and wandering in darkness for a long time, light has arrived. The work of light begins to move again before the name of the saint, who is as brilliant as the sun and as warm as a bonfire. So, in this booklet, we record the history of the light that still serves God even without God’s guidance. The holy name of the person who revealed the dark future is Professor. He is the one who cuts through the thorns of darkness with both hands.
=========
The bishop talks about the history of the church that lost a saint. Although it is not the voice of God, he decided to record the entire history of the religious order as it wandered on its own. In the past, I was hesitant because I thought it would be a sad booklet that recorded the denominations of the church, but now I know that the end will reach that light, even if only a little bit.
Crunchy.
There was no hesitation in the fingertips that used the pen.
****
fantasy,
