Episode 167. The Escaped Prisoners (2)
“How can there be a village inhabited in the realm of the Spirit King….”
Tariel was walking through the village, his tongue hanging out, unable to take his eyes off the unbelievable sight.
It is a place overflowing with spirits that regard humans as ‘evil’ and are hostile to them. Just a little while ago, I almost died after meeting a ghost from the past.
There can be no human village in this realm that absolutely does not welcome humans.
But what on earth do I see now?
It was hard to believe, because it was not natives but prisoners living together.
“Hello, everyone.”
Then a boy spoke to me.
He was wearing tattered clothes, but there was no prisoner number written on it. Judging by his mysterious aura, he must have been some kind of village chief.
“Let me introduce you to this guy. He is the collaborator I was talking about.”
Heidern said, placing his hand on the boy’s shoulder. Seeing his free-spirited attitude, there seemed to be no hierarchy. The boy also smiled without complaint at that attitude.
“And it’s been a long time, Alighieri, too.”
The boy, who seemed like a spirit, suddenly looked at me and the other cadets and greeted them.
He spoke as if he was greeting a welcomed person. In fact, I felt very happy when I saw him.
Because in the previous Chapter 2, he was the prince of a military nation that was used by Elder Enviel and then abandoned.
“Sat… Sat… What was it?
“…?”
“Are you the prince whose name starts with ‘To’?”
When the prince heard that, he crumpled his face in disappointment.
`Totema Endhole Papiyas.`
It took me a while to recall the name because its presence had disappeared by then.
As a 10-year veteran of Devil Aka, I am extremely embarrassed.
* * * * *
Actually, I had prepared myself for this before coming here. In addition to last year’s mission, a clash with the prisoners was inevitable.
The reason they break out is simple. They want to get out of the world and go outside. If that desire explodes, it can happen.
But are you transporting those guys by train instead of carriage? Then it’s not impossible for the train to capsize.
Moreover, it is not even in the main story, and it is said to be an imperial order. Since they are also close to the mastermind, it cannot help but seem suspicious.
We need to check what kind of unknown territory they are trying to create next.
So I came to meet a prisoner who I could communicate well with.
A prisoner who speaks well. It may sound ridiculous just hearing it, but he exists in front of me right now.
Heidern He is a man who can cooperate with my intentions.
I’m sure of it, because I briefly checked his mind when he was arrested.
Of course, I don’t know what will happen to the rest of the prisoners. That’s why I was prepared to clash with them at least a little.
But when I saw the list of prisoners, I felt a great sense of relief. There was no prisoner stronger than Heidern.
That fact made my heart lighten a little. No matter how violent those guys are, I won’t be able to mess with them.
“You volunteered for such a dangerous mission just to meet me?”
“I figured that if he were you, he wouldn’t treat us so harshly.”
widely-
I entered a small building in the village and sat down at a table. It was a building of almost an ancient period, but it was not a bad place to live.
“But what on earth is this town? Did the principal and his group of prisoners build it?”
“No, it was just built there from the beginning. It’s probably a legacy from the people who lived here until 30 years ago.”
At that time, Shaikhar did not hate humans. He had been happily coexisting with them, but it seems that humans were driven out as well, as he became angry after his daughter’s death.
“But how come you’re walking around here so casually?”
Even Tariel, who was once one of the four priests, was at a loss here. Even Heidern doesn’t seem to be able to hold out for long.
“Totera… no, is it the help of Prince Totema?”
“You may not know this, but that person has incredible spiritual sensitivity. In that area, he surpasses even Mary Ludciel.”
When I hear this, an idea comes to mind.
A case where he had tremendous talent, but it was completely rotten due to birth.
I also remember how he fell for Enviel’s trick in Chapter 2 and used his talent to drive Angela wild.
Spirits, spirits, and totem princes are the ones who possess the talent to be loved by all of these.
However, his father, King Talema, did not recognize his son’s talent and only discriminated against him.
Originally, he was supposed to run through the forest and feel the flow of nature, but his father forced him to live with a sword and shield.
“If it weren’t for that rotten home environment, you would have become a great spirit magician by now. There’s no way a spirit would like a place filled with blood-calling spirits.”
Because of this, even the professors at the academy had a hard time recognizing his talent, since he had been dead since his childhood.
It is ridiculous that King Talema, who destroyed the precious jewel himself and then criticized it as useless, looks ridiculous.
“But even now, he was able to find a place where he belonged. Thanks to that, Prince Totema has grown to a point where he is welcomed in this realm.”
“So you were protecting the prisoners, including the principal, with that outstanding sensitivity.”
“yes.”
It was all thanks to Totema’s help. It was thanks to his hard work and talent that he was able to hide safely within this realm.
Squeak-
Just then the door opened and someone entered the building. It wasn’t a prisoner, but a man wearing a locomotive engineer’s uniform.
“Mr. Heidern, it’s time to eat.”
“It’s already happened.”
“Everyone is waiting outside.”
“Yes. I’ll be there shortly.”
A situation where it seems like residents are talking to each other.
I looked rather puzzled at that part.
That man was an engineer driving a prisoner train, and Heidern was a prisoner being transported on that train.
It was not natural for such a friendly conversation to take place between them.
Creak… thud-
The moment the driver went out again, I asked Heidern.
“Isn’t that guy the engineer? Then why is he here?”
The same was true not only of the locomotive engineers but also of the drivers transporting the prisoners.
Anyone can see that it portrays a group of corrupt knights as cooperating with the prisoners’ escape.
Did you get bribes from some nobleman?
“I’ll explain it to you when I get out there.”
When Heidern went out, I followed him.
It was a mission I had applied for just to hear that story. But it seemed like it wasn’t something I should hear alone.
* * * * *
The village was not very large and was designed to accommodate only a few people.
Still, it was a suitable place for prisoners to stay.
In the center of the village there was a wide open space. It could be called a square, and all the people involved in the mission were gathered there.
In the middle of the pot, a porridge made with meat and vegetables was boiling, and everyone was eating it from wooden plates.
It was a moment where I had a satisfied expression on my face because it was so delicious.
Dalgrak-
“Please explain to me what on earth is going on.”
Tariel, who could be called the leader of our group, asked the prisoners. Originally, he was supposed to be capturing them, but for some reason, he found himself in an awkward position to do so.
From the time I left the church, I had long since become a mere mercenary who worked for money.
But you have to look at the forest, not just the trees. Tariel had been accustomed to that feeling for a long time, so he couldn’t just ignore their opinions.
“It wasn’t them who did it, it was us who did it.”
The ones who answered were not prisoners, but the knights. They were the knights who escorted the prisoners on the train.
As the audience’s attention turned in that direction, the knights began to explain.
It was not their assistants who caused the train to capsize, but they themselves. However, they say that it was not a dirty deed they did in return for money.
It is true that the imperial order was to transport the prisoners to the eastern camps. However, the knights learned a very terrible secret.
“As soon as they are transferred to the camp, they will be used as ritual sacrifices. This means that they will not be moved from one place to another.”
“You’re not executing him?”
“Execution? These guys didn’t cross the line to deserve that. They have the shortest sentence because they still have some room for rehabilitation.”
It wasn’t an empty promise.
In fact, I didn’t sense any hint of madness from them.
After roughly checking with ‘Ma-an’, I was able to see that their inner thoughts were not filled with greed.
It seems that he committed a sin, entangled in a similar and complicated ordeal to Heidern.
“No matter what! If you were a knight who followed the royal family, you could have just transferred them without complaint. Why did you create this kind of group?”
Trisha raised her hand confidently and said, I wondered why the young student was interfering, but I didn’t scold her because it was the question I was curious about.
Then Sisa opened her eyes heavily and said.
“Have you ever heard of the resurrection of the dead?”
Everyone suddenly made a face like, “What is that?”
But I instinctively flinched. Because there was a spell that barely managed to recreate it in the main story.
“It’s literally a ritual to bring the dead back to life. Would you believe that the imperial family is currently conducting a secret project?”
At those words, the group froze in thought.
Because the resurrection of a lion is not only unethical, but is also a distant realm that can never be reproduced.
Moving the corpse is the best we can do, but even that is imperfect and an act of desecration of the deceased.
“Is that true? I don’t think the faithful Divine Emperor would do such a thing.”
“We also know very well that the Emperor is a saintly ruler. Who could forget his achievements of quickly restoring the ruins of 30 years ago and ascending to the throne?”
Rather, who would have expected that the emperor would commit dangerous acts because of that trust?
To the people who had full faith in the Emperor, it would sound like a joke.
In fact, who would believe that the imperial family itself is connected to Doomsday and, beyond that, is the mastermind behind this worldview?
“But recently… a strange rumor started to circulate in the northern part of the empire that a dead person was coming back to life. At first, I thought it was just nonsense, but after I learned about the secret imperial project, I suddenly got goosebumps.”
“Because the resurrected man attacked a small village.”
They say they directly investigated the village where the incident occurred. But the incident was suddenly covered up and an order to withdraw was given from high above.
As I was about to turn back, wondering if it was okay for there to be casualties… I heard that I met Prince Totema.
Then Totema continued speaking.
“I became a wanderer and was cultivating my spirit magic on my own. Then, suddenly, an ominous energy came over me and I felt shiver. I followed the energy and arrived at that village, and there I met the knights you see here.”
Even though he was expelled, he seemed to be doing well. In fact, that was his wish.
And Totema continued to say that the energy he felt then was the obsession of the dead.
This fact made the knights alert. Could it really be the result of the royal family secretly creating it behind the scenes?
“People died because of the corpses resurrected by the Imperial Family! I have been protecting the Empire for the sake of my people… and my homeland, but this doesn’t add up!”
“As a journalist… I am so ashamed that I neglected the scene where dozens of citizens died.”
They were knights with a clear mindset. It would have been possible to feel suspicious because they were working internally.
Of course, I don’t think he did this just because he was embarrassed.
“But what does the resurrection of the dead have to do with the train overturning?”
Finally, Refrain pointed out the exact part and asked, and from there Heidern continued.
“Have you ever heard of ‘RE-Union’? It’s a spell that forces dead people to move.”
He had previously browsed through his master Enviel’s library. This is what he learned there.
Literally the resurrection of a lion. However, it is only a theory and cannot be achieved in reality, so it is said to be an abandoned sorcery.
Although perfect revival is impossible, it is possible to make it move.
The reanimated corpse is possessed of an imperfect mind, so it simply moves according to instinct.
They say that the reason he committed murder in the village was because it was his natural instinct.
“To tell you something even scarier, it is said that revived corpses retain their previous abilities. What would happen if an incredibly powerful person like Elder Envyel were to be resurrected?”
Most of the listeners swallowed dry saliva or gasped. Besides, if the heroes of the past were to come back to life and become enemies, terrible things would happen.
“But to resurrect such giants, you need a huge amount of magical power. It can’t keep up with their power while alive. That’s why what’s needed is the life of a living human.”
It seemed to reassure me, but then an eerie sound was heard again.
The audience instinctively felt what he was going to say, and I, who understood it right away, was already sticking out my tongue.
“But if you use an innocent life, suspicions will arise. That’s why you use the life of a criminal.”
“If you are a criminal…”
“….”
Heidern lowered his gaze heavily as if there was no need to say anything more.
Why did they pretend to overturn the train and escape here?
And what plans the royal family is hatching.
I learned two things I wanted to know at the same time.
Doomsday has currently lost Enviel, the first of the seven constellations, and Demora, the seventh. Even Aisha has been completely unavailable, so it’s no different from losing a major force.
So, power supplementation will be needed.
I’m talking about the power to burn down the Magic Banquet instead of Aisha.
Surviving as an Academy Fraudster
