Chapter 23 – Refugees

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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The road heading down alongside the river.

I abruptly looked up at the sky.

The sky was no longer a drawing paper painted pitch black.

Although there were barely three of them, looking at it differently, as many as three had settled down.

A star shining even in the Dark Light, having risen right before the Black Sun set.

A star fluttering and protecting the night sky, having been created the earliest.

A faint and blurry star where the suffering ones were enshrined.

Were the people who were not with me also changing after seeing those stars?

The people who would answer this question began to be seen from far away.

“It is Atrea. It was a city that had a mining village nearby.”

Ryugen, who volunteered to guide the way at the very front, extended his finger and pointed.

Everyone’s gaze followed his fingertip.

It was likely a desire wishing for a warm shelter where they could put down their luggage, sit comfortably, and lay their bodies down.

Fortunately, the lights of torches were seen in places in Atrea.

Perhaps because of that, between the ruined buildings, people running around busily were also seen.

Of course, it was a distance difficult to gauge with a normal human’s eyesight.

No matter how hard they scrutinized the place Ryugen pointed at, they could only tell that there were torches.

“Looks like there are people.”

It was Hwen, who took on the role of the group’s leader.

With her rough personality and even experience following the army, she slowly narrowed her eyes.

“But why can’t I see any lights at the inner keep?”

It was a question openly aiming at Ryugen.

However, Ryugen waved his hands saying he could not speak outside the city.

“I will tell you after we enter.”

Having already known the reason why, I instructed them to follow Ryugen’s words.

Although Hwen made a sour expression as if it was not to her liking.

“Goodness, why out of so many cities is it Atrea.”

“You said you followed the army with us. As proof of trust, I will explain the reason to you.”

Ryugen kindly responded to the annoyance Hwen showed and said.

According to Ryugen’s words, Atrea was a city with mining villages nearby.

A place with so much iron that the land looked red, it even had a separate place name.

The Bleeding City, Atrea.

Atrea was a city where numerous steel tools and weapons were produced.

They said that before the world was ruined, when there was such a thing as countries on this land, it was a massive metropolis considered the heart.

Because of that, the leaders had no choice but to pay much attention to the defense of Atrea.

The outer keep relying on the wall surrounding the entire city, and the inner keep where the leaders resided, were representative examples.

Naturally, the defense on the inner keep side was thicker and much safer.

The moment the Black Sun shone, it would all go down the drain but… just the fact that it was protected by sturdy stone materials was enough.

Regardless of the truth, people could feel safe looking at the built-up stonewalls.

The reason why the Lion Shield Legion made this place their base was due to the aforementioned facts.

“Since the most important thing when dealing with enemies was not food, but weapons.”

The blades humans gripped rusted and broke.

Armor got crushed, shields shattered, and arrows broke.

To the Lion Shield Legion, a lump of iron to immediately grip in their hands was more desperately needed than breadcrumbs to toss into their mouths.

“You really suffered a lot.”

“Isn’t it a difficult time for everyone.”

“Tsk. You still look for trouble to suffer from.”

After walking on the streets of Atrea with only its shell left for quite a while.

Ryugen, who was conversing with Hwen as well as Bartol who had joined in at some point, suddenly stopped his steps.

It was faster for my senses to notice than for someone to ask what was going on.

In the shaded alleyway, those who hid behind the rubble to avoid gazes raised their bodies.

The crest of a shield drawn with a lion.

They were men wearing fully tattered surcoats.

They were people having human skin instead of the blue-gray skin unique to Corpse Demons.

The Lion Shield Legion all looked up this way as they stealthily put down the swords and bows they held in their hands.

“Ah… Light. It’s really, a light I face after such a long time…”

“The rumors were true.”

The taste reminiscent of a sweet cupcake spread.

Hope.

They were in a situation where they had to take responsibility for someone just because they could lift a sword.

Comforted by the fact that they now had someone to rely on, they voluntarily knelt.

“We greet the celestial being.”

“Please, save us.”

Until just a moment ago, the Lion Shield Legion feared the demons that might strike them at any time beneath the dim night sky.

And fear was one of the powers demons possessed. A demon’s curse usually ate away at a human’s fear and grew its power until it was completed.

To annul the curse, they had to not feel this fear.

Overwriting it with another emotion enough to overcome the fear was the most certain method.

For example, faith towards a god.

Phew….

They were still living people. I brought them back into the starlight before the Holy Mother of Stillborns took them away.

A breath containing blue star sand wrapped around those kneeling before me.

Clatter, clatter.

It was the sound of the curse cast on their souls like a chain rusting and decaying away.

The curse like a blessing the Holy Mother of Stillborns promised them was dismantled just like that.

Clang-.

Even if they couldn’t hear the sound of the iron chain breaking, they could feel their lightened souls.

Having realized something, the soldiers put down their weapons and fumbled all over their bodies to their heart’s content.

“A, aw, away. I can’t feel it.”

“It’s freedom!”

“Long live the Great One! O celestial being, please accept our humble praises!”

It was embarrassing to look at even for Ryugen, who had already experienced it once.

Ryugen tried to snap something at them but coughed, recalling the fact that he was also like this.

“Why is everyone outside? The ambush squad should be further inside.”

However, the soldiers were busy feeling the changes that happened in their bodies.

Only a soldier who belatedly made a face realizing his slip answered Ryugen’s question.

“Captain, this isn’t the time for this, you must go inside quickly!”

“You need to tell us your business for us to know and go in.”

Humans did not know unless spoken to in words.

They only roughly guessed through the changes in their gazes or facial muscles.

However, I could feel the soldiers’ thoughts and emotions with my five senses.

The reason why the soldier hesitated and didn’t speak right away.

I slowly turned my head and looked at the inner keep that had lost its light.

Eventually, the moment a frustrated Ryugen was trying to interrogate him further.

“It seemed an accident had unfolded in the inner keep.”

I realized that what the Holy Mother of Stillborns plotted was half-accomplished.

***

The Lion Shield Legion made Atrea their base and put forward one banner.

They needed to gather the survivors and rally their forces.

Even though they did not know the truth of the world, they must have judged that they needed to increase their scale to survive continuously.

Fortunately, the Holy Mother of Stillborns didn’t attack the Lion Shield Legion since they made the deal.

Even to the civilians they were protecting.

At a glance, she might look like a true merchant adhering to a contract.

However, the intention hidden behind it was insidious, so at some point, I naturally let out a sigh.

“It is to lure in those who are in hiding.”

The shelter prepared in the outer keep.

Even among them, it was inside the most intact building.

Thanks to this place once being used as a hospital, it was accommodating the most refugees.

Refugees.

This was the problem.

The rescue operations the Lion Shield Legion repeatedly carried out for the sake of the people was exactly what the Holy Mother of Stillborns wished for.

Amidst the faint groans of suffering echoing against the walls, Ryugen dropped his head with a miserable feeling.

“We knew.”

If you ate a huge amount of salt, it’s not even salty, just bitter.

Regret was… a taste and sensation akin to rubbing coarse salt on a peeled-off roof of the mouth.

It was a wretched regret felt when one had no choice but to do it even knowing it was wrong.

“In exchange, the Holy Mother of Stillborns did not attack us. At least the Corpse Demons alone stopped their attacks on this Atrea. Even if it was to lure more people… We could make no other choice.”

Thanks to that, the Holy Mother of Stillborns took the upper hand in the civil war with no worries.

If a demon left their designated territory and invaded another, it was a fight to the death, but when a surviving survivor crossed over, it was not a practical threat so they let it slide.

Even if they found it unpleasant.

…Then, intuition pleaded with me.

That the demons were already aware of my existence and considered it a threat.

That the reason their offensive was weak despite that was because the Holy Mother of Stillborns made them unpleasant using all sorts of petty tricks.

That one of the petty tricks she used was the human stragglers including the Lion Shield Legion.

“You must have crossed the territories of other demons restlessly in order to save people.”

“…That is right.”

“How like the Holy Mother of Stillborns.”

Befitting the mother of Corpse Demons who abused the altruism and kinship of the living.

Because her understanding towards humans was exceptional even among demons, the things she did were even more malignant.

Making the humans themselves actively gather sacrifices, rather than by the hands of demons or monsters.

Just looking at the outcome made me sick to my stomach.

The Holy Mother of Stillborns’ intention was insidious like this, but the Lion Shield Legion couldn’t quit if only for the sake of their own will.

“But as a certain amount of people gathered, discord had no choice but to easily arise. Especially, with the appearances of our ‘returned’ comrades being like that, discord was foretold. So the Legion Commander let the weak who desperately needed protection and those who accepted the change into the inner keep first.”

Thus, the legion, which absorbed even the surviving civilians to become a total of 400 people, was torn in half.

Those who had already died once went to the inner keep, and those who hadn’t died yet went to the outer keep.

Ryugen and the soldiers of the outer keep took on the mission of rescuing via expeditions or taking care of the refugees who joined after hearing the news.

It was at this time that footsteps were heard from the side of the stairs where the light did not shine.

“Everyone is dying. Starving. Can you tell us what exactly is going on? Hmm?”

Hwen and the people who looked around the hospital came to complain.

Hwen raised her voice saying that even the injured could not eat and were getting rather worse.

Only then did Ryugen meet the eyes of his adjutant standing next to him and nod.

The hesitating adjutant managed to spill the beans with difficulty.

“That is… Originally, the inner keep is supposed to provide us with supplies. The outer keep was heavily damaged by invasions, so intact items were rare.”

“Hmm. Sounds like an excuse.”

“It’s not an excuse! We haven’t heard any news from inside the inner keep since a scream was heard. The gate is firmly closed, there’s no answer no matter how much we call, and they’re not even lighting torches!”

The person who stopped the adjutant, who got excited and kept shouting loudly, was Ryugen.

When he patted the adjutant’s shoulder with his gloved hand, the adjutant closed his eyes tightly and stepped back.

“Although my adjutant had an erratic side, he had never omitted a report. It seemed the situation had deteriorated.”

“To the point that even Meunt is helpless?”

The defection of someone you trusted is not easily understood.

Why, for what reason, how did it happen. Only after passing through at least three stages did one barely perceive it.

Nevertheless, there was a time when telling the cold truth was better than the peace of ignorance.

“It will be that Meunt’s fault.”

“O Star Creation.”

Bartol pleads with a voice trying to stop it, but I could not stop.

“Hardly any life was felt from inside the inner keep. If we delayed any longer than this, even those who were barely holding out would be done for.”

“What… is that.”

“Hwen Achrat, help Ryugen and prepare to fight back. Mobilize all the materials you can use at once and create obstacles no matter what.”

It was a meeting I held to test whether everyone in the Lion Shield Legion participated in it.

Since I knew they didn’t, I could not delay time.

Within the gazes seeking an answer, I could perceive an ominous presence approaching.

As well as what the words ‘cannot protect with feeble starlight’ meant.

[We are the master of all creations.]

It was the tyranny of a celestial body rising, forcibly shattering the established laws.

I left the people behind and soared up to the window.

[Even if you dare to challenge Us.]

The three starlights in the night sky swayed precariously.

The dividing line that was barely drawn was being crushed by the dark purple halo.

[That fact shall not change.]

The night sky spun like a circular disc in an instant.

The starlights that were struggling to hold on were smashed down beneath the horizon the moment the sky spun.

At the same time, shouts mixed with screams were heard from everywhere.

“It’s the Black Sun!”

“W, why? The stars were out?!”

The soldiers who were on watch hurriedly gathered around the braziers but it was useless.

It did not completely banish the sun.

No. The sun rose by force, taking on the penalty that would be inflicted upon it.

I desperately revolved the stars inside my flesh.

-Protection miracle, Barrier

-Protection miracle, Comet Tail

-Bestowment miracle, Stability

I created a golden barrier on the vulnerable defense line and overlaid it with a bestowment miracle.

It was preparation to fight against the attack that would strike soon.

And I also decided what penalty to force upon the Black Sun.

If you broke a promise, you received a penalty.

The Black Sun was no exception.