Chapter 5 – Misunderstanding

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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No one knew when the Black Sun would rise.

The only rule had been that it did not rise again immediately after setting. No one knew what would happen or when. It was natural to move as quickly as possible if there was work to be done. Especially more so if going outside.

Despite this, judging by the fact that exchanges with neighboring shelters were possible, the capability of Toddle, the leader of the Bell Tower, was extraordinary.

“Only the Bell Tower got hit this time as well. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

The shelter that came seeking the Bell Tower was the ‘Mansion’.

An elderly woman who gave off a robust impression brought along four or five strong men carrying bundles. This elderly woman clicked her tongue while looking around the palisade that had almost collapsed, and then turned around.

It was to look at her own family members, who were panting roughly, with a look of pity.

“Heo-eok, heok.”

“Wa, water please.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk… I wonder if you even want to live.”

Toddle, who came out to greet them, welcomed this elderly woman with a bright smile.

“How could they be the same as you, Madam Hwen.”

“Do not flatter me, and just answer the question.”

“A question?”

“That friend next to you. Why did you bring him?”

She meant me.

I also gave the elderly woman named Hwen a thorough scan. Her piercing gaze, half-hidden by her bulging eyelids, was unusual. Now that I looked, she even had a sword equipped on the left side of her belt.

I also saw calluses on her hands, indicating it was not just for simple intimidation. Above all, her posture of keeping her legs slightly apart to support her balance was a bit different from ordinary people.

“Whoa. That is not the skill of someone who has sized up people just once or twice. You have a good eye.”

“This friend? Well, he is a friend who waded through a horde of Corpse Demons, so he must have that level of ability. Uh…”

“I am a scholar who was searching the temple together with Priest Bartol. I had temporarily set down my name to wait for a revelation or oracle.”

“He says so.”

“Hmm.”

Toddle nodded with an uncomfortable expression toward Hwen, who snorted.

If the leader of the Bell Tower was careful with his attitude, then the elderly woman named Hwen must also be a person of influence. However, even if she recognized who I was, she would not know why I came, so I was going to explain slowly.

“Hmph. Leaving home was a habit, and he is still exactly the same.”

Hearing those peculiar words caused me to miss my turn.

“Do you know him?”

“I do not. Tsk. As long as he is healthy, it is fine.”

Because Hwen suddenly turned her back and grumbled, I could not continue speaking.

Wondering what was going on, I looked at Toddle next to me, and he was blocking his lips with his index finger going ‘shhhh’. All while continuously rolling his eyes back and forth rapidly between me and Hwen. After reading the room like that for a long time, he hissed and revealed the answer.

‘Ex-wife.’

‘Ah.’

I somewhat guessed why I was here.

In the end, while the men who came with her unpacked the bundles, I was left to have a private conversation with Madam Hwen. Toddle was truly an amazing person. While we were suspecting each other, he had bowed his head shamelessly, asking for a favor since he had to step away.

Of course, it was not an expression implying that something actually came up.

It was a one hundred percent pass-off.

“So. Is that foolish old man doing well?”

And with good reason, judging by the aura she exuded, she was absolutely not an ordinary elderly woman. She tied a string over her easily available baggy clothes, attaching leather pieces. Anyone could tell it was for defense. As if that was not enough, her scabbard and belt occasionally bumped into each other, making a clinking sound.

When my attention was drawn to that sound and I directed my gaze, I saw her wrinkled hand stroking the hilt of her sword. She must have been a formidable heroine who swung a sword quite a bit in her youth.

…No wonder he didn’t want to leave the Bell Tower.

“He was healthy. He was active unlike a person of his old age.”

“Is the way he acts exactly the same?”

“What do you mean exactly the same?”

“Hmm. It must be exactly the same. If he had followed my words exactly, he would not have sent a substitute to handle this. Is that not right, young man?”

I answered with silence.

Sometimes, shutting one’s mouth delivered more truth than words. I ended it at this level, considering the grace of blending in among the people a bit more easily thanks to Bartol’s meddling.

“Madam Hwen, are you the leader of the Mansion shelter?”

“It is nothing grand like that. Just enough to help the remaining children use some strength.”

Seeing the proud smile playing on her lips, it was definitely modesty.

I could have engaged in endless small talk to loosen the atmosphere like this, but since time was tight, I made up my mind to go straight to the point.

“Then how are you taking care of the children?”

“Hmm? What children?”

….?

We looked at each other. With gazes that seemed to carefully scrutinize what the other person was talking about.

However, something was misaligned.

I did not realize it at first, but the corners of my mouth slowly went down as I could not match the misaligned pieces no matter how hard I tried. Noticing something, Hwen turned her body toward the chapel.

Then, the moment Hwen placed her hand on the hilt of her sword without hesitation, I raised my hand and stopped her.

“Madam Hwen, by any chance.”

“I sent all the children from the Mansion to the Bell Tower.”

When I stopped Hwen, she also did not fixate on the Bell Tower and the chapel.

The elderly woman, whose impression suggested she swung her sword at people quite a bit in her youth, read plenty of things from my expression.

“The old man knows something.”

“Oh, young man. I was just wondering how… it, went….”

The color drained from Bartol’s face by the second.

It was a change that occurred after seeing who I brought. However, because the issue was what it was, Hwen also showed no interest in pursuing old ties.

“Stop with the hollow words. The kids, where are they?”

“What kids?”

“Madam Hwen said the children from the Mansion have never returned.”

The person who had stayed at the Bell Tower was not me, but Bartol.

Even though they had separated, she probably thought it would be fine if this person was here since she knew his character well. Unfortunately, her expectations missed the mark. Among the silenced people, the top of the Bell Tower was the only place to avoid watching eyes and listening ears.

What I spoke of was the content of the conversation we shared around the time the top came into view.

When I delivered this fact, Bartol, who noticed the unfolding situation, dropped his head with a pale white face.

“I am asking where the kids are, but it looks like a person is about to die.”

“That is.”

The one who explained on behalf of Bartol, who had lost his words, was me.

Hwen, who lacked knowledge concerning religion and tradition, could not understand at once. After explaining one more time, only then did Hwen realize that something unimaginable had happened.

Even though she still revealed several trivial questions.

“So they must sacrifice themselves? It is useless even if someone else forces an offering? Then, why go after the children.”

“Rather, it is because they are children.”

“Try explaining.”

“There is theological significance when a heavenly existence like an angel desires human spirit and flesh. Simply put, if the star in the sky is an angel, the star on the ground is a human.”

And this setting soon led to a terrifying result.

Just like dry firewood was needed for a fire to burn properly, the easiest way for an angel to gain light was to eat other starlight. Since they were going to eat it anyway, it was rational to swallow a star that would shine brighter and last longer.

Therefore, human sacrifice often desired a spirit and flesh that were innocent with no or few sins yet, and had a future remaining in some way.

It was the moment when my efforts as a setting-nerd for the game Last Comet paid off even slightly. Because I could explicitly point out such old and obscure settings, parts that people usually glossed over.

Hwen, who entirely understood the circumstances, looked at Bartol pathetically, but could not bring herself to say anything and merely gripped her sword hilt.

“They said they needed the unsoiled, pure faith of children to recover the Angel.”

“….”

“No matter how chaotic things are, how could they do this and still call themselves human.”

This was not something to be taken simply.

Excluding us gathered here at the top right now, it meant everyone in the Bell Tower shelter had implicitly agreed. It was also the reason why Hwen stopped recklessly swinging her sword.

It was different from the other shelters whose influence had dwindled because they had to offer various things. In this period, the Bell Tower was the only faction equipped with an angel, not to mention relatively abundant resources and people.

After briefly exchanging sighs and laments, we soon arrived at one conclusion.

That we had to stop the human sacrifice no matter what.

Bartol and Hwen, who possessed a pure sense of justice, hit it off on this point. Except for me, who predicted that the indiscriminate use of divine power would bring enemies, that is.

Anyway, as our opinions narrowed down, Bartol played an active role.

“If the children are in this shelter, there is a place I can guess where they might be.”

“Old man, speak without stalling. Before I draw my sword.”

“Ahem! The majority of temples had a passage heading underground behind the altar. This chapel was the same. Instead, it was not solely used for the purpose of storing holy relics or objects… It was used as a catacomb for the poor or those without ties.”

“Would the dead not pop out? Or Corpse Demons?”

It sounded nice calling it a catacomb, but it was a place that would likely have been called a dungeon even when the world was normal. While I was worrying if we wouldn’t be kicking up bones, Bartol readily shook his head.

His explanation was as follows.

The Black Sun’s Dark Light did not reach the catacombs. Most of them were corpses that were shrouded a long time ago, and thanks to the number of interments decreasing even before this incident broke out, there were no lingering resentful spirits left.

The only concern was that it was not an environment for an alive person to stay for a long time.

Having roughly finished grasping the situation, we divided our roles amongst ourselves.

“The Priest and I will investigate below. Madam Hwen, please leave the place for now and prepare for the children’s evacuation.”

“The young friend is bright and clear-headed. Still, if this old man can do anything… Is this not a matter where even one more hand is needed?”

“Not just anyone can prepare a place for them to stay.”

“Phew, tsk. Unbelievable how he still makes me rot inside like always.”

Hwen, who recognized her assigned role, left with her group with a complicated expression.

We quietly looked down at the torches swaying and moving further away from the top of the Bell Tower. Along with it, I also tried to sound out Bartol’s mind, who was making a profound expression.

“It seems you still have feelings for her.”

“I did that because I felt sorry for only causing her to suffer emotionally. It ended at that level because we saw each other less.”

Waiting for the Black Sun to rise again was one way, but moving first to find the children was the best option. We intended to come down from the top of the Bell Tower and investigate that place called the catacomb.

That was, if we hadn’t encountered the crowd of “welcoming” illusions waiting for us in the chapel.

They originally said that when people did things they usually did not do, something had gone wrong.

The people who always knelt and prayed, the people who chattered noisily, were densely gathered in the chapel, looking this way. Armed with an unpleasant silence. Only a few people who could not adapt to the sudden change in atmosphere were stealthily slipping outside.

Drunkard Ad and his friends were also included among them.

“The atmosphere is brutal….”

“Has something happened? The Priest and that friend are not people who would commit wrongdoings.”

Everyone else was just silent.

Then, the moment the clap sound was heard, the crowd split into two paths. As if making way for us to advance however we pleased. At the end of the path opened up to the altar, a familiar face and… an unexpected sight were waiting.

“You are good, you are good. Good job. You must be quiet when praying.”

It was a child.

The children, whom I could not see no matter how many times I looked around, were gathered in groups of three or five, receiving a stroking touch.

All the children were trembling severely with pale white faces without being able to speak a word, but the adult’s voice was as endearing as could be.

“You should not be so scared to this extent. The newly arrived people will misunderstand.”

“Misunderstand?”

It was a question that burst out because it was absurd.

However, the person involved who actually had to answer calmly looked back this way with an appearance that suggested not a single thing was wrong. Toddle. He let out a sigh first upon seeing us rigidly stiffened.

“This is why one should not hide or deceive for too long, gosh. Since trying to persuade the two of you looked difficult right from the start, I postponed it, and things ended up like this.”

Toddle’s hand was holding the bladed weapon I had already guessed.

The golden wheel drawn on the stained glass, and the empty spoke part among it. The glass knife that would have fallen out from there was already coated with dried, caked-on blood.

Toddle smiled kindly while holding the blood-stained glass knife in one hand and stroking a nearby child’s hair with his empty hand.

“It seems exchanging sincerity is indeed the best way to prevent misunderstandings.”