Chapter 233 – Ruin (3)

The girl stared blankly at the man before her eyes.

A man clad in blue lightning.

Before him, Baarma’s followers were already gathering.

At first, dozens.

Next, hundreds from far away.

-■■■■■■■■■!!

After the horn, which sounded like a human scream, rang out.

An uncountable number of followers were gathering at this ‘altar’.

As if, just like when they attacked her village…

“Ru… run… you have to run…”

She instinctively felt terror and forcibly dragged out a voice that would not come out.

Similarly, the eyes of the playthings who were running away until just a moment ago were also dyed with despair.

Because the fact that they gathered like that was the same as meaning that no one would leave this place alive today.

Therefore.

She let out a pitiful lament while watching the followers reach the front of the man in no time.

Basically, number is a very important factor in war.

No matter how strong an individual is, they ultimately cannot win against the many.

Just as her village did.

Just as her parents did.

……Just as her race did.

Just as one hand cannot block ten hands no matter how much extraordinary strength one has.

Before the violence of overwhelming numbers, the strong ultimately became nothing more than a mere individual.

The girl looked beyond the man with an expression full of terror.

Already beyond him, numerous followers were running to kill the man enough to fill this wide path.

The sound of footsteps like a roar made by overwhelming numbers threw her into a panic.

The screams they let out reminded the girl of memories like trauma over and over again.

And at that moment when the soldiers reached the front of the man and were about to brandish their spears.

She saw.

The appearance of the man who was clad in lightning shining brightly for an instant.

And.

Sizzzzzzzz-!!!

The lightning, held in the man’s hand.

The lightning, which scattered its stalks in all directions greedily as if it were going to swallow this entire world.

It scorched the followers who were rushing to deal with the man in an instant.

Soon the man threw the lightning.

Very concisely and briefly,

But,

Snap!

As if pronouncing a sentence.

And, the landscape she could see after a pure white light burst out enough to blind the girl’s eyes was…

“……Ah?”

It was a clean landscape.

Followers were no longer visible in her sight.

The blood-stained weapons they carried were not visible either.

The cruel decorations they made while saying they were offering faith were not visible either.

Just, there the man was standing.

With a calm expression as if it were nothing.

The man who took away her terror and fear.

“……”

The white-haired girl stared blankly at the back of such a man.

As if she were going to imprint it into her memory.

Blankly.

####

Crunchhhhh-!!!

In the ash-colored world, the golden coffin that did not lose its brilliant golden light bent here and there.

Immediately after killing the men who were flocking at the end.

“……It’s over with this, it seems there are no more enemies.”

“Is that so.”

The report from Penia, who had searched the surroundings by flowing mana until just a moment ago.

Alon let out a deep sigh and looked around.

In the surroundings where his gaze reached.

Those who were being killed like toys just a moment ago by those carrying weapons were all looking at Alon with expressions mixed with strange hope and fear.

‘……Was it the right choice.’

While watching that sight, Alon threw a question to himself in spite of himself.

Simply thinking of only Alon’s position.

He knew that the choice he made this time was difficult to see as the right choice.

He did not even know who those he killed just now were.

And along with that, he did not know why they were hunting the non-human races as if they were playthings so cruelly.

In other words, Alon had saved them without any special information.

That did not mean Alon saved the non-human races who were being hunted just thoughtlessly.

To begin with, the reason Alon came down here and saved them.

Was because he had confirmed in advance that there was no strong existence here with the help of the ‘eye’ that Rine possessed before coming down.

Of course, no matter how much he confirmed, in the end, in a situation where he did not know where this place was, picking a fight with an opponent whose power level he did not know was not a good choice.

However, despite that, Alon did not regret his own actions.

Even if it was not a good choice, he thought it was a right choice.

“Excuse me…”

Around the time he was having such thoughts.

A faint voice was heard from behind.

When Alon turned around, there was a wolf beastman with a long laceration on his right eye.

The moment Alon turned his body, he knelt down on the floor with a thud.

“Thank you for saving us!”

He slammed his head onto the floor with a thud.

In the moment Alon was flustered.

“Thank you, truly.”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you.”

“Thank…”

Soon, following the wolf beastman, other non-human races began to kneel one by one and give thanks.

Non-human races, regardless of age or gender, who all bowed their heads to the ground.

Seeing that appearance, Alon spoke.

“Rine, can you unlock the restraints?”

“I think I can unlock them immediately since the analysis finished just a moment ago anyway, Godfather.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes.”

Rine immediately moved her hand lightly while muttering something.

Then the restraints that were fastened to the hands of the non-human races began to be unlocked with a clanking sound.

“The… the restraints!”

“They’re unlocked!”

The restraints that were unlocked in an instant.

Looking down at their two free hands, they were overcome with emotion.

Alon judged that leaving this terrible place was the priority.

“Let’s leave this place for now.”

####

“If you are looking for a place near here that won’t be discovered by those Baarma fanatics, please leave it to me.”

The one who stepped forward first was.

The wolf beastman who first bowed his head to Alon and gave thanks.

As soon as the restraints were unlocked, he took the lead and moved east as if he were familiar with it.

After walking for almost a full day, they reached a cave.

“If it’s here, we won’t be discovered by the fanatics. Because divine protection remains in this nearby area, the fanatics cannot enter.”

The wolf beastman who brought the non-human races and Alon into the cave.

Only at that time did Alon hear his introduction.

“My introduction to my savior was late. I am called Langban, a warrior of the Blue Mist Corps.”

“I am Alon Palladio.”

Langban, who bowed his head deeply.

Soon he cautiously opened his mouth.

“By any chance, may I ask one thing?”

“What is it?”

“Are you those who came from the Human Alliance to help us?”

“Human Alliance?”

“……As expected, you are not.”

Langban, letting out a deep sigh as if he expected it to be so at Alon’s reaction.

When a faint repulsion appeared on his face, Alon asked.

“If possible, can you give me an explanation of the situation?”

“An explanation, you say?”

“Yes. Regrettably, I do not properly know the current situation.”

“……What does that mean?”

Langban tilted his head as if he could not understand at all.

Alon worried for a moment if it would be right to reveal the truth, but soon disclosed it.

“We came to this side from the Allied Kingdoms due to an accidental mishap.”

“……Allied Kingdoms.”

At Langban’s words, who spoke as if he were hearing very unfamiliar words, Alon replied.

“Yes, by any chance, do you not know?”

“A place called Allied Kingdoms… I am sorry, but it is the first time I have heard of it.”

“It is a place that shares a border with the Empire.”

“……I am sorry, but I do not know where you are talking about.”

At Langban’s words, Alon felt something strange.

‘……Is this place not on the Empire’s side?’

Alon clearly thought it would be so.

Because he knew that Calipsophobia, which was set in the Empire, had many very gore and cruel stories.

But for Langban to not know about the Empire.

Something was strange.

‘I did hear that there are primitive tribes formed in places away from the Empire in Calipsophobia, or places composed entirely of islands.’

‘Even considering that, can he not know the Empire?’ He thought so for a moment.

“Anyway, first, since it seems you do not know the current situation well, I will explain.”

Langban began to tell the story one by one.

The explanation continued for quite a long time.

“To summarize in one word, the humans who believe in a god called Baarma are declaring war on the non-human races and ruthlessly massacring them to gather faith?”

“Yes, that is correct. So we formed an alliance to oppose such a Baarma but… currently, we are being pushed back helplessly.”

Langban furrowed his brows as if a very bad memory had come to mind.

‘Baarma, a fanatic group that obtains faith by randomly killing non-human races…’

Alon chewed on the name Baarma, but nothing specifically came to mind.

‘Was there a fanatic group called Baarma in Calipsophobia?’

Alon soon shook his head.

He had not played the game.

But he had seen many spoilers or various posts about Calipsophobia.

Therefore, if Baarma were famous.

Clearly a line or two would have remained in Alon’s head.

He would have thought of at least a similar name, but nothing came to mind at all.

Moreover, the reason Alon felt even more strangeness was.

Precisely because the scale of the war between the Baarma fanatic group and the alliance was much larger than expected.

‘If it’s at this scale at this point, it would be normal for me to remember one or two things related to it…’

While he was worrying, Langban moved his body.

“First, will you wait for a moment? Just in case, I will return after completely hiding the hideout. Because we entered in a hurry, I did not properly set up the external defense.”

“Did you not say they cannot enter because there is protection?”

“The more preparation you have, the better. I will go and come back as quickly as possible.”

He bowed his head and then soon moved his steps somewhere.

‘Come to think of it, would Rine know?’

Soon Alon’s thoughts reached Rine’s library.

When he looked toward Rine, she was wearing a serious expression as if she had thought of something.

At the moment Alon was about to call Rine.

“Ex… excuse me…”

The white-haired girl had approached him in no time.

Purple eyes that shone even in the dark as if reflecting the moonlight.

The girl hesitated while rubbing the front of her dirty dress.

“Tha… thank you, for saving me.”

Soon she bowed her head deeply.

the girl’s slightly trembling voice rang in the space.

The girl, who was constantly fiddling with the front of her stained dress as if to suppress her anxiety.

Alon, who was looking down at that white crown of her head,

“……”

Discovered a wound that ultimately remained even though it was treated by Penia’s mana.

“Is your body okay?”

“Ah, a-at! Yes, I’m okay-”

The girl, who straightened her shoulders exaggeratedly as if to show she was healthy.

It was a gesture that felt pitiful yet also praiseworthy.

“What is your name?”

“I’m, I’m called Liang’a.”

When asked for her name, the girl’s shoulders slumped slightly again.

“Liang’a… Liang’a…”

Alon rolled that name around in his mouth several times.

It was a good name.

Then…

“Liang, a?”

“Yes… that, by any chance… is something, strange?”

Somehow, a strange sense of déjà vu passed through his head.

Alon.

Knew that name.

Yes.

He clearly knew it.

Alon, who was rummaging through his head, soon…

“……Ah.”

Recalled whose name that was.

His two eyes widened without resistance.

Silence filled the space.

Alon, who calmed his head, cautiously opened his mouth.

“Liang’a, can I ask you one thing?”

“U-uh? It’s okay.”

“……By any chance, what is your race?”

“Ra, ce?”

“Yes.”

Alon’s question.

To that, Liang’a’s eyes drooped slightly as if a bad thought had occurred.

“I’m of the demon race…”

She murmured quietly.

At that answer.

Alon let out a low sound and looked at her forehead.

On her forehead, a very small but unmistakable horn was growing.

“I know that the demon race uses a spirit name that does not overlap with anyone among the same race. Is that right?”

When Alon asked just in case,

“Uh… that’s right… but how does a human know that…?”

Liang’a answered with a somewhat surprised expression.

Alon burst into a hollow laugh in spite of himself.

Because he realized who the existence before his eyes was.

He knew the name ‘Liang’a’.

And.

As far as Alon knew, there was only one person of the demon race with white hair and purple eyes who possessed that name.

“Ha.”

Because it was the name of the White Ghost.

One of the Four Great Powers, and also the owner of the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts…

“Godfather, somehow here is probably-”

“Is it the past?”

“Yes. Approximately 700 years ago…”

Alon realized only then.

This place was the past, 700 years ago.