Chapter 99 – The Snowstorm Arrives (3)

“…Aylen is a betrayer of the ember. Before leaving the ember, he was merely a rebel, but now he has become the leader of the rebel army.”

In the heavily settled air, Yan’s voice, trembling as if in fear, filled the space.

At the shocking news, the five hundred citizens assigned to the leadership all fell into commotion at once.

“W-What do you mean by that? Aylen is a rebel, the leader of the rebel army?”

Three hundred of them were people who had ties to Yan since the previous ember. The remaining two hundred were also those with very strong trust and loyalty toward Leader Yan and the leadership.

This was the result of Yan and Nikolai intentionally configuring the personnel solely with followers of the leadership to obtain legitimacy and support for cutting out the Vale father and son.

The problem was exactly that. Even though they were ones who firmly believed whatever Yan said, they were unable to accept the fact that Aylen was a betrayer.

It meant that Yan’s plan was in danger of falling apart from the start.

“Due to the harsh persecution and contempt of the past few years, and an unfortunate past of being abandoned even by his biological father, Aylen harbored a desire for revenge against our ember. A giant desire for revenge that would swallow the ember.”

…

…

Like a candle in the wind, hundreds of pairs of eyes flickered anxiously.

As the swaying eyes stared only at him, Yan’s mouth began to move fluently once again.

As if he had anticipated this entire situation.

“Even when he returned as a magic engineer, he was alone. But look. Under the pretext of responsibility, Aylen brought hundreds of unidentified people into our ember. Can you be sure that they are truly good people and not plunderers?”

Yan’s eloquence was subtle and cunning.

This was especially true of describing the refugees who lost their ember as unidentified individuals. Until now, the citizens had looked at those five hundred with eyes of sympathy and compassion, but by changing a single phrase, he shifted that gaze to suspicion and distrust.

It was also from then on that the citizens, sensing a certain crisis, began to fall deeper into his story.

“Even now, he is with them as the director of the Hunting Squad Headquarters Shelter. I trust you know without explanation who the five hundred assigned there would be, and why Aylen, rather than Hunting Captain Archer, was able to become the director of that place.”

…

Fact, just as the personnel of the leadership shelter were entirely made up of Yan’s followers, it was also Yan’s arrangement that the hunting squad shelter personnel were configured solely with the newly joined people. It was the same for why Aylen happened to become the director of that place.

Yet how would the citizens know the inner details, and how could they verify the truth? It was absolutely impossible in an isolated situation where even communication between shelters was controlled due to the snowstorm.

“Is Aylen really, truly trying to start a rebellion?”

“There is no way… If so, why did he risk his life to save us from the mutants? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Aylen saved my husband too. Even while using his own life as bait.”

Thus, people began to doubt. If Yan’s words were correct, the sacrifices Aylen had shown until now would not make sense.

“Lord Yan…”

Nikolai, worried that the plan might fall apart, signaled Yan as he looked at the rowdy crowd. This development had not been agreed upon in advance.

“Wait, Nikolai.”

However, Yan did not say anything else besides that.

Soon, others in the crowd began to say the words he should have said on his behalf.

“Could it not be a sophisticated deception? To prevent us from even suspecting that he is plotting a rebellion.”

“Yes, that’s right. That guy Aylen had a mana gun. Why would a magic engineer need a mana gun? He could not have predicted the appearance of mutants, which even the Immortal Ember could not do.”

“Now that you mention it, how did those five hundred arrive here alive? When mutants are teeming outside.”

“…Mana guns! Those people must have mana guns too. Otherwise, there is no way that many people would have returned alive!”

They were people Yan had planted without anyone knowing. He had ordered citizens who showed fanatical loyalty, who were not part of the leadership, to foster public opinion of suspicion.

As the commotion grew uncontrollably just as Yan intended.

“Stop!”

It was then that he opened his mouth again.

“It was a fact I did not want to believe either, but there is someone who knows the truth of this matter.”

“…Who is that?”

“Mitch Benson, the hunter Mitch who participated in this expedition, is that very witness.”

Mitch Benson, standing by Yan’s side, began to lay out his story as if he had been waiting.

The people Aylen brought back are not the people of that ember, but merely unidentified people wandering in search of an ember.

They came along because their goal of taking over the ember matched Aylen’s goal of overturning it.

They are individuals whose identities, whether refugees or plunderers, cannot be known.

Since their representative Randolph and Aylen showed suspicious signs, he had also risked his life to eavesdrop on their conversation…

“Don’t you all know? The fact that a refugee and a plunderer are separated by a hair’s breadth. And to me, a hunter, they seemed to have no hesitation in shooting guns and using knives. I am afraid those guns and knives will point at our ember.”

When Mitch, who accompanied the expedition, spoke to that extent, suspicion subsided and conviction settled in.

It was that detailed and realistic of a testimony. Sincerity and lies were mixed half-and-half, making it hard to distinguish what was real and what was fake.

Of course, those testimonies were all a finely tailored script. Yan, taking over the lines, moved to wrap up the script.

“It is clear he is acting with some obvious intent and purpose. And the leadership and I are certain that intent and purpose will never be beneficial to the ember. We must deal with it immediately.”

“By dealing with it, what kind of…?”

“Before they strike us, we must strike them. We will kill and eliminate Aylen, the leader of the rebel army, and Randolph.”

…

Execution—it was a radical method that had never been performed before. There had been no one who committed a crime worthy of it in this human-centric ember, and Demian had not made an inch of concession on that part.

If there had been an execution, there was one recently. The summary execution of the hunter Alec Carter, who drove his companion to death. And of all people, the executioner was Aylen.

That also worked in an unfavorable direction for Aylen.

“Just like those refugees, Aylen is also a guy who has no hesitation in killing people. The only way we can win is to attack first.”

Now, whether Yan’s words were true or false no longer mattered. What mattered was that people began to doubt and harbor anxiety.

The effect manifested immediately.

“…I agree with Lord Yan’s opinion.”

“What? Are you in your right mind saying that? You want to kill people based on mere suspicion?”

“Mere suspicion? Mitch saw and heard it himself, so what more is there to consider? How else would you explain the circumstances fitting so perfectly?”

…

“I do not know about you, but I do not want to risk our ember and family’s lives on a faithless conviction that they might be good people. You are the same. Can you risk your children’s lives to save total strangers? Really?”

“That is…”

Yan no longer needed to persuade the citizens. Once suspicion was planted like this, they would persuade and be persuaded among themselves, so why would he bother opening his mouth?

Smiling secretly as he watched the foolish citizens move as intended, he spoke, backed by the citizens’ unanimity.

“Since everyone’s opinion matches, it seems there is no need to talk further. We will carry out the deed before the snowstorm ends. It will probably be tonight.”

Tonight meant there were less than three hours remaining.

There was a strong sense of rushing. However, since no one knew what might happen overnight, everyone seemed to take it for granted.

The citizens, already gripped by the fear of losing their families, had no regard for the fact that there would be enough time even if they brought Aylen in to verify the facts.

“Then, considering that the majority of our ember agreed to this… I will make the final decision to proceed with the execution of Aylen and Randolph in the name of the ember.”

Thus, the official sentence of the ember on Aylen was passed.

Now all that remained was the execution.

* * *

The sentence of execution on Aylen.

It was a judgment made in the leadership building, which had become a locked room of sorts since going outside was blocked by the snowstorm.

Yan and the leadership probably thought it was a perfect plan, since there was no way information would leak and dead men tell no tales.

Yet they did not know. Although they had configured the leadership shelter personnel with their own hands, it did not mean everyone was on their side.

“Brother…!”

“…Speak quietly. We might get caught because it’s a cramped place.”

It was the brothers Thomas and Willus Wayne. The two who had resolved to act as spies for Aylen out of a desire for revenge against their father were also assigned to the leadership.

The younger brother, Willus, whispered softly.

“What are we going to do? If we stay still like this, Aylen might die.”

Indeed, the situation became urgent. The leadership was already preparing to capture and kill Aylen under the name of execution.

As many as one hundred and twenty people were mobilized. It was the result of twenty leadership figures, including Yan himself, and one hundred hunters joining forces.

“But even if we report this, I don’t think anything will change… Should we try persuading the people instead? What do you think, Thomas?”

Willus spoke, rambling.

Just as he said, even if they knew, it was not something they could withstand. As far as the Wayne brothers knew, excluding the Ford siblings who were non-combatants, Aylen’s only allies were Jeremy, Natasha, and the drivers Harley and Jenkins.

Even if they were armed with mana guns, the four of them could not defeat one hundred and twenty people armed with bows. Furthermore, this side also had as many as ten mana guns, though how and where they obtained them was unknown.

“Shut up, I’m thinking, Willus.”

“S-Sorry.”

Thomas growled. He knew full well the situation was frustrating without being told, so having someone make a fuss beside him made his nerves sharp.

‘It is too late to turn public opinion, and we cannot go out to deliver the news… What should we do?’

Under the pretext of preventing casualties from the snowstorm, going outside was strictly controlled by the leadership.

Even leadership figures were no exception to this, which seemed to be Nikolai’s thoroughness to completely block any potential variables.

Under circumstances where they could neither turn the citizens’ hearts nor go out to deliver the news, Thomas finally made a decision.

“Let’s fight.”

“What?”

“Let’s fight, I said. Can’t you understand my words?”

No matter how much he thought, there was no way to prevent a physical clash. Because Yan and the leadership, who brought up execution, also seemed to have staked their lives on this matter.

So the only option left for the Wayne brothers was also to fight. If there was one thing they could choose, it would be which side they would fight on.

And they had decided where they would stand a long time ago.

“Let us participate in executing Aylen, and fight alongside him. There will be a chance of winning only if we stab Yan and the leadership in the back. You will do it too, right, Willus?”

At Thomas’s words, Willus nodded with a face colored with fear. It was something he had anticipated since talking about revenge, but since the killing was right before them, it was only natural to be scared.

“Of course. I’ve been waiting for this day.”

However, it was a resolved matter. Although there was fear, there was no hesitation.

At the moment the two brothers braced themselves, there was an uninvited guest who arrived.

“Thomas, Willus. My sons, you worked hard all this time.”

It was their father, Merel Wayne, armed with a bow.