Chapter 122: Epilogue (2) – Part 2

Epilogue (2) – Part 2

As I watched the soldiers flee, I shook my head and murmured quietly, “Idiots.” I was surprised to see such cowards from Minurd. I remembered being an Innocent One. My brothers and I used to be much braver. These young boys clearly needed much more training.

I cleaned my bloody sword and looked for my cloak. I thought I left it on the ground nearby, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find it anywhere. Did it fly away because of the strong winds? Did the soldiers trample it when they fled from me? Well, I guess I didn’t need it, so I stopped looking for it quickly. What was the point of me trying to hide my identity now? I clearly looked like a very suspicious-looking man, even with a cloak.

I walked to the dock to tell the scared Hwenian refugees that they were safe for now. I wanted to reassure them that the Minurd soldiers ran away for some reason, and I suspected that they wouldn’t approach this area for a while. However, another group of enemies might attack soon, so I wanted to tell the sailors to take as many people as possible and set sail. That would be the only way for them to survive.

However, when I stepped closer to the ship, the Hwenians, who were obviously fearful, began to talk nonsense. They seemed frightened, and I guess it made sense since I was a strange foreigner covered in blood.

They blabbered loudly, and I couldn’t understand them. I raised my hand and said slowly, “Um… It’s okay. I can speak Hwenian, so please stop screaming. Talk slowly.”

“Argh! Y-you pagan…! How is it that you are here in our capital!? What do you want from us?”

“Umm… I don’t really believe in paganism, so technically, I’m not a pagan…”

“Get lost! Y-you bastard! If you think we are going to let you on the ship, you are mistaken! Go away!”

They were wrong; I had no intention of leaving on the ship with them. These people weren’t making any sense. All I wanted to do was to say what I needed to and leave. I was used to people hating and fearing me, so I didn’t expect them to be kind. I certainly had no intention of getting into that ship.

I said calmly, “Umm… That’s not it. Just listen to me…”

“No! Get lost, you pagan!”

They seemed to think I would hurt them. Where did they get such an idea? Some of the sailors, who were on the dock, hurriedly got onto the ship. Some even fell into the water because they tripped while others fought each other to get on.

“…”

I was scratching my head when suddenly, a young boy’s clear voice rang from the ship.

“Stop! Stop everyone! I saw everything! I saw what happened!”

When I looked up, I saw a young Hwenian boy in his early teens with beautiful brown hair. He climbed to the highest area of the ship and announced, “That man over there saved us! The real pagans could have killed us, but this man beheaded their leader and saved us! He made all the other soldiers run away too! I saw it! It was amazing!”

I appreciated his words, but I felt a little embarrassed, “Sir, I…” There was no need for him to defend me, but the boy ignored me and continued, “Listen to me, people! He did so much for us, so the least we can do for him is to let him sail with us! We should be grateful to him!”

His voice sounded angry, but he was very well-spoken. He was clearly a highborn lad. He was also wearing a costly outfit, so I had no doubt that everyone could tell how important and wealthy he must be. To my surprise, the people didn’t seem receptive to him.

The sailors yelled at him, “Hey, Young Master! We don’t know which family you belong to, but you need to stop being so naïve. Look at that pagan! Look at him! He is clearly not one of us, so how could we trust him? He is a dirty foreigner! If we let him onto the ship, who knows what might happen? He might kill us all, so shut up!”

“If he was truly a pagan, and if he truly meant to hurt us, he wouldn’t have fought those enemies! It looked like he was risking his own life to save us… Argh!”

Suddenly, some of the men ran towards the boy and gagged him. They wanted to shut him up. The young master, however, wouldn’t be silenced. He fought back and continued to scream, “Let me go, you idiots! Do you have any idea who I am? How dare you!? I am the Kanes’ El Hwenia, Alter Disifon! If I wanted, I could take all of you out…!”

“El Hwenia? Hahaha!”

They laughed at him and continued, “We are in the middle of a war, so who cares about El Hwenia! Hahaha, what an idiot!”

“Why would an El Hwenia be in a place like this? You must really be an idiot! Our emperor ran away after giving a false announcement to us to keep us here. He declared that the capital was perfectly safe when it was not. He lied to us to save himself and let us die! I heard no one even knows where the emperor is! He is a coward!”

“Argh! How dare you insult his highness! I will not let you do this!”

If this was true, I felt sorry for the noble boy. The men around him continued to bully him, “Oh, poor young master… So if you are truly an El Hwenia, you must be the emperor’s distant relative, right? Then, why don’t you bring his highness here? Why don’t you make him come here so he can explain why he abandoned us!?”

“And what about all the high-ranking officers and generals? How about all the other nobles? They must be your brothers and sisters, right? Where are they now? Do you even know? Huh? Have they abandoned you too, little boy?”

“Argh… Shut up!”

“F*ck you! If you really want that pagan to get onto the ship, why don’t you offer to get off to make room for him? And if that man does get in, we will make sure to beat him up good. Got it?”

If I involved myself more, that young boy would get into even bigger trouble, so I decided it was best for me to disappear. I walked away from the crowd quietly and followed the shoreline. After a while, I heard the loud noise of the ship leaving.

Whoosh.

I turned around to see the ship sailing away. Those who didn’t get onto the vessel were crying and screaming. However, once they realized the futility of their efforts, they scattered away to find another safe place to hide. If they could, it looked like they would have jumped into the water and swam away. That’s how desperate they looked.

It was then that I heard the roaring of the soldiers coming closer again. It wasn’t over yet, I guess. Were they the same cowardly soldiers that fled from me or a new batch from the capital?

I hoped the nice young Hwenian master on the ship was safe. I hoped he didn’t and wouldn’t get hurt too badly. I knew a boy like him once before in my own homeland—an innocent and kind young man who could see the truth in this world.

I finally reached the end of the wharf and saw that the surrounding walls have been destroyed. The area was ruined, which meant that a horrible battle occurred here recently. I glanced around and saw that many pale-faced corpses were floating around in a pool of dark water. So I was right. Eriez did kill plenty of Hwenians on his way here.

My body was becoming sticky and smelly from all the blood. I wished I could wash, but I was so tired. Besides, the ocean water looked so murky and red from all the blood of the dead Hwenians.

“…”

I sighed and sat on the beach. My shoes almost touched the water, but I didn’t care. I was so dirty now that wet shoes weren’t going to make any difference. The horrible yet familiar smell surrounded me every time the wind blew, and I quietly watched the faraway horizon. Many young, precious boys lived and were ready to grow up somewhere in the world. I hoped that this world would be a much better place when they became adults. I wished it wouldn’t be so hellish for them like how my life has been to me. I hoped that in a small way, I would make it better for them.

“I guess it will happen if it is the will of the goddess.”

I murmured and leaned against the broken wall.