Chapter 161 – Division (1)

“A warrior will come! A white horse with dozens of legs will cross the capital! A warrior on a white horse will come!”

Fabian heard the screams as he walked across the prison. The old woman was full of scars, but her eyes were shining brightly. She didn’t even give her a proper meal, but she was preaching her prophecies, squeezing her voice as if she was squeezing water out of her mop.

“Patience! Quiet that idiot! Whether a warrior rides a white horse or a lady, what do we know? No matter how much I stole, do you have to listen to such crazy things?”

And the thief clung to the bars and screamed. The guard shook his head and stood up, as if tired of the nervous warfare that started today. He said to the old woman.

“Be quiet. This crazy old woman. Uh? Who knows if I’m screaming here?”

“But the brave will come! Even if my prophecies remain empty echoes in the depths of this basement! Even if I become the image of a madman and rot! The hero will surely come!”

“Grandma. To be quiet Can’t you understand me?”

“The hero is coming! A hero crosses the capital on a white horse with dozens of legs!”

“Ah…”

The guard made an annoyed face and turned around again. Criminals, including thieves, clung to the bars and started swearing at the mad old woman. The guard took out a club from his desk and approached the old woman again.

“Okay! Beat it up very badly!”

“Don’t let that mad bitch open her mouth again!”

“Kill it! Fuck bitch! The moon is in the sky right now, why are you not a horny baby owl and screaming loudly! Go to the underworld and make rice cake with that fucking white horse!”

“A warrior will come! Warrior! Mr. Yooo!”

And the guard opened the iron window. At the old woman’s head, his club flew mercilessly. The frail old woman’s arm was broken in the first stroke.

“Aaaaagh!”

The old woman screamed and rolled on the floor, and the guards beat her on the head again and again, turning his eyes red. He had no reason to show his mercy. Criminals cheered as they watched his brain and blood spurt. Fabian sat at his desk, waiting for the guards to drag out the corpse.

“Good looking! Damn, is there any contagious disease? A lunatic like that comes in once a week.”

The guards dragged the corpse in his sack. A faint bloodstain was left on the stone, but it looked like a shadow, buried in the warmth of the campfire. The guard said, wiping the blood from his face.

“Sorry. I had an accident…”

Fabian said while looking at the corpse.

“Has the Prophet entered again?”

The guard shook his head, wiping the blood from his face. The mere mention of a prophecy made his face seep with fatigue.

“It is nonsense. Once a week, these crazy bastards are caught from somewhere. There is no end to grabbing and grabbing. I never imagined that there would be so many beggars in this town who are into conspiracy theories.”

Said Fabian.

“From now on, don’t bother dragging them to prison and kill them on the spot. Release all the kids At least in the capital, we have to stop these strange rumors from spreading.”

“Would it be just the capital city? You can’t control what the merchants say in private. Already, because of that rumor, there are people who say that the hero now is the real hero.”

Fabian frowned. The guard shook his hand as if he was sorry.

“Not that I am.”

“Okay. Then suffer.”

“Yes. Older brother.”

The guard nodded to Fabian and went back to work. Fabian looked at the sack dripping with his blood. The old bag, reflected in the torchlight, seemed to be dyed black in a way. Fabian shook his head and walked out of the prison.

He came out of the dungeon through a side road into the plaza. In the square, a statue of the founder stood proudly. Fabian saw the people condensed toward the castle wall with the statue in between.

“Please stop the massacre in the North. Warrior!”

“Hero! Please send troops to the north!”

“My son is dead! The mines are collapsing and my children are starving because they have nothing to eat!”

People in poor attire were pleading in mournful tones. Fabian clicked his tongue as he watched. The army sent in Alexander’s name was annihilated by the imp Drek-Cy. Neither Alexander nor Wolf had come up with any countermeasures since then.

Wolf was shocked by the executions of the Hero family in the East at the same time, and Alexander was dealing with this incident because the successors of the Hero faction he had recruited had been annihilated.

It has been a long time since Mobius went into his mage tower and disappeared. It was because it was unclear whether it would receive budget support next year, so the research had to be completed within this year.

And while they were struggling with things that had nothing to do with the lives of the people of the kingdom, a massive massacre was taking place in the north. People who lived in the mountains fell prey to the devil, and technicians such as blacksmiths and tanners became slaves of the devil.

According to the spies dispatched to the North, Drek-Psy’s army has increased its strength and is now sweeping over half of the North.

Ironically, it was thanks to Orland, from the Hero family, that the northern front was able to respond at least. Orland, who went missing after he went to the north to find a woman, ignored his order to return and stayed in the north to face the devil.

But he was only human, and the demons were too strong. Like an object being pushed away by strong water pressure, each time the demons pushed forward, Orlando’s troops retreated and retreated.

“Hero! Please! Please fight!”

“Pull out your sword and defeat that wicked demon!”

“Send in the troops!”

People with families in the North were at a loss for what to do with the tragic news from the North. There were also people who scratched the walls with their hands or clung to soldiers and howled toward the castle. Sometimes, some people were arrested for throwing stones, and others passed out in anger and sadness.

But that’s someone else’s business after all.

It seemed like it was just someone else’s business for the hero and Alexander. Because they were stuck in the mansion and didn’t want to come out. Fabian, who had been staring at the demonstrators, sighed deeply and moved his steps toward Alexander’s house.

*****

Alexander’s office always smelled delicious. A set meal of whole fried chicken and wild boar grilled in oil. From tropical fruits with excellent bitter taste to rare crops that only grow in certain regions.

Fabian thought Alexander’s dining table was like a museum. If someone asks about the food culture of this kingdom, it would be better to have them sit across from this table than to give a cumbersome explanation.

Alexander was diligently sorting through the papers while nibbling on the chicken. Fabian leaned against the door of his office and called his name.

“Alexander.”

“Uh, what’s going on, Fabian? Sorry i’m busy If it’s for a request or something else, it’d be better to just go to Wolf. Wolf seems to be in a bad mood right now, so be careful.”

As Alexander said, he was diligently writing letters and stamping documents. At first glance, the letters are ‘I’m sorry.’ ‘If it wasn’t my intention, this time…’ It contained the same content. Said Fabian.

“The North is going crazy right now. We need to send troops as soon as possible. The longer we stay here, the more people will die.”

Alexander spoke without even looking at Fabian.

“Fabian. Now that’s not the problem. The last time I took the heirs with me, they all died. But what would it be like if I personally led the military out? Anyone can see that I’m trying to trick other aristocratic families, doesn’t it? So, we have to give rewards to the nobles who will participate again, and after promising to give them a strong push, we have to gather troops again. Uh? I can’t help it.”

“In the meantime, people are dying. If the North sees irreversible damage, why do we exist?”

Alexander stopped his pen. He set the meat down on the table and spoke to Fabian. It was like talking to a child.

“Fabian. Not that many people live in the North. Restoring mines is quick, and more than that…”

Alexander paused as he continued. Fabian’s face was distorted. Alexander covered his face and stretched out his hand.

“Sorry. Fabian. I didn’t mean to say that. Uh? Just… I was a bit busy right now you know If I’m out of my mind, I can’t remember anything properly.”

Fabian did not accept Alexander’s apology. He turned around and gritted his teeth. His face was full of disappointment.

Fabian.

His hometown was the North.