Chapter 55 – You Know, They Don’t (3)

“Who are they?”

A bleak voice resounded like a prelude to misfortune. While the tension was flowing like waves, the person holding the telescope opened his mouth.

“I’m not carrying a weapon.”

“I can see that here too. Does it look like it’s willing to turn against us?”

“I can’t judge. But there are a lot of women mixed in.”

“It’s hard to know the purpose. There must be people who want to seize the ship.”

“Everyone should know that they can’t live there. If they know the destination of this ship, it might be the families who came to welcome the students from the island.”

“There’s no way to confirm…Isn’t there. But even if so, not all of them are parents or siblings of the students.”

Various possibilities stumbled here and there, unable to find their way. Therefore, it was not possible to draw any hasty conclusions.

“Shall we turn the boat now?”

“It’s too late. Besides, what if they’re parents? Is it right to ignore them like this?”

“But when they’re mobs with hidden weapons, the problem gets worse. I don’t want blood on my hands anymore.”

“Stop. The butler will make the decision anyway. He’ll make a wise choice.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The strengths and weaknesses of an organization controlled by one person were revealed in an instant. If that one person is wise, he can always lead to the best path, but he can’t always choose the right answer. If now was the moment to choose the wrong answer, everyone’s fate could be staggered.

It was me who had made all the decisions from the island, but I had no way of influencing it now. As faithful servants of the Anbert family, they will only walk the path of being loyal to the family.

In the end, everyone waited for only one person to appear again. He climbed onto the deck with slow steps as always. He felt that the intermittent vomiting cough was worse than before.

The butler, who appeared like that, looked at the shore with sad eyes and said.

“…Was it like this after all?”

“It seems that the sailors spread rumors arbitrarily. We should have kept our silence at that time as well.”

“At that time, no one thought it necessary to hide the lady’s homecoming her. Instead of arguing right or wrong, we should focus on understanding the situation. So, who are they? Are they friends or enemies?”

“It could be either, or it could be neither. At least there are no confirmed weapons. With that amount of people, the numbers themselves would be weapons.”

“That would be the problem.”

“What should I do?”

“You know it’s already too late to turn the boat around now.”

He sighed instead of answering. He was exhausted now that he had to make countless difficult decisions during that time. A weak voice leaked out from deepening wrinkles.

“I believe they pose no threat. They’re just here to care for wounded students. I’m sorry, but join that belief.”

Every homecoming is accompanied by welcome guests. Whether it’s an emperor, a soldier, or someone’s son. At least, when even an animal returns from a long journey, someone runs and wags its tail and takes it in its arms.

And it was the same for us who wrote embarrassing survival diaries. The cheers of the guests grew louder as the ship approached land. By the time we faced each other like that, it became someone’s voice instead of a meaningless shout.

However, it became more difficult to realize the identity of the voice. They were not a crowd with a single purpose, but a collection of tragedies, each with its own story.

“Hey…Here he comes! He’s coming!”

“Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Hey!”

“Siege! Can you hear me? Siege!”

“Please give me a ride! Even a child!”

“Doctor! There’s a doctor there too! Get off now!”

“…Oh My God.”

Someone let out a sigh at the appearance of a miniature version of the wounded continent. There were those who wished for salvation, those who wished for a child born alive, and those who wished for a miracle that could not be found on land. They weren’t mobs, parents, or villains.

To put a name to it, they were just survivors.

It was a name that could not be defined as good or bad, but at this moment, it served as an obstacle for us. It was already such an atmosphere, but I doubted whether I would be able to step on the land.

And we weren’t the only ones thinking that way. The students who decided to get off were all nervous and holding each other’s hands.

“I don’t know if I can drop off the students, Mr. Butler.”

“Do you think it will calm down over time?”

“That’s going to take a very long wait. I’m not even sure about that.”

“Then it doesn’t make any sense. I’d rather make a quick decision.”

“Are you going to continue like this?”

“No matter how near destruction they are, they are still good citizens. I believe that goodwill will still remain in their hearts.”

“That…”

“You lead the students and prepare to disembark. Save your weapons as a last resort.”

“…All right.”

Although a little doubt lingered, he eventually nodded his head. Then he came towards us and beckoned to one side.

“This way, students. Please follow me.”

“…”

“Don’t be afraid. In case of emergency, we will protect you as much as possible.”

However, it is the law to protect one’s own safety, so I stretched his hand toward the handle of the sword. Then, the sound of metal clashing and the clanking of a blind sword echoed in succession from the side. Saya also clung close to my back.

And Erica sneaked up to me as well. When I winked at her, she flinched and gave her excuse.

“That… I kept pushing from the other side. I’m sorry.”

“…”

“You can stay with me until we get out of here, right?”

“You…”

“Hello everyone. I’m Shalomet, the butler of the Anbert family. The reason I’m standing in front of you right now is…”

The moment he was about to answer, the butler’s voice, amplified by magic, resounded loudly. He was trying to calm the crowd somehow by insisting on humanity and goodwill. He was certainly eloquent, and the content had a touchy feel to it, but I doubted how effective it would be.

Now all I could do was pray. Instead of listening to his speech, I whispered to Erica.

“Erika.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t do anything weird.”

“Ah…Yes. I see.”

It was a cool answer. Fortunately, thanks to Saya, she didn’t think about approaching me anymore. The more Erica tried to cling to her, the more Saya pressed her body her against me and pushed her away her.

Still, her sense of being protected was awkward for her. To me, Saya was still a lonely girl who was bullied by Roselia. She didn’t know it would get out of my head as if she clung to it like an obsession.

But Saya whispered to me in a low voice as if none of that meant anything.

“Rope.”

“Yes?”

“I will protect you.”

“…”

I wanted to refute. So, not knowing what to say, I opened my mouth first.

“Buy it…”

“Come on. Let’s go, everyone. Follow me.”

At that time, footsteps echoed here and there, and the people of Alberta surrounded us. It seems that the time for the brief conversation has already ended. I shut my mouth and gripped the handle of the sword tightly.

So the ship touched the shoreline and finally the stairs towards the land began to be laid. It was a moment that everyone on board had been waiting for a long time, but they couldn’t just be happy. Even so, the moment I stretched my feet out over the land gave me a slight sense of accomplishment.

Step by step. The more I left the deck I had become accustomed to, the more my heart swayed along with the creaking wooden stairs. The shadow of the academy, which had clung to me for months, was now sinking into the sea, and a new light was coming towards me.

I couldn’t close my eyes even though I was blinded by the light. After a long time of endurance, I finally arrived on land and was silent as I watched countless eyes pouring in my direction.

“…”

Was the butler’s speech effective? The noise on the shore had subsided somewhat. As he said, it seems that the concept of order still remained in people’s minds.

But it was clear to anyone that it was silence for a while. Amidst the pouring gaze, the menacing eyes poking their heads somehow hinted at an approaching storm. So I cast my gaze here and there with a little impatient heart.

Gazes that cannot be defined as words. Strangers who exchange whispers instead of weapons with people carrying bundles full of their arms. All of them have become a crowd, devoid of any character, just flocking together. Since they did not share anything in common, the confusion that would arise seemed even greater.

No, actually, we had one thing in common. All of them had deep burn marks. It was a kind of tag for those living in the world of destruction.

It was a scorched identification card that might stick to our faces now.

As I made my way through all of them, I slowly saw the end of this long procession. The dark red land stretched beyond the people. The ground of the longed-for continent came into view belatedly and scattered the energy of hope.

But then, suddenly, a weak voice came from the crowd. In the end, it was always at the last moment that the plan was twisted.

“Dana? Are you there? Dana…?”

It was the voice of a helpless old mother, so everyone turned their eyes to it, but I slightly gnashed my teeth. It’s not long now While everyone was off guard, her voice pierced the air.

“Dana. Mom. Are you there? Please move out of the way. My daughter…”

“Mom…? Is it Mom? Mom…”

“Wait student. If you move now…”

“I know. But…But…”

Fortunately, she kept her senses her to the end and only turned her gaze to and fro. But even that tiny gap was fatal at this moment. In an instant, voices began to rain from all over the place.

“Dana? The voice just now…Dana!”

“Wait a minute! My son? Honey, wait a minute…!”

“Damn, don’t push! I can’t see you’re all waiting!”

“Please! I see my daughter over there! Baby! It’s Daddy! Daddy’s here!”

“Damn it…Don’t come closer! Students stay in line too!”

It collapses. In the surging waves, human order collapses helplessly. In an instant, the silence was broken and the ranks were broken. It was our instinct that could not be stopped no matter how hard the people of the duchy struggled.

Eventually, the faint sense of solidarity among the crowd was shattered and everyone started to move towards each other’s ends. Someone really ran to find the child, someone went forward to get on the boat, and someone put their hands in the pockets of others taking advantage of the confusion. In it, our order also collapsed and there were breakaways.

“Students! Follow me! Me…!”

“Aagh! No way! Go away!”

“Dad! I’m here! Dad!”

“Uh…That everyone! We have to keep order. Order…!”

Meanwhile, Erica howled in her pitiful voice her to do her last duty her. She had high intentions, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t strong enough for it. Eventually, her body too was sucked into the crowd.

“Aagh!”

“Damn it, Erica!”

I grabbed Erica’s shoulders and pulled hard, trying to somehow keep her in line. But everything was already falling apart quickly. As if there was no point in bringing the sword, an irresistible wave swept over me. If I continued like this, I felt like I would throw myself into the sea again rather than escape.

It was then that someone’s hand grabbed my wrist of hers.

“…!”

When I instinctively raised my head at the unfamiliar sensation, the face of a man I had never seen before came into my field of vision. He put his familiar name on his lips before I could say anything.

“Erika?”

“You are…”

“Follow me at once.”

He nodded her head without even listening to my answer. In an instant, several people surrounded us. Then, using the power of the group, they somehow started climbing the crowd.

In an unknown situation, I first looked at the existence of the party. Saya who has been by my side from the beginning. Rebecca, who was covering the two of us without knowing it. In the meantime, I found a little relief after putting my face in Erica’s chest and getting through the struggling day. Even at that moment, they surrounded us and proceeded steadily.

After advancing for a long time, they finally passed through the crowd and stopped at a lonely place. Only then did I find time to observe and examine their faces one by one.

Of course, there was no income. Consisting of four people, they had nothing in common, including gender. It was as if a small portion of the immature crowd from earlier had been taken and gathered here. In the end, the only way to solve the question was to ask the question.

“Who are you?”

“Are you Erica?”

“Yes?”

But they ignored my questions and turned their attention straight to Erica. And then he poured out her questions at her instead of her.

“Yes. You are Erica. Academy Student President.”

“Uh…Yes. That’s right. How did you get my name…”

“How can you not know the student council president’s name? Yes. How many of them have escaped? How far have they escaped from the island?”

“That’s… About forty people… I’m fine too…”

“There aren’t many boys. Four or five at most. Have you ever seen one with a big mole on the chin?”

“Yeah? I’ve never seen a kid like that…”

“It’s the Anbert family ship, so why can’t I see Roselia? What happened to her?”

“Rogeria is seriously injured…”

“Erika. Stop.”

At that point, I shut her mouth. And scattered vigilant eyes toward them.

“First, explain who you are. I’m sorry, but it’s hard to trust anyone.”

“Can’t you see? They’re people with families in the academy. But no matter how much I look, I can’t find my kids, so I’m just asking the student president who might know.”

“Who are they? Tell me their names.”

“So who are you? We were asking Erica. You have no business.”

“Then I have no reason to reveal my name. Unless you tell me.”

“…”

At the cold response, they shut their mouths. In addition, when my party showed caution, I was a little taken aback and even stepped back. Then, after exchanging glances for a very short time, a woman who seemed to have a good impression approached me.

“It seems like you don’t trust us. Seeing how vigilant you are.”

“…”

“I don’t know who you are, but I’m Miya’s aunt. Yes, from the look on her face her, it seems like she does n’t know. She’s timid and does n’t seem to know many people.”

“Miyara. Do you know Erika?”

“That… I think I’ve heard of it. He must have been a first year student. But he didn’t come here…”

“That’s how it happened. I expected it to some extent, but…”

She only looked at her ground her with genuinely sad eyes. I didn’t know if that was true, but I asked the question cautiously.

“Are the rest of your family members too?”

“This is my husband. He’s Miya’s uncle. And he’s Camilla’s mother… He’s Aaron’s father. And the guy over there in the wagon…”

“Do you have a carriage?”

“Yeah. Once I found the kids, I tried to take them and feed them. I was lucky. Aaron’s father here was a man who operated a large wagon. It was fortunate that my husband also knew how to handle a horse.”

“It’s a pretty big carriage.”

“Yes. And anyway, there are Lena’s family members in the carriage. Do you know her? I heard that she is quite famous.”

“…”

…

“Wait. Do you know?’

“…”

“What happened to her? Erica. What happened to Lena?”

“I…That kid…”

“Wait a minute. I’ll bring him over. Wait.”

She hurriedly ran behind her. Only then did she catch her eye on a large carriage hidden among the trees. When the door opened, a woman slowly walked down.

Unbeknownst to me, her chest tightened slightly. She wondered if her red hair her, like hers, might catch her eye her. But what was feared did not happen. However, there were no other commonalities to be noticed.

The woman had bandages wrapped around her face her. Through the slightly gaping gap in the bandage, the crumpled burn marks were visible.

“Her face her was badly burned by the dragon. You can’t even see her eyes her very well.”

“This person…”

“Yeah. She’s She’s a member of Lena’s family. I think she said, ‘Sister…’. Does she know her? Can you tell me?”

“…Not here.”

“Then tell me what’s going on. It seems like you’re really looking for it. Is she still alive?”

Sister

I didn’t answer and met the woman and her eyes her. Sharp eyes were pouring out from between the tightly wrapped bandages. It was the look in the eyes of a girl I once knew.

“… So where were you going to ride in her carriage?”

Eventually I brought up a different story. Then the woman who said she was Miya’s aunt replied with a little embarrassment.

“That’s… I was going to leave here first. I thought it wouldn’t be good to stay for a long time.”

“If you still plan to do so, can I go with you? The garden looks good enough.”

“That…”

She looked around her party for a moment. Fortunately for her, no one shook her head mercilessly.

“Okay. Let’s leave here for now. Anyway, there are many things I want to hear. My house is a little away from here, so why don’t we talk there?”

“Thank you.”

“Okay. Then…Come along too. Let’s go together for now.”

This time it was our turn to exchange glances. But it seemed that the conclusion had already been decided. No matter how this goes, it was an opportunity for us to have a wagon in good shape anyway.

So we moved towards the carriage. In a way, it was like stepping into someone else’s vehicle again. Having to leave your body in someone else’s belly has always brought anxiety.

Meanwhile, the bandaged woman continued to stare at me. I could feel the will to pierce my heart somehow from the stare that was conveyed.

I made eye contact with her without avoiding her gaze at her. And she looked right in front of her again at the same time as her. I couldn’t dig through the bandages and dig into her face her inside her, but I could affirm one thing.

Clearly, it was the eyes I had seen somewhere.

The carriage departed from the port and ran until the moon rose. The men who pulled the wagon said that they would reach the village in ten more minutes. Fortunately, the direction coincided with our destination. In a way, it could be said that it was quite similar to Rebecca’s path.

Lucky for you. With that thought in mind, I leaned against the window. I couldn’t fully capture the endless flow of scenery with my eyes. Rebecca looked out of her window as I did, and she dozed off in her arms. And Saya, as always, rested her head on my shoulder.

It was quite a relief compared to the bleak scenery from earlier. But I couldn’t let go of my mind at all and was staring out the window.

Gradually, the town Miya’s aunt had spoken of began to come into view. Now the speed of the wagon has slowed down so I could check the situation outside, but I didn’t. I was just lost in thought.

If someone asks me what I am thinking so deeply, I think I can answer like this.

…

Lena has no sisters.

I don’t know if it’s another family, but at least I don’t have an older sister.

That one fact gave birth to another insomnia. The bandaged woman was still looking at me. I guess I won’t be able to sleep tonight either.