CHAPTER 67: SMUGGLERS (2)

Fidri’s performance had lightened the mood, weighed down as it was by the heavy tale, though it hadn’t made them forget the real problem.

A candidate who had discreetly overheard bits of their conversation decided to speak up.

" If they’re not Awakened, then we had no reason to join forces with a country like this. What we needed was their strength, not weaklings we’d have to protect. "

" And you? " Elizir asked, pointing a finger at him.

" Who invited you to this meeting? "

The candidate raised his voice so the others would hear him complain.

" It’s our lives on the line, not yours! You could just run away at worst, you’d fail a mission. But we get to decide what to do with our lives, not people who don’t give a damn! We’re more than just numbers you can sacrifice. Isn’t that right, guys? "

" Yeah! "

" We’re more than that! "

" Our choice, not theirs! "

A group he had already convinced beforehand started to chant in agreement, drawing the attention of others. Exhausted from the long march, many joined the protest without fully understanding why.

( "Heh, now you won’t be able to stop me. The head of this mission and the glory it brings are mine by right." )

The candidate rejoiced inwardly, having waited for the perfect moment to seize power.

" You bunch of snakes! " Elizir roared, forgetting he too had harbored similar ambitions to take Iris’s place as leader.

" Look at that the prince of the Empire wants to scare us into silence! Using his title to shut us up. "

" Yeah, he’s intimidating us! "

" We’re not citizens of the Empire! "

" He’s just a worthless prince with no right to the throne! "

( "I’m not a prince anymore..." )

Elizir wanted to reply, but the words caught in his throat. All he could do was clench his fists.

It was Lucy who had finally had enough.

She stood up and knocked out the ringleader of the rebellion with a single punch, then looked around at the others.

" Anyone else got something to say? Unless I’m wrong, might makes right. Isn’t that so? "

Most of the protesters were non-Awakened, drained from the trial and desperate to survive. Seeing their leader floored by one blow, they immediately fell silent.

" Don’t hesitate... If any of you have a complaint. "

Lucy reminded them before calmly sitting back down.

" Did you really have to use force? " Elizir asked.

To which Lucy replied,

" What’s the point of crafting long speeches when there’s a far simpler method? "

Elizir said nothing, disarmed by her blunt but effective reasoning.

( "Wasn’t she supposed to be a non-combatant?" ) he thought.

" Still, that guy wasn’t wrong. We came here to recruit strength, not to protect the weak.

We can take care of the poachers, sure, but that won’t change the fact that this country has no force to support us against the duchy. " Elizir said.

" Gracia, didn’t you notice anything else about the locals? " Lucy asked.

Gracia remained silent, then her expression grew serious.

" There’s something strange about this city... it’s the people themselves. "

" What do you mean? "

Gracia opened her mouth to reply, but a distant noise caught her attention. She abruptly stood up and shouted:

" Put out the campfires ! Everyone, stay quiet! "

...

A few hundred meters from their camp, a convoy of pickup trucks was heading straight toward the city.

The convoy passed near their camp, but thanks to Gracia’s warning, they remained undetected.

Once the vehicles had gone, the silence was broken.

" Where did those trucks come from? Didn’t you say the locals were living in a medieval era? " Elizir asked.

Gracia nodded, and it was Fidri who answered:

" It can only be them. "

He paused.

" The smugglers. "

...

Later, the vehicles arrived at the city gate. Their headlights on, they honked loudly, waking the already sleeping townsfolk.

Five minutes later, the gates opened to let them in.

More than twenty armed men stepped down from the vehicles.

" Out, now! " one of them shouted as he removed his mask, the others quickly following suit.

One smuggler, armed with a rifle, fired a shot into the air, frightening the people who hurried out.

Their skin was stained with coal, their clothes were in tatters, their hair and faces covered in dust: men and women alike showed clear signs of abuse and malnutrition.

Weapons were aimed at them, and instinctively, they dropped to their knees, foreheads pressed to the ground.

The women with infants strapped them to their backs with scraps of cloth.

Once the townspeople were lined up, a man who appeared to be the smugglers’ leader gave the order:

" Count them. "

They were all tallied. A few minutes later, someone reported to the leader.

" 2042, boss. "

" How many were there on our last visit? "

" 2153. "

" I see... " the leader said, grabbing an elderly man with a trembling hand.

" Some are missing. Where did they go? "

The old man coughed before answering:

" They’re dead. We buried them behind our houses. "

" Are you sure? If I later find out some of you escaped... " the leader warned, staring into the old man’s eyes before tossing him aside.

" We’re staying the night here. Prepare some entertainment. "

Immediately, about twenty young girls stood among the townspeople.

The leader glanced at them, nodded, and they were led away.

" Unload the cargo, " he ordered.

His men got to work, unloading several crates from the trucks and setting them down in front of the dazed crowd.

" Don’t worry. This will last you a while. As long as you serve us, you won’t die in vain. "

The leader called one of his men and told him to search the houses.

The old man flinched, and the leader noticed.

He pointed his weapon at him.

" What’s got you so scared? Didn’t you say no one escaped? "

The old man trembled, unable to speak.

Moments later, screams rang out. A group of children was dragged out by force.

" Is this what you were hiding from me? "

Upon seeing them, the old man fell to his knees:

" They’re the children of our fallen brothers. Have mercy on them, I beg you! "

" Mercy? " the leader scoffed.

" I’ve shown you mercy already. Is this how you thank me? "

The old man gritted his teeth, then suddenly lunged at a smuggler with an old concealed blade.

The man stepped back, thinking he’d dodged it. But the blade extended to a full meter, slashing the leader’s cheek.

The leader wiped the blood off with the back of his hand, smirked, and then kicked the old man to the ground.

He followed up with a brutal flurry of blows until the elder was left on the brink of death.

Despite the scene, none of the others looked away from the crates.

" You’ve Awakened. That’s why you had the guts to lie to me. "

The leader stood back up, leaving the man to die slowly.

" Since you tried to deceive me, I’ll make an example of this town. "

( "If only... I hadn’t hesitated..." ) the old man thought.

" All girls and children, separate them.

This town has betrayed our generosity. It will burn.

Load up the cargo and destroy everything else. Anyone who resists, kill them on the spot. "

In his agony, the old man couldn’t hear this sentence but he knew the risk they had taken.

In the end, he could only think.

He and his comrades had attempted to Awaken. He was the only one who survived, becoming an Initiate.

But even with his power, he couldn’t save his town, nor its people, nor the children of those he had called brothers.

All he felt now was regret.

" If only... if only... " he whispered through clenched teeth.

A smuggler heard him, raised his weapon, and kept his distance.

" Any last words, old man? "

But the old man didn’t answer. He kept mumbling.

" If only... I hadn’t betrayed our traditions... we wouldn’t be here now. "

He saw his death approaching. In a final outburst, he cried:

" One day, our king will return and save his people!

You, people of the continent, fear the might of the Kingdom of Eterniti!

For when the king and his golden knights ride forth, your judgment will come! "

No one paid attention to the dying man’s words.

" Good night, old man, " said the smuggler, pulling the trigger.

The bullet flew but before reaching his head, it vanished... as if swallowed by a portal.

Then it reappeared behind the shooter, killing him instantly.

The smugglers and the old man watched the body fall, stunned.

" Anyone who treats humans like beasts will die by my hand. "

The voice belonged to Lucy.

She could no longer stand by in the face of this lawless savagery.