Welcome to Hell! - Chapter 239: Evening Party Riot (8)

“W-what?!”

“Ah…!”

“Both sides, lower your weapons. Any further fighting is pointless.”

Standing atop the wall I had created, I called for a ceasefire. The blazing flames illuminating my figure cast a strange shadow, especially with the iron mask covering the lower half of my face. The soldiers’ faces showed more fear than caution as they looked at me.

On the contrary, the children seemed relieved to see me. The children who were lying face down on the wall and using crossbows to resist the soldiers had relaxed expressions on their faces. Even Magna, who had been glaring at me relentlessly since our first encounter relaxed as blood continued to flow from a cut on his forehead.

However, they were too careless. None of them reacted to the spiritual art launched by a soldier below. I manipulated the sand forming the wall to intercept the spiritual art, causing visible dismay among the soldier who had cast it and his comrades.

They might be surprised, but for me, this was a trivial matter. The difference between the spiritual arts of those who were not conscripted into the war with the Republic and mine, honed on the front lines of that very war, was too obvious to even discuss.

“Who the hell are you? Stop interfering!”

“I am a mercenary employed by the Rowell family. Those inside this wall are merely a group of orphans. They are not the enemies you are looking for.”

“Expect us to believe the words of a mercenary who appeared out of nowhere? If you continue to interfere, we will eliminate you too!”

The soldier who seemed to be the commander was ranting about how it was impossible and such. It would have been easy to dismiss them, but that would have meant antagonizing the Galar Kingdom, which was something I needed to avoid at all costs.

So, what to do? The best course of action would be to let the commander see with his own eyes that there were no enemies here. If he tried anything strange, I could always stop him.

I silently created a slope of sand. I could feel Magna and the others looking at me in shock as if I was betraying them, but this was for their benefit too. They had to follow this plan.

“Then see for yourself. Magna, go down and gather the children in one place. Don’t let them run wild.”

“…Tch. Fine.”

Magna, scowling and glaring at me, seemed to realize that they would have been annihilated had things continued as they were. Being in command, he must have been acutely aware of the danger. The children all jumped down at once.

I too leaped down inside the wall while using all of my compound eyes to take in the situation. Including Nana and Mia, there were only ten survivors; sadly, it seemed the rest of the children had perished. There were also severely injured among the survivors and I didn’t know if they could survive. I needed to administer first aid quickly.

“Te-Teacher… You came for us…”

The first person to approach me as I landed was Chirik, my disciple and Yaro’s son. His face was pale, and sweat dripped from his forehead. He must have been channeling his entire spiritual power into reinforcing the wall.

“You did well.”

I said before patting Chirik on the head with appreciation. He initially flinched in surprise when I touched him but then relaxed as he leaned on me, exhausted. It seemed that maintaining the spiritual art had also taken a toll on him, and he began to doze off.

While this was happening, soldiers I had directed using the slope I created began to climb the wall and jump inside. The children, who had been gathered in one place by Magna, glared at the soldiers with hostility, but no one made a move. They understood that intervening wouldn’t improve the situation.

The soldiers, cautious of both me and the children, boldly entered the tents. Without hesitation, they tore apart the tents made of worn-out fabric, and the supporting poles were snapped. Magna and the others could only watch their living quarters being trampled upon, grinding their teeth in frustration.

“How about this? Are you satisfied now?”

“Ugh…”

After turning over every tent in their search, not a single adult was found. I thought that the tunnel connecting to the royal capital would be discovered, but the vibrations in the ground revealed that it was already buried. Chirik had apparently filled it in as soon as the soldiers approached.

They searched every nook and cranny themselves, so now there was no denying it. The soldiers glared at me with frustration but their gazes were quickly averted. This was because the resentful eyes of the children behind me were directed at them.

While the citizens of the royal capital might not look down on refugees, the fact remained that these were children. They may have been doing their job, but it seemed they couldn’t help but feel guilty.

“Let’s withdraw. Head to a different section…”

Creak, creak, creak!

Just as a soldier who seemed to be a commander was about to order a retreat, an unpleasant creaking sound emanated from the surrounding walls. The sound seemed to echo from various parts of the wall!

It appeared that the repeated spiritual arts and the blows from wooden mallets had inflicted damage beyond the wall’s durability. With Chirik, who had been reinforcing it, now asleep, the wall began to crumble.

If this continued, everyone inside would be caught in the collapse. And then my interference would be all meaningless. I infused spiritual power into the sand Chirik had manipulated and hastily reinforced the wall while creating a slope for escape.

“Get out quickly. If we stay like this, everyone will be crushed.”

“Retreat! Hurry!”

“…Damn it!”

When I urged them to run, the soldiers fled as if waiting for the signal. On the other hand, Magna and the other children stood frozen in their place; their faces were filled with a tearful, tragic determination, and they weren’t trying to run up the slope at all.

This place was their home. It was this strong fortress that had ensured their safety when there were no reliable adults to rely on. It was understandable that they felt terrified at the prospect of being thrown into a world without protectors after losing it.

However, their reason for not moving wasn’t just that. There were bodies of their comrades here. Additionally, among the survivors, there were those who were seriously injured. They lacked the means to escape while carrying the injured and to prevent the bodies from being buried under the debris. Surely, they were bitterly realizing how powerless they were

“Leave it to me.”

“…Thank you.”

Then at least for now, I who had the strength decided to lend it to them. While holding Chirik who leaned on me, I placed the injured children on the sand slope and gathered the bodies into makeshift sand coffins. This way, no one had to be abandoned. In response, Magna who should have been acting rebellious all along mumbled a faint thank you to me while looking down.

Without answering, I pushed Magna’s back and urged the children to escape. After confirming that everyone had fled, I released the spiritual power from the sand that was supporting the wall. Then the wall creaked and collapsed inward.

“The children will be under my protection. That’s fine, right?”

“Hmph, do as you like. Let’s go!”

Having secured the commander’s commitment regarding the children’s situation, I led them away from the blazing area. I used my spiritual arts openly to protect them from the sparks fanned by the wind, from the refugees running around with bloodshot eyes, and from the soldiers filled with killing intent.

We arrived at a plain located beyond the refugee camp when viewed from the royal capital. The gates of the capital seemed still open, but I thought that it wouldn’t be appropriate for the children in their current state.

“Who’s there?”

“Big brother.”

“Lappy. And Chris too… Is it okay to leave Liselotte’s side?”

Because it was a deserted area, it was easy to notice the presence of people approaching. Nana, the deputy leader of the children, who was keeping watch in place of the disheartened Magna, turned around with a voice tinged with fear and caution toward the newcomers.

However, it was impossible for me not to notice what Nana did. Nor would I allow those with hostile intentions to approach us just like that. The reason I allowed the approach was simply because I knew they were allies.

“I’ve taken her to the mansion, so she should be safe now. I came here after hearing from Decius, but…”

On seeing the state of the children, Chris faltered in her words. The number of children had decreased, many were seriously injured, and judging the current situation after being expelled from inside their fortress, no one would likely say “All is well.” Even Lappy who was usually expressionless had her eyebrows lowered in a sad “ハ” shape.

Everyone was at a loss for words, and silence reigned around the place. Amidst this, it was Lappy who moved first. She walked up to Nana and hugged her tightly. Lappy, being smaller in stature, might have looked like a younger sister embracing her older sister from a distance. But it was indeed Lappy who initiated the embrace.

“Uuh… Uaaaah…”

“Fuh… Ggh… Damn it…”

“Ugh… Hic…”

Being held by Lappy seemed to completely unravel Nana’s tightly wound nerves. She fell to her knees, clinging to Lappy, and began to weep as if a dam had burst inside her.

Spurred by her, Magna who had been disheartened also cried with his head bowed. Mia repeatedly wiped away her unceasing tears with her slender arms. The same was true for the other surviving children, who simply continued to shed tears.

“~~…..!”

This was also true for Chirik, who was in my arms. It seemed he had regained consciousness without me noticing and was desperately trying to hold back his tears, not wanting to be noticed. However, his trembling body and the tears soaking into his clothes were impossible to hide.

Offering words of comfort is easy. But if asked whether they truly heal the heart, I must honestly admit that I have no confidence in that. When I once thought Chris was dead, I experienced a deep despair akin to what these children are feeling now. Could I have easily recovered back then, simply by someone saying something to me?

The answer is probably no. I was so furious that I even forgot my mission to survive for one hundred years, delirious enough to challenge a holy knight with no hope of victory. At least for now, no one’s words are likely to reach them.

Then, the only thing left to do is to let it all out with their tears. Anger, sadness, despair, regret—everything must be released before moving forward. I pretended not to notice and tightened my hold on Chirik just a little.

The night sky was illuminated by the burning refugee camp, and the smell of soot and the shouts of people reached even here. Familiar smells and sounds that usually wouldn’t stir my heart were easily disturbed by the smell of the children’s blood and tears and the sound of their sobs. “Things don’t go as one wishes,” I thought as I stared blankly up at the sky.