3 bar menu

Chapter 259

Amria was tending to the bedridden from grave wounds and illnesses on this day as well. As she discarded the yellowed bandages soaked in pus into a tub, she silently took comfort in the fact that it was not autumn or winter.

If they were in a season of cold winds that seemed to slice at one’s skin, they would be burdened with the added task of preparing firewood to heat the room. Moreover, it was likely that the conditions of many of these patients would worsen.

An injured man wiped himself with a cloth soaked in warm medicinal water before applying new bandages. His voice was as small as the flapping of an insect’s wing, but a smile pulled at Amria’s lips since it was proof that he had regained enough strength to speak.

「Hey, you.」

「Yes, what’s the matter?」

Amria was nursing a young Leopardese man suffering from severe cuts and burns over his left eye and forehead, as well as from his neck to his chest.

「Thanks to you guys, this place… has become somewhat more lively.」

「Yes, Yachi and O-Fuu are especially bubbly people. They were running about with the children today as well.」

「Oh, is that so? It’s good to know… that the children are in good spirits.」

Amria began to wipe the young man’s body as she waited for him to continue after he had paused from speaking.

This young man was well-nourished now and slowly gaining some weight. When Amria had first laid eyes on him, he had been so emaciated that he could have been mistaken for just a bag of bones.

「But what’s going to happen now? At first, I thought it would be nice if the war started and life got better than how it was, but, damn it. I was so stupid. It’s a war. People will die, houses will burn, and land will be destroyed. I didn’t understand what was really going to happen. It’s not wrong to want to do something about the brutality we’ve suffered and to take back our ancestors’ lands, but… but you know, after seeing that many people die, it’s hard not to wonder… to wonder if going to war is really the right thing to do.」

 

「I, too, only know of war from what I’ve heard and learned, but I know that many are suffering and dying in numerous places in the empire. I’m sure that there are other places like this one. There definitely are.」

「Things are still better here. Because you guys came. But if the war doesn’t end, how long can we last like this? We can’t remain like this forever. I have no other choice, but I don’t want those kids to go through this again.」

「Yes, you’re right. It’d the most ideal for young children to never have experienced war, but let me say something brash.」

The young man had gone on speaking for some time and that had taken a toll on him. Amria helped him up and offered him a sip of water from a wooden feeding cup. Only then did she go on with her brash comment.

「Please don’t say that you’re out of choices. Don’t even think about it. If you can’t keep such thoughts out of your mind, well, how about doing your very best to reduce the number of times you harp on this? You’re very gravely wounded, both your heart and your body are so. That being said, you’re still alive. It’s not the end yet.」

「It’s… not the end yet…」

「Yes. You’re alive, that’s why we’re able to meet. I’m able to speak with you and help you as well. Even if you come to resent life because living is torture and suffering, please don’t think that you’re doomed or that there’s nothing left that you can do. You already said so earlier. This settlement has become livelier. I don’t mean to be rude, but did you ever think that something like that was possible?」

「…I’m just grateful to the people here for taking in someone like me, but I didn’t think anything could change. I thought that at some point we would all die and end up in the belly of some beast, or be slaughtered by the empire.」

The young man had expressed a hopelessly pessimistic but likely prediction of the future, one that was probably shared by almost everyone in the village. Amria sensed this and furrowed her brows in melancholy, but a smile quickly replaced the frown as she replied to him.

「Do you still feel that way? Even though whatever lies ahead is an unknown, don’t you think that a tragic future can be avoided now? Gwandan, the others, and I have offered our help to you. Similarly, the future can be unexpectedly bad or an endless stream of good fortune.」

「You’re far more articulate than I thought you’d be.」

「I’m racking my brains to cheer you up.」

「It won’t work if you say that, but thank you. I’m glad you guys are here, and I’m sure everyone else is as well. Even those who died, I’m sure.」

Amria smiled at the young man who had fallen asleep quietly after uttering those words. She continued wrapping the bandages around him without saying another word.

Amria’s guards for the day, Lynette and Kyrlinne, silently watched over Amria as she helped other patients take their medicine. It was impossible to tell what these two girls thought about Amria’s words and actions from their expressions.

Amria had come to this last settlement, one of the destinations of the powerless, and was spending her time just as she had the very first day she had arrived. Gundeus, Yachiyo, and Fuuko had not been tasked with guarding Amria at present, and they were doing something rather different from usual with Gwandan.

This was because the rebel emissaries whom Gwandan had spotted approaching the last settlement were finally here. The few of them had gathered to receive this party.

These rebels were the Seven Fangs, just as Gwandan and his companions had expected. The party was made up of the Elkens who made up the core of the Seven Fangs. Only a dozen emissaries had been sent over in order to avoid unnecessarily alarming the settlement. They were met with the elderly in charge of hosting the meeting.

At the square in the center of the settlement, the emissaries dismounted and acknowledged the elderly in charge and the villagers with him. In an instant, pained expressions of various degrees painted the faces of these visitors.

Their faces eloquently expressed their shock at the settlement’s situation more than words ever could. The people here were in a far dire state than they had expected. Gwandan and Gundeus stood beside the elders while Yachiyo and Fuuko were situated behind the emissaries, all of them ready to intervene instantly if necessary.

「Our apologies for the unexpected visit. We are of the Seven Fangs, and I’m Fesse. The main unit is waiting nearby, but we’re here as an advance party. All of you might be wary, but rest assured, we are not your enemy. Our chief heard about this settlement a while ago, and we’ve been trying to get supplies and manpower to protect you. Now that things have finally settled down, we’ve come to speak with you.」

The elderly and those of the settlement naturally went into an uproar at the words of this Elken young man who seemed to be leading the emissaries. He had just offered a helping hand to the abandoned, ditched, and lost folks who had ended up in this place.

Murmurs filled the plaza for quite some time before an old woman—an elderly doctor—voiced her question to the emissaries with a trace of woe on her wrinkled face. She asked them why they had not arrived sooner, expressing her anger at their delay. Along with that question was doubt as to whether there would really be salvation and hope in trusting their words… Her emotions were surging in indistinguishable turmoil.

「That’s a very kind offer. There is quite a number of us at the risk of losing our lives soon if we remain this way. Young man, it’s fine for those who are mobile and can cling to the helping hand you’re extending, but there are many who can’t move. There are many who would be better off without moving an inch. To be precise, there are too many of such folks. What will you do about them? Will you leave your guards here? They are of no use in the war against the empire.」

The faces of all the emissaries, including the young man who introduced himself as Fesse, clouded over. It was evident from their expressions alone that it would be a tall order for them to save everyone in the settlement. At least, that was the case right now.

A horizontal hierarchy came with many problems, but they were already close to the front lines of the war with Grand Duke Linosart. Moreover, it was widely rumored that the Grand Duke was considering a decisive battle with the Seven Fangs.

The people of the settlement would already be a burden to the rebels, serving only to slow them down. It would be impossible to spare manpower for the immobile. Even if these rebels would help the weak and powerless, it would all be for naught if they lost the war against the empire and sever the path to reinvigorating the nation. There was no need for the Seven Fangs to weigh the pros and cons of this situation. Everyone present understood that the rational conclusion would be as such.

「We’re about to wage a major battle with the empire soon. If we win, we’ll be able to spare a little manpower outside the battlefield. We’ll have to seek your patience until then.」

「Young man, I threw quite a mean question to you. You aren’t responsible for everyone. If the empire’s men find them, they’ll be killed without any mercy. However, your protection will save a number of them. That’s all that matters.」

「I’m sorry. If we had more power, we could save everyone.」

The people of the settlement had found salvation in the anguish of Fesse and the other emissaries, whose tortured expressions grew gloomier as they clenched their teeth. This in itself was proof that there were people out there who cared for them.

Gwandan frowned dejectedly as he realized that these people of the settlement had given up on the saving of their own lives. Even the slight solace that redeemed their hearts was enough.

「Fufu, all of us have been left behind or abandoned. It’s already a relief to know that there’s someone out there willing to help. We’ll place our trust in you and start by checking the number of people we can move and the baggage we can take with us. When should we be ready to leave?」

「…The empire has mobilized battalions to hunt us down. If we stay put for too long, there’s a high risk that they’ll uncover our location. I know that this is a rush, but please use just one day to prepare if possible. We’ll aim to leave this place by the end of tomorrow.」

「There’s little that we have to take with us, and many have wandered in the wild alone. Please be careful to avoid attacks from the empire’s men as well.」

「I’m sorry.」

The elderly could only offer tired smiles at Fesse who was unable to utter anything else beyond apologies. These smiles also conveyed a graciousness that there was nothing for these emissaries to apologize for, as well as the harsh notion that nothing would change with these words of apology.

Once the discussion with the emissaries had concluded, the rest of the settlement was notified of the decision. Everyone capable of moving would be taken into custody by the Seven Fangs and brought to the stronghold of Elkeney.

Those who could not move, their family members, those related to them, and those who remained behind to care for these folks were the only ones who stayed put. Everyone else started to pack despite their fatigue.

Among the settlement’s sudden commotion, Gwandan and his companions went straight to Amria to ascertain her intentions. They wanted to know if she would remain in this last settlement to serve the people here or use this opportunity to delve deeper into the rebel forces in the south.

If they were to take Amria’s personality into consideration, it was likely that she would choose to remain in the settlement…