Chapter 388
Chapter 388: It’s been decided without any notice that the person in question already circled one lap, but on which lap will it be clear how they made that lap?
Day 91 – Daytime, the Town of Omui
The rumored corrupted cursed land of evil and monster, the hell manifested, turned out to be a paradise overflowing with children’s laughter, smiling townsfolk, and an abundance of goods. The so-called edge of the world where all of the continent’s filth gathers was a clean, nice town where people walked the streets wearing beautiful clothes of all sorts of colors, living in peace and happiness.
The land that the top brass of the Church sought to destroy in the name of purification turned out to be a paradise-like place filled with kind people, where smiling children ran through the streets.
Not a single person cast a stone at us, clad as we were in the Church’s robes. No one hurled insults… The people, who surely must know what has happened, received us with perfect courtesy as『Count’s Guests』We had come here carrying a burden of unbearable guilt and anguish, yet were treated with such hospitality that it made it all the more unbearable. Each member of our delegation walked through the town, lips pressed tight, as if in penance.
We were also guided to the Omui’s church. A solemn, yet simple, clean white building. Beautiful in its purity, utterly unlike the gaudy, excessive splendor of the Theocracy’s main churches. Bathed in gentle light, the interior did not house a statue of God. Instead, there stood a stone monument engraved with the names of those who had lived and died protecting the people of this land. A precious sacred ground, where all came to offer flowers and prayers in remembrance.
「To you of the Church, this may not be a pleasant sight. A place that honors not God but the dead, but according to the person who erected and donated this building this is a necessary space for the people of the frontier, constantly living surrounded by monsters. The room with the monument is called the Hall of Heroes. It is a chapel built to offer prayers and gratitude for those who have lost loved ones, family, friends, partners, and for those who died protecting someone else, even if no one ever knew their names. Please understand.」
Margrave Mellotosam Shim Omui, the name is known across the continent. A giant among men, bearer of the title God of War, and king of the frontier. A close ally of the wise King Diarusez di Diorer, and the commander of the kingdom’s most powerful army, the frontier forces. Yet despite his prestige and power, he carried himself with gentle grace, speaking with calmness and respect. His treatment of us, the Church’s own, was courteous beyond expectation, leaving us speechless. We had arrived prepared to be cursed, insulted, screamed at in rage. To be received with such warmth was like a bolt from the blue… There was no way we weren’t hated, there was no way they didn’t resent us.
「We have no room to object. Given what the Church’s leadership has done, and what has happened now, this land cannot possibly be expected to worship God. In the first place, the divine is forbidden from having name or form. And we, powerless and insignificant minority faction, do not presume that simply bowing our heads could possibly quell your rightful anger. But please, do not lower your head to us, servants of the Church. We are the ones who came to bow our heads. Even if it changes nothing, even if we cannot atone, we still came, at the very least, to offer our apology in the name of God.」
「「「「Through our own failings we have brought tragedy upon the Frontier. As members of the Church, we offer our deepest apologies. We are truly sorry.」」」」
We had come to this remote land expecting to lose our heads, never imagining we would be treated like honored guests. Only now, still half-dazed, did we realize we had not even voiced our apology, and so we finally lowered our heads. That was, after all, what we came for… Everything went way off from what they had expected.
However, no place could be more fitting for our apology, no place more deserving to receive their condemnation. For the tragedy of the frontier had been born of the Church’s own deterioration. In turning its back on the teachings God had entrusted to them, the present-day Church, the Theocracy itself, had stood at the root of this disaster.
「Please raise your heads. I have heard that your faction within the Church, unlike the main faction, bears no ill will toward the frontier and does not discriminate against beast-folk. In that case, we hold no resentment toward you. And seeing how many healers you have brought, it is clear you wished to extend a helping hand to my people. As lord of this land, it is only proper that I thank you. All of you, thank you for thinking of the frontier.」
「Count-sama, your gracious words humble us. But why is it that even the townsfolk show no anger, no harsh words, toward those of us wearing Church robes?… They should be well aware of what had happened, yet no one so much as utters a single insult. We are quite astonished by this, as we couldn’t even imagine such a situation.」
The Church had declared a holy war in God’s name and sent an army to subjugate the frontier. Everyone understood it’s merely an invasion under the guise of a 『Purification』, driven by lowly greed for magic stone profits. Yet the people of the frontier showed no anger towards the clergy, treating us with courtesy even if some did not like us. Why? How could we be received with such respect in a land that should hate, resent, and loathe us? All who had come, resolved never to return alive, now found themselves perplexed and bewildered.
「Well… One of the reasons would be that there were no casualties. The matter was settled peacefully without a single life lost, nor a single thing destroyed. Of course, there is anger over the invasion and the dungeons overflow, but everyone is grateful that you brought so many healers.」
「But… There are no wounded here, not even the sick. So it’s been utterly useless. We have done nothing to deserve gratitude.」
Yes, valuable medicines were sold cheaply in the frontier, so the town was devoid of injured or sick. The healers, who had volunteered to risk their lives, hoping at least to mend the wounds of war, found they could do nothing at all. Instead they were served lavish meals and fine sweets, leaving them embarrassed and stupified.
「Even so, you extended a helping hand to the Frontier. Everyone is thankful for you even just coming here, despite knowing how dangerous it was. The people who live in the Abandoned Lands, the very edge of the world, understand what that means.」
The count smiled gently as he said this. Called the wicked enemy of God and threatened with decapitation, The count, and the people who dwelt in this land declared as Unclean by the Church, proved kinder and warmer than those of any nation.
「Uh, there’s… it’s a bit awkward to say. How should I put it, the way it works with people, even if a person is angry, if someone next to them is utterly explosively furious, that person kind of bleeds the poison away, and everyone else calms down. That’s why the frontier folk are all thinking,『If the one who has the greatest right to be angry has gone so far, that they circled back to laugh』 calming down as a result. So now they are… Well, they pity and worry about you… I mean, I’m sure they believe you’ll understand, but… how do I put it… it’s like a disaster that spreads happiness wherever it goes, and no one’s figured out how to deal with him yet. They say that understanding can be reached by conversing, but talking to him just makes things even more confusing, so everybody’s at a loss for words… Still, we’ll definitely manage to calm him down… Or rather persuade… Petition, maybe? Anyway, since you are guests of the Frontier, I’ll protect you… well, I will, although it may prove difficult, or rather impossible, or hopeless? I swear on my sword you’ll be safe, so please don’t worry? Well, this sword was a gift, too but… Aah, I wonder if he is angry~? What do we do?」
We had steeled ourselves to be beaten and cursed, yet when we entered the town we sensed concern and even sympathy. Impossible, we thought, surely a trick of the mind, yet it was genuine. And now the Count, normally so dignified and composed, was visibly unsettled. Though it was only right for us to be condemned, he went so far as to say he would protect us.
But if anyone has the greatest right to be angry, it should be the Count himself. They call him the God of War, an undefeated swordsman, could there truly be an opponent he would call difficult, impossible, hopeless? And what does it mean to have 『circled back to laugh』?! Whatever anger awaits, we came prepared to accept it. With no need for our healers now, all that is left to us is to apologize… and accept whatever wrath and resentment may come. We are not ones to be protected.
「You must be surprised to see the frontier, once said to be the land closest to death, dangerous, poor, plagued with sickness, now peaceful, abundant, and overflowing with happiness. Believe me, we’re amazed too, every morning we fear it’s just a dream. Well, the estate has become something so crazy, that the moment we wake up, we’re keenly reminded it’s real, but until recently I would open my window each dawn and gaze over the town… and each morning I’d weep at the sight. If even we who live here still can’t quite believe it, visitors like yourselves must be quite shocked.」
We had begun to wonder if we’d been lied to all this time about the Frontier, but judging by what the count said, the reports of a monster-infested, poor, perilous land were once accurate. Does that mean the Frontier we see now is abnormal? Yet it’s not just this town, the whole Frontier has paved roads, sturdy walls around every city and village, fields heavy with crops, and merchants passing freely. Something so well-planned should take meticulous urban design and many long years to accomplish, But.. Certainly, everything looks fresh and new, as if it all sprang up overnight.
「This magnificent frontier city… we didn’t see a single monster, nor even a trace of any attack. The town, and all the surrounding villages, are encircled by strong protective walls. The roads are laid out with precision and efficiency, all of it well maintained, that speaks of brilliant urban planning. At the very least, it’s far removed from anything that can be considered poor?」
「Exactly. Not even the capital cities of great nations could achieve this level of development. Since arriving here, how many times have you thought: 『This is impossible. It can’t be real』?」
Too many to count. Yes, everything had been so absurd, so implausible even, that we ended up overlooking it, too overwhelmed by it. It’s strange. Roads that smooth simply shouldn’t exist. No matter how flat the terrain, there will always be some unevenness, roads can’t be perfectly level. And the buildings in the town were too tall. Structures of that scale, with that kind of height, shouldn’t be able to support their own weight. Them not crumbling is strange by itself, but they shouldn’t even be possible to construct in the first place. Everyone turned to look at the town again, stunned, staring at this impossible, unbuildable city.
「Merchants who visit the Frontier pull their hair, screaming, 『Impossible! This can’t be real!』 But the people who live here are already used to this and give up. They’ve accepted it as a natural disaster. A force of nature that spreads happiness without warning or restraint, that’s what he is. By the time we realized it, it was already too late. Everything had already been reborn. We’ve seen plenty of disasters that brought death and despair… But this was the first time we saw a calamity that spread joy. That must be what a miracle really is. I don’t mean this now blessed Frontier, but the one who goes around sowing that happiness. That’s why everyone gave up. But none of us will ever forget this for the rest of our lives. We’ll never forget how precious and noble that miracle was… That’s why no one here worships God. Because every day, that miracle walks our streets, causing uproar everywhere.」
I understood the words, but couldn’t comprehend them, so I couldn’t even begin to form a reply. Could such a miracle really exist? If someone could do all that, then yes, that indeed would be a miracle, but at the same time it’s also something so powerful and unstoppable, it renders humans helpless to resist it, like a natural disaster? Something no one could defy, and that something’s anger has gone so far, it circled back to laugh… Yes, that person was also smiling.
Surely, I won’t forget this smile for the rest of my life. Because…
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