Chapter 453 - Blood and Ash

The entire city of Cosmia was thrown into chaos.

They weren't a big city, but they were at least bigger than towns that only had a few handfuls of people. Cosmia City was out of the way, but it had scenic routes and people liked to come here for vacation or holidays.

The citizens of Cosmia City were proud of their city, and they were peace-loving. They didn't like to fight, nor did they like to stick their nose in other people's business.

But a month ago, that was the time when everything started going wrong. 

Somehow, they had started to be come preyed on by the bandits that had previously lived outside of the city.

It had started without any rhyme or reason, and people could come in, but they couldn't leave.

Because once they left, they would be besieged by the bandits that came out like c.o.c.kroaches. The bandits seemed to be endless, and they multiplied over time.

Chaos.

Compared to before, it was like night and day. The citizens of Cosmia City never hated the fact that they had never taken military merits seriously so much. If only they had, things would have been so much more different…

Not just the citizens, but those who were stronger tried to fight back as well, going up against the treatment of the bandits. But they had never been seriously besieged like this, and even the adventurers who came at times could not face up against all the bandits together.

In the beginning, though some people had been accosted by them before, they didn't go overboard, so the city had been happy to ignore it.

Now, however, their negligence came back to bite them in the ass. 

They couldn't regret it any more than this time where they were slowly being cut off from the outside world.

Had they known that this would have happened, they would have thoroughly stamped out every single bandit before they got it into their heads that they could become lawless in their city. They would have done it regardless of the price.

Now, it was too late.

A single misstep caused everything to come crumbling down.

They didn't know when, but the bandits had started to replace the guards who once guarded them without them ever realizing it. Instead, the people who took up the 'posts' obviously didn't have any good intentions.

Even if they were blind, they could tell that the bandits had infiltrated the city.

It was shocking.

It was unbelievable.

It was completely and utterly… useless for them to fight back.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The sounds of explosions filled the air, and folks cowered as they lowered their heads, hiding under quilts, as if they could ignore reality for the time being.

Most of them had already lost all hope long ago. They had waited for reinforcements for so long, but there was still no sign of hope.

Any effort to get a message out had been shot down. Nothing could go out.

The barrier that had once protected them now instead kept them enclosed in its cage. What irony.

The deafening sounds were no longer something that was strange to them. They could even start to tell how much explosives were being used, and how spread out it was.

The citizens of Cosmia cowered. If the guards could not take care of them, then what could they, as ordinary citizens, do?

Repeated fear slowly chipped away at even the most strong-minded, and the entire city was thrown into chaos. The atmosphere was more than depressing – it carried a strong feeling of tension and oppression.

Every day seemed like a year.

While the citizens were cowering, the bandits were having the time of their lives.

They looted, plundered, and killed without anyone stopping them.

In the beginning, the guards who patrolled the city went up against them, fighting back valiantly.

But as time went on, there emerged those that had secretly joined up with the bandits instead, and once that happened, things started to crumble at a much quicker pace.

Andrew coldly smiled as he looked at the bandits who were having the time of their lives. His true thoughts were unknown. He put his left hand into his pockets, but his posture was relaxed.

On the other hand, Lance wasn't as casual as he was.

There was agony and conflict in his eyes, something that was not caught by the bandits who were making merry.

As a newbie, this was the first time that Lance had ever witnessed such a tragedy. Having to take part in this all left him with a bad taste in his mouth, and his face was ashen.

"Andrew… do we really have to do this?"

"Yes," Andrew said emotionlessly. There was no trace of joy in his eyes, but he spoke as if it was an everyday thing. "If it's not us, then it'll be someone else. But if we ever have to hand it over to someone else, then you can kiss the safety of your loved ones goodbye."

"…"

Lance could act. He could act well, in fact, but when it came to this… no matter how hardened he portrayed himself to be, seeing the loss of human life like this… seeing how they suffered under their oppression, made him feel stifled and repressed.

Something choked him from deep inside.

This… was a lot worse than he originally thought.

He thought that he knew what he was signing up for, but…

Were they not originally a scouting team? Why had things progressed to this state?

Another veteran patted Lance lightly on the shoulder. Her voice as kind. "Newbie, things like this… they're hard to swallow, but orders are orders."

Andrew looked at the ground.

Lance tightened his fights even more, before he let the tension drain out of him. He closed his eyes, but he could still hear the lingering cries and mourning wails that haunted him day and night.

His eyes were bloodshot, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes.

"Please, I beg you, lord! Not my son! Take me instead!"

A woman begged as she clutched onto the boot of a bandit.

The bandit sneered and stomped down on her hand, fiercely shaking her off.

He grabbed a six-year-old boy in his other hand, shaking him in her face. "Your son? This?"

"Please, lord, please-!"

"Leave my mother alone!"

The boy struggled in the bandit's hand, but he was unable to throw him off.

Then, before the tearful mother's eyes, the bandit drew out a knife.

Lance took a step forward involuntarily. Andrew grabbed him by the back of his shirt, stopping him in his tracks.

"No-!"

The woman's wail seemed to linger in the air, but the deed was done.

The boy's throat had been cut in front of her very eyes, and the swing so violent that blood splattered onto her face.

The mother froze, her eyes wide and blank as she watched the life go out from her son's eyes. Those bright, brilliant eyes, that clever glint… they slowly faded until there was only glassy blankness.

The look of fear would forever be etched onto his face.

The bandit dropped the boy on the ground, like he was bored of it, but the mother's eyes continued to stare into blank space, her mind utterly shocked. The warm, slick feel of blood dripped down her face, as if they were the tears that she was too numb and disbelieving to shed.

The bandit moved on, leaving the woman there…

She was alive.

She was alive, but… was this any better than being dead?

Lance shook off Andrew's hand and closed his eyes, unable to watch any further. He heaved, and his eyes stung. 

It felt like there was an extremely heavy stone that blocked his heart and blocked his throat. He regretted… coming here.

Why had he allowed that thing to threaten him with what he held dear the most?

Why should he… have to become a demon?

What difference did he have, compared to the people who had sent him here in the first place?

A few tears dropped down, unhindered. He wept. 

The mother of the lively boy, who was now dead, stared blankly into space, unable to accept reality.

Andrew grabbed him by the back of his collar, forcing him to look. "Don't look away," Andrew said, his voice hoarse. His eyes were dull. 

"Don't ever allow yourself to forget. The people we hurt to save ourselves… this is what happens."

The breath filled his lungs choked him. 

The scent of blood and ash lingered in the air.