Chapter 119 - Epilogue (1) – Part 1

Epilogue (1) – Part 1

The people of Hwen believed that they were the only ones who could wield and benefit from the divine power. This was partly true; there were cases when the divine power did not work on people of different races. These people were rejected because they were considered impure and unlucky.

The businessmen from different kingdoms who lived in Hwen, however, were treated better. They weren’t liked, but no one bullied them outright. They lived in an uneasy but stable atmosphere.

Living here for a long time, I didn’t have the need to seek medical help. I assumed that the phenomenon I experienced in the underground cave where I was healed was Isnilen’s one-time miracle or a work of my imagination.

Another miracle, where I could suddenly understand Hwenian, never happened again either. I had to work hard to learn this language.

“What? What is that writing?!”

After a few years of wandering around, I learned to speak decent Hwenian. I was taught by the traveling merchants who could speak both Hwenian and Nadvien. The funny thing was, many average Hwenian could not read or write their own language, which was made of relatively simple letters. In fact, if one could write and read this language, people would pay them to write letters and documents.

“Umm… It says that the citizens of Hwen should not panic and continue on as usual. The pagans have attacked the outer boundary of Hwen, but the sacred soldiers are there to protect the border. It says that the capital is perfectly safe…”

“W-what? Are you serious? I know those dark-skinned pagans are right around the corner to kill us!”

There were notices on the wall, and people had gathered around nervously. I was among them while these people grew louder and louder. It seemed like no one noticed how my skin was a bit darker than theirs.

Ever since I arrived here, I have covered as much of my skin as possible since I didn’t want to be stared at. I had grown used to the big hood over my head and a large scarf around my neck. I always wore thick soldier’s gloves. It would have been unbearable in the southern region, but since I lived in the north, I was still doing fine. This place, the Hwenian capital named Genen, was close to the northwestern sea, so every day, it felt cold due to the ocean wind.

“Waaaaa!”

This place was clearly about to be overrun. I heard the loud cries from nearby. A large group of people in fancy clothes with swords stood near us. They were clearly the “sacred soldiers” who were supposed to protect this city, but their swords looked more decorative than practical.

Isnilen used to say the people of Hwen were all warriors, and the Hwenians were protected by divine power, but I guess these were useless against the upcoming enemy army. I saw some of these soldiers actually flee, and the citizens of Hwen were also getting ready to follow.

The army hasn’t reached the southern port yet, but I could hear the men’s screams. I was probably the only one who could understand what they were saying.

“This is the Goddess’ will! Let’s go!”

“The ocean is just around the corner! Kill anyone you see! Go to the right!”

“Kill these pale monsters! You want to live?! Nope! Kill them all! Hahaha!”

Hmm… This city had a well-developed ocean route to the southern and northern regions, so those who could get onto the ship would probably survive. They could go any direction, and if they ended up even on a deserted island, they might live. The problem, of course, was how many people the ship could take.

When I reached the dock, what I saw was ridiculous, just as I expected. I lived here for a while now, and what I learned was that Hwen was just like any other place. People lined up to get onto the ship while the sailors, who were supposed to help them get into the vessel, were arguing about negotiating a higher fare. People were about to die, so what was the point of a few more silvers?

On top of that, another stupid argument broke down.

“We can only accept families with men! If the family is only made of women, we can’t let you get in!”

“B-but there is no man in our family… It’s just the three of us… Myself and my daughters… I will pay you more! Please… Just let my children get inside the ship! Please!”

“Crazy b*tch! Do you want to kill everyone on the ship? Don’t you know that if there are more women than men on a ship, it will sink? Everyone will die! So get lost! Next!”

The sailor pushed the mother and his daughters away, only letting the families with more men than women. I knew that the poor woman and her daughters would be allowed to board the ship only if there were many more men than women inside.

I watched this mad scene as things got even worse. A figure whose face was well covered was stopped by the sailor.

“Huh? What the hell! Let me see your face!”

“…”

“Are you a man or a woman…”

The sailor groped the figure before screaming, “Gyaa! F*ck! You are a Lilot!”

“P-please… Please help me. Let me get inside!”

When the person’s scarf dropped, his face was revealed, and many people screamed in shock and disgust. I didn’t know much about different races, but I heard that the people of Hwen were very good at realizing if someone was one of the “impure” beings who could not benefit from the divine power.

Apparently, this “Lilot” was one of these hated people.

The sailor yelled, “A Lilot in Genen?! How could this be… People don’t even use these bastards as slaves!”

Another sailor screamed, “Don’t let that animal get into this boat! Dammit! What is happening to our capital? First, the pagans are attacking us; now, we see that the Lilots have been living among us!? We are doomed!”

The man that the people called a Lilot begged to be allowed into the ship, but no one helped him. The man finally tried to push through forcefully, but the sailors kicked him. The man ended up falling into the ocean. He flailed, but no one cared.

“H-help me! Please save me! S-save me… H-help!”

“Next! Come on, let’s hurry up, people.”

I knew I would never be allowed into the ship. I looked exactly like the invaders, and I wondered what the sailors would say when they saw me. The truth was, I didn’t like the invading army either, but who would believe me? Even if I explained… I didn’t think I would have the time to explain. No one cared.

Should I hide somewhere then? If they found me, should I feign ignorance? While I contemplated my next move, I heard the soldiers of my homeland getting closer and closer.

When the invading soldiers spotted the Hwenian ship, they screamed, “Huh? Look over there! They are running away! Go get them! Stop them!”

Fiery arrows came at us. Some got the Hwenians and missed the sail. The soldiers were clearly trying to burn down the ship. I leaned against a dark alley wall and watched quietly. The scene quickly turned into pure chaos.

“Gyaa!”

“Start the boat right now! We need to go!”

“Please! Let us get on! There is plenty of room left on the ship! We can see it! Please!”

“Get lost! Let me go! Arrgghh!”

The crowd grabbed onto one of the sailors, and he ended up falling into the water. A few of the evacuees took this chance and jumped onto the ship.

“What the…! Get them! Get those bastards off the ship!”

“Forget them! We don’t have the time! Just let the ship go already! We need to go now!”

“Yes! They will set this ship on fire if we stay! Start the ship right now! Come on!”

“Please! Save us! Please let us get onto the ship! Help us!”

The sailors were panicking, delaying the sail. Meanwhile, the army of men, some of them very familiar to me, surrounded the area. One of the officers on the front, a large man, looked around and ordered, “Idiots. Go tie that ship and surround the area. We are taking over this island.”

“Waaa!”

They were clearly having a good time, and I wondered why. Was killing innocent people that fun? The soldiers moved quickly to follow the officer’s order. Some Hwenian warriors took their swords out to fight, but it was a huge mistake. They were no match to Minurd’s soldiers. I also assumed that the Hwenian soldiers didn’t realize how many Minurd warriors were surrounding the area.

The ocean wind blew, and the officer’s cloak danced around him, revealing his left arm.

A prosthetic hand.

The truth was, as soon as I heard this man’s voice, I knew who he was. Perhaps I knew as soon as I saw his silhouette from afar. There was no way I couldn’t recognize him.

I left the alleyway, ignoring the soldiers patrolling the area. I walked up to him casually and said to him, “Eriez. Long time no see.”

“…?”‘