Chapter 67: From person to person. (8) S2 end.

Chapter 67: From person to person. (8) S2 end.

Perhaps as was to be expected, the Barong estate became quite tumultuous once Gabriel and the others returned. Arioch knew that there was no point in trying to hide the truth from people, he would have to report everything to the Imperial Family. The existence of the claw would serve as an excellent excuse to hand out titles to the people they wanted to keep close so the citizens would find out sooner or later.N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.

But perhaps as was to be expected, they were more shocked by the corpses that had been brought along. The claw was a story, an event they hadn’t seen or participated in. But the corpses, they were right in front of them, tied directly to them. Comparing the two, it was easy to see which one would affect them more.

"Contact their families. Tap into the estate renovation budget and calculate an appropriate amount of reparations that we can provide to each family. Calculate it for a monthly basis, not a yearly one. Put Wolton’s share aside and use it to build and run another official orphanage. Contact the children he took care of and gave jobs, I’m sure they’ll accept jobs regarding constructing or running the orphanage."

They had rushed back with all their might after the first night, but there was no rest for Arioch, who had to give out orders the moment he came back. There was always more to do, always something new that needed his input. The aide he addressed naturally got to work straight away when he got the order, walking away with quick steps.

"..."

Arioch remained behind as the corpses were being unloaded, each one gently placed down within the chapel, close to the statues representing the gods they worshipped. His shoulders were heavy, almost slumping as he stood there.

"..."

He allowed himself another deep breath. For but a moment, he felt as if he saw the entire chapel freeze and crumble around him. He could feel the cold wind on his skin, the sensation of a sword in his hand, the narrowed vision of his helmet. But when he exhaled the breath, it all faded away and his gaze landed on the statue directly to the right of the entrance.

"They’re yours now, Lord Akarash. They’ve done enough, so please let them get some rest."

It was hardly worthy enough to be called a prayer, but what else could he say in this situation? Akarash was the god that responded to the fewest prayers, but he was still the one in charge of providing wayward souls with passage into the afterlife he set up for them.

He left the chapel after giving his short ‘prayer.’ The knights that weren’t carrying the dead had already gone to get checked up by the estate’s doctors, those with the worst wounds were even getting checked right there by the gates of the estate. Everything was abuzz. They had launched a signal flare while they rushed over, that was how they could have doctors ready by the gates the moment they arrived.

Naturally, this also meant that everyone in the estate knew that something dreadful had happened before they even arrived and sprung into action accordingly. There were even some citizens gathering outside the gates, having been close enough to see the flare. They were clamouring in front of the closed metal bars, some among them probably had a family member that was a knight here. And then there were the two people in front of him.

"I can give you their addresses, but I cannot guarantee how they will react. No, well, I can guarantee that they will likely make your wounds worse."

Gabriel and Alice, the two were waiting for him in front of the chapel. Teresa had been sent back to her room to prepare for their departure, which Alice guessed would happen within the next day or two, depending on how fast the news reached the Vritara house and the Imperial Family. Caine naturally had to do the same, even the Woodime family would get hectic soon. But before they left, there was something Gabriel wanted to do.

"I’m expecting it. I feel like that’s what I would do at least."

Gabriel had gotten patched up a bit, both on the way back and when they finally returned. Both his hands were in casts so he could barely move his fingers, the doctor had nearly slapped him when he saw how casually he was moving his shattered hands. His chest was covered in thick bandages, which were naturally hidden beneath his clothes. His face had a few plasters and minor bandages, and his thighs and parts of his shin were covered in thick bandages.

There wasn’t much bleeding after Nergal finished chewing up the talons, but the wounds were still there so they had to get covered so that they didn’t get infected. Wrapping his chest was also supposed to help with the broken ribs while the bandages on his legs were supposedly there to prevent his cracked femur from actually breaking. He was, as the doctor so nicely put it, ‘messed up more than a foal that got run down by the stallion.’ And yet he was planning on aggravating those wounds just a bit more before he left.

"Very well then, I did my part by warning you. You’ll have to carry the rest of the responsibility yourself."

Arioch pulled out some paper and a pen from his pockets as he spoke, jotting down a few lines before he handed it over. Gabriel naturally accepted the note. Well, Alice accepted it for him, which contained two addresses and some names. After he handed over the list, another heavy breath escaped Arioch. He could see one of his aides hurrying over.

"It seems my presence is required. If I fail to meet you again before you are called back to the duchy then I will see you at the investiture."

He turned towards the approaching aide once he finished speaking, the bags beneath his eyes growing ever deeper as he stepped away. Gabriel and Alice were left behind, both of them looking at the list.

"The bakery’s the closest one so it ought to be the first one."

Gabriel memorised the addresses on the list before Alice folded it and stuffed it into his chest pocket. His pace when they walked away was slow thanks to the bandages on his leg, but Alice didn’t mind and stuck to his side while keeping pace with him.

They received a few looks as they walked, a subdued whisper occasionally coming from the smaller groups. Some of the knights that had come back had clearly started to mention what happened within the mountains.

A seemingly abandoned lady that was much stronger than she first appeared, utilising all three of the newly discovered magic affinities while also wielding two powerful spirits. And then there was her knight, who previously was only known for his rabid way of fighting during the first sparring matches. A strong spirit, two affinities on the Divine Star, strength to match it... it was a juicy topic so it was inevitable that it would get people talking.

"I’ll be honest, I don’t think you need to do this."

The people around them would occasionally look and whisper, but Alice ignored them completely as she spoke. The names and addresses listed on the note that Gabriel requested from Arioch, she knew what they were.

Comfort, she was desperately seeking comfort in whatever way she could. If he died for something good, like saving another knight or their young lord then that would at least mean something, right? Right? It had to mean something then, right? But...

"No. He died because I started to talk in the middle of the battle. He died so that I could finish my conversation."

Gabriel did not lie. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, Alice was the only person he never lied to. But he chose not to lie here, they deserved to know the truth, no matter their reaction.

"...!"

Morticia’s body seemed to react faster than her mind, her hand clasping the nearest thing and swinging it with all her might. In this case it was a small wooden plaque that had her most popular items carved into it. Gabriel didn’t dodge so it smashed directly into the side of his face, shattering and leaving splinters in his face.

He remained standing as Morticia heaved, the reality of what she just did catching up with her, his words settling in. Her eyes were bloodshot, her tears had already started to fall. Her arm swung out again, smashing the broken plaque into Gabriel’s face again, more conscious this time. She was heaving, unable to utter words as her chest felt too clogged and warm. Gabriel allowed her to swing the plaque for a third time before he lowered his head.

"I know it doesn’t mean a thing to you, but I am deeply sorry."

What good would an apology do her? Would it bring her brother back, would it undo the past? No, an apology would only help Gabriel, it wouldn’t do anything for her.

"Get...Out! Get out! Get out get out get out! Get away from me!"

She finally managed to get out some words, her voice scraping as her vocal cords were getting torn. She clutched the plaque with one hand, her other clawing across the wooden counter until blood leaked out from the base of her nails.

Gabriel simply lowered his head again and bade her farewell. One was done, but morticia wasn’t the only one.

Next came the husband of Altair Serosh, Kaervon Serosh. He took the news... as well as one could hope.

"Get out. Leave my sight before I do something I’ll regret..."

He managed to hold himself back after the second hit, but the first one had already broken Gabriel’s nose so who could say how much good that restraint did.

The last of the people mentioned in the note were the ones related to Wolton Delgar. His family was already dead so Gabriel could only break the news to the street kids that Wolton had been taking care of and giving jobs over the years. They reacted as one would expect, some broke down into tears while others refused to accept the situation and tried to run away from reality.

Two of them struck Gabriel after he forced them to understand reality by giving them the pendant that Arioch rested on Wolton’s chest. They were just kids so they were a lot weaker than the adults that had already struck him today, but their fists were filled with just as much sorrow and fury, just as much pain.

In the end, Gabriel delivered the news to all the people on the list, aggravating his wounds a bit more each time. But it was done. As for whether or not it did help to alleviate his guilt, logical or emotional, only he would know.

They returned to the Barong estate once it was finished, and as expected, Arioch had already reported everything in the hours they were gone. As a result, the Woodime and Vritara families had sent over express notices to Alice and Caine. They would have to return posthaste. With that, whatever both sides had planned at first, their time in the north had come to an end, it was time to return to their own territories before they were called to the capital. The noble society was calling to them.

———

While Gabriel and Alice were dealing with those who ended up left behind, the Yverial empire was still in the middle of its own uproar. The citizens of one of its more distant cities were currently all gathered outside the city, swarming so tightly that they looked like ants. Ahead of them was a small hill of demons that had tried to assault their city out of nowhere, they were like a tide that had just suddenly burst out from the earth. They were all looking at the muscular young man sitting atop the corpses, an almost unearthly fanatical light in their eyes.

"Saint Arthur!"

"Saint Arthur!"

"Saint!" "Saint!" "Saint!"

"Saint Arthur!"

"Thank the gods for Saint Arthur!"

They were practically screaming as one, their voices drowning out just about everything else. Arthur looked at them with a smirk as he sat atop the corpses, his flesh wriggling and his bones creaking as he chewed on the demon meat that he tore off of a limb he had plucked from one of the corpses. His dark golden hair hung down loosely, splattered with blood, while his violet eyes surveyed the people shouting for him.

"Don’t thank the gods, thank me! Your gods are just petty squabblers who dislike an uncontrollable show! There’s no point in worshipping them! So worship me, and lets march together! To the Earhart Empire! To the lands beyond! Let’s take it all! We deserve it! You deserve it! I deserve it!"