Chapter 350 – The Truth
Limbus Special Camp.
“Is it this place?”
This place, which was once called the last bastion for the rehabilitation of misguided young people, was now in such ruins that no trace of its past reputation could be found.
Wooden buildings reduced to ashes, stone walls collapsed, and a steel gate split in half.
The scars of destruction so intense that it is hard to believe they were simply traces of an attempted satanic ritual remain here.
It is a mess, as if a war has broken out.
What on earth happened here?
Also, how much fear and confusion did the victims experience?
Since they were originally imprisoned for resocialization rather than punishment, the prisoners here are closer to innocent civilians than criminals.
After the internment period, which can be as short as a few months or as long as less than a year, young souls would have returned to society and contributed to the development of the empire.
The lives of those people were lost in vain.
Facing the ruins that, when seen in person, caused more sorrow than one could imagine, Wolfgang put down his sword, bowed his head, and meditated for a moment.
“Rest in peace.”
Although Wolfgang had faced the death of countless lives before his eyes.
No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get used to letting the dead go.
I hope that the souls who have left the path of no return can find rest.
Wolfgang wished sincerely.
When he raised his head, the girl who was waiting for him next to him immediately spoke to him.
“Teacher.”
“Ah. “Is it Remy?”
They were twins who looked exactly alike, but now Wolfgang could tell who was who without much effort.
Remi is the one who has a calm tone and demeanor.
Rumi was the one who always had a smile on her face and was outgoing.
“Yes. Bishop Senju, the person in charge of this aid station, was looking for you.”
“Hmm. “Where is the bishop?”
“You are waiting in the headquarters tent. Come this way… “
Wolfgang immediately headed to the tent with the silver star emblem, a symbol of Celestialism.
Less than an hour after arriving, he came face to face with the site manager.
This is the convenience of the teleport gate.
Even though it was quite a distance, we were able to get there quickly, and since we left coordinates for reverse summoning at the arrival point, there was no problem going back.
When I think about the time and materials that have been wasted on moving so far, I feel empty.
Of course, he had no intention of relaxing just because he saved time.
“Oh, are you here?”
“Nice to meet you. “Bishop Senju.”
Bishop Senju, who was in charge of the emergency relief center set up near the ruins, was a kind old woman with all her gray hair.
The traces of her life devoted to others can be seen on her face.
So she must have been dispatched as the person in charge of the scene of this disaster.
There was a huge difference in social status between a bishop and Wolfgang, but Wolfgang had no intention of belittling the old priest.
The meeting began between Wolfgang and Bishop Senju, who sat across from each other on a small desk and stool that seemed to have been made on the spot, and the twins who stood in an absorbed posture next to them.
“You are General Wolfgang, the young hero of the Empire.”
“Hero… “I don’t know what to do with excessive praise.”
“And the two ladies next to you are the proud twin stars of our church. I have heard of its reputation. The young paladins who will lead the future of the church show off such brilliant talent. “For this old man, I’m just thrilled.”
“Oh, no!”
“Rather, it is an honor to meet you!”
After a brief introduction mixed with words of kindness typical of older people.
The four of them got straight to the point.
“I’m sure you already understand what the situation is.”
“Yes. “I wonder if two Eclipse apostles planned some kind of ritual here and are helping investigate the tragedy that occurred as a result.”
“You’re right. But… “
But, at that time.
—Rudang!
Wolfgang reflexively listened to the loud noise coming from nearby.
“Kwaaagh! Argh!”
“Geez, calm down young man!”
“Aaaaah! Window, that window! Devil, devil… !”
“Young people. There are no windows here! There is no devil. “You are safe.”
Through my hearing enhanced by magic, I could clearly hear the conversation between a young man suffering from a seizure and the priest who was caring for him.
Perhaps one of the survivors is suffering from extreme paranoia.
After briefly asking for Wolfgang’s understanding, Bishop Senju put his hands together and prayed.
“Oh, heavenly god. Please help that poor soul… “
Although the prayers of a bishop-level clergy are rarely actually effective.
Sadly, the young man’s screams never stopped.
Wolfgang opened his mouth with a somber expression.
“It must be difficult to hear the testimony of survivors.”
“Yes. Almost all survivors are complaining of similar symptoms. Still, that patient is awake and in better condition, but the other patients are not even conscious… “
“This.”
The twins’ expressions also became noticeably stiffer.
“…”
Rumi, who is particularly sensitive, looked like she was about to shed tears from her eyes at any moment, and she seemed to be in shock.
Remy probably feels the same way, even though she doesn’t show it on the outside.
It seems that the first real mission for the two is not easy from the start.
It would be okay if the mission was to mindlessly defeat enemies or monsters, but it wouldn’t be unreasonable to feel demoralized if you heard the desperate screams of survivors before you even started.
Bishop Senju made the sign of the cross and continued his speech.
“… Well, let me finish the story. Yes, it is very difficult to properly investigate the disaster that occurred here with only the personnel at our relief center, so we have requested support from the headquarters.”
“Are there any difficulties with the investigation?”
“General Wolfgang must have seen that the relief center headquarters was set up outside the camp, not inside it.”
Wolfgang nodded his head.
Clearly, the aid station was not located inside the camp, but on a plain several kilometers away.
No matter how ruined it is, if there are still structures and remains of the destroyed building, it will be of great help in setting up a base camp.
Therefore, in the case of large-scale disaster sites, relief headquarters and treatment centers are set up by temporarily constructing sturdy buildings that are not susceptible to further collapse, and the top priority is to immediately secure survivors from as close a distance as possible.
However, the fact that the aid station was located this far away from the scene was certainly not unusual.
The atmosphere is reminiscent of a field hospital in a battlefield rather than a relief station.
-Gulp…
Bishop Senju took a sip of water from his canteen as if his throat was choking, then patted his chest and said:
“We were able to rescue the survivors who had reached the front gate immediately after arriving at the scene, but it was difficult to get inside.”
“It was difficult to get in. Then… “
It was not possible to enter the camp.
When the story reached this point, Wolfgang was able to guess how his work was going.
Even though the Apostle of Eclipse was involved, I thought it was a bit strange that this many troops were mobilized for just an investigation mission.
“It is extremely deplorable, but according to what our paladin witnessed. Inside the camp… “They say it’s full of survivors who have turned into monsters.”
“… “The survivors have turned into monsters.”
“Yes. Unholy monsters imbued with demonic energy came rushing in, so our best option was to retreat, but we could clearly see it. “The names and numbers remain on the uniforms they wore.”
“Oh my god.”
There are many monsters inside the camp.
Wouldn’t the story be different in this situation?
—Tap, knock…
Wolfgang thought, tapping his fingers on the table without thinking.
“Humans… “You turned into a monster?”
“I can not believe it. How on earth does something like that happen? “
The twins are shocked and cover their mouths after hearing the shocking truth.
Wolfgang quickly resolves the situation without even having time to comfort the two.
Why was an exploration team composed of a very small number of elite troops formed for this mission?
Why was the details of the mission kept hidden until the end, even from the person in charge of the mission?
Also, why did this mission not end at the bottom and was pushed all the way here?
It was a moment when all my doubts were resolved at once.
Then there was no reason to hesitate any longer.
“What can I do?”
“I want you to go inside and see what kind of tragedy is happening there.”
“All right.”
Bishop Senju said, closing his eyes tightly as if he was afraid of doing something he couldn’t do.
No matter how strong Wolfgang is, he probably feels guilty about letting someone else into a place full of monsters.
Of course, Wolfgang was confident that he could easily defeat any monster that appeared.
He declared, clenching his fists.
“I’ll be back soon after finishing.”
