Chapter 65 – The Early Bird (2)
Wings unique to dragons, with only skin left without a single feather. I couldn’t possibly mistake the tattoo for another beast. And once I knew that, I couldn’t just ignore it.
I stepped back a little and distanced myself from him. And said in a heavy voice.
“You have a tattoo.”
“Yes.”
“That’s a dragon wing tattoo too.”
“…”
“Isn’t it?”
He neither affirmed nor denied. He just touched the tattoo on his wrist as if he had made a mistake. Coincidentally, the two men with secrets engraved on each other’s hands stared at each other in silence.
But it was Mr. Lopez who acted first.
He picked up his bag again and slowly approached it. The secretive man’s steps were heavy, but he didn’t feel any hesitation. I took a step back, watching his hand carefully.
But what I expected did not happen. He didn’t even pull his weapon out of his bag, nor did he do anything shocking about it. He just came over, put the bag down, and proudly unzipped it.
“…”
The inside of the bag was empty. Mr. Lopez took one look at my face and started to pick up food in it.
“Miss Lopez…?”
“…”
“What are you doing?”
“Same thing as you guys.”
“What does that mean?”
I frowned at the meaningless answer and asked again. Then Mr. Lopez let out a heavy sigh and turned to me.
“Why are you guys here? Aren’t you here to get something to eat?”
“We…”
“I don’t mean to interrogate you. You brought our Erica, but how can I be angry with you? I have to leave this city now.”
“This is a bit sudden. Did Mrs. Erica know about it?”
“Her wife won’t want to leave this place. Never.”
“…”
“You look like you’re curious about the story. Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything. Don’t worry, I’ll also tell you what this tattoo means.”
Once again, the tattoo on the wrist was revealed in excessive kindness. Mr. Lopez carefully stroked the tattoo with a touch that seemed to mix love and hate.
“After the dragons burned the capital, the people of this city had to choose between two options. Follow the emperor’s army westward or remain in this city and wait for death. Most people choose the first and move to this city left. And a few, including my wife and I, foolishly stayed here.”
“The ending would have been the same anyway. No one can escape the dragon.”
“Yes. Most of the people left in the city thought so. And many who couldn’t stand the fact chose to die themselves. But there were people like us who couldn’t die yet. Among them was the mayor of this city. “
“…”
“Instead of meaninglessly waiting for death, he began to think about how to survive the destruction. He believed that there would be hope no matter how desperate the situation. So he gathered high-ranking people like us and started discussing how to do it. For two days like that, After much discussion, a conclusion has been reached.”
“Have you come to a conclusion?”
“It was a very simple conclusion to win the favor of the dragon.”
I couldn’t bear to speak at Mr. Lopez’s absurd story. Then, when I saw his tattoo, I remembered something, so I slowly opened my mouth.
“Let’s create a religion that worships dragons. Was that your opinion? Was it your intention to gain their favor by worshiping dragons?”
“It’s similar. And this tattoo is the symbol. But you’ve left out the essentials. In religion, you have to be conscious to get God’s favor.”
“Did you even create a ritual?”
“Yes. It was a more realistic ritual than I thought. And my wife found it quite persuasive. Even I believed it until a while ago.”
“That’s what…”
“Do you want to know?”
Mr. Lopez shut up at the crucial moment. Then he swept some more food into her bag and he lifted it up.
“At this point, you’ll want to know why I’m telling you this story. The bottom line is simple: help my family get out of this city.”
“But that… Isn’t it something we don’t have to do? Just drag her wife…”
“Look. If forced to do it, she would have done it long ago. But her wife is overly engrossed in the rituals the mayor has created. She’s sure to carry on with that madness even if forced to drag her out of here.”
“What are you asking me to do?”
“The ceremony will be held tomorrow. There I will prove to the people that it is crazy. Help me then.”
“…”
I didn’t answer. I thought about it for a while, but it didn’t seem like a positive answer would come out. Mr. Lopez nodded calmly as if he thought so too.
“I roughly expected this kind of reaction. It doesn’t matter. It has nothing to do with you anyway, and I’m not in a position to ask for anything. Then there’s only one thing I can say. Take the food you’ve brought and get here right now.” Leave.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
“If I may add one more thing, I hope you won’t even think of disturbing me tomorrow.
“We think so…”
“No. Maybe we’ll meet again tomorrow.”
“I heard from Erica that they are looking for weapons against you, westbound trains and hetzlings. But the weapons and railroads are all in the hands of the mayor. If you want them, you’ll have to go to the ceremony tomorrow anyway. “
As soon as dawn broke, we said goodbye to the Lopez couple. In the meantime, Mrs. Lopez had seduced us to stay longer, but of course we declined. Then she regretted it very much and bestowed blessings on her future journey. Erica couldn’t even open her mouth, as if her emotions were overflowing.
And Mr. Lopez gave no more information than yesterday about railroads or arms. After that, the couple bowed their heads once again and took Erika and left for her somewhere.
After all, if you want to know something, it means follow him. The ulterior motive was obvious, but it was also true that what we were looking for was in the direction they were going. The footsteps that had to be strayed began to lead again like that.
We quietly followed the Lopez couple. It is simply amazing that relationships between people can change so often in the span of a single day. The silent city once again opened its arms to us. But today, it wasn’t just us who fell into that embrace.
The further I went, the more I began to hear the footsteps of other people around me. Although we couldn’t figure out their identity, it seemed clear that they shared a destination with us. After passing through the city square and beyond the city hall, the footsteps headed for an empty lot on the outskirts of the city.
“It’s a little strange. If you go further from here, you’ll only come to a military facility. Not a good place to hold a rally.”
“Maybe it has something to do with the mayor taking over all the weapons.”
“What the hell are you up to? We’re the only ones bothering you.”
“No, but well…It has nothing to do with us, senior. Let’s just break a few heads as usual and grab a weapon and go.”
“But you also have to check the railroad facilities, right? Haru. Considering Mr. Lopez’s words, there might be trains that can really run.”
“Then it would be really nice. If I had known it would be like this, I would have brought boiled eggs and potatoes.”
“Shh. I think we’re almost there.”
At Rebecca’s words, I quickly lowered my stance. Then, a fairly large vacant lot and the people gathered in it caught my eye. The Lopez’s joined them and we climbed the low hill with careful steps. Then, the whole view of the meeting came into view.
It was a landscape that could only be described with the word rally. A crowd of people in an empty lot and a moderator standing in the front. And the guards surrounding them. There was nothing strange about the participants’ attire, except that they were overly neat and old-fashioned.
However, the situation changes when you realize that it is a landscape on the verge of destruction. In an era where survival takes precedence over honor, gatherings are the pinnacle of worthlessness. Even so, their expressions were serious. As if there is nothing more important than this.
In the meantime, I turned my gaze to grasp the size of the guards. I hoped that the numbers would be small enough to overpower them, but unfortunately the gods did not grant my wish.
“One… Two… Three… Four… Quite a lot of troops.”
“And all of them are carrying anti-monster weapons. Among them, the most useful one is…Hey. He’s holding it.”
“Something like that cannon. I don’t think I could ever use it alone.”
“Then, that gauntlet over there is useful, too. It’s dangerous.”
At my words, Rebecca-san pointed at a man wearing a strange-looking gauntlet. His expression was very serious, but compared to the others, his armament looked shabby, so I involuntarily laughed out loud.
“…That little thing is useful?”
“In modern weapons, it is more important how much mana can be drawn from the user rather than the output of the weapon itself.
“I guess I didn’t learn that far. The world is ruined.”
“Anyway, the distance from the railway station is very close. Saya, can you see the condition of the railway?”
“Yes. At least… I can’t see the broken part beyond the horizon. I can see one train standing there. It looks fine from the outside.”
“It might be worth checking out.”
“Hello everyone! Good morning!”
At that time, the voice of the moderator standing in the middle of the empty lot rang out loudly. Judging by the colorful outfit and disciplined vocalization, it was unmistakably the man Mr. Lopez had spoken of, the mayor. Even in this world, his authority was alive, and the attendees responded enthusiastically to his greetings.
“Yes! Nice to meet you, Mayor!”
“Thank you. It is a great blessing that unity can be maintained so well in these times. That’s why we can be genuinely happy about the addition of a new member. Aren’t we, Mrs. Lopez?”
“Yes… Yes, yes, Mayor!”
“Thank you for your enthusiastic reply, ma’am. Oh, I’m sure others don’t know about this news yet. Yesterday Mrs. Lopez’s daughter, Erica, miraculously returned to life. We can’t help but congratulate everyone on this joyous occasion. Come on. , Miss Erika, please come forward!”
“Uh… I… Am I?”
Due to the people’s support, Erica went to the mayor’s side without knowing why she was there. He smiled at her and nodded her head.
“Everyone. This is Miss Erica. As you can see, she’s a pretty girl and she’s smart enough to serve as student president at the academy. How happy we are to have such a talented person back at Belentel. Please give us warm applause, everyone!”
“Yes? No, I…And isn’t my voice too loud…?”
“How can I not raise my voice on a day like this?
“Yes. I have nothing…”
“Don’t worry. You’ll know when you see it. Come on, everyone!”
As the mayor beckoned somewhere, a group of people began to walk out of the warehouse built in the corner. Behind them, chunks of bright red meat were being dragged out instead of shadows.
The flow of blood every time it was pulled was similar to what I saw in the food warehouse yesterday. I wondered if it might have been brought there as it was, but there was a lot of quantity and a variety of types. Hoofed meat or scaled fish.
Even unidentified meat with dangling nails.
As the number of bodies piled up, Erica’s eyes began to grow more and more anxious. The mayor held her hand warmly.
“Don’t be nervous Miss Erica. We’re just having her guests.”
“A guest…?”
“Yes. You are a very honored guest, especially to us.”
Underneath the warm smile, a wing tattoo on the nape of my neck caught my eye. Erica also asked blankly, opening her mouth to see if she had noticed it.
“That…”
“Ah, you mean this tattoo? This is a sign to reassure guests who are coming soon. Just as we smile to reassure the other person, we reassure our guests by showing off a familiar look. Then it will be easier to entertain. .”
“Entertainment…?”
“Yes. Hospitality. That way, the guest will be able to tell our story to the second guest. We are not in danger. We are friendly landlords ready to welcome any guest.”
“…Yes?”
Erica tilted her head at the unknown story. Then the mayor smiled again and kindly added her explanation.
“Miss Erika. It’s obvious to say that they are coming to our world. Who are they? I’m sure even Miss Erika heard what the imperial family announced. Who are the people who will be visiting in the next 100 days? Who are the people who are coming to rule this continent? “
“Could it be…A dragon?”
“Yes. That’s right. At first, everyone was afraid that an invader was coming. But what if we change our thinking a little? Is not it?”
“What… What? That nonsense…”
A perfectly normal reaction came out of Erica’s mouth. But her mayor, still drunk on her own logic, continued her bullshit.
“It’s not nonsense. It’s perfectly normal. Even those guests sent their children to this land first before coming directly. No, did they send their precious children before any invaders invaded? It’s ridiculous. .”
“That…That’s not like that.”
“No. Everything is right, Miss Erica. They sent their children first to test us. Depending on their attitude towards them, they will decide whether to punish or reward them.”
“What nonsense is that…”
“Yeah, well, maybe that doesn’t make sense. But what if we cared for our children with all our passion? What mother gets upset in that situation? What father complains about it? What parent…”
“…”
“… I will give her death to the benefactor who took care of her own child.”
Suddenly, the mayor’s eyes turned to the Lopez couple. The lady nodded her head enthusiastically, as if impressed, and Mr. Lopez gritted his teeth. Meanwhile, something else was approaching from behind.
It was a cage And inside it was a large bird. Dark blue feathers and a dainty beak compared to the body. They were characteristic of a mysterious bird that had a habit of mimicking human voices.
Soon, the person carrying the cage touched the bird’s neck with a strange stick. Then the bird opened its beak in pain and let out a terrifying scream.
“Keeeee!!!
“…!!!”
“Keeeee!!!”
And it was very similar to the cry of a flying beast that I had heard the other day.
However, it was a little different from the shout of victory he let out at that time. Rather, it sounded soft, even playful. I didn’t know what that meant, but it didn’t bode well.
An ominous feeling ran through my body. And that premonition soon replaced a gigantic presence on the other side of the sky. Rebecca and I gritted our teeth and spat out swear words at the same time.
“Like these crazy people…!”
