Eps 171 Kerugo Autonomous Region (3)
Outsiders trampled on Kerugo, making all kinds of excuses and justification. There were countless women who lost their purity in the name of inspections. Even though colleagues' resentment was palpable, it was difficult to side with the Outsiders.
“We will start the inspection now. You, come here and raise your arm."
Amy stood her ground, a mix of refusal and vigilance in her stance.
If the man hadn't been a master, she might have countered upon being insulted, but his kilkig intent was too potent. If a battle were to break out, one would have to be prepared for a commotion, and the location was not good for that.
“It’s too much to watch.”
Rian stepped in front of Amypath. Amy's ability to judge the situation might be better, but if the other person was going to touch a woman's shame, it was right for him to step up.
"Falkoa may be dead, but the Freeman Organization is still robust. If you treat us this way, you too won't escape unscathed."
Rian's strategy, leveraging Freeman's influence, was clever. Amy also thought it was a good approach.
But the people of Kerugo were more aggressive than anticipated.
Mahatu's face reddened as if his reverse scale had been touched.
"Is this a challenge? Come at us all you want. People of Kerugo don't run."
- Everyone step back. Mahatu's mind is focused.
Arin informed through Physic Channel.
By the time the words were finished, everyone felt it. Even the normally insensitive Rian could sense the intense aura.
Amy aimed her Spirit Zone. The method of battle will be determined depending on how high Mahatu's fighting spirit rises.
Ppuuuuuu!
Then, from the other end of the cave, the sound of a trumpet echoed.
If the sound reached the winding tunnels, one could imagine its loudness.
As the trumpet sound spread throughout the cave, Mahatu looked towards the entrance with shocked eyes.
His colleague's reaction was even worse. They was shaking their shoulders in disbelief.
"Mahatu, this is the Trumpet of Sorrow (진곡의). What in the world has happened…?"
Before his colleague could finish speaking, Mahatu leaped into action.
"Damn it! Why the Trumpet of Sorrow! Has war broken out?"
The Trumpet of Sorrow was the highest level of alert set by the Kerugo Tribe. Upon hearing it, every tribe member must assemble at the source of the sound immediately. There were no exceptions for any class, and failure to participate would result in punishment.
As the natives disappeared, Amy and her group fell into disarray.
"What's happening? What seems to have happened outside?”
"Let's go first and see. Being at a dead end is dangerous."
Amy and her group exited the cave and arrived where the sound was emanating from.
It was a huge square where seven tunnels converged.
The natives were gathering, but their numbers were so vast that it was impossible to discern what was happening.
The murmuring noise combined, making it hard to convey words. They expected something from Physic Channel, but Arin was just staring at the podium.
“Kneel down and worship! The Messenger of God has come to save us!”
An elder on the platform shouted. Then, easily a thousand people knelt down, voicing in unison.
"We welcome the Messenger of God."
As if the world was collapsing, the crowd sank down. The view to the platform cleared, revealing Shirone standing before the elder.
Looking around, Shirone's eyes met Amy's. They had only been apart for about two hours, but having faced too many absurd situations, it was overwhelming.
“Amy.”
The ones proclaiming the arrival of the Messenger of God quieted down. Silence spread out in concentric circles, and a few people glanced at Amy.
Among them was Mahatu. Amy didn't think she would forget the look of embarrassment on his face for a long time.
“Shirone.”
The native's gaze turned to Shirone again. Their attitude was not to miss a single word that came out of his mouth.
Shirone's face turned into a tearful expression.
"Amy, what's happening with these people? I can't understand a word they're saying."
Amy scratched her eyebrow as she saw Shirone, looking like he was on the verge of tears.
And she thought to herself,
How would I know?
@
As Shirone took a step, the crowd parted like a bamboo split in half. The fact that they kept their posture straight even when they bowed was proof that they were nervous.
Shirone's face was haggard. Being exposed to an unknown language for two hours would naturally take its toll.
Normally, people would give up on conversation if they couldn't understand each other. However, the executors at the altar did not leave Shirone alone for a moment.
“I thought I was going to die from frustration. They bowed whenever I said anything, so in the end we left without me saying a word. Why are these people acting this way towards me?"
"I don't know. We just arrived too. Did you pass the test?"
"Yeah, it seems so, but there's a problem."
“A problem? What’s the problem?”
Explaining the scenes seen in Miro of Time and Space would take a long time. But there was neither time nor the right situation for that.
The elder who had blown the trumphet approached Shirone.
Mahatu followed behind the old man. His mind was complicated. It is said that if one was a Messenger of God, they would have opened all eight Miro of Time and Space, but it was shocking to see that he was a fluffy boy, contrary to what he had thought.
- Absolute obedience to the Messenger of God.
It's something he have heard since he was young so that his ears would get scabbed.
It was on a different level from the religious beliefs expressed by Outsiders. God was a real force for people of Kerugo, just as the people obey the king.
Mahatu quickened his pace towards Shirone. If he truly was the Messenger of God, then he had to pay for the disrespect shown to Amy's group before confronting the elder.
"Respected Messenger of God, pardon the intrusion, but are these individuals your companions?"
As Jis approached to interpret, Mahatu gestured with his hand to stop him.
"No, it seems someone is using Mental Magic. If there's someone like that, please allow the Messenger of God to communicate directly."
Mahatu realized this when Amy's tone grew louder.
Normally, translations between parties tend to simplify and shorten the conversation, but certain parts felt accurately interpreted in Kerugo language.
Arin's Spirit Zone permeated Mahatu's shadow.
Shirone was taken aback by the voice ringing in his head, but nodded when he realized what kind of ability it was.
Mahatu understood that preparations were complete and asked the question from before again.
“Messenger of God, are these individuals truly your companions?”
“Yes, they are my friends.”
Mahatu nodded gravely. He wasn't afraid of death, but being rude to Shirone's friend was a mistake that put the fate of the tribe in jeopardy.
Kerugo's destruction was not due to Loop, civil war, or volcanic eruption. Officially, as officially narrated. Behind the scenes, there was a hidden truth that no one knew about.
The people of Kerugo had angered the angels.
And the boy standing before him was a descendant of those angels.
The tale passed down over 500 years had rooted itself as a deep-seated fear in the unconscious minds of people of Kerugo living in the modern era.
Mahatu's expression changed. His expression went from one of frustration to one of horror, and then to his original expression as if he had made up his mind then shouted, kneeling down to the point where his might be broken.
“I apologize! Please execute me! I have committed grave disrespect towards your companions!”
“Disrespect? What disrespect? You didn't resort to violence, did you?”
Shirone, who was alerted by their actions that bordered on fanaticism, immediately snapped back. He wouldn't forgive them if they had laid a hand on his friends.
“Oh, it was nothing. Just a little squabble. You know how it is, the usual stuff we do.”
Amy's words were close to euphemism. There had been a conflict, but she suggested letting it pass, given the complicated circumstances.
Mahatu looked up at Amy with a mix of gratitude and relief. Then, yielding his place to the elder, he stepped back.
The elder, introducing himself as the Elder Hashid of the Kerugo tribe, posed a significant question to Shirone.
“Have you come after receiving the message from Miro?”
Shirone recalled the scenes he had witnessed in the Room of Achievement and Sacrifice. Although the information passed by so quickly and was floating in fragments, each and every piece of it was vivid.
As Shirone nodded, the elder leaned on his staff and turned around.
The natives gathered in the square awaited a response.
“At last, the Messenger of God has graced Kerugo!”
Shirone and the others covered their ears. As soon as the Hashid spoke, the natives let out a warrior's cry.
The cave was so full of sound that it felt like the ceiling was going to explode.
There were occasional cries mixed in with the shouts of joy. Among the crowd, destitute individuals approached Shirone, kneeling before him.
“Messenger of God, my child is ill. Please heal them.”
Arin's channel was also connected to Mahatu, so he could understand her words. However, Shirone lacked the ability to heal the sick child.
A starving elder crawled next to the woman, clasped his hands together, and pleaded.
“Please give us something to ear! My family is starving.”
Starting with that, people arrived one after another.
“Bestow upon me eternal life!”
“Please spare my daughter Atoreman! She is engaged to a man!”
“Please let me be a woman!”
Arin didn't just cover her ears; she even closed her eyes. The scene transmitted through her Initial State was so overwhelmingly red, it resembled boiling lava. Taking in any more of the people's fervor seemed like it would shatter her mind.
"Canis! The voices in my mind are too loud!"
"Close the channel. You might get hurt."
Shirone was trapped in the crowd and couldn’t move an inch. Even though Arin had canceled Telepathy, making interpretation impossible, but the waves of emotion continued to surge and tighten her heart. It felt like being trapped in a mass hypnosis, with madness as the keyword.
Shirone turned to Hashid and Mahatu for help. But they just looked at their tribespeople with sad eyes.
"Everyone, silence!"
As soon as the man's shouting erupted, it suddenly became quiet.
A young man, accompanied by sturdy warriors on his left and right, walked from the northern tunnel. Although not particularly tall, his muscles, inflated like a balloon, overpowered his escorts. His hair was long and swept back, and his face was marked with golden tattoos.
Only then did Arin open her closed eyes.
Viewing the native’s emotions through her Initial State, what she sensed was a profound reverence.
But that wasn't all.
They were afraid. It was a typical aura of fear encountered in the presence of an iron-fisted ruler. The man was undoubtedly the leader of Kerugo.
The man who approached Shirone introduced himself.
“I am Kadum, the chieftain of Kerugo. From now on, I will be at your service.”
Shirone checked with his friends for their opinions.
There was no one opposed. To gain something from the autonomous zone, they would inevitably have to meet with him at some point.
And this was where Jis's role ended.
Shirone said with a hint of disappointment.
“We'll handle it from here. It might get dangerous.”
Jis nodded without showing any signs of being offended. His lack of unnecessary pride was one of the reasons why Shirone and his friends trusted him.
While exchanging handshakes, Jis expressed his concern,
“Be careful. The autonomous zone seems very different from the Kerugo I know.”
“Okay. There shouldn’t be any major issues. And thanks for the interpretation.”
“If I was of help, that’s good enough. When everything's over, drop by my place. Yuna will have lots of delicious food prepared for you.”
Shirone requested Kadum to escort Jis back to the ruins. Many were eager to follow Shirone's command and volunteered to guide. Arin chose someone reliable.
Jis left the Kergo Autonomous Region following the robust warrior.
Kadum led Shirone and his friends into the cave.
Even after a 20-minute walk, the destination was nowhere in sight. If this path were a dead-end alley, any traveler would have collapsed by now.
Not all labyrinths have complex designs. The labyrinth of the autonomous zone was overwhelming in its scale.
Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)