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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 106
"Haha, I happened to... I didn't mean to eavesdrop."
The man said, waving his hands as if to plead his innocence.
Well, I wasn't particularly suspicious of that.
There was no reason for the man, who was still disoriented, to follow me all the way here and eavesdrop on the conversation.
However, what bothered me was his subdued voice and gloomy expression.
It seemed like he had listened to the conversation in detail, and his condition didn't look good.
I led the man to the break room in the barracks and gently asked,
"Are you alright?"
"Ah, yes. I'm fine."
"Hmm."
Fine? He didn't look fine at all.
As I stared at him with that thought, perhaps feeling pressured, the man opened his mouth again.
"...It seems we were a burden to the commander."
"I think any commander would feel that way. It was during a war, after all."
"Haha, I guess so, right?"
"Are you upset?"
"Ah, no. I'm just grateful to be alive. It's just a bit bitter."
"I see."
Suddenly, the man turned his head towards me and asked,
"Was it you, mage, who made the effort? To save us?"
"Yes?"
"Well, I heard it from the soldiers on the way here. That we were originally going to be abandoned..."
"Ah."
Whoever it was, it seemed they had given him a pretty detailed account of the situation.
Well, there was no need to hide it, so I nodded.
"Originally, when the people from Sector 7 came out of the rift, the order was given to eliminate them. I had a bit of trouble stopping that."
"Ah... Is that so? Thank you very much. I'm alive thanks to you, mage."
The man bowed politely and sat down.
And then silence followed.
I decided to take this opportunity to ask what I was curious about.
"You lived in Sector 7, right?"
"Ah, yes. That's right."
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you end up living there?"
"Uh..."
The man trailed off.
I wondered if it was a sensitive question, but fortunately, he didn't seem troubled.
He just seemed to be contemplating what to say.
Finally, he said, "I was banished for theft."
"Theft? What did you steal...?"
"It was nothing much. I stole some bread that was being sold on the street in Sector 6."
"What?"
I couldn't control my expression for a moment.
He was banished to Sector 7 for stealing bread?
Who did he think he was, Jean Valjean?
"Isn't banishment too harsh a punishment for stealing a loaf of bread?"
"Yes, it is harsh. I argued about it several times, but that was the main reason for the banishment order. They said I wasn't reflecting on my actions or something... Looking back, I guess I dug my own grave."
"Huh."
The more I listened, the more absurd it seemed.
Even when I played the game, I had never heard the stories of the Sector 7 residents, so this was a complete shock.
To think there was someone who ended up in Sector 7 because of something like this.
'Weren't most of the people there heinous criminals?'
Or those born there, like Kayla.
Moreover, my surprise didn't end there.
"So I had no choice but to live in Sector 7 with my child."
"Child?"
"Yes, my seven-year-old daughter."
He looked young, so I didn't expect it at all, but he was a man with a child.
And that child was already seven years old.
"How old are you?"
"I'm thirty this year."
"Aha."
I thought he was around my age or a little older, but thirty?
He had an incredibly youthful appearance.
Anyway...
"Ah, then where is your child?"
After hearing his story, I was worried about his child.
After all, everyone in Sector 7 had been brainwashed.
There was no way a child would be safe.
No, rather, a child would be in danger much faster.
As the man said earlier, children, women, the elderly, and then men were affected by the strange symptoms in that order.
But...
"She's not here anymore. She passed away a few years ago."
"Ah..."
The man conveyed the tragedy in a calm voice.
I was at a loss for how to react to this.
While I was searching for words of comfort, the man continued.
"The cause of death was malnutrition. It was impossible to find food in Sector 7."
That made sense.
There was a reason why Sector 7 was called a wasteland.
"Was that why you stole the bread?"
"Yes. I had no money and had been starving for days... I was desperate to save my child. Although it led to a worse outcome."
"...I'm sorry."
"Haha, it's okay now. I poured out all my sadness and cried it all out back then."
"Is that so?"
He was a man who truly liked to hide his emotions.
To say that he had overcome the grief of losing his child just by crying a few times, did he expect me to believe that?
Anyway, I was about to change the subject since it was uncomfortable to continue this conversation.
"May I ask you something?"
The man suddenly asked a question.
It seemed he was curious about something.
"Of course."
I nodded willingly, and the man spoke as if he had been waiting for it.
"What will happen to the other residents besides me?"
"Ah, the residents."
What should I answer?
After a moment of contemplation, I opened my mouth.
"They'll all be fine soon. Just like you."
As I spoke, I felt my shoulders suddenly become heavier.
It was as if I was carrying the lives of hundreds of people on my shoulders.
Well, that was what I was aiming for in the first place.
I was determined to save those people, no matter what.
This sense of responsibility helped me to keep my resolve.
"Is that also thanks to you, mage?"
"You could say that. My efforts will play a very important role."
"Ah."
What was he thinking?
The man, who had been silent for a while after hearing my words, spoke in a low voice.
"...I will definitely repay this kindness."
With a look of determination in his eyes.
I didn't bother to ask and ended the conversation there.
More than 30 minutes had already passed.
Time was not on our side.
It was time to go and free the residents of Sector 7 from that dreadful affliction.
***
"I'll help too."
When I told him I was going to undo the residents' brainwashing, the man rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward.
"There's not much you can do, though?"
"I'll find something to do. This is related to me as well, so please let me help."
"Ah, well..."
The man's will was firm, and I reluctantly agreed. After a brief exchange of names with the man, I headed straight to the detention room.
As before, the detention room was in chaos as soon as we entered.
"Die! Die! Die, die, die!"
"Kekeke, a person... a person!"
"Young man! Give me blood! Blood!"
Clank, clank! Clank, clank!
Along with the crazy shouts, the sound of iron bars shaking echoed from all directions.
I was somewhat used to it by now, but the man, no, Eos, was bewildered by the sight.
"What in the world...?"
"These are the symptoms of the brainwashed people. When they came out of the rift en masse, they bit the soldiers' necks."
"So I was like that too?"
"You were worse, if anything, not better. You were very strong."
"I feel like I keep doing things to be sorry for."
I chuckled and pointed to the cell at the very front.
"Let's start from here, one by one. Please take them out and bring them to me. Be careful not to get hurt."
"Yes, I understand!"
Eos replied vigorously and opened the detention room with confident steps.
As if waiting for it, the residents rushed towards him.
"Blood! Blood!"
"Dieeeee-!"
I positioned myself to intervene immediately if things got even slightly dangerous.
However...
Thud!
It was unnecessary.
Eos's shove sent all the charging residents sprawling to the ground.
'How is he so strong?'
It was an uncanny level of strength for someone considered an ordinary person.
'Come to think of it, his physique is comparable to Uncle Thompson's.'
What was even more surprising was that Eos was from Sector 7.
He wouldn't have been able to eat properly, nor would he have had the energy to exercise, so how did he possess such strength?
The question lingered only briefly.
"Let go of me! Let go!!"
"I brought him here."
Before I knew it, Eos was approaching me with a resident grasped by the scruff of his neck.
'Right, focus.'
This wasn't the time to be distracted by such thoughts.
I sat down on a chair and said to Eos,
"Please wait a moment. This will take some time."
Then, I immediately channeled my mana.
Mana filled with the light attribute and holy power.
Srrrk!
I poured the mana into the old man whom Eos had brought.
At the same time, I felt demonic energy.
I ignored it and concentrated on finding the location of the mark.
Since I had done this once before, it proceeded much faster than before.
How much time had passed?
Thud.
"Phew... It's done."
Finally, the old man stopped convulsing and lay down on the spot.
Soon, he would regain consciousness and return to normal.
The important thing was time.
"How long has it been?"
"About an hour has passed."
"An hour..."
It was much faster than when I erased Eos's mark.
But there were still hundreds of residents left.
This wasn't nearly enough.
"Please bring the next person."
"Yes!"
"D-die!"
Soon, the next person was placed in front of me.
Eos's monstrous strength had him bound hand and foot, unable to move.
I thought it might be helpful, and it turned out to be crucial.
Srrk!
"Uwagh! Uwaagh!"
The resident screamed as I channeled the mana.
I closed my ears and concentrated on the flow of magic.
Pasasasak!
Another mark shattered and disappeared like fragments.
"How long did it take?"
"About 40 minutes, I think."
"Good."
It wasn't enough yet, but the time had been reduced further.
At this rate, I would be able to undo the brainwashing of all the residents soon.
"Next person, please."
"Yes!"
Eos and I gradually increased our speed.
"Th-thank you. Thank you..."
Thus, the number of normal people increased one by one, and they began to help me under Eos's control.
Of course, unlike Eos, there wasn't much they could do, but that was okay.
"How could we be blessed with such a benefactor...?"
"Shh, grandpa. Be quiet. You'll disturb the mage's concentration."
"You! How dare this young whippersnapper speak to me like that!"
Just seeing them having normal conversations by my side gave me strength.
I lowered the corners of my lips, which had been raised in a smile, and looked around.
'About... 200 people left?'
Cold sweat was already trickling down my back, and my hands and feet were trembling, but somehow...
I was determined to finish this today.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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