Chapter 184
Chapter 184
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 184
Chapter Title: Reversal of the Law (5)
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But now that he thought about it, the howling wasn't the issue. He had never seen magic that turned into a giant flash of light and flew into the sky.
“How on earth did they do that? Who are they?”
Two tracking experts began to follow the trail of Shirone's party. One sniffed the air like a dog, while the other tilted his head to the sky, his tongue hanging out.
The man relying on his sense of smell gave up.
“Captain, the scent is blocked. I can't track them.”
The man using his sense of taste held out a little longer. After letting his tongue hang down to his chin, he rolled his eyes, which had shown only the whites, back to normal.
“I’ve got them with my sense of taste. They went that way.”
When the rear guard arrived, the captain mounted his horse. Then he turned in the direction the tracker had indicated and said.
“They've only crossed one wall, anyway! They couldn't have gone far! After them!”
“Kreeeeee!”
The pursuit party let out a strange cry and went back the way they came.
One minute later.
Shirone's group descended in the flash of light, back to their original location.
It had been Shirone's suggestion to use the Kergo's tracking abilities against them.
Their scent already lingered here, making it impossible to track. Therefore, they would only return after checking every other location.
Gadrak was once again supported by Clove. He pointed toward a deep crevice in the canyon and said.
“You saved us. We shouldn't run into them for a while. Let's go this way. There should be a path.”
Amy asked, her voice laced with doubt.
“Where exactly is Nor's Rest? How much farther do we have to go?”
“That's what I'd like to ask. How do you wield light magic so freely? Do you extract it from the air?”
“We don't use that method. Why the sudden question?”
“To travel to Nor's Rest, we need a place where light gathers. It's similar to the magic you cast, but it can take you much farther. Anyway, trust me and follow. There's a Shining Spot just a little further.”
The magic Gadrak was talking about was likely spatial transportation. It seemed to be a method of borrowing the power of photons from a place where light converged to fly to Nor's Rest in a single jump.
A good choice. With this method, even if pursuers killed the guide, the location of Nor's Rest would not be revealed.
The Nor's way of thinking was certainly that of a mage. A place where such people gathered. What kind of place could Nor's Rest be?
With a small sense of excitement, Shirone followed the crevice in the canyon and emerged on the other side.
@
“Where in the world are they hiding?”
The captain of the pursuit party was grim. They had been searching the area for twenty minutes, but still couldn't find their scent.
A scout team rode up on horseback. The look in their eyes clearly spelled failure.
“Nothing. We found no trace of them entering Ridge Canyon or Fan Creek.”
“Damn it! To lose them when we had them cornered!”
“But Captain, isn't it strange? How did they escape when they were fighting us? That place definitely wasn't one of the areas the Nor talk about, where light concentrates.”
The captain had been thinking the same thing.
As far as he knew, there were no mages among the Nor who used that kind of magic. They could be an otherworldly species, but they had many human-like features.
As someone who had been hunting heretics for 400 years now, he recalled a hint from ancient history.
“Could it be… humans from the land?”
A sharp glint appeared in the captain's eyes. If they were humans from the land, the pursuit was no longer the main issue.
The Mecca delve into what is known, and the Nor delve into what is unknown. But the Kergo delve into God, and thus, they were the only subjects who knew all the truths.
Humans from the land weren't like the mimics. To the Kergo, at least, they were a serious variable that could affect the Law.
“Halt the pursuit. We're returning to Shamayin. The report comes first.”
Following the captain, the pursuers turned their horses around.
At that moment, a vibration suddenly came from the ground.
Everyone, who had been glancing around nonchalantly, widened their eyes as the vibration grew stronger.
“Could it be…?”
The reason the Nor used the canyon as a way station was because it was a safe zone where no harm would befall them, as long as they avoided one particular law.
Therefore, this vibration was something that should never have happened. The appearance of a Whirlpool Snake during daylight hours was an event unrecorded even in history.
“The Law… is being broken.”
A fierce wind raged, and a black curtain fell over the twenty men's vision.
What followed in the utter darkness were shrieks and screams.
As time passed, the sound of their cries faded away.
The darkness lifted, and sunlight streamed down, illuminating the cold canyon. Thousands of pieces of flesh floated on the red stream.
@
“Shamayin?”
Seeing Shirone's confused expression, Kanya realized she had been too brief and added an explanation. It was her first time meeting people from outside of Heaven, so she sometimes forgot they came from the land.
“It's the district in Heaven where the subjects live. It's also called the First Heaven.”
“The First Heaven. Does that mean the first sky?”
Gadrak answered that question. As a heretic, he felt less burdened explaining Heaven than Kanya did.
“Heaven is divided into seven districts, from the First Heaven to the Seventh Heaven. The place where the subjects live is called Shamayin.”
Shirone recalled the scene he had witnessed from the sky.
Inside a massive circular wall were six districts, sliced like a pie, and another district situated in the very center.
The seven heavens Gadrak mentioned referred to that.
“Do all the races live together in Shamayin?”
“That's right. Their living areas are different, but they all reside in the First Heaven. Even the Kergo behave themselves there. The subjects are fundamentally protected by the Law. But Purgatory is extraterritorial. So the laws of Heaven don't apply. Surviving here is no easy task.”
“Just how many races live in this place?”
“If you include Purgatory, countless. There are many creatures called otherworldly species whose origins are unknown. The One-Horned Ogre you fought was one of them. But there are still only three races of subjects who abide by God's Law. They have different strengths and weaknesses, so they work together to form the foundation of Heaven. The Nor love exploration, and the Mecca love inquiry.”
“Then what do the Kergo love?”
The corners of Gadrak's mouth lifted.
“They love God.”
“Gadrak! Such blasphemy!”
Kanya snapped, but Gadrak paid her no mind.
From the moment he decided to become a heretic, there was no law that governed him. He had gained a life of suffering in exchange for abandoning God, but that, too, was his own choice.
“The Kergo love conflict. Their role is to hunt. That's why they're the only race permitted to enter Purgatory. Of course, they seem to have their own strange interpretation of that.”
This time, even Kanya had to agree.
“They're a truly disagreeable race. Just because they use the power of giants doesn't make them giants. It's irritating to see them just mimicking those who uphold the Law.”
“But what exactly is this 'Law'?”
When he first heard the word 'Law', he interpreted it as he understood it, but as time went on, it seemed to be used differently from in his original world.
Kanya asked back with a look of disbelief.
“You don't know what the Law is? Is there no Law in the land?”
“No, we have it, but… I mean, do you really have to follow it?”
“Of course. The Law is the will of the great Ra. Those who go against that will cannot exist. That's why it's called the Law.”
Shirone spread his hands in frustration and said.
“But we're breaking the Law right now, aren't we?”
Kanya grew even more frustrated and snapped.
“That's why we're suffering like this in Purgatory! Why can't you understand! Would you want to live your whole life in a place like this?”
Clove retorted at her disparaging words about Purgatory.
“Hmph, why couldn't we? It's much better than living your whole life in such a cramped place.”
“Oh, is that so? Well then, have a nice life. Getting hunted by the Kergo as heretics for the rest of your days.”
Just as Clove was about to snap back, Gadrak spoke.
“That may be so. In any case, we are the ones who defied the Law. We were cast out to Purgatory for it, but what does it matter? At least we gained freedom.”
“How is that freedom? It's just fear. The fear of not knowing when you'll die.”
“I don't know when I'll die. But even so, the right to die belongs to me. Isn't that enough?”
Kanya's expression hardened.
The subjects were known to have eternal life, but death was nevertheless a sensitive issue. Especially for a heretic to speak of the 'right to die'—it was a mockery of Heaven.
Unable to contain her anger, Kanya lashed out.
“As subjects, shouldn't you naturally follow the Law? You run away on your own terms, and now you dress it up with words like 'freedom' and 'the right to die'? Do you think saying such things makes your lives any better? This is why I can't stand the Nor.”
Lena tried to stop her.
“Stop it, sister. Arguing with a heretic won't change anything.”
Kanya knew that, too. There was no getting through to those who stood on the opposite side of the Law.
But Gadrak, now that the stage was set, intended to see it through to the end. After his long life in Purgatory, he, too, had much pent up inside.
“Do you really think so? Do you think you're in the right?”
“Of course! We're different! We only came to Purgatory because you can't use things like Elixir in Heaven. Once we get what we need, we'll return to Shamayin and live happily ever after under God's protection!”
“No need to frame it like that. Aren't you just another creature thirsty for eternal life?”
Killing intent filled Kanya's eyes.
She had remained silent through the blasphemous conversation until now because there was a line she could tolerate. But Gadrak had just crossed far over that line.
“You… even for a heretic, I can't forgive those words. I could finish you right here and now.”
“Sister, don't.”
Kanya shook off her sister's hand and drew her Arc. But Gadrak simply looked at her calmly, with an expression that was, in a way, pitying.
“If so, why did you come looking for me? No, what is it you're trying to obtain at Nor's Rest?”
Kanya, aiming the Arc, flinched.
“It's obvious even if you don't say it. Someone in your family is receiving the Anecdotal Wine soon, aren't they? That's why you've come here, to buy Nor medicine.”
The aim of the Arc wavered. At this distance, if she released the handle, there would be no way to block the projectile. But in the end, she couldn't shoot. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
“What's… what's wrong with it? What's so wrong with thinking of my parents! This has nothing to do with the Law! I just… I just want my mom to…!”
Men from Heaven were just as weak to a woman's tears, and Gadrak's anger softened. He, too, had once been one of the subjects. So he knew better than anyone how Kanya must feel.
Lena hugged her sister and said to Gadrak.
“I'm sorry. My sister…”
“I know. No need to apologize to a heretic. The Mecca have strong family bonds. I must have gotten worked up, which isn't like me. It's all because of this wound.”
Gadrak awkwardly examined the wound on his abdomen. The muscle was cut, but his organs were fine. The problem was the bleeding; it wasn't severe, but it wasn't stopping.
Gadrak turned and said.
“Don't worry. The Nor don't let emotions get in the way of business, so you'll be able to get what you want. You'll need quite a bit of Elixir, though. The Nor are excellent merchants.”
Kanya wiped her tears and said bravely.
“Hmph, don't worry about that. I've saved up plenty over the past year.”
A sad smile touched Gadrak's lips as he walked away.
Shirone, who had been watching their conversation, felt somber. Many of the words were unfamiliar, and the reasons for the emotional outburst were unclear, but it was obvious this place wasn't governed by absolute values either.
What was the Anecdotal Wine? Was Ra truly a god? Is this Heaven, or just another world?
When this journey is over, will I be able to return with all the answers?