Chapter 524: City of Lamentation (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 524: City of Lamentation (5)
A name I never expected threw my thoughts into chaos.
So the guy I buried in the ground wasn't a subordinate of the Seven Deadly Sins, but someone from the government.
A flicker of doubt crossed my mind.
Could the man before me be lying?
His claim was that unbelievable.
The mastermind behind the raids was the Romanian government?
Unless they were insane, why would they try to backstab the Vatican Orthodox Church, of all organizations?
Perhaps he read the doubt in my eyes.
“I know it’s hard to believe.”
The man murmured with a bitter smile, his tone understanding.
“But it’s the truth. The current Romanian government is rotten to the core.”
“The current government is rotten….”
That, too, was hard to believe.
Publicly, the Romanian government had a rather positive image.
They were portrayed as people striving to rebuild their collapsing nation, or something to that effect.
In fact, after seeing them appeal for support and attention through various media outlets, I myself had briefly hoped they would get back on their feet.
“Do you have any proof?”
He shook his head, his expression grim.
“…Unfortunately, no. But I know because I’ve experienced it firsthand.”
“Experienced it?”
“For a time, I was entrusted with the position of captain of the guard, tasked with protecting them.”
“So that’s how it was.”
The past of this man, who seemed too upright and loyal to be a mere thief, was revealed.
No wonder.
His actions were infuriating, but he himself didn't seem like a bad person.
“When the Great Cataclysm occurred, the capital was thrown into utter chaos.”
A powerful earthquake shook the entirety of Wallachia, triggering a dungeon break.
At the center of the region that had become a living hell in an instant was Bucharest.
Once, the brilliant old capital of Romania.
“Crumbling buildings, splitting earth, and vampires roaming in between…. It was hell.”
Andrei’s body trembled, as if the memory was still vivid.
A gradual strength infused his previously impassive tone.
“Countless people were dead or dying. Romania’s soldiers and police fought to save even one more person, and for that, they all met their end there.”
His voice filled with indignation.
“While the soldiers and police were sacrificing themselves to save the citizens, do you know what they were doing?”
“…What were they doing?”
“They ran. Faster than anyone, without a single look back.”
A bitter smile touched his lips.
“And yet, I risked my life to protect them. As a result, my mana circuit was destroyed, and my body was left unable to ever use mana again.”
He was filled with regret.
Regret for the moment he had risked his life to protect politicians who had abandoned their people and fled.
“I believe you can guess what happened after that.”
What followed was obvious without him needing to say it.
Once his body was broken, he would have been cast aside. To overcome his desperate reality, he must have become a thief.
All to keep his family and comrades from starving to death.
He continued, “As I said before, I have no proof. But you’ll understand once you meet them in person.”
Grind!
“…You’ll see just how rotten those bastards are.”
“……”
The sound of a man grinding his teeth in fury echoed clearly inside the tent.
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The night was dark.
I walked out of the tent, calmly organizing my thoughts.
“This is one hell of a mess.”
All things considered, Andrei’s story seemed to be true.
His smile, tinged with remorse.
His indignant voice.
Nothing about it felt like a lie.
If anything, I felt a sense of kinship.
“…I was like that, too.”
A disaster had struck the capital.
Andrei had sacrificed his body for the people he was protecting; I had sacrificed mine—practically my entire fortune—for my country.
And I had regretted it.
I knew it was the right thing to do, but I couldn't stop the regret.
Watching the body I had spent a lifetime building slowly break down was just that agonizing, that difficult.
That’s why his emotions hit me so strongly.
I knew they weren't a lie.
It was a feeling only someone who had been through a similar situation could understand.
“This is absurd, really.”
I was completely dumbfounded.
I had been trying to catch one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but instead, I’d reeled in the blameless Romanian government.
In a way, it was a big catch, but I guess you could say it was far from the species of fish I was hoping for.
“No, wait a minute.”
I stopped in my tracks, sinking deeper into thought.
A doubt surfaced.
Was the big fish caught in my net really a different species than I’d thought?
What were the chances that it was the same species, just with a different appearance?
“…It’s not impossible.”
I couldn't be 100% certain.
But it was also true that the thought was too unsettling to simply dismiss.
In times like these, there was only one solution.
“I have no choice but to see for myself.”
No matter how vivid the information, hearing it from someone else was different from confirming it with my own eyes.
However, I couldn't do it alone.
I needed several people with sharp eyes to back up my hypothesis.
And fortunately, there were such people here.
A lot of them.
* * *
The next morning.
As soon as dawn broke, Kim Do-jin gathered Francis Meyer and the other colleagues.
He explained everything.
All that had happened, including the shocking truth he had heard from Andrei the day before.
The reactions that followed were no different from his own.
“…Are you saying the government is behind the attacks on the volunteer corps?”
“No way, that’s ridiculous.”
“How could the government attack the Orthodox Church unless they’re insane?”
“That’s strange. They seemed like such good people when I saw them on TV…?”
Looking at their disbelieving faces, which mirrored his own from the night before, he was struck by a fresh realization.
Just how well the Romanian government had managed its public image.
The meeting tent grew noisy.
When Francis raised his hand, silence fell as if the commotion had never happened.
“I have one question.”
“Yes.”
“What are the chances that man was lying?”
A sharp gaze pierced through Kim Do-jin.
He met the suspicion—the unspoken question of whether he’d been swayed by words without a shred of proof—and answered confidently.
“I haven’t ruled out the possibility that he was lying. However, I can’t rule out the possibility that he was telling the truth, either.”
“Hmm… so?”
What do you want to do?
He answered.
“Let’s go and see for ourselves.”
“Are you suggesting we use the Orthodox Church Volunteer Corps to make contact with them?”
“That would be the safest way to avoid suspicion.”
“That’s true, but… hmm.”
Francis fell into thought for a moment.
He was worried.
Worried that they might be wasting their time, fooled by the words of a common thief.
Or worse, that they might be walking willingly into a trap.
But it was also a possibility they couldn't simply ignore.
“…Alright. Let’s go and confirm it ourselves.”
Their next destination was decided.
Brasov.
The city designated as the new capital of Romania after the fall of Bucharest.
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Mobilizing the Orthodox Church Volunteer Corps was not difficult.
With Francis Meyer’s influence, coupled with the news that they had a lead on the mastermind behind the raids, the corps leader, Michael, hardened his expression and declared:
“If that is the case, we will gladly join you in this endeavor.”
It wasn’t a major disruption for them, either.
Brasov was already one of the cities on their volunteer schedule.
Changing the schedule might have raised suspicion, but they happened to have a good excuse.
After quickly packing up the relief station, they immediately boarded the bus.
The distance from the border city to the capital was about eight hours.
However, that was only if traffic was smooth.
Due to the poor road conditions, they had to take several detours, and though they had left early in the morning, they only arrived as the sun was setting.
They were at the entrance of Brasov, the new capital of Romania.
The place was different from other cities.
Unlike the cities left in ruins, this one had an intact exterior, and troops armed with proper equipment formed an ironclad perimeter around it.
“Halt.”
The bus stopped at the voice directed at them.
The guards were thorough and persistent, checking the identities of everyone on the bus.
Then, with surprised faces, they bowed their heads.
“You’re… the Orthodox Church Volunteer Corps. But why are you here…?”
“For volunteer work, of course.”
“Yes, but we were told you wouldn’t be arriving in Brasov for another week…?”
“That was the original plan, but we had to change our schedule unexpectedly.”
Michael continued with a bitter smile.
“Our supplies have run low due to the frequent raids.”
“Ah…! I see. You must be very concerned.”
“Sigh, not at all. They were likely just refugees we were trying to help.”
“Yes… I’m sure that’s right.”
“We’ve traveled a long way and are quite fatigued. Could you let us in now?”
“What? Ah, yes! My apologies. We’ll open the gate for you immediately.”
A signal was given, and the tightly sealed city gate opened.
The bus moved forward once more.
The state of the city inside was quite different from other places.
Well-paved roads, intact buildings, and even the expressions on people’s faces suggested they were living reasonably well.
The bus had just arrived in front of the hotel where they were scheduled to stay in a week’s time.
“Welcome, members of the volunteer corps.”
A group of people had come to meet them.
They were middle-aged men dressed in fairly neat, though visibly aged, suits.
The most impressive among them was the man at the forefront.
Streaks of white hair peeked through his slicked-back hair.
His eyes were full of vigor, his nose and lips large.
The man, who exuded an overall air of boldness, was named Viktor Vadim.
The spirited president, leading Romania by the scruff of its neck from the brink of ruin.
He bowed politely to the volunteer corps.
“I extend my gratitude to all of you who have made this difficult journey to bestow God’s mercy upon Romania.”
It was at that very moment.
Snap!
Clank!
“……?!”
The aura of Gluttony, which I had suppressed deep within my gut, began to run wild on its own.