Chapter 189
Chapter 189
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: Revolution and Red Masks
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Lamin Solrost Muel asked the question.
"What is a revolution?"
The Froglin Gorgota Pallu and the Centaur Tella looked at each other's faces.
Hwi Juran Muel spoke up.
"I know. I've heard of it."
"What is it?"
"In the empire with its centralized power structure, that sort of thing never happened. But back in the old imperial territories, lords often oppressed and tormented their subjects. They'd collect brutal taxes or force them into corvée labor during farming seasons."
"I know that. From what I know, it was common on this western continent too."
"Yes. Eventually, when the subjects could no longer endure it, they'd rise up, storm the lord's castle, and hang the lord and his retainers. That's a revolution."
Lamin looked at Juran in bewilderment.
"Isn't that just a rebellion?"
"Huh."
"Even in Heukrin, that sort of thing happened pretty often. Small communities of races rising up for independence was common. Or even just someone wanting to be king and overthrowing the king. The famous incident that comes to mind is when Troll Prince Redin Bial Oser killed his father Dermaldin in the imperial territory of Stone Asbestos."
"Ah, I know that one too. A successful rebellion example."
Lamin said,
"So what's the difference between a rebellion and a revolution?"
As Lamin posed the question, Juran blinked for a moment.
"Well... I'm not sure about that much."
Tella smiled and said,
"You can just think of it as plotting a rebellion. It'll turn out pretty much the same in practice."
To Lamin, it seemed there must be some clear difference between the two, but since it wasn't his business, digging into it would just be a hassle.
Lamin said,
"By the way... sorry, but is disguising yourself as a slave to that troll noble part of that too?"
"Yes. Levoni Dorandot isn't just any noble—he's an inquisitor. One of our biggest enemies. That's why there are a lot of people around Levoni we have to watch out for. The simplest way to approach those people is to infiltrate as someone they wouldn't suspect."
"Must be tough work."
"It's something we chose to do."
"You chose..."
"...You're not getting the wrong idea, are you?"
Lamin waved his hand dismissively.
"Anyway... that revolution thing has nothing to do with us, right?"
This time, Gorgota answered.
"Not entirely. This plan has been in preparation for a very long time, so it might involve not just the empire, but the allied kingdoms and everyone not part of them."
"No, I mean, is it related to our business?"
"In that regard... no, it shouldn't be."
Tella handed Gorgota a bag and said,
"I checked the train schedules when I heard you were coming. The ride won't be comfortable, but you can go straight inland."
Gorgota said,
"That'll take us into the old Garang Kingdom territory. You'll get off at a station not far from Rubeil Valley, where Lamin said he last saw Hwikyung."
"Well... it's been so long ago that even if Hwikyung is alive, I doubt they'd still be sitting there. What's around Rubeil Valley now?"
Gorgota didn't know, so he looked to Tella.
Tella said,
"If my memory's right, there's a massive slave labor camp."
"A slave labor camp?"
"No need to worry about it that much. The allied kingdoms are full of labor camps. They do logging and mining, but I don't know the exact scale."
"No intelligence agents there?"
"It'd be great if we could infiltrate everywhere. But they prioritize security, and we don't always have the right people for it."
Tella's brief briefing continued after that.
"And you don't need to worry too much."
"Why?"
"You wouldn't have heard coming from Thunderhold, but there's some shocking news."
"Not expecting much."
"A prophecy came down in your name, Lamin."
Not just Lamin, but Gorgota and Juran also looked shocked, so Tella said,
"According to the prophecy, Lamin will find Hwikyung."
According to the temple of all gods' history, Yacheon's prophecies had never been wrong.
If Yacheon said so, it would surely come to pass.
That said, it was a rather bland prophecy.
Lamin said with a hint of disappointment,
"...That's it?"
"Well, actually... there's more. But this part doesn't make much sense on its own."
"What is it?"
"Hwikyung forgives Lamin... Do you have any idea what that might mean? Or maybe it's metaphorical or symbolic, like prophecies often are?"
Lamin shrugged.
"Who knows."
Over a hundred years ago, in Rubeil Valley.
Hwikyung said,
"I shouldn't have spared you back then."
Lamin retorted,
"Yeah. You should've killed me then."
"Maybe it's not too late even now."
"Try it."
But Hwikyung couldn't move a muscle.
It was an accident that could happen to anyone.
The two vampires were walking a narrow mountain path to avoid people, as always.
And narrow mountain paths that people rarely tread always carried the risk of collapse.
Hwikyung tumbled down into the valley.
His condition was bad.
Both horns were split, one leg and his pelvis were twisted, one shoulder was completely dislocated—Lamin managed to pop it back, but it wouldn't stay.
Hwikyung said,
"You know there's a fairy living in my horns?"
"Yeah. And if that fairy were there, you'd be fine?"
"Exactly."
"But the fairy left. All that's left by your side is me."
Lamin stayed calm and acted methodically.
There was no one in the world to help a vampire.
If even Lamin slipped up, they'd both be as good as dead.
Lamin calmly descended the valley and checked Hwikyung's condition.
Without a vampire's tenacious life force, it would have been fatal.
Hwikyung had lost consciousness.
Lamin had to make the same choice Hwikyung had made when saving him.
Leave them to die, or somehow save them.
Lamin decided to save Hwikyung.
But deciding wasn't enough to actually save him.
"Kill me, Lamin."
"I can't do that."
"I can't live like this."
"This is still living."
There was only one way to save a vampire.
Make them drink someone else's blood.
And not just a little—a lot of it.
Hwikyung had turned Lamin into a vampire and taught him a few rules for being one.
Don't kill people just to drink their blood.
So if you're thirsty, actively seek out people who deserve to die.
It was a difficult rule, but they'd followed it so far.
But Lamin knew to save Hwikyung, he'd have to break it.
Rubeil Valley was a sparsely populated land.
Only occasional merchants with packs or a couple passing through.
But Lamin spent over a month going back and forth in the valley, feeding Hwikyung blood.
Once Hwikyung could barely move, he resisted or tried to flee, so Lamin tied him down.
As his body nearly healed, Hwikyung said,
"If I get up from here, I'll kill you. Then I'll kill myself."
Lamin retorted.
Lamin hoped Hwikyung would understand deep down, but he didn't.
Even after fleeing from Hwikyung, Lamin occasionally recalled his words.
"You're my sin. This is divine punishment."
Lamin denied it.
"No. You said you've never seen the Insect God since coming to this continent."
"Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist."
"If that god really hated you, it wouldn't let you run."
"Or maybe it knew running would be the most painful."
Lamin retorted.
"Live. Live in pain and prove to me that the gods are watching us right now."
"Lamin?"
Lamin opened his eyes.
The train was rattling.
There was a faint fishy smell, but it wasn't unpleasant.
Lamin had lived too long and met too many Froglin for it to bother him.
"Yes?"
"The atmosphere inside the train is tense."
It was Gorgota who spoke.
Lamin belatedly realized where he was.
It was the continental train running north-south toward Rubeil Valley.
The first-class compartment rented in Gorgota's name even had beds, and meals were provided for every sitting.
Of course, Lamin had been annoyed by the discrimination between tasty and bland food even there, but it was still far better than sleeping in stables.
Plus, holing up in the sleeping car meant no need for ridiculous slave acting.
The long train journey of over ten days wasn't boring thanks to the varied scenery along the endless tracks.
Of course, with the war on, it wasn't great, but at least it wasn't as devastated as during the unification war that Lamin remembered.
'That dream... because we're getting closer to that valley.'
Lamin shook his head to wake up.
Gorgota said,
"There was a commotion since the last stop. I'll step out and check. Wait here with Juwan."
"Yes. Got it."
Lamin nodded.
After Gorgota headed toward the front of the train, Lamin listened to the noises inside.
It felt chaotic somehow.
Someone was shouting in protest, followed by a contrasting authoritative voice that had settled down.
"It's noisy. How long has it been like this?"
"Since we stopped briefly at that last station. I heard it wasn't a scheduled stop."
"What do we do?"
Juran put a finger to her lips.
Lamin pressed against the wall, eyeing the sleeping car's door.
Someone passed by the glass door.
"You lot check from the back of the train. Make sure they don't escape to the rear."
A few people in black clothes and masks passed the door and hurried toward the back of the train.
Lamin held his breath and identified the voice's owner.
He wore the same black clothes, but with a red mask.
"...!"
Lamin recognized that mask.
It was the red-masked Fang operative who had proposed betrayal to him recently on the southern continent.
'Why is that guy here... No, wait.'
Figuring out how the red mask got here wasn't important.
Even if it was a handmade mask and there were identical ones, it was still a threatening Fang operative.
He didn't know why the Fang operatives were prowling, but the moment they boarded this train, Lamin and his group were fated to jump off and flee.
'Simple enough.'
Lamin's conclusion was straightforward.
If they had to flee anyway, they needed to shake off the enemy on their tail right away.
As Lamin drew his sword, Juran panicked.
But Lamin gave no signal beyond a slight nod.
Before Juran could stop him, Lamin thrust his sword through the window between him and the red mask.
The blade shattered the window glass and reached the turning red mask.