Chapter 189: Divine Punishment
Ramin Solost Muel asked, “What is a revolution?”
The Frogman Gorgota Falu and the Centaur Tella looked at each other.
Hwee Juran Muel then said, “I know what it is. I’ve heard of it before.”
“What is it?”
"In an empire with a centralized power structure, such things wouldn’t happen, but in the past, within the imperial territories, lords often persecuted and acted harshly to the common people. They would impose heavy taxes or forced labor during the farming season."
"I know about that. From what I know, that was common even now here on the western continent.”
"Yes. Then when the common people couldn't bear it anymore, they would rebel, storming into the lord's castle and hanging the lord and their family. That's what a revolution is."
Ramin looked at Juran, puzzled.
"Isn't that just a rebellion?"
"Oh?”
"Such things happened frequently in Black Scale as well. Tribes that formed small communities would often rebel for independence. Or sometimes, someone would want to become king and try to oust the current one. I remember the famous case in the Empire’s Asbestos, when the Troll Prince Redin BR Oser killing his father Delmardin.”
"Oh, I know that as well. It was a successful rebellion.”
Ramin asked, “Then how are rebellions and revolutions different?"
Juran blinked for a moment.
“Well, I’m not exactly sure about that…”
Tella smiled and said, "It's okay to think of this as simply plotting a rebellion. In reality, it might turn out to be something like that."
To Ramin, it seemed that there must be some clear difference between the two, but it wasn't her concern; she felt things would become tiresome if she were to know anyway.
Ramin asked, "But, um...I’m sorry, but is pretending to be a noble's slave one of those kinds of things?"
"Yes. Levony Dorandotte isn't just any noble. They’re a heresy investigator, one of our biggest enemies. Therefore, there are many important figures to consider around Levony, and the simplest way to approach these figures is to pose as someone they wouldn't suspect.”
"It must be a lot of work."
"It's a job I chose to do willingly."
"Willingly..."
"...You're not getting any strange ideas, are you?"
Ramin waved her hand.
"Well, anyway... This revolution has nothing to do with us, right?"
This time, Gorgota answered, “Not completely. This plan has been in preparation for a very long time, so it may involve not only the Empire, but also the Union Kingdom, and perhaps even everyone not directly associated with it."
"No, is it related to our work?"
Tella handed Gorgota a bag and said, "I heard that you were coming and checked the train schedule. It might not be the most comfortable ride, but you should be able to move straight inland."
Gorgota said, "In that case, we'll be entering the region where the former Garang Kingdom was. And we would get off at the station not too far from the Rubeil Valley, where Ramin said she saw Hwee-Kyung last.”
"Well...I'm not so sure about that. It's been so long that even if Hwee-Kyung is alive, I don't think she would have stayed in the same place. What's near Rubeil Valley now?"
Gorgota didn’t know the answer, so they looked to Tella.
Tella said, "If my memory serves me right, there's a large slave labor camp."
"A slave labor camp?"
"There’s no need to be concerned. They're quite common in the Union Kingdom. They handle both logging and mining, but I'm not sure about the exact scale."
"Are there no Intelligence Agency agents there?"
"It would be great if we could have agents everywhere, but security is the priority, and suitable talent isn't always available."
Then Tella’s short briefing began.
"And there's no need to worry too much."
"How come?"
"You probably didn’t have access to information as you were on your way here from the Thunderstrider, but there's some surprising news."
"I’m not expecting much."
“A prophecy has come down with Ramin’s name.”
Looking at the surprise on Ramin’s face, as well as Gorgota’s and Juran’s, Tella said, "The prophecy states that Ramin will find Hwee-Kyung."
According to the history of the Pantheon, Night Sky’s prophecies had never been wrong. If Night Sky said so, it was bound to happen. However, this prophecy was somewhat underwhelming for what it was.
Ramin then said with disappointment, "...Is that it?"
"Well, actually...there's more. But I don't quite understand it just by looking at this prophecy alone."
"What is it?"
"It says that Hwee-Kyung will forgive you… Do you have any idea what that might mean? Or is it like most prophecies, using some kind of metaphor or symbolism."
Ramin shrugged.
“I’m not sure.”
***
A hundred years ago, at the Rubeil Valley, Hwee-Kyung said, “I shouldn’t have let you live back then.”
Ramin shook her head.
“That’s right. You should’ve killed me then.”
"Perhaps it's not too late even now."
"Give it a try."
But Hwee-Kyung couldn't move an inch.
It was an accident that could happen to anyone. The two Vampires were walking along a narrow mountain path, trying to avoid people as always, and as is the case with such rarely used paths, there was always the possibility of it collapsing.
Hwee-Kyung tumbled down into the valley below. Her condition was not good. Both her antlers were broken, her hip and one of her legs were twisted, and one shoulder had completely dislocated. Ramin could have put it back in place, but it wasn't easy.
Hwee-Kyung said, "Do you know that a fairy lived in my antlers?"
"Yes. Are you trying to say you would have been fine if the fairy were still there?"
"Yes."
"But the fairy left, and there's no one else beside you except me."
Ramin acted calmly. There was no one in this world who would help a Vampire. So if Ramin made a mistake, both of them would be as good as dead. She calmly went down into the valley and checked Hwee-Kyung’s condition. If it weren't for Vampires’ persistent vitality, those wounds would have undoubtedly been fatal. Hwee-Kyung was losing consciousness. Just as when Hwee-Kyung had saved her, Ramin had to make a choice. To let her die, or find a way to save her somehow. Ramin decided to save Hwee-Kyung. However, merely making a choice didn't guarantee that she could save Hwee-Kyung.
"Kill me, Ramin."
"I can't do that."
"I can't live like this."
"This is a way of life too."
There was only one way to save a Vampire, and that was to make them drink someone else's blood. And not just a little blood, but a substantial amount of it.
After turning Ramin into a Vampire, Hwee-Kyung had taught her a rule to live by as a Vampire. Don't kill people for the sake of drinking blood. Therefore, they were to actively seek out people who deserved death when they were thirsty. It was a challenging rule, but Ramin had kept it until now. However, Ramin knew that she had to break it to save Hwee-Kyung.
The Rubeil Valley didn’t see a lot of visitors. Only a few merchants passed through the valley with their bundles of goods on their backs. However, Ramin spent more than a month going back and forth through the valley, making Hwee-Kyung drink blood.
When Hwee-Kyung could finally move her body, she resisted or tried to escape, so Ramin tied her up.
By the time Hwee-Kyung was almost entirely recovered, she said, "When I’m able to get up, I'll kill you. Then, I'll take my life too."
Ramin shook her head. She hoped Hwee-Kyung would understand her, but Hwee-Kyung couldn’t. Occasionally, she would recall Hwee-Kyung's words after running away from her.
“You are my sin. This is a Divine Punishment.”
Ramin disagreed.
"No, it’s not. You said you hadn’t seen the Bug God since you came to this continent.”
"Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they don't exist."
"If God really hated you, they wouldn't have let you escape."
"Or maybe they knew that running away would be the most painful thing for me."
Ramin shook her head.
"Live. Live in agony and prove to me that God is still watching us."
***
“Ramin?”
Ramin opened her eyes. The train was shaking.
There was a faint fishy smell of water, but it wasn't too unpleasant. Ramin had lived too long and had met too many Frogmen to find it unpleasant.
"Yes?"
"The atmosphere inside the train doesn't seem right."
It was Gorgota who said that. Ramin belatedly realized where she was. She was on a transcontinental train that traveled between the north and south, on her way to the Rubeil Valley. The first-class compartment Gorgota had booked in their name came with beds and even meals. However, there was still a clear distinction between the Full Tailed-class and Tailless-class, which made Ramin angry, but it was much better than sleeping in the stable. Moreover, being confined to a bed compartment meant that she didn't have to put up a ridiculous act as a slave anymore.
Although the journey on the train had lasted for over ten days, it wasn't particularly boring, thanks to the various landscapes the long railway connected. Of course, it wasn't as good now because of the war, but at least it wasn't as desolate as the time Ramin remembered from the unification war.
‘Was that dream…because we’re getting closer to the valley?’
Ramin shook her head to wake herself up.
Then Gorgota said, "There has been a commotion since the last stop, so I'll go out and check what's happening. Please wait here with Juran."
"Sure, I’ll do that."
Ramin nodded.
After Gorogota walked to the front of the train, Ramin listened carefully to the noises inside the train. There seemed to be chaos for some reason. Someone was loudly protesting, and a contrasting but authoritative voice followed.
“It is noisy. When did this start?"
"Just after our brief stop at the previous station. There is word that it wasn't a scheduled stop."
"What should we do?"
Juran then put his finger to his lips. Ramin pressed against the wall and looked at the entrance to their sleeping compartment. Someone was passing in front of the glass entrance door.
"You, check from the back of the train. Make sure they don't escape to the rear."
Several people in black clothes and masks passed by the entrance and quickly moved toward the back of the train.
Ramin held her breath and tried to identify the owner of the voice. They were dressed in black, just like the others, but wore a red mask.
"...!"
Ramin recognized that mask. It was the same red-masked Fang agent who had proposed treason to her on the southern continent not long ago.
'Why is that guy here... Wait a minute.'
Figuring out why the red-masked agent was here wasn't important. Even though the mask was handmade, it didn’t mean that there couldn’t be others with the same design. What mattered now, however, was that they were a threatening Fang agent. Ramin didn’t know why the Fang agent was traveling, but from the moment they boarded this train, Ramin and her group were destined to get off the train and escape.
'Then it's simple.'
Ramin's answer was simple. If they had to escape anyway, they just had to get rid of the enemies who were right behind them.
When Ramin drew her sword, Juran was taken aback. However, Ramin gave no signal other than a slight nod. Then without giving Juran time to intervene, Ramin pierced her sword through the window that separated her from the red-masked Fang agent. The blade shattered the window and reached the red-masked agent as they turned to look at her.
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