Chapter 162: Rehabilitation Possibility (2) |
“Tutor… what?”
“What’s that guy saying? A fairy?”
The last car was filled with the smell of soup and sweat.
Inside, the stifling atmosphere was shattered by the sudden arrival of a young man without warning.
It was inevitable.
The young man introduced himself with the absurd word ‘fairy,’ instead of being an executor or training instructor.
Perhaps because of that, despite being dragged to a punishment squad and their lives being fleeting, a commotion broke out in the place.
“It’s freezing to death, and this is ridiculous.”
The one who stood up was a fierce-looking man missing an ear.
The man chuckled and then frowned as he walked towards the young man. No one stopped him.
The knights, who kept the prisoners from doing foolish things, watched the situation dumbfounded, and the kneeling prisoners made way with interest, wondering what would happen.
“Didn’t you hear? I said I’m the fairy of the tutorial.”
The young man, faced with the approaching trouble, spoke calmly. Really, was he of noble birth? It seemed so, given the inhuman dialogue he spat out, as if his blood ran blue.
“If you’ve understood, then don’t make a fuss and sit down. I have a lot to explain to you from now on.”
“Fairy? A fa-airy?”
The man, holding his belly in laughter, turned to the seated prisoners.
“Did you guys hear what he said? He says he’s a fairy.”
“What’s a fairy?”
“…A magical being that lives in untouched, mystical places or realms beyond human reach.”
“How come you know so much? Did you study a bit?”
“Mystical places, that’s all lies and propaganda. Don’t you know? It’s all fabrications by the empire to deceive other countries.”
“Shh, so to your eyes, does this guy look like a fairy?”
“Of course not. He’s just an ordinary human.”
After a while, amidst the murmuring on the floor, the young man in black clothes spoke up with authority in his voice.
“I told you to sit down.”
It didn’t seem like he was angry. Could it be that he hadn’t heard the murmuring? Or perhaps he was deliberately ignoring it. Whatever the trash talked about, it was none of his concern.
“…Tch, how boring.”
At that disappointing reaction, the one-eared man, Jansen, frowned and turned his back.
“Keke, idiot.”
Mocking laughter echoed. Inside the dimly lit car, open mouths laughed, revealing yellow teeth.
“If you’re going to listen, why did you stand up?”
“Idiot, what’s so boring about this?”
“Eventually, acting tough without being able to do anything.”
“Aw, isn’t that embarrassing? If it were me, I would’ve hit him by now.”
The jeering that boiled the blood continued, and unlike when he returned to his seat, no one made way for him this time.
Jansen tried not to lose his composure despite being taken aback.
“Move.”
“Move? Why should I? Cowardly brat giving orders.”
The lean man with one eye sneered.
“If you won’t move, I’ll just step over.”
Jansen extended his foot over the one-eyed man’s knee to cool his heated head.
Crack-
“Argh!”
Jansen fell to the floor, clutching his ankle, and shot a hateful look at the one-eyed man.
“You, you bastard!”
“Should’ve watched where you’re stepping. You’ve got two perfectly good eyes but no caution.”
Everyone could see that the one-eyed man was the one who broke Jansen’s ankle, but he feigned ignorance, sending a mocking gaze Jansen’s way.
The young man who introduced himself as a fairy watched the scene till the end.
“There, one-eye.”
“Yes? Are you talking to me?”
The one-eyed man pointed at himself and shifted his gaze from Jansen. Shiron nodded and gestured for him to come forward.
“Step out.”
“Keke. Alright, I understand.”
The one-eyed man strutted forward, stepping out just like Jansen, with the prisoners making way for him. He walked confidently, enjoying the pouring gaze.
“Why did you call for me?”
“State your name.”
“My name is Chen, and I don’t have a surname. But why do you ask?”
“Because you’re going to be a special management target from now on.”
“…Special management target?”
“Yes.”
The young man pulled out a notebook and a fountain pen from his pocket and began to write something down.
“Now, go take a seat.”
…Was that it?
Chen, the one-eyed man, sensed something significant about nothing happening. If it had been the guards or knights, they wouldn’t have ignored the commotion that just occurred… But the young man in front of him took no action.
No, he did take action.
Special management target.
It was a dubious measure that Chen’s name was added there.
“Can I ask you one thing?”
“What is it?”
“Why do you ignore the guy who picked a fight by mocking you calling yourself a fairy and only designate me as… a target?”
Instead of mocking, Chen voiced his complaint sincerely. The young man shifted his gaze from Chen to Jansen, who was groaning on the floor.
“Because you broke the ankle of a comrade you’re supposed to trust in the future.”
“…”
“If you’ve heard, go take a seat now. We’ve wasted enough time.”
The young man pulled out a pocket watch from his pocket and frowned.
Chen frowned as well.
He was angry for being treated the same as Jansen. It wasn’t important to him that he was listed as a special management target. He thought he might at least get slapped, but instead, he received this dull treatment.
“Do you have anything else to say? Why aren’t you sitting down?”
“Rather than that, I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor? Go ahead.”
“Please slap me.”
Chen tapped his cheek lightly, sporting a mocking smile. If he returned to his seat without doing anything, he would become a coward, no different from Jansen, who was whining and clutching his ankle like a little girl.
But further resistance could lead to being restrained by the knights watching the situation from behind or even losing his life if things went wrong.
That was not what he wished for, so Chen chose a different way to make an impression.
‘Even if I’m about to die, I need to maintain dignity against a lunatic.’
“I can’t control my strength. Now, return to your seat.”
“It’s okay. Please hurry up and slap me. Shouldn’t we show dominance over those rough ones?”
Chen extended his aura, trying to gauge the level of the person claiming to be a fairy. Just as someone had muttered earlier, he saw nothing special.
‘Control strength? Just bluffing.’
Chen warmed his core, wrapped around his protective aura… and watched the palm flying towards his cheek. The speed was decent, but Chen, being from Silleya, was able to perceive the scene in slow motion.
The attack, which contained neither inner energy nor mana, was too crude. Such an attack couldn’t harm Chen, who was protected by aura…
Crack!
Chen’s head was ripped off and hit the wall. One side of the car was stained red, and his lifeless body slumped over.
“Now that everyone is seated, I’ll start the explanation.”
“…”
“I won’t lead you to a vain death.”
The young man did not spare a glance at the cooling corpse on the floor.
“People point fingers, saying that this unit will just be used as a meat shield against the demons, but I don’t see it that way.”
The young man, who spoke with conviction, approached Jansen, who was not groaning despite clutching his ankle. As the young man extended his foot, the prisoners made way like the ebbing tide, and Jansen swallowed his saliva with a stern face.
And then, a miraculous event happened.
Whoosh-
It looked like he was going to rip off the whole ankle, but instead, warm light burst from the extended hand of the young man.
“May the merciful Lord grant redemption to those of you who’ve ruined your lives with a momentary mistake.”
“…”
The broken ankle was healed in the blink of an eye. It was a feat only a high-ranking clergyman, rare even for ordinary people to witness, could perform.
Jansen, the subject of the healing, watched the scene with a bewildered expression.
However, this time, he did not curse or complain. His cloudy eyes began to clear, becoming as lucid as they originally were.
“What is your name?”
“My name is… Jansen.”
“How did you end up here?”
“…I killed someone.”
“Is that all? I don’t think so.”
Though the words were significant, Jansen seemed to grasp their meaning. Overwhelmed with emotion, he spoke with a trembling voice.
“The person I killed was a monster. He raped and killed my daughter, who hadn’t even started school.”
“I understand your feelings. There could have been another way.”
As the young man expressed his sympathy, Jansen burst into tears.
“The man who raped my daughter was a young lord from the region I lived in. Not even the village chief, let alone the lord, would listen to me!”
“That’s a terrible thing.”
The young man took out a handkerchief and wiped Jansen’s tears.
“But it’s okay. I will erase all your sins. The Lord will allow it.”
With those words, the young man stood up firmly.
“Sin can be covered with good deeds. Even those destined for hell can go to heaven if they do good.”
[…That’s not right.]
Latera disagreed with Shiron’s dignified statement. While the soul of Jansen was relatively pure, half of the souls here were beyond redemption, like the one whose head had just exploded.
But what mattered was not the souls of the rabble but Shiron’s soul. Latera noticed that Shiron’s sins were gradually being alleviated.
“So, follow my words carefully.”
Ignoring Latera, Shiron spoke with conviction.
“Follow my words carefully. Then you will be able to live and return to a warm home.”
“Really?”
“Can even a death row inmate live?”
“Yes, I swear.”
Feeling pleased at the outburst from the corner, the train slowed down with a loud rumble.
“Then, let’s all stand up.”
Once Shiron confirmed that everyone was standing, he moved towards the outside without hesitation. A land filled with darkness and harsh cold awaited them.
Ahead, numerous lights flickered.
