Chapter 3 Ambush and Conspiracy <TOC> Chapter 5 Sacrifice
Translator: SumTLMan
Astonishment gripped Lance as he involuntarily retreated from the rapidly approaching figure. His heartbeat echoed in his ears, sounding like the tolling bells of impending doom.
As the adversary’s hand almost clasped him, a longsword emerged from the side, piercing through the man’s chest, a veritable nightmare come alive in cold, stark reality.
Reynard retrieved his sword, and the man crumbled to the ground, his life’s illumination fading with every passing moment, extinguished like a candle flame in a gust of wind.
Lance steadied himself, a shiver of terror washing over him as he regarded the corpse, understanding the grave predicament he would have been in, had the man succeeded.
“Blood has saturated the gunpowder,” Dismas, the highwayman, discerned the firearm’s issue and articulated his finding.
Lifting the firearm, Lance realized his dearth of knowledge about firearms; he had overlooked the fact that he was wielding a flintlock.
He’d committed a blunder; taking a weapon from another without inspection was a novice’s mistake.
With the death of the last adversary, an uncanny silence befell their makeshift trio, an obvious wait for Lance’s explanation casting a tense atmosphere.
“I understand your bewilderment, but what I am about to reveal might shatter your current worldview. Are you sure you wish to uncover the truth of this world?”
“Speak,” Dismas, overcome by curiosity, demanded, eager to know the truth.
“Alright.” After composing himself, Lance began.
“I hail from an ancient lineage, tracing back a thousand years. My ancestors, the heirs, enjoyed the decadent life of nobility.
Until one day, a divine revelation exposed to him an ancient, sealed evil deity. Should it awaken, the world would plunge into destruction.
Believing it was his duty, my ancestor relinquished his degenerate lifestyle, investing his wealth into forming an expedition. After countless hardships, he located the seal of the evil deity from his dreams.
Leading his family’s knights, they vanquished monsters and established their dominion over these desolate lands. However, he soon realized the area was cursed. The evil deity’s power was so immense that it could corrupt everything, even in its sealed state.
Every being, from animals to plants, even inanimate objects within the cursed area transformed into monsters. Additionally, the evil deity’s power warped reality, drawing the attention of void creatures.
These creatures multiplied like weeds. Understanding it was a battle without an end, my ancestor vowed to protect the seal with his life and commanded the same of our lineage, to fight against the evil till the last man standing.
Over the years, many family members fell defending the seal. My parents were no exception, which led to me being fostered out. I had never seen my parents before I reached adulthood.”
Lance paused here to gauge their reactions.
While they were hardened men, they struggled to comprehend the revelation about divine prophecy, evil gods, and the world’s destruction. It was too far-fetched, or perhaps too terrifying to believe. They responded with silence, digesting the information.
Lance, sensing their disbelief, placated them with a soft smile.
“I, too, was a skeptic initially. The seal’s secrets were not to be leaked; only the heirs were privy. It wasn’t until the last lord disappeared and I, as the sole surviving member, inherited the family duty. The ancient bloodline passed onto me, and I received the divine revelation, which unveiled everything.”
“Why are you disclosing this to us? I am just an ordinary mercenary,” Dismas faltered, visibly apprehensive.
“Because I need your assistance,” Lance replied with earnest sincerity. “You have seen the spread of corruption. The seal is teetering on the brink, and despite my resolution to vanquish this evil and safeguard the seal, I am but a lone figure. I may perish mysteriously as soon as I inherit the domain.”
“Why not seek assistance from the kingdom or the church?” Reynard inquired.
“Because my domain is fraught with monsters, but devoid of gold.”
Lance’s blunt response rendered Reynard speechless. Dismas felt regret seep in. These were things he ought not to know. All he craved was to conclude this mission swiftly, grab his compensation, and drown his consciousness in an alehouse or brothel, numbing himself with alcohol and carnal delights until he could forget everything when dawn broke — until the arrival of the End Times…
I don’t want to perish here! (Selfish)
Perceiving their resistance, he could only sigh. “I understand this is difficult, even life-threatening. I, too, contemplated fleeing when I first learned of our family’s mission. But there are some tasks that must be undertaken. Instead of living in constant dread, awaiting the End Times when the evil god descends, why not fight? That way, even if we fail, at least we strove without regret, free from living in fear.”
Dismas hesitated, deeply moved by Lance’s words. Whether it was the family that had battled fiercely for millennia to protect the seal, or Lance, an ordinary scholar bearing such suffocating pressure at this moment, he couldn’t help but feel admiration.
He was frail, yet he stood before Dismas as unyielding and inviolable as a mountain. In contrast, Dismas felt like a rat in a ditch. A turmoil of emotions tortured Dismas’s soul, and he yearned to live as Lance did.
Reynard stood aside, his thoughts hidden behind his armor.
“Even if you don’t join me, it’s fine, I understand. Just as my parents sent me away, not wanting me to get involved. I am telling you this so that if I perish, someone would know our family’s tale. At least I’ve fulfilled our ancestors’ vow, protecting the seal to the last man standing, and I, Lance, have not brought shame upon the name of Hamlet!”
Lance’s words pierced Dismas’s fragile heart like a sharp dagger, and a surge of intense guilt flooded in as his disguise crumbled. Why was he always fleeing? Why?
I can do this. I will find my redemption!
Amid his self-reflection, another powerful emotion began to surface, and suddenly, he seemed to glimpse a gleaming hope.
“Hmph!” Dismas’s spirit surged, waving his bayonet, “There’s no way back now, let’s get to it.”
“The holy light is unyielding, and so am I,” Reynard raised his longsword, “Even if it means perishing with the filthy evil!”
Hearing their words, Lance couldn’t help but chuckle. He knew he’d bet right — both harbored strong tendencies towards self-redemption.
He immediately took oaths with the two to guard this secret, performing a full-blown ceremonial rite, making them feel the weight of their mission.
In reality, most of the oaths were improvised by Lance. He understood that to gain support, he needed to assume an exalted, even messianic, persona to awaken their desire for redemption through sacrifice. After all, all the ancestors were dead, and no one could debunk his words.