Volume 3, Chapter 58: The Muddy Stream of History
Volume 3, Chapter 58: The Muddy Stream of History
The signs of embarrassment. If this wasn’t shame, then what did the word shame really mean?
The inhabitants of the Poor People’s cave were raising their hands and raising their voices in the dark. Their silhouettes were lit by the fire. I thought that it was surreal that these people were in harmony with my voice. Both men and women, the young and the old. It was unbelievable.
Ah, so shameful. In a way, I was tricking them with my sweet swords.
It was as if the devil himself was whispering sweet words into these people’s ears in order to drive them to ruins. What a shame. If possible, I would like to finish this task once and for all.
I used their hatred to get what I wanted. I tried to involve them in the rebellion that could cost them their lives. They didn’t know anything else about this uprising. As a fellow human, was I doing the correct thing?
「Lugis bro. I decided to support you on this. So, what do you want me to do. 」
Wood’s eyes shined brightly as he opened his mouth. It had been a long time since he held his head high. I couldn’t see any more quivering on his hands. All I could see was his spiritual uplift and muscle strength.
Still, even if everything went according to plan, I couldn’t help but feel like a scammer. How could I be able to shake the hands of these people whom I “pushed their hands to a pit of fire”?
I slightly stroke my chin, and I opened my mouth as I looked up at the surroundings illuminated by the flames. Not just Wood. I spoke to the large crowd in front of me.
「Now, we just need to have a good night sleep. It will take a long time to bring “her” down. Today shall be your only chance to send “her” your farewell.」
When I looked up at the night sky, a white flash ran through the stars. Like me, the inhabitants of the Poor People’s cave blinked their eyes and stared fixedly at the white line in the sky.
At the same time, a roar was carried on the wind. A loud sound. It was the sign that the Saint woman and the Heraldic people had begun the outpost battle with the main gate of Garoua Maria. That said; all I had to do today was to convince these people to get out of their routine.
It will be a major blow to the citizens of Garoua Maria that everything was no longer in the palm of their hands. No fire nor army could stop this revolution now.
I stared at everybody’s eyes, and then, I looked at Wood and told him the following words.
「Great. You don’t have to work for them starting tomorrow. That city is over. Listen well, Wood. You are the leader of these people. Even if the citizens of Garoua Maria ask for your help, you mustn’t help nor even respond. Instead, you must wait until the city is “swallowed”.」
The light of the flames showed me that every single one of the inhabitants was listening closely to my instructions.
As long as the citizens knew that the Heraldic Order was targeting them, Garoua Maria wouldn’t be able to send their guardsmen out of the walls. No matter what it took them. It was too risky to send their forces since they could be ambushed outside of the perimeter of the city-state.
Right now, their future inside the walls was quite uncertain. Those who lived in the city benefited from the human labor necessary for trade. However, the Heraldic people now blocked the trade routes that led to the city.
A few of the Heraldic people infiltrated in the city-state in order to bring chaos. Their purpose was to inflict anxiety among the citizens. This way, the entire city would become a step closer to being fully dysfunctional.
Even if they tried to ask for help from the surrounding city-states, it would take at least three weeks at the earliest to send a messenger and get a proper response. However, that said messenger would have to pass unnoticed through the Heraldic people that watched the walls. Moreover, even if the armies of the other city-states got the emergency correspondence for rescue, they would need a considerable amount of time to arrive at Garoua Maria. If everything went well for the citizens and their alarming signal, there was only one thing that was against them. The word called Time.
So, if Garoua Maria and the guardsmen were weakened, no matter who Helot Stanley was, the Heraldic people wouldn’t be threatened by his existence. I really had that wishful thinking.
「This is an easy process. Those walls are no longer the guardians that protect them. They’re going to be like a prison that won’t let them escape. The walls are like a container. So, everyone. You just have to wait and see how they will be “boiled” in that container.」
These words were actually a bold statement towards the crowd who listened closely to what I had to say.
Even amid the frenzy, there was still a sense of unease on my heart. The more time passed, the more it sprouted. It was like playing a game where I couldn’t control it.
Such a nervous thought went through my mind for a brief moment. I felt increasingly worried about the endurance of the battle that was about to happen in the near future. On this moment, I noticed that Wood, who was crouching in front on me, stood up with his head held high.
His giant body looked bigger than usual. Until now, Wood had always bent its back because of his lack of confidence. Yet, on this very second, he stood straight with a dignified look.
「I will follow the instructions that Lugis bro ask of me. And that includes everyone here. But, my feelings shall be only given for this moment.」
How rare. This strong tone was too rough and unusual for Wood. His eyes were widely open.
Besides what I told him. What else could he do? Was I going to instruct him to join the battlefield in front of the main gate of Garoua Maria? Impossible. Wood, with his iconic physique, was one of the most important figures in the Poor People’s cave. If he left for the battlefield and ended up losing his life, then the morale of the inhabitants of the Poor People’s cave would definitely be destroyed. Yes, without a fail.
I couldn’t let him, their former benefactor, fall to hell that easily. At least, not before me.
I saw an extended hand in front of Wood that blocked his distance from mine. It was a frail and small hand. When did she come with him? I didn’t see her here before. Those hands belonged to Sereal, Wood’s little sister. I couldn’t see the trumpet on her hands.
Wood nodded positively to his sister to tell her that everything would be okay. Sereal stared at her brother’s back attentively as if she didn’t want to lose him out of her sight.
—
Unforgivable. That was the only emotion carved on Wood’s chest.
Wood hated every citizen that lived inside the walls. He despised the guardsmen. But, above all, he couldn’t forgive himself.
He was terrified that he couldn’t even protect his own sister. His heart was broken into so many pieces, that he didn’t even recognize the man he had become. “What a waste”, he thought. He couldn’t do anything at all. His dreams were crushed and his courage disappeared completely.
The giant man looked further at the horizon and stared deeply at the walls.
Those walls had been directed downwards to the inhabitants of the Poor People’s cave. The top of those walls seemed unreachable. It was as if its splendor trampled on Wood. A symbol of destruction, humiliation and death.
Obviously, Lugis words resonated in his ears. That young man affirmed that this city could “burn”. That Wood’s feelings would be able to be avenged. All he had to do was believe. Wood strengthened his eyes and raised his arms towards a giant tree that stood at the center of the square.
The feelings of watching the city-state from afar burst through his veins. Wood added the full force of his arms around the giant tree.
The next moment, a roaring sound was heard. It sounded as if something broke. However, not Wood’s arms, but yes, the roots of the giant tree.
The giant tree was grabbed forcibly as if Wood was fighting against a wild creature.
What was going on, really? Originally, giant trees were not that soft to being with. Giant trees were hard as rock and tall as buildings. It was impossible for one person to take such a robust tree out of the ground. A single human strength wasn’t enough. However, Wood’s force did the opposite. Wood’s power was beyond the human comprehension. He wasn’t a human, he was rather a different being. Indeed, he was. As if giant blood ran through his body.
After a few minutes of struggle, the root’s resistance was no longer meaningful. The giant tree stopped resisting completely and was pulled slowly out of the ground by Wood’s two arms.
*the sound of earth*
A tremendous sound echoed through the surroundings of the main square as if the earth was moving. Everyone’s eyes became widely open. Their astonishment even stopped their breath for a second. It was a torrent of emotions, a biological instinct, a manifestation of fighting spirit that they never thought that they would feel again.
Beyond everyone’s gaze stood Wood, who swung the giant tree triumphantly.
The giant tree was handled as if it were a mere piece of timber on Wood’s hands. Then, Wood collided the giant tree against a nearby white wall with his own arms.
*bang*
A massive collision and a massive clash. This process was repeated many times over.
That action was essentially an act that had no meaning. No matter how hard Wood tried, no hard material would be shaken. Especially, the walls. Yes, the “guardians” of Garoua Maria. Those walls were so magnificent and powerful that nothing brought them down. It was as if those walls were guardians of magic. Mere tricks would be powerless against the hardness of the walls. Just physical power wasn’t enough.
Wood perfectly understood that reality. He knew that very well since his childhood. However, a large burst of emotions prevented him from stopping hitting the white wall on the central square. Not only Wood, but also the people around him. No one stopped from trying even if it were a meaningless act.
Those sacred walls. Those walls were the barriers that continued to suppress them. The inhabitants of the Poor People’s cave couldn’t even approach the walls. They were even afraid to touch them, much less get close to them.
Everyone. Yes, every single one of them looked at the white wall as if they were looking at the walls of Garoua Maria. They even had tears on their eyes. Then, one of them slowly approached the wall.
He threw a stone against the wall.
Others grabbed branches of trees or tools and went to the wall with rage.
Men, women, young people, old people. Everyone was in unison.
It was totally meaningless, indeed, a pointless action. It was nothing but a mere act that didn’t do anything at all. Nevertheless, their emotions were driving their bodies. They were forced to move on their own. It was all for the sake of their morale.
Wood’s mouth opened when he lowered the giant tree to the ground.
「This is just a wall! A wall that just stands here! There’s nothing to be afraid of! Sereal!」
Sweat dripped from his face while he spoke to his sister, the girl without a voice.
Sereal’s eyes were full of tears. She was scared. Her legs trembled so much just by looking at that wall. She thought that one day that the walls of Garoua Maria would kill them. She really believed that the walls would deceive her people for the rest of their lives. She thought that she would die just by looking up at the walls.
Wrong. That was just a wall. A white big wall. That wall was just a mere wall that resembled the sacred walls of Garoua Maria, thought smaller version. That wall was just used in order to bring out their fears and erase them for good. Such walls never had the power to look down on people. On living beings.
「…Ye…Yes, bro…brother. 」
Sereal’s throat rang for the first time in a long time. Afterwards, she headed to the white wall and she threw a stone with her fragile small arm.
—
I felt a huge anxiety crawling through my chest. I tried to hide it so that they wouldn’t notice. My nervousness could threaten the entire operation.
I stared fixedly at them while they faced the white wall. I covered my mouth at the same time.
I didn’t want to say much. Actually, I couldn’t speak anymore. Not now. I wasn’t entitled nor fit to speak to these brave men and women. After all, I was the one taking advantage of them.
There won’t be any problems for tomorrow. They were ready to threaten the foundation of Garoua Maria. The only thing left to do was to grab the opportunity to fulfill my sole purpose.
How could I antagonize the power, and “cut off the neck” of that Saint woman at the very end of this? Will I be able to gain merit with my own hands?
I looked up at the sky during the night, while my thoughts slowly swirled into my brain. Oddly enough, I could hear the voices of the Heraldic people in front of main gate of Garoua Maria. If everything went according to plan, then it would be the time to move forward with what I had in mind.
When that discomfort ran through my chest, a second flash of an unexpected light ran in the night sky.
The thoughts circling in my brain finally flew away. I deeply understood everything at last.
History was something that danced in the palm of the geniuses’ hands, and I, as an ordinary person, could only be swayed by it and watch it unfold before my eyes.