Free Web NovelChapter 77: Mass Funeral
"So, Roman. To honor you as a fellow member, we had to cancel the Cross Operation and come down here to support you. It’s obvious that your community is gone," North stared around and said. "But at least one thing is certain, that the dead are laid to rest, and the cause of this disaster must be attended to, no matter the cost."
"We are going to stand with you every step of the way and make sure that you avenge the cause of this disaster to your satisfaction. We are at your service, Roman."
Rena glanced at both of them with a clear look of amazement, sensing the sincerity in the voice of North Rockbridge, such a prestigious and influential figure.
They were actually giving Roman the level of respect that even the Head never got from the Entrants of the outpost. Now, it was actually an F-ranker getting full support and service from the Tyrant Slayers, S-rankers who had a lot of mind-blowing histories made in the Badlands.
After all that, Roman had only replied with a nod and a few words.
"I’m honored. Thank you."
"So now we get straight to finding how it happened and how the monsters got to clear the entire community."
North grabbed Roman’s arm and led him into the outpost, as they all walked in.
"I’m sure you should know what caused the outbreak, right?" North asked.
"Yes..."
"Good. We’ve got to know why and who, because we are sure that it wasn’t the Entrants of this community who brought the idea.
I came to realize that the Citadel is in charge of this outpost, and they assign the Entrants here for specific tasks."
Roman nodded.
"So, I really do think that they did that again, and they just went for the Boss of the Extraordinary territory, leaving the other hierarchies. That simply means that..."
North paused for a moment.
"They know what it means. They know what they had done would lead to. Yet they did it anyway. It was their intention to have the outpost destroyed, and they couldn’t do it another way so as not to let people know that Citadel City attacked its own outpost," Roman said, finishing the assumption for her at that very instant.
"The Mayor sent General Warden to do the job, and the Head never saw it coming. He was too blind to see the threat. He had always been. Citadel City never cherished Blood Trial Outpost. It has always been a hunting zone for them, and in the end it ended up becoming useless to them," Roman added.
The whole group had gathered and was listening to him speak, including Rena.
"So this is what I want. This is what I’m asking for. That we find out why he did this and make sure he pays, together with whoever plotted it with him, and then I will go straight to rebuilding the outpost..."
"But before that, we will clear the entire valley and make sure there’s no monster left alive in it," Roman sighed.
"What I love to hear," Nightmare said with a shaky smile as he walked by and headed out.
And with that, North and the rest nodded.
...
"How did you know all that?"
After their meeting, Rena was walking with Roman to his room to get dressed for the mass funeral when she asked that question.
"Seer Profession. I only had to touch the scenes where the disasters had happened and then the Head’s place to know who had arrived at the outpost since we were away.
Turns out that a Guild General from Citadel City was here with the intention of destroying this community, and the Head just couldn’t see it."
Rena’s face grew tense.
"You see the other four graves?" Roman asked.
Rena nodded almost immediately.
"They took four of our best Entrants to join them on the mission, killed them, and lied that they died in the battle with the monsters, while none of them sustained a serious injury."
Roman wasn’t in the best mood to explain it, but he still did because he knew he had to. It had already gotten to the point where he’d have to tell people about his capabilities and give them important information that he couldn’t keep to himself.
It was understandable that it would be hard for one to believe what he had just said, and Rena just happened to be that person.
She hadn’t entirely ruled it out, but she was deeply surprised by how a host community would take down its own outpost for no reason.
And if she was having to believe that they had actually done that, there must be a real reason, right?
"But why would they do that? I simply don’t seem to believe this because it sounds so inhuman the more I hear it," she said.
"Same way I couldn’t believe it when I got to see it. But I just had to believe it because I completely believe in my abilities," he said.
"Look, there are more points to this. I saw that General Warden and the people he came with didn’t even stay for the funeral. They didn’t waste time after returning from the valley because they knew that something could happen at any minute. That is enough reason for me to understand that they are behind this, and I’m going to make sure that they pay with their blood."
"For every innocent life that has been lost here, I’ll make sure they suffer and pay the price for each and every one of them," Roman said before he walked straight into his room.
Within minutes, he came back out and they headed back to the outside of the gates, where the group had already helped dig all the graves.
A hundred and forty-three graves right at the edge of the outside compound of Blood Trial Outpost.
It wasn’t just heartbreaking. It was the kind of event that caused more than just pain... Rage and inevitable retaliation.
"We gather here to send these warriors to rest. Like our Academy Proprietor would always say, the Badlands is a world of death that we are about to sign up for. Signing up for it is just like entering a game where you are to expect death, but you still have the chance to prevent it.
These people must have died from a monster outbreak they didn’t expect or want, but unfortunately, it is almost part of what an Entrant should expect from the Badlands."
North was leading the funeral speeches.
"They fought, battled for their lives, but unfortunately, the swarm of terrors that came after them appeared to be too overwhelming, and they died as heroes.
Therefore, they will rest free." freēwēbnovel.com
"They will rest free."
Soon, North and Roman used their Elemental Skills to cover up the graves. Roman used Anti Balance to move the sand into place, and as North was a Mage, she used a Skill Roman couldn’t recognize to command the sand to go into place, and in a short moment, all one hundred and forty-three bodies were buried, and what remained was cleaning the town.
This was what Roman and Rena took pleasure in doing, and they weren’t bothered by the members of the Dominion Legion. Instead, they assisted with several activities, and before nightfall, almost every minor fault had been fixed.
North approached Roman around that same time to discuss an idea she had.
At that time, Rena was still with him and hadn’t once thought about going far away. She had even decided to always spend the night at his place, and Roman was pretty okay with it.
When North showed up, she didn’t urge Rena to give them space to talk. In fact, she was even glad that she was there because this could mainly be about her.
"Hey, Roman."
"Good evening, North. Figured you might have slept. I’m sorry, the quarters of the seniors aren’t that good for your liking," Roman said.
"Nah, nah, nah... It’s not that. We both know I would have been at Terror Lake if I weren’t here, so yeah... Sleeping at night is not my thing," North revealed with a smile.
And it was something that was easy to believe and understand.
"So, I’m figuring we should head out to Citadel City tomorrow. I still fully believe that the Mayor gave the order to cause the outbreak. But at first, we won’t accuse him of it straight away," she said.
"That’s why I want us to visit the Mayor tomorrow. He’s going to have the chance to confess his sin, and if he doesn’t, we don’t have to give him another hour to live. I would end him myself. Trust me," North added.
"I will go with you guys," Rena stated.
But both Roman and North shook their heads at once, ruling her out.
"You can’t come with us, Young Mistress. We both know that there are a lot of people searching for you across the Reach, and I believe the Mayor of Citadel City wouldn’t think twice before accepting a deal to capture you for them," North said, heaving a sigh.
"That’s why you will join the rest of the group to start clearing the valley. Roman and I will get the job done at the Citadel, and we will join you guys once we are back," North added.
Upon understanding what she said, Rena nodded and accepted their idea.
When North had left, she turned to Roman and gave him a worried look.
"Did she forget they might be searching for you too?" Rena asked.
Roman smiled and shook his head.
"Surely they are. But this time, they aren’t getting me. There’s no chance."
"Ever again..."
