SCT-Novel Chapter 187: You Haven’t Forgotten, Have You?
Chapter 187: You Haven’t Forgotten, Have You?
The large-scale riot that broke out across the empire.
I had expected it to happen someday, but the timing was unfortunate to fully accept it.
Why did it have to happen on the day I was about to return?
Why did it have to happen so close to her childbirth?
“Hero, more refugees are coming.”
Just as I felt anger rising, I heard Sanson’s shout.
I immediately looked towards the direction and saw a dozen people running up the hill in a hurry.
The reason they had so few belongings was probably because they lost everything on their way here.
It was immediately clear that the cause was the monsters following closely behind.
-Screech! Scream!
Damn it, this place must have been one of the subjugation zones, so why are there monsters everywhere we go?
What the hell are the other subjugation teams doing, not handling their tasks properly?!
“Leave the monsters to me and evacuate the people first!”
“Hero! They’re coming from the side too! This time a giant—”
Bang!! A giant monster shattered to pieces after being hit by a throwing spear.
I quickly gave orders to the bewildered expedition members as the fragments hit my back.
“Except for those taking the refugees to the camp, the rest of you follow me. We need to clean up the area a bit more.”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
I would like to rush straight to the empire, but moving hastily amidst the swarming monsters risked casualties.
So, for now, protecting our base took priority.
The importance grew as the number of people we were responsible for increased.
“Are these all the refugees gathered in this area so far?”
“Yes, yes... That’s correct.”
The place we returned to after finishing the cleanup was the camp at the bottom of the valley.
It was a suitable place to avoid being seen, but even this place felt cramped due to the large number of people gathered.
The number of refugees here alone was already more than the expedition members, so it was natural.
“Everyone’s in terrible condition.”
“Some haven’t eaten for days. Thankfully, we have supplies from the sanctuary, but...”
We were treating their injuries and providing meals in an emergency, but our main purpose was subjugation, not rescue and protection.
Staying here for a day meant there weren’t enough sleeping bags or blankets for all the refugees.
It would be different if the refugees had brought their belongings, but most had abandoned them while fleeing.
“My mother was eaten by a monster.”
“My wife... Ah!!!”
“My child! I lost my child on the way here!!”
Even if they were rescued after all their struggles, what awaited them was the deep despair of having lost everything.
Amidst the lamentations echoing from all sides, an expedition member who was scouting the other side brought new refugees.
“Hero, we’ve brought survivors from another subjugation team! They seem to be from the team assigned to this area...”
“Damn it, that stupid hero! I told him it was strange that the number of monsters suddenly increased...!!”
...I could guess why things went to hell in this area.
But even if it was understandable, the frustration in my heart didn’t ease.
Since we couldn’t leave the refugees behind, we had to stay until it was safe, which meant it was impossible to return to the capital immediately.
“From what I’ve heard, the Imperial family is deploying massive forces to suppress the riot and control the people in the capital.”
“They’re not hesitating to execute anyone who resists, which means the riot is severe enough to warrant such extreme measures...”
One reason for fleeing was the severe suppression by the imperial army.
Upon hearing this, the expedition members’ faces were uniformly dark.
It was natural. They had been part of the imperial army before joining the expedition, so their loyalty to the empire and humanity was exceptional.
“Are you sure it’s okay not to return to the capital?”
With this in mind, I asked them worriedly, and they exchanged glances before answering.
“We belong to the imperial army, but now we are an expedition under your command, Hero. Unless His Majesty directly orders us, we prioritize your orders.”
“Master, look over there!”
No, it was because she saw something noticeable.
She pointed above the valley we were in, right in the center of the moonlit sky.
“...A flare?”
Whether it was magic or gunpowder, someone down there shot something up into the sky.
Could it be a distress signal?
It was highly likely, but the problem was that releasing light in the middle of the night could attract nearby monsters.
“Hero, we’ll go check it out...”
“No, I’ll go. You stay here and guard the area.”
In any case, I needed to check it out.
I mounted my horse and headed towards the source of the light, preparing to create a spear in case of an emergency.
And that prediction was immediately correct.
-Screech! Scream!
Monsters emerged from the bushes along the path I was taking.
As I tore through their onslaught, I felt the urgency in my heart growing.
These monsters must have also been drawn to the light.
And if, by any chance, the person who created that light was someone I needed to protect...
-Roar!
At the end of my anxious journey, I encountered a roaring giant monster at the top of the cliff.
A monster with the power of a bear, but I wasn’t afraid since I had faced worse monsters before.
What I needed to be concerned about was that it was about to swing its paw at someone standing at the top of the cliff.
-Bang!!
Reacting quickly, I rushed forward, blocked the attack with my body, and redirected the force to shatter the monster into pieces.
I got dirty from the fragments, but I didn’t care.
There were more important things to worry about than getting dirty.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt...?”
“Yes, just as that child’s prophecy said.”
At that moment, a familiar voice reached my ears...
Yes, it was a voice I definitely remembered.
And the face revealed as the hood was pulled back.
“They said you would come if I sent a signal from here, and you really came right away.”
The woman turned her face towards me and spoke quietly.
With a calm and gentle breeze at her back, just like her voice.
“It’s been half a year, my son. You haven’t forgotten your mother just because you haven’t seen me, have you?”
Tashian Pheloi.
A dragon who lost her strength in her prime and declined. Even in that state, she swore to live with me.
She was someone who loved me and someone I must protect, and...
“Oh my, son, what’s wrong? Your expression...”
“I haven’t forgotten.”
As my body was drawn to her and I embraced her, the pent-up resentment in my heart began to spill out with sobs.
I could feel that strength growing stronger over time.
The terror that something terrible would have happened if I had been even a little late was melting away with the warmth I felt at this moment.
“There’s no way I could forget you... mother...”
“...Well, now you finally call me mother.”
Even though the fragile spirit I had been maintaining collapsed, she accepted me without hesitation.
Despite her decline, she considered herself my mother.
“Don’t worry, dear. Mother is fine.”
She showed me that she had always kept my place, even after I left.