Episode 425: Those who walk the night (1)
Tochka.
A castle located on a high plateau in the Ropes Mountains of the North Continent.
High and solid walls, a deep moat, and layered cliffs surrounding the castle made this old castle a natural fortress.
but.
This fortress, where one girl was said to be able to fend off a hundred soldiers, was currently abandoned without an owner.
That's right, another name for Tochika, the strongest fortress, is 'Eupcham Castle'.
This name, which means 'weeping and beheading', comes from an ancient story in which a general from the Warring States Period was defeated by an enemy army while staging a sit-in at this fortress.
The general, who was young and capable at the time, believed only in his own skills and theories of military strategy and waged a sit-in war in Tochka, a natural fortress, but the result was a crushing defeat.
Fortress Tochka was a huge fortress that boasted a defense force like an iron wall, but it had one drawback: it was located on a plateau full of rocks in the dry climate unique to the northern highlands, so there was no drinking water nearby. That's exactly what it meant.
Because of the general who suffered from hunger due to lack of water and opened the gate and escaped, the country eventually entered the path of destruction.
Therefore, according to military law, the king had no choice but to cut off the head of the general he loved. At this time, the king swung his sword while shedding tears, so the nickname given to him was 'Eupcham's Castle'.
A barren environment with almost no potable water, and an ominous legend filled with resentment from the townspeople.
So, as time passed, this magnificent and strong fortress became an old-fashioned place that was not noticed by anyone and was slowly forgotten.
… … but.
There were people who started their activities from this abandoned fortress that no one paid any attention to.
Night walkers. They were 'those who walk the night'.
Roaring Roaring-
Tochka, which until recently was just a fortress on a barren plateau, was now bustling with crowds of people.
Expansion and repair work is happening everywhere.
Embankments and watchtowers were raised high, and holes in the walls were being filled.
Numerous goats pull carts loaded with food and water.
Refugees from all over the continent were gathered in the makeshift tents.
These are all people who followed the night walkers and gathered here at the 'Ark'.
These are people who lost their original places of residence due to famine, drought, forest fires, and monster infestations.
The sick receive medical treatment and the hungry receive food rations.
It wasn't so rich that it overflowed, but it was enough that we no longer had to watch our children go hungry.
The refugees who settled here all looked difficult and exhausted, but there was a little hope in their eyes.
A place where we left behind those who did not believe.
The results of embarking on a long journey following a glimmer of faith despite enduring ridicule, ridicule, and contempt were bright.
At least here, I could receive blessings from priests and receive rations of food and water.
Compared to the old home where one had to worry about food shortages or attacks by robbers or monsters every day, it was a place no different from paradise.
Meanwhile.
Dozens of priests were busy walking around in the tent where the wounded and sick were lying.
A priest can be seen treating a refugee who was seriously injured after being crushed by a rock while helping repair the castle wall.
She took a deep breath and muttered.
"Calm down Lolita. This is just a simple restorative baptism. There is nothing to be afraid of. So don't be nervous."
"Sister. "My name is not Lolita."
"i know. "Lolita is my name."
"… … ?"
When a young nun who did not seem to have much experience borrowed God's protection with trembling hands.
Sigh-
There was a hand gently holding her hand from behind.
"Our Lord Rune will gladly extend his hand to the lamb groaning in pain before his eyes."
Sister Lolita was startled by the experienced and compassionate voice and turned her head.
Dolores, the 'Saint of the Night' and the leader of the 'Night Walkers', was standing there with a smiling face.
'… … Nu, it's dazzling!'
Lolita, an apprentice nun, hesitated for a moment as if she was intimidated by that solemn, benevolent, pious, and beautiful appearance.
Then Dolores' expression changed into a mischievous one for an instant.
She whispered in a low voice so that no one could hear, only Lolita could hear.
"Don't feel pressured and use as much divine power as you can. Even if you spend as much as you can, He will repay you in full. "In times of crisis like this, interest rates are cheap."
I learned good things from the Old Testament priests.
Lolita's eyes turned round at the familiar tone of Dolores' tone.
"Sir, do you know that the saint can say something like that?"
"of course."
When Dolores smiled and raised both fists to express encouragement, Sister Lolita's expression finally brightened.
She seemed encouraged and began to pray. Of course, she treated the patient excellently.
Dolores smiled happily as she watched the young nuns who trusted and followed her in Quo Vadis grow into full-fledged nuns.
As expected, the flower of faith blooms most beautifully in the most intense places on the front line.
at that time.
There was a voice calling Dolores.
"'Saint of the Night'! Long time no see!"
A man seen beyond a herd of goats grazing on the highlands in the distance.
He is tall and has a handsome face like a man.
The black armor and blonde hair blowing in the wind clearly showed what an ideal wandering knight was.
It certainly looked like a painting on a canvas, but his severed left arm showed that this was a cold reality.
"'Knight of the Night'!"
Dolores smiled at her comrade in the distance.
Tudor is back.
As seniors and juniors at Colosseo Academy, they were also close friends within the 'Night Walkers' group.
"We brought in a lot of new people."
"I graduated, but they told me to just stop talking."
"Once a senior, always a senior."
Dolores and Tudor both graduated from the Academy early.
Therefore, the period of time the two spent time together at school was quite short, but despite this, Dolores clearly remembered Tudor's school days.
After Bikir was imprisoned in the Nouvelle Vague, Tudor became noticeably less talkative.
Tudor, who was cheerful, full of leadership, and romantic, became a quiet, sincere student who devoted himself only to training and studies.
After that, Tudor experienced something terrible in his family and came to where he is today.
Behind that cheerful smile that only appears when he is with his classmates from the Academy, such as Sancho, the 'Night Warrior', Piggy, the 'Gatekeeper of the Night', and Bianca, the 'Sniper of the Night', there must be an unimaginable level of sadness and worry hidden there.
'Maybe, if I hadn't met Vikir earlier, I might have been in the same situation as Tudor.'
Dolores deeply sympathized with Tudor's pain and sadness, but was also deeply grateful to Bikir for cutting out the darkness of the religious hymn Quo Vadis early on.
This is because it is clear that the civil war would have been much more chaotic if Quilty and Humbert had been alive.
'No, a civil war would not have been established in the first place.'
The Iron Blood Swordsman Set, or rather Andromalius, was lurking in Baskerville.
Seere was lurking in hiding in the magic head house Morg.
Bartolomeo, no, Belial, who was lurking in hiding among the wealthy bourgeoisie.
If each of them had taken over their families and participated in the civil war, the human world would have turned into a terrible hell by now.
Dolores once again felt pious and sorrowful at the weight of the burden that Bikir had been carrying and the length of the thorny road.
'In times like these, we must uphold His will even more firmly.'
This takes priority over helping him escape from his imprisonment in the Nouvelle Vague.
If you move too hastily, you may end up interfering with Vikir, so you must first complete the mission given to you.
at that time.
"Hey, knight of the night!"
In the distance, two more men appeared beyond a cart full of drinking water.
It was Sancho and Piggy.
"It's been a while, kids!"
Tudor, Sancho, and Piggy embraced each other and celebrated their reunion after several months.
The Night Walkers were on a mission to travel around the continent to spread the myth of the 'Ark' to refugees and bring them back to Tochka.
'Fire and water will only avoid this place, and only here will true salvation be achieved.'
All of this was also due to the message left behind by the 'Hound of the Night'.
Sancho, who was standing next to Tudor, looked back at Tochka Fortress, which had already become crowded, and said.
"This place is getting quite crowded now. "When we first made this place our base, it seemed like it might be haunted."
"that's right. "I'm glad everyone followed along even though it was a high and barren place."
Piggy also nodded.
However, Tudor, Sancho, and Piggy, who guided the refugees here, were also unable to resolve the fundamental question.
"But why did Bikir ask people to gather here?"
It was a mystery that even Dolores, the leader of the Nightwalkers, had not yet been able to solve.
However, the situation was too urgent to receive much explanation from Bikir, so it was inevitable.
Also, as everyone knows, isn't Bikir a person who has never said anything nonsense?
"There must be some reason. "I have never suffered a loss by listening to Bikir."
"okay. "There must be a reason why they asked us to gather as many people as possible to an abandoned castle in such a barren and remote place."
"that's right. So let's do our best! "This is all we can do until we find a way to rescue Bikir!"
Tudor, Sancho, and Piggy once again show their determination with a determined expression.
Dolores was looking at her colleagues with trusting eyes.
Right then.
"Hey, executives. Would you like us to gather together? "I have a meeting to discuss."
In the distance, the curtain of the barracks was lifted and a person walked out.
"… … !"
"… … !"
"… … !"
"… … !"
Dolores, Tudor, Sancho, and Piggy all turned their heads.
He is the 'wealthy man of the night', the sponsor who provides the finances for those who walk at night.
Also called a 'rich friend' by a very small number of people.
Tochka, which was just an abandoned fortress on the outskirts, was expanded and renovated into an iron fortress, while at the same time stockpiling enough food and water to handle the large number of refugees.
A supernova in the business world, where once funds are mobilized, the wealth is comparable to that of the chaebol bourgeoisie.
And he is an advisor to Colosseo Academy's investment club 'Oracle'.
'Mesinadnaro CindiWendy'.
No, now she, 'Thindi Wendy Countess of Baskerville', was looking down at me.
"… … "It's urgent."
Rarely, with a serious expression.