The moment she read those words, Isla felt the entire world around her start spinning in real-time. A thousand thoughts passed through her mind in one split second.
‘What? Why is this written here?’ She asked herself again and again as her heart started racing wildly. This was not merely a coincidence, the words were clearly written by the dead woman before she passed away.
The urgency in it and the misshapen letters, they were all good indications that she was most likely near death when she wrote them with her own blood as ink.
Isla then quickly looked up and over her shoulder. The other mercenaries were still in complete shock so they didn’t realize yet. For a second, her eyes flashed with a weird glint before she looked down at the written message again.
Then, using her hand, she quickly wiped the blood off, distorting the letters and making it appear like a normal bloodstain. She didn’t think much or hesitate before doing it. There was simply no way she could let those mercenaries see that message. After all, just stopping for a moment to think about the consequences of that message made her feel a chill run down her spine.
‘Arthur killed us… Arthur killed us… How could that be? Why would Arthur kill these mercenaries?’ Isla asked herself with a pale expression. The fact the injuries appeared to be the cause of sword slashes made her even more confused.
She could never imagine would ruthlessly kill people for no reason. Unless these people did something worth killing for, she knew her friend way too well. There was simply no way he would commit such a thing with no good reason.
“GODDAMIT!!! SCREW THIS PLACE!!! SCREW EVERYT-“
“Shut up, bastard! Don’t curse the Divine Tower! That’s heresy punished by death!” Another mercenary grabbed his friend and shut him up with his hand. Even when he was crying himself, he couldn’t let his friend spout nonsense.
“*Sniff* I’m sorry it’s just… We lost them all, man! We lost them all! They were the best of the best on our floor! How could they die?!”
“…”
Nobody could reply to his answers. They themselves felt the cruel frustration and the endless sadness that came with this news. An entire squad of mercenaries was wiped off the face of the earth in a few days. But, it was not any squad, these were the best of the best on the first floor and the closest to getting promoted to the second floor.
They were the hope of the settlement of Frozen Peak. Yet, in such a disastrous manner, they all died and the reasons were still completely unknown.
“Fuuuh…” Isla exhaled and stood up. “You want to know why they died?”
The moment she asked that question, the mercenaries looked at her curiously. The girl had been silent the entire time they were there.
“They didn’t die because of unfairness. There is no such thing as ‘fair’ and ‘unfair’ in this world. It’s cruel, and unforgiving, and rewards the strong at the expense of the weak. The stronger you are, the better the world will treat you. These people simply didn’t get that.”
“…”
“So, don’t mourn their deaths, be happy that they lived life and fought for what they believed till their very last breath. They did the impossible to come back home… But, the impossible was simply not enough.”
As she was saying those words, Isla’s voice resonated through the room. It was calm, collected, and yet also carried endless confidence and sympathy. Isla wasn’t simply saying words to encourage them, she was saying what she believed and what she experienced firsthand in her life.
Being weak in this world was simply a suicide attempt. The sheer cruelty of people who have the power made it so hard for anyone weak to live a peaceful life as they wished. The Divine Realm was but a more gruesome manifestation of the real world where every mistake could lead to death.
She wasn’t surprised that they died trying to navigate a hostile place like the Divine Tower. It was not a place made for men and yet their relentless efforts made the humans of the empire have a place in such a terrifying environment.
“Stand up and lift your heads. Pay respect to your dead comrades for their courage and service. I do not know what hardships and achievements you shared, but don’t you think it’s better if you show them how much you respect their efforts?”
“*Sniff*”
The tears rolling down the mercenaries’ faces stopped as they stared, wide-eyed at Isla. Her sheer presence gave them a very odd feeling they never expected to have at that moment. They were unable to comprehend how such a young girl could have such a strong personality.
“You’re… You’re right.” One of the men stood up and wiped his tears and snot as he stared at Isla. “We have to pay respect to them. They have tried… for us. They have done everything they had to do… Now they can rest.”
Then, he stepped forward and passed Isla who looked over her shoulder. Stopping in front of his dead comrades, the man almost lost it seeing the brutal signs of their deadly wounds. They were too hard to look at. Especially with their heads being completely decapitated.
Still, he closed his eyes as he bent down and yelled. “THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!! YOU FOUGHT WELL! NOW YOU CAN REST!! WE WILL TAKE THE JOB FROM HERE AND CARRY YOUR WILL!!”
As he yelled those words, tears dripped down his face endlessly. He was pained, still in shock, and completely wrecked. But, he wanted to convey his deep respect and admiration for their sacrifice.
The others watched that scene with wide eyes. But, slowly, they realized that they had to do the same and stood up to join their friend.
“Thank you, guys!”
“We owe you our lives!”
“Rest well!!”
Isla watched as they all bowed to the dead mercenaries. Nobody knew what was going through her mind at that moment, but it was clear that she found the sight quite honorable.
‘As much as these mercenaries are doing many wrong things… At least this isn’t too bad.’ She mused as she crossed her arms and closed her eyes.
But, that didn’t mean that everything was over. Isla’s biggest problem was still there. Arthur… was nowhere to be found. Everything surrounding the death of these mercenaries was a mystery and so was Arthur’s whereabouts. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire
‘Things don’t align. If Arthur killed them and ran away, why didn’t he tell me? And where would he go? There is no way out of this tower except the settlement gate.’ Isla frowned as she looked through the door at the outside world.
Her heart was telling her that there was simply no way Arthur killed these mercenaries. Even when every possible evidence there is indicates that he did… She still couldn’t feel it. She knew that boy the most, and she could know when something was the result of his doing or not.
This situation was far too mysterious and incomprehensible to be his work. But, that leaves the question.
‘Where is Arthur?’
A//N: Thank you all for the gifts, golden tickets, and PS. Let’s keep it up!