Chapter 390: The Power of Friendship, Love, and Faith (1)
“So, is the journey a little comfortable?”
“Fucking dog…”
“I’m offended by you condemning me like that. From my position, I have Are the prisoners still intact despite being betrayed? If I were really a psychopathic trash, I would have buried all the prisoners currently being held by allies alive. I wouldn’t be dragging them to the battlefield like this.”
“…”
“Didn’t you tell us that you will play a great role on the side of the light as well? Naturally, this isn’t where your role ends. You made up your mind to work for the light, but you should do much, much more for us. You will continue to work hard in the future, so be sure to make up your mind firmly.”
“If you think that Jin Qing will be shaken from this, it is a mistake.”
“Is there any reason not to be shaken? He is a human, not God. Moreover, the gods can also be backstabbed. What makes you think he can endure it? Even smart people often make wrong judgments. Like you.”
“I don’t want to know.”
“It often happens when you trust others. A successful businessman goes bankrupt after being backstabbed by a close friend or goes out of business due to a bad guarantee. That’s usually the case when people who are unlikely to ever suffer from fraud sometimes collapse. They believe in others too much. Neither socially successful people nor people with special talents that are different from others are backstabbed for being stupid.”
“Jin Qing is…”
“It may be hard to believe, but there are about three people who absolutely believe in me. No, there are four. I look stupid, but I don’t think that can be helped. I can affirm that if I’m in Jin Qing’s position and the ones I trust are taken prisoner; I’ll still trust them. Of course, there will be several reasonable doubts, but even taking those into consideration… I will want to believe.”
“…”
“It’s you, not me, that Jin Qing trusts, Yev Karina. Of course, he’ll think of several ways of how I’m going to move, but what he believes in is you. In that sense, this operation will be a significantly fun time. If…”
“…”
“How do you think the Republic will judge this situation if we head to Castle Rock instead of heading to the capital? Will they simply think that he was backstabbed by the son of a bitch who can’t keep his word? Or will he think that Yev Karina, who he believed in, was enlightened with light and was on board with me? Aren’t you curious? If he believes in the hints you gave, he’ll be truly shocked. He probably won’t be able to tolerate it. Perhaps you’ll be revered as the greatest backstabber in the history of the Republic. Yes. Absolutely.”
“… …”
“I know. Those with great character in the Republic can never blame Yev Karina. Who would dare blame someone like Yev Karina? I just keep talking because I am anxious and worried. Well, time will tell the results. Now! Let’s go! The organization seems to have been finished to some extent, and now all that remains is moving.”
“Piece of shit…”
“It will be fun. Isn’t it a prevalent cliché that light wins through the power of friendship and faith? Pfff!”
* * *
‘I received a message. A very thankful message.’
‘You mean a code? That’s…’
‘This is a message from Yev Karina. Katya, you were right.’
‘W-when did my sister…’
‘Throughout the whole time the magic power hologram was in progress.’
‘I-I see. She did. It was like that.’
‘Yes. She is still fighting with us.’
When I recalled what I had just heard, I couldn’t help but clench my fists. It was natural for me to be worried.
Considering the current situation my sister was in, it wasn’t enough to worry a hundred times.
The Eberian front had collapsed entirely, and Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung captured my sister.
That just gave me more reason not to give up.
‘She hasn’t given up yet.’
Even in the worst possible circumstances, she was constantly looking for a way to fight.
Even at that moment, when I remembered her sending the message and Jin Qin catching it, I couldn’t help but nod. It was difficult to say that the contents of the interpreted message itself had a lot of information.
All I heard was the size of the overall troops.
The current situation on the Eberian front and the fact that Lee Kiyoung was more likely to go to the capital were all delivered. Since there was a limit to the amount of knowledge that could be conveyed in simple sign language, the only information she could provide was at that level.
Of course, this was a remarkable achievement considering that they had no information before that. The number of troops to be sent to the capital was also decided because of her message.
The troops to detach and to remain were organized based on the Eberian front forces.
It wasn’t like Jin Qing to leave Castle Rock, the only troop that could respond if anything happened.
Units reorganizing in the blink of an eye was enough to leave anyone jaw dropped. Even some of the Republic troops currently maintaining the eastern front had been borrowed, so there was no need to explain the extent of their capabilities.
In summary, he arranged units that could respond immediately to the Eberian army while maintaining a force to guard against enemy attacks.
Of course, there were risks involved in their formation.
The troops maintaining the front and the prestigious Castle Rock had to be reduced little by little. We had to gamble on sending significant forces to the capital.
Nevertheless, there was only one reason they were able to proceed with such a plan.
‘Because it’s Jin Qing’s judgment.’
Everyone trusted him that much. Jin Qing judged that they could survive with the troops that he left.
If that was his decision, then all we had to do was follow. Until now, the Republic had been moving that way, and in fact, it had produced excellent results.
All the commanders believed in his judgment.
Of course, there was no doubt about his skills, and in reality, the formation itself had turned out to be perfect.
There was no noise either, but it wasn’t due to distrust towards him, but rather towards others.
“The formation itself is so good that we cannot say anything. I was worried about the high proportion of summoners in the enemy troops, but I’m sure enough you will keep their feet tied. The supplies we brought seems perfect. Hmm, I thought that the Dawan front side might lose a little power, but…”
“I’m glad then.”
“Of course, it doesn’t mean I don’t have any worries.”
“Is there anything I missed?”
“No. I’m not saying you missed something… Hmm. Even though I am not comfortable with saying this, but it should be worth thinking about this thought of mine at least once.”
“You can talk.”
“What… I want to say is that…”
“…”
“I would like you to think that this is advice from an elder. The… The Eberian Front collapsed too easily, no matter how much I thought about it. I just can’t understand how it happened. Considering the size of the Eberian troops delivered by Yev Karina, it makes no sense.”
“What do you want to say, Riot-nim?”
“Of course, I know that it is not polite to say this in the presence of Katya-nim, but I wonder if Yev Karina…”
“… …”
“I think you should also think about the possibility that Yev Karina is having other thoughts.”
“Riot-nim, are you saying that my sister betrayed us?!”
“I don’t mean that. But I think we shouldn’t ignore the possibility itself. Considering the number of priests on the Eberian front, the size of the troops, and the walls’ size, does it make sense that they were defeated in one day? Yev Karina said herself she would now stand on the side of the State… I-I didn’t see the magic hologram, but she seemed too well to be a simple prisoner.”
“It’s as if you wanted my sis, no, Yev Karina to have suffered.”
“I didn’t mean that, but we need to consider that as a factor. If we assume that the Eberian front was attacked with Yev Karina’s influence, it explains why it was dominated so quickly. I wonder if she had wrong thoughts with the continuous propaganda of his enemies, which resulted in her making an extreme choice.”
“That is a ridiculous calumny. Jin Qing, that’s not even worth hearing.”
“But you have to think about it at least once, sir. I hate to think of the situation this way, too, but you should also think about the possibility that she has turned her back on us.”
“You… Do you really think my sister left me and passed over to the State?”
“You don’t have to raise your voice, Katya! I was just talking about the situation as it is. Strictly speaking, the responsibility for the defeat rests with Yev Karina, the general commander of the Eberian front. No matter how you think about it, you shouldn’t think about it emotionally.”
“Say that again.”
“Stop.”
“…”
“…”
Suddenly, the room grew silent.
I had to bite my lips tightly at the remarks of the old man in front of me. It might be my imagination, but it was difficult to judge that there was no political intention in that statement.
‘This old man is as sly as a fox.’
Everyone here knew that my sister was spending the most time with Jin Qing.
Saying that she would turn her back on the Republic was absurd. She would rather die. There was no way she could do that.
It was ridiculous even to say that the information provided by her code was false.
Moreover, the suspicion that she had been betraying us due to the Eberian front’s time must have been made with the post-war situation in mind.
‘He dares talk about betrayal even though I am there?’
It was then that the Jin Qing’s voice solemnly rang out.
“Katya and Riot are both right. It’s worth thinking about it.”
Unable to control myself, I accidentally raised my voice.
“Sir!”
“If there is a possibility, it’s obvious that we should think about it. And I’ll keep the possibility of Yev Karina’s defection in mind. We are also making preparations if anything like happens. However, it is unlikely. Not because I have been with her for a long time. It is improbable that she would have turned her back on us even if we were to look at it rationally.”
“Ah…”
“She has no contact with the State. She would have neither motive nor time to betray the Republic. It is not yet known why the Eberian Front fell so quickly, but I can bet the reason is not because of her defection.”
“But…”
“You don’t have to worry, Riot. I also have all the possibilities open.”
“I-I’m sorry for saying something useless.”
“No. It was something worth considering.”
He finished quietly, and there was no saying if he believed her unconditionally, but as I turned my head, I could see Jin Qing’s face, all full of conviction.
‘He trusts her.’
As he said before, he must have thought about several outcomes already. But basically, there was no change in the fact that he believed in my sister.
The face he was showing told me everything I needed to know. I smiled.
‘He believes.’
Perhaps my sister would repay that belief. Just as I was thinking about such thoughts, we received another report.
“Sir, the enemy forces are moving.”
“Where?”
“I think they r-really plan to head to the capital.”
‘Good.’
“We will move right away.”