༺ A Road Flows Together With A Traveler – 6 ༻
Humans were creatures that needed sleep.
Sleep; a demand that was inevitable as long as one was alive. It could be postponed, but never permanently refused, even if it was in the middle of a flowing, moving street.
Being able to sleep while moving was both a blessing and a curse. Humans were burdened with the duty of sleep even in such situations.
It was when I was groaning due to the rough vibrations felt throughout my body.
“Wake up. Wake up….”
There was a hurried voice whispering right into my ear, as hands urgently patted my shoulder.
Ugh, what is it? Don’t disturb my deep sleep. After all, the only way a lack of sleep quality could be compensated for was with higher quantity.
I mumbled as I twisted my body.
“Just 10 more minutes….”
But the following words were enough to snap me awake.
“…It’s a robbery. Wake up.”
“Eh? Robbery?”
The Meta Conveyor Belt and highway robbery.
There was a huge discrepancy between those two terms. In fact, they didn’t fit together at all.
In the past, there was the vain invention of railways and trains. It was a two-lined channel that made roads out of steel, letting vehicles traverse over them. However, it was only well-intentioned in name, drawing up some pure idyllic heaven of trade, commerce, and transportation.
In reality, it soon faded into the back alleys of history due to animals biting the railways out of curiosity, enemy spies disguised as beasts committing terrorism, or penniless highway robbers with too much time on their hands causing ambushes.
Compared to that, this Meta Conveyor Belt was a nearly perfect invention.
Even those with ill-intent could not damage the Meta Conveyor Belt. Even if the road was damaged in the middle, it simply flowed or filled up again. If one really wanted to stop this flow, they would have to be prepared to dig up the entire earth.
In essence, it was a synonym for impossibility.
It was also difficult to get onto the Belt. Unlike trains that stopped moving and could only twiddle their thumbs when the railways were blocked, the flowing land would not care, merely going its own way no matter the obstacle.
Even if someone collapsed an entire cliff onto it, the road would not get blocked. Instead, it would continue to flow with the cliff on top, so humans had no choice but to move according to the land.
It was also hard to find a target. The Meta Conveyor Belt carried numerous goods from all across the Military State. Unlike railways, where passing trains were no different from treasure chests, without a discerning eye, there was no way to know what cargo was in which container.
Moreover, people who used this road were usually soldiers.
And if you were able to somehow overcome all these obstacles and actually managed to steal something? Congratulations. Now you just had to run off with a tired body and a heavy backpack.
By then, the horses and carriages you rode would have been left far behind. Instead the forces of the Military State would be waiting.
Therefore, highway robbery on the Meta Conveyor Belt were acts of organization with enough power to dream of overthrowing the nation….
For example, like the Resistance.
Wait. Huh?
“The Resistance?”
“Assumption, affirmative! They have just started falling from abo…!”
Was what the Captain was saying when…
“IYAAAAAAAH!”
A war-cry came from above.
It was still not fully daylight. Since we just happened to be passing through a valley, morning came late and people, still half-asleep, rubbed their eyes and looked around in the dim fog.
However, the intruders came from above.
In the distance, about ten people descended while tied to ropes.
It was clear they had practiced extensively beforehand. The ropes traced precisely calculated trajectories and just before hitting the ground, they deftly changed direction to run along with the Belt. One after another, those who lightly landed on the Belt let go of the ropes and rolled on the ground.
And as they stood up, a bayonet could be seen in each of their hands.
Only one person gently landed with a long spear scraping the ground instead of a gun.
The Resistance, who landed lightly after swinging from the rope like monkeys, aimed their guns in all directions and shouted.
“Everyone, freeze!”
Darn it. All sorts of insignificant things are attacking and disturbing my sleep.
As I quietly observed the greenhorns blocking my path…
“Put your hands up and kneel!”
I obediently followed as told. A gun had no mind, after all. Oh well. Can’t be helped.
As their gazes found us, the terrified mother hugged her son tightly. The mother trembled in fear, almost to the point of sobbing.
The man holding the spear, who looked to be the leader, smiled reassuringly at the mother and son.
“We are the Resistance. Friends of the people. We have no intention of harming you, who are not soldiers.”
Meanwhile, behind him, the other Resistance members were prying open the cargo with large axes and tools. The tightly sealed container broke, revealing neatly packed boxes inside. Most of the Resistance members, except for the leader, entered with lamps.
During this time, the leader counted people while pointing his spear.
“Two civilians. One military engineer. Over here is….”
“We are civilians! Civilians! We are on our way back home to Amitengrad!”
I made my move first before the Captain could say anything. The Captain, still in her shirt, and I, dressed in shabby clothes, looked like exemplary civilians.
The Resistance leader looked around and mumbled.
“Are there no soldiers? Well, I guess there wouldn’t be any going in this direction right now.”
｢And that’s also why we targeted this opportunity. We were lucky.｣
Relaxing his guard a bit, the leader spoke with a sharp gaze.
“Stay still. We are the Resistance. We are reclaiming the rightful assets of the kingdom.”
The old military engineer who had been slightly roughed up asked.
“The kingdom?”
“Yes. That’s right. Originally, everything in the Military State belonged to the kingdom. We are just reclaiming what the Military State has unjustly occupied.”
Many types of people were gathered in the Resistance that aimed to overthrow the Military State.
These included knights from the old kingdom era, spirited young people, and the dregs driven out by the Military State. They had different reasons, but ultimately, they were people who could not bear to live under the same sky as the Military State, thus gathering and forming their own power.
Among them, the most powerful were naturally the knights, who were part of the privileged class of the old era.
The King’s Spearmen.
It was only natural that knights, who had wealth, power, influence, and military force, became the focal point of this new group.
“The Military State cowardly made their move when the provincial knights were keeping their posts. If the knights of each province had all been gathered at the Royal Castle, the riot of the rabble would have ended as a mere disturbance. As such, how is this any different from having our country stolen?”
Knights were both the ruling class of the country and the lords of their respective fiefs.
Many knights, who were in other provinces during the coup d’etat, resisted the Military State or hid with their money and vassals. That power became a spear pointing at the Military State, and in its early days of power, the State often staggered, floundering both internally and externally.
Of course, now, it was only the Resistance that was faltering.
Anyway, the dissatisfied Resistance leader, Sir Baltzroy, exuded a sharp aura.
“What’s the point of talking to ignorant peasants? What would they know? Stay silent and still, just like when the kingdom fell. You peasants, who know neither honor nor glory….”
Sir Baltzroy, wrapped in knightly arrogance, kept an eye on us and did not even lift a finger while the other Resistance members broke into the container.
As if he, being noble, could not lower himself to engaging in such menial tasks.
It was around the time when the inside of the container started to get noisy. The Captain beside me flinched.
｢Although I am just a signaller, I am still a Captain of the Military State. I must be faithful to my duty.｣
Huh? Wait, what? Why all of a sudden?
Wait. No way, right? It can’t be what I’m thinking, right?
｢I am a signaller, but still a Captain. I cannot overlook this and stay quiet when rebels are diverting the assets of the Military State.｣
Despite my hope, the determined Captain stood up and tried to insert the clothing packet into her bio-receptor.
Just before Sir Baltzroy, who noticed her actions, could move his hand…
“WAAAAAAAH!”
I quickly hugged the Captain and rolled on the ground. I held her fist so she couldn’t extend her hand and covered her mouth with my other hand, pinning her down with my weight.
The Captain, subdued by me, twisted her body and shouted.
“Let g-eup!”
“I apologize! Our Bbey has an anxiety disorder!”
Are you seriously crazy?!
The opponent is a knight who was once the ruling class of the kingdom. Even a properly promoted Captain would be at a disadvantage, so what could a mere signaller, the most useless of Captains, do against him?! What are you going to do, huh? Scream into his eardrums, going ‘UrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRR!’ like your alarm? That might actually have some sort of a chance! It’s at least better than you attacking him straight up!
As the Captain and I struggled, grabbing at each other’s collars, Sir Baltzroy extended his spear towards us.
“What do you think you are doing?”
“Please don’t mind us! She’s showing symptoms of a seizure! I’m holding onto her as a countermeasure for it! AH OW!”
Damn, I was bitten. However, I just gritted my teeth and covered the Captain’s mouth.
The Captain, pinned under me, let out an inaudible scream.
｢Let go! I am a soldier of the Military State! I must be faithful to my duty!｣
Even duty is relative to the situation. You would die like a dog! Why are you trying to interfere when you can’t even fight? Do you want to die that badly?
｢I, being a signaller, must either commit suicide immediately upon being discovered or kill you, who have found and rescued me. That is the duty of a signaller who handles the most important secrets of the nation!｣
Wait a minute. Why was this coming up right now?
…Ah. No way. Could it be?
｢However, until now, I have not been faithful to my duty. Excited to be out in the world, I postponed the moment of the choice I had to make someday. In essence, I turned my back on my duty. However, I cannot do that now as well.｣
Tsk.
This damn Military State. What did they even do to make a person like this?
｢In the case that I die resisting the Resistance, then that too would be fulfilling my duty. So now, I no longer need to agonize about a decision. This is your only chance to live! So, let go!｣
It was right when the Captain, who had resolved to do as such, tried to shake me off and stand up.
But before she could, the old military engineer got up first. With a face worn by the hardships of the world, he observed Sir Baltzroy and the Resistance members dismantling the container.
“…You called us ignorant, yes?”
The military engineer moved, as if the aimed muzzles were entirely irrelevant.
The difference between the Captain and the military engineer was that I was there to stop her from doing something crazy. Meanwhile, facing the Resistance, the engineer murmured with the sorrow of life filled in his voice.
“My brother died during the construction of the Meta Conveyor Belt. He fell into the flowing land, his body crushed. To think a person was torn apart alive…I still vividly remember that scene. On days when I had time to spare, I walked on the Belt under the pretext of maintenance, reminiscing about my brother. I still…resent the Military State. The Military State that took away my brother and colleagues with their unreasonable, excessive construction.”
“Oho. It seems that weeds grow, even in the mud. There is finally an enlightened one here.”
Sir Baltzroy rejoiced upon hearing the military engineer’s negative remarks about the State. Indeed, there was nothing that brought people closer than bonding over shared grievances by cursing the ones that wronged them.
“Would you perhaps like to join the Resistance? We always welcome technicians like y….”
“But still. No matter how much I resent the Military State…”
The engineer viciously distorted his wrinkled face; fiery wrath was engraved on every trace of hardship in his face.
With unparalleled hatred and contempt, the military engineer gritted his teeth and replied.
“They are hundreds of times better than the shitty scum of the kingdom.”
“…What?”
Sir Baltzroy’s face cracked.
Despite facing the killing intent of the knight, the engineer spat out a scream condensed with years of pent-up anguish. It was a gradually fading outcry of someone who remembered the past before the change of an era. It was a memory filled with hatred and an era of duels.
“Yes, you scum. At least my brother died working as a carpenter. Horrible as it was, it wasn’t a miserable death! But you sons of bitches who dare to strut around calling yourself knights! I’m saying the State is better than you bastards who killed people as if they were toys!”
Sir Baltzroy’s face turned red at the criticism he received. He clenched his spear as if to break it and strode towards the military engineer.
“…It seems you wish to die.”
Despite facing a murderous knight, the engineer screamed hoarsely, veins bulging in his neck.
“Fine! Kill me! You sons of bitches from the kingdom who colluded with scum! Kill me like you killed my father and mother! Kill me!”
“If that’s your wish.”
Sir Baltzroy took off his glove and threw it in front of the engineer. The sound of the leather glove hitting the ground echoed.
During the kingdom era, it was the period of knights; a time when strength was ultimately national power and authority.
Even then, there were laws, but it was hardly enforced. Instead trials by duels were prevalent.
Strength was tested against strength, and the winner took everything. In the name of God, the victor was the truth as well as the justice.
Sir Baltzroy, having thrown his glove, grasped his spear barehanded and aimed it at the engineer.
“It’s a duel. Vermin. Pick up a weapon.”
The Military State prohibited personal duels. Therefore, citizens born after martial law didn’t really know what a duel was or what it signified.
However, those who lived through the previous era instinctively shuddered at the sight of the system that had claimed the most lives in the kingdom.
Sir Baltzroy recited the duel declaration in a simplified form towards the military engineer flinching in fear.
“A challenge has been made. Victory is justice, so the winner will surely be blessed by the holiness of the Sky God.”
“Holiness? What holiness is there?! Holiness, my ass! If thugs running wild is the will of God! Then that God must be no different than a deity of thugs!”
The engineer steeled himself and shouted.
“…I see you’re an ignoramus who doesn’t even know the etiquette of duels. At the very least, if you had accepted, I would have killed you gracefully.”
Whoosh. The spear sliced through the air. Sir Baltzroy, like a predatory beast, tensed and glared at the engineer as if to devour him.
“I’ll cut off your limbs one by one. Crawl on the ground like a bug, begging for mercy before you die.”
The spear closed in. Facing the terror of death, the military engineer staggered back with trembling eyes.
However, he had no regrets.
He would not have been at peace even if the kingdom was crushed with his own hands. Yet, the Military State had toppled that very kingdom. Thus, the military engineer, despite suffering a great tragedy at the hands of the State, could not find it in himself to hate it. All he did was accumulate resentment while walking on the Meta Conveyor Belt for nearly 20 years.
And at the end of his life, the engineer finally unleashed all the hatred and resentment he had harbored. Having nowhere to go as the target disappeared, he finally poured out all the blazing rage that had been swirling inside him.
The old military engineer had no regrets, even if he died right then and there.
He wouldn’t die, though.
｢You can’t. With the General away, there’s no one who can stop the rebels!｣
Ah, and the Captain. You too. Even if you had stepped forward earlier, you wouldn’t have died.
Why do you think the General would have made himself scarce?
“Let’s start with the right arm.”
Sir Baltzroy’s spear moved. Right as I was thinking the tip was slightly vibrating, in an instant, the spearhead had already touched the engineer’s body like a snake.
It was a secretive and swift thrust, its beginning and end unfathomable.
“Yawn.”
But then, the spear was forcefully knocked away.
Sir Baltzroy, his grip torn, staggered back. He looked incredulously at his own hand, then focused his widened eyes and pointed his spear in the direction of the attack.
“Who is it?!”
“It’s me. You fucker.”
A presence emerged. The Qi Membrane that had covered his existence vanished as he appeared as if a curtain had been lifted.
The Military State’s greatest power, the Six Star Generals.
Patraxion, the traitorous knight who had killed the most knights even among those six great powers, now stood before the Resistance.
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