Ch.148Report on the Downfall of Diligence (13)

Jakob froze like he had turned to stone. For someone who had lived his entire life as Hans’s puppet, it was like a bolt from the blue. It must have sounded as absurd as being told to cut the lifeline while standing on a cliff.

That’s why this fat, timid man couldn’t even properly rebel.

“Wh-what did you say? I didn’t hear you.”

Kain grabbed his chin. The startled fat man flinched, but Kain persistently maintained eye contact. As if determined to engrave it on his retina, Kain enunciated clearly.

“No. You heard me perfectly. Order Theodore’s arrest if you want to protect your children.”

“I, I…”

“It’s a simple matter, Jakob.”

Kain pressed on without giving him a chance.

He couldn’t allow him time to collect himself. If this fat man regained his composure, he would retreat to his familiar patterns of thinking. Kain needed to rip the blanket off his comfortable bed of preconceptions and kick him with cold reason.

“If you choose to do nothing, I’ll leave right now. Then the Knight of the Scabbard will come and spread the apocalypse. When that happens, you’ll wail as you watch your children merge with monsters. You’ll regret for the rest of your life, thinking you should have ended their lives with your own hands.”

“No-nonsense! Ho-how would you know that?”

“Because I’ve seen it. The things you saw in the wasteland, I saw them clearly too. I also know that they’re slowly creeping in from the edges of the Empire.

And soon, perhaps even now, those monsters might be gathering in the skies above this city, above Lombardt. The Demon King has already awakened.”

Kain heard it. Jakob’s faint moan. The death rattle of a soul being torn to shreds as a man who had barely escaped the terror of death heard its prelude once again.

The man’s eyes glazed over. A deflating sound escaped his lips. Kain shoved Jakob to the other side of the carriage. A dull thud resonated through the carriage, but it seemed to have put some fighting spirit into him.

“So, you decide. Whether to save your life and family before the great disaster comes. Or continue living as you are and lose everything. Think carefully. Will you choose your life and family? Or will you choose Theodore, who has manipulated you your entire life?”

Kain opened his palm and folded his fingers one by one. A silent pressure to decide quickly. When he folded the third finger, Jakob grabbed Kain’s hand.

“I’ll do it.”

“Do what?”

Jakob looked at Kain with bewilderment. But Kain stared back expressionlessly. His intention was clear: ‘Say it with your own mouth.’

Though slow-witted, Jakob had unwittingly lived as a politician for over a decade. He could understand Kain’s silence. Finally, Jakob clenched his fist.

“I’ll… I’ll issue an ar-arrest order for Bro-Brother Theodore.”

Kain knocked on the back of the carriage and shouted, “To the city hall!”

Maria set the carriage in motion again. Jakob still seemed confused about what was happening, but his eyes appeared somewhat clearer than before.

“Um… excuse me?”

“What is it?”

“Will the Knight of the Scabbard re-really come here?”

“He will. He has appeared wherever the Seven Heroes were, so he’ll likely show himself in the skies above this place too.”

“That… that can’t happen!”

Kain looked at Jakob as if he’d said something stupid. But Jakob was genuinely distressed. Even as his eyes darted around nervously and he stammered.

“He brings calamity! No. If he appears here, innocent, innocent people will get hurt.”

Kain hesitated momentarily at this unexpected response.

It was bewildering to see this man, who had been begging for his children’s safety just moments ago, now acting like a councilor again.

But Kain didn’t snap back with “Just worry about yourself.” It was because of the dignity emanating from this seemingly dull man. There was a certain restraint typical of high city officials—a characteristic behavior of putting the city’s welfare above personal safety.

It could be a reaction to having played the role of councilor for too long. Or perhaps he was recalling the horrors he had witnessed during the crusade against the Demon King.

As the unintentional silence lengthened, Jakob urged Kain instead.

“Isn’t there really any way to stop it? Don’t… don’t you know?”

Kain finally shook his head. He had been the one who told this timid man to “act like Hans the Diligence.” It felt like he’d fallen into his own trap. Even as he swallowed his self-mockery, Kain made a cold assessment.

A direct confrontation would be difficult. There was no White Blood Knights, and Lily wasn’t here either. He couldn’t place a greater burden on Maria and Elisabet who slumbered within her.

Moreover, local church officials and knights bribed by Hans the Diligence had even attacked Kain and Maria. So it would be difficult to receive their support.

The thought of trying to mobilize this man briefly crossed his mind, but Kain dismissed it. Jakob was a man who had never properly commanded anyone. If such a person suddenly declared, “A great disaster is approaching, follow my orders,” the city would fall into even greater chaos.

This was already a city with complex logistics and haphazard development. Its peculiar position as an imperial direct territory in the middle of an elector’s domain had, paradoxically, led to weaker defenses than other cities.

It made sense. In this kind of political tension zone, if one side began stockpiling weapons, it might be interpreted as an attempt at forceful annexation.

Kain considered evacuation but dismissed that option too. How could he possibly convince people they needed to flee because the Demon King had revived? It would only cause greater confusion.

People would dismiss it as nonsense and remain motionless, and when monster ships crossed the sky and loomed over the city, evacuation would become meaningless.

If neither emergency evacuation nor resistance was possible, there was only one option left. Kain couldn’t think of any other solution. There was no guarantee the plan would work.

But it could keep the city safe.

“There’s no way to stop it. But there is a way to avoid it.”

“How?”

“It depends on you, Jakob.”

* * * * *

The carriage stopped in an alley near the city hall. Jakob hurriedly ran into the city hall building. Kain and Maria removed their borrowed coats and neatly placed them in the carriage to return them to the coachman.

Kain leaned against the alley wall. As he rested his head against the cold stone wall, a cool sensation ran down his spine.

“How was it?”

To Maria’s question, Kain briefly replied, “It went well.” Maria leaned against the wall just like Kain, grinning.

“We’ve become pretty bad people, haven’t we?”

“Why?”

“That’s how the world will see us.” Maria looked up at the sky.

“Sneaking into a perfectly functioning city, digging up dirt on hardworking people, and finally turning the city upside down. Like disease-carrying rats.”

“Let’s think of it as pulling out a rotting box from the corner of a warehouse.”

Kain’s words didn’t seem to provide much comfort. Maria just smiled sadly.

“Kain. If things go wrong, if I…”

“No.”

Kain flatly refused.

“You have one leather strap left. No. Your mother wouldn’t want that either. Even if the Knight of the Scabbard appears in the sky above and turns the city upside down, you absolutely cannot ‘break’ the leather strap to ‘summon’ your mother again.”

At his intense reaction, Maria looked at Kain suspiciously. She even elbowed him.

“What exactly did you do with my mother that makes you so opposed to meeting her again?”

Seeing Kain standing there dumbfounded, Maria bent over laughing.

“Laugh. You’re a bit ugly, so you look better when you laugh. Why are you making such a grim face when we haven’t even started yet? You’ll drive away what little luck we have.”

“That’s the first time I’ve been called ugly.”

“Is it also the first time someone told you to laugh?”

“No.”

“Then laugh.” Maria ran her fingers along the corners of her mouth.

“Unless you’re desperate to look like someone carrying firewood into a fire. Besides, we’ve done all we can. No one else could have done what we did. Our answer might not be the best. It might not be the model answer. But when this is the only answer we can give, what else can we do?”

A trumpet sounded from the city hall. It was an emergency assembly call. Mounted heralds shouted emergencies while carrying assembly flags. The sound of conch trumpets echoed throughout the city. Kain burst out laughing.

“If our answer is wrong, we’ll all die, and if it’s right…”

“If it’s right, at least we can save the people of this city. Even if we don’t know what will happen to us. Kain, isn’t that worth trying?”

“I suppose so.”

With a smile, Kain pushed himself off the wall. He jumped slightly in place, loosening his body in various ways. Maria also prepared for the coming battle.

Guards who were preparing to go home gathered in the city hall square. Those off duty ran into the barracks in civilian clothes and emerged heavily armed.

A city hall clerk with a handsome mustache could be heard reading orders from a scroll. Of course, he wasn’t loudly announcing the emergency arrest order, but the commotion among the guards could be felt even from the alley some distance away.

The guards shouted slogans and dispersed into several groups. The mounted patrol mounted their horses. Since it was uncertain whether Brother Theodore was in the city or traveling through villages outside, they had divided into two groups. The mounted patrol would search outside the city, while the foot patrol would search within.

“Hear ye, hear ye! Everyone return to your homes! There will be training tonight. Due to the scheduled training, the curfew has been moved up! Return home immediately! By order of Councilor Hans!”

Heralds noisily blew trumpets and beat drums. On the streets, people were annoyed by the sudden order, and many questioned why “that Hans” would issue such a command.

Some even said they should check if he really had such authority, but in principle, there was no problem. This city had no mayor, and instead was governed by a committee of seven representatives. And Jakob, as Kain had instructed, would have proceeded after getting permission from the other committee members.

Kain and Maria huddled deeper into the corner of the alley. They knew from experience that street patrols and heralds wouldn’t search such alleys. Since they considered it a training situation, they weren’t particularly strict.

According to the plan, by now Jakob should have somehow returned to his home and would be gathering valuables from his mansion. He would then travel day and night to the capital with his wife and two children.

That was the solution Kain had proposed.

* * * * *

In the carriage, Kain had explained his plan.

“After issuing arrest warrants for Brother Theodore and Sister Grace, immediately take your wife, children, and valuables and leave for the capital. Whether you confess your crimes there or hide among the people, that’s your business. But flee as quickly as possible. If you remain here, it will be difficult to preserve your life.”

Jakob had guessed that much. The captured Theodore would likely shout loudly. And among the contents of those shouts would be revelations about Jakob’s identity and his own.

“And then?”

Kain pointed to Jakob’s ring. The councilor’s thick ring used for dropping wax seals and stamping.

“Give me that ring. That way I can take custody of Theodore and Grace from the guards. If I say, ‘I have orders from Councilor Hans. He entrusted this urgent matter to me,’ and show them that ring, no one would dare object.”

Jakob hurriedly removed the ring. It wasn’t easy since his fingers were as swollen as bloated sausages. After finally removing it, Jakob kept rubbing his hand.

“I’ll handle the rest.”

“So, you mean… you’ll take Theodore and Grace… out to that wasteland? With minimal escort?”

“Yes.”

“Why… why would you do that?”

“Because the Knight of the Scabbard will follow Hans the Diligence.”

Kain still didn’t know what the knight’s purpose was. But he knew how the knight had acted. He kills the Seven Heroes and resurrects their corpses as monsters. He also turns those who stand in his way, or those who willingly abandon their humanity, into monsters.

Like placing a sword on both shoulders of a squire during knighthood ceremony. He places shadows on humans and transforms them into monsters.

If so, mass slaughter wasn’t his goal. Kain and Maria focused on this point. If they lured Hans the Diligence to the uninhabited wasteland…

The knight would surely follow.

Two hours later. Theodore and Grace appeared in the square in front of the city hall, bound with ropes.