Ch.159Act 2: Ch.10 – Long Live the King (11)

Abashina still showed her bright smile.

“Excuse me, do you work here? I’m sorry, but could you bring me one more towel?”

I asked a staff member in a red vest, who promptly brought a towel. The Mother Superior of Pollard bowed deeply as she received the towel I offered. At the same time, she taught the child beside her that one should bow when expressing gratitude.

As the child bowed, Abashina quickly scratched my wrist lightly. I felt a slight sting, and a drop or two of blood stained her finger. I watched as Abashina’s pointed tongue darted out to lick my blood. She must be trying to see the memories tied to my blood.

Abashina looked at me and nodded. Then she went to tend to the other children.

Abashina took the towel and gently wiped the corners of the children’s mouths. Many of the children had poor dental health, causing them to drool after eating sweets. Among them was one child who was particularly messy.

“Oh my, Colson. What are we going to do with you making such a mess?”

Even as she spoke, Abashina nodded in my direction. Pretending to take the child to a corner, she moved up toward the now-empty stage.

The small magic show troupe for the children was performing in small groups here and there, the big band was still playing music, and most of the “adults” were making noise inside the casino.

Both doors of the theater were wide open, but outside was chaotic with protesters shouting, people trying to enter but being stopped by police and mafia checkpoints, and the occasional “upper-class” individuals making their way in.

No one paid any attention to an unremarkable nun taking a slightly dirty child to a corner to clean his clothes. Nor did anyone notice when that nun tapped her foot twice at a specific spot on the stage.

I waited patiently. I waited until Abashina and the child were gone. Just then, I spotted a handkerchief, no better than a rag, carelessly dropped by a child. Like a diligent bodyguard cleaning up something dirty, I picked it up and walked to where Abashina had tapped her foot.

Abashina’s ability isn’t limited to drinking blood and reading memories. She can truly see non-human “beasts” and “blood.” She once said that in a world of mere shadows, only these appear in clear color, making them impossible to miss. Like a red warning light blinking clearly from afar even in the dead of night.

I deliberately dropped the dirty handkerchief. Pretending to pick it up, I examined the spot where she had tapped.

There was a bolt. Covered in blood. I examined the marks on the carpet. Four circles at regular intervals. Where the actors had been sitting until just now. I wrapped it in the handkerchief.

Children’s chatter, the flashy magic show, the big band’s performance, the interior decorated with Aurora’s taste… no one pays attention to a bodyguard picking up a rag. The door leading to the actors’ waiting room is open.

Calmly, I stand up and walk toward the corridor to the waiting room. There’s a clear “Staff Only” sign, but I ignore it. I close the door. The hinges are smooth and make no sound.

The corridor is wide enough for four people to walk comfortably. Daylight-colored lights were installed throughout, intentionally or not, at about waist height, so the light spread softly up and down.

There were many rooms. Makeup rooms, break rooms, prop rooms… Occasionally I saw people carrying spanners, hammers, and materials. They must be making final adjustments to the stage. They’re near the entrance to the performance hall at the end of the corridor.

Suddenly, a shrill scream erupted. I startled and pressed myself against the wall. But soon after, violin sounds flowed out. Not a human scream, but someone tuning an instrument.

Then singing voices were heard. They must be starting a private rehearsal.

Click.

<Awakening 2/12> / <Destruction 1/12>

I could hear the sound itself, but from behind the door, it was just a buzzing noise. I needed to get closer to hear clearly.

Calmly, quietly, I walk as if it’s the most natural thing. The actors’ behavior wasn’t natural. There was also no reason for a blood-covered bolt to be found where they had been sitting.

I needed to check the actors’ identities.

“Who are you? This area is staff only.”

A deep voice came from behind me. I turned around. It was Hildred Castenu, the host and major shareholder of the theater company.

“I apologize. A child has gone missing, and I was asked to find them, but I can’t see them anywhere. It would be terrible if they got lost.”

I showed my white-gloved hand, indicating I was theater staff. Castenu frowned.

“If I see them, I’ll take them to the lobby. But I’m sorry, our contract states that the theater should ensure the smooth progress of our performance. Are you unaware of the contract terms, or has there been a failure in information sharing?”

My stomach twisted, but causing trouble here would do no good.

“I’m sorry. If you see the child, please let me know.”

I walked past Castenu. He must have found me extremely displeasing, as he deliberately bumped my shoulder as I passed. I was quite offended but limited my response to a quick glance.

And then I saw something glistening on his neck above his suit collar.

Scales.

“Wait.”

Castenu tried to grab my arm. I quickly pulled back.

“What are you doing?”

I raised my voice, showing displeasure. Castenu looked at me suspiciously. As he brushed his nape, his hand touched the scaled part. A hissing sound was heard, like a snake shaking its head in warning.

“Are you perhaps…”

SCREEEECH!

A piercing noise like nails on a chalkboard. Both Castenu and I covered our ears simultaneously. It was coming from the speakers.

A moment later, the sound of someone tapping a microphone, [Ah, ah! Mic test, mic test!] echoed through the corridor.

“Damn it, can’t they even adjust the sound properly?”

Castenu yelled at the attached speaker.

[Announcement from Pollard City Hall. Announcement from Pollard City Hall. All ship arrivals and departures have been suspended from 5 PM today until midnight tomorrow.

The reason is dense fog. This unavoidable measure has been taken due to visibility being less than 10 meters, creating a high risk of safety accidents.

Unused tickets can be refunded at the harbor even after the boarding deadline. Those without accommodation can get information about Pollard’s lodging facilities at the counter in the lobby now. Again, we announce…]

“This damn fragment of an island, if it weren’t for the senator…”

Castenu shoved me hard. He stormed into the waiting room, slamming the door so loudly it banged. He seemed to be shouting something inside.

Seeing no good would come from staying here, I headed back toward the lobby.

The atmosphere was strange.

There was no problem with the children and the Southern Cathedral people. The issue was with the casino. People in formal attire were rushing out. They were all so plump that it looked like penguins running. But their expressions were like those who had spotted a polar bear approaching from afar.

I thought it was because of the announcement. I was wrong. They rushed past the counter and out of the lobby. The atmosphere outside the lobby was even stranger. The protests had somehow stopped, and people were continuously muttering something. Even the police were joining in this mood.

Wondering what was happening, I walked outside the lobby. The fog approached shamelessly like a night alley tout. It was ankle-deep fog, but it was writhing.

“How did such fog suddenly…”

I looked toward the harbor. On the other side of the street, where the horizon should have been visible, it was filled with fog. It’s incomprehensible. With such a clear sky, the horizon is completely obscured by fog.

“Never seen fog like this before.”

A police officer with a radio muttered.

“Like a cookie completely submerged in whipped cream.”

Thud. Thud.

A loud sound was heard. It was repetitive and rhythmic. From across the road. The fog was rapidly reducing visibility, so I couldn’t see clearly beyond about 50 meters.

But the sounds were incredibly clear. Boom, crash! Car sounds. Distant screams too. The sound of vehicles braking hard, the friction of metal as cars collided.

Everyone on the street looked toward the source of the sound.

With a vrooom, a Buick appeared through the fog. It was a latest model Buick, an extremely expensive vehicle boasting a sophisticated design. It was famous for its advertisement: “Powerful engine and an unbelievably light yet surprisingly sturdy body!”

And the body was completely covered in blood.

People screamed and backed away. The Buick didn’t stop. It literally pushed people. More people were hit and trampled by other people than by the car, and they suffered greater damage. The Buick completely crushed the ankle of someone lying on the ground.

The Buick’s front tire burst. The Buick spun and slid toward me. I could clearly see the driver’s face. He was a man with a blunt nose. He was wailing. He wore expensive clothes, but his shirt front was all torn, as if he couldn’t contain his anger.

But those eyes. Those eyes. Bloodshot eyes wide open. Eyes strained as if about to burst. Yet incredibly dull eyes. The eyes of the dead. The eyes of someone who cannot live on due to resentment and injustice.

I stepped aside. The Buick barely brushed past me. It climbed onto the lobby steps with a cracking sound, and finally came to a complete stop.

“Gun!”

Someone screamed. The driver raised a gun. Before the Pollard police could react, he pointed the gun at his own head. There was a sound like a firecracker going off.

The crumpled door opened. The driver’s corpse and a newspaper fell to the ground. A Pollard police officer, covering his mouth, hastily spread the newspaper to cover the body. It was the noon edition.

[Breaking News – United States Bank Bankrupt. Federal Reserve Board Denies Emergency Loan Approval]

Civic group members, Pollard citizens, even the police all rushed to nearby stores. To use the telephones. Those who couldn’t use phones begged to listen to radios together. Soon, news burst forth from radios turned up to maximum volume.

The content was that banks were causing a chain of bankruptcies. The Fed refused to approve fund loans. Even foreign banks were going bankrupt, causing the Dow Jones stock price to hit record lows. The Rockefeller family stepped forward to release emergency funds, but even the decision of one of America’s wealthiest family heads had no effect.

The retirement of ordinary people, the efforts built up over a lifetime, all the work done just to have a comfortable bed and warm dinner until the moment of death,

All turned to ashes in an instant.

“We need to leave! This is no time to be here! We need to go home!”

People screamed. The fog danced like an unknowing demon, enjoying itself. The fog that had reached the ankles now rose to around the knees.

“Get lost, idiot!”

Curses erupted everywhere. People were pushing each other. The call to maintain order had long been broken.

“There are no ships!”

Someone who finished a call shouted.

“There are no ships! All boat services are cut off! We can’t leave! We can’t leave this island!”

The crowd moaned with an “oooh” sound. Ordinary people whose lifelong efforts had been denied at once looked murderously at those in the same situation. Fistfights broke out over minor disputes. Police tried to calm them by hitting lampposts with batons, but it was futile.

People filling the eight-lane road began to fight each other. Police ran back and forth. Shouts and curses were exchanged everywhere. Some were engaged in bloody fistfights. Whistle sounds, hoofbeats, the sound of something being beaten with batons. Sounds. Sounds.

Someone grabbed my arm. It was Crayfield. He pulled me toward the lobby.

“The sky.”

The sky? What about the sky? I looked up at the sky again. The sky was still clear. So clear that despite the fog, I could clearly see the brilliantly shining sun, the softly present moon, and a burning star slightly smaller than the moon.

Definitely a planet that wasn’t there before.

Click.

<Awakening 2/12> / <Destruction 2/12>