CHAPTER 71 #6
and that you were tired of being told to remain silent. The letters you received, the people who came to protect you, the orders given to us... none of those things happened by accident."
Nagbulungan ang mga mamamayan sa kanilang narinig. Nagtataka sila kung sino ang tinutukoy ni Desmond.
"May isang taong nagbigay sa amin ng utos na iligtas kayo, not because she wanted your worship, not because she wanted you to kneel before her, but because she believes that even ordinary people deserve to have a voice. Hindi niya hinihingi ang inyong pasasalamat.
Hindi niya hinihingi ang inyong katapatan. Ang gusto lamang niya ay marinig ninyo ang isa't isa at magkaroon kayo ng pagkakataong magsalita para sa inyong sarili. Kaya huwag ninyo akong pasalamatan. If you truly want to thank someone,
then remember the person who chose to stand with you even when she wasn't here to receive your gratitude." Desmond continued.
Mas lalong lumakas ang bulungan ng mga tao. Some wondered who could possibly be behind everything that had happened, while others began connecting the letters they had received to the mysterious person Desmond had mentioned.
May ilan na nagtatanong kung sino ang may sapat na kapangyarihan upang makapagpadala ng libo-libong kawal at sabay-sabay na makapagligtas sa mga mamamayan sa iba't ibang bahagi ng Sartores.
"I don't know what will happen after today, and I won't promise that everything will suddenly become better. But as long as we are here, you will not be forced to face this alone. We were given an order to protect you, and we will follow it until the very end. So stay together, protect one another,
and don't let anyone convince you that your voice has no value."
Nagsigawan ang mga tao matapos ang mga sinabi ni Desmond.
Some praised him, while others began clapping, their voices echoing throughout the area.
May ilan namang napaluha habang yakap ang kanilang mga pamilya, relieved that someone had finally stood between them and the forces that had been trying to silence them.
"Sino siya?! sabihin ninyo sa amin kung sino siya!"
"Please! we want to know who she is!"
"Kung talagang siya ang nagligtas sa amin, we want to thank her ourselves!"
Sandaling natahimik si Desmond habang pinagmamasdan ang mga tao. He remembered what had happened to their queen before she came to Mysarea.
These people don't even know that the one they call a demon is the very person who is standing behind all of this.
"You will know her in the right time. Huwag kayong mag-alala, malapit ninyo na siyang makilala."
Meanwhile, throughout Sartores, mabilis na kumalat ang balita tungkol sa nangyari.
Ordinary citizens, merchants, workers, and even some nobles had already heard about the confrontation between the Holy Knights and the people, pati na rin ang pagdating ng mysterious Mysarea Knights na tumayo upang protektahan ang mga mamamayan.
Unti-unting napuno ng galit ang iba't ibang bahagi ng lungsod.
People began gathering in the streets, not carrying weapons, but holding banners and pieces of cloth with messages demanding to be heard.
Some brought food and water for those who joined them, while others came with their families.
Even several nobles quietly left their estates and joined the growing crowd, choosing to stand among the people rather than remain behind their walls.
"We want to be heard!" sigaw ng isang lalaki.
"Hindi na kami mananahimik!" sigaw naman ng isa.
"Listen to us!"
"Pakinggan ninyo ang mga mamamayan!"
Unti-unting dumami ang mga tao habang sabay-sabay silang naglalakad patungo sa Imperial Palace. Sa una, tahimik lamang silang naglalakad, ngunit habang nadaragdagan ang kanilang bilang, lalong lumalakas ang kanilang mga sigaw.
By the time they reached the streets surrounding the palace, thousands of citizens had gathered together. They stood shoulder to shoulder, raising their voices toward the palace gates.
"Open the gates!"
"We demand to speak with the Emperor!"
"Pakinggan ninyo kami!"
The people had begun to believe that the Emperor was deliberately turning a blind eye to their suffering. Para sa kanila, tila hindi na nakikita ni Lurtheron ang tunay na kalagayan ng kaniyang mga nasasakupan.
"Where is the Emperor?!"
"Gusto naming makita si Emperor Lurtheron!"
"Let him come out and face his people!"
Agad namang naging alerto ang mga Imperial at Holy Knights na nakabantay sa paligid ng palasyo habang nakatingin sa napakalaking crowd sa kanilang harapan.
Ngunit hindi sumugod ang mga mamamayan. They simply stood their ground, refusing to leave. For the first time, the Imperial Palace was surrounded not by an army, but by thousands of ordinary people who had finally decided that they would no longer remain silent.
Ang isang Holy Knight ay tila nanginig habang pinagmamasdan ang napakaraming mamamayan sa harapan ng Imperial Palace. The sight of the growing crowd made him uneasy as their voices continued to echo throughout the streets.
The Commander of the Imperial Knights immediately raised his hand and ordered the knights to remain in formation.
"Hold your positions. Do not provoke the citizens."
Countless newspapers carried the news. Mabilis na kumalat ang balita sa iba't ibang bansa, with reports spreading from one territory to another. Within hours, the events in Sartores were already being discussed far beyond the capital.
Hindi lamang sa Vermeleyon kumalat ang balita. Mabilis itong nakarating sa tatlong kontinente, spreading through newspapers, merchants, travelers, and political circles.
Sa ibang kontinente, marami ang hindi nakaramdam ng pag-aalala. Instead, some found the situation amusing, laughing at the empire's growing problems and mocking the authority of the Erenhal Sartorias Empire.
"Ang kontinente na naman ng Vermeleyon ang nangunguna sa mga balita..." sambit ng isang Elven Queen sa kontinente ng Oseanus habang hawak ang isang newspaper.
"In my seven-hundred-year lifetime... I have witnessed the Holy War spread throughout Vermeleyon, and now this happens again. This is the first time something like this has ever happened in history."
Meanwhile, in Nervales,
"Vermeleyon is always the center of the news, huh?" ani ng isang lobo habang binabasa ang newspaper. Bahagya siyang napangisi habang sinusundan ang mga balita tungkol sa kaguluhan sa Sartores.
"First the Holy War, and now this."
Samantala, sa Palazan...
"Another problem in Vermeleyon?" sambit ng isang diwata habang hawak ang isang kopya ng newspaper.
"They really know how to keep the world watching..."
Meanwhile, two of the Queens of Palazan were having their afternoon tea while quietly reading the latest newspaper from Vermeleyon.
"Those mages... nagkamali sila sa pagpaslang sa Orythea. The Child of Fire... she is the savior of the coming threat. Now, we are hopeless," the Witch Queen said, her expression remaining blank as she stared at the report.
"Yeah, they are fools. Now, they have not only lost their Orythea, but they have also placed the entire continent in danger. They were so blinded by their fear of her that they failed to understand what she truly was." the diwata queen said.
"They thought killing her would end the threat. Instead, they may have only made it worse." the witch queen murmured.
The Diwata Queen let out a long sigh as she slowly placed her teacup back on the table.
"They are already in chaos, but they still don't realize that a real threat is coming. Lalo na't balita ko ay marami na ring nawawala roon... We need to go to that continent, Queen Gothel. We have to inform them before it's too late."
Queen Gothel, the Witch Queen, remained silent for a moment before looking at the newspaper again.
"Hmm... I think the Emperor of the continent is already aware that there is a threat, Queen Margaret. Dahil naglabas siya roon ng kautusan, nabasa ko iyon sa dyaryo. He decided to form groups of powerful squads,
gathering strong mages and warriors who would be capable of protecting the Empire if something were to happen."
"We still need to go, Queen Gothel. Yes, there are mages there who possess powerful animal spirits, but they still need us. Kailangang hindi mabagsak ang Vermeleyon dahil kapag tuluyang bumagsak ang kontinente na iyon, Palazan will be next, followed by the other continents.
We cannot simply sit here and watch them fall while we still have the power to do something. Whatever is coming, we need to face it together. If Vermeleyon becomes the first to fall, the chaos will not stop there.
It will spread from one continent to another until there is nowhere left for us to hide."
Nagkatinginan ang dalawang reyna. For a moment, neither of them spoke as they silently considered the urgency of the situation. Alam nilang hindi na maaaring ipagpaliban pa ang kanilang pag-alis.
They immediately began planning how they would reach Vermeleyon as soon as possible.
Whatever was coming, they needed to be there before it arrived.
In the Land of Mysarea
Gamit ang mahiwagang susi ng lagusan ng mga Erenhal, mabilis na nakapunta sa Mysarea ang mga mamamayang ipinadala roon ni Desmond, alinsunod sa kautusan ng Reyna ng Mysarea.
Around five thousand citizens from Sartores, Vermeleyon, were eventually brought to Mysarea. Kabilang sa kanila ang mga nawalan ng tahanan, mga pamilyang hindi na kayang manatili sa kabisera, at mga taong kusang nagpasiyang umalis sa Sartores.
Some had lost their homes during the unrest, while others simply no longer felt safe remaining in the capital.
They were accompanied by one of the Six Azure Blades, Stain, who was assisting them as they made their way toward the massive stone double doors of Mysarea.
Sandaling natigilan ang lahat nang mapansin nila ang dalawang Triberus standing near the entrance, each possessing three heads that were quietly staring at them.
"T-Teka..." nanginginig na tanong ng isa sa mga mamamayan.
"A-anong klaseng nilalang iyan?"
"May ganyan p-palang nilalang?"