AWDC Chapter 77

Chapter 77: Samuel

And a major problem for the provisional government was that Waomou was still not captured.

Since Waomou disappeared from the southern hills, his whereabouts were completely unknown, and the royal jewels, including the treasured sword, had not been found.

Most of the executives of the Sapomero teachings were captured, and Waomou’s whereabouts were investigated.

At first, they denied the charges, but when subjected to torture, they confessed without hesitation.

However, even with their confessions, Waomou’s location was unknown. And the only one who seemed to know was Samuel.

He had been a long-time aide to Waomou and was thought to know Waomou’s hideout.

Naturally, Samuel was subjected to harsher torture than the other executives had received. However, he did not confess about Waomou’s hideout. No matter the torture, he stubbornly refused to talk.

“He’s not likely to confess even if we kill him,” the interrogator said, giving up and bringing the matter to me.

I had the interrogation by torture stopped for a while and urgently called someone from Toriholi Village.

Samuel was lying on a bed in prison.

He had endured torture for half a month, and recently only interrogations had been conducted. Today, he had taken a bath and shaved his beard.

He was resting to regain his strength so that he could endure the interrogations that would likely continue. He was also anticipating that torture would begin again, so he was thinking of replenishing his strength.

Then, a voice called out from outside the cage.

Seeing the face of the caller, he stood up in surprise.

“Mother, why did you come here?”

Without answering, his mother brought a young woman and a child holding her hand forward.

“This woman is Salomé. Do you remember her?”

“Salomé?”

“It seems you don’t know. Salomé is the daughter you abandoned long ago while she was carrying your child.”

“Eh?”

“You still don’t remember? She fell in love with you when you had just joined the teachings, converted, and even had a child.”

Having been told that much, Samuel remembered. The shadow of the woman who was looking down overlapped with the girl he had loved long ago.

“Ah, that time, so the one there is?”

“Samuel-sama,” her pleading tone was the same as before.

“Are you Salomé?”

There was no mistake anymore. The woman who was crying there was the woman he had abandoned long ago, knowing that she was pregnant. The woman was just crying without saying a single word of resentment.

“It seems you finally remembered. And you know whose child this is, don’t you?”

Saying so, Merry stroked her grandson’s head.

“It’s your own fault that you repeated misdeeds together with the teachings.

You said you would enter the teachings to find the path of humanity, didn’t you?

But who did you save with that? You even abandoned Salomé, who dedicated her heart and soul to you.

Salomé was abandoned by you, despaired of this world, and tried to throw herself into the river. You tried to take not only Salomé’s life but also this child’s life.

Don’t you realize what you did? Your sin is also my sin as a mother.

I don’t care what punishment is handed down to me on the day of judgment. I will fall into hell with you.

But Salomé and this child have no sin.

Are you going to remain silent about the crimes of the teachings and keep them hidden?

If you do, your sins will also extend to Salomé and this child.

I will bear your sins together with you.

But please don’t involve Salomé and this child.

If you say nothing, the evils of the teachings will continue in the darkness.

If that happens, no one will be saved.

This child and even Salomé will receive punishment.

Please, tell everything you know.”

Merry was crying profusely, and Salomé was just sobbing.

Samuel was speechless at the enormity of it all.

Samuel was just standing there, looking down. Everything disappeared from before his eyes, and the sound was gone.

When he finally came to his senses, his mother and her child were gone.

Samuel had never cried so much as at this moment.

Salomé’s tears, whom he had loved. His son, who was staring at him without understanding anything.

And his mother said that she would bear the sin together with him.

“Salomé, I truly loved you. That’s why I decided not to have children with any woman other than you. That was my only child. But I didn’t know that you were trying to die. Please forgive me.”

All he could do was cry.

Waomou was in a cave in a cliff on the Mandleuk Peninsula, overlooking the Sea of Okhotsk.

He had accidentally found this place when he was a child, and it was a secret base that would not be noticed unless one went close to it.

He had finally escaped from the southern border region to the peninsula that protruded far to the north. It had been a long escape that almost traversed the country.

It had been a difficult and painful escape. Most of the aides who had supported him had been captured, and now there were only two people left. But he had not given up on anything yet.

Although he had been thwarted by an unexpected counterattack, he had scraped together the jewels and thought that if he could bring them out of the country, he could still make a comeback.

Among those who had been captured, almost no one knew his hideout.

The only one who knew was Samuel. He was such a loyal person that he had saved Waomou, the leader, even at the cost of his own life.

He thought that Samuel would not reveal the leader’s hideout even if he was captured.

With the support of the followers, he had finally reached the hideout in a month. He was thinking of crossing the sea and escaping to the neighboring country here after seeing the timing.

He had hidden more than enough food and other supplies here just in case. He was relieved.

But his ambition came to an abrupt end. Soldiers suddenly attacked the hideout and captured him.

“Found it! The crown and sword have been found!” a soldier who had been carefully searching the back shouted.

There was an expression of despair on Waomou’s face, who was captured and unable to move.