The black sun hangs high

Chapter 154 Refugees
Hugh had heard of a word before.

It's called "survivor guilt".

He didn't know much, but he roughly knew that it referred to those who survived disasters and felt a certain guilt about their survival, believing that their continued existence was due to the suffering of others, or feeling immense guilt for their own powerlessness.

Hughes originally felt that this situation should not have happened to him.

But when he heard about the refugees from Seren from Alfred, his emotions still wavered slightly.

But since this order came from the direction of Borden, it would be inappropriate to refuse. In addition, Hugh was indeed curious about the situation in Seren City, so he finally accepted the mission.

The group of refugees numbered nearly one hundred, the vast majority of whom were relatively strong adult men and women, with the elderly and children making up only a small portion. After leaving Seren, they were discovered by the Water reconnaissance team operating near Seren. At the time, the team had also suffered some damage due to the earthquake, so they temporarily took the refugees to a temporary base to rest.

When Hugh asked why the news of the earthquake had taken so long to reach them, Alfred told him that at this stage, no frontline military camp would easily accept such a group of refugees, since there might be spies and agents from other countries mixed in.

And so, these refugees wandered through the area. Compared to Walter, these refugees from Seren were far more afraid of the Delan people and the mages of the Legal Council, because, according to them, the Legal Council wanted everyone in Seren to die...

"That's fucking outrageous."

Hughes sighed heavily in his heart. However, the Legal Committee's attitude towards these refugees reminded him, so he asked, "Where are these refugees now?"

"The team responsible for the pick-up just set off not long ago. They should still have half a day's journey to go and should arrive tonight."

Alfred was also somewhat helpless: "The briefing and the order arrived together; it wasn't that I deliberately delayed or concealed anything."

"Okay, I see."

Hughes reached out and took the letter bearing the royal seal: "Besides me, is there anyone else involved in this?"

"Mr. Meyer will prepare some doctors and medicines, which will be able to help them to some extent... These refugees cannot enter our base, but Brownhill will provide them with tents and accommodations on the edge of Brownhill. We need to keep these people away from our warehouses, supply depots and stations."

"Where is the council? Are there no other mages besides me?"

Upon hearing this, Alfred raised an eyebrow, then suddenly realized something: "You mean?"

"Do you remember the old man who escaped from Seren with me?"

Hugh tapped the letter in his hand lightly with his fingers: "Schubert was only pierced in the calf by a monster in Seren and he was turned into that state. This was only because he received timely control and treatment... Although I really hope that more survivors can escape from that hell, the premise is that they are still 'human'."

"You mean the kind of monster the Legislative Affairs Commission mentioned can disguise itself as a human?"

"I'm not sure if I can actually replace a real person, though I can speak and think."

After listening to Hughes's words, Alfred nodded.

Soon, Klaus and Weilyn arrived after receiving the news.

When faced with these problems, the mage Klaus always managed to maintain the highest level of rationality: "The worst-case scenario is that the soldiers we sent out have also been affected... so we need to make the highest level of preparations, from the ceremonial site to the weapons, and to the soldiers who are ready to be ordered at any time."

Having witnessed the monsters beneath Seren City firsthand, Vilin agreed, offering a more specific suggestion: "Would it be feasible to set up a buffer zone following the procedures for dealing with the 'Wolf Plague'? There are enough Demon-Slaying Silver Plates at the base that can be used directly... In these buffer zones, we need some doctors to examine the physical condition of these refugees and soldiers."

"I will go and gather a batch of magical flamethrowers..."

Thus, a large number of orders concerning matters at night began to be issued.

Both the Highland Mage Council and the Law Committee of Merlinle have now come to regard the existence of the "Black Sun Society" as an open secret.

Even though cooperation between mages is difficult to achieve under the current circumstances, there is still a certain consensus on this point.

We must be extremely vigilant in the face of the Black Sun Society and the events they create using lost magic.

No town wants to become the second Seren.

No one would want to experience the lives of the residents of Seren City today.

In the afternoon, Hughes made a point of entering the Dream Sanctuary, but Theseus never showed up. It seemed that he had not only "left the house" but might have even gone on a "long trip".

Hughes did remember Theseus's advice and instructions, and he was indeed aware that "hunting" the offspring of the Dark Abyss could bring him a very considerable increase in power. But this time, the offspring he was going to face was completely different from the incomplete offspring that had attached itself to old Schubert before.

Heaven knows, so long after the upheaval in Seren, whether the Dark Abyss offspring who remained in Seren have undergone any new changes. After all, judging from the characteristics of the Dark Abyss offspring, they already possessed the ability, similar to the Phantom Worms, to extract nutrients and knowledge from their prey and promote their own growth.

As the sun set, Hugh had finished checking his own condition. After a period of rest, the Touch of Calron, as well as the Mirror Messenger and the Hound from the Dark Abyss Palace, were all at their peak.

The sharp limbs of the Karron's Touch twitched slightly; they hadn't torn apart any prey's body in a long time, while the wolf fang tattoo on Hugh's right wrist was fully intact, the hound eager for a new hunt.

The only one that stood out was the fast-sleeping, scurrying rat, though it seemed to be on the verge of waking up. Hugh could even see the various little movements it made while dreaming.

At this moment, however, Hugh had changed into a very ordinary set of civilian clothes—a dark trench coat, a slightly worn but very clean shirt, and crisp trousers…

This was a combination he used frequently in Seren.

Hughes did not want to appear before these refugees as a soldier of the Waterloo Army; he wanted to minimize all potential communication barriers.

The young man in the mirror seemed no different from before, except that thanks to the power of the "Walking Forest," his complexion was slightly healthier.

"I hope you really are just refugees who escaped, and I hope you don't have any trace of the Dark Abyss' offspring on you. Good luck."

Hugh looked directly at himself in the mirror, uttered a soft sentence, and then concealed the spellbook, the Demonbane dagger, and his ever-present revolver inside his trench coat. ...

As darkness fell, the team that had left Brown Hill to meet the refugees returned. The soldiers had gone there in large steam-powered transport vehicles, and when they returned, these vehicles were full of people.

To put it bluntly, it was filled with "humanoid creatures".

When she saw the refugees staggering down from the vehicles under the soldiers' watchful eyes, even the usually expressionless Verine couldn't help but be moved. She sighed silently and then made a gesture to the apprentices in charge of the magical rituals not far away.

On the other side, the mage Klaus remained the same, his face expressionless beneath his hood.

It was as if he and these wretched humanoids were not even the same kind of creature.

The soldiers responsible for bringing the refugees back had already received a signal from the Hunter Corps, so they stopped their vehicles a certain distance from the camp as required. Then, a mage, who was wrapped up tightly and wearing a crystal metal mask, stepped forward and informed everyone that a magical plague similar to the Wolf Plague was currently spreading in the rugged hills and around Seren City, so everyone, including the soldiers, needed to undergo strict checks.

The soldiers naturally trusted their comrades and superiors completely, so even though they didn't understand, they still chose to cooperate immediately.

In the cubicle made of sharded silver, they removed almost all their clothes, and then stepped into the next room, one person at a time.

The soldiers' leadership dispelled the refugees' fears. They had neither the strength nor the courage to protest, and upon hearing that they would receive temporary shelter and food if they obeyed orders, they chose to submit completely.

The inspection then proceeded in an orderly manner.

And Hugh himself was the final checkpoint in this process.

Unlike the other doctors and spellcasters who were on high alert, he did not wear a protective metal mask, nor did he appear to be carrying any weapons. He simply sat behind a table in a tent, and all those who had completed their examinations only needed to exchange a few words with him behind the table to pass quickly.

The magical perception belonging to Hugh filled this enclosed space. The Dark Abyss offspring might be able to evade the previous rounds of checks through certain methods, but Hugh's body was filled with power of the same origin as them, so once they appeared, they could hardly escape Hugh's perception.

Here, Hughes deeply felt the suffering endured by these survivors.

After enduring such torment, even the tallest men among them had become emaciated. The odor on their bodies had dissipated considerably after three rounds of cleansing, including magical rituals, water purification, and alchemical incense. However, the long journey and escape had left indelible marks on their faces and bodies.

A young mother in her thirties walked in with her child. She had just showered and was only wearing a light shirt. The treatment she received in Brown Hill Town brought back the shame that had almost been erased from her mind. She nodded shyly to Hugh and sat down on a chair with her child in her hand.

"Oh! I recognize you!"

Children's memories are often excellent in some ways. He stared wide-eyed and exclaimed in surprise, "You're the writer from the old house! Good heavens, are you a ghost?"

"Yes, I am a ghost."

Hugh smiled and winked at the child: "The old house caught fire, and I was magically transported here. Isn't that amazing?"

"Hey, don't talk nonsense..."

The young mother quickly stopped her child's rude behavior, but then she also looked Hughes up and down carefully, before exclaiming in surprise, "Wait, you're the writer from Ernst's old house? I've heard of you, but you're not..."

"It's just an accident and a rumor."

Hugh shook his head. His magical perception had confirmed that the mother and child in front of him were fine, so he waved his hand and said, "Take the child to rest first. You two are alright."

With Hugh's consent, the mother immediately grabbed her child and fled through the exit as fast as she could. Before leaving the tent, the boy was still staring at Hugh, as if trying to verify the truth of the magical answer of "ghost" from his face.

"next."

As Hughes' voice rang out, another refugee walked in.

This was a man who looked to be in his forties. He had a large frame and was a head taller than Hugh. Perhaps due to his escape, he had become very thin, and his limbs were in an unhealthy and frail state. His hair was sparse and dry, and his face was full of sorrow. However, his belly was particularly eye-catching.

He was also wearing only an ill-fitting, loose-fitting shirt, but his belly was very protruding, making him look almost like a pregnant woman.

Hugh narrowed his eyes, but his magical perception was normal, and the man, like the other refugees, appeared timid and hesitant.

"Please sit down. Where in the city of Seren did you live before?"

"Uh……"

The man seemed a little embarrassed. He scratched his head and then replied, "Ladies' Street."

Hugh's eyebrows twitched slightly: "This is not simple, sir. How much did you spend on this street in the past?"

"More, more!"

The man replied somewhat blankly, "Often...often I spend money, several times a week."

Hughes nodded, then pointed to the man's stomach: "What's wrong with his stomach?"

"I don't know, I'm always bloated. The doctors say I ate something unclean."

The man seemed puzzled by Hugh's questioning. His lips trembled as he asked, "Sir, do you think there's something wrong with me?"

"There are basically none left, but I find it a bit strange..."

Hughes looked up and asked, "Ladies' Street never provides housing for men. Are you sure your home is there?"

(End of this chapter)