Chapter 2 Azell Zestringer (2).
Chapter 2 Azell Zestringer (2).
Chapter 2 - Azell Zestringer (2)
Kwa-ga-gwang!
Accompanying an explosive sound, a cloud of dust was formed. A giant hole was formed on the ground, and a blue flash was emitted. Following this, one shadow popped out.
Ku-goo-goo-goo-goo…… (TLN:rumblin’ sound)
Then the earth collapsed and a large amount of soil filled the hole.
“Ooh-ook…..”
Azell moaned. He was almost swept up inside the collapse. After he destroyed the coffin’s lid, he used his remaining strength to run outside. If he hadn’t, then he would have been buried alive.
“Shit…. So… Deep…..”
When he was about to complain about the fact that he was buried so deep, instead of his voice, only his ragged breaths leaked out. His lips, inner mouth and throat was extremely dry, so it was difficult for him to speak.
While escaping, he had realized that he was more than 10 meters underground. However, there was a 3 meter gap between the coffin and the ceiling.
Originally, he would have been able to only destroyed the coffin lid with his power and come out. However, the large amount of external power that was injected into his energy was a problem. The amount was so large that it destroyed the coffin lid, traveled through the empty space, and pierced through the thick wall of the underground structure, which was made out of stone. As if that wasn’t enough, he blew away over 10 meter of the foundation.
Azell threw his body to the top.
‘What the hell is this?’
The timing of the inflow was unfortunate. If the person was someone other than Azell, he would have been destroyed after failing to hold it(TLN: soil) back.
“Ook.”
After Azell escaped to the surface, the sun light pierced his eyes, and it cause him to cringe.
Since he was asleep for a very long time, the bright sun light was like a beating.
Right now Azell was nude without a shred of clothing.
Like a mummy, he was very skinny, and he looked like a monster. The fact that he was able to move his body was an unbelievable sight.
In truth, even speaking was very difficult for him. He didn’t have any strength, His lips were cracked and the inside of his mouth was dried up.
‘I have to find some water.’
It was imperative for him to eat something to replenish his nutrition. However, the more urgent need was water. Azell couldn’t see what his body looked like. However, even if he didn’t check, he knew his body was in a serious state. If he dropped dead, it wouldn’t have been strange.
‘Why did I have to be in the middle of a forest…. Why the heck did he bury me in this place?’
After looking around his surrounding, Azell was in a dark mood. He was in a forest overgrown with trees. He was aware that this place may be rife with danger. In his current condition, even if he met one wild animal, he would be killed.
‘My life is now dependent on luck.’
Azell bit his dried lips. He barely raised his body and he started moving. He had to find water and drink it. Then he would replenish his nutrition by finding some fruits. Even if he was able to recover his body by a little, he could somehow fill his energy up with magical force….
He carefully made his way forward while thinking this.
All of a sudden, a sound stimulated his senses.
‘There are people.’
Across the trees, he could hear the sound of people. He didn’t know how many, but a good amount of people were approaching his direction, while having a conversation.
‘Should I consider myself saved?’
Still, he couldn’t just consider this to be a fortunate situation. How could he know who was coming towards him? What if it was a group of bandits that treated human lives like the lives of flies?
While feeling anxious,he stared in the direction the people were coming from. Soon a young man wearing leather armor appeared in front of him.
The moment he saw Azell, he pulled back and spoke towards his back.
“There is a person here!”
Soon after, several men rushed into view. They all wore the same uniform.
‘Are they the regular army?’
He decided this, because they had the same equipments. Underneath the leather armor they also wore the same garments. They all wore a dark-colored military uniform.
“Centurion.”
After a few moments, one man came forward. His garments could be differentiated from the others. He was a curly blond-haired youth with a red tassel on his helmet and he wore a sword on his waist.
The moment Azell saw the other, he felt amused.
‘He’s pretty strong?’
The young man’s appearance did not go well with post of centurion. He gave off an impression of a good-looking young master, and his face was very youthful. His age must be less than 20.
However, the vibe he gave off was memorable. When he stepped forward, the soldiers naturally parted, and it wasn’t just because he was a centurion. This person was a practitioner of the Spirit Order. Without realizing it, he was leaking energy that was overbearing for other people.
“He is a…person.”
The young man, who was named as a centurion, frowned after looking at Azell. Azell was unsightly so it was hard to even see him as a living person.
‘What can cause a person to be in such a state?’
Even if a person was disabled through starvation, would he turn out like this? If it wasn’t day light instead on night, then he would have suspected an evil magic was making the corpse move.
“I am the Rulane Kingdom’s Western Frontier Garrison’s Centurion, Knight Giles Vince. Could you enlighten us with your identity?”
He still had a bit of a baby face, but his voice was disciplined. While thinking that the other’s speech was very knight-like, Azell tried to replying back.
“I… am…….”
However, his voice didn’t come out.
“…….”
Azell could only make a ragged breathing sound before he gasped. After seeing this, Giles spoke.
“I don’t think you are in a condition to speak. First, let us return to our camp. Is that ok?”
“Uh……”
Azell tried to say it’s fine before he just nodded his head. After Gile confirmed that he could communicate with the other person, he sent a hint with his eye towards the soldiers.
Then two burly soldiers stepped forward and assisted Azell. Azell wanted to tell them he could walk on his own, but it was hard for him to take even one step.
‘Ah, I look like hell, for real.’
The soldiers helped Azell move towards the camp. Suddenly, Giles queried.
“Do you want to drink some water?”
At that moment, Azells eyes opened widely.
Water!
Ah, is there a word that resonates with such sweetness?
After seeing Azell nod his head, Giles opened the top of the canteen off of his waist, and he handed it over. After receiving it, Azell stopped himself after he hurriedly brought it to his mouth. Then he slowly and carefully tipped the canteen and drank the water.
“Ah ah ah ah……”
It was what one would call a life-giving water. The moment the water drops hit his dry mouth, a shiver spread throughout his whole body. However, that lasted only a moment. He tried in his own way to drink it slowly, but the canteen was emptied in an instant. Azell looked at the canteen with regrettable eyes before he handed it back.
‘I feel a little bit better.’
His almost dead body wouldn’t dramatically get better by drink just one canteen of water. However, a little bit of strength returned to his body, and his mind, which felt like it was about to faint, woke up.
“Th…ank….”
“Ah, it’s ok. You don’t have to speak.”
Giles stopped Azell, who was trying hard to speak. Then he asked his subordinates.
“Does anyone have water left? I think one bottle is not enough.”
Immediately, the soldier next to him gave up his canteen. Azell was satisfied only after he had emptied 3 canteens from the soldiers.
After his long hibernation, his body was extremely short on nutrition and water. It was a miracle that there were enough blood left over to circulate through his vessels. His state clearly improved when he drank the water.
Moreover…..
‘Mmm. This should be enough.’
Spirit Order was a secret art that could make a human into superhuman. Azell had trained the Spirit Order to the utmost limit, and unlike normal humans, he could control what happens inside his body. He used this to maximise his efficiency of absorbing water, and his insides started to inflate rapidly.
While he was doing this, Azell and the soldiers arrived at the camp.
“Ah……….”
Azell’s eyes became wide when he saw the camp.
It was an excavations site of a ruin. The middle of the forest was dug up, and an entrance leading into the underground was revealed. The surrounding was exposed, and they were in the midst of cutting away the ruin’s walls.
‘This is why I was awaken.’
Azell realized that the sound that caused him to wake up was caused by their excavation efforts.
The ruin they were excavating was the underground building where Azell was sleeping previously.
Carlos has made this secret installation to preserve me during my hibernation.
‘How much time has passed…..’
Since the secret installation was being treating as an ancient ruin and was being excavated, he could surmise that a long time had passed. Maybe, it was way longer than what Azell could have predicted.
The foreboding feeling he felt when he woke up was getting stronger and stronger.
3
Soon Azell was lead to Giles’ barracks, which was located in the corner of the camp site. Since he was a Centurion, he had his own personal barrack that was separate from his subordinates.
“Please sit here.”
After Giles gave Azell a chair, he handed him a blanket.
“Cover your body with this. Until I bring some spare clothes…..”
“Ah.”
Azell finally realized the fact that he was naked. His appearance had been so grotesque that they(TLN:soldiers) didn’t care about it(TLN: didn’t care he was naked), so Azell had forgotten about it also.
‘Shit. As soon as I’m awakened, why am I humiliated like this?’
Azell’s face blushed, but it didn’t show since he looked unsightly like a mummy.
Giles spoke.
“Since it’ll be too hard for you to speak, just listen. While we were excavating the ruin, an explosion was seen nearby. We went to scout the situation then we found you.”
The explosion happened when Azell tried to come out of the coffin. Azell was glad he made a ruckus. (TLN: since it brought the people to him)
Giles continued speaking.
“The excavation of this site is our troop’s important mission. Therefore, we need to know who you are and what you were doing in a place like this. Do you understand?”
His words made sense, so Azell nodded his head. However, at the same time, he was thinking about something else.
‘How should I explain this?’
He had no idea how much time had passed since his sleep, where this place was or who these people were. He was perplexed as to how he should deal with this situation.
‘First, I have to assess the situation….’
Fortunately, Giles didn’t seem like he’ll press Azell any time soon. It was because Azell’s terrible appearance looked too pathetic.
“First, show yourself to the army doctor then rest for a day. I hope you will accept my questioning next time.”
Azell nodded his head.
The army as an organization had a characteristic of treating outsiders like Azell with more roughness. It wouldn’t be strange if they chose to do that.
However, he felt weird since they were treating him with such courtesy.
‘Honestly. This guy should be in an elite knight squad. Instead he is a Centurion in an army….’
Azell was sure that Giles was a noble. He couldn’t act with such dignity and posses these courteous manners unless he was educated growing up from a noble family. Soon Giles’ subordiante brought Azell some spare garments. It was a working clothes for the laborers, but in his circumstance, Azell was grateful. Next, Azell was guided towards the army doctor. Since it wasn’t a battle situation, he was idly on standby. When the young army doctor looked at Azell, he was startled.
“What the hell? Are you sure he is a living human?”