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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 5: The Sound of Trumpets
Running across the plains, Ram arrived at the stream and was about to dive in to cross when he stopped.
The sack containing Mantum's head would get soaked.
But then again, it was a dead man’s head—what did a bit of water matter?
Soon he realized that wasn’t the real problem.
A human head was surprisingly heavy, let alone the axe.
To cross as quickly as possible, he needed to reduce the weight.
Although there were no signs of pursuit, Ram felt someone was chasing him.
In haste, he hurled the sack across the stream with all his might.
The sack containing the head landed somewhere in the bushes beyond the stream.
Then he threw the axe.
It was much heavier, but it spun as it flew and went farther than the sack.
Ram silently swam across the Targef River.
As soon as he crossed, he started searching for the sack.
It was nowhere to be seen.
He was sure it had landed around here.
He searched in the darkness for a long time, but it didn’t appear.
Could it have fallen into the stream because he hadn’t thrown it properly?
If so, it would have drifted far downstream by now…
In that case, searching for it in the daylight would be pointless.
Instead, he found the axe, something he didn’t even mind losing.
The sack with the head wasn’t near it either.
‘If Zenri dies, you die too.’
The words of Baron Selken echoed in his mind.
Ram buried his face in his hands.
The blood of Mantum, which he hadn’t bothered to clean off after the killing, stained his face.
No tears came, but the sound of his sobs grew louder.
Whenever he killed someone as his master ordered, he’d have meat for dinner that night.
Ram would share the meat with the other slaves.
They never understood why only Ram received meat and looked at him with jealousy rather than gratitude.
But he shared it all without eating a bite himself.
Eating meat after killing someone felt like eating the person he had killed.
Today, he had killed as usual, but it felt completely different.
Now it was his turn to die.
Should he run away?
If he followed the stream and crossed the plains, he would eventually reach somewhere.
He didn’t know if it would take days or weeks, but surely there’d be a place where people lived.
Or perhaps he could head north to the volcanic region where not even the Geronians lived.
They said if you stepped on the soil there, you wouldn’t survive three days.
Maybe it was better to wait for death there.
Ram wept without tears.
‘I failed to protect the young master. I’m going to die now.’
At that moment, a trumpet sounded in the sky.
It wasn’t just Ram’s keen hearing; it was loud enough for anyone to hear.
It felt as though the entire sky was resounding.
No, the ground seemed to be trembling as well.
At first, he thought it was thunder, but it was completely different.
There were no clouds, just stars and the moon in the sky.
Where could such a sound be coming from?
Was a star falling?
Was the moon breaking apart?
‘The trumpet of the apocalypse?’
Ram recalled accompanying his master and other nobles to the sanctuary on Sundays.
Once the nobles entered, the doors shut firmly, and the waiting servants and slaves were barred from hearing the sacred words or hymns.
However, everything reached Ram’s ears.
Most of the teachings were boring, but the hymns were pleasant to hear.
And sometimes, the apocalyptic tales mentioned in the Book of Revelation were intriguing.
When the end came, God would have an angel blow the trumpet.
Then the first dragon would descend to the earth, burning people with fire.
The second dragon would bring ice, and the third would spread poisonous mist.
Only those full of faith would grow white horns on their heads, sprout white wings, and be carried to the heavens on a white horse.
Each of the nine trumpets would herald a dragon destroying the earth, freezing the seas, spreading plagues, and so on.
When the ninth trumpet sounded, the world would end.
Ram unconsciously tried to count the trumpet sounds.
But the sound was continuous, making it impossible to count.
Eventually, he thought it might not even be a trumpet but the voice of God itself.
After all, humans could not comprehend the words of God.
The sound felt more like vibrations.
He didn’t feel it on his skin, but it seemed as though the earth and mountains were trembling.
‘Mantum was called the god of war here. Then I killed the god of war. Maybe the other gods are angry because of that. Perhaps this sound is their wrath pouring out on me.’
Trembling in fear, Ram stumbled backward and fell over something.
He thought it was a stone, but it turned out to be the sack containing Mantum’s head.
The heavy weight in his hands brought him back to his senses.
Whether it was divine wrath or dragon trumpets, he had to deal with this situation.
‘I have to give this to someone.’
According to Zenri, Ram’s status wouldn’t even allow him to meet a commander.
Should he hand it to any random soldier?
What about the quartermaster who had lent him the leather pouch?
The quartermaster would give it to the battalion commander, who would pass it to the general, and eventually, it might reach General Terdin.
‘When you kill someone, never report it to other slaves or stewards. Always tell me directly.’
Ram remembered Baron Selken’s orders.
Whenever Ram insisted on meeting the baron in person, even if the baron’s expression was unpleasant, neither the head steward nor the guards stopped him.
This was the protocol, and there was no exception.
For the safety of the baron and himself, it had to be this way.
With Zenri gone, there was only one person left who matched the baron’s stature in Ram’s mind.
‘I must go to General Terdin.’
Ram thought meeting Terdin might be even harder than killing Mantum.
The trembling sound in the sky continued until Ram reached the allied camp, then disappeared as if it had never been there.
* * *
"When will the provisions arrive?"
General Terdin asked.
"Tomorrow…"
Lieutenant Aedun’s voice was filled with despair.
"…I’ll send another courier, General."
"No, don’t bother. I was just checking."
Despair was contagious.
Sending couriers, checking remaining provisions… If the commanders showed anxiety, the soldiers would inevitably feel uneasy.
‘I must be getting old. I’m saying out loud things I used to keep to myself.’
He was exhausted.
More than his body, his mind was worn down by the endless war.
The Geronians’ resistance was fierce, and the morale of the allied forces was plummeting.
‘If winter comes again, we’ll have no choice but to retreat the troops. If we don’t resolve this before then…’
Suddenly, Terdin remembered something and asked,
"By the way, about that sound from the sky earlier…"
It was hard to describe.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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That strange vibration and sound… there were no better words for it.
"…Have you ever heard anything like it?"
"I can say with certainty, in my thirty years of life, I’ve never heard anything like it. Not in battle, not during travel, not at home, not in dreams—never in my life."
The lieutenant emphasized firmly.
"Yes, I’ll say the same thing. In fifty years, on battlefields, during journeys, while sleeping—I’ve never heard anything like it."
Aedun, finding his own expression inadequate, repeated,
"I’ve never even heard of anyone hearing such a sound. To emphasize further…"
"No need to emphasize further."
"My apologies."
"Could it be common in the north?"
"Should we interrogate the captured Geronians about it?"
"No, that can wait… What did the patrols say?"
The lieutenant had stepped out of the meeting and returned to verify something.
“When the sound occurred, I thought perhaps the barbarians were bringing some extraordinary weapon, so I kept watch around…”
“A weapon?”
“Something like a magical weapon from the northern gods that we could never imagine.”
It was an absurd idea, but given how bizarre the sound had been, it wasn’t an unreasonable thought.
“And then?”
“So, I kept watch, but we found nothing.”
Of course.
“What did the soldiers say?”
“They were talking nonsense, likely because they had just woken up.”
“Nonsense?”
“The soldiers gathered near the campfire were sharing their thoughts with each other. When I joined in to listen, most of them talked about the trumpet of the apocalypse.”
He knew it.
This was what he had feared the most.
Mentioning gods never brought good fortune or advantageous strategies.
It always turned things sour.
“You mean the Nine Trumpets of the Dragons?”
“Wasn’t it seven?”
“It’s nine. Aside from that, was there anyone saying anything different?”
“The most peculiar idea was that it was the procession of the thunder god worshipped by the Gerons. It seemed plausible since the Gerons always chant that god’s name in battle. Was it Rahim?”
“Raham.”
The father of gods.
“Yes, they said that god appeared to assist the Gerons since it seemed like we were about to win. It didn’t seem like something to punish them for, but I told them to stop since others might start agreeing… Should I have scolded them?”
“Let it pass. What else?”
The lieutenant pondered for a moment before answering.
“That’s about it. No one seems to know anything specific.”
Of course.
“Where did the sound come from?”
Terdin at least wanted to determine the source.
He didn’t want to think it was coming from the sky—it would only lead back to the gods.
“They all pointed in different directions. Most just said it was the sky, without specifying east, west, south, or north. Two of them claimed it was coming from the ground, though…”
“What about the enemy’s movements?”
“No unusual activity so far, but I’ve doubled the number of patrols just in case.”
“We can’t even let the sentries rest. What a mess…”
Terdin inadvertently showed a side of himself he should never reveal to his subordinates: doubt and hesitation.
A battlefield commander, even if aware they were stepping into a flawed strategy, must never show doubt or hesitation.
Yet, he couldn’t help it now.
‘I’m starting to feel my age.’
When this war ended, Terdin wanted to retire.
He no longer wanted to face these dilemmas.
He wanted to escape the smell of blood and the constant anticipation of death.
“Shall I summon the entire command staff?”
The lieutenant cautiously suggested.
Terdin waved the idea away.
“At this hour? Let them sleep. It’s rare for them to have gone to bed early. Maybe it’s just a landslide. Or a volcanic eruption. Didn’t you say there was a volcano somewhere to the north?”
“That’s possible. When it erupted last year, it caused quite an uproar.”
But it hadn’t made a sound like this.
“Even so, wouldn’t it help to exchange ideas…”
“We’ve already held three meetings yesterday and three the day before. That’s enough. Let’s not fuss over a single sound.”
There wouldn’t be an answer even if they met again.
“You should rest too, Aedun.”
“You should rest first, General. You haven’t slept for days.”
“I know. Rest first, and then I’ll follow.”
“Understood. I’ll go rest for now, then…”
Just then, a guard’s voice called out from outside.
“Who goes there?”
This was followed by a timid but cautious reply.
“A servant of Lord Zenri Selken from the 4th Infantry.”
“What’s your business?”
“I’ve come to see the General.”
Terdin gestured to Aedun, who immediately understood and stepped out of the tent.
“What’s the commotion?”
Aedun shouted.
“This soldier approached carrying a suspicious object.”
Terdin closed his eyes, focusing on the voices outside the tent.
“What are you carrying, soldier?”
“I cannot say.”
“What did you say? Have you lost your mind?”
“My apologies, but I must see General Terdin.”
“For what purpose?”
“I must tell him directly.”
Timid as he sounded, there was no hesitation in his answers.
Judging by his voice beyond the tent, he was quite young.
Maybe eighteen?
“A mere infantryman can’t bypass his immediate superior to meet me. Even meeting me here is already a privilege, and now you wish to meet the General without going through me?”
Aedun was being uncharacteristically sharp.
But given the time and the circumstances, it was understandable.
‘What’s really going on?’
It was rare for a soldier of that rank to come directly to Terdin.
In two years of war, not once had something like this happened.
Even in previous battles, such incidents were almost nonexistent—perhaps just the occasional low-ranking soldier who didn’t recognize Terdin and asked him, “Where’s the General?”
But now, this unnamed soldier was boldly requesting a private audience with the commander of the Triton Kingdom’s army.
‘What could this mean?’
A chill ran through Terdin.
Not once before.
This wasn’t a matter to dismiss with, ‘How dare a mere soldier…’ Perhaps they truly needed to speak privately.
This conversation had to be stopped.
Terdin shot to his feet.
“I came to deliver this.”
But the unknown soldier had already spoken, and Aedun’s next question immediately followed.
“What is it?”
Before Terdin could order, ‘Aedun, let the soldier in,’ the soldier responded.
“The head of the enemy commander.”
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!w
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