MBO - Chapter 78

“ Just ignore it. Where do you live?”

“...”

“I'm not weird—no, I'm not.”

Annette walked away, clutching her bag without answering. But the man continued to follow her and talk to her.

“You are really cute.”

The "cute" that Frances usually uses is a bit different from the meaning of Padania. It doesn't mean you're literally cute, but rather that he's rationally attracted to you.

“Just give me your address. I want to write you a letter.”

“...I don’t know if my house is still safe. More than one or two bombers were flying in from that country.”

Annette responded coldly. Then the man tilted his head and asked.

“Huh? Can you say that again?”

Even though Annette continued to maintain a cold attitude, the man continued to follow her and ask her various questions.

"I love Padania. I learned the language. This reality is... unfortunate."

“...”

“All Padanian women are beautiful and kind. You are too, Catherine.”

“...”

“By the way, do you have a lover?”

"...Will you stop following me?”

Annette finally managed to escape the man only after handing him a note with her home address on it. Of course, it was a completely false address.

“Goodbye, I’ll write you a letter! Take care!”

Annette quickly left the place, pretending not to hear.

***

The further you go into the outskirts of the city, the more dire the situation becomes.

Huntingham, once a port city on the river trade route, was reduced to ashes. It was a truly gray city.

The bombed buildings were all shattered and collapsed, leaving only their skeletons exposed. Shrouded in a hazy haze, the ruins resembled a ruined site long ago.

Occasionally, he would see the heads of people sitting in houses with their ceilings blown off. Their faces were expressionless.

Annette looked at this gruesome scene and thought of Sinsier. She tried not to think about it, but she couldn't help but think of it.

‘Even if it were Sinsier... would it have turned out like this?’

Of course, it wouldn't be as bad as Huntingham, where actual fighting took place, but the bombing was bound to be a similar disaster.

Annette pictured the Grotts' house on top of the building, its skeletal form exposed. Even she couldn't understand why she was having such sadistic thoughts.

The defense mechanism of assuming the worst kept kicking in. She listed various hypothetical scenarios, but then stopped, feeling sick.

“Ah, here! Here! Please take the child!”

Once, when a family discovered friendly forces, they tried to hand over their child. They seemed to think it would be safer to leave him with the soldiers.

"I can't accept it! Leave it at a facility outside the city! Seriously, I can't accept it!"

“I can’t leave the city! Please! Just one child!”

The parents attempted to force their child into the hands of the soldiers. Realizing he was being left in the care of a stranger, the child began to panic and called for his mother.

The soldier who was forced to hold the child threw it back and handed it over.

“No way! That’s not the situation!”

“Then to the nurses...!”

"I'm sorry, but we don't have the resources! It'll be more dangerous if you go with us."

Eventually, the child returned to his parents. In his father's arms, the child cried, a mixture of relief and resentment.

The father, with hot tears streaming down his face, kissed the child's forehead. His face and hands were covered in black ash, dirty and scarred.

The rescue team continued walking, leaving the scene behind. One of them asked.

“When will the war end?”

And someone answered.

“If everyone dies, it will be over forever.”

It wasn't until after sunset that they arrived safely at the church. Though the exterior walls were slightly damaged, the church building had survived the barrage.

The location of the church wasn't yet fully occupied by the enemy. However, with the enemy positions so close by, it was only a matter of time before they were overrun. They had to move quickly.

Lieutenant Miller scanned the church, his index finger resting on his lips. Finally, he signaled for them to enter. Four soldiers entered the building silently.

Military doctors and nurses followed suit. Inside the chapel, there were quite a few people, including several soldiers.

The expressions of those who saw their allies brightened significantly.

“Oh my goodness, you came to save us!”

“Thank you, God...”

"Shhh. Keep your voices down. Only treat the urgently injured and then move on."

Warrant Officer Miller quickly gave the order. The doctors and nurses quickly unloaded their belongings and began treating the wounded.

Annette approached the old woman, who was holding his young grandson. Dried blood clung to the hem of his clothes. She asked Annette in a harsh, raspy voice.

“Can I go out?”

“Soon. I’ll check the wound.”

The grandchild was breathing heavily, his eyes frightened, in his grandmother's arms. Annette gently stroked the child's cheek and said.

“I’m going to take care of Grandma’s aches and pains. Can you come out for a moment?”

The child's large eyes darted around, then hesitantly pulled out of Annette's arms. Annette smiled, as if he'd done well.

While the interior was being cleaned up, other soldiers stood guard, and the signalman reported the situation.

"Bravo 3, this is Eagle 9. Current position is: Delta, Shackle, Lima, Shackle, Alpha, Foxtrot..."

"Those who can move on their own, do so. Those who need assistance, speak up. Move quickly."

Warrant Officer Miller whispered softly. Annette carefully cut the stitches that had closed the wound. At that moment, the rumble of a military vehicle could be heard outside the church building.

As promised, everyone held their breath.

A sniper in the church attic leaned down and signaled with his hand. Upon seeing this, the expressions of Warrant Officer Miller and the soldiers hardened with fear.

The wounded soldiers receiving treatment also grabbed their guns. Annette put down her scissors and quietly held the child close to her arms.

Standing just outside the entrance, Warrant Officer Miller gestured downward. The soldiers followed suit, gesturing urgently to the civilians.

Everyone fell to the floor, lowering their bodies. Annette held her breath, holding the child's head tightly against her chest.

The surrounding was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Suddenly, a light streamed into the chapel. It seemed as if someone was shining a flashlight through the window from outside.

Annette tried not to tremble. She was afraid her nervousness and fear would be transmitted to the child. It was partly for the child's own benefit, but in this situation, if the child burst into tears, it would be a disaster.

The flashlight that had been illuminating the church for a while was soon withdrawn. Outside, silence reigned. She could sense the silent relief on the faces of the people.

Bang!

At that moment, the glass shattered with a gunshot. At the same time, someone screamed.

Tata tata tata!

Then came gunfire. The eerily quiet interior of the church was quickly filled with commotion. It was impossible to tell which gunshots were friendly and which were enemy.

Annette crawled into a corner, trembling, holding the child tightly in her arms. The child couldn't cry, only whimpering softly.

“─!”

Warrant Officer Miller shouted something, but it was drowned out by the gunfire. No, actually, her ears were so deafened that everything just felt distant.

Annette desperately sought God at this moment. Help us, save us, hide us... Prayers poured out in a jumbled mess.

The shooting continued for quite some time. She couldn't tell what was going on. The seemingly endless commotion finally quieted down.

"Ah."

Someone let out a sound that was neither a groan nor a sigh.

Annette opened her tightly shut eyes, dimly. Through her narrow field of vision, she could vaguely see the white statue of a saint placed on the side of the chapel.

Even in her daze, the statue of the saint felt infinitely sublime and holy. She licked her lips. It was the saint depicted on the mural in the banquet hall of the Rosenberg mansion.

'Saint Marian...'

Her senses blurred. Old memories bubbled up. For a fleeting moment, Annette walked through a time in the past when everything was perfect, like a still life.

The mansion's fence is guarded by entwined chain link fences, a beautiful rose garden, a delicate marble staircase, and lion statues on either side.

Ivory pillars supporting the mansion, numerous doors lined up in a row, a huge banquet hall, and murals carved on the high ceiling, and...

Bang!

The church door opened. Heavy, angular footsteps, characteristic of military boots, poured out. Annette was brought back to reality by that eerie realization.

A few more gunshots rang out. Someone collapsed, coughing loudly. Annette wanted to raise her head to check, but the moment she did, she felt like a bullet would hit her head.

Soon, the interior became completely silent. The clatter of one man's boots could be heard. The other man muttered.

“The rats were hiding here.”

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