Numb and Unfeeling (Part Two)

Yago drew a Dagger and, to the horrified look in Marley Officer 'Officer eyes, mercilessly severed the ropes binding him.

The Marley Officer relaxed, but he was also terrified, wondering what Yago was up to.

Seeing the snot and tears of fear on the face of the Marley Officer, Yago first secretly despised him, then beckoned to a Restoration Army Soldiers, who promptly pulled out a pistol from his waist and handed it to Yago.

Click! Yago cocked the pistol and then, to the astonishment of the Marley Officer, shoved it into his hand.

With a whoosh, the Restoration Army Soldiers around Yago simultaneously raised their Rifle and aimed them at the Marley Officer.

"Ah! Sir, what are you doing? I... I don't want to die! Don't kill me! Don't kill me!" The fearful Marley Officer quickly dropped his gun, covered his head with his hands, and begged for mercy in terror.

But Yago frowned and snapped, "Pick up the gun! I told you to pick up the gun!"

The Marley Officer could only pick up his pistol from the ground with trembling hands.

Then Yago pointed at the bound Old Jeff and said, "This guy is a disgrace to us Eldians, a dog of yours, devoted to you Marleyan. His loyalty to you is truly touching. We Eldians don't need such scum, so he must die!"

As soon as Yago finished speaking, the Eldians had been gathered behind Old Jeff were all frightened and retreated. Was this young man really so brutal?

Upon hearing Yago's words, the nearby Restoration Army Soldiers readily raised their weapons, and some of the previously clamoring Eldians were immediately terrified and their legs went weak.

Yago then turned to the Marley Officer and said, "But now you have two choices. Considering how loyal Old Jeff is to you, I've decided to let you make the choice."

Yago pointed at the gun in the Marley Officer's hand, then at Old Jeff, and said, "If you shoot Old Jeff in the arm right now, I can let him go and lock him up with you Marleyan. After all, there's a bond between master and servant, right? But!"

Yago abruptly changed the subject, saying coldly, "If you shoot him in the head, I can let you go, thanking you for ridding us Eldians of a scoundrel. Of course, if you don't shoot, then let you and your servant meet in the underworld. Now, make your choice."

Yago tossed the multiple-choice question in front of the Marley Officer, then said to Old Jeff with a mocking tone, "Your life is now in this Marleyan's hands. What? Aren't you going to say something? Aren't you very loyal to the Marley? Let this Marleyan be moved too, and tell him your peace theory."

Old Jeff was also trembling. He had never imagined that this young man would actually kill someone, but looking at the equally trembling Marley Officer opposite him, a glimmer of hope welled up in Old Jeff's heart. At least, at least one thing was true: he was truly loyal to Marley!

Old Jeff cried out to the Marley Officer, "Sir! Save me! I've always been loyal to the Marley! I never wanted to associate with these devils. Both of my children served in the Marley; my eldest son died on the battlefield, and my second son is now disabled. Our whole family has shed blood for the Marley. Please save me!"

Ignoring Old Jeff's wails, the Marley Officer looked fearfully at the gun in his hand. He wondered if Yago's words were true, and if they could really let him go. Could this young Eldians be trusted?

The Marley Officer thought back to what had happened that night. These Eldians Soldiers hadn't killed them all as they'd expected; they'd even brought in doctors to treat some of the seriously wounded Marley prisoners. Perhaps they really might release him!

Thinking this, the Marley Officer stopped trembling and raised his pistol in front of the many Eldians.

Old Jeff struggled and twisted desperately, shouting his loyalty to Marley, but the Marley Officer paid no heed. His mind was consumed by thoughts of freedom! He thought of his family back home. Compared to them, what was a scoundrel whom even an Eldians himself didn't care about?

Loyalty to Marley? What does that have to do with him? The Marley Officer don't care about Old Jeff's life at all, let alone loyalty to Marley. If they're loyal to Marley, wouldn't it be perfect to exchange his life for their own freedom as Marley Officer?

The Marley Officer turned to Yago obsequiously and said, "Sir, will killing him really spare my life?"

Yago said coldly, "Of course!"

Bang! Without any hesitation, the Marley Officer fired a shot at Old Jeff's head.

The Eldians around him gasped in shock. In the end, even these Eldians shouted slogans of peaceful coexistence with Marley were afraid of death. When Yago made the Marley Officer make a choice, these Eldians all had a sliver of hope in their hearts. They naively held onto a glimmer of hope that the Marleyan would acknowledge their loyalty and absolve them of their demonic sins.

The fact that the Marley Officer could choose Old Jeff's fate was seen by the Eldians as giving them hope and proving that the Marleyan would be moved by their plight. After all, the Marley Officer wouldn't have to sacrifice himself; he could save both of their lives by simply shooting Old Jeff in the arm.

But the Marley Officer's unwavering shot to Old Jeff's head shattered the Eldians' illusions.

Smoke billowed from the muzzle. The Marley Officer stared in disbelief. At a distance of less than five meters, there was no possibility of missing. However, the scene of brains splattering that the Marley Officer had imagined did not occur.

Old Jeff felt a sharp pain in his forehead, and a bright red mark appeared on his forehead.

The bullets in the gun were blanks; the cardboard bullets only grazed Old Jeff's head. Yago took the gun from the Marley Officer, who was completely bewildered, and was dragged away again by Marley Restoration Army Officer.

Yago walked up to Old Jeff, pointed mockingly at Old Jeff forehead, and laughed, "Your loyalty is truly touching. Does your head hurt? How are you feeling? Are the Marleyan moved? You just said that both of your sons shed blood for the Marley? How come the Marleyan don't seem to appreciate it at all?"

Old Jeff was pale and trembling, unsure of what to say. Yago smiled and said, "Don't rush, in case you're not convinced. Let's try a few more times and see if any Marleyan will be moved."

Then, one Marley Officer after another was brought over by the Restoration Army Soldiers, and the same multiple-choice question was repeated over and over again.

Gunshots rang out one after another. More than thirty Marley Officer and ordinary Marley Soldiers alike fired at Old Jeff's head without hesitation. Only one young Marley Soldiers hesitated for a moment, but tempted by freedom, he also fired.

Old Jeff's face was completely red, not from shame, but from being hit hard by the blank cartridges. But the pain on his face was nothing compared to the coldness in his heart. Old Jeff went from begging and struggling to becoming numb.

Under the watchful eyes of thousands of Eldians around him, his loyalty to Marley was like a joke that had been trampled upon countless times.

The Eldians who had initially joined Old Jeff in rebuking the Restoration Army gradually fell silent. Some of them looked at the Armband on their arms and suddenly found the multi-pointed star symbol on them so glaring.