E - Rank Hero In Another World
Chapter 17 - Winter
'No! Tttracus! Nooo!'
Everyone shivered. Shaking their teeth hard enough. Meanwhile, both of their arms were trying with all their might to hug their own bodies.
Adding a little protection to the body that is only coated with a thin piece of brown cloth.
The cold water pierced into their bones. They do not give them any opportunity or forgiveness.
All of them, the 'workers' are hiding in this mine cave. Deep in the ground. At least that way, they feel a little warmer than being at ground level.
With this deadly cold, not a single guard or soldier was willing to make sure they were working or not.
They will only come in the morning to ask for whatever results the workers get.
Some gave up the stone. Some handed over the iron. And some lucky ones will hand over the gold details.
All of that will be exchanged for trash, which is now the bones of an animal that the nobles have just eaten, as their only source of food this winter.
In that mine....
Many who had gathered at least a few pieces of mine to hand over tomorrow, had sat on the ground. Trying to keep their bodies warm.
"Yoo.... Number thirty.... You look fine, don't you?" Said an old man with that shivering body.
The number 30 in question is none other than Dimas because he carries a board with the number 30 on his chest.
"healthy? If you think my finger that's starting to turn blue is healthy, I think your vision's been damaged." Reply Dimas with a still cool attitude.
A small talk took place between the two of them.
On one hand, the old man knew Dimas as the number 30. Dimas knew the man as number 47.
"47, how long do you think we can last?" Dimas asked with a body that was shivering with coldness.
The old man smiled as if he had accepted this fact.
"30, look at this situation.... Half of us will die in 2 days. Meanwhile, the trash they sent would remain the same. Making the remaining half have more food supply.
In other words, the remaining half of us will die on the third or fourth day. For those who want to eat our dead carcasses.... It will probably survive until the tenth day." The old man was clearly laughing.
Dimas who heard it of course felt shocked and horrified.
He knew that he would most likely die in this world sooner or later.
However, he would not have expected that he would die in the worst way he could imagine. That is to die of hunger and cold, and the possibility of dying from being killed by other 'workers' in order to become foodstuffs.
"Oi.... 47. Your jokes are too much, you know?" Reply Dimas while narrowing his eyes.
"Haha.... Joking huh? Then let's see how long this old body will last." Reply to number 47 with a laugh.
Might....
Only a small possibility existed in Dimas's mind.
The old man laughed not because he was not afraid of death. But because He welcomes death as a savior of this disgusting suffering of life.
With that last thought, Dimas tightened his arms to himself and fell asleep in the coldness of this mine cave.
......***......
...- Next Day -...
"Deliver all your mines!" Shouted one of the 5 soldiers who came to the entrance of this mine.
They wore thick armor coupled with robes with plenty of fur, enough to warm their bodies in the midst of the blizzard.
With spears pointing towards those 'workers', the soldiers gathered all their mines. Be it chunks of stone, iron, silver or gold.
Instead, they exchanged it for a sack of leftover food for the residents in the noble territory. In other words.... Bones from various animals left their food yesterday.
If lucky, some of the bones still have a little meat to prop up the stomach. But if it doesn't....
So the workers had to force themselves to eat the bone to survive.
Immediately after completing his task, the Soldiers left the 'workers' cold in the mine to keep working.
No one is watching them.
But not a single person escaped from the mine.
Their feet were connected to a fairly heavy iron ball. Makes them difficult to move.
They are in the interior of the Rustfell Mountains. In other words, it is quite far from civilization even if it knows its way. If not, they will just get lost.
A very strong snowstorm would freeze them after 15 minutes out of protection. All thanks to their sheer clothing and lack of food to warm their bodies from the inside.
In other words....
Not that I don't want to run away. But they can't escape in the middle of this winter. Leaving the mine only means to fetch death without the slightest meaning.
While living in the mine....
Might as well. It's possible....
They can survive a little longer. Or even survive to be able to go through this winter and pick up spring to return to work as usual.
Which only prolongs their suffering.
Hence....
"25! 118! Have you gone crazy?! You're just gonna die out there!" Shouts number 32 at two men who went to pick up a blizzard outside the mine.
"Haha! At least we'll try to save ourselves from this hell!"
With that last sentence, the figures of the two of them were no longer visible. And finally, everyone reported it to the soldiers the next day that they had both died inside the mine.
Least....
It was the last thing that could be done to support their choice.
...-Day 3 -...
Number 47 or the old man who was close enough to Dimas had finally died.
He died of hunger at once from the cold. Even his body was so cold and started to freeze.
"Let this old man rest here. He would most like to sit there eating the bones given by the nobles." Said Dimas while watching the man's body.
In his heart....
'47.... Youre right. Apparently, some other people will catch up to you today.' Thought Dimas while paying attention to two men with bodies that began to limp.
Bones began to appear on his body. Even to walk, the two of them were no longer able.
And with that....
'ZZAAAPP!!!'
Just as Dimas thought everything was over, his gaze suddenly changed.
The dark cave that had almost no illumination was now changed.
The flame of the torch that had previously illuminated his gaze was now replaced by the light from thousands of stars.
His own body seemed to be standing on an endless ocean.
And right at the end of his sight....
"Cyreseis.... After all this time I was hoping you'd help, you just showed up this time when I was about to die?" Said Dimas with such a sharp look.
A gaze that was beyond doubt, filled with hatred.