Chapter – 15
“Hey, what’s going on? You said you were going to find the guys who went with Zed to get the supplies, so why did you only bring back girls we’ve never seen before?”
Just then, the sound of Zed’s group talking loudly reached my ears from over there.
Liliophe ignored Mileana, who was still chattering away beside her, and focused her attention on the group of kids.
“No idea, we’re baffled too. We searched the entire area where the marker appeared, but we couldn’t find a single hair. The trail just cuts off completely.”
“Does that even make sense? It hasn’t been that long.”
“But when we checked with that blonde girl we just caught, she said something a bit suspicious……”
Since we were in the same cave, even with some distance, their words carried clearly to Liliophe’s ears. Frankly, it was partly because they were talking as if they didn’t care whether she heard them or not.
“What? That girl said she heard fighting sounds?”
“Then, did they maybe get into a fight with another group who saw the supply marker and came?”
“That’s what I’m thinking. Wasn’t there one guy among the group we’ve run into two or three times who’s been here for like 3 years? I thought he was just bluffing until now, but maybe he awakened late like Zed and unlocked some incredible magic. That would explain that pit too.”
The tracker kids who were eaten by ‘Um’ earlier didn’t seem to know what had happened to them. So, the other kids here were probably the same.
In that situation, since Liliophe had given a misleading testimony, it was understandable they would misunderstand the reason for their comrades’ disappearance.
“More importantly, is it true? They say the two we just caught are kids who received the Holy Banquet today.”
“Then does that mean we can finally get out of here?”
“Damn, we’ve waited so long for this day!”
“It’ll be 30 days again this time, right? No matter what, we have to pass the test within that period.”
As the topic shifted slightly, the atmosphere among the grouped boys and girls changed a bit.
A certain desperate longing could be felt on their faces as they glanced at Liliophe.
Just then, Zed entered the cave. The whispering kids fell silent in an instant.
The three kids next to Liliophe especially froze stiff, like mice before a cat.
Zed walked arrogantly under the attention focused on him and sat down on a chair made in the center using a flat-topped rock and a blanket.
What unfolded before her eyes next was even more unbelievable.
“Zed, welcome back! Are you thirsty? Here, have some water.”
“Here’s some fresh fruit I just gathered, want one?”
“Are your legs sore? Should I massage them for you?!”
“I’ll fan you! How is it, cool, right?!”
As if they had been waiting, the kids rushed forward to attend to Zed.
“Hey, the wind is too weak. Is this really your best?”
“No, I’ll do it stronger!”
“And you, have you no sense? Don’t massage my legs, try my shoulders.”
“Sorry for having no sense! I’ll give your shoulders a nice, cool massage!”
Both the ones doing it and the one receiving it seemed very natural and accustomed to it, as if it wasn’t something they had done for just a day or two.
Liliophe felt nauseated.
‘To think I’m seeing this spectacle again after 10 years…’
The voice in her head also seemed appalled, asking with a disgusted tone.
[Contractor, you said you and your sister were once part of this group, right? Then don’t tell me you also used to do things like that…….]
‘No. Stop talking nonsense and be quiet.’
Liliophe sharply cut off the voice before it could say anything more irritating.
“Hey, everyone shut up! Pay attention here for a second.”
Zed, who had been resting like a king for a while, seemed to have enjoyed the situation enough, and after a moment, raised his hand to quiet the kids.
Then, like trained dogs, they lined up in front of him, ready to listen to his words.
“You’ve all heard the news from the kids who came earlier, right?”
Zed looked around with arrogant eyes and continued.
“Finally, a newcomer who received this year’s Holy Banquet has entered the outer residence. That means, at last, another chance to escape this godforsaken place has come for us.”
As if his words were the final confirmation, the excitement that had been subtly simmering in the crowd since earlier instantly began to rise.
“We’ve waited a long time, and all preparations are already complete. I promise you, if you all trust and follow me to the end, not a single one of you will be left behind, and we will all escape this hell and go to paradise.”
After declaring this in a confident voice, Zed stood up and shouted loudly.
“We will definitely succeed!”
“Wooooow!”
A heated cheer struck their eardrums.
A kind of collective madness could be felt from the boys and girls chanting Zed’s name.
[What a sorry sight. Anyone seeing this would think it’s a cult leader and his fanatics.]
While the voice in her head muttered in disgust, Liliophe quietly observed the situation outside.
‘The fact that ‘Um’ isn’t coming despite all this noise probably means this isn’t inside its territory.’
Still, considering the time and distance, she guessed they were probably just slightly outside the territory at most.
“Quiet, quiet!”
Zed’s instigation wasn’t over yet.
“Before a major event, we need to solidify our foundation, right? The road ahead is long, and if any troublesome issues arise, our plans could go awry. So, someone go bring Number 27 here right now.”
At Zed’s command, the kids immediately dashed outside and dragged someone in.
The child, whose entire body was wrapped in bandages, was unidentifiable in terms of gender and age, and their condition looked utterly miserable even at a glance.
The wounds visible between the haphazardly wrapped bandages all seemed to be severe burn marks, and the wounds, which seemed to have worsened due to lack of proper treatment, were oozing pus and emitting a foul stench.
Probably for that reason, it seemed Zed’s group had tied this child up outside separately.
Zed made a displeased expression looking at the child, who was slumped over motionless, not even able to open their eyes.
“What, I don’t even hear breathing. Are they already dead?”
“No, they’re still alive. We monitored them closely, just as you ordered, Zed!”
“Good. And any improvement?”
“Still seems hopeless though…….”
“Looks that way to me too. Just put them down there.”
As the subordinate did as told, Zed approached the child who looked almost dead and stepped on their head.
In a sinister voice, he said.
“As you all know, this Number 27 joined our group last month, having received a special favor from us. But despite receiving everyone’s particular care, they attempted to escape several times! And ended up like this as a result.”
As if his words stirred fear, the three slaves positioned near Liliophe flinched and trembled.
“My magic is meant to protect you all, but I’m not comfortable with unintentionally harming a comrade. Still, traitors must be eliminated early so there will be no future troubles for all of us. Right?”
Zed’s group actively agreed with his words and clamored for the traitor’s execution.
Zed put on a hypocritically regretful expression and nodded.
“Even so, if Number 27 had worked hard and fulfilled their role, I intended to show mercy and take them to the inner residence. Unfortunately, this guy has become useless, a piece of trash who barely breathes. Therefore, I’ve decided that the debt they still owe us will be repaid today through their death.”
He gestured to the side.
“Alright, you’re next in line, right? Natalia, step forward.”
“Thank you, Zed!”
A girl with her long hair tied tightly into a single ponytail stepped forward with a grateful expression.
[What are those guys trying to do now? Wait, don’t tell me……!]
A weapon, made by tying a broken blade to a long wooden stick to resemble a spear, glinted ominously in her hand.
