episode_0012

There is something inside my body.

— Crunch. Crunch.

It devoured loneliness greedily.

What the heck? What is this?

It’s so embarrassing.

The voice that I clearly thought was an auditory hallucination actually belonged to someone else. A cold sweat ran down my spine.

“Ugh.”

Separately, the loneliness makes my stomach turn inside out.

Only after all the guys who had been running away had been eaten did the pain that had been running through my body disappear.

“Hey. Are you okay?”

The leader of the Blood Cult who was watching me asked.

There is concern on his face.

‘What are you worried about?’

The corners of the mouth twist on their own.

But my position here is not so easy.

“Yes, it’s okay. I can handle it.”

He nods his head as if satisfied with the sound of his lips.

“Yeah. It’s not easy to swallow a bug. Judging by the pattern engraved on it, it must have found a good spot.”

“… Yes, I think so.”

“Consider it an honor. Your wife seems to be particularly fond of you.”

Above all, it is certain that loneliness has disappeared from my body. What is certain is that the fact that loneliness has disappeared must be hidden. That is why I did my best to please this person. I am confident about it.

“I will be loyal.”

He nodded with satisfaction, checked the tattoo on my arm once more, and headed towards the podium.

Children are rolling around it.

I bet you were shocked to learn that you ate a bug.

The guys were flailing around as if trying to do something to the bugs.

There was even a guy who would pound my body.

“Keuhehehehe!”

There was no way that could happen.

Instead, he was stopped and beaten by the leaders of the Blood Reform Church.

I sighed inwardly.

‘These guys have no ability to learn.’

Even after being hit like that, you still haven’t come to your senses.

I also felt like I was getting nauseous, but I was able to bear it.

Because I was already used to things that upset my stomach.

Another energy that had been felt inside my body disappeared without a trace. It disappeared with satisfaction, as if I had eaten something for the first time in a long time.

What on earth was it?

First, you have to focus on the task at hand.

Because the Blood Reformation is definitely not an easy group.

Thud, thud.

The leader of the group who came up to the podium opens his mouth.

“I am the 53rd in the order of the Blood Cult. My name is Bakel, the lieutenant of the Black Death.”

He looked around as if looking down.

53rd. I don’t know exactly how big the Blood Cult is, but considering their influence extends to the outskirts of the continent, it’s definitely not small.

A person of power ranked 53rd in such an organization.

He is not someone you can ever ignore.

“The place where you are standing is the Black Sect, where the Grey Duchess is the head of the organization. The Duchess is the fifth rank of the Blood Cult. Those of you who have been initiated here should consider it a great honor in itself.”

What the hell is glory.

Anyway, it’s as I thought.

The Duchess of Grey was a formidable figure.

A figure ranked 5th among the most vicious pagans.

‘Somehow the atmosphere felt different.’

In other words, this Grey Duke’s mansion is one of the most important branches of the Blood Cult. If we can just get out of here, we will have one of the key weapons in our hands to destroy the Blood Cult…

No. Come to your senses.

Why are you thinking such stupid things again after being treated like that in your last life? While shaking your head, Deputy Commander Bakel continues speaking.

“The role of the loneliness you have consumed is clear. If you do not follow the doctrine of the church, such as betraying the church or rebelling against the upper echelons, you will be blown up at any time. ”

— Eek!

The groans of fear that could be heard here and there. Unfortunately, it had nothing to do with me. The loneliness that should have settled in my body had already been dispelled by something else.

… of course I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.

“Everyone, be loyal to the Blood Cult. Unlike the society you have lived in, the Blood Cult, especially our Black Death Corps, will always reward your efforts. It means giving you a chance to demonstrate your abilities.”

That’s not even funny.

I could think of several rebuttals right now.

It was wrong from the start. They bought us at an auction. The clause in the auction that said we had to be liberated after 10 years? Of course they would liberate us. Dying in loneliness after that would not be on their minds.

After all, even if the children here survive, they will definitely die in 10 years.

Of course, most of them will disappear before then, either as test subjects or something else.

“You will be assigned accommodations and tasks to perform. At the same time, you will also have to undergo training. All of this is for the sake of the bloodline, so do it without complaint.”

That was the end of the long speech.

◆

“You will be staying here. Don’t cause any trouble.”

One of the leaders of the Blood Reformation led the children to their quarters.

The standard of the accommodation was neither good nor bad.

To Lloyd, who had briefly experienced the life of a noble after his conversion, the bedding and other things seemed low-quality. However, considering that the majority of the population was made up of commoners, he could say that they were pretty decent.

— Kuung.

The door closes.

About twenty beds lined up in a row.

Even in the midst of all this, the children kept an eye on each other.

Because it seemed like it was entirely up to them which bed they would occupy.

‘It’s just whoever sits down first gets the job.’

Lloyd moved to the bed at the far end, closest to the window.

Right now, I want to focus on my inner voice more than anything else.

Not in the sense of polishing your mind, but in the sense of a real voice that comes from within you.

So I’m trying to settle down like that.

“Hey.”

A shadow fell over his head.

When I raise my head, a familiar face greets me.

It was Hector, frowning deeply.

The guy who started picking a fight from the carriage.

There must have been a group of people there from the beginning, because there were four or five people gathered around him.

“What is it?”

“Rather, we should ask. Who are you to decide where to sit on your own?”

“… Sigh.”

Lloyd let out a deep sigh.

Then he got up from his seat and headed to the other bed.

Actually, the location was good no matter what.

Lloyd of this life was born into nobility, but he spent most of his previous life in war zones. He also slept in sloping or uneven places while his fellow warriors slept in good places.

Any bed was better than a dirt floor.

Until a shadow fell over his head once again.

Hector was looking down at himself.

“… What is it?”

My voice became hoarse involuntarily.

This was a clear case of strife.

Is this kid still not in his right mind after being treated like that?

As I looked at the guy, I thought I knew the reason.

Frowning eyebrows. Dilated pupils with excitement. Shaking fists.

The guy seemed to be looking for someone to vent his anger on.

It seems like it was Lloyd himself at the time.

‘This is ridiculous.’

How can you not know this much when you don’t know the subject?

Seeing Hector, who was broken like that and then started picking a fight again, I felt disillusioned by his stupidity.

“Wake up, kid.”

He weighs me down like I’m some kind of person.

Lloyd got up willingly.

He glares at Hector. When he hesitates for a moment, he shouts even louder, as if embarrassed by that fact.

“I told you, you little shit. You little shit is the root of this blood cult!”

“What the hell is that?”

“It was weird from the start. As soon as you got off the carriage, you were guarded by people who looked like executives or something!”

“Don’t be a jerk. You were the one who got subdued by me throwing mud at you.”

“And while the rest of us were getting beaten up, you were the only one who escaped into the mansion!”

“That’s because Duchess Grey called.”

“And just a moment ago, at the playground… …! You were the only one who swallowed that bug so nonchalantly. It’s clear. You’re clearly their puppet! ”

Hector pointed at Lloyd.

As if everyone here was listening.

What kind of absurd political maneuvering is this?

Lloyd was dumbfounded by the low standard.

And at the same time, he clenched his fist.

Since his beheading, he has become a sucker for politics.

Let’s beat this guy up so bad he can’t even dream of something like that.

The moment Lloyd was about to take a step.

– ‘Yes. If possible, human blood would be better.’

A voice suddenly came to mind.

A voice that was definitely deeper than before he ate loneliness.

That’s mind-blowing.

I unclenched my fist.

timely.

— Rumble!

The door to the accommodation opens.

Thud, thud.

The executive who opened the door and came in stood straight in front of Lloyd.

“Lloyd?”

“Yes.”

“You have been assigned a separate room. Come out.”

There was a commotion all around.

When he turned his head, Hector was there, pointing his finger at Lloyd as if he knew it.

◆

The executive who led Lloyd spoke as if whispering.

“You will be a gardener.”

“… … Gardener?”

Lloyd frowned at the executive’s words.

As far as we can see, the Gray Mansion doesn’t have a garden.

“There is a small garden in the Duchess’s study.”

… That’s what it was like.

It seemed to be true that the Duchess valued it. It wasn’t a bad thing. The more influence I could exert on her, the more likely I was to escape from here.

“Your accommodation is here. You will stay here from now on.”

The executive turned around and left.

The attitude was that since there was loneliness, there was no need to monitor.

It was actually a good thing for Lloyd.

Squeak.

Lloyd opened the door and paused.

It is a fairly spacious room, but at the same time, it has no shortcomings.

“I guess expensive things end up in display cases.”

Even if it becomes a collectible, it is better to put it in a display case rather than being shoved in a corner.

Of course, Hector and those guys’ suspicions about Lloyd himself will only deepen.

If you think about it rationally, it had nothing to do with Lloyd. But.

The children’s suspicious eyes as they watch Lloyd leave the dorm alone.

It was certainly not much different from the gazes of the onlookers at the execution grounds.

— Clap clap clap clap

The auditory hallucination of applause that sounds natural.

and.

— “We can finally talk, kid.”

The voice has now become a complete entity.

I spoke to Lloyd from deep within the darkness.