Ch.114Then the Devil Came Through the Front Door (8)

The sleeping priests were two in number. The children, about fifty. No one else was visible.

The children were in a trance-like state, swaying their bodies back and forth while praying. Though Kain wanted to grab their hands and lead them out of the mine immediately, he forced himself to think rationally.

It would be dangerous and irresponsible to take them out recklessly when the path outside was treacherous. If there were another exit, it might be different, but no matter how thoroughly he searched, there was no other way out.

Judging by the whistling sound between the rocks, there might be small ventilation shafts, but while air could pass through, people could not.

Moreover, the children were in such a weakened state that it was a miracle they were even breathing.

Kain made his decision. The children would be rescued only after everything was safe. Not before. For now, he would focus only on what could be done.

While it might be impossible to forcibly extract fifty children, he could at least drag up one piece of human garbage.

Kain gave the signal. Liliana strangled one priest into unconsciousness. The other man opened his eyes. Kain pressed his blade against him and threatened in a low voice.

“Make a sound and you die.”

He strangled the man like wringing a goose’s neck. He took his dagger and cut between the man’s forehead and hairline, as if trying to peel off his facial skin. Blood poured down like a curtain, covering the man’s face. The strangled man trembled violently, unable to even scream.

“Speak quietly. Answer only my questions. Those children, who are they?”

“S-serfs’ children. When the parents don’t obey, we take their children.”

“Why make them pray?”

“If we don’t, they just cry and piss and whine. It’s easier if we make them pray.”

Kain waited for more. But the man said nothing further. Kain pressed him.

“…Is that all? Because managing children is troublesome? Is there no… no other reason?”

“N-no, really! We didn’t make them work, didn’t play with them like those toys. We just let them sleep, eat, and pray! It’s an ideal… yes, an ideal life.”

The emaciated appearance of the children flashed before his eyes.

“…Food. How much did you give them?”

“One loaf of bread.” The man swallowed. “Every two weeks, one for every five children… that’s enough, isn’t it! They’re not working, they’re just kids!”

Because managing them was troublesome. That was it. That was all. The reason they ruined children’s lives forever and inflicted pain on their families until their dying day was simply because they found proper care too bothersome.

Still gripping the man’s neck, Kain struck his face. His nose broke and bruises formed. Kain cut off a piece of the robe, wrapped a stone from the floor in it, and forcibly shoved it into the man’s mouth. There was a cracking sound from his jaw joint, but Kain didn’t care. A stone this size would be impossible to either swallow or spit out. That was enough.

But he wasn’t finished yet. He forced the man to sit, grabbed his hair, and cut it off with his dagger. He slashed the robe from top to bottom, stripped it off, and tied it around the man’s body. He covered the face and head, leaving only the legs exposed.

When he slung him over his shoulder, the priest who had been fine moments ago now looked like a dead person. So much so that anyone seeing them would think they were carrying out a corpse. Meanwhile, Liliana and Maria tied up the other priest and gagged him. They pushed him into a crevice in the cave wall where he was hidden by darkness.

The children were still in a trance, swaying back and forth while praying. Kain’s group carefully walked along the edge of the underground chamber so the children wouldn’t notice them.

They safely reached the landing. But Kain heard the clanging sound of metal boots coming from above. Someone wearing iron boots was walking down the stone stairs. It seemed to be one of the count’s guards.

Kain lowered his posture, Liliana hid her drawn sword behind her leg, and Maria pulled out her wrist blade.

“Damn this lottery…”

A clearly audible complaint. Unfortunately, it seemed he had drawn the lot to go down to the landing.

Soon, a man with a rough face came down the spiral staircase. He didn’t seem to notice Kain’s group hidden in the darkness. He carried a large halberd. The man struck the floor with his halberd, making a clanging sound.

“Get up, you bastards! The count has arrived. Damn it, why is it so dark in here?”

All fifty children stopped praying at once.

“What are you looking at! Just pray, that’s how your parents will come crying after you! Berengario, Venantio! What are you doing! Are you dead?”

The man still hadn’t noticed Kain’s group. He walked past them, grumbling, and struck the floor with his halberd again.

Kain waited patiently. Whether the one stuffed into the cave wall was Berengario or Venantio, he was hidden deeply enough that he would be hard to find unless someone went very close. If no unexpected situation arose, the man would go back up.

“Ah shit, probably stuck with some maid again? Whatever. The count can kill them or not, I don’t care…” The man spat and turned around. He placed his foot on the last step of the stairs. Kain, who had been holding his breath, was about to relax.

“When are they coming?”

One child stood up. The child was so thin and malnourished that all their hair had fallen out. It was impossible to tell whether it was a boy or a girl. Yet the voice was still clear.

“When are my mom and dad coming?”

The man snorted and put his halberd down on the floor. He cracked his neck and approached the child. Kain could see that the man passing right in front of him was smiling.

“Miss your mom and dad? Hmm?”

The child nodded. The man snickered and placed his gauntleted hand on the child’s head.

“Pray hard. You’re here because you did something wrong. Do you know what you did wrong? No. No. No need to say it all. Do you know or not?”

“I know.”

“Then just pray.”

“…How much longer do I have to pray?”

The child didn’t back down. Something else appeared on the man’s face. Annoyance.

“Until they come.”

“I’m hungry and cold. When are they coming…”

“Ah, damn it…” The man sighed heavily. It seemed like he wanted to grab the child, but finding nowhere to grab, he knelt down instead to meet the child’s eyes.

“Hey. Little one. You know what? You’ve committed too great a sin. So, even if you die, you can’t leave this place.”

“Liar…” The child trembled and rushed at the man. It was unclear whether they were trying to hug him or strangle him.

“Liar, liar, liar!”

“Aagh!”

The man clutched his hand. The child had scratched him. Because no one had taken care of them, the children’s fingernails and toenails had grown almost beast-like.

“You… little bastard…”

There was a slapping sound. The child spun around in place.

“Hey, what did I tell you? I said you committed a sin. You can never leave this place. Never! All of you brats are the same! What are you looking at, you parentless bastards!”

“Liar!” “No!” “Our parents are alive.”

The man snickered. “I don’t think so.”

All the children fell silent. The man, feeling the joy of cruelty, said:

“I killed them all. And now it’s your turn. The count says… you’re too weak. Rather than you repenting and washing away your sins, it would be faster for you to die and become angels to meet them!”

The man lunged at the children.

Snap!

The cave lit up. Holy fire engulfed the man’s entire body. Startled by the sudden brightness, the children covered their eyes, screamed, and fell to the ground.

Maria threw a dagger. It pierced through the gaps in the man’s loose leather armor and lodged in his stomach. But the man couldn’t scream. The moment he opened his mouth, a second thrown knife cut his tongue and lodged in his throat.

As the man staggered, Kain and Liliana pulled him into the darkness.

“Down there! What’s taking so long?”

The sound of footsteps increased. There were many. Kain drew his sword. Liliana grabbed the halberd the man had left on the floor.

“I’m sorry.”

Kain apologized sincerely. Liliana smiled.

“You did the right thing. We couldn’t turn a blind eye.”

“That’s right.”

“We just need to hold them off. The two of us can do it.”

Liliana adjusted her grip on the halberd.

“I won’t die until white blood flows, after all.”

Kain took position on the inside of the staircase. Liliana positioned herself on the outer side, where there was more space to thrust with the halberd.

The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs grew louder. Kain looked at Maria.

“Maria.”

“Save it for outside.”

“Huh?”

“Save your last words for when we get out.”

‘Why? With luck, we might kill all those hundreds and get out.’ But Kain didn’t say that. Instead, he said:

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what?”

“Please look after the children.” Kain pointed to the children. “They’re scared. And… this isn’t something they should see.”

The usual Maria would have said something in response. But not now. Fifty frightened children were looking up at the adults who had suddenly emerged from the darkness.

Snap.

Maria snapped her fingers. Holy fire bloomed above the children’s heads. Small and cute enough that they could touch it with their hands.

“You can touch it. It’s not hot.”

The hesitant children reached out. Fascinated by the fire that wasn’t hot, they touched it here and there.

“…Are you an angel?”

A slightly taller child pointed at Maria. Maria was about to shake her head, but instead just smiled.

As Maria smiled and shook her head, the child carefully asked again.

“How much longer… do we have to pray?”

“You don’t have to anymore.” Maria smiled. “You have no more sins. All… all is forgiven.”

The child seemed not to understand.

“But they said we’re here because we did something wrong. And our parents…”

“No. Those people were liars. You were right. These people are liars. That’s why I came here. To take you back to your moms and dads. To take you outside.”

Maria smiled. The child still seemed not to understand.

“But why are you crying?”

“Because I’m so happy.” Maria continued to smile. “I’m so happy to have found you.”

“Do angels cry too?”

“Sometimes the world cries.”

“Why?”

“Because when you hurt, the world cries with you.”

The sound of commotion. The sound of metal clashing against metal.

Maria knew the time had come. So she made the light brighter. So that the children would look only at the light.

‘Protect these children. Help them to look at and remember only the light, only the light. Allow these children to be even a little younger and more tender. So they won’t be swept away by darkness they’re not prepared for, and if they must face it, grant them mercy to face it only when they’re ready.’

The children gathered around. They gathered and embraced Maria.

“Don’t cry.”

Maria found it strange. She was just smiling, so why did these children say she was crying?

I should be the one hugging these children, so why are they hugging me?

For these children… what can I do?

“Shall we,” Maria said, smiling brightly through her tears, “sing a song together?”