episode_0002

After finishing the chores, it was time to handle other tasks. First, I had to eat.

“I should take care of the kids’ meals too.”

The owner of the body casually threw a few potatoes into water for the meals of the kids who had been brought in as test subjects. When feeling lazy, they also threw in some bread that seemed past its expiration date. Meanwhile, they themselves ate soft bread and soup that Odil could eat.

“From now on, there won’t be such a thing. Hehehe.”

At the age of 5, when he first held a ladle while looking at his mother’s freshly made egg fry, taking care of the kids’ meals was nothing for him, who had mastered cooking.

“Feed them until they are rescued.”

Internally chuckling, he started making a tempting soup. Carrying the heavily spiced soup and bread, he brought it to Odil.

“Leave it and go.”

“Yes.”

Odil didn’t pay attention to the meal, focusing again on the experiment. He left the room and returned to the kitchen.

Thud.

He placed a bowl on top of a long, large pot meant for soup instead of a lid, then lifted the heavy pot and headed downstairs where the children were waiting.

***

In the cold underground prison, drops of cold water fell. The children huddled together, sharing warmth.

“Mom…”

Lily, a thin-faced girl, thought of her mother with a blank expression.

Because she’s a girl, she’s more expensive, right? Look! This should fetch a good price!

Mmm, her mother’s voice echoed in her ears. Lily didn’t care about her mother’s harsh words. She just wanted to return to the embrace of the only ‘adult’ who had ever supported her. She knew she couldn’t go back, and even if she did, she couldn’t be happy.

Thud.

Startled, they heard footsteps from above. The children huddled, pressing their bodies against the floor. They trembled in fear.

Thud, thud.

Relieved that it wasn’t the sound of the sorcerer’s leather shoes, they still didn’t relax their bodies.

“That person…”

He was a man who threw tasteless bread at meal times. Sometimes, he would lure and take them away instead of the dark magician. Shivering at the thought that she might be dragged away.

Swiftly, warmth embraced her at that moment.

“It’s okay. I’m here, unnie.”

“Mm.”

Lily buried her face in Piya’s embrace with her stick-thin arms. They weren’t siblings, but they were deeply connected by a strong bond.

Thud, thud. Rustle.

“Sniff, sniff.”

As his footsteps drew closer, a pleasant smell tickled her nose. Lily unconsciously slipped out of Piya’s embrace and sniffed the air.

“L-Lily!”

“Unnie, there’s a delicious smell.”

“Still, come this way. You might get dragged away!”

“Mm.”

Terrified of being dragged away, Lily nodded and returned to Piya’s embrace.

Gurgle, gurgle.

Sizzle.

Crunch.

Various sounds emanated from their stomachs, echoing through the underground prison. After a long time of starvation, their senses were numb, and now their stomachs protested, urging them to eat the delicious smelling food.

Thunk!

…!

While concentrating on the smell, a white foot stepped down the final step. Unusually, he held a large pot. The smell wafted from the pot.

Gulp.

The sound of someone swallowing dry saliva echoed.

Clack, clack, clack. Approaching the front of the prison, Lian set the pot down next to the entrance.

Click.

Then, he found a key bundle at his waist and opened the door.

Clang.

…!

“Ahh!”

As the children cautiously approached, they recoiled and fled backward. He always took one subject with him when he opened the door. Like being pushed back by a tsunami, Lily was swept backward by the children. Lian’s face, entering through the open prison door, was not clearly visible due to the backlight.

“Here, tea.”

Lian kicked the door open and walked in with a pot in hand. Placing it on one side, she put her hand on her waist and looked towards them.

Hm.

As their eyes met, Lily shrugged her shoulders and buried her face in Pia’s body.

Clatter, splash!

At the sound as if something had fallen into water, Lily flinched and glanced over. Inside the pot emitting a delicious smell, a wooden ladle was swirling around.

“Chup.”

Unconsciously, Lily swallowed the saliva that burst out. Her throat felt dry and cracked from not even being able to drink properly.

Plop.

Lian began to fill the soup into a wooden bowl placed on one side of the tray.

Gurgle.

The sight of the appetizing soup being poured into the bowl slowly caught Lily’s absent-minded expression.

Suddenly, Pia gritted her teeth and glared fiercely at Lian.

‘Is she doing this on purpose..!’

Lian had often sneered at the children cowering in prison or played the garbage trick of throwing away half-eaten bread. She had never brought such delicious smelling food into the prison before, but she had laughed at hungry children crawling around outside while tearing apart soft bread to eat.

Because of such incidents, Pia couldn’t possibly be in a good mood.

‘If she’s doing this on purpose… I’ll overturn the whole pot.’

She might be taken as the next test subject, but at least Lily and the other children would be able to taste the soup. Of course, they would have to lick the floor, but here, they had to eat like that to survive.

As Pia fiercely stared at Lian…

Bang bang!

Lian lightly tapped the inside of the pot with the ladle.

“Everyone needs to eat, so come over here and line up.”

…!

Ugh…

Some children, driven by hunger, dashed out. As a result, the children who had been frozen in fear reflexively followed behind them.

“If you don’t stand in line, you won’t get any. You stand at the back.”

Normally, Lianne would shudder at the thought of touching even a single finger of the children’s bodies, but now she was carefully holding their arms and making them stand in line. Pia, unable to imagine such a scene, looked at Lianne with her mouth agape.

“Me too!”

“..! Lily!”

As Lily rushed forward to join the line, Pia had no choice but to follow her. It wasn’t because she really wanted to.

“It’s hot, so be careful when eating, and use this spoon and pass it on.”

With practiced skill, Lianne ladled out soup for the children one by one. Afraid of losing it to someone else, the children held onto their soup and hurriedly gulped it down in a corner. Before long, it was Lily’s turn to receive the soup.

“Here.”

“…!”

Lily eagerly took the bowl, leaned against one side of the wall, and cautiously sipped the soup. Fortunately, not a drop was spilled.

Slurp, gulp!

“…!!”

As the soup was carefully fed into her mouth, a thrill ran through her. The warning about it being hot seemed irrelevant as the perfectly warm soup melted lightly in her mouth. The potato soup, made with mashed potatoes, was sweet yet not heavy.

“Gulp, gulp!”

Lily hurriedly ate the soup. Tears welled up in her eyes as she chewed the small pieces of meat scattered throughout. When she came to her senses, the bowl was empty. At that moment, as she licked the spoon and the bowl in regret…

“Burp!”

Startled by the loud sound, Lily turned her head wide-eyed. Pia, who was sitting next to Lily, had finished the soup and was swallowing it down with gusto.

“Oh, sis?”

“Uh..!”

Pia, belatedly coming to her senses at Lily’s voice, blushed and hastily scraped up the remaining soup, then swallowed it, her face turning red.

“It’s hot, so you have to eat slowly, Lily.”

“Okay.”

Lily realized that Pia could say things that didn’t quite match up.

“I have to eat dinner later. Let’s just have one bowl for lunch.”

Lily’s gaze turned toward the direction of the prison door at the soft voice tapping her ear. Leanne, sitting with her bottom against the door, was coaxing a child who was asking for another bowl by extending the empty bowl. The child froze, overwhelmed by his gentle voice and smile.

“You ate well. Was it delicious?”

“Y-yes.”

The child, who had not properly learned to speak at a young age and had been sold like a commodity, replied in an awkward tone. Leanne, seemingly impressed even by that, lightly tapped the child’s hand and then collected the bowl.

“If you suddenly eat a lot, your stomach might hurt! If it does, tell me, okay?”

“…Okay.”

Why he suddenly changed, why he was giving delicious food, none of those reasons mattered. In a situation where they couldn’t rely on any adult, no child could refuse the warm touch extended to them.

“Well, I’ll be going now, so stay quiet.”

“Yes!”

“Y-yes…”

In an instant, a few children who had opened their hearts came close to the bars and responded earnestly. Leanne reached through the bars and lightly stroked the children’s heads. As she did, the children’s faces turned slightly red.

Thud, thud.

As the sound of footsteps faded, Pia bit her lip and hugged her knees. She pretended to act like an adult to Lily, but she was just a 13-year-old girl this year.

“In this hellish world, there is no mercy.”

Iskenia, the kingdom fallen into the hands of the demon king, treated humans no differently than livestock. The only humans who received relatively better treatment were those whose nature was as dreadful as the demons.

“Don’t expect anything. If you do, you’ll be betrayed again.”

Pia suppressed the excitement rising unknowingly in her chest as she buried her head between her knees. Then, she recalled the despicable humans who had betrayed and abandoned her. Trash that smiled in front of her and sold her out behind her back.

Her anger was directed at Ryan without her even realizing it.