episode_0011

“Hmm.”

It seems strange.

Lloyd walked out of the Duchess’s office and was troubled. There were more than one or two strange things. It wasn’t just about the Duchess.

For example, servants walking down the hallway.

They walked around with their faces covered by translucent veils, whether they were maids or butlers. The mansion, and the air surrounding it. Everything felt strangely uneasy. It was as if I had been captured by some kind of cult.

– ‘blood…….’

Moreover, the voice floating in my head became more intense.

In the past, it only appeared when he heard applause, but now it pops out randomly. Did PTSD usually come with this symptom? Unfortunately, tinnitus was not Lloyd’s specialty.

at that time.

“Lloyd?”

A man blocked his way.

A large man. Unlike the servants who wear the usual butler’s or maid’s uniforms, he is a man wearing dark gray clothes.

He was holding a small wooden box in his hand.

“Follow me.”

Lloyd followed him obediently.

Judging from the way the servants bowed their heads, it was clear that he was a man of high status. Furthermore, the aura he gave off was extraordinary. At the very least, his skills were stronger than those of the average knights of the imperial family.

He walked out to the back of the mansion.

A wide open space without a single blade of grass.

There were boys and girls kneeling there. They were the children I had seen in the carriage a moment ago. And there were several figures in gray clothing guarding the front.

The man who had forced Lloyd to his knees went and stood in front of the stage.

Judging from his actions, he seemed to be the leader here at the moment.

“You all worked hard. But think of it as an honor. From now on, you are servants of the Imperial Grand Duke’s family, the Gray Dukes.”

What the fuck is glory?

How can it be glorious to crawl under someone else?

“You must believe since you came here. It means you must follow the path we point out. That’s right.”

He held up a flag with a pattern on it. The floor was covered with ashes and drops of blood dripped down upon it.

“… Re-blood cult?”

One of the children muttered.

The noise spreads immediately.

It was natural. The Blood Cult was one of the most notorious cults on the continent. No, it was the most brutal of all cults.

A group that worships fire and blood.

They worship the reddest things among inanimate and animate objects, and believe that the ashes left behind by the two are the substance that will lead the world to salvation.

In other words, they are crazy people who believe that salvation will come only after everything is burned and destroyed.

“…Fuck.”

Lloyd muttered to himself without realizing it.

I felt something strange somewhere.

The air, the atmosphere, and even the owner of this mansion – everything.

‘A villain of this scale?’

Duchess Grey.

It is not certain whether he is the leader of the Jaehyul Church.

But whatever it is, she is not an ordinary woman.

In the first place, isn’t it common sense that the wife of a duke who died would take over all authority over the family? At least, that was the common sense in other-worldly fantasy.

Lloyd gritted his teeth.

— Cadak

Actually, the worst was somewhere else.

The Bloodshed Cult is a secret religious group whose existence is extremely hidden. Aside from its notoriety, very few people know its true nature.

A member of such a group revealed their identity. In other words, they are ready to exploit everyone here and then kill them.

‘Or maybe there is a way to manipulate it.’

What is the method? Brainwashing? Mind control? Hypnosis?

Lloyd looked up at the podium, nervous.

I was concerned about the wooden box that the man had brought.

“There’s bound to be at least one kid who’s quick-witted.”

Shh. The man who looked like a leader smiled at Lloyd. He put the wooden box he was holding down on the stage. It was just big enough to fit a person’s head.

“… What is that?”

The child next to me mutters.

His name was Hector, I think. He was the guy who started a quarrel in the carriage.

He seems to have calmed down a bit more than before, but he still seems to be mumbling to himself, so I guess he hasn’t figured out the mood. And it was as expected.

“If you’re so curious, come here and open it.”

The man smiled faintly and gestured.

Hector seemed to realize then that he had been too bold, but he was not so oblivious as to shake his head.

No. Should I say that I was taught the basics?

‘… Huh?’

Through his clothes, I could see his back, bruised and blue.

While I was held captive by the Duchess, I had a rough idea of how the rest of the children were treated.

— trembling

Hector climbed onto the stage, trembling.

He paused, his hand on the wooden box.

“Open it quickly.”

The man urges.

Hector put his hand on the box like a cornered rat.

Rattling.

The wooden lid opens.

“Wow.”

When someone starts to retch, it spreads like a contagious disease among the children. It made sense. Things wriggling in wooden boxes.

Those were definitely bugs with a dark gray color.

“This is poison. It is an honor that believers of the Blood Sect should eat.”

Glory asshole.

Lloyd, who had read all sorts of novels, could easily guess what role it would play. If it entered the body, it would parasitize and control the mind of the main body. Solitude was originally a bug and poison that performed such a role.

It is literally a means of brainwashing in the true sense of the word.

‘This must be the reason why they were able to proudly reveal that they were a blood cult.’

At the same time, it may be the reason why it is difficult to track down the blood cult despite its size. It would not be difficult to control the minds of those captured to make them keep secrets, or even make them commit suicide.

“Okay, kid.”

The man opened the box and called out to Hector, who was half-lying over.

Hector takes a step back and trips over the leg of one of the Blood Cult’s officers.

— Passut!

A noise like something sharp being shot out quickly.

A scream erupts belatedly.

“Kkaaah!”

A single joint of Hector’s severed little finger floats into the sky.

Blood pouring out.

— Crackle!

There was a sound of flesh burning.

With the smell of grilling meat.

“Ugh. Ugh.”

Hector was foaming at the mouth, unable to even scream.

That was enough.

It’s about making children put bugs in their mouths.

Of course, the first one was Hector.

“Wow, wow, wow! ”

Hector, who put the blood in his mouth first, retches so hard that his eyes roll back.

There was no room to leave any impression on it.

The executives standing on the podium each held a bug and came forward.

The one who approached Lloyd was the most senior man.

“The Duchess told me to take special care of you.”

The man laughs.

Damn it. This doesn’t deserve special treatment.

A weasel-like insect squirming at the tip of his hand.

Fucking life.

Lloyd cursed inwardly dozens of times.

— ‘Blood…! I smell blood…!’

I didn’t even care about the voice that had become more intense inside. Only the damned movements of the wriggling bug filled my mind.

“You have to open your mouth to eat.”

“… … .”

“The Duchess thinks highly of you. How can you not know such basic things?”

Fuck.

If you were me, would you open your mouth if a bug was right in front of you?

Lloyd wanted to let out a volley of curses at that very moment.

But his reason does not allow it.

You have to open your mouth obediently.

Or you will die.

There is no choice since you are forced to hear their secrets.

— ‘Eat…, eat… …!’

The voice that had been sleeping inside me also repeats itself.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

Lloyd opened his mouth.

Swish.

A strange sensation in the mouth.

Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut, barely able to suppress the urge to vomit.

It’s the worst.

But his body swallows the bug, contrary to his thoughts.

It’s a completely different feeling from eating food.

Regardless of the rumbling in my throat, it went down my esophagus as if looking for a place to belong.

“Yeah. If you’re going to eat, you better hurry up and get it done. The guy will find a place to stay on his own.”

Shh.

Lloyd wanted to turn the chin of the executive who was smiling at him.

But it was impossible. He couldn’t deal with all of them with his own body.

Above all… … .

Sarararaak.

I hate the feeling of bugs crawling inside my body so much.

But let’s come to our senses.

Lloyd devised a circuit to purify the poison.

The antidote to poison is ‘neutralization’.

It creates a property that is exactly the opposite of poison and reduces its energy to 0.

‘But loneliness…’

Loneliness is not poison. It is a bug and a living organism that takes root in its host based on poison.

This is why even the most skilled wizards fall victim to solitude the moment they are attacked.

Because you can’t analyze an entire organism and then create its exact opposite.

but.

Lloyd had no intention of giving up.

If this guy’s brain is what I’m talking about now…!

The brain works at incredible speed.

Analyze each loneliness and think about its role.

About 10% is complete.

Gulp.

A stream of blood coming out of the nose.

Just a little bit more. Just a little bit more.

Even if you only do half of it, loneliness will never completely take root.

The brain lights up like a flash of light.

A state of perfect heightened excitement.

The moment Lloyd took a step further.

“Cough!”

A sudden violent sneeze.

My stomach hurts like it’s turning inside out.

“… … ?”

Lloyd clutched his chest.

Loneliness suddenly began to run wild as if running away from something.

“What… … .”

I could hear the voices of the leaders of the Re-blood Cult outside, but I couldn’t pay attention. My insides were seething and boiling. Loneliness began to tear at my whole body, like a cornered rat.

“Originally, the place was… … .”

Fuck. Fuck.

Ugh!

A handful of blood spewed out of Lloyd’s mouth.

and.

— ‘Food… food… food!!!’

Something screaming loudly in my head.

The pain didn’t last that long.

— Crunch!

A sound of something exploding is heard inside.

And soon.

— Ugh, ugh.

There was also a sound of being swallowed.

At the same time, the stomach-turning pain disappeared.

The reddened vision slowly returns to normal.

Lloyd looked up at the officer holding him.

“… You came to your senses.”

“… … .”

Gum-drenched. Gum-drenched.

As I was just blinking, he grabbed Lloyd’s arm.

A black engraved mark in the shape of a fox.

“It seems that loneliness has settled in properly.”

Lloyd didn’t have the energy to answer.

Just staring blankly ahead.

but.

Still, two things were certain.

— Crunch. Crunch.

The first thing about loneliness is that it doesn’t have a place in your own body.

This was definitely a blessing, as I wouldn’t be caught up in the mind control of the Blood Cult. But… … .

The second fact he became certain of was destroying all positive possibilities.

— Ah. What a long-awaited fragrance.

The voice whispering in my head.

It definitely wasn’t PTSD or anything like that.

There is something inside me.