episode_0051

Noah was able to survive in the cruel forest with Juliana’s help. He endured each day, sharing body heat with the children in the dark and damp cave.

He hunted small creatures, scavenged for edible mushrooms and fruits to fill their hungry stomachs.

Their precarious daily life came to an end as some of the children were attacked by creatures. Although no limbs were severed, their wounds were deep and required proper treatment. Noah decided to leave the forest and search for a village. It was better than staying still and risking losing the children.

“A village…!”

Did his desperate plea reach the heavens? Noah and his group were able to find a small village. While there were no professional healers or priests, there were plenty of hunters.

The village, situated at the edge of the Forest of Death, survived by hunting creatures for sustenance. However, it wasn’t a place where strong individuals gathered.

It was a place where those who were too weak to survive in the cruel land of the Demon King resided, yet too strong to lay down their swords… simply put, it was a place for ambiguous strong individuals.

As they made a living by hunting nearby creatures, they easily tended to the children’s injuries. But it wasn’t for free.

“You used valuable herbs, so work for the village until you repay the debt. It’s good for you to live safely on our land, isn’t it?”

As payment for the treatment, the village chief demanded that the children provide labor. With no other viable options and unable to continue living in the cave, they accepted the chief’s demand.

And so, Noah and his group began to live in the small village, working as laborers.

“Hurry up!”

The children, without strength or parents, received treatment no different from that of slaves. They could barely receive the food left over by others and had to sleep in a place like a beast’s den, with not even a proper roof over their heads.

Nevertheless, it was a much safer place than the forest of death, so the children lived each day diligently.

As they began to feel somewhat accustomed to their work, an incident occurred.

“Noah… Noah, help!”

“Let go of this!”

Upon hearing a scream while moving a hefty pile of firewood, Noah dropped the wood and rushed over. Lily was being held by one of the hunters, while Nero was clawing at the hunter’s wrist.

Noah immediately charged at the hunter. It seemed that the training with Julianna had not been in vain, as he easily subdued the hunter.

“We have to leave.”

Holding the trembling Lily, Noah realized they could no longer stay in this village. He hid the unconscious hunter in the woods, gathered valuable items and food, and fled into hiding in the village.

The village chief never imagined the children would flee to the forest of death, so he did not bother to keep watch over them. Consequently, they were able to leave the village without difficulty.

Subsequently, as they traversed the forest of death, Noah grew stronger but also more fatigued. The children’s bodies accumulated numerous small and large wounds, and at times, their lives were in danger.

Their bodies, including hers, were covered in various wounds.

“Lian…”

Whenever Noah felt like he might collapse in the face of the cruel reality, he thought of Lian. Remembering his warm smile, kind words, and warmth, he could grit his teeth and rise again.

They persevered and finally managed to completely escape from the forest of death. The children who survived in the forest of death no longer hesitated to wield weapons.

After several days of moving while keeping themselves hidden, they followed behind a merchant convoy through the forest. At the top of the long procession, they passed through a small castle wall and entered a large city. The children found a crevice and squeezed their small bodies inside, barely managing to enter.

“This is…!”

Noah, who arrived in the city, could immediately tell. This city was the one where Noah and Nero had been sold as slaves.

The name of the city was “Kardishan.” It was a city dominated by a huge underworld. The city, where beggars and corpses were as common as summer bugs, was an acceptable place for Noah and his companions to stay.

Thanks to the poor public safety, they could stay in the city without status, even though they barely found a place in the alleys filled with beggars. At least it was satisfying that there were no people trying to kill or exploit them.

But that didn’t last long.

“It looks quite useful, doesn’t it?”

“One, two, three… if we have this much, we won’t have to worry about the cost of alcohol for a while.”

Weak children were nothing but prey in the alleys. Noah drew his sword to protect the children. The children, too, organized those who rushed at them with the skills they had developed over time.

During the process, some people were seriously injured. Noah treated the injured child with the little money he had.

“I need strength.”

To protect myself and everyone else, I needed to be stronger.

“I can’t do it alone.”

I shouldn’t be the only one getting stronger. To survive, we all need to get stronger together. We must form a group at the same time.

While living in the alleys, Noah began to realize “how the weak survive.”

Afterwards, Noah began to rescue the children who were marginalized in the alleys. Those who endured in the alleys, including adults, had already lost their humanity, so he embraced the children who could at least look forward to the future. Of course, he didn’t take in the children just for that intention.

“Lian, if it were you, would you have made the same choice as me?”

It was the result of his efforts to emulate Lian, who sacrificed herself without hesitation to protect young children.

The children who survived in the forest of death had various talents. They shared the information they had learned with the new children and trained together.

When Noah, who had the talent to lead others and the talent for the sword, began to teach the children in earnest, their skills grew astonishingly fast.

Noah quickly grasped the ecology of the back alleys along with training. Watching the fights of the mice dominating the back alleys, he stealthily found blind spots to hide.

In this way, Noah’s group gradually grew in size.

One day, while striving relentlessly to survive, Noah could find Lian from a newspaper that had fallen to the ground.

[The emergence of a new star that no one could have imagined!]

It had a grand title, but it was an article printed almost smaller than the palm at the very end. Although there was a photo attached, it was difficult to recognize the fact that it was Lian unless one had her keen eyesight, as the photo was small.

Noah peered at the crumpled newspaper with wide eyes.

“Lian… she’s alive after all!”

He had thought she must be alive, but living a cruel life in the back alleys, he couldn’t help but have thoughts like “Could it be possible -.” Her anxiety turned into joy.

“Lian, I will definitely rescue you.”

Noah immediately began to investigate the arena. As it was just a group formed by the children, it was difficult to gather plausible information.

The best information he managed to gather was that “there is a slave with astonishing skills and white hair.” With just that much information, Noah could have a dizzying amount of hope.

He wanted to rescue Lian from the arena right away, but Noah had neither the confidence to survive to reach the land of Jiso nor the strength to snatch Lian away.

The talent of the ‘leader’ nurtured while leading the children quickly indicated the path she should take.

“To protect Lian, this won’t do. We need greater power.”

Enlarge the size of the group and further enhance the strength of each individual. Thus, they must create a nest where everyone, including Lian, can be protected.

Noah began to move fiercely to achieve his goal. Julianna keenly noticed that such Noah was not normal. However, she did not point it out.

In such a cruel world, one has no choice but to go crazy to survive.

Julianna thought that Noah going mad over people would be happier than him being drunk on blood or drugs.

As no one stopped Noah, the weight of Lian inside Noah grew heavier day by day.

To the extent that she thought her life goal was ‘Lian’.

As time passed, people around them noticed Noah’s obsession with Lian. Those who noticed, just like Julianna, did not point it out.

“Since it’s dangerous here, let’s stay inside the building as much as possible when your brother comes back.”

“It might feel stuffy, so how about making a garden?”

“Then we’ll need a big building.”

As Noah, the leader of the group, always talked about Lian, the children naturally remembered and missed Lian. Thanks to that, instead of criticizing Noah, they were even more affectionate towards him.

Plans for Lian’s confinement were steadily piling up in a place without Lian.