episode_0060

Angsho was a kind man to the slaves, to the extent that one might think, “Is it to this extent?” His affectionate words and laughter, rarely seen in the arena, sometimes made many slaves wary or moved.

Even those who were wary of him gradually opened their hearts to Angsho and tried to give everything to him. At that point, Angsho would manipulate them.

He would put vague words into the other person’s mind and slowly brainwash them. Isn’t the person you love suspicious? Isn’t that person the beginning of all your misfortunes?

The slaves were already people who had fallen into ruin. People who thought of themselves as the most unfortunate.

That’s why Angsho’s temptation was readily accepted. Angsho would place the foolish slaves in the palm of his hand and, like a god, would watch their downfall.

When a slave, who had returned after tearing apart someone precious with their own hands, begged Angsho for salvation, only then would they realize that everything they had said was a lie and that they were ultimately a murderer who had killed someone precious.

Slaves who had such experiences, without exception, ended up committing suicide, and Angsho’s bad reputation did not easily dissipate.

Angsho, the ultimate trash who played with dozens, hundreds of slaves.

Even for Lian, who was a master at playing with slaves, Angsho was a type of person he had never encountered before.

“If you want, you can take the food with you when you leave.”

“Thank you!”

Responding to kindness with kindness, and laughter with laughter. It was an honest demeanor rarely seen in the slave arena. Angsho quickly noticed why Totojen and Bansuk were fixated on Lian.

“It’s hard to find something like this.”

Many slaves who had fallen into ruin were often mentally shattered. Tormenting such individuals would only result in them writhing like living corpses, showing no entertaining response.

The spirit of a slave is fun to ruin when it’s perfectly intact. That’s why Totojen likes those with clear minds, and Bansuk prefers those with strong mental endurance.

Lian satisfied both conditions.

“Oh, this will be really fun.”

Initially, it seemed easy to manipulate Lian due to his simple appearance, but upon reflection, it seemed he might be more challenging than other slaves.

“He needs some vulnerability in his mind to dig into.”

One’s mind must be somewhat healthy to accept his affectionate approach. However, if it’s too healthy, it could block out his whispers. He seems easy but is a difficult man.

That was Ansho’s conclusion about Lian.

Regardless of Ansho’s thoughts, Lian had no interest.

“I wonder what Iris likes?”

Lian only thought about packing the leftover food in his head.

“If there’s any left, I can just eat it here. Oh, but would it be hard to carry? ”

First impressions are crucial. The impression initially engraved in one’s mind doesn’t easily change unless there’s a shocking stimulus. So, Ansho prepared a meal as impressive as that of a noble household.

The table was overflowing with splendid dishes, overwhelming even the slaves. But for Lian, it was just a delicious meal.

In the world of comedy, with a little effort, such a meal can be prepared at any time.

Their meal, accompanied by completely different thoughts, ended as the plates emptied.

“Huh?”

Ansho let out a short gasp, looking at the table. The pile of splendid food had completely vanished. What was even more terrifying was Lian’s appearance.

“Bu…burp! It was delicious.”

Lian, with a belly larger than himself, slouched happily in his chair.

“W-what’s that? Could it be he’s not human? A chimera?”

In an unrealistic scene, Angsho looked at Lian’s belly with a dumbfounded expression, even failing to manage his own expression. Lian stroked his belly and said, “It was really delicious.” “Ah… How could you finish it all?” “It was so tasty that I absentmindedly ate it all.”

Lian shyly smiled and scratched the back of his head. Seeing his strangely swollen belly, Angsho shrank his body.

“How did he gain weight in such a short time?”

There was no answer to his question. Just as Angsho was about to ask directly, “What happened to your belly?” “Here, I’ve packed it for you.” “Oh! Thank you!”

Angsho’s servant appeared and handed Lian a 7-tiered lunchbox. It was a long-standing rule for the slave to offer the requested food immediately after the meal, as giving a gift to a well-fed slave easily gained favor.

“Can I leave now?” “Ah, yes. You can, you can go.”

In response to Lian’s question, Angsho reflexively replied. It had become a habit to send the slave away without any requests after the first meal, so she inadvertently spoke like that.

“Thank you for the meal!” “Goodbye.”

Lian began to push his belly, which was larger than the entrance, into the door. His huge body squeezed through the door surprisingly well.

Alone in the empty restaurant, Angsho slouched in the chair like a deflated robot, letting out a sigh. After a while of blank expression, she soon corrected her posture.

Angsho abandoned her lighthearted thoughts and recalled Togen and Bansuk with a serious expression.

“To be honest, although the tastes of those two are unpleasant, their abilities are not lacking.”

If their abilities were lacking, she wouldn’t have compromised.

“If those two failed many times, there must be a reason.”

Angsho muttered with a stern face.

“Need to find the information.”

As Angsho struggled to harass Lian, Lian arrived in front of the elevator holding a lunchbox.

***

“Hmm..? What should I do..”

Due to considerable weight gain, his voice sounded dull. After catching his breath and exhaling deeply due to not being able to enter the elevator because of his belly, he finally entered after patting his stomach a few times.

“Phew! Okay, done.”

His bloated body quickly returned to its original state. He hummed to himself as the elevator arrived, heading towards the room where Iris was waiting, holding the precious lunchbox close.

Clack.

“Iris! I’m here!”

As I entered the room with a bright smile, Iris ran towards me and embraced me. She held the lunchbox high, protecting it. Iris gently rubbed her soft cheek against my chest.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“…A little bit.”

The smell of the lunchbox seemed overwhelming, causing Iris to blush lightly as she murmured. I smiled brightly and headed to the living room with Iris.

After laying out a seven-layered lunchbox on the table, I handed a fork to Iris.

“Alright, let’s eat.”

“…What about Lian… Oppa?”

Gulp.

I barely managed to control my racing heart. Unconsciously, Iris had been calling me “Oppa” so persistently since I returned all covered in blood.

I felt like shouting to the whole neighborhood, “Our child has grown up!”

“I already ate, so eat a lot.”

…”

He ate so much that it was difficult for him to breathe. Iris hesitated as if she had something to say, then finally answered in a small voice, “Okay.”

Iris picked up a piece of seasoned meat with the fork and brought it to her lips.

“…”

The round eyes, like a surprised rabbit, and the pursed lips were engraved in the iris.

“Kku, so cute!”

Just like a baby’s reaction to tasting sweet dessert for the first time, an involuntary smile formed at the intense change in expression.

“Ha, ha-eup!”

“Eat slowly.”

Watching the little one, who used to only eat what I fed, awkwardly handling the fork and eating, my heart ached. Feeling my eyes moisten, I wiped away tears as Iris became absorbed in the food.

“Oppa..”

“Yeah?”

Iris, who had been eating absentmindedly for a while, suddenly stopped and stared at me intently.

Clunk.

Iris unceremoniously stabbed the tender meat with her fork, then swiftly brought it to my lips.

“It’s delicious. Eat.”

“No, it’s okay.”

I vigorously waved my hand as if one more bite would make rainbows burst forth. But Iris, seemingly determined not to back down, extended the fork even further.

“Ah!”

Unable to make rainbows burst forth, I snatched Iris’s fork. Since she was still unskilled at holding the fork, it was easy to take it from her. I held the fork handle and, bewildered, slipped the meat into Iris’s open mouth.

“Hmm?”

Iris reflexively grimaced and widened her eyes.

“Just watching Iris eat makes Oppa full.”

At those words, Iris stared piercingly at my face, then slowly lowered her head.

“Um… Was that too embarrassing of a thing to say?”