Editor: SleepyMango123
Proofreader: Lore
Inside the cell, the girl with a flaxen-coloured ponytail was sitting on the edge of the stone wall and eating. Although it was still unpalatable porridge with a rotten taste, the portion was much larger than the previous few days, and it also had her grandfather’s share. Both of them didn’t have to divide the portion of food and go hungry together.
She ate the food one bite at a time. The sky was already dark, and the torches hanging outside on the stone wall were burning brightly, the light from the fire shining on her face. In the cell, there were conversations between children, the clash of spoons and basins, and the sound of sobbing that still sounded from time to time.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the cells was very depressing. The air was so heavy that it was difficult to breathe. Every child’s face was full of fear, because they all knew that when dinner was over, someone would come and pull one of them out to become a sacrifice on the altar.
No one knew whether they would become the next sacrifice.
This repressive atmosphere had infected everyone, and even Kerry, who had been lively and tough since she was small, had become taciturn.
After experiencing being framed and almost dying, the little boy who wanted to protect her almost died on her behalf, and the boy who framed her became the next sacrifice and died— due to these series of events, the innocence of the child that existed within her yesterday had dissipated, and she was no longer as cheerful as before.
During the span of one day, in addition to eating, she occasionally looked up at the place where Garlan was enclosed in the distance. She sat quietly at the foot of the stone wall with her head tucked between her knees and said nothing.
She made her grandfather feel heartbroken, but her pain was unimaginable.
Seeing his granddaughter drinking the porridge in silence, the old man took a couple of sips, sighed, put down the bowl in his hand, and wanted to talk to her.
However, before he could say a word, there was a sharp crash of metal. He turned his head and saw that the locked prison door had creaked open.
The red fire light came in from the outside and reflected a small figure standing at the door of the prison, forming a reddish halo in the outline, making an appearance that looked like the God of Fire appearing from the flames.
In the darkness, he appeared with fire and light.
The old man’s heart beat violently, and he rubbed his eyes. Only then did he see that it was the blond-haired child who called himself Garl who opened the prison door.
Before he could react, Kerry, who had been silent next to him, quickly stood up.
“Garl!” The little girl shouted with agitation.
She took a few steps forward, then realised that the cell door had been opened by Garlan, and she became a little confused.
“You… how did you unlock this… you…”
Garlan nodded to Kerry but didn’t answer her questions. His gaze swept across the cell. At this moment, the cell that was still a bit noisy became still. It was as if time had stopped. All the children were stunned by the fact that the one who opened the prison door was actually a child, the same as them. Their minds couldn’t process what they were seeing, and they could only blankly stare at Garlan.
“Come out,” Garlan said in a deep voice. “Everyone, come out immediately. There is no one outside now, we can escape!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Kerry’s eyes lit up. She rushed out the door without saying anything, and stood beside Garlan and looked outside. She was surprised and delighted when she found that there really were no guards.
Before she recovered from the surprise, Garlan had stuffed a bunch of keys into her and the old man’s, who had just come out, hands.
Garlan continued, “Quickly, open the other doors.”
Kerry nodded fiercely, then ran to the nearby cell quickly and swiftly tried the big bunch of keys.
The three of them separated and promptly opened all the four to five prison cells. Kerry, who had completed the task, ran back to find Garlan. When she was happily trying to show her merit, she saw Garlan staring at the cells with a grave expression.
Kerry followed Garlan’s gaze and was stunned by the scene.
The doors of all the cells were open, but except for a few children who ran out impatiently, most of the children huddled in the cells and looked outside with timid eyes. Although their eyes were full of longing, no one dared to take a step out.
They didn’t dare.
Kerry became frantic.
“Why aren’t you leaving?” She couldn’t help yelling at the children who had shrunk in the cell and refused to come out.
Garlan glanced outside in consideration, and after confirming that there was no one nearby, he did not stop Kerry from yelling.
“…It is useless. We can’t escape,” a child responded lifelessly.
“Right.”
“It’s impossible to escape.”
“We don’t even know where this is.”
“How to escape?”
“Surely… We’ll surely be caught.”
The children looked over with their soulless eyes. In the darkness, their eyes didn’t shine at all, as if they were completely shrouded in shadows.
Those children who ran out were the same as Kerry, who were sent over yesterday. But those children who had been there for a long time felt the fear brought to them by the Cult. Their will had been completely shattered, and they were like the walking dead, without any emotions.
Kerry, who couldn’t understand this, was angry and anxious. She looked at the children with a hateful expression but was helpless.
The old man who recognised how much these children’s minds had been poisoned by the teachings of the Cult understood a little, but at this time, he didn’t know what to do. After all, time was tight, and the believers would soon come over.
When that time came, no one could escape.
“So are you going to wait for death?” A loud voice suddenly sounded in the night.
It was like a sword that could penetrate the darkness, clearly pouring into everyone’s ears.
The timid eyes of the children subconsciously cast themselves onto the person who asked that sentence.
In the dark, Garlan stood there, his bright blond hair illuminated by the fire.
“Listen, there are no guards here now because they are preparing a major sacrifice. The sacrifices they will be offering tonight are fifty children.”
With a bang, there was a sudden commotion in the cell.
Fifty of them was nearly half of the number here.
Some children were afraid and unwilling to escape. They imagined that the one-percent chance would not fall on them, but now that half of the people were going to be taken away, no one could guarantee that they would not be among the sacrifices.
“Listen carefully! Not one, but fifty!”
Garlan emphasised again, “Now half of the people here will be dragged onto the altar, to have their throats cut, and blood drained. Don’t think that you won’t be next!”
Having said that, Garlan’s voice suddenly rose. “If you don’t want to die, stand up, and run—There isn’t anyone now, we can escape! The forest is just outside! The river is below! Jump into the river if you can swim! Run into the forest if you can run!”
Garlan knew in his heart that he couldn’t tell these young children much, so he could only use the most straightforward language to agitate them.
“Those people only want fifty children!”
He continued, “As long as you can run faster than others, you don’t have to die—”
Kerry looked at Garlan in astonishment. How could he say it like this? Wasn’t this telling them that if you were able to beat others by running, you could let the others die so as to live?
She couldn’t help but want to ask Garlan, how could you say such terrible things?
But before Kerry’s reproach could leave her mouth, there was a sudden movement in the cell, and an older child rushed out.
Garlan’s provocation instantly worked. At this moment, the children’s desire for life overcame the fear of the Cult.
Immediately afterwards, several children rushed out.
When someone took the lead, it was like breaking a bank and the flood rushing out in an instant. Almost all the children seemed to have changed, scrambling to rush out.
At the back, many people squeezed out, for fear of falling behind. Most of them got into the forest, regardless of the scratches on their hands and feet, they kept burrowing into dense bushes. Others ran straight down to the river and jumped into it.
“Let’s go.”
In this messy scene, Garlan said to the stunned Kerry, turned around, and left.
Finally, he glanced at the three to four children who were still numbly in the cell, no longer said anything, and quickly rushed into the dark forest.
—Even the Gods couldn’t save those who had given up their hope of life.
…
…
In the dark night, in the dense jungle, there were a large and two small figures shuttling among the bushes.
The bright moonlight penetrated the branches and leaves and fell into the jungle. Garlan raised his head and glanced at the cloudless night sky and cursed inwardly.
Obviously there was no moonlight last night, but it was so bright tonight.
After cursing, he still had to move on. Kerry held the old man’s hand and bit her lower lip, and followed him silently. She didn’t dare to stop and rest and desperately walked forward.
Kerry didn’t know how long she had been walking. It seemed that a long time had passed, but it didn’t seem that long either. The mountain and forest before her eyes seemed to have no end in sight. Her face was flushed, her forehead was covered with sweat, and her body was covered with bruises that fiercely hurt.
She looked at the front. The abrasions on the golden-haired child in front were much more serious than hers. It was probably because his skin was fair and delicate, causing a conspicuous red scar after a slight scratch. The exposed skin was densely covered with abrasions, and there were some places that were red and swollen. It looked shocking, but she didn’t hear him screaming in pain.
She remembered that when she was about to fall into despair, the figure that suddenly opened the prison door appeared in front of her with the bright light of the fire behind him.
At the time, in her eyes, the figure was so small and yet was taller than anything else.
That seemingly small figure grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out of the abyss of despair.
Her grandfather had always said that King Camos was the patron saint of Aaron Landis, but she felt that the so-called patron saints were not necessarily as powerful as King Camos, but there were also people like Garl. He didn’t seem strong, but he gave people hope in the dark, guarded her heart that was almost shattered by fear, and awakened the withered hearts of those children—
This beautiful child who suddenly appeared in front of Grandpa and I must have been sent by God to help us.
Just as Kerry looked at Garlan’s back and felt very relieved, a chaotic sound suddenly came from behind.
Kerry was spooked— It was the sound of people talking, and the sound of shrubs being pulled apart. There was the faint noise of dogs barking in the wind, and the sound of running footsteps getting closer and closer to them.
The pursuers were approaching!
A sense of panic instantly filled Kerry’s chest, and the hand holding her grandfather’s trembled uncontrollably.
For some reason, or perhaps instinctively, she subconsciously raised her head to look at Garlan.
Garlan had also heard the voices of those who pursued. He looked around, then pushed Kerry and the old man under the roots of a huge tree protruding from the ground. The twisty roots were criss-crossed and covered with green vines, dark in the shadows, making it hard to see.
He raised his hand to Kerry and made a shushing gesture, and then leaned his head to look.
In the next second, the sound of a dog barking made him terrified.
He originally thought that he could hide and wait for those people to leave. However, those people had dogs. This time, they might not be able to escape.
…No.
It wasn’t that ‘they’ couldn’t escape.
Listening to the sounds, the pursuers only brought a dog, so…
Garlan looked back, and he saw the girl squatting behind him looking at him nervously, her big bright eyes full of trust in him.
He turned his head and lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes covering his eyes and seemed to be in deep thought.
A second later, Garlan raised his eyes and looked forward.
He got up.
Kerry, who was squatting under the staggered roots of the tree, had been watching Garlan nervously, so when he moved, she immediately felt it.
“Garl?” she fiercely whispered.
Kerry saw Garlan, who had already gotten up, and turned her head again. In the darkness, she couldn’t see Garlan’s face, but the blond hair on Garlan’s cheeks reflected a bit of light, allowing her to see the little corner of the child’s lips rising slightly.
She was taken aback.
In that second, she was dumbfounded. The figure that had paused because of her harsh whisper moved again.
Subconsciously, Kerry reached out to grab him.
But she caught air.
She instinctively wanted to yell Garl’s name, but with an agitated spirit, she withdrew her empty hand and forcibly covered her own mouth.
She squatted stiffly on the spot and watched Garlan, who was running fast to the other side, alarm the pursuers who had been chasing them.
A big dog barked excitedly and chased Garlan.
Everyone followed the dog.
The girl squatted in the dark, looking onward with her eyes wide open.
She put her hand tightly on her mouth. Big tears fell from her wide-open eyes and rolled onto the back of her hand, scorchingly hot.
Her grandfather sighed helplessly beside her.
…
It was impossible for a child to run past a vicious dog and the strong guards. Naturally, Garlan was caught after running for a while.
Along with the children who were also caught, they were escorted back by a team of guards.
They were not led back to the cells but were directly sent to the huge altar.
The bonfire on the altar had been lit. The raging fire was burning in the dark, and the fiery light illuminated everyone’s faces.
He was pushed around and walked towards the wooden cage where a bunch of children were being held.
As he walked past, he heard anxious conversations between his pursuers and the believers near the altar.
“I have only caught a bit more than 30, it’s not enough!”
“The time for sacrifice is coming soon!”
“Why don’t we just sacrifice those that we have just caught now? As for the remaining, we can sacrifice them once they have been caught—”
“No way! The priest said that there must be fifty children. Not one less. Otherwise, it will not only not please Mother God, but anger her.”
“But our manpower is limited, and it will take time to catch those little brats back!”
Hearing the anxious conversations of those people, Garlan raised the corner of his mouth.
That was right, this was his purpose.
He knew that with those children, without the help of outsiders, it was impossible to successfully escape by themselves. He didn’t have any expectations and knew that even if the children were to run away, they would be caught sooner or later.
Therefore, from the beginning, he had only one purpose—to delay them.
More than a hundred children fled at the same time. It was enough for this group of people to be thrown into confusion, and it would take time to catch all the children back. This in turn would take a lot of time.
The sacrificial rituals of a cult were strictly regulated, and there must not be any mistakes. As long as the number of sacrifices were not enough, the festival would definitely not be held. In this way, the sacrificial time would be missed. Therefore, if the large-scale festival was cancelled, the lives of the fifty children would be spared.
Afterwards, just wait for Brother Camos to come…
Just when Garlan, who had successfully implemented the plan, felt relieved, he suddenly felt his surroundings becoming quiet, and it was a little frightening.
Turning his head, he found that there was no one around him, and even the guard who escorted him stepped aside, still bowing his head with a respectful look.
There was a strange atmosphere in the air.
Garlan, who felt that something was wrong, turned around abruptly, and looked up.
In the next second, his pupils vigorously contracted.
The man in the black and cyan robe, who was supposed to be standing far away by the bonfire on the altar, silently appeared behind him, standing there for an unknown period of time.
The hood on the robe was on the man’s head, hiding his face in the deep shadows and making him inconspicuous.
But Garlan could feel that a terrifying gaze that made his blood freeze fell on him from the shadow of the hood.
“…Bright…soul…” The man said with a voice so low, it was as if it were coming from the darkest abyss.
It seemed to be the deepest murmur, inexplicably creepy.
“…Also, with the vitality of light.”
As if mumbling to himself, the black-robed man raised his head to look at the believer behind him.
He said, “Now start preparing for the sacrifice.”
“But, Priest, the number of children is not enough…”
“It’s enough.”
A pale hand stretched out from the black-cyan robe, and the black-robed man squeezed Garlan firmly, causing a deep bruise to develop on his wrist.
The black-robed man said, “This one is enough and is worth the soul and blood of hundreds of young children.”
His low voice seemed to signal a deep sense of satisfaction.
“This will be the most satisfying sacrifice to our Mother God—”
Editor: SleepyMango123
Proofreader: Lore
Inside the cell, the girl with a flaxen-coloured ponytail was sitting on the edge of the stone wall and eating. Although it was still unpalatable porridge with a rotten taste, the portion was much larger than the previous few days, and it also had her grandfather’s share. Both of them didn’t have to divide the portion of food and go hungry together.
She ate the food one bite at a time. The sky was already dark, and the torches hanging outside on the stone wall were burning brightly, the light from the fire shining on her face. In the cell, there were conversations between children, the clash of spoons and basins, and the sound of sobbing that still sounded from time to time.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the cells was very depressing. The air was so heavy that it was difficult to breathe. Every child’s face was full of fear, because they all knew that when dinner was over, someone would come and pull one of them out to become a sacrifice on the altar.
No one knew whether they would become the next sacrifice.
This repressive atmosphere had infected everyone, and even Kerry, who had been lively and tough since she was small, had become taciturn.
After experiencing being framed and almost dying, the little boy who wanted to protect her almost died on her behalf, and the boy who framed her became the next sacrifice and died— due to these series of events, the innocence of the child that existed within her yesterday had dissipated, and she was no longer as cheerful as before.
During the span of one day, in addition to eating, she occasionally looked up at the place where Garlan was enclosed in the distance. She sat quietly at the foot of the stone wall with her head tucked between her knees and said nothing.
She made her grandfather feel heartbroken, but her pain was unimaginable.
Seeing his granddaughter drinking the porridge in silence, the old man took a couple of sips, sighed, put down the bowl in his hand, and wanted to talk to her.
However, before he could say a word, there was a sharp crash of metal. He turned his head and saw that the locked prison door had creaked open.
The red fire light came in from the outside and reflected a small figure standing at the door of the prison, forming a reddish halo in the outline, making an appearance that looked like the God of Fire appearing from the flames.
In the darkness, he appeared with fire and light.
The old man’s heart beat violently, and he rubbed his eyes. Only then did he see that it was the blond-haired child who called himself Garl who opened the prison door.
Before he could react, Kerry, who had been silent next to him, quickly stood up.
“Garl!” The little girl shouted with agitation.
She took a few steps forward, then realised that the cell door had been opened by Garlan, and she became a little confused.
“You… how did you unlock this… you…”
Garlan nodded to Kerry but didn’t answer her questions. His gaze swept across the cell. At this moment, the cell that was still a bit noisy became still. It was as if time had stopped. All the children were stunned by the fact that the one who opened the prison door was actually a child, the same as them. Their minds couldn’t process what they were seeing, and they could only blankly stare at Garlan.
“Come out,” Garlan said in a deep voice. “Everyone, come out immediately. There is no one outside now, we can escape!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Kerry’s eyes lit up. She rushed out the door without saying anything, and stood beside Garlan and looked outside. She was surprised and delighted when she found that there really were no guards.
Before she recovered from the surprise, Garlan had stuffed a bunch of keys into her and the old man’s, who had just come out, hands.
Garlan continued, “Quickly, open the other doors.”
Kerry nodded fiercely, then ran to the nearby cell quickly and swiftly tried the big bunch of keys.
The three of them separated and promptly opened all the four to five prison cells. Kerry, who had completed the task, ran back to find Garlan. When she was happily trying to show her merit, she saw Garlan staring at the cells with a grave expression.
Kerry followed Garlan’s gaze and was stunned by the scene.
The doors of all the cells were open, but except for a few children who ran out impatiently, most of the children huddled in the cells and looked outside with timid eyes. Although their eyes were full of longing, no one dared to take a step out.
They didn’t dare.
Kerry became frantic.
“Why aren’t you leaving?” She couldn’t help yelling at the children who had shrunk in the cell and refused to come out.
Garlan glanced outside in consideration, and after confirming that there was no one nearby, he did not stop Kerry from yelling.
“…It is useless. We can’t escape,” a child responded lifelessly.
“Right.”
“It’s impossible to escape.”
“We don’t even know where this is.”
“How to escape?”
“Surely… We’ll surely be caught.”
The children looked over with their soulless eyes. In the darkness, their eyes didn’t shine at all, as if they were completely shrouded in shadows.
Those children who ran out were the same as Kerry, who were sent over yesterday. But those children who had been there for a long time felt the fear brought to them by the Cult. Their will had been completely shattered, and they were like the walking dead, without any emotions.
Kerry, who couldn’t understand this, was angry and anxious. She looked at the children with a hateful expression but was helpless.
The old man who recognised how much these children’s minds had been poisoned by the teachings of the Cult understood a little, but at this time, he didn’t know what to do. After all, time was tight, and the believers would soon come over.
When that time came, no one could escape.
“So are you going to wait for death?” A loud voice suddenly sounded in the night.
It was like a sword that could penetrate the darkness, clearly pouring into everyone’s ears.
The timid eyes of the children subconsciously cast themselves onto the person who asked that sentence.
In the dark, Garlan stood there, his bright blond hair illuminated by the fire.
“Listen, there are no guards here now because they are preparing a major sacrifice. The sacrifices they will be offering tonight are fifty children.”
With a bang, there was a sudden commotion in the cell.
Fifty of them was nearly half of the number here.
Some children were afraid and unwilling to escape. They imagined that the one-percent chance would not fall on them, but now that half of the people were going to be taken away, no one could guarantee that they would not be among the sacrifices.
“Listen carefully! Not one, but fifty!”
Garlan emphasised again, “Now half of the people here will be dragged onto the altar, to have their throats cut, and blood drained. Don’t think that you won’t be next!”
Having said that, Garlan’s voice suddenly rose. “If you don’t want to die, stand up, and run—There isn’t anyone now, we can escape! The forest is just outside! The river is below! Jump into the river if you can swim! Run into the forest if you can run!”
Garlan knew in his heart that he couldn’t tell these young children much, so he could only use the most straightforward language to agitate them.
“Those people only want fifty children!”
He continued, “As long as you can run faster than others, you don’t have to die—”
Kerry looked at Garlan in astonishment. How could he say it like this? Wasn’t this telling them that if you were able to beat others by running, you could let the others die so as to live?
She couldn’t help but want to ask Garlan, how could you say such terrible things?
But before Kerry’s reproach could leave her mouth, there was a sudden movement in the cell, and an older child rushed out.
Garlan’s provocation instantly worked. At this moment, the children’s desire for life overcame the fear of the Cult.
Immediately afterwards, several children rushed out.
When someone took the lead, it was like breaking a bank and the flood rushing out in an instant. Almost all the children seemed to have changed, scrambling to rush out.
At the back, many people squeezed out, for fear of falling behind. Most of them got into the forest, regardless of the scratches on their hands and feet, they kept burrowing into dense bushes. Others ran straight down to the river and jumped into it.
“Let’s go.”
In this messy scene, Garlan said to the stunned Kerry, turned around, and left.
Finally, he glanced at the three to four children who were still numbly in the cell, no longer said anything, and quickly rushed into the dark forest.
—Even the Gods couldn’t save those who had given up their hope of life.
…
…
In the dark night, in the dense jungle, there were a large and two small figures shuttling among the bushes.
The bright moonlight penetrated the branches and leaves and fell into the jungle. Garlan raised his head and glanced at the cloudless night sky and cursed inwardly.
Obviously there was no moonlight last night, but it was so bright tonight.
After cursing, he still had to move on. Kerry held the old man’s hand and bit her lower lip, and followed him silently. She didn’t dare to stop and rest and desperately walked forward.
Kerry didn’t know how long she had been walking. It seemed that a long time had passed, but it didn’t seem that long either. The mountain and forest before her eyes seemed to have no end in sight. Her face was flushed, her forehead was covered with sweat, and her body was covered with bruises that fiercely hurt.
She looked at the front. The abrasions on the golden-haired child in front were much more serious than hers. It was probably because his skin was fair and delicate, causing a conspicuous red scar after a slight scratch. The exposed skin was densely covered with abrasions, and there were some places that were red and swollen. It looked shocking, but she didn’t hear him screaming in pain.
She remembered that when she was about to fall into despair, the figure that suddenly opened the prison door appeared in front of her with the bright light of the fire behind him.
At the time, in her eyes, the figure was so small and yet was taller than anything else.
That seemingly small figure grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out of the abyss of despair.
Her grandfather had always said that King Camos was the patron saint of Aaron Landis, but she felt that the so-called patron saints were not necessarily as powerful as King Camos, but there were also people like Garl. He didn’t seem strong, but he gave people hope in the dark, guarded her heart that was almost shattered by fear, and awakened the withered hearts of those children—
This beautiful child who suddenly appeared in front of Grandpa and I must have been sent by God to help us.
Just as Kerry looked at Garlan’s back and felt very relieved, a chaotic sound suddenly came from behind.
Kerry was spooked— It was the sound of people talking, and the sound of shrubs being pulled apart. There was the faint noise of dogs barking in the wind, and the sound of running footsteps getting closer and closer to them.
The pursuers were approaching!
A sense of panic instantly filled Kerry’s chest, and the hand holding her grandfather’s trembled uncontrollably.
For some reason, or perhaps instinctively, she subconsciously raised her head to look at Garlan.
Garlan had also heard the voices of those who pursued. He looked around, then pushed Kerry and the old man under the roots of a huge tree protruding from the ground. The twisty roots were criss-crossed and covered with green vines, dark in the shadows, making it hard to see.
He raised his hand to Kerry and made a shushing gesture, and then leaned his head to look.
In the next second, the sound of a dog barking made him terrified.
He originally thought that he could hide and wait for those people to leave. However, those people had dogs. This time, they might not be able to escape.
…No.
It wasn’t that ‘they’ couldn’t escape.
Listening to the sounds, the pursuers only brought a dog, so…
Garlan looked back, and he saw the girl squatting behind him looking at him nervously, her big bright eyes full of trust in him.
He turned his head and lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes covering his eyes and seemed to be in deep thought.
A second later, Garlan raised his eyes and looked forward.
He got up.
Kerry, who was squatting under the staggered roots of the tree, had been watching Garlan nervously, so when he moved, she immediately felt it.
“Garl?” she fiercely whispered.
Kerry saw Garlan, who had already gotten up, and turned her head again. In the darkness, she couldn’t see Garlan’s face, but the blond hair on Garlan’s cheeks reflected a bit of light, allowing her to see the little corner of the child’s lips rising slightly.
She was taken aback.
In that second, she was dumbfounded. The figure that had paused because of her harsh whisper moved again.
Subconsciously, Kerry reached out to grab him.
But she caught air.
She instinctively wanted to yell Garl’s name, but with an agitated spirit, she withdrew her empty hand and forcibly covered her own mouth.
She squatted stiffly on the spot and watched Garlan, who was running fast to the other side, alarm the pursuers who had been chasing them.
A big dog barked excitedly and chased Garlan.
Everyone followed the dog.
The girl squatted in the dark, looking onward with her eyes wide open.
She put her hand tightly on her mouth. Big tears fell from her wide-open eyes and rolled onto the back of her hand, scorchingly hot.
Her grandfather sighed helplessly beside her.
…
It was impossible for a child to run past a vicious dog and the strong guards. Naturally, Garlan was caught after running for a while.
Along with the children who were also caught, they were escorted back by a team of guards.
They were not led back to the cells but were directly sent to the huge altar.
The bonfire on the altar had been lit. The raging fire was burning in the dark, and the fiery light illuminated everyone’s faces.
He was pushed around and walked towards the wooden cage where a bunch of children were being held.
As he walked past, he heard anxious conversations between his pursuers and the believers near the altar.
“I have only caught a bit more than 30, it’s not enough!”
“The time for sacrifice is coming soon!”
“Why don’t we just sacrifice those that we have just caught now? As for the remaining, we can sacrifice them once they have been caught—”
“No way! The priest said that there must be fifty children. Not one less. Otherwise, it will not only not please Mother God, but anger her.”
“But our manpower is limited, and it will take time to catch those little brats back!”
Hearing the anxious conversations of those people, Garlan raised the corner of his mouth.
That was right, this was his purpose.
He knew that with those children, without the help of outsiders, it was impossible to successfully escape by themselves. He didn’t have any expectations and knew that even if the children were to run away, they would be caught sooner or later.
Therefore, from the beginning, he had only one purpose—to delay them.
More than a hundred children fled at the same time. It was enough for this group of people to be thrown into confusion, and it would take time to catch all the children back. This in turn would take a lot of time.
The sacrificial rituals of a cult were strictly regulated, and there must not be any mistakes. As long as the number of sacrifices were not enough, the festival would definitely not be held. In this way, the sacrificial time would be missed. Therefore, if the large-scale festival was cancelled, the lives of the fifty children would be spared.
Afterwards, just wait for Brother Camos to come…
Just when Garlan, who had successfully implemented the plan, felt relieved, he suddenly felt his surroundings becoming quiet, and it was a little frightening.
Turning his head, he found that there was no one around him, and even the guard who escorted him stepped aside, still bowing his head with a respectful look.
There was a strange atmosphere in the air.
Garlan, who felt that something was wrong, turned around abruptly, and looked up.
In the next second, his pupils vigorously contracted.
The man in the black and cyan robe, who was supposed to be standing far away by the bonfire on the altar, silently appeared behind him, standing there for an unknown period of time.
The hood on the robe was on the man’s head, hiding his face in the deep shadows and making him inconspicuous.
But Garlan could feel that a terrifying gaze that made his blood freeze fell on him from the shadow of the hood.
“…Bright…soul…” The man said with a voice so low, it was as if it were coming from the darkest abyss.
It seemed to be the deepest murmur, inexplicably creepy.
“…Also, with the vitality of light.”
As if mumbling to himself, the black-robed man raised his head to look at the believer behind him.
He said, “Now start preparing for the sacrifice.”
“But, Priest, the number of children is not enough…”
“It’s enough.”
A pale hand stretched out from the black-cyan robe, and the black-robed man squeezed Garlan firmly, causing a deep bruise to develop on his wrist.
The black-robed man said, “This one is enough and is worth the soul and blood of hundreds of young children.”
His low voice seemed to signal a deep sense of satisfaction.
“This will be the most satisfying sacrifice to our Mother God—”
