Chapter 100: Trus (2/2)
I surveyed the room and did a quick headcount; all of the slaves were accounted for, including the blonde girl who still laid there on the floor. I thought some would try to escape while I was down there, but thinking back on it, staying was probably the better choice.
After all, I was their savior and a pretty amiable master. Without much other information on me and my methods, staying was a lot safer than running away.
The slaves stood by the wall, not a single one dared to sit before we came back. As I stepped into the room, their faces froze up. Having no prior interaction with me, they didn’t know how to react and so they kept quiet.
“I’m not really particular about the rules so everyone please sit. While everyone is here eating, let’s have a chat about our future plans.” Having said that, I took the lead and sat down first; after which I gave the blonde girl laying on the ground another glance. Looks like she wasn’t planning to fit in.
With no other option available, I turned to Ancarin and in a slightly helpless tone, said: “Help her up to the table so she can eat with everyone else.”
“Understood, Master Mo Ke.” She signaled for two slave girls to assist her in carrying the motionless girl to her chair. While she was adamant about pretending to be dead, she still sat down like a normal person.
Having gone through that potion treatment, her limbs were mostly healed up and even those criss crossing wounds were nowhere to be seen. Based on appearance alone, one would’ve never guessed that she had been through such a traumatic experience.
With the blonde girl seated, the rest of the slaves sat down as well with Ancarin as the lead. I have to say…could this table be any longer? With nearly thirty of us seated, there’s still plenty of seats left.
The meals in the Western Human Realms were presented in an individual dining style with the dishes laid out on the table for you to take at your convenience…that is, if you were a peasant. Nobles naturally had someone to serve them the food.
As Ancarin sat beside me, she did her part as a butler would, even though she technically wasn’t my servant. The food wasn’t particularly exquisite, especially not for our setting, but after not eating human food for over a year, it was more than enough for me.
And yet, a certain blonde girl was still as adamant as ever about not fitting in. Even in the face of all these delicacies, the blonde girl remained as lifeless as ever without any signs of improvement. Does she even get hungry?
*growl*
…even your stomach is protesting. Just eat already or do you expect me to feed you?
I signaled for Ancarin to feed the blonde girl. However, as she brought the steak up to her mouth, this woman actually refused to open her mouth.
So even feeding you isn’t enough…was your mouth full of gold or something? Was that why you refused to open it? You won’t speak nor eat so exactly what do you want to do?
“If you don’t eat, you’ll starve to death.”
Even though her stubbornness was causing us trouble, it wasn’t her fault she ended up this way. As I thought of this, I glared at our bound lucky charm in the corner, wishing for nothing more than to skin him alive for his transgressions against this poor girl.
Even so, as long as you’re alive, you shouldn’t seek death. Going on a hunger strike simply isn’t the answer. If you really don’t want to live, why did you answer my question then? You didn’t object to the potion treatment either.
Reacting to my voice, she turned her lifeless eyes towards me for a second before swiftly turning away once more.
“Forget it, we’ll deal with your issue later.” Let’s settle the easier stuff first…
I turned towards the gathered slaves and said: “I know that everyone still has their own reservations about me, but seeing as no one escaped when I went to the basement, means that everyone here has some sort of faith in me.”
“Honestly speaking, I don’t enjoy killing the innocent. Even as a devil, I don’t take pleasure in the suffering of others. I have my principles. As long as no one provokes me, I won’t attack either.”
“Plus, as you all have heard, I plan on going to Azure to find a person, so no matter how you look at it, I won’t recklessly cause trouble.”
While killing everyone was the safest and most optimal choice, I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t such a villain after all. It was already saddening enough that so many beauties were captured by that deviant Duran. How could I push them down into hell once more…
The only option was to convince them with my words and actions. Besides, this method had an added benefit as well; they could serve as my cover while in the city.
The girls’ reactions were mixed, some were visibly relieved, others were still conflicted, while the rest clearly didn’t believe that I could be a good guy.
I bet if I was a handsome human or an elf they would’ve leapt into my arms and proposed by now…sigh, the reputation of a devil was so difficult to overcome. Even doing nothing was enough to arouse their suspicions.
“Sigh…after this meal, you are allfree to leave. I won’t stop you. All I ask is that you keep my identity a secret. All I want to do is find my…sister. She’s a human that raised me since young. That’s why I have no animosity towards humans, neither do I wish for them to become my enemy. I just want to see her again after being separated for so long…to see if she’s still doing well.”
After listening to my speech, the girls feel silent. One of them, the oldest among them, suddenly spoke up: “If what you say is true, I’ll give you my word that I won’t expose you, but will you really let us go?”
This green, long-haired girl was roughly 18 to 19 years old, and had a certain maturity in her voice. She was one of the girls who didn’t believe in me, however, given that she just spoke, it meant that she had put aside some of her reservations.
“I just want to find her, that’s all. Truth be told, I didn’t expect to be summoned at all.” I looked at her with the sincerest expression I could muster and said: “Whether you believe me or not, I’ll release you all.”