Chapter 2 – Hearty Meals
With the hassle of dealing with Odil finished, it was time to tackle other tasks. First on the agenda: food.
‘Gotta make sure the kids have something to eat too.’
The original owner of this body had just tossed the kids, who were brought here as test subjects, a few chunks of potatoes floating in some water for their meals. When he was feeling lazy, he’d even throw them some stale bread that looked like it had seen better days. Meanwhile, he was enjoying soft bread and soup, the type Odil would scarf down.
‘No more of that from now on. Hehehe.’
Having taken my first spoonful at the tender age of five, after watching my mom burn an egg to a crisp, whipping up meals for kids was now a piece of cake.
‘I’ll feast them well until they’re rescued!’
Chuckling to myself, I started cooking up a scrumptious soup. I filled it with a mountain of spices and carried it with a chunk of bread to Odil.
“Leave it there.”
“Yes.”
Looks like Odil was back at it, glued to his experiments and totally ignoring the food. I headed out of his room and trekked back to the kitchen.
Thud.
I placed a tray instead of a lid on the long, deep soup pot and set a bowl on it. With all my might, I hoisted the heavy pot and headed down to the basement where the kids were waiting eagerly.
*
In the chilly dungeons, with cold water dripping, the kids huddled together, trying to share some warmth.
‘Mommy…’
Lily, a skinny little girl, had hollow cheeks and stared blankly, thinking of her mom.
‘Girls fetch a higher price, right? Look! She’s worth a decent amount!’
Her mother’s words echoed in her head. But honestly, Lily didn’t care about those harsh words. All she wanted was to be in the arms of the one ‘adult’ who had ever been there for her, even if she knew she couldn’t go back, and even if going back wouldn’t bring her any happiness.
Thud.
Suddenly, a sound of footsteps echoed from above. The kids shrank back, pressing against the cold ground in fear. They were shaking like leaves.
Click, thud.
They felt a bit relieved it wasn’t the black magician’s leather shoes making the noise but still couldn’t let their guard down.
‘It’s that guy…’
He was the guy who tossed them awful bread during meal times. Sometimes, he even dragged them out instead of the black magician. Just thinking about being next made them tremble.
Swoosh, and then a comforting warmth wrapped around her.
“It’s okay. I’m here, right?”
“Uh huh.”
Lily buried her face in the bony arms of Pia, who was snugly hugging her. Though they weren’t related by blood, they shared a deep bond.
Thud, click. Clatter.
“Sniff, sniff.”
“Ooh, it smells so good…”
As the footsteps approached, a delicious aroma wafted through the air and tickled their noses. Without realizing it, Lily slipped away from Pia’s embrace, her nose twitching like a dog.
“Li-Lily!”
“Wow sis, it smells yummy!”
“Get back here! He might take you away!”
“Uh huh.”
Scared of being dragged off, Lily nodded and returned to Pia’s side.
Gurgle, gurgle, grumble.
The sound of tummy rumbles echoed through the dungeon, long-empty bellies protesting loudly at the promise of yummy food.
Thud!
“…!”
Just as they were getting lost in the scent, a pair of white feet came down the last step. Unlike usual, he carried a big pot that was bursting with smell.
Gulp.
The sound of someone gulping down dry saliva broke the silence.
Step, step, step—Lian placed the pot next to the dungeon entrance.
Clang.
Then he fumbled for a bunch of keys and unlocked the door.
Clink.
“…!”
“Waaaah!”
The kids, who had cautiously moved forward, suddenly panicked and scrambled backward. Lian always took one of them away when he opened the door for his experiments. In the chaos, Lily got pushed back like a leaf in a storm. The backlight made it hard to see Lian’s face as he entered through the now-open dungeon door.
“Hey, hey.”
Lian kicked the door wider and stepped in, lifting the large pot. He set it down on one side and placed his hand on his hip, staring at them.
Flutter.
Their eyes met, and Lily flinched away, burying her face in Pia.
Clatter, splash!
Lily jumped at the sound of something splashing into water and turned her gaze. A wooden ladle was spinning in the aromatic pot.
“Slurp.”
Without thinking, Lily gulped the saliva pooling in her mouth. Her throat felt cracked from thirst.
Plop.
Lian grabbed a wooden bowl from the tray and started filling it with soup.
Pour.
The yummy soup filled the bowl slowly, grabbing Lily’s dazed attention.
Grind.
Pia bit her teeth in frustration, glaring harshly at Lian.
‘He’s doing this on purpose…!’
Lian had always laughed at the starving kids or tossed them leftover bread. He’d never brought any food that smelled this good into the dungeon, though he did roast them with bread outside while they crawled around starving.
With those memories, Pia’s face was not one of pleasure.
‘If he’s teasing us… I’ll throw that pot upside down.’
She might be the next test subject dragged away, but at least Lily and the other kids would get to taste the soup. Sure, they’d have to lick it from the floor, but in this place, that was the way to survive.
Pia glared at Lian, ready to spring into action.
Bang bang!
Lian lightly knocked the ladle inside the pot.
“Alright everyone, time to eat! Line up over here.”
“…!”
“Gasp…”
A couple of starving kids bolted out, unable to hold back. The kids who had been frozen in fear now followed instinctively.
“If you don’t line up, you won’t get any. You go to the back, understood?”
Under normal circumstances, Lian would shudder at even the slightest touch from the kids, but now he was gently taking dirty arms and organizing a line. Pia was left stunned, staring wide-eyed at Lian.
“Me too!”
“..! Lily!”
When even Lily ran to join the line, Pia had no choice but to follow. It wasn’t exactly out of pure hunger.
“Careful, it’s hot! Use this spoon properly and pass it on.”
With expert skill, Lian began dishing out soup, one bowl for each child. The kids scrambled away to the corners with their bowls, desperately gulping it down, fearful of it getting snatched away. Soon, it was Lily’s turn to receive her serving.
“Here you go.”
“…!”
Lily’s eyes sparkled as she gratefully took the bowl and snuck over to lean against a wall. Thankfully, none of the soup spilled.
Swish, scoop!
“…!!”
As she cautiously scooped the soup into her mouth, a shiver ran through her. The soup was perfectly warm, not at all as hot as she had expected, gently melting in her mouth. The potato soup was sweet without being sickeningly so.
“Gulp, gulp!”
Lily gobbled it down like she was drowning in soup. Whenever she chewed on a little piece of meat, her eyes watered. By the time she collected herself, the bowl was entirely empty. Just as she started licking her spoon and bowl for more,
“Slurp!”
Startled by the loud sound, Lily’s eyes went wide as she turned to see Pia with her mouth glued to the bowl, eagerly chugging the soup.
“Sis?”
“Gulp!”
Pia blushed, finally realizing Lily was looking at her as she hastily swallowed the remaining soup in her mouth.
“It’s hot, remember to eat slowly, Lily.”
“Uh-huh.”
At that moment, Lily found out Pia was just as prone to mix up her words.
“We’ll have dinner later, so just one bowl for lunch.”
Listening to Pia’s soft voice, Lily’s gaze drifted toward the dungeon door. There was Lian sitting against the door, coaxing a child who was shyly asking for another helping. He was so sweet and gentle that the kid was practically frozen in place.
“You’ve done great! Was it good?”
“Y-yes.”
The child, who hadn’t learned to speak properly before being sold, responded in a stammering voice. Lian, as if appreciating this small effort, gently tapped the child’s hand before taking the empty bowls.
“If you eat too much too quickly, your tummy might hurt! Just let me know if you’re not feeling well, okay?”
“Yeah.”
Why Lian had suddenly transformed, or why he was serving up delicious food—it didn’t matter. In a world where they had no adult to depend on, the kindness shown to them was something that no child could ever refuse.
“Okay, now I’m off. Just stay quiet.”
“Okay!”
“Yeah…”
A few kids quickly warmed up to him and shuffled closer to the bars, responding eagerly. Lian slipped a hand through the bars to gently ruffle their hair, causing their faces to turn slightly red.
Click, thud.
As Lian’s footsteps faded away, Pia bit her lip and hugged her knees. She was supposed to be the adult for Lily, but deep down, she was just a 13-year-old girl.
‘There’s no mercy in this hell of a world.’
In the kingdom of Eiscenia, now fallen into the hands of the demon king, humans were treated just like livestock. The only ones getting better treatment were those whose hearts were as rotten as demons.
‘Don’t hope. If you hope, you’ll just end up betrayed again.’
Pia tucked her head between her knees, suppressing the flutter of excitement brewing in her chest. She recalled the repulsive humans who had betrayed and abandoned her; those who smiled in her face while selling her out behind her back.
Unknowingly, that bottled-up anger found its way toward Lian.
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