Chapter: 59
In the arena, there were those collectively known as the Trash Trio.
Totojen, who enjoyed watching innocent kids fall from grace.
Bansook, who took pleasure in torturing those with strong wills.
And then, the last piece of trash.
“Hmmm, so you guys are really close, huh?”
“Y-yes.”
A handsome guy with brown eyes and honey-colored hair that flowed down to his waist looked at Ottugi with a friendly grin. Ottugi, drenched in cold sweat, nodded vigorously.
“Although, um… that male slave is currently rented out to Lord Totojen for about a year…”
“Oh, really?”
The man nodded with a mysterious chuckle.
“I’d actually find the male slave more interesting… hmm.”
He covered his lower jaw with his palm and rolled his eyes, his hidden lips stretching into a spine-chilling extended grin.
Then there was Angsho, who delighted in causing rifts among people and savoring the wreckage of relationships.
Totojen, Bansook, Angsho.
These three were notorious for sneaking around various arenas, committing all sorts of trashy acts. They were dubbed the Trash Brothers, not just because they were tight-knit, but also because they resembled one another.
Ottugi took a peek at Angsho and wondered.
‘He looks nothing like the other two, though?’
He’d never really seen Totojen’s face, but he could kind of guess his looks from his wrinkled hands and slightly visible chin. Rumor has it he looks a bit like Bansook, so he probably kinda resembled him. But the Angsho in front of him did not even remotely look like an old guy.
‘Is he using black magic to stay young or something?’
As if reading Ottugi’s mind, Angsho suddenly twisted his face and barked,
“Get out.”
“Y-yes?”
“Get out, I said!”
“Okay, I’m going!”
Ottugi nearly jumped out of his skin and bolted outside. The attendants followed him in a frantic rush. Alone now, Angsho grimaced and placed his hand over his face.
Gurgle.
His face started to melt away like slime.
“Tsk, has it already reached the end of its lifespan?”
He flicked the sagging flesh with annoyance. The piece that came off looked like peeling away a mask, revealing an aged face underneath.
“Thank goodness I have a backup.”
His face was way too wrinkled to belong to a young guy; it was clearly the result of black magic side effects.
Angsho rummaged through his interdimensional bag and pulled out a pristine white mask. He put it on his face, rubbed, and it quickly merged into his skin.
Before long, Angsho had a smooth, youthful face once again. He tossed the old, gooey piece he was holding into his bag and slumped on the couch.
With nobody around, a sly grin spread across his face.
“A little sister who leans on her big brother. A perfect plaything to break…”
Angsho drummed his fingers on his knee and stood with a cheerful smile.
“I better have a chat with Totojen.”
He swiftly left the room and headed toward Totojen’s quarters.
Meanwhile, a gloomy vibe had settled in Totojen’s place.
“So, you’re telling me… you failed too -..”
“What the…! We haven’t even started, how can it be a failure… aghh..”
Totojen stared at Bansook, who was groaning and clutching his midsection. What happened to the feared devil among the slaves now seemed comically pathetic.
‘Aging is terrifying.’
He couldn’t help but worry if he would end up like that someday too.
“Lord Totojen, Lord Angsho is here.”
“Angsho?”
Totojen glanced at Bansook, asking if it was alright to let him in since technically it was his place, but Bansook had been the one to arrive first.
Bansook, Totojen, and Angsho were quite close, so Bansook nodded willingly. Not long after, Angsho appeared in the living room.
“Good afternoon, everyone.”
“It’s been a while.”
“Come in.”
Until this point, Totojen and Bansook had intended to set aside worries about Lian and enjoy some light chatter with their friend.
That was until Angsho brought up Lian.
“You too…?”
“Me too? What does that even mean?”
“Well, the thing is…”
As Angsho asked to borrow Lian, both Totojen and Bansook’s faces turned dark as they explained their current situation.
Of course, they left out the parts about their embarrassing failures, only conveying that they had tried a bunch of tricks but ended up clueless.
“Hmmm, if that’s the case, can I join too?”
“YOU too? But…”
“Hmmm…”
Even so, the thought of three people ganging up on a single slave felt a bit too pitiful, so they hesitated to agree right away. But no alternative came to mind.
‘Since I’m already teamed up with Bansook… teaming up with Angsho shouldn’t be a problem.’
Totojen felt no hesitation regarding Angsho’s suggestion since he had already sought help from Bansook. But Bansook felt differently.
‘How can I let him take the slave after I’m in this state? Absolutely NOT!’
In truth, Bansook’s opinion didn’t matter much. Totojen had the authority over Lian. So, the decision was reached without much fuss.
“Thanks in advance.”
“Same here.”
To drag Lian down into the depths of despair, three pieces of trash joined forces.
*
‘Why do I feel like I’m suddenly so popular?’
With a blank expression, I got into the elevator. It hadn’t even been a few days since I met that frail old man, and now there was a new guest calling for me.
‘Well, at least Iris wasn’t called, right?’
No matter where I end up injured or how much I roll around, I’d bounce back in no time, but it could have been disastrous for Iris.
‘Thinking about being called instead of her feels a bit better, I guess?’
While I was entertaining such ridiculous thoughts, the elevator arrived. I walked through the now-familiar corridor and stopped in front of a door I had never seen.
“This one should be a tad easier.”
The Rat Beastman had started giving me tips like this, acting all buddy-buddy. Everything else was fine, but his smell was oddly repulsive, like he hadn’t bathed in forever. I vaguely nodded and moved toward the door, which the Rat Beastman opened for me.
‘Who could it be today? And what are they planning?’
My encounters have never been fun. The frail-hearted zombie passed out seeing my guts, and the weak old man had to clutch his back on the way out.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve never had a pleasant meeting in here.’
Recalling my misfortunate endings, I moved inside. The corridor connected to the door I walked through felt dark and gloomy.
Curtains blocked most of the light from the windows, leaving only the flickering wall sconce to light up the hallway. Surprisingly, the candles were bright enough to clearly see the carpet’s pattern, allowing me to walk without any trouble.
“This way, please.”
“Gasp…!”
I was instinctively walking when an unfamiliar voice startled me from behind. Turning around, I spotted a maid standing there.
‘When did she even show up? Is she some kind of ninja or hitwoman?’
Having shaken off the fantasies of a combat maid, I glanced at where she was pointing, noticing a door I hadn’t seen earlier.
‘Feels like I’ve jumped straight into a fairy tale.’
A bit dazed, I approached the door. The maid stepped closer and opened it for me.
Click.
“Ah…”
As I opened the door, a mouth-watering aroma hit me like a freight train.
“Welcome.”
Beyond the door was an extravagant spread on the table, waiting for me alongside a stranger I’d never encountered before. The man seated at the top gestured for me to come in, and I swallowed my nervousness as I stepped inside.
“Make yourself comfortable wherever you wish to sit.”
At his invitation, I quickly took a seat in front of the tantalizing food. The man chuckled softly and said,
“You must be quite hungry.”
“I’m not overly hungry, but… with this delicious food right in front of me, I feel a sudden hunger creeping in!”
The man simply tilted his head at my response.
“Is that so? Then please enjoy to your heart’s content.”
“Really? I can?”
“Of course. This feast is prepared for you.”
“Thank you so much!”
‘He must be a great guy!’
I thought and began plating the mouth-watering food onto my dish, ready to dive into my meal.
*
‘Hmm, this is a different type altogether.’
Angsho watched Lian as he ate, his mind racing in thought.
‘He’s been a slave for quite a while, yet where’s this confidence come from? And who just munches on food given by a stranger? How oblivious can you get?’
Angsho’s actions couldn’t even leave a mark on Lian, which made it easy for him to be careless, but there was no way for him to understand that.
‘A foolish naivete who looks after his sister and knows manners… should be easy to break.’
In Angsho’s mind, Lian transformed into a corrupted version of himself, turning cold toward his sister before ultimately betraying and killing her.
What a vivid fantasy!
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