~Chapter 116~
“Why? What’s wrong?”
Dad hurried over when I froze, still staring out the window.
Of course, by then the child outside had already vanished.
“Look, the sky’s so pretty!”
I yawned as if nothing had happened, then closed the window.
The moment it shut, the sound-blocking barrier spread out.
“What happened?”
“I saw a kid. Seems even the people watching us include children.”
My expression turned serious.
“But… it was a face I knew.”
Dad knew what that meant. To see a familiar face in a place like this—what else could it imply?
“Was it that boy… Kan?”
“No, not him.”
But it was practically proof that Kan was here too.
Hearing that, Dad’s expression also grew grave. Then he spoke carefully.
“I also have something to tell you.”
I looked up. His face wasn’t the usual worried look—something more complicated.
“What is it?”
I thought I had already figured out most of the possible variables here. But—
“Do you remember the man in the mask who gave you a handkerchief before the branch leader entered?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“That man… I believe he’s a Holy Knight.”
I nodded automatically—then froze.
“Yeah, that makes—wait, WHAT?”
What did you just say?
A Holy Knight here?
I recalled the man who had given me the handkerchief. Yes, he’d been unusually big, almost as large as Dad. But still…
“You can tell someone’s a Holy Knight just by their build?”
No way. Usher, that bastard, was smaller than Dad.
“It wasn’t his size. I felt his unique aura.”
“…Why would a Holy Knight be here?”
I had never heard of such a thing.
Could it be some hidden lore?
Wait—something I didn’t know about?
My gamer heart skipped a beat.
Could this be… an easter egg? A secret backstory?!
Words that make any veteran’s heart pound. Still, I forced myself to calm down.
“I don’t know why he’s here. But one thing’s certain.”
Dad’s expression turned hard.
“He’s a strong Holy Knight.”
I stiffened too.
“But he’s not stronger than you, right, Dad?”
That made Dad’s face go blank for a moment. Then, faintly, he smiled.
“Yes. You’re right.”
Still, the question remained—
Why is there a Holy Knight in this cult village?
The next day.
“Ugh, I didn’t sleep well.”
Last night, I told Dad about Kan. That he had been with me in the labyrinth, and that he had even saved my life.
Dad already knew I was searching for a child. But now that he understood who it was, his expression had turned serious.
Now it’s certain.
When the tavern owner first mentioned the name of this village, I had half-doubted it.
Part of me had hoped maybe the tavern owner had remembered wrong, or that Kan wasn’t really here.
But no—he is here.
And that wasn’t the only problem.
“The chance that he’s been corrupted… is very high.”
And then there was the masked man—the one Dad believed was a Holy Knight.
Whether current or former, I didn’t know.
But in the game, these guys were just annoying cult warriors you fought later.
Now to learn he might have been an ally in truth… it left me unsettled.
Still, no time to dwell.
“Believers must work. Everyone must.”
The next morning, a man came to our room.
Introducing himself as the leader of Labor Group 1, he told Dad he had to work starting today.
“Your first prayer is tomorrow, right? Today, I’ll teach you the work.”
Dad had already been warned last night, so he calmly followed without surprise.
“My, what a build. What did you do outside? Ahem. Your daughter’s no exception either. But since she’s sick, she’ll be sent to work with similar children, so don’t worry.”
As Dad followed the man out, he glanced at me.
“Do we really have to be separated?”
“Yeah. There’s no helping it.”
I had already reassured him last night.
“If anything happens, I’ll summon you right away.”
I promised him over and over, but it didn’t help.
Even as he left, he kept glancing back with that worried expression.
Before long, a girl around sixteen appeared in my room.
“So you’re the new believer?”
Wearing somewhat shabby clothes, she looked me over from head to toe with clear disdain.
“I’m Alisha. Leader of Group 3 for the children. You’re Nemesia, right? Follow me. Sick kids like you have their own work.”
Unlike the kind adults, she was sharp-tongued and arrogant.
I trailed behind her until we reached a large warehouse.
“This is one of the storerooms where laundry is folded after washing. Go inside. You’ll find plenty of useless brats like you.”
She shoved me inside with a loud smack. Ouch…
Thank goodness Dad didn’t see that.
I went in without protest.
Inside, as she said, were other kids—five of them.
One boy with hands on his hips barked out:
“Hey, what are you doing? You’re the new one, right? Hurry up!”
Thankfully, he wasn’t as nasty as Alisha.
A very skinny boy, maybe two years older than me.
“See those clothes on the floor? Fold them all. That’s our job.”
“Okay.”
“The weak, the sick, the useless—like us. God gave us this work too. So be grateful and do it.”
…Yeah, no thanks.
I muttered only in my head and sat down.
The kids were paired in twos, spaced apart.
“You, go over there.”
Naturally, I was sent to the spot where one kid sat alone.
And then—
“……!”
The moment I sat down and glanced to my side, I froze.
It was the boy I had seen under the window last night—folding laundry with a lifeless expression.
He felt my stare and turned his head.
“Gasp…!”
A fresh bruise, dark blue, now marked his cheek—something that hadn’t been there last night.
As if guessing what I might say, he quickly raised a finger to his lips. A warning to stay quiet.
So he knew I saw him last night too.
I thought he hadn’t noticed when he fled, but he had.
A quick glance around showed the other kids working diligently.
They weren’t just working—they were fanatical, folding clothes as if it were sacred duty.
They said these were all sick kids.
No wonder—they all looked thin, pale, unhealthy.
To force even children like this to labor… damn cultists.
It left a bitter taste.
I gave the boy a small nod, showing I understood.
Strangely—
He doesn’t seem to recognize me.
Well, in the labyrinth we were all panicked, and we hadn’t spent much time together.
Back then, I was also filthy and ragged. It would be strange if he did recognize me.
Since I didn’t speak, he seemed relieved and lowered his finger.
I kept my eyes on him, then quietly let my holy power flow.
A soundproof barrier spread around us.
“Just one question.”
I hesitated on how to start, but decided—
“Where is Kan?”
Better to be direct here.
“……! H-how do you know Kan?”
The boy dropped the laundry and jumped up.
As expected.
His surprised face, his eyes clouding with emotion—proof enough.
Kan must have treated this boy kindly. He would know where Kan was.
The boy hurriedly sat back down and pressed his finger to his lips again.
They can’t hear us anyway…
“Let’s talk outside, outside…!”
“It’s fine. They can’t hear us here.”
But the boy shook his head hard. Up close, he had a cute face.
Nearly in tears, he whispered:
“It’s not the sound…! We—we’re being watched by monsters!”
“What? What do you—”
And then it happened.
KRRRREEEEEHHH—!
Whoosh! Something whipped past me.
No—by the time I realized, it was too late.
Drip… drip…
“Blood?”
Warm liquid trickled down my cheek.
My face had been grazed.
