Chapter 132

I started following the child. The child was innocently smiling, chewing on a piece of bread. Moreover, seeing that they even offered me some bread, it seemed they were living quite well. Compared to the bodies of children who had painfully died in the laboratory, this child had some meat on their bones and a bright complexion.

Is there really someone responsible for taking care of these children? Yes, how did those people even manage to enter the Black Round Table’s hideout? Even Werner’s comrades took quite some time to find this place…

Before I knew it, the child and I were standing in front of a massive door. Just by looking at it, the door seemed to be over 5 meters tall. I was curious how they would open such a fortress-like iron gate. The child took a deep breath and shouted loudly.

“Uncle Captain, I’m here!!!!”

Then, a deep and resonant voice came from inside.

“Amy! You said you’d be back soon, but you’re only coming now!!!”

The voice, reminiscent of Zhang Fei from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, made me shrink back for a moment. It wasn’t just the loudness of the voice, but the overwhelming presence I felt from inside that instinctively made me feel threatened.

Then, with a creaking sound, the massive iron gate opened, revealing a giant who looked to be over 2.5 meters tall. He wasn’t just tall; his muscles made him look like a fortress.

“You are…”

“I am Werner Altan, a royal sorcerer. I came here for an investigation but fell into a trap.”

“I see. Nice to meet you! I am Olrag, the leader of the Green Forest Thieves!”

The Green Forest… It was the thieves’ group founded and left by Dark Wing, Squar’s mentor. They were thieves who targeted merchants who amassed wealth through unfair means or criminal organizations that made money through drugs and human trafficking, distributing the money to the victims. They also took on the task of freeing slaves.

“The Green Forest… I’ve heard of your reputation. I never expected to meet the leader here. It’s a pleasure.”

If it’s the Green Forest, it wouldn’t be strange for them to infiltrate the Black Round Table. After all, they are among the most skilled thieves.

“Likewise, I never expected to meet Werner, one of the heroes. Hmm… It’s not good to talk standing here, so come inside.”

I followed Olrag inside. The interior felt somewhat like the inside of a pyramid, but it was surprisingly clean. Inside, there were many children who looked like they had been captured as test subjects, just like the child from earlier. There were also quite a few who seemed to be Olrag’s subordinates.

“Kids! The royal family has finally sent someone here!!! It seems the royal family isn’t just a bunch of tax-eating pigs after all!!!”

His voice was still booming. That guy really has the makings of a general. His subordinates didn’t seem ordinary either. Each one looked stronger than the Crown Prince’s guards. Of course, those subordinates were looking at me with eyes full of hostility. Well, even though they’re thieves, they’re still criminals, so it’s natural they wouldn’t like officials.

Olrag sent the girl named Amy away and started rummaging through a sack in the corner. For a moment, I thought he was pulling out a weapon, and my body automatically went into a defensive stance. But instead, he pulled out bread and handed it to me.

“You must be hungry after coming all this way. Have some.”

Well, I wasn’t that hungry since I ate the lunchbox Lorcha packed on the way. The taste… honestly, it was the worst. The meat dishes were all burnt, the sandwiches were salty, the croquettes were undercooked, and even the Heavenly Demon Old Man passed out for about 30 seconds after taking one bite of the sandwich. The scarier part was that it looked as delicious as it was ordinary.

But I couldn’t refuse his kindness. I took the bread and tried to sniff it slightly. After all, there might be poison in it. Olrag seemed to notice my action and tore off half the bread, taking a bite first.

“Don’t worry about poison. It’s not in the nature of thieves to poison bread made from the grains the people worked so hard to grow.”

I trusted his words and took a bite. It was hard and slightly burnt, but it was edible. The bread was still warm, making me wonder if they kneaded it with the hands of the sun.

“What brings the royal family here?”

“As you know, I was ordered to kill the scum of the Black Round Table who are conducting trashy experiments here.”

“Oh… But this place is hard to reach unless you fall into a trap…”

“…It’s embarrassing to say, but I stepped on that trap on the way here.”

“Hahaha! Even heroes make mistakes!”

Olrag started laughing heartily. Personally, I didn’t dislike people like this. Such hearty and kind people are rare.

“So, I have a question too… Why are you stationed in such a place?”

Even if they came here to raid the Black Round Table, it was strange that they were still taking care of the children instead of attacking them. Even if they thought the Black Round Table’s forces were too strong, they had the ability to escape long ago.

“Hahaha! Just like you! I made a ridiculous mistake!!!”

“A mistake…?”

“Well, I came here to raid the treasures the bandits had piled up, but who knew it would be such a facility… I can’t leave because I’m scared of those outside!”

“Then these children…?”

“I set up traps to save the escaping children. I’ve been saving children for nearly half a year now… But there are still many children I haven’t saved, and I feel sorry for the children who have died.”

“Half a year…”

I roughly understood the situation.

“Let’s stop with these obvious lies. You seem bad at lying too.”

I don’t know where this nonsense is coming from.

“Hahaha! My apologies. I never learned how to lie properly!”

Olrag was still laughing heartily. He smiled kindly at the children and said.

“Kids, Uncle has something to talk about with the new guy, so go out for a bit.”

The children made sad faces.

“But Uncle, it’s boring to wait outside…”

“Hahaha! It’s okay, the talk will be over soon! When it’s done, Uncle will play with you!”

“Then give me a piggyback ride!”

“I want sword fighting!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll do it all, just wait a little bit.”

Olrag said that and sent the children out, closing the thick iron door.

They’ve been here for half a year and couldn’t leave, so there’s no way they had so many sacks of food. Moreover, bread that’s six months old without a single mold? Not even Shani bread lasts that long.

“Now we can talk comfortably. And thank you for letting the children out.”

“Children are innocent. I’m not a cold-blooded person who would involve innocent children. And just in case, let me ask… Are you from the Black Round Table?”

Then, Olrag smiled bitterly instead of laughing heartily.

“Yes. I’m the security captain of the Black Round Table’s research facility.”

“I could tell you’re not a bad guy just from the children’s expressions. If you surrender now… I’ll personally persuade His Highness the Crown Prince to let you work under me…”

“Now I see, even heroes can be quite naive.”

Olrag was looking at me with eyes full of hostility, different from before. He’s definitely not an ordinary person.

“Naive…?”

“I have no reason to betray the Black Round Table.”

“Why not?”

“If a man loses a fight he staked something on, isn’t it natural to accept the result?”

I see, this guy must have lost to someone from the Black Round Table and joined them.

“Then I’ll make a proposal this time, Sir Werner.”

“What is it?”

“Join the Black Round Table.”

At those words, I felt a surge of anger. To mix with the scum who use children as test subjects and kill innocent people like that… They must have seriously misjudged me.

“What the hell are you talking about…!?”

“The Black Round Table is strong.”

“I know that!”

“You can’t destroy it from the outside. That’s why I want to use this great power for righteous purposes from within.”

“What nonsense…”

“There are moderates within the Black Round Table. Sir Werner, join the Black Round Table and lend your strength to the moderates. Together, we can surely change the Black Round Table!”

Olrag was appealing earnestly. It was certainly persuasive. Changing them from within might be easier than attacking from the outside.

But… there was a catch.

“Then let me ask. Why… didn’t you save all the children being used as test subjects and only take care of the escaping ones?”

“…It’s hard to make noticeable activities. So, I can only help in ways that don’t attract attention.”

Then, my answer was clear.

“If I have to tolerate the atrocities I saw today to bring you down from within… My answer is clear.”

I showed him a beautiful fist.

“Eat shit.”

Olrag sighed.

“Then there’s no choice. What a pity. I thought we could understand each other…”

Olrag took off his shirt and shouted loudly.

“Then I’ll kill you, make a name for myself, and rise in rank to achieve my plan! Sorry, but I’ll have to kill you here, Sir Werner!”

“Alright… Let’s fight.”

Olrag and his subordinates all prepared for battle.

“Felinoir of the Black Round Table! To prevent countless tragedies, I will take your life!”

If he’s going to come at me like that, it’s only polite to respond in kind.

“Werner Altan, royal sorcerer and one of the heroes. I cannot tolerate the atrocities committed here, so I will kill you all.”