Chapter Five Don’t Eat Me, I’m Skinny
I reacted quickly, hesitating only briefly between hiding or lying back down, before darting behind the bookshelf. I covered my chest and held my breath, waiting in the darkness for the approaching footsteps.
What should I do…
If it’s a member of the Church, if it’s that Dr. Romani or the Bird Beak Doctor, Margaret… In my current state, I’m no match for any of them. But if they find out I’m awake…
What should I do…
My heart was racing, my mind spinning rapidly.
The wooden door creaked open, faint light seeping through the cracks, followed by the sound of chains being pulled. The door groaned as it was pushed open. Outside, there seemed to be no wind. A small figure, holding a lantern, tiptoed inside.
…Hmm?
The light from the lantern instantly illuminated half of the secret room, the sudden brightness causing me discomfort. My eyes stung, and I shrank back further. Despite this, I could still make out the figure entering. It looked like…
A child?
Only one child came in…
I was stunned, my mind processing what was happening. The child holding the lantern mumbled something as they walked directly towards the bed where I had been lying. Their face was lit by the firelight, and I gradually made out their features: silver-white hair and sky-blue eyes. This was a delicate little girl.
An Easterner…
“I’m not afraid… I won’t be afraid… I’m not afraid…”
The little girl’s face was tense, muttering words under her breath as if trying to muster courage. She approached cautiously, not yet realizing the bed was empty. Her eyes were fixed on that direction, so much so that she didn’t notice me hiding behind the bookshelf as she passed by.
The girl appeared to be around eight to ten years old. Her steps were light. From her hunched posture and wary stance, she clearly wasn’t a trained warrior. Her movements were full of flaws. In a single second, I could have killed her three times over, but there was always a chance of some divine intervention…
I made a quick judgment in my mind.
She was just a little girl. Although I didn’t know why she was here, regardless, she would soon discover I was awake.
Before that happens, I need to subdue her first.
Click!
I snapped off a rotten, cracked piece of wood from an old bookshelf. At the sound, the little girl let out a gasp, freezing in place like a startled rabbit. She even tried to turn and run—next moment, I lunged from behind, clamping my hand over her mouth, while pressing the sharp end of the wooden stick against her neck.
“Don’t… talk…”
Don’t speak, don’t move, or I’ll kill you—I meant to say that, trying to lower my voice to sound more threatening. But instead, it came out as muddled, tongue-tied nonsense. I made a sound, and she did too. She kept her body rigid, unmoving.
It hurts…
My tongue twisted in my mouth. I opened my mouth again, seeing that the girl was obedient, slowly releasing the hand covering her mouth and placing my fingers on her neck. I asked, “Where… are… we…”
Damn it, how come my tongue won’t straighten? Does she understand what I’m saying?
“…”
The girl didn’t respond for a long time.
I asked again, “How… get… out…”
“…”
The girl still didn’t speak. I couldn’t tell if she didn’t understand or if she was too scared. I couldn’t see her expression from behind, but I could feel her tiny body trembling violently. I heard her short, rapid breathing, as if she might faint at any moment.
“Stay… calm… don’t… scare…”
Can’t you understand what I’m saying!
I was very agitated.
Suddenly, I felt warm liquid drop onto the hand I was using to grip her neck.
…?
No, why is she crying now?
“Hey…”
I was getting impatient.
Indeed, she was young, and seemed even younger due to her timid nature. But where were we? Here was the “clinic,” the sacred place of the Church, where they did those unspeakable things…
The place where this girl appeared was likely related to whatever nefarious activities or inhumane experiments were being conducted here.
How could she still cry after seeing such terrifying things?
The little girl tried hard to suppress her sobs, only letting out a soft “呜” before choking back her tears. She trembled more and more violently, her legs almost giving way. She was too scared to make a sound or move. I tightened my grip on her chin, using my right arm to push upward, preventing her from collapsing straight. Warm tears trickled down her chin onto my hand, making me even more agitated.
… Is this really a “clinic”?
I suddenly felt uncertain.
So I cleared my throat and asked again, “This… Ni…到底…系…哪…”
I spoke slowly, trying to enunciate clearly. At the same time, I was afraid she might suddenly cry out or do something foolish, so I pushed the sharp spike against her neck harder. The girl felt the pain, her body stiffening like a piece of wood.
She let out another “呜” and quickly bit down to endure it.
“Great… Godly body… Lady Diana… inheritor… please don’t eat me… I’m very thin, not tasty at all…”
Finally, the little girl spoke, her voice choked with sobs.
Her accent was odd, somewhat like a dialect I had never heard before, but I could understand her.
Inheritor?
What the hell…
This little girl actually knows about the godly body!
She even knows the name of the Goddess of Sin!
“There are better-tasting people in town… fat ones… really… I’ll call them for you… don’t eat me… I’ll call them for you…”
Hey…
What does this little thing think I am?
“No crying.”
I whispered sternly at her, keeping an eye on the door behind us while processing what she said. My mind flashed with a sudden realization: This is not a clinic.
This place might not even be in the West Continent!
“Who… are you…”
“Adult… sister… I’m… Betty… I’m not tasty…呜… I’m not tasty…”
Ah…
There’s no communication.
I suddenly felt tired. I loosened my grip on her chin and removed the spike from her neck, tossing it aside. I took a step back, creating some distance between us. She stumbled slightly, almost falling, but then immediately straightened up. She held her lantern tightly, standing motionless, too scared to cry or turn around.
She seemed terrified that I would eat her, completely losing any thought of escape.
This child…
I couldn’t quite describe it, but she definitely wasn’t someone from the church.
“Go through the gate.”
I ordered her. Her body trembled again, and she obediently turned around, hunching her shoulders and lowering her head, too afraid to look at me.
So I commanded again, “Look up.”
The girl lifted her head.
In the firelight, I saw a delicate face with silver hair and blue eyes, tears streaming down.
Indeed, she’s from the East Continent.
Then…
“Is this… an East Continent… town?”
“Yes…”
The girl looked at me timidly, nodding slowly.
Oh no…
I’m in the East Continent now.
I—
I looked at the clothes she was wearing. They were definitely not the style common in the West Continent. My certainty that I was in a foreign land grew stronger. As I tilted my head in thought, just as I was about to ask her something else, my stomach suddenly rumbled.
“Gurgle.”
I was slightly taken aback.
Before any embarrassment could rise, I saw the expression on the little girl’s face change to extreme fear. She shuddered suddenly. I heard a gurgling sound, and by the flickering light, I followed the sound to look down at her lower body.
Then I saw her linen pants rapidly moisten, the urine flowing down her legs, soaking into her shoes.
I opened my mouth, speechless for a moment.
…Damn.
She wet herself.
