Chapter 38
Yulma froze in that instant. Because someone who shouldn't be here had appeared.
“Sister Daisy?”
“Oh my god, are you hurt anywhere? Thank goodness you're safe.”
Tears streaming down her face, Daisy pulled Ranan and Yulma into a hug. Troy was visible behind her. Just as Ranan said, Troy really came to rescue us?
And upon seeing the next person enter, Yulma gasped. Crazy, what kind of person looks like that?
Even her clothes screamed high noble lady. Yet despite her frail appearance, the aura she exuded was overwhelmingly intimidating. If all nobles were like that, it'd be kinda scary.
Since she came with them, did Daisy or Troy bring her?
“Director….”
The intrusion of these new faces snapped the Director back from the past to reality.
That her weak son's ally turned out to be Daisy. In the Director's memory, Daisy was a lucky child. Always docile and obedient. Perfect conditions for selling, but Troy kept interfering every time, so her final impression of Daisy was that: the one left after selling off the others.
No real threat, so she'd left her be, never expecting her to team up with the estranged Troy.
“Troy, you're hindering me to the very end.”
Really, why does no one understand me?
Merai had sacrificed her own body for the demon, yet no one stood by her side. Not even her son, nor the demon acting on its own whim.
And then white fabric fluttered.
The Director saw the angel standing behind Troy. Merai sighed in admiration. She trembled in awe and rapture.
The whole world bleached white. A sensation like seeing the painting in the temple. How noble, radiant, and authoritative this being was.
The angel smiled faintly. Merai took it as revelation. The angel had given a hint to resolve this situation.
Right. Her beloved son before her eyes.
Merai groped the wall. A blunt object met her hand; she gripped it carefully and hid it behind her back.
Too many obstacles now. She had to seize the moment when their eyes turned away briefly.
For example, like now.
“Ranan? Yulma?”
“Mary! I told you to keep your eyes shut!”
“I counted all the way to a hundred….”
Yulma's miscalculation was that Mary could count very well. She'd messed up several times before finally reaching a hundred, then opened her eyes.
As Mary mumbled awkwardly, Yulma yelled furiously. Mary shrank, feeling she'd done something gravely wrong.
And as everyone's attention focused on Mary, the Director didn't miss the chance and lunged at Troy. Sensing something ominous, Yulma hurriedly hugged Mary and covered her eyes.
Stab!
“M-Mom…?”
“Hah, hah. Ha, hahaha hahahaha!”
The Director laughed wide. Her face beamed with ecstasy, but tears welled and streamed down her cheeks, so no one could interpret it as a smile of joy.
No one had anticipated the Director stabbing her own son. Even she herself hadn't intended to harm him, so it was natural no one guessed it.
Troy staggered into the Director. Daisy tried to rush forward, but Yulma and Ranan grabbed her arms and held her back.
“Melek. Offer my son as sacrifice. Troy's worth that much, right? Now you'll grant my wish?”
The Director whispered to the demon while extending her bloodied hand. Melek, barely breathing after taking Ranan's blind strike, swallowed at the appetizing scent. Too long starved. Already weakened, now wounded, the hunger surged intensely.
Reason eroded bit by bit. The moment Melek moved to devour Troy, a clear voice snapped him back.
“Hungry?”
Melek nodded without knowing who asked. The Director dismissed it as a lie, but Melek truly hadn't eaten properly since becoming a demon.
“I'll handle your meals. So no need to force it now.”
The firm voice, like a command, somehow felt gentle, so Melek decided to obey.
“What are you doing? Melek!”
Melek pitied the Director's wail. Clearly, Merai was still trapped in that basement from twenty years ago. Was he the same?
The Director turned her arrows elsewhere.
“You… aren't you here to save me?”
The Director pleaded toward Evangeline. Just like when she'd appeared in the temple painting, hadn't she descended now to provide answers? Evangeline replied nonchalantly.
“I was going to, but the situation changed.”
“Am I abandoned?”
“Yes. You didn't meet the criteria. So stop now.”
Only after being rejected by the demon and the angel-like being did the Director finally give up everything. Through Merai's eyes, the basement scene unfolded.
Her son bleeding from her own blade, Daisy, Ranan, Yulma, and Mary wary of her. And the other children blocking eyes and ears, ignoring Merai.
Merai burst into tears.
It hit her skin-deep: she'd ruined everything.
Noticing the Director lose her will to fight, Ranan and Yulma snatched Troy from her and supported him. Somehow, Troy hadn't lost consciousness.
“Thanks, Ranan… Yulma.”
“Shut it. Patients should stay quiet.”
Overwhelmed by conflicting emotions, Yulma spat curses instead of thanks. Daisy checked Troy's wound amid their bickering. It was deep.
Daisy looked at Evangeline.
“Why… why didn't you save Troy?”
Whether Lady Evangeline or the demon Jelly, either could've stopped the Director easily. Then Troy wouldn't be hurt.
“It wasn't in our promise.”
Evangeline replied languidly to Daisy's reproach.
Hearing that, Daisy's head rang. Right. What Daisy had asked to save was the Director and the children.
Daisy realized she couldn't blame Evangeline. It couldn't understand human emotions, simply fulfilling Daisy's request to the best of its ability.
She'd been the one to curse and strike Troy first—Daisy had no right to blame Lady Evangeline for just watching him get stabbed.
“Why? Want to save him?”
“Yes. I want to save him.”
Was there some way? Of course, excluding raising corpses like Jelly….
“Fortunately, I have Holy Water. Just one bottle, though.”
One bottle?
“Daisy, you choose. Between Troy and that man, who gets the Holy Water?”
Evangeline, who had raised her index finger to count, pointed at Troy and Melek, whom Jelly was tending. As Daisy hesitated, Evangeline took back her words.
“Kidding.”
Evangeline lifted the corners of her mouth like in a painting.
Daisy felt nausea rise. If she hadn't heard the last part, she definitely would've chosen.
***
Daisy rushed inside frantically. Fortunately, seems she found the kids fine. Daisy pulled a boy and girl out from behind, avoiding the Director. The other kids huddled in the corner—why had those two come out dangerously?
The Director must've noticed us coming and gone into a final frenzy. Someone was already injured—mid-stabbing?
Chained by the arms with eyes covered, he seemed imprisoned for slave sale too.
“Melek?”
“You know him?”
“Yeah, sort of. But he seems kinda different?”
And Jelly knew him too. Acquaintances from human trafficking capture? Or was he beastkin too?
“Kin?”
“Huh? If you insist, yeah?”
Right—beastkin and kidnapped together. This exposes the Director's involvement in Jelly and Daisy's abduction too.
“Troy, you're hindering me to the very end.”
Thieves kick their own shins—they did the evil but paint Troy as the villain. Gaslighting? Domestic violence.
Refusing to admit fault, while we were distracted, the Director stabbed and grabbed Troy. Taking her own son hostage?
Plus, figuring Troy alone wasn't enough leverage, she tried recruiting Jelly's friend. Whispering, hard to hear. Super-hearing Jelly summarized.
“She's tempting him with food right now.”
What? Would he fall for that?
“He looks starved, though?”
He might. Starved? Director must've not fed him. Then the hungry murmurs I heard were from this Melek guy, not the kids.
Nothing sadder than food threats. Stopped him before he caved to the Director's gaslighting.
“Hungry?”
Director's so sly. Does she have food only for herself? I have some too! Bought heaps of bread for the kids. Piles waiting in the carriage.
“I'll handle your meals. So no need to force it now.”
“What are you doing? Melek!”
Good, cut the Director's gaslighting right. Melek rebelled against her, and the sparks flew at me.
“You… aren't you here to save me?”
“I was going to, but the situation changed.”
Did I bug her? How'd she know I planned to save her? Oh, spirits relay conversations. Must've overheard that way.
Daisy wouldn't have asked to save her if she knew the Director was rotten. But now the situation's different, right?
