Chapter 18: Children of God(4)

“If you need help, come back again.”

As Isaac saw them off, the children left the guild.

However, their expressions were not very good.

This was because a single rule they had believed in until now had been completely denied.

All adults are enemies. That was the rule set by Diego.

Children abandoned by their parents at birth could understand this well.

But, for the first time, they felt a warm warmth.

In fact, the children, including Diego, had prepared themselves for death when they attacked the guild.

They were not fools.

The thought that mere children could stand against a hero never crossed their minds.

Of course, the biggest reason was that Diego couldn’t stand seeing Sasha’s clothes being burned.

Anyway, they had attacked the guild, so it wouldn’t have been strange if they all died.

“……Can we really trust that person?”

One of the children spoke up cautiously.

Hers, with brown hair and freckles, was timid but sharp-minded.

Hers also had an excellent eye for things.

From Hers’s perspective, at least Isaac’s words seemed sincere, not fake.

So, it became even more confusing.

All adults in this world must be our enemies.

There’s no way this could be true.

[Return to the God quickly.]

[Get lost. Don’t bring bad luck.]

[Tsk, I’ve seen something useless.]

Not a single adult looked kindly upon the children of the gods.

There was no way they could.

Who would take pride in their own shame?

Diego shouted angrily.

“Don’t trust adults! In the end, they’re all the same bastards.”

“But that person looked sincere…”

“Please. Have you forgotten the humiliation we’ve suffered until now?”

Hers dared not say anything.

The children were thoroughly driven out.

Of course, direct murder was strictly prohibited.

In other words, everything was possible except murder.

So, it was acceptable to kidnap a girl like Sasha and force her into prostitution.

Or when someone was drunk and feeling bad, it was no problem to grab them by the collar and beat them up.

After all, it wasn’t murder.

With such vague laws, many children suffered and ultimately lost their lives.

But there were no adults to take responsibility.

After all, no one had committed murder directly.

“Dozens of kids have died after being treated like toys.

If we consider all of Gideon, it’s much more.”

“But you want to just believe after hearing a few words?

What if you get betrayed? What will you do then?”

There was no one who could refute Diego, who pointed out reality.

After all, they had seen too much to believe in just a few words.

And they had experienced it themselves.

So Diego, who directly led the children, could only remain cautious and suspicious.

Of course, there were things that could not be helped, just like now.

Diego blinked.

What on earth was happening?

He had been comforting his friends as they were returning home.

But when he blinked, he and all his friends were suddenly lying on the ground, subdued.

“I came to retrieve the lost goods. You were doing something quite adorable, weren’t you?”

“You…!!”

A woman adorned with elaborate decorations stood before the children, smiling.

Diego recognized her at a glance.

He couldn’t not know.

She was the one who had kidnapped his friend Sasha.

“Sasha, you troublesome child. Did you really think you could escape my grasp?”

“Ugh!!”

What the madam pulled out was a copper ring.

As the madam touched the copper ring with her index finger, Sasha, who was at the back, let out a scream filled with pain.

Diego shouted.

“What the hell did you do to Sasha?!”

“Of course, I tied her up so she couldn’t escape.”

“What?! A leash?!”

“Of course.

Surprisingly, there are quite a number of kids who try to escape.”

It was only natural.

How many women would voluntarily go to a brothel?

So, to prevent the goods from escaping, brothels take direct action.

For example, like the markings now engraved on Sasha.

As long as she is within a certain range, the tracking magic allows them to know her location wherever she is.

The madam smiled and patted Sasha’s head, who was subdued.

“Of course, it’s a vulgar tattoo engraved to match the preferences of the customers.

But it really comes in handy at times like this.”

“You trashy woman…!!”

“Watch your mouth, trash.”

“Gah?!”

The madam kicked Diego’s jaw, who was completely subdued by her staff.

Thanks to that, Diego couldn’t say anything.

The madam smiled as she stomped on Diego’s head.

“We provide heroes with drinks and women to relieve their fatigue and promise them a more vigorous tomorrow.”

“In comparison, what help are you?

You’re all just worthless trash.”

“…You guys…”

Being treated like trash was nothing new.

This kind of disdain should have meant nothing at all.

Was it because he had felt warmth for the first time?

For some reason, Diego, who was greatly agitated today, finally spoke up.

“You threw us away as you pleased, so what do you want from us…?!”

They hadn’t learned anything.

They hadn’t even received love.

They had endured all sorts of scorn and humiliation just to survive.

What on earth do you expect from us, who have gritted our teeth and endured?

“Are you asking because you don’t know?”

The madam laughed at Diego and said.

“Just die.”

Somewhere no one knows.

Just bite your tongue and die.

Diego could say nothing.

Seeing Diego, who didn’t even flinch, the madam turned her head as if bored.

The game was roughly over now.

It was time to get to work.

“Retrieve Sasha and just discard the rest.”

“Isn’t it necessary to deal with them?”

“Murder is prohibited by the Hades Guild.

Cleaning up afterward is a hassle, and it’s bound to get found out.”

No matter how well they handled cleanup, the Hades Guild would always find those who broke their laws.

And the same goes for the “Tears of the Moon”, which was backed by the Hades Guild and Nox.

“Still, it’s better to break at least a bone to avoid annoying things.”

If they were to cut off an arm or a leg and someone died, then the Hades Guild would get involved directly.

However, breaking a bone or two would not provoke their involvement.

The madam didn’t even know why the standards were like that.

But since that was the standard, they had no choice but to follow it.

After all, the Hades Guild was the most powerful ruling guild in Gideon right now.

As she savored the pained screams of the children, the madam dragged Sasha back to the brothel.

However, Diego, who hadn’t screamed until the end, staggered and immediately got up.

“Wait, Diego.”

“Get out of the way, Hers.”

“What do you intend to do in that state?!”

“It’s obvious. I need to get Sasha back.”

Diego was in a state where both his arms were broken.

Despite that, he was forcing himself to move, enduring the pain.

In Diego’s eyes, it wasn’t just anger; it was a mixture of hatred that flowed out.

“There’s no way you can rescue her in your current state! We have to ask for help!”

“Help? Who would help us here?”

“From the Iron Shield, maybe…”

“Shut up.”

Diego lightly dismissed Hers’s rational argument.

He pushed Hers away and stepped forward.

I was a fool to think that there might be a moment I could believe.

I can never trust adults.

Hers desperately racked his brain.

He wanted to chase after Diego, but he knew that doing so would surely lead everyone to disaster.

But what on earth should he do?

If this were the original story, Hers would have chased after Diego and invaded the brothel.

No matter how he thought about it, he would have realized there was no one to ask for help.

But the children could never win against the “Tears of moon”, and eventually, all the children except Diego would lose their lives.

From that point on, Diego would only think of revenge.

And this was exactly the plot of Volume 3 of the original story, where Diego attacked Gideon for revenge.

The protagonist, Zeke, tried to persuade Diego to save him somehow, but…

Diego, who had already come to hate Gideon, ultimately fell into a monster.

And the protagonist would bring his end.

But now it was different.

There was a tiny chance.

‘It’s an absurd possibility.

But, but…’

The intelligent Hers already knew.

He knew that the Hades Guild and the Night King Nox were backing the brothel.

Not just because he was smart, but because it was connected to Hers’s past.

In any case, there wouldn’t be many guilds that could openly provoke the “Tears of the Moon”, backed by the Hades Guild and Nox.

Especially considering the scale of the Iron Shield, it was even less likely.

But if there was even the slightest possibility…

Hers had no choice but to cling to it.

Swallowing the pain from his broken arm, he barely managed to arrive at the guild.

“No, wait. Who are you…?”

“Please help! My friend! My friend has been captured by the “Tears of the Moon” brothel!!”

“Hey! Don’t just barge in!”

Dig tried to stop Hers, but Hers forcefully pushed Dig aside and shouted as he entered the guild.

To the cries of a child whom no one had faced properly.

“I understand.”

Isaac willingly responded.