Chapter 58
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Coming Over to Our Side
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“Coming over to our side.”
The moment Esira pushed open the door and stepped forward.
An unpleasantly squelching sound accompanied the pooled blood on the floor soaking into the soles of her boots.
“...”
She didn't so much as blink.
She strode calmly over the blood-smeared floor as if it were a red carpet.
The corridors on either side were littered with corpses like discarded decorations.
Fresh piles stacked mountain-high, dead only minutes ago.
If the bodies were cleared away, the space was ornate enough to pass for a palace.
Esira's brow furrowed at the bizarre scene.
“Disgusting.”
At that moment, light footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.
A carefree gait that clashed with the gruesome surroundings.
It was Marigold.
“Oh? You made it.”
She waved cheerfully, a single droplet of blood dotting her pale cheek.
Her innocent, childlike face made even that tiny stain stand out starkly.
“Your face.”
Marigold's eyes widened round. She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand.
“Hehe.”
She flashed a bright smile, as if it were nothing.
“Guess it got on me. Cleaning here's all done. What do you think? Nice and tidy?”
The direction she pointed.
Beyond the open door came into view.
Worse than the corridor. The room was filled with sprawled bodies. Not a living soul in sight.
“Good work.”
Esira nodded, then immediately asked,
“What about underground? You sure it's around here?”
“Yeah. This is the area they desperately tried to block off. Can't you smell it?”
Marigold playfully sniffed the air, then reached out into empty space as if groping for something invisible.
Swish.
Thin golden threads rose from her ten fingertips.
Like living snakes, like sensitive antennae.
The golden threads swept over the corridor walls and floor, probing every nook and cranny.
Cracks in the ornate wallpaper, seams between floor tiles, even decorations.
They seeped persistently into any fissure they found.
As if searching for hidden spaces.
Moments later, one smooth thread gliding along the wall suddenly went taut.
“Ah.”
Marigold's eyes sparkled. She winked at me.
“Found it.”
With a flick of her finger, the golden thread yanked hard at the space behind a decorative cabinet.
Rumble.
The cabinet slid aside with a vibration.
A dark staircase leading deep underground appeared.
“Knew there'd be a rat hole.”
Marigold grinned and stepped forward first.
“Let's go in, Esira.”
“...Yeah.”
As they descended the stairs, the bloody stench from upstairs gradually shifted to another foul odor.
The smell of filth.
Rotting straw.
Damp, unpleasant body odor.
The deeper they breathed, the more it felt like grime was clinging to their lungs.
Finally, they reached the bottom.
Marigold's light steps ahead of her halted abruptly.
“...Wow.”
A disbelieving sigh escaped her lips.
“They really do it all.”
Marigold stepped aside, revealing the underground scene hidden behind her.
A world 180 degrees from the surface.
Iron bars caught the eye first.
Inside, people huddled like beasts, trapped.
Children burying their faces in parents' arms, trembling. Women staring blankly into space. Men reduced to skin and bones, slumped on the floor.
Every age and gender, crammed without room to breathe.
Clank.
At our presence, the people inside flinched. They recoiled.
Huddling together, entwined, they averted their eyes and looked down.
The instinctive terror of another torturer—or new master—appearing.
I walked up to the bars. Drew closer.
No intention of clearing up the misunderstanding.
I simply reached out and gripped the sturdy padlock.
Clang!
As black energy brushed past, the steel padlock split and fell to the floor.
The rusted door creaked open wide.
Dozens of eyes looked up at me. Brimming with fear.
“Get out.”
That was it.
“Door's open. Escape on your own.”
I turned away without regret.
Murmurs rose behind me, voices of disbelief.
I never once looked back.
I climbed the stairs straight up.
“Cool.”
As if used to it by now, Marigold chuckled and followed.
Escaping the underground dampness, they emerged aboveground. Passing the corpse-strewn corridor and exiting the building, fresh air hit them.
It felt alive. The blood smell fading from their lungs.
The refreshment was fleeting.
“...Guests have arrived.”
Presences approaching from the opposite side halted abruptly upon spotting us.
Familiar faces.
The Commander among them.
And Reina stuck to his side.
The Commander's eyes widened.
The look of realizing he was too late. His momentum to heroically smash through the door deflated.
His face mixed bewilderment and shock.
Reina, meanwhile, acted instantly.
She reflexively blocked the Commander, hand on her sword hilt. Her sharp gaze pierced me and Marigold.
“What brings the two of you here?”
Her words dripped with wariness.
Esira glanced between Reina's hand and the Commander's eyes.
Drawing a sword even in this situation.
“Do I really have to explain myself?”
Reina's brow furrowed at the indifferent retort.
“You do. Given the state inside the building...”
“Corpse central. Noisy.”
“...What?”
As Esira moved to walk past impatiently, Reina reacted.
The Commander hurriedly blocked her.
“Enough, Reina. Stand down.”
“B-but...”
“I'll handle it.”
Noting the bloodstains on my clothes, the Commander wore a mix of relief and fear.
“...Glad you're safe. We came on a missing persons search mission.”
“Lucky timing. It's already over.”
“I'd like specifics on what happened.”
Right then.
“Hold on.”
Marigold cut in with a beaming smile.
“Is that as Commander? Or as a worried dad?”
“...”
The Commander fell silent, at a loss.
No clue what the right answer was here. He chose silence.
“...Did you check for survivors inside?”
“Huh? You ignoring my question?”
Marigold tilted her head coyly. A menacing aura crept from behind her innocent face.
The Commander paused briefly.
Frowning in distress, he took a breath and spoke slowly.
“Fine.”
His gaze skimmed Marigold, landing on me standing quietly.
Unyielding eyes. Earnest.
“If I answer as a father, would that satisfy you?”
An unexpected counter.
Marigold's eyes went wide. She soon curled her lips in intrigue.
“Hmm. So you're admitting it? That you're her dad?”
Sarcastic tone.
She'd expected denial or fluster, no doubt.
True to form, the Commander was seasoned, composed.
“Blood ties aren't what matter.”
He continued steadily.
“If Esira wants it, I'd gladly take on that role.”
“...Huh?”
Marigold's expression blanked.
Blinking as if she'd misheard, the Commander nailed it down.
“It's natural for someone to need a protector. If that bears the name 'father,' there's no reason to refuse.”
“You and Asrania...”
“I've told you many times.”
The Commander cut her off firmly.
“Didn't we agree not to go there? You know better than anyone what promises we made.”
“...”
The Commander didn't waver an inch.
Instead, Marigold was speechless, lips moving on her stunned face.
His earnest straightforwardness left her without retort.
“Look at you talking. What a pain.”
Marigold grumbled.
Only then did the Commander's rigid expression soften slightly.
Back to polite, he raised the main point.
“Enough chit-chat. Any survivors inside?”
That was when.
Murmurs rose from the building entrance.
The door creaked open cautiously. Filthy figures stumbled out one by one.
The people from the underground prison.
They peeked warily at first.
Spotting the Commander's uniformed squad, they finally exhaled in relief.
“W-we're saved...!”
“Soldiers over there!”
Some burst into tears and ran forward. Others collapsed, clutching the ground. The people behind the Commander rushed to help.
Supporting the injured, draping blankets, handing water—they managed the chaos orderly.
Even in the inferno, their movements were disciplined.
The Commander turned to me.
“That answers it.”
Step, step.
He approached me.
Reina eyed him anxiously, but he raised a hand to stop her.
He stopped right in front of me. Unflinching at my blood-scented presence, he carefully spoke.
“Esira.”
I stared up at him blankly.
His eyes held excessive caution.
“Have you given any thought to my previous proposal?”
“...Proposal?”
“Coming over to our side.”