MPBAGS Chapter 51

"Ranon, it's time to eat. Wake up."

The child rubbed their eyes and got up from their spot. The room with pure white bedding extending on both sides, rather than the colorful bedding children would normally use, looked somewhat eerie.

"Did you eat while I was sleeping?"

"Yes, twice."

Mary found it odd that Ranon always asked how many meals had been eaten whenever he woke up and had a meal, but since there was no reason to hide it, she answered honestly.

"Thank you, Mary."

Ranon patted the head of the child who didn't even reach his shoulder height.

The children of Ainoa Orphanage were trapped in this shadowy basement along with the director. There were no windows so it was hard to tell, but assuming three meals a day, at least ten days had passed. If only two meals a day were provided, much more time would have passed.

"You missed two meals, so you absolutely have to eat this time. Let's hurry."

Following Mary's lead, Ranon headed to eat.

It was amusing that despite being captive, they were leisurely having their meals taken care of, but what could they do about their kind kidnappers providing meals every time? It even seemed like the meals were more abundant than when they lived at the orphanage.

While walking hand in hand with Mary, Mary suddenly stopped and tugged at his arm. Sensing she had something to say, Ranon bent down and the child whispered in his ear.

"Ranon, are we being sold?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Yulma said so. That feeding us well and washing us is because they're going to sell us. Is it true?"

What kind of thing to say to a child. Though Ranon felt displeased with Yulma, he couldn't deny what Mary had said. To Ranon's eyes too, it looked like they were being well-maintained to be sold off.

"I don't know."

"Even Ranon doesn't know something!"

That was because no matter how mature Ranon was, he was still only fourteen. The oldest child at the orphanage was sixteen, and those older than that would typically leave the orphanage and become independent like Daisy.

"And I heard footsteps from upstairs earlier."

"Footsteps?"

"Yes. The director said it was probably Troy and told us to be quiet."

"I see."

Soon they arrived at the room used as a dining hall. The sight of everyone gathered eating looked like the usual scene, but the fact that there wasn't a single laugh despite so many young children made them face reality.

"You're here, Ranon."

"...Yes."

The director pushed a meal toward Ranon. It seemed like she had set it aside beforehand to give to Ranon when he came. Well, he had missed two meals after all.

Ranon took the meal the director offered and carefully watched for her reaction before cautiously asking.

"Director, are we going to be sold now?"

"Oh, child..."

The director sighed as if looking at something pitiful, but didn't reveal the truth. Ranon couldn't bring himself to pester for the facts out of fear.

The meal time ended quickly, and the children followed the director back to the room with the bedding. Having arrived late, Ranon and Mary, who had been the slowest to eat, stood at the very back.

"Ranon!"

"Hm?"

"Shh."

Just as Mary's steps began to slow down, she led Ranon in a different direction. Ranon quietly followed Mary while keeping an eye on the person at the front.

Mary led Ranon to a narrow room. Inside the room sat a man on a chair, his entire body wrapped in iron chains and his eyes covered with a black veil.

"Mary, the director said not to pay attention to this place."

"But that man keeps not eating."

"Someone would have taken care of it."

"No. I heard him shouting 'I won't eat!'"

Mary said that's why she had brought some of her own food, rummaging through her pocket. It was bread with the child's handprints still on it. It was soggy because she had taken it from on top of the soup.

If Yulma had seen that, she would have thrown it away saying it was dirty. With bread that wouldn't be eaten even if offered, Mary walked straight toward the man.

"Mister, aren't you hungry?"

"...I'm hungry, so get lost."

Mary, seemingly unaffected by those words, stuffed the bread into the man's mouth. The man spat out the bread and dry heaved.

"It tasted like trash..."

"My bread..."

Mary picked up the bread again and put it in her pocket. What was she saving it for? Maybe as a weapon? Ranon briefly thought that if the bread hardened in that state, it would be suitable as a weapon.

Now that she had tried putting bread in his mouth once, it seemed like they could go back, but Mary settled down right next to the man.

"What's your name, mister? I'm Mary. Ranon is Ranon."

Making introductions with a man bound in chains in a gloomy basement - a child's friendliness was truly incomprehensible.

Ranon thought the man naturally wouldn't answer the question. However, after a long while, the man quietly opened his mouth.

"...Melech."

If he had gone without eating for over thirty meals, he should be hungry, yet he spat out the bread and was making introductions with someone in a similar situation - he seemed quite carefree too. But Ranon didn't want to bring up that topic and make Mary realize their situation.

Instead of stopping the two, Ranon began keeping watch. They might come to collect them, knowing they were short on headcount.

"Melech, do you know why we're here?"

"Yes, I know very well."

"Even Ranon didn't know."

Mary gave a thumbs up saying Melech was smart, then awkwardly lowered her hand, realizing that Melech's vision was blocked.

Mary stared at Melech intently. Seeing how smart he was, he must be a noble young master as Yulma had said, right? Yulma had said they tied up Melech so tightly because the person they could sell for the highest price shouldn't escape.

"Are we being sold?"

"Something like that."

"Something like that? Then was Yulma wrong?"

Melech, who had no intention of answering, gestured with his chin as if to say go away, but Mary misunderstood and thought he was telling her to come closer. When Mary approached, Melech sighed. It seemed he would have to scare her to keep her from coming near.

"That kid named Yulma has good instincts but lacks imagination."

"What!"

Mary was shocked in a very small voice at the fact that Yulma, who was the smartest and coolest at the orphanage, had something lacking.

"You're all going to be eaten by monsters. That's why they're taking good care of you and making you look nice. Good-looking pigs taste better too."

"Eaten...? P-pigs...?"

Mary imagined herself becoming a pig, being roasted instead of bacon and eaten by a monster, then rubbed both shoulders as she got goosebumps. She hadn't felt it was real when told they'd be sold, but now she was scared hearing they'd be eaten - truly childlike.

Ranon took care of the shocked Mary. Because faint footsteps could be heard from the end of the corridor.

"Mary, I hear footsteps. Let's go quickly!"

"But we're going to be eaten."

"That's nonsense."

Mary, with tears welling up, took Ranon's hand. Footsteps? Could it be that the monster Melech mentioned was coming to eat them? Walking quietly while only looking at the ground, Mary soon bumped into Ranon's back.

"Ow. Ranon, why did you stop? I bumped into you."

Mary, who had been scolding Ranon while holding her forehead, saw a huge shadow standing right in front of them and buried her head while holding her breath. What Melech said was real. Now Ranon and I are going to become bacon?

Mary, who had been trembling, was greatly relieved by the familiar voice that followed.

"Ranon, Mary. Why are you here? I've been looking for you for a while."

The person who came to get the children was the director.

When the director scolded them and extended her hand, Mary would have taken that hand if only Ranon hadn't pulled her back. Mary understood that Ranon must have been very scared thinking a monster had appeared, and patted Ranon comfortingly. Really, Ranon - it's not a monster, it's the director.

"Let's go back."

After glancing at Melech, the director pulled the children's arms and got them out of there.

'Finally, they're gone.'

Melech swallowed his saliva while listening to the children's footsteps fading away.

He was truly so hungry. He felt like he would die from hunger. When the child put her hand in his mouth, he almost bit down and chewed it.

"Children are off-limits? For a demon? Then I'll make it so you have no choice but to accept children as offerings."

They had definitely let the children loose on purpose. With such a curiosity-inducing presence so close to the children, everyone pretended not to care but still approached Melech and talked to him.

Melech's chains were only impressive in appearance but had no restraining power at all. They had blindfolded him so he wouldn't recognize them as children, and left his mouth free so he could devour them anytime. It was as if to say, eat them whenever you're hungry. Really, who was the demon here?