Memoirs of a Wicked Magician - Chapter 17

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 17
“But how did you know such a thing?”
“Oh, the Magic Tower sends us supply boxes periodically, and sometimes there’s something besides necessities inside. Occasionally we find notes with hints like this.”
“Have you seen one of these hints yourself?”
“No, Zed manages all the supplies, so I haven’t seen them directly.”
“Then you have no way to verify whether the information Zed gave you is true, or whether he’s hiding something else?”
“Huh? W-what?”
“Yes, I understand.”
Milena flinched at Liriope’s words, which carried the faintest hint of mockery.
“What are you talking about? Zed shares all his information honestly with us! So you don’t need to worry needlessly.”
“If you truly believe that, then I have nothing more to say.”
Milena looked even more flustered at that.
“No, wait… um, so anyway! Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“Nothing like that.”
“Come on, don’t say that. You still have so much to learn, and besides we’re comrades until death now, so I’ll tell you everything I—”
“Really? Then what does Zed call you?”
And to Milena’s persistent pestering, Liriope’s emotionless glass-like eyes slid sideways.
“The one who died just now was 27. I’m 28, and our sister was 29. What about you?”
“I’m… 14.”
“You’ve lasted quite a while. Is it standard that whenever someone dies, you determine an order within the group and give them a chance to fill their Mana Gauge?”
“Y-yes! Zed could hoard it all to himself, but he absolutely doesn’t. He shares the credit fairly with everyone. Of course, we’re going to find an exit and escape, but just in case…”
“Does he give that same opportunity equally to children like you who are called by numbers?”
“That is…”
“And I asked before. Between your name and your number, what does Zed call you?”
“Zed… calls me 14.”
Finally perceiving something, Milena’s expression clouded over.
As Milena, who had been chattering endlessly, fell silent, stillness descended on all sides.
Liriope simply turned her head away again, as if she’d known this all along.
Whether because the awkwardness had finally dawned on her, or because she could no longer deceive herself, Milena’s expression darkened.
“Wait…”
But in her past life, Milena hadn’t left an impression on Liriope’s memory for no reason.
“Actually, why do you keep asking about Zed? It’s not like you actually like him or—”
“I don’t like him. I don’t care. I think you and Zed are perfectly matched. I support you both. So cheer up.”
“What, what?! Me and Zed being suited to each other… someone like me… you’re really—”
Milena blushed beside her, twisting her hair in embarrassment.
Liriope genuinely didn’t want to engage with her any further, so she closed her eyes as if drowsy.
Dealing with people who aren’t in their right mind is never a good idea. That lesson alone imprinted itself on her heart once more.
* * *
Zed’s group certainly moved quickly.
Dragging Liriope outside again, Zed searched the area and swiftly dispatched other children he found from a rival faction.
“This is different from what we promised last time! You said you wouldn’t attack us if we gave you the allocated food each week!”
“Circumstances change, circumstances. Who asked you to stab me in the back?”
“We never—!”
From the conversation, it became clear that Zed and they had met before.
The faction Zed attacked numbered three in total, and it seemed he had been leaving them alone conditionally rather than absorbing and enslaving them.
They looked deeply wronged by Zed’s provocation.
“Hey, blondie. Your story doesn’t match. No matter how hard we looked, we didn’t find any other kids.”
Zed had spoken as if attacking them was because of Liriope, but according to her memory before the Time Regression, these children had been mixed into Zed’s slave faction.
So it was certain he would have found some pretext to attack them soon anyway. Right now, before setting out on a long journey, Zed wanted to “stock up” on as many slaves as possible.
“Let’s head back for now. Everyone gather your spoils carefully.”
Zed’s group, having achieved their initial objective, returned to their hideout.
“You’ve got guts I kind of like. Lately there haven’t been any capable new additions, so maybe soon I’ll call you by your name instead of 28.”
It was somewhat unexpected that Zed released Liriope from her restraints so early while spouting such nonsense.
“Keep doing what you do—we might even accept you as a comrade. And anyway, we have your sister too, so don’t do anything foolish.”
His repulsive smirk was sickening to look at, but regardless, gaining freedom of limb wasn’t a bad thing.
“Let us go too!”
“Why just her! And now that I think about it, what were you two talking about with Zed? Was it you who framed us in the first place?!”
If Zed’s real intention was to make Liriope the target of the new slaves’ resentment, that would be somewhat troublesome.
“It’s a misunderstanding. I just got here today—why would I deliberately frame you?”
“Then why did Zed suddenly attack us?!”
“That’s enough, everyone stop! It’s not this girl’s fault. Didn’t you see that bastard grinning?”
It was fortunate there was at least one person with reason.
“We already knew he was playing with us, squeezing and releasing us like toys. I figured a day like this would come eventually.”
The other children fell silent at the weary, exhausted voice.
As only the sound of sniffling continued, the entrance to the cave suddenly grew noisier.
“Wow! A Striped Horn Rabbit!”
“We thought the ones around here were all caught and eaten long ago. Where’d you find it? They don’t even breed well!”
“Meat at last, meat!”
The hunting party, who had set out in the opposite direction from the search group, had brought back an uncontaminated beast.
“Not bad at all. We can get a good meal before we leave.”
Zed praised them cheerfully as well.
He began roasting the rabbit, which he’d brought in after draining its blood outside, using Fire Magic especially. Soon the rich aroma of meat sizzling filled the cave.
“M-meat…”
“What a delicious smell…”
The enslaved children’s gazes flew to the golden-brown roasting rabbit as if bewitched.
As if their anguished weeping from moments before had never existed, the sound of saliva dripping could now be heard instead of tears.
“Hey, this is today’s ration!”
But disappointingly enough, they wouldn’t taste even the rabbit’s bones.
“What’s with those faces? Be grateful I’m letting you even smell the meat. I prepared this specially, so eat everything without waste or complaint. Understood?”
In bowls crudely carved from wood lay what looked like dried mushrooms and a crescent-shaped red berry. There were also what appeared to be kidney beans.
The children’s faces hardened as they confirmed the rations. It wasn’t merely a petty cruelty born of hierarchical food distribution.
“I’ve never seen this berry before.”
“Neither have I… I’ve never eaten anything like this.”
A child from Zed’s faction, distributing the food, explained with a leering grin.
“We found it during the search run earlier. Somehow a Berry Field appeared overnight that definitely wasn’t there yesterday. In a dump like this, that happens sometimes, right? Try a taste of it first and see if it’s edible.”
[Truly low-class scoundrels.]
Liriope agreed with the words that echoed in her mind.
A strange tension rose among the gathered enslaved children.
“…So who’s it going to be this time?”
Unease was evident in the children’s wary glances toward one another.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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