Memoirs of a Wicked Magician - Chapter 18

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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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Chapter 18
“Binse, you’ve had it easy for the past week, haven’t you? You eat it.”
“I, I still haven’t gotten rid of my hives, and… my body isn’t back to normal yet, so there’s a high chance of side effects if I eat this now. Then there’s no point in testing it, is there? Jed won’t like it.”
“Damn it, that excuse about hives again! Should I just flay the skin right off and get rid of them? Tch! Hey, Milena. You eat it then.”
“Why, why me? Even yesterday I tasted the food to check if it was spoiled, for you… Today it’s not fair for me to test this too.”
“Hell, so did I do nothing but loaf around every day? I go outside more often than you lot!”
The three of them bickered back and forth, but they couldn’t arrive at anything productive.
Jed, who had drifted over to watch them squabble, fanned the flames of conflict like someone stoking a burning house.
“Hey, hey, don’t fight—settle this amicably, will you? Besides, we need to pick someone to send out tomorrow too.”
Asking them to discuss things “amicably” in such a situation was almost funny.
“And are you idiots? We brought new kids all the way here—why are you fighting among yourselves instead of giving them a fair chance?”
What came next from Jed was far more malicious.
The children’s eyes met in mid-air.
“… That’s true. We should divide the roles fairly. We’ve done plenty already, so it makes sense for the new kids to taste this.”
Kam looked at Liriope, who had just joined today, and the other three children with cold eyes as she spoke.
Milena and Binse didn’t look comfortable, but neither of them objected.
“Let’s do it in order. Number 28—you came here first among these kids, so you eat it today.”
Next, Kam’s gaze fixed on Liriope.
“Why me? I don’t want to.”
“What… if you say you don’t want to, does that settle it?”
“What then? Are you going to force it into my mouth?”
At the unexpectedly harsh tone, Kam’s lips trembled.
Despite having the smallest frame, the killing intent radiating from Liriope made Kam’s skin feel like it would be shredded.
Kam, losing the momentum, instinctively glanced at Jed. But Jed merely shrugged with amusement and refused to interfere further.
“If you won’t eat it… I’ll give it to the next person in line. Your sister.”
Liriope’s pride wounded, Kam ultimately backed down.
All the children’s eyes suddenly fixed on the unconscious Kaliona.
“Don’t touch our sister.”
Liriope moved her body in front of Kaliona, blocking that blatant gaze.
“When you go east, you follow eastern law! You’ve joined our group now, so be obedient and do as you’re told!”
Perhaps thinking she couldn’t back down with everyone watching?
Or perhaps believing that at least with Liriope, she could do as she pleased?
Either way, Kam had misjudged.
As if truly determined to force her will through, Liriope seized the hand that reached toward her with vicious intent and bit down mercilessly.
“Ow!”
If Kam hadn’t yanked her hand back in shock fast enough, chunks of flesh might have come clean away. The murderous intent and force behind it were that severe.
“You… did you just bite me? Are you crazy?!”
“Next time I’ll bite your throat out.”
Liriope spit blood pooled in her mouth carelessly to the side.
“Think I can’t do it?”
She wiped her mouth with her hand, and the blood already smeared across her lips spread to her cheeks, making her look even more sinister.
Kam clutched her bleeding hand, her face flushing and purpling with rage and fear.
The atmosphere grew so tense a fight could have erupted at any moment.
“No, wait. Wait a moment! This is all because of that red fruit, right? Then there’s no need to eat it at all!”
Just then, the tallest boy among the children who had been brought in alongside Liriope cried out.
“That’s right—you can’t eat this fruit. I’m sure of it. I tried it once before and my stomach suddenly hurt like crazy, so I rolled around in agony.”
At those words, the other children exchanged glances.
“Really?”
“Thank goodness. It’s lucky someone here already knows what this fruit is.”
The relieved children tried to put the red fruit out of sight.
But Jed didn’t permit it.
“Are you sure you’re not lying because you’re afraid to eat it and want to avoid the danger?”
“What? No, that’s not it!”
“Well, we’ll just have to check ourselves.”
Jed grinned wickedly, grabbed a handful of red fruits, and forcefully shoved them into the tall boy’s mouth.
“Mmpf!”
“Chew.”
“Hnngh…!”
“Swallow. That’s right.”
The bound boy couldn’t resist in the slightest.
“According to what you said, even if you eat it, it’s just stomach pain, so you’ll be fine. Let’s see if this bastard is a liar or not.”
The boy, forced to eat the fruit in the suddenly frozen atmosphere, retched.
“Hmm? If you vomit, I’ll make you eat it back up.”
But at Jed’s cruel words, the boy couldn’t bring himself to regurgitate what he’d swallowed.
Whether this situation was terrifying only to the Slave Class children, Jed’s Group laughed and snickered from the side, eyeing them.
They already knew this area near the Outer Estate was classified as relatively safe territory, with no plants or animals dangerous enough to cause instant death.
So for them, this kind of cruelty was simply a form of entertainment.
“Hgh, ahgh, ack…!”
Lucky or unlucky, the effects of the Red Crescent Fruit manifested quickly.
“Nngh, gack! P-please… save me…! Nrrgh, hnnnngh.”
The boy who had eaten the fruit writhed in agony, then abruptly melted. Before the children who had been laughing at him could even stop their laughter, he died.
It happened a mere ten seconds after consuming the fruit.
“Huh?”
“What… what was that…? He melted, didn’t he? He melted……”
A chilling, horrified silence settled over the area.
“Hhnngh…!”
“P-Peter! No!”
A moment later, when the dead boy’s companions finally grasped what had happened, a thin, strangled sound tore from their throats instead of a proper scream.
Jed, who had been standing slack-jawed, suddenly revealed killing intent and kicked the pulpy corpse like a madman.
“You goddamned bastard! Just belly pain, was it? Have you actually eaten this before?!”
Thwack! Crunch!
“You worthless piece of shit! You disgusting son of a bitch! This is why I can’t stand liars!”
Thwack…!
“Hell, if you’re going to die anyway, at least say you’re dying before you kick the bucket!”
Whether his rage came from being deceived or from losing a useful slave so stupidly, Jed vented his fury on the dead boy for quite some time.
Only after working off his anger did a hot ball of fire appear and consume the corpse.
Jed smoothed back his disheveled hair as he caught his breath.
“Hey, but either way, if anyone ate this, one person had to die. You lot survived because of me, didn’t you? Huh? Didn’t you? Damn it, you should be grateful to me, shouldn’t you?”
“Y-yes. That’s right. We survived thanks to you, Jed. We’re really grateful. Really grateful!”
Milena bobbed her head frantically, her face showing a mix of fear and gratitude that was hard to distinguish.
The other children, accustomed to this way of appeasing Jed, responded enthusiastically.
“Throw out the rest of those fruits. We have plenty to do ahead, and there might be side effects, so don’t pick up anything unfamiliar to eat for a while.”
“Understood!”
“Damn it, I’ve been in this godforsaken place for a year and still strange plants keep showing up. What the hell.”
Jed grumbled and cursed, clearly still furious.
“Hey, Number 14! From now on, you need to increase your food production.”
Then Jed suddenly issued a command to Milena.
“What? But the harvest I can produce in a day is limited…”
“Do you want me to repeat myself? Then either you lot starve if the quantity falls short! Hey, and you three!”
Jed spoke irritably, then pointed to the three existing slaves.
“By tonight, talk it over and select one Manager.”
“A… Manager?”
“That’s right. Since you’ve all suffered so much, I’m giving exactly one of you a chance to escape the work you’re doing now. But that person will manage and oversee the rest of the children here going forward. In other words, it’s a Status Elevation.”
In that instant, flames ignited in the eyes of Milena, Kam, and Binse.

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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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