Chapter 4 - 04 Help

Chapter 4: Chapter 04 Help

"You are right... go check the other boy; it looks like he needs your attention," The white-haired man said while showing a serious expression. "Calm down, son. We are not your enemies. We came to free you all... but it seems that you already have a plan to escape in motion."

The girl went to check on the other boy, and Raiden stepped forward while still holding the sword with both hands. He didn't know those people, and he knew better than to trust strangers. While he only had a few days of experience in that land, he already knew that he couldn't trust many people.

Still, Raiden couldn't help but drop his guard a bit when he saw the girl treating the boy. Some green light began to leave her hands, and she was absorbed by his body after she checked his condition. That could only be magic...

"It seems that you stole the weapon of their Capitan and killed him with a strike from behind," The white-haired man said after he checked the bodies. "As for the other guy... you ambushed him and finished off by cutting his throat. You know a thing or two about killing people at your age, kid. Are you the son of a soldier or an officer? Where do you come from?"

Raiden hated the idea of being the one answering questions in that situation. Still, he wasn't the one who had the upper hand there. The white-haired guy smelled like a cut way above the guards... his strength was the real deal.

"... I don't know, I don't remember," Raiden replied.

"Hmm... could it be that you have been here for as far as you remember?" The white-haired man asked while frowning. "I find that hard to believe... slave kids don't last that long, nor would they try to free themselves after being slaves for so many years. Amnesia, perhaps? Do you have a wound in your head or something?"

Raiden couldn't say since he didn't have the chance to check it. He didn't even know what he looked like aside from looking like a walking skeleton. In any case, after not so long, some other people appeared, and Raiden confirmed that he was more outnumbered than anything. They also seemed better soldiers than the guards as well... Raiden couldn't do a single thing against them, even with a sword in hand.

"Boss, all the other kids are at the base of the mountain already," One of the men wearing similar clothes to the white-haired man said. "Most of them are in pretty bad shape; reaching our camp before nightfall will be difficult."

"I suspected as much... a lot of them are coughing as well, so we will take our time," The white-haired man said while looking at Raiden, who was trying to contain his coughing. "Just clean the place with whatever you can find and burn the bodies. Our base is the closest to this place, but no one will be able to tell who did this."

"Yes sir," The others said and then nodded.

"Here, eat slowly," The redhead girl said while passing a bowl of soup to Raiden when the food was ready. "There is plenty for everyone, so don't hold yourself back."

"... What do you all gain from doing this?" Raiden asked while receiving the bowl and then gulping when the nice smell filled his nostrils.

"I suppose it makes sense that you are doubtful of our intentions," The redhead girl said. "We don't gain much; we are just following tradition. We are from a place that was created hundreds of years ago by a runaway slave. He created a village that grew when he began to fight to free others who were in the position that he once had been in. His friends, followers, and descendants decided to follow in his footsteps since he made a promise to the goddess of freedom. As long as our village exists, we must continue doing this. We don't do this often or all the time, so it isn't troublesome at all for us to help each other when it is necessary."

That seemed too good to be true, but Raiden was more worried right now about the food. He began to eat the foot, and he felt almost as good as when he leveled up. He couldn't even remember the last time he ate something so good... since his memories were sealed.

"My name is Iri; what is your name?" The redhead girl asked.

"Raiden," Raiden replied and then resumed his meal.

"That is an unusual name. Are you from a faraway land?" Iri asked while looking at Raiden's hair.

Raiden didn't know the color of his hair, and he didn't think that everyone was different since they were all dirty, but the guards had some weird hair colors. Brown, yellow, blue, red, and white... they didn't feel unnatural, though.

"Don't know," Raiden replied after he looked around.

"Can I check your head for wounds?" Iri asked. "I am not a full-fledged healer, but I am almost there. You said that you don't remember anything... what is the oldest thing that you remember?"

"No... don't get closer," Raiden got up when the girl approached.

"All right, all right," Iri said and then moved away. "Sorry for bothering you."