Chapter 435 Moving On

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After breakfast was done, we gathered in the big camp where my parents and the other adults usually did their meetings. This time they were addressing what we would do today. In a few more days, we would had gathered all slaves, demons, and beast-kin, who were the oppressed tribes of this area, and bring them with us. It seems there are many more separated into wild tribes in the wilderness, but those that had survived enough seem to have learned ways to hide from the humans, so they might not need our aid.

My parents don't really want to get involved with literally everything, so this was most likely their limit. We had already taken almost two hundred people with us so… yeah, we can't just leisurely take even more. In fact I don't even know how we'll cross the sea at the same time with so many people with us. We'll definitely need a gigantic ship.

Nonetheless, what they were addressing today was the Cult's issues. As we were also part of the team that fought against them, even us kids were involved into these "adult conversations" as Aquarina and Zack called them.

Last week, my parents successfully removed the bombs from the bodies of the cult members they captured and managed to get to interrogate them, but even when being forced, they never spoke. So they had to use magic to take a peek into their minds. However, what they saw seemed rather… ugly. Apparently their very memories were foggy, as if black fog covered most of them, so even with that, they only managed to gather fragments of knowledge.

The people of the cult were not disposed of or anything, and when they came back to their own senses, due to their memories being disrupted, they had lost most of their memories and only remembered most things before joining the cult. Most of these people were slum dwellers that worked for criminal organizations and were former slaves. My parents decided to take them in and ended putting some Soul Chains into them so they wouldn't dare betray us. Soul Chains seem to be some sort of special bow into the soul.

However, everyone gathered together every piece of memories they got, quickly learning a few things. The Cultists were being helped by a  group of demons coming from the demon continent named Abyssal Eyes, and that there was a blue-haired leader leading them, which I quickly recognized as the same young woman I fought back then in the Dungeon Break. Aside from that, we only learned that they had a large "Demonic Core", a strange item they forged using forbidden magic and the materials extracted from demon bodies.

My parents and the rest of the adults had been using their methods to search for high concentrations of demonic energy around the city and the surroundings, trying to find their hideout, but we had yet to find any clues… And well, about the Chaotic Cocoon dwelling inside the dungeon, my father and Shade went to look at it the other day but found nothing in the dungeon. It might seem as if it had disappeared, or well… someone took it away.

Because of that, speculations about the cult having brought that concentration of miasma into the dungeon for some nefarious purpose rose within our family, and my mother fervently believed they might want to use it for something, perhaps another attack in the city. This time, perhaps, aiming at the nobles they despise so much.

However, our plans were still as usual, we were going to go visit the orphanage today as well and then probably my parents will tell the nuns about their plan of leaving this place, they'll do everything the can to persuade them, knowing full well they might try to reject their offer.

If possible, I also want Celeste and Mist to come with us, those two are already our friends as well… Ah right, we caught the guys that beat up Mist back then… To say the least, my father was not very merciful with them, Shade as well… I wasn't there to witness it but mother said it took her a bit of effort to heal the hundreds of broken bones they left on them. Yet somehow they still didn't killed them, and just made them into their underlings, forcing them to join the criminal organization they took over.

"We'll have to tell them everything we can to convince them about this." Sighed my father. "So we should be prepared to even reveal hem the truth about our identities as heroes. Perhaps that might earn more credibility too."

"I guess you're right…" Shade said. "But what if even after that they don't want to?"

"T-Then for their safety… We might force them using magic." Sighed my father.

"Eh? Is that really okay?" I said.

"Sylphy, their stubbornness will only end up killing them sooner or later. It would be better to simply use magic to convince them and then bring them with us. We can apologize to them later. And I am willing to gain their hatred if that's necessary to save their lives." My father said without hesitation.

"Yeah… I guess." My mother didn't seem to want to argue with my father about this.

"Mother are you coming too?" I wondered.

"Y-Yeah, although my belly is getting bigger, it would be better if I go with everyone so we can convince them easily. The nuns and I forged a strong bond together." Said my mother.

"Aw… Well, whatever." I sighed.

"For now we still have to be wary…" My father said. "We don't know when they can attack once more."

"I wish things would be different…" Sighed Shade. "But these people's resentment is simply too strong."

"But aren't the Abyssal Eyes the bad ones here? They probably brainwashed the people here to do what they wanted!" Zack angrily said.

"I wish it could be that simple." Ninhursag said with a gentle smile. "But it really isn't, Zack… These people only seem to have given them the tools, but the resentment and hate… and everything else… it comes from their hearts."

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