“The more we tried to get out of this terrible hell, the more it would be for Lord Winder, who would fall to hell on our behalf.”
I turned to Cain, perplexed by the man’s remarks. I could see him waiting for the man’s comments with his face that seemed to be indicating something.
“When we tried to report the state of the village to the Emperor and were caught, he made Lord Winder crippled and took his sight away the day we tried to show Lord Winder the true nature of Jo Malone.”
“….”
“He thinks his condition is due to old age, though we know…”
“….”
“Jo Malone, that damn bastard is holding Lord Winder hostage to intimidate us.”
Uttering so, the man’s eyes were intermingled with anger and disgust.
My eyes widened as I remembered Lord Winder, who was unable to even move and had to live only in bed.
Subsequently, a sobbing cry was heard from inside the iron cages where the shapeshifters were trapped.
“At first, we waited… It was because if the Emperor knew about this, he would help us.”
“….”
“Still, even after waiting for over half a year, it seemed to make sense… As shapeshifters, we may not be the people of the empire he has to take care of.”
There was bitterness and despair lingered in the man’s voice. As I glanced back at the man expressing his despair, I unexpectedly remembered Lord Winder’s answer to Cain’s words.
〈 “What do you do when the Baron isn’t here?” 〉
〈 “When the Baron leaves, he leaves a few servants behind to take care of this old man.” 〉
I thought something was strange.
After all, the only person in the mansion was Lord Winder. Besides, he was a frail old man who could not even move by himself. There were too many servants to keep an eye on him alone, and even the guards guarding his room…
It was because all of the servants who said they would help him were to stop the shapeshifters from approaching Lord Winder, and it was Jo Malone’s ploy to prevent the situation from spreading outside.
I shut my eyes tightly at the truth I suddenly realized. Momentarily, the voice of a man full of anger rang in my ears.
“So, this situation is what we brought on ourselves.”
“Why is that…!”
“It’s not that we didn’t want to get out of this situation!”
“….”
“However, the more we struggle, the more Lord Winder will be punished… That’s why we gave up struggling.”
