I Became the Guild Leader in Exile

18 – Part 4# Children of God (4)

“If you need help, come back.”

With Isaac’s farewell, the children left the guild. However, their expressions weren’t that great. It was because the one law they had believed in up until now had been completely denied.

All adults are enemies. That was Diego’s law. Children who were abandoned by their parents from birth could easily be like that. But for the first time, they felt warmth.

In fact, Diego and the other children had prepared themselves for death and attacked the guild. They weren’t fools. They didn’t think that mere children could oppose heroes.

Of course, the main reason was that Diego couldn’t stand seeing Sasha’s clothes being burned. But anyway, since they had attacked the guild, it wasn’t strange even if they all died.

“…Can we trust that person?”

One of the children cautiously spoke up. Herse, with brown hair and freckles, was timid but had a sharp mind. Herse also had excellent insight.

In Herse’s eyes, at least Isaac’s words didn’t seem insincere. That’s why it was even more confusing. All adults in this world should be our enemies. There’s no way it could be like this.

[Go back to the gods.]

“Get lost quickly. Don’t bring bad luck.”

“Tsk, I saw something useless.”

There wasn’t a single adult who looked favorably on the Children of God. Well, how could anyone see themselves in a good light? Diego snorted and spoke up.

“Don’t trust adults! In the end, they’re all the same bastards.”

“But he seemed sincere…”

“Please. Have we forgotten all the misfortunes we’ve endured until now?”

“….”

Heirs couldn’t even say a word. The children swarmed him completely. Of course, direct murder was strictly prohibited. In other words, everything else was possible except for murder.

So, kidnapping girls like Sasha and forcing them into prostitution. Or when feeling bad after drinking, it was fine to grab them by the collar and beat them up.

After all, it wasn’t murder. Many children suffered under these ambiguous laws and eventually lost their lives. But there was no adult taking responsibility. Since no one had committed direct murder.

“Over dozens of kids died while being treated as toys. If we consider the entire Gideon, it would be much more.”

“…”

“But just because you heard a few words, will you believe me so easily? What if you get betrayed? What will you do then?”

There was no one who could dare to refute Diego, who ridiculed reality. It was hard to believe with just a few words considering how much he had seen until now. And because he had personally experienced it as well.

That’s why Diego, who directly led the children, had to be cautious and suspicious. Of course, there were things that couldn’t be helped. Like right now. Diego blinked.

What on earth happened? They were teasing their friends and heading back home. When he blinked, suddenly all of his friends, including himself, were lying on the ground, subdued.

“We came to reclaim the lost goods. You were doing quite a clever thing, huh?”

“You…!!”

A woman adorned with splendid decorations stood in front of the children, smiling. At a glance, Diego recognized her. He couldn’t not recognize her. She was the woman who kidnapped his friend Sasha.

“Sasha, you troublesome girl. Did you think you could escape my grasp?”

“Eep!!”

The madam took out a copper ring. As she smiled and touched the copper ring with her index finger, Sasha, who was at the back, let out a cry of pain. Diego shouted.

“What did you do to Sasha?!”

“Naturally, I wouldn’t tie a leash to prevent her from running away.”

“What?! A leash?!”

“Well, surprisingly, there are quite a few kids who try to escape.”

It was only natural. How many women voluntarily throw themselves into the red-light district? So, in order to prevent the goods from escaping, they personally intervene in the red-light district.

For example, like the pattern engraved on Sasha right now. It was a tracking magic that could locate her no matter where she was within a certain range. The madam smiled and stroked the subdued Sasha’s head.

“Of course, it’s also an imprinting stamp with vulgar tattoos tailored to the client’s taste. But in times like this, the performance value is quite high.”

“This trash of a woman…!!”

“Be careful with your words, trash.”

“Ugh?!”

The madam kicked Diego, who had been completely subdued by the staff, right on the chin with her foot. Thanks to that, Diego couldn’t say anything. The madam laughed and stepped on Diego’s head.

“We provide alcohol and women to heroes, offering them relief and a brighter tomorrow.”

“Ugh…”

“In comparison, what help do you all provide? Nothing but worthless trash.”

“…You all…”

The treatment as trash was familiar. This contempt, surely it meant nothing. Perhaps it was because Diego felt warmth for the first time. For some reason, Diego, who had been choked up all day, finally opened his mouth.

“What do you expect us to do about the topic you’ve casually discarded…!!”

He had learned nothing. Not even received love. Just to survive somehow, enduring all sorts of contempt and misfortune. What are we hoping for, enduring all this with clenched teeth?

“Do you not know?”

Madam sneered at Diego.

“Just die.”

In a place no one knows.

Just bite your tongue and die.

Diego couldn’t say a word. Watching Diego, who didn’t even twitch, Madam turned her head as if uninterested. The game is roughly over here. It’s time to get to work now.

“Just recover Sasha, and dispose of the rest.”

“Do we not have to handle it?”

“Hades Guild has prohibited murder. It’s troublesome to deal with, and they’re bound to find out somehow.”

No matter how well you handle the aftermath, Hades Guild will inevitably find those who violate their rules. And that’s the same for the tears of the moonlight that Hades Guild and Nox are watching.

“Still, it’s better to break a bone or two to make sure they can’t do anything troublesome.”

If you cut off an arm or a leg for no reason and end up dead, Hades Guild will intervene directly. But breaking one arm or leg bone is not enough for them to intervene.

Madam doesn’t know why the standards are like that. But if that’s the standard, they have to follow it because Hades Guild is currently the dominant guild in Gideon.

Savoring the screams of children mixed with pain, Madam took Sasha and returned to the Tears of the Moon. However, Diego, who didn’t scream until the end, staggered and stood up.

“Just a moment, Diego.”

“Step aside, Hertz.”

“What do you intend to do with that body?!”

“It’s obvious. I have to recover Sasha.”

Diego’s two arms were currently broken. Nevertheless, he was moving, forcing himself to endure the pain. In Diego’s eyes, it was not anger but a mixture of hatred that was flowing out.

“You can’t rescue her in your current state! You have to ask for help!”

“Help? Who the hell would help us here?”

“…The Shield of Steel, there…”

“Get lost.”

Diego casually dismissed Hertz’s somewhat rational argument. Diego pushed Hertz away and walked away. I was a fool to think for a moment that I could trust him.

Adults can never be trusted.

* * *

Hertz desperately shook his head. He wanted to chase after Diego with all his heart. However, if he did, everything was bound to go wrong. But how on earth should he handle this?

Perhaps if this were the original, in the end, Hertz would have chased after Diego and plunged into the tears of the moonlight. No matter how much he thought, he’d have realized there was nowhere to seek help.

However, the children couldn’t prevail against the tears of the moonlight. Eventually, apart from Diego, the rest of the children lost their lives. From then on, Diego only harbored thoughts of revenge.

And such Diego attacking Gideon for vengeance was precisely the storyline of the third volume of the original work. The protagonist, Zig, attempted to persuade this Diego somehow to survive.

Yet, Diego, who had already grown to detest Gideon, eventually fell into corruption by his own hands. The protagonist was left to conclude the story of such Diego. However, things were different now. There was a slight, improbable chance.

“It’s an absurd possibility. But, but…!!”

The astute Hertz already knew. He knew that the Hades Guild and the Night King Nox were behind the tears of the moonlight. It wasn’t merely because of his astuteness but something linked to Hertz’s past.

Anyway, there weren’t many guilds that could openly confront the tears of the moonlight, knowing that the Hades Guild and Nox backed it. Especially considering the scale of the Iron Shield, it seemed even more improbable.

But if there was even a slight chance, Hertz had no choice but to go for it. Swallowing the pain felt in his broken arm, Hertz managed to reach the guild through sheer determination.

“No, wait. Who are you…?”

“Help! My friend! My friend got caught by the tears of the moonlight!”

“Hey! Don’t just barge in like that!”

Though Dig tried to restrain Hertz, Hertz forcibly pushed him aside and shouted as he entered the guild. The cries of a child, whom nobody had properly confronted.

“Understood.”

Isaac readily responded.