Chapter 153: The Freshness of Blood

Riley stared at the children like they had just said the craziest thing in the universe.

Of all the possible things they could have come up with, how did they even connect that?

Well, apparently, it was because they had been told, over and over, that there was nothing more important than children.

So if the rescuer had something so important he could not possibly ignore it, then it had to be because of a child.

Riley blinked, unsure where that logic even came from. But then one of the children, eyes shining with tears, whispered that his parents had fought and even died in a war for him. And in that moment, Riley understood why they had been taught such things.

The human aide glanced at their teacher. Miss Risa’s expression was pleading, begging him to understand.

Another child chimed in, face earnest, explaining that children were so important that when parents could not care for them properly, they would be taken away so others could dote on them. It was, in their minds, a justification of how abandoned children were really just kids being taken so they could be cared for properly.

Riley exhaled slowly. This was the kind of battle he didn’t want to win. But he still wanted to set at least one thing straight.

Or as straight as he—it could be.

“Uh kids… You realize I’m a male, right?” he asked, his voice cracking with disbelief.

The children blinked up at him innocently, as if he had just stated the color of the sky. Then one little elf piped up, chin raised indignantly, “But Miss Risa and the others said that’s not a problem!”

The child’s dream-shattered eyes somehow still managed to burn with righteousness. The other children immediately rallied behind him, nodding with fierce determination.

Riley wanted to cry.

Miss Risa coughed delicately, looking mortified. “Ah, well, children, while it’s true that some species can do that, like lizards… I am not sure human males could get pregnant without magic.”

Her attempt at reason barely dented their faith. The children remained adamant, puffed cheeks and crossed arms making them look like an army of tiny prosecutors.

Riley was about to launch into another protest when he felt a vibration in his pocket. His heart skipped. The feedback from the battery-powered motion sensor.

Ah, it actually worked!

It was the device he had shoved into the cracks of the cobblestones earlier, a desperate gamble. He wasn’t even sure it would work here, but he had clung to the hope that because it was human-made, it wouldn’t be noticed in the dark.

He straightened, his expression hardening. He didn’t dare say a word, only made a sharp hand gesture.

Everyone moved instantly, as if on cue.

The children froze, then scrambled to obey.

Those who had been partially healed earlier huddled together, clutching each other and forcing themselves to look terrified. Miss Risa tugged the loose chain back over her wrist and pressed herself against the wall, pretending she had never been freed.

The room filled with sobs and teary eyes, the sound of fear perfected from experience.

And just as Riley predicted, after a stretch of tense silence, the blobs of darkness oozed back into the corridor.

His stomach dropped.

After seeing one without the cloaking distortion of magic, it was clear they weren’t your usual beings, but at the same time, he thought neither look was exactly appealing.

Their shapes shifted, their edges blurred. It was like watching shadows detach from the walls only to come to life.

The children had warned him there were several of them, but it had been impossible to tell how many. Some never spoke, just lurked, which made it difficult to identify if they were the same or another being.

Allegedly, they usually came alone or with one companion.

And right now?

There were two.

Riley’s lips moved soundlessly, his thoughts caught between prayer and profanity.

Fuck.

The air shifted before the sound came.

Two beings shrouded in darkness slipped into the corridor. Their steps echoed in a way that was wrong, like boots on stone that rang slightly hollow, as if the floor itself disliked carrying their weight. Then again, how could anything sound right when they couldn’t even see feet?

Riley pressed himself tighter against the shadows, willing his heartbeat to slow. He needed to think, to listen. The children had sworn the kidnappers never counted heads, never checked carefully.

In fact, they had learned about this because in one of the cells where someone had apparently died, nothing was done until the stench reached unbearable levels that even the kidnappers couldn’t endure.

So far, the kids had been right. Riley prayed they still were.

“Where is that bastard?” one hissed, the sound like rocks scraping together.

“Late again,” the other growled, shorter and thicker in build, his voice rumbling with irritation.

But then suddenly, their conversation slipped into Draskil, and Riley’s ears twitched.

Wonderful. He understood every word. Times like this, he regretted being the polyglot eavesdropper because now his bones felt like rattling.

“Does he have a death wish? Or has he forgotten what happened to the other branch? If it were just him who would be punished, I couldn’t care less, but—”

“But nothing. Just hit him later once he’s back. For now, we just have to survive, unlike the others. Just until the ritual is over, and we could gut that idiot.”

The taller figure snarled, “Why are we even wasting time? Why not drain them all now so they could finish the ritual? They will all be drained eventually anyway.”

The shorter one gave a low, mocking laugh. “You idiot. It has to be fresh. Fresh! If they drain them all in one go, half the blood would sit here and rot before it is consumed. Did you seriously not listen to their words?”

“Tsk, I did, of course,” the taller spat. “But you say that as if anyone would actually believe that’s all they care about?”

“Why even ask when you already know the answer? If you want to blame someone, blame that other branch that failed to deliver the key ingredient. If not for them, everything would have been on schedule.”

He continued grimly, “But because of their stupidity, everything has been delayed. If they drained everyone now and rushed the ritual without that special blood, it would just fail. So isn’t it obvious why they suddenly slowed the draining?

The taller shadow sneered. “Ahh, those bastards. They actually lost a child. One whose abilities were even locked away! How do you even lose something so weak?”

Riley’s lungs seized.

His muscles almost betrayed him, almost bolting up after hearing something eerily familiar. But he froze, forcing himself to breathe through his nose as the two figures dragged their claws against the cell bars.

“Now we have to deal with an adult dragon because of their incompetence,” the shorter one muttered, irritation thick in his tone.

Riley’s fingers twitched. Adult dragon.

Are they actually talking about that adult dragon?

The same dragon—who unbeknownst to the human aide—was crackling the skulls of the figures of darkness he had unceremoniously passed by.

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