Chapter 20
Not long after, we reached a relatively safe spot, just as they had suggested, and began to speak in hushed voices.
“So, you’re saying that they abandoned you both in the middle of the forest?”
I couldn’t help but frown at the unbelievable story from the twins.
Their party had arrived when only three Ruler positions remained. They not only pushed the weaker, younger twins into the role of Spirits but left them behind in the forest, without any protection.
“How could people like that exist…?”
“They’re truly awful.”
Lyria and Yeriel, ever kind-hearted, seemed genuinely shocked by the existence of such ruthless people.
‘Did they cut down their numbers before dividing the rewards?’
I, on the other hand, had a good idea of what might have happened.
It’s not like humanity was ever full of altruism. When it comes to survival, people are willing to become as ruthless and vile as necessary.
“They did it because they’re human, after all,” Celestine said, with a bitter smile, shaking her head slowly.
“Still, I think it’s better this way. Hiding is better than hurting others,” Sylvester murmured, lifting his head slightly.
Did they feel that living with a clear conscience was easier than facing the guilt?
Honestly, I couldn’t fully understand Yeriel’s or the twins’ way of thinking. How could they hold onto their goodwill even in a situation like this?
“So, do you have a plan moving forward? We have to survive somehow, right?”
Despite the circumstances, it was fortunate that we had found them.
<Sylvester>
[Constellation: Versatile Youngest]
“Well, I’m pretty good at running away. How about you, pretty lady? Got a plan?”
<Celestine>
[Constellation: Guide of Reincarnation]
“For now, we should keep a low profile and wait for an opportunity.”
The Versatile Youngest and the Guide of Reincarnation, huh?
Immediately, images of a swift runner with winged sandals and a loyal guardian standing before a great gate came to mind.
Having capable and promising allies is always a welcome boost.
“If you don’t have a plan, how about joining forces with us?” I offered my hand to the seated pair.
***
“We need to set up a defensive perimeter around our location.”
What we needed was time. And to gain that time, we needed a barrier.
“Lyria, can you summon the brazier? Make it as large as possible.”
“Sure, I’ll try!”
Lyria furrowed her brows, focusing as she summoned the brazier.
“There!”
The summoned brazier grew from its usual palm-sized form to about the size of a basketball.
The larger the brazier, the wider the range of its buffs. With a brazier of this size, everyone near it could receive Lyria’s “Increased Healing Effects” buff.
In other words, even serious wounds would heal just by being close to the brazier.
“Eden, find the paths where people could approach us. We need to set traps in each one.”
We needed to exploit the rules of the Forest of Spirits and its loopholes.
Spirits couldn’t attack Rulers directly, but it was possible to trap them.
“Sylvester, can you set some traps?”
I called over Sylvester and asked him.
“Focus on the bushes, especially.”
In stories, nasty things often jump out of the bushes, after all.
“For a pretty lady like you? Absolutely.”
Sylvester grinned and nodded without hesitation. Despite the constant threat of death, he still had a playful attitude.
‘He has good reason to be confident.’
His constellation was the Versatile Youngest, whose true name is Hermes.
The mythological god known for his swiftness, wit, and diverse skills.
It was probably the only constellation that was more advantageous as a Spirit than as a Ruler.
[Constellation: The Versatile Youngest is intrigued by your plan.]
With his cooperation, our chances of survival would increase significantly.
“Celestine, please use your ability to hide the traps.”
And Celestine’s constellation was just as valuable.
[Constellation: The Guide of Reincarnation is observing you thoughtfully.]
With Anubis’s bestowed stigma, “Veil of Forgetfulness,” she could completely obscure the presence of the traps.
The plan was simple: hide, then lure the enemy into traps when they approached.
It wasn’t a grand strategy, but it might catch Rulers off guard, especially those who assumed Spirits couldn’t retaliate.
In our current state, with no superior abilities, even this might be enough to increase our odds of survival.
“Oh, Yeriel. Do you still have the flowers…?”
“I have about two Healing Blooms left. They should suffice for minor injuries.”
“Perfect. Alright, let’s all get ready…”
It was a solid plan, considering how quickly it was put together.
‘As long as we keep running, we can survive.’
That complacent thought crossed my mind when—
“Well, well. Here I was, thinking I’d have to finish you off before you died struggling, but…”
A cocky voice rang out from high up in the trees.
“What a lucky find.”
The mocking laughter and the malicious intent laced in their tone sent chills down my spine.
“Seems like the useless brats caught something good.”
Damn it, how could I have forgotten about this?
The Forest of Spirits, and the map given to the team members.
It allowed team members to track each other’s locations.
“Since you did a good deed, I’ll make sure your death is painless.”
Three figures perched on the tree branches, looking down at us.
“Thanks for the gift, kid.”
It was Sylvester and Celestine’s former party members.
In this unexpected turn of events, I tried to remain calm, stepping back and forcing myself to keep a straight face.
Showing weakness to these types would only encourage them to be more persistent.
“You do know that attacking your own teammates is against the rules, right?”
I hid the children behind me, spreading my arms to shield them, staring back at our adversaries.
‘Hah.’
I was curious to see just how impressive the ones who abandoned kids with Hermes and Anubis as their constellations were.
<Carl>
[Constellation: Hell’s Orator]
<Derek>
[Constellation: Angel of Death]
<Hins>
[Constellation: Ray of the Great Plains]
‘Oh, great, all show and no substance, huh?’
Hell’s Orator is Goebbels, the infamous “Devil’s Mouthpiece” of Nazi Germany. It might sound impressive, but it’s useless for anything other than spouting words. The Angel of Death? The same—another piece of trash from Nazi Germany known for its heinous human experiments.
‘At least Ray of the Great Plains, Jebe, was a renowned general who commanded the Mongol Empire, but…’
Even then, it couldn’t hold a candle to the twins’ constellations.
It felt anticlimactic.
These guys had third-rate constellations, yet they were threatening others, intoxicated by the temporary power of being Rulers.
People like that are the type to be the first to lose their lives in this world.
The problem was, I currently had no means to stand against these lowlifes. I frowned, contemplating a way out of this situation.
Perhaps mistaking my expression for fear, the lackey of Goebbels cracked a smile and muttered softly.
“Ah, breaking the rules? Yeah, sure, it’s against the rules.”
Carl, leaping lightly from the tree, approached me slowly.
“If we kill you ourselves, that is.”
Feeling threatened, Yeriel stepped forward, shielding me. Eden, too, narrowed one eye, gathering a faint glow in his hands, ready to unleash an arrow.
I reached out and stopped Eden’s hand.
‘No.’
Eden looked at me in surprise, but I shook my head.
Spirits cannot attack Rulers. That is the absolute rule of this place. Attacking a Ruler as a Spirit triggers a penalty. Besides, we couldn’t afford to waste any mana carelessly.
The three had already descended from the tree, circling us with sinister smiles.
“I’ll spare the four of you. Of course, that’s only if you kill that kid.”
[Stigmata of Carl: ‘Instigation’ has targeted you.]
[Skill Big Data is analyzing the Stigmata ‘Instigation.’]
[Stigmata: Instigation (E) has reached 33.3% proficiency.]
As the message appeared before me, I studied it carefully and then let out a small smile.
‘Just as I thought.’
It worked as expected.
Big Data could absorb not only standard attack skills but also buffs and debuffs.
‘Good. That’s one part down.’
They probably thought this was easy, facing four kids, a frail-looking man, and a seemingly weak woman.
But the more they underestimated us, the more the situation tilted in our favor.
Moreover—
‘They’re saying they’ll spare us if we kill the kids?’
Who would believe such nonsense?
They clearly planned to eliminate us after we dirty our hands. They had likely teamed up with the intent to get rid of the twins from the start and claim the rewards for themselves.
Since attacking their own teammates directly would violate the rules, they aimed to use us to do their dirty work and then dispose of us afterward.
‘Disgusting scum.’
Still, perhaps their underhandedness could become our way out of this mess.
“Alright.”
Celestine’s eyes widened slightly at my response.
“Let’s do that.”
“Wendy!”
Yeriel called out my name, trying to stop me, but I spoke firmly.
“Yeriel and I will take care of the children.”
The more they saw us as weak and insignificant—
“Great. I was getting annoyed thinking about splitting the rewards.”
—and the more we played along as if cooperating—
“So, you’ll let us live, right?”
—the greater our chance to land a blow on these self-assured Rulers.
Yeriel stood frozen for a moment, shocked by my declaration.
‘Trust me.’
Seeing my whispered words, he hesitated for a moment before nodding, awkwardly playing along.
“Y-Yeah. Wendy and I will… take care of it.”
“Now that’s what I like to hear! I love dealing with sharp-minded folks like you.”
Carl laughed heartily, looking pleased.
[Constellation Hell’s Orator chuckles.]
“You….”
Of course, the betrayed twins could only stare at me with shocked expressions.
‘I’m so sorry.’
It killed me to see their young faces twisted in disdain.
—User laksxxx: Ha… I saw this coming.
—User skdxxx: Ugh, typical selfish character, ruining everything, stacking up that hate.
—User fhsxxx: Can’t believe they’re using such a loathsome character again. Time to drop this.
Naturally, even my constellation observers were in an uproar.
Given Wendy’s actions in the original story, it was enough to trigger some readers’ PTSD.
‘I have no other choice.’
But I couldn’t afford to turn back.
To survive, I needed to create even the slightest opening.
“Then, kill those kids right here and now.”
Carl’s violet eyes glowed menacingly.
—
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