บท 20: Naivety

'What it feels like to be transmigrated in a book that you write? You will feel like you become a god that descended to your own world.'

*Slap!*

"Are you listening to me?" A young child with orange hair and almond eyes held her reddened cheeks as she glared at the woman in front of her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" The woman who was no older than forty years old step back.

"Nothing." The child said.

"Then! You better don't do anything and cause more trouble for me!" The woman said as she went out of the room. The child heard the loud tinkling of metal outside the door. The woman was probably locking her up now.

'A god? hahaha.' The child sat back at the hay which she called her bed. She glanced at her calloused hands. 'Even inside of my own book, the world is still cruel to me. Hahaha! To think I would be transmigrated into a nameless child here, it was surely fun.'

The next day, the child watched as the same woman who slapped her was already talking to a man. The man looked at the child with malice in his eyes before giving a pouch to the woman.

The child was brought inside a cage in a carriage. They brought her to a much darker place where there were more people like her there. People that have tattered clothes and fouled smell and looked sick. The man who brought her there put metal on her neck. And soon she realized that metal was the one being used to detain slaves. The girl sat at the very corner of the place as she touched the cold metal on her neck.

"Should I avenge you kid? No. Should we destroy this cruel world? This book. I hated this to the core. And now that I am here, there is only one thing that I must do. I will see to it that this world will be destroyed. I will become the god of destruction for this world."

---⚓⚓⚓---

"Iris! The Duke has escaped!" One of the slaves reported to the orange-haired man or more like a woman. Only Malaya thought that this person is a man because of her short hair and deep voice.

"It's alright," Iris said as she looked at the Octagon that had has fallen now on their hands. "Let's march now to the household of the duke and seized the entire city of Orealles. The other cities of Taleba will follow up soon." Iris looked above. The sky was already darkening but the heat of the revolution was still high.

"Will we really going to conquer the whole Taleba? What will the eight tribes do to us?" Baru said, one of her subordinates and the apeman who fought her before.

"The eight tribes will not do anything," Iris said as she stood up and walked towards the railings of one of the VIP rooms. She looked at the huge Octagon Arena below her. "Strength is what matters to them. If the duke can't handle a simple revolution like this, then to them it only meant that he is weak."

"Let's move now. We will conquer the whole city of Orealles today." Iris said as she started to walk. Baru followed after her.

'If the eight tribes unite, that would be certainly hard for me. But only one percent out of one hundred will that happened. The Leon, Pistris, Tigris, Falcon, Wolf, Drago, Anguis, and the White Fox Tribes. Those eight tribes only valued themselves. Once I seize the city tonight, I will take hold of those eight tribes and the empire will be the next one to fall.'

---⚓⚓⚓---

"Who are you?! This is the Duke's residence! Stop!"

The guards in front of the manor of the duke couldn't stop the insurgent of the slaves. They decapitated anyone who would block their way. They hungrily moved forward towards the mansion of the duke.

"For freedom!" The slaves shouted as they continued their siege. Iris walked around carrying one spear in her hands. The slaves, no, her people, opened the gate of the duke's mansion wider as she walked inside it.

She could hear the shrill cry and sounds of the people battling surrounding her. But she never cared less, her attention was only at the huge mansion in front of her.

There are two kinds of slaves in the empire. The first one is the work slaves. They are the kind of slaves that were sold off or got caught by illegal slave dealers. Second, are the criminal slaves. They were the ones that we're fighting in the Octagon. But there are chances when the work slaves became criminals too and were sent to the Octagon.

The door of the mansion opened wide. Iris entered the door and she saw the bloody bodies of the guards in the mansion. She continued to walk on her own towards the huge seat in the middle of the room.

She stopped right in front of the huge seat as she touched the cold metal on her neck.

"I have done everything you said. Now tell me. Where is that woman?" Kayden reappeared in front of Iris.

"Your stepmom is in the empire right now."

---⚓⚓⚓---

Meanwhile...

"Malaya. Where are you?" Hyun Jae looked at the stars. She was on the balcony of her room.

"Can't sleep?" Her eyes grew wide when she heard the voice, she hasn't heard for almost a week now.

"Malaya!" Hyun Jae turned around as she ran towards Malaya and gave her a hug. Then she hit her shoulders playfully. "You! Where have you been this past week? You're not even in the hut!" Hyun Jae said with a pout.

"There are some things I need to do," Malaya said as she walked to the end of the balcony.

"Can I ask two favors?" Malaya asked.

"No!" She was surprised by Hyun Jae's direct answer. Malaya turned towards Hyun Jae. She was crossing both her arms as she looked at Malaya with a scowl on her face. Malaya's smile became strained.

"You disappear for a week without telling me anything and now that we see each other again, you need something from me! Don't you know how much I'm so worried for the entire week thinking about you? Plus, Kristopher has been restless since yesterday. His father, the duke of Taleba has disappeared after chaos broke down to their fief." Hyun Jae said as she sat down on her bed and sigh wearily.

Malaya looked at Hyun Jae then walked and sat beside her. "I have been on Taleba these past few days."

Hyun Jae turned towards Malaya.

"The favor I'm going to ask is related to that." Malaya unwrapped her right hand. "Please help me cure this curse."

Hyun Jae gasped when she saw the blackened hand of Malaya.

"It came from a dark mage whom I fought at..."

Hyun Jae immediately grabbed Malaya's hands without finishing her words. Light particles started to cover it as Hyun Jae closed her eyes. Malaya felt a warm feeling as the healing started to take place.

'So this the Saintess, magic. It feels very warm.' Malaya watched as Hyun Jae cured her. The blackening of her hands started to decrease until it became normal. The light finally disappeared when Malaya's hand was now completely healed.

Hyun Jae fell right on her bed.

"Hyun Jae!" Malaya called out to her with worry but Hyun Jae just raised her thumbs. "I'm alright. I'm just exhausted with using that magic." She said as she put her arms to her eyes. "What is the second favor you wanted to ask?"

"I want to borrow the seal of the saintess."

A moment of silence filled the entire room. Only the sounds of the cricket from the outside could be heard.

"Is it for what happening to Taleba right now?" Hyun Jae asked.

"Yes."

"Will you be able to help Kristopher if I let you borrow the seal?"

Malaya didn't answer right away.

"Do you hate Kristopher, Malaya?"

"I don't particularly hate him or like him,"

"Then here's the seal." Hyun Jae reached out a golden ring from her pinky. "Since you don't particularly hate Kristopher, will you help him?"

"..."

"They are all just lonely people. From the prince, the prime minister's son, Oliver, Kristopher, and the others. And they all became my precious friends like you Malaya. If I could do something for them, I will gladly help them. Will you please help them too?"

Malaya reached the ring from Hyun Jae and grasped it in her hands. She stood up from Hyun Jae's bed. "Is this the thing I need to do to return the favor of borrowing this ring?"

"No. This is what a friend will ask another friend."

"I see. So this is what you want. Since I owe you two favors, you have my word that I will help them. But don't expect too much from me."

"Thank you, Malaya. Somehow, I know if it's you, you could keep up all your words. But I do hope, you could be genuine friends with the others too." Hyun Jae's voice started to trail off and now Malaya heard soft snores. She turned towards Hyun Jae who was now sleeping. She gently fixed the blanket to cover up Hyun Jae properly.

"Friends with everyone huh?" A smile escaped from Malaya's lips. "That's a too naive way of thinking, Hyun Jae," Malaya said as she brought out a talisman. "You should guard her more properly. She is such a very naive child. But I guess, that's what all of you have seen to her and that's what makes her special. In the society we live in being naive like her will only bring us harm." She tore the talisman and finally disappeared.

Oliver came from the shadows, his golden eyes glowed as he looked at Hyun Jae then to the place where Malaya disappeared.