Irwiz'a eyes constricted in place.
Why had this been triggered now? Why not before, when he met the boss before?
He didn't understand.
'Maybe certain conditions such as time, space and certain occurrences need to happen in order for it to be triggered?'
Irwiz pondered in silence. But on his face right now was joy that came from ending his streak of hunger.
And this expression had also been reflected on the faces of the others.
...
Rera was a child who got orphaned when she was 4 years old. She never remembered what happened either.
All she remembered was - her parents went out one day and they never returned.
Perhaps they left her and her grandfather; maybe they went looking for a better life; maybe they got kidnapped and had their organs sold - she didn't know what happened.
However, all she knew was that soon after they were gone, her and her grandfather had been forced out of their home. It was never much to begin with, but it still represented the start of her beginning to misery.
As her only caretaker, her grandfather did his best to raise her. Although he was old, he would still work physical labor to provide for her. During the time, he would even recite fairytales and pass on legends to her.
Unfortunately, that time didn't last. He was still old and his body oh so brittle. The physical labor snapped him just like a straw.
With no more income, even from the measly labor, they had to resort to stealing food. She would sometimes aid him, and many times even be the one stealing.
She lived that life for a few years until one day, her grandpa went out the same way. He left their cottage for a new job and never returned back - just like her parents.
She waited for him under their cottage for two days, but she never saw him.
It had been two months since that happened.
She would sometimes think about her grandfather.
She would get sad thinking about how her grandpa must've gone through a miserable fate to not even be able to see her.
Even inside her childish mind, she had imagined many times how he must have died. Some heretic bastard must have got to him.
When she is outside, she still sees his figure sometimes.
Alas, it is never him.
She would get sad again, but she knew she had to be strong for her grandfather. Since the boss had been kind enough to look after her, she didn't want to burden him.
It was hard for the boss to look after 9 kids after all.
Even so, life quality here seemed to be much better than with her grandfather. She would get water every day and was even able to get food once every three days.
This was such a precious thing.
After all, food in this place was very hard to come by.
People like them, from the slums, couldn't just always eat rodents' meat - that was the recipe for sickness. Even these tails the other kids were eating was a danger to their health.
She would always remember her grandpa's words.
Cannibalism was very forbidden too. Feasting on a fellow human represented madness that only the cults' heretics were forsaken enough to commit.
She still had nightmares from them. She would never approach those heretics nor ever get close to eating other humans.
She was just fine with the food the boss brought. As for the food that came today - it was even more awesome.
Bread! The delicacy of the nobles! It was such rare food that she had only ever tasted stone hard ones.
But this one! If you soaked it in water for a while, it was soft enough for her to pinch the bread.
Awesome!
Oh Father Trial, how did the boss get his hands on this treasure?!
...
'This bread is really tasteless' Irwiz thought.
'However, it is still way better than the trashy rat tails'
Right now, all of them were huddled around the candle at the center, each holding a palm full of bread and a wooden cup. Each of their face was filled with joy as they hurriedly filled their face with bread.
Only the boss seemed to not rush as his hands were still holding a big piece of bread and soaking it in the water.
That was Irwiz's observation.
Right now, the boss was smiling amicably, watching as the children ate their food.
As his eyes wandered around, it seemed to also clash directly into Irwiz's gaze.
Deep inside his mind, Irwiz couldn't help but shiver a bit. It was almost as if the boss seemed to be a monster hidden behind a human skin right now.
Coupled with the mission panel above him, it was really an eerie sight.
'W- what the fuck?!' Irwiz immediately turned his gaze the other way, his mind still shaken from the encounter.
Perhaps, this mission would not be so easy to complete.