'Who is he?!' he thought fearfully.
He had never in his life felt this feeling before - this feeling of trepidation as if he was the prey before a predator.
Not even in front of those insane murderers he had faced in his previous life.
Also, what was this instinct? Did he use to have it? Or perhaps was it one of the many abilities he developed from being the supposed 'Servant of Fate'?
Alas, there were many questions and none to answer them.
The only thing clear to him about this man was the panel hung above his head.
[Mission: Kill the target 'Boss'
Reward: 10 fate points
Time limit: One week]
Nothing else.
Now that he looked at the boss, the latter's gaze had long moved away from his face. That was nice.
The only thing he could do now was pray the boss hadn't felt anything different about him and continue on normally.
That said, the best thing he could do was perhaps the mere act of acting.
Thus, his expression immediately softened, the previous accident almost erased from his mind. He would not touch into those memories for now.
The ultimate act, after all, was genuinely being what you were acting like.
Irwiz raised his right hand, and then dipped the bread into the water. He couldn't help but look down in a tinge of boredom as he waited for the bread to soak enough.
At this moment, Rera's voice cleared the room.
"Boss, are Uncle John and Uncle Rey not joining us today?"
They were the friends of boss, they raised the orphans together with the boss, but tonight, they didn't make an appearance.
Why?
Irwiz didn't have enough experience to know the answer to this. All he knew was that those two people were a lot less kind than the boss in treating the kids.
To them, it was almost a chore.
However, that would be the case for anyone normal. Probably, there was something wrong with the boss for him to display such kindness.
"No, they are out tonight. They won't come until tomorrow" the boss replied. His voice was hoarse but it radiated with kindness.
"Come on kids, the day is ending. I will go yield today's hunt. There will be no story for today" he ended his words still with some bread in his mouth.
"Okay boss" the kids replied in unison. Irwiz's voice was perhaps the clearest of them all.
Then, the kids watched as the boss put the pile of rat carcasses inside the big wooden bucket. It was a very unhygienic act - to put death inside the container where they drank water from.
However, that was the least of Irwiz's worries right now.
He only hoped the boss got out quicker.
He just felt inside his guts that perhaps, the time limit given by the mission was nothing more than a hoax. An unintentional deception to lower his caution.
As far as he knew, whatever this monster was planning could be initiated before the week ended, or perhaps tomorrow, or perhaps even tonight!
Tonight!
He felt as if he had hit the bullseye on the problem. That gut feeling was slowly untangling itself, and he felt a heavy fog clear inside his mind.
'Tonight's the night.'
The night for the execution of Boss. The benefactor who had helped 9 children survive in this harsh world.
In whatever way, he had to find his chance.
Should it be when the boss comes back and he is fast asleep?
No, he didn't believe that his plan could work when he was asleep. He didn't believe this monster would sleep tonight.
At least, that's what his guts was telling him. The boss might just be planning to massacre them tonight, or keep them immobile.
Thus, it had to be when the boss was out.
He didn't have much in his arsenal. No dependable knives or guns... but the stone!
He always had a sharp stone in his pocket in order to cut off the tails of the rats he hunted; it was a good thing he didn't throw it away.
Although it wasn't good for stabbing as it didn't have a sharp tip, not that he believed it to not break before piercing flesh anyways, its sharpened edge was good for cutting up meat.
He had to find an excuse in order to go out after the boss though...
'Well, it could always be explained as needing a potty break.'
Just as Irwiz was in the middle of thinking up ways to sneak out and ambush the boss, a voice rang out next to him.
"Irzwa, right?"
It was the boss who had finished putting all the rats inside the wooden bucket.
His hands still dripped with blood as he asked this.
Instantly, a wave of chill spread through Irwiz's mind. Yet, he replied normally.
"Irwiz, boss"
He stared directly into the boss' eyes, a trace of admiration inside it even.
"Good kid, you'll come with me" the boss's lips curved up a bit while talking.
It looked very amicable, but it was nothing but for Irwiz.
He couldn't help but feel that he heard the call of the devil himself.