Pepper and the old demon sat quietly for a moment in the emptiness left behind by the fairy's departure. When Pepper finally reached for the skin of water, the old demon said, "Don't drink too fast, or you'll get sick." Would you like something to eat?"

"I know. I won't. If you have food, I'd like to order something to eat. Pepper said politely.

A strange thing happened in his heart. The pain that had been suppressed for so long flowed down from him like sweat, and even though it was dark outside, he felt the sun rise again in his mind, and the long night was coming to an end.

"Will you hide and run away again?" The devil asked.

"Nope. I want to stay now," Pepper replied. "Otherwise, they wouldn't know where to look for me."

"How can I trust you?"

Pepper thought for a moment, then said in his most serious voice, "I swear in my father's name that I am the son of Androclus the Giant Slayer, the Paramonos of Dikaya."

"I accept your vow, and we don't have to worry about this anymore." The old demon said enthusiastically. After a pause, he asked, "Why is that little boy who can fly called Wolf Sca?"

?”

Pepper recalled, feeling a smile bloom on her face. "He made it up himself," he said. He said it was the scariest thing he could think of. ”

"Who the hell is he?" Some kind of ghost?"

"No, he's a fairy."

"I don't know what that means," said the old demon.

"Nobody knows, except maybe Gabi. She's my sister. He said he remembered himself as a flower, or in a flower, or something like that, so we thought he was once a nature elf. But a lot of what he said didn't make any sense. He doesn't see the world the way ordinary people do," Pepper said. It feels strange to speak after so long; He kept noticing his tongue moving in his dry mouth. He added: "But the wolf sca

is a fairy, so the fairy is like a wolf sca

Same thing. ”

The old demon nodded wisely and said, "I think that makes sense. Here, take another sip of water. We have to get your stomach ready to eat. Open it. ”

The old demon took the water skin out, and Pepper opened her mouth and tilted her head back. The water slowly flowed out drop by drop and tasted like honey.

The man felt that Pepper had had enough for the time being, and said, "I must tell you, little black tail, that I don't know what to make of you." This A

d

okles。 He's your dad? Why should you be with your master?"

Pepper briefly considered how much he should say, but he didn't feel any harm in answering such a question. Wolf sca

It has already been said, and they will soon find out anyway. “A

d

Okles is my dad. Before we were caught by the exotic archaic. I was waiting for him to come and save me, but you took me away. ”

"Ah, I see. There aren't many Skywalkers roaming the land. Their horses don't like to eat grass. ”

"Oh no, he's a stone man. From glory. Laophilea

。 They are a bit like exotic creatures, but they look different. They have darker skin, more hair, and darker hair. At least Daddy's. And, he's the strongest man ever, except maybe some heroes," Pepper replied, and some of his pride returned. "He saved us when Flower and I were dying of hunger, and then he decided to make us his sons because ...... He loved us. "Pepper wanted to say that because we were blessed by God to be as noble and strong as He was, but He couldn't allow himself to do that. He is still used to thinking like a slave, just a little.

"You call him the Giant Slayer. Why?"

"He killed a giant alone with a spear in the dark. It's Tatalor, if you know what it is. His people, uh, our people call them Cyclops. "But that's not the most terrible thing he's killed."

"Ominous. That little boy said he would come to save you? The old demon asked. Pepper sensed a hint of worry in his voice.

"He's definitely coming."

"What will he do if we try to stop him?" By the time Skywalker arrives in the spring, your trade will be worth a lot. The old demon asked.

"You can try." Pepper said, but immediately felt stupid. Dad said to be cunning, the devil can kill him at any time.

"I see," said the old demon. It picked up its thin, shiny tail and held the thick part close to its body, massaging it like a pain. "What a strange child the gods have put on our lap."

Pepper didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything. He sat back and stomped Erlang's legs, embarrassed to find a suitable position to make the iron ring on his ankle more comfortable. The old man gave him an angry look as the chains clanged, and Pepper realized that the old man must have thought he was giving him a hint. Sure enough, the old demon took a small chisel from his pocket and pointed it against the bolt that fastened the metal ring to Pepper's ankle, and struck it with a stone. The shackles snapped open and fell, and the old demon lifted Pepper's leg to see if it was hurt.

"There was almost no bruising. You'll be fine," he said.

"yes," Pepper said. He already knew. When he lost his first family, the slaves caught him for the first time, and they kept the rope tied until he bled out. That time was much more painful than this one.

"You know, I don't want to tie you down. I'm glad to release you. Come, I'll get you a bird and some bread. ”

The old demon picks up the water skin and pushes Pepper to the hole, but he doesn't need any coaxing. Pepper stood up and walked out as fast as he could. His leg shook a little, but he didn't fall. He walked outside for the first time in days, and a wave of joy came over him, and he grinned. He couldn't help it.

"Let's go to my tent," said the old demon, patting him on the back and gesturing. Pepper nodded and began to walk hard along the path, which had more snow than the path. When Pepper slips and almost falls, the old demon grabs him and insists on holding his hand to keep him steady. Pepper is shy about it, but he needs help. At least for now, until he recovers. The demon's hand touches... It's normal. Just a normal hand.

The demons lived in thick tents made of fur, shaped almost like squares, and they kept horses. However, they did not have combat vehicles, and their settlement looked more like a camp than a small village. The old demon led Pepper through the tent, roughly to the middle of the tent, lifted the curtain of a tent that looked like any other, and told him to enter.

When he walked in, a warm current welled up in his heart. The coals that burned in a round brazier shaped like a pot were slightly lifted off the ground by the small round legs, heating the entire space, casting a subtle red light on everything. A small round opening in the ceiling let the smoke out. A pile of rough cloth and fur was laid on the floor, and there were so many that Pepper couldn't tell whether the ground was ice or dirt.

Pepper sat down close to the brazier and began to warm her hands. With clothes and furs, he was warm enough in the cave so he wasn't bothered by the temperature, but now that he was really warm, he wanted to absorb as much heat as he could and store it for later.

The man took a cooked bird from a basket with a lid and placed it on a baking fork on the brazier to heat it. The smell of meat quickly filled the room, and although Pepper was still thirsty, his mouth began to drool. The old demon sat down by the brazier, opposite Pepper, who stomped his legs and lifted his feet to the right position with his hands, frowning slightly. He sighed and said, "Now, little black tail, why don't we start with your name?" You've never said that, and you didn't want to talk to me before. ”

"Chili".

"Pepper? I could have guessed. It's for you. My name is Natuak. We know each other's names, and you sit by my fire and eat my dinner. We're friends now, tell me about your father, the giant killer. ”

Pepper looked at the old demon Natuk, wondering if the man was serious. Natak just looked back at him, his wrinkled, stubble face calm and plain, waiting for Pepper to start talking. Pepper thought for a moment about how much to say and what the consequences would be. But he looked at the bird, inhaling its aroma deeply with each breath and thinking that it might be fine.

"Hmm...... He's really tall. He's the tallest person I've ever met. I can sit on your shoulder, he will still be taller. He's also strong. The muscles in his arms were as big as my head, or maybe bigger. All the competitions he participated in left him with a lot of scars. He fought in the army all his life. He has a short temper, but always keeps his word. ”

"Is he a good boxer?"

"He's the best fighter."

"Does he know our people?"

"He's ...... I don't think so. Not much. You're not at all what he told me. ”

"What did he tell you?"

"He had seen some of them in the army, and he said that they fought naked and did not need any weapons. He said they were all crazy and you couldn't stop them no matter what you did. They will only use their teeth, claws, and tails. Their tails pass directly through the armor. One of them killed Dad's best friend, and he never forgot about it. I think at first he was even afraid of little Sef. He wanted Deanna to kill him, but she wouldn't. But he must be talking about some other demon, because you're not that kind of person at all. Is there only one kind of demon? Or are there many? Pepper asked. After so many provocations, he felt strange to say so much now, but he was no longer afraid, and that's it.

"There is only one kind. An ancient, declining tribe. But I know what he's referring to. We are not happy with them. Who is Sef?"

"That's Deanna's little devil boy, she stole it from an Outlander. I think I know where she got him. There was a field with many flat stones and a fire, and one of your women asked her dad to help her move a stone, and there was a child under the stone. I think Sev is just below one of them. ”

For the first time, old Natuk's face showed strong emotion. The man staggered in his seat, grabbed the fur he was sitting on with his paws, and looked straight at Pepper. His silver eyes, which had gradually turned dull gray with age, burned with intense flames. Pepper doesn't know what people are thinking like Flower, but the demon looks angry and excited. "Where? Do you know where it is?"

"No, but...... Well, I bet Dad will find it again. Or Wolfsca

。 Dad always knew where things were. Or at least he says he likes it," Pepper said. "I'm sorry. Is that what you mean by you're going to trade? For the children under the rocks?"

Natuk leaned back and looked up at the hole in the roof. He yelled, "That's it. Someone has finally found the place where they are holding our children, and he is going to come here and kill us. ”

The old demon sighed listlessly, looking frustrated. Pepper felt a little sympathetic, but he didn't know what to say, so he tried to change the subject. "How did they get down there?"

"The pig-faced monster is looking for our children. They turned them into berserkers, using them as mercenaries. ”

"Oh," Pepper said. His mind began to spin.

"You don't know what that means, do you?"

"Oh! As the thoughts came together, Pepper shouted.

"What?"

"I know!" They left them there until they ......" Pepper's voice grew quieter and quieter because the idea had a full impact on him. He knew exactly what that would look like. Every bit of anger and hatred, like embers, burns silently under the rocks until you break deep inside...... This had already started to happen to him, so lately he could still taste its bitterness in the depths of his throat. When he realized that it was almost himself, an abyss of absolute horror opened up in his heart. That's pretty much him. He pulled his knees to his chest, wrapped his tail around them, and curled them up into a ball.

"It's scary to say, isn't it?" Old Natuk said. There was a hint of sadness in his voice that tugged at the heartstrings deeply.

For a moment, Pepper stared inward at the growing abyss of terror within him, and he flinched away. He began to shiver, as if it were cold.

"For this reason, our children have always been valuable in trade. Under the eternal sky, no one else can become a berserker - it was the blood of Kališek that kept us alive in the process.

"In ancient times, when our people became many nations and fought each other, we would take the children of the losers and make them berserk warriors. Sometimes, if we are desperately poor, we sell our children because we can always earn more. Did you know we used to live in Stone City? We lost them, and our proud country and our king were destroyed. That was in the days of my great-great-great-grandfather. Then we became a tribe of horseback like you. My grandfather knew those days. We are still killing each other, killing each other, mutilating our own children. My father lived in more than one tribe. Now we are the only ones left, less than five hundred, and only a few children are still among us. The kings of foreign kingdoms are very cunning in searching for us. I'm afraid that the ancient lineage of Kalishek will soon be lost forever. ”

Whatever question Pepper wanted slipped into the pit of fear within him, and he used all his strength to keep himself from slipping in. He could barely breathe. He imagined himself trapped under a dark rock, the summer sun and the winter storm passing overhead, though he tried not to think about it. He imagined Flower and Sef under the rocks next to him, each of them suffering in solitude. There are children like him everywhere. He hid under every rock in that land.

"The woman your dad helped is most likely little Etiah. She never came back to us. The old demon said.

"Wait, how do they get stronger when they sit under the rocks?"

"Ah, kid, that's just the first part of the process. There's more, one step at a time. But other than that, I would never say. This knowledge must disappear if we are to live. ”

The abyss of terror was still there, staring up at him from his imagination. The more he thought about it, the stronger the feeling became. Aliens steal children and turn them into monsters, and then these monsters go to war with Daddy's people and kill them. Dad's friend doesn't have to die at all. If Dad had known the truth, his anger would have razed every tree to the ground. Mom will feel the same way, she will ask him to save the rest. He probably did. After all, he was strong and could lift stones. After that, it's time for revenge. Everyone had to stay away from him. Then they had to find a place to house fifty demon children......

"Pepper, let me tell you, you look like a very sincere child. I hope you will remember us after we die. The old demon said, his voice lengthened with age and sadness.

Hearing this, a feeling of guilt crept up in Pepper's heart, and this emotion had arrived before understanding.

The old demon lowered his head slightly, the tips of his ears drooping. He looked up at Pepper, frowned worriedly, and said, "Now that you know the truth, can you stop your father when he comes?"

Pepper shifted uneasily and looked down at the brazier. "I ...... Well, I can't. When he was angry, no one could come close to him, especially the boy. I'm strong, but not that strong. He has his own special skills, and everyone around him will fall and sometimes catch fire. Only Mom can handle it. ”

Natuk stared meaningfully at the hole in the ceiling, a thin wisp of smoke gently drifting into the open air above the tent. "Maybe in the days leading up to your dad coming, you can learn a little bit about our way of life. That way you'll have something to tell your kids. ”

"Well, he'll probably stop before killing everyone, once he's normal when he sees you." He immediately realized that it wasn't right, so he quickly added, "And, um, I think it's going to take him a long time to get here." Wolf sca

Didn't say where he was. He could be far away. There may be...... Hmmm......"

The old demon just looked at him with a look that was somewhere between despair and amusement, and then handed him a piece of bread for him to chew.

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