Obsession... What's That? I Just Wish Someone Would Help Me Escape - Chapter 44
After Johann and Enrique left, I prepared myself and headed toward the western cave where Number 20 and their group were staying.
“Ugh… it’s seriously hot as hell.”
What’s wrong with this weather? Blazing hot during the day, freezing at night.
Trekking over the uneven terrain drained my energy fast.
If I were healthy, it would’ve taken me only thirty minutes, but with my lousy stamina, it took two hours.
“Is that it?”
Ahead, through the vines and branches, I spotted a cave that looked like a den of primates.
And, just like Enrique said, they really had transformed into some kind of Amazonian warriors.
Leah, Number 20, was wrapped in leopard-print skin and holding a spear. Next to her, Number 21 was wearing a necklace made of animal teeth and bones, with feather decorations on her head. I stared at them in disbelief.
Is this a chieftain? What’s with the adaptation skills?
“Number 49, what brings you here?”
Number 21 sized me up with a sidelong glance.
Behind her, I could see the rest of the tribe members from Number 20’s group. I gave them a polite smile.
“Oh, I just came to seek some help for a while.”
The chieftain—no, Number 21—smirked and strode toward me.
“Why? Did Number 1 and Number 2 ditch you or something?”
“No. The prisoners numbered up to 10 have to go hunt beasts.”
“We also have to deal with the occasional beasts that show up. You’re completely useless. You’d probably just end up putting us all in danger.”
She spoke like a chieftain refusing to accept a new tribe member. Was she acting tough because the Number 20 prisoners were watching?
I sighed and shook my head.
“I’ve noticed this for a while, but you tend to let your emotions take over without thinking ahead.”
“What?”
“What was your name again? Marie Antoinette? It was something like that.”
“Deneb! That’s not even close! How many times do I have to tell you before it sticks?”
Deneb’s face flushed as she snapped at me. I shrugged and smiled.
“Deneb. Do you remember that time some noble lady spilled wine on you?”
“Yeah.”
“And do you recall how I told you not to get angry, to just smile?”
“I remember.”
“That lady was close to the royal family of the country your family did business with. If you had lashed out and insulted her, your family’s business might have collapsed long before all this happened. But because you smiled and handled it graciously, your family’s business benefited greatly, didn’t it?”
Deneb’s face suddenly lit up with realization.
“Oh, so you’re saying there’s something to gain from helping you?”
“Of course. How do you think I’ve survived this long? I was offering you the chance to naturally build rapport with Johann and Enrique.”
It seemed I’d convinced her.
Emphasizing how I was now on a first-name basis with those two, I approached Leah, who was standing beside Deneb with an annoyed expression, and whispered quietly.
“Are you the one who stole Johann and Enrique’s underwear? I can get it for you legally, you know.”
Leah’s face turned bright red as she frowned deeply.
“What kind of person do you think I am? My admiration for them is pure, a sincere wish for their success!”
Hmm, not into the creepy stuff then. Alright, let’s pivot to merchandise.
“Then how about prisoner number tags? I found an unused prisoner uniform. I could cut it up nicely for you.”
“Uh, uh…”
“If you don’t want it, no big deal. I’ll just offer it to someone else.”
Number 20 prisoner, Leah, hastily grabbed my shoulder.
“Now, you’ve officially become one of us, a warrior of the wild.”
That wasn’t really something I wanted.
Regardless, I was now able to blend into the group of 20s prisoners.
Fortunately, with Deneb and Leah as the de facto leaders, the other Number 20 prisoners couldn’t outright oppose my inclusion.
Though they couldn’t entirely hide their displeased expressions or the whispers behind my back.
“We’re really supposed to take on that dead weight?”
“Must’ve been an order from Number 1 or Number 2.”
“What use could she be? Still, she’s lasted longer than I thought she would in that room.”
They whispered openly in front of me. Guess it wasn’t really behind my back after all.
“How long did the previous prisoners last?”
I asked bluntly, and one of the prisoners gave me a sour look.
“Three days at most.”
“Why?”
“Why do you think? They were weak, so they died.”
They were probably single-digit prisoners, and I was the weakest of them all.
Another prisoner flashed a sly grin.
“Most of them died when the rampage symptoms started showing up, I’d guess.”
“Rampage symptoms?”
Damn it, I had completely forgotten about the rampage symptoms those guys had.
