Chapter 61: The Children

“Everything is ready, let’s hurry and leave.”

Michelle held Leo’s hand, moving forward while transmitting magic power to him.

Leo no longer used the Sword Heart Clarity, instead relying on the memories in his mind to guide him.

There weren’t many cultists left inside the cave, so they posed no threat to them.

However, there was another S-class strong enemy; although it was unclear why that woman let Michelle go, if she changed her mind, he wouldn’t be able to handle it in his current state and could only try to escape quickly.

Near the cave exit, a group of children blocked their way.

That’s right, children—some as young as four or five years old, and others around seven or eight.

Some were lying on the ground, some leaned against the wall, and some sat on the ground with their heads buried in their knees.

How could there be children in a cultist’s stronghold?

As soon as Leo and Michelle appeared, the children all looked at them.

“Big brother, big sister, please take us out of here, we can’t take it anymore, we want to go home.”

A group of children saw them as if they were saviors and immediately surrounded them.

“Why are you here?” Michelle asked.

The youngest girl cried, “I don’t know, we were taken by bad people and made to do many painful things. I want to go home, I miss my mom and dad.”

One of the older boys said, “Most of us are orphans, and some have parents; we were all captured by these people. We don’t know why the guards watching us have decreased, so we seized the opportunity to escape here, but we can’t get out. Can you take us with you?”

The children looked at them with hopeful eyes.

Michelle squatted down in front of the little girl, patted her head, and comforted her, “It’s okay now.”

Then she stood up and turned to Leo, “Can we take them with us? Just to a village with people.”

Leo thought for a moment; as long as they broke through this door, they would be outside. It was just a matter of taking them a little way, so it wasn’t a big deal.

“I don’t mind; anyway, I can’t exert my strength right now and can only rely on you.”

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Leo saw a boy with a dagger lunging at Michelle’s back.

He quickly stepped behind Michelle and kicked the boy away, causing him to crash into the wall. The dagger fell to the ground and was picked up and hidden by another boy.

“Wow!!”

All the children started crying together.

“Big brother is bullying us! If you don’t want to take us away, that’s fine, but why do you have to hit people?”

“What’s going on?”

Michelle turned around in confusion and saw a child coughing while propping himself up on the ground.

“Leo, you…”

Michelle was somewhat unclear about the situation.

“That guy just now tried to stab you with a dagger; I just kicked him away.”

Leo felt a headache; he was actually looked down upon by a group of children. These kids were indeed problematic. It made sense; in a cultist’s stronghold, how could there be ordinary children?

“You’re lying! You clearly attacked first.”

The group of children united in their anger, some furious, while others looked at Leo with fear.

“Big sister, I’m scared!”

The youngest girl tugged at Michelle’s sleeve, sobbing, hoping she could make a decision.

“I’m sorry, I can’t take you with me.”

Michelle’s eyes drooped, her eyelashes fluttering, revealing a hint of sadness as she stroked the little girl’s hair and spoke softly.

“Why?”

Upon hearing this, all the children stopped crying and looked at her in disbelief. Even Leo was somewhat surprised; he didn’t expect her to suddenly change her mind so decisively.

“The church has gathered a lot of information. The cultists capture nearby orphans to train them as followers of the evil god. If you were captured not long ago, we could take you out, but based on your behavior just now, I don’t know how deeply you have been brainwashed. Taking you with me would not only put me and those around me in danger but also cause various troubles for others nearby.”

“But we didn’t do anything just now.” The children still looked like victims.

“I trust Leo; he is a companion I can entrust my life to. I just met you, do you think being children can earn my sympathy and make me doubt him? Our trust is not weak enough to that extent,” Michelle said seriously.

All the children were stunned.

Leo felt a small sense of joy in his heart; this was the Michelle he knew.

“Big sister, I’m still small, I haven’t been brainwashed. Can you take me with you? I want to go back and see my mom and dad.”

The youngest girl held her hand, trembling and sobbing, her tears wetting her cheeks.

Michelle felt a twinge of heartache mixed with tenderness and shook her head, “Even I can’t tell if your expression is real or a disguise. If it’s a disguise, you’re more terrifying than the others. I won’t take that risk, so I can only ask you to stay here. It may be very painful, but there won’t be any life-threatening danger. I can only say I’m sorry; I will come back with someone to rescue you.”

Michelle felt guilty; she had given up on a child’s hope.

Although she was powerless now, once she got out, she would bring strong members of the church to eliminate the cultists here.

These young children still had a chance to be saved.

The little girl stopped crying, her weak and pitiful face turning fierce, revealing hatred and anger that didn’t match her age. Her fierce gaze seemed ready to devour someone, full of malice.

“You church people are indeed selfish and hypocritical. You even doubt a group of children; don’t you feel ashamed? If you want to save us, do it sooner. Do you know how much cruel treatment we’ve endured? Isn’t it too despicable to say this now? We can’t go back!”

The young voice spoke the most brutal words, and Michelle was momentarily stunned, her expression showing a hint of pain.

“Maybe you’re right. I don’t know your situation, but I promise I will come back with people. We have to leave now.”

This group of children had already exposed themselves; they posed no threat. They were very clear about their weapons, trying to gain sympathy and then strike when the other party was unprepared.

Now, they could only step aside.

Leo was very familiar with the expressions of these children; they were very similar to his own when he was still an orphan.

He was much colder than Michelle. These children had deliberately blocked the way and even dared to attack Michelle. If it weren’t for their young age, he wouldn’t let them off so easily.

“Let’s go.”

Leo drew his sword and, with a slight recovery of strength, swung it four times, cutting a square passage through the door.

Then, he and Michelle stepped outside, looking back at the group of children staring at them.

“If you have enough courage, then step out on your own, instead of begging for someone else’s help. Don’t make me look down on you, worthless little brats!”

The children stood inside the cave, their eyes filled with longing, but they didn’t dare to take a step forward.

Leo felt a bit disappointed; he thought there would be some resonance among these people, but it seemed that was not the case.

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