Holly, who had been gnawing on a wooden stick for a while, gradually began to feel a bit drowsy.
But before she could bid farewell to these little Ratman children and return to her room to rest for a while… several panicked figures came running from the side.
“Palin! This… this is bad!”
Those were also small Ratmen.
In Holly’s eyes, they were all dusty and gray, making it impossible to tell them apart.
However, she recognized the name they shouted: “Palin.”
The wooden stick she was using to grind her teeth had been given to her by him.
He was a somewhat slender little Ratman, likely male… his snout was shorter than that of the average Ratman, and his teeth were a bit more even than the others.
The little Ratman who arrived whispered a few words into Palin’s ear.
This little Ratman, who had been comfortably grinding his teeth just a moment ago, immediately acted as if his tail had been stepped on.
“W-what did you say? Xue’er… No! I have to go see!”
Palin was clearly the leader among these children.
As soon as he stood up, the other little Ratmen followed suit!
“Hey! Where are you all going?!” Holly watched as everyone stood up, feeling a bit dazed as she followed their lead.
“It’s none of your business!”
Children clearly lacked the hospitality of adults.
After tossing out that casual remark, Palin led the other little Ratmen away, sprinting toward the other side of the village in a flash.
“Hey!” Holly frowned slightly.
Looking at the backs of the little guys and the other Ratman villagers who were busy with post-sacrifice matters and had no time for these children, she scratched her head and decided to follow them anyway!
Although these little ones ran much faster than ordinary human children, the Miss Holy Sword Bearer, who had undergone more than a month of brutal training, had quite a bit of experience when it came to running.
Catching up to the group in just a few steps, Holly ran alongside Palin. “What exactly happened?”
“Eh?” Palin was slightly stunned, looking at the human beside him who had easily caught up with them.
In his view, humans were actually quite hideous.
They only had hair on their heads while the rest of their bodies were bare, which wasn’t pleasing at all.
Their front teeth were also so small; he wondered how such ugly creatures managed to find mates.
But… the adults in the village had told him since he was young to treat humans kindly.
Furthermore, Palin’s impression of this human named Holly was fairly good.
He and his friends had taken her for walks earlier.
She… wasn’t exactly an outsider anymore, right?
“I have a… friend who is trapped in the caves above… I have to go save her!”
When Palin mentioned the word “friend,” his voice clearly faltered.
The young boy’s feelings were plain as day.
However… Holly was clearly not a character who could read the atmosphere.
“That’s a big deal! Why don’t you get some of the other adults from your village…”
Palin strictly refused!
Although the adults turned a blind eye to the little Ratmen sneaking out, if this matter were brought into the open, Xue’er would definitely be scolded.
What if she got angry and ignored him?
Moreover… he also wanted to show off in front of the female he liked! This time… was a great opportunity!
The little Ratmen led the Miss Holy Sword Bearer at a light jog into a side cave.
They walked diagonally upward for about 100 meters before finally reaching their destination.
At the corner was a collapsed tunnel.
“Xue’er!” Palin was the first to rush forward, calling out twice toward the stones blocking the tunnel entrance.
“Palin…”
From behind the stones came a somewhat aggrieved voice, tinged with a sob.
She was clearly terrified and lost regarding her current situation.
“Don’t be afraid, Xue’er! I’ll save you right away!”
Looking at the collapsed entrance, Palin realized the severity of the situation and even slightly regretted not listening to Holly and calling the village adults.
Meanwhile, the Miss Holy Sword Bearer was observing the collapsed area.
She wondered if she could use the Holy Sword to cleave through the rocks…
But after a moment of thought, she abandoned the idea.
The collapse was likely due to damage in the structural support, possibly caused by the previous earthquake and the collapse of the underground river.
The reason it wasn’t collapsing further was likely that these stones were held at a critical point.
If she rashly used force, it might cause a much larger collapse…
*Tap, tap, tap…*
But just then, Holly heard the sound of footsteps coming from the other side of the blocked passage.
‘Hm? Aside from the Ratman named Xue’er, are there others over there…?’
“Hiss? What is this?”
“Is it a Divine Kin?”
While Holly was still dazed, a person on the other side of the passage spoke!
“A white rat? Is it a Divine Kin? What an ugly creature… were you the one making all that noise just now? And in human tongue…”
Unfriendly words rang out. It was likely a man, and he… seemed to be with more than one or two people.
“Who… who are you?” Xue’er’s voice trembled even more violently now.
“So it really can communicate…”
“We didn’t find those six escaped sacrifices… but we found this thing instead.”
“What should we do?”
“Let’s take her back first. It’s not strange for Divine Kin to appear outside the Kingdom. Perhaps she’s more suitable as a sacrifice.”
“What… what are you doing? Mmgh! What are you doing!! Mmgh… mmgh!!”
Hearing the conversation over there, Palin’s eyes instantly turned blood-red! What were those bastards trying to do to Xue’er?!
“You — “
*Pat!* Just as Palin was about to burst out and shout, Holly pressed down on his shoulder.
“Don’t be impulsive.”
“But — “
“Xue’er didn’t actively reveal our presence. That means we’re still in the dark. Let… let me think of a way!”
Holly spoke in a hushed voice. The people on the other side of the tunnel were clearly not easy to deal with.
According to Holly’s estimation… these guys were likely the culprits who had left those six people covered in wounds.
She had heard those people mention an “Evil Cult” before, and now she heard these others talk about using Xue’er as a sacrifice.
It seemed… that was really the case.
As Holly thought this, her hands didn’t stop moving.
She first pressed down the agitated Palin, then reached out with a void-like gesture.
[Desire Paradise] appeared in her hand.
If Xue’er were captured by these guys, she would certainly not have a good end.
Although she hadn’t encountered Cultists before, Holly had seen the wicked people of this world… they were all beings who killed without blinking.
Furthermore, the victim wasn’t even human.
It was too late to go back to the village for reinforcements now.
It would be best to stage a sneak attack to save Xue’er, then collapse the area before running back to the village for help.
Holly crouched behind the rocks at the tunnel entrance, listening to the movements on the other side.
One second, two seconds… ten seconds. Not a sound came from the opposite side.
Just as she raised the Holy Sword in her hand, preparing to begin the plan she had just hastily formulated…
“You’ve been listening this whole time, haven’t you?”
The man’s voice suddenly rang out from across the passage! It made Holly feel the hair all over her body stand on end! Those guys hadn’t left! They… had discovered them?!
At that moment, Holly even held her breath as her mind raced!
‘No… that’s not right! These guys must be testing us! They haven’t left yet either!’
Just like her, they were likely pressing their ears against the massive rock, listening intently to the movement on the other side.
Imagining the scene on the opposite side — the cultist leaning his entire body against the stone, separated from her by only a single wall — Holly felt her scalp instinctively begin to tingle.