It's Not a Life Simulation Game! Section 5

[Tried to escape, but couldn't. Had no strength. Even running into the yard left him breathless. Climbing a wall took all his effort. And every time he neared the main gate, he was dragged back.]

[He was playing, you know? Like a cat playing with a mouse, toying with its prey until it was exhausted, until it lost the will to fight and stopped resisting.]

[I can't give up. Absolutely not—you told yourself.]

[But...]

[The sound of children playing outside was so alluring. The curses from friends outside the door were even more heartbreaking.]

[They don't understand. Why don't you obey the Priest? If you did, they would suffer less. If you did, they wouldn't hurt so much.]

[You remained silent, unsure how to respond. Even if you wanted to say something to them, your weak body couldn't support it.]

[Seeing that you offered no response, those children began to unrestrainedly unleash the resentment in their hearts—resentment towards you, towards the Priest, towards this church.]

[You could only listen quietly, accepting their complaints.]

[In the evening, the glow of dusk squeezed through the tiny cracks, gently licking your injured face and waking you from your daze. You moved your arm, instinctively reaching out to touch the golden light that fell on the ground like paper. But soon, the sound of children's laughter came from outside, and the golden light on the ground slowly, bit by bit, retracted and finally disappeared.]

[You knew it was those playful children. They were using mud to seal the only cracks in the window. You could feel their gaze on you from another crack—a pure, unmalicious gaze.]

[They only saw this as a game.]

[Finally, you gave up. You stopped chasing the faint light and just rested as much as possible, hoping to endure the torments of the night.]

[Tonight, as usual, it hurt.]

[The Priest, as usual, took out medicine at the end to treat himself, murmuring in your ear with his usual gentle voice, like a demon's whisper.]

[At this moment, only the Priest's attitude towards you held a sliver of gentleness—even though you knew it was just your illusion.]

[The lingering pain on your body, the scent of blood that never left your nostrils—you had grown accustomed to these.]

[The laughter of the children, their complaints, or even the Priest's whispers, you had already... gotten used to them.]

[I want to agree.]

[I want to surrender.]

[It hurts so much. I don't want to hurt anymore.]

[I'm so hungry. I haven't eaten in so long.]

[It doesn't really matter, does it? After all, the Priest gave me food and shelter. Giving a little in return isn't a problem, is it?]

[Besides, with so many people, it won't be my turn every day, will it? It's only once in a while. I just need to endure it. It's no big deal.]

[So hungry, so sleepy, but I can't sleep, or I'll be woken up by the pain again.]

[I want to agree...]

[But I can't agree...]

[This is wrong. So, don't surrender... Wait, keep waiting. I will be saved.]

[You believe that one day, glorious light will shine upon this place.]

[Hold on. Wait with hope, just like your name—you told yourself this for the umpteenth time.]

[In the silent deep night, a small body curled up in the corner, quietly shedding tears in the darkness.]

Chapter 5: A Girl From Afar

"Hee hee..."

In a daze, he heard the sound of children playing outside again.

"Is it morning...?"

Forcing his eyes open, Xi Wang looked at the small patch of ground still illuminated inside the room. He managed to prop himself up and moved to the small pool of light, carefully reaching out his hand to feel the warmth of the sunlight on his palm.

Thanks to the food the Priest had brought yesterday, he had a little more strength to move today—after all, the Priest considered him his private property and couldn't let him die directly.

But in return, tonight... might be very difficult.

"..."

Thinking of the pain he might face tonight, Xi Wang pursed his lips. He withdrew his hand, curled up in a more comfortable position, and began to rest... trying to gather more strength to face the torment tonight.

It was impossible to get through by passing out; he would only be woken by ice water or by coarse salt rubbed into his wounds.

He subconsciously touched his arm, where scars still remained. A faint pain returned—it was left by the Priest's blade a week ago, but it was now almost healed.

He didn't know if it was because he was still a child and his body's metabolism was fast, or for some other reason, but Xi Wang's wounds healed quickly. In about a week, they would be mostly healed, and with more time, even the scars would disappear. The Priest had noticed this and even favored it, as it allowed him to be more "uninhibited."

Even though phantom pains still lingered even after healing... he had gradually grown accustomed to them, to the point where the sensation of "pain" was almost dulled, but it still hurt.

How much time had passed? Since he was locked up here, how long has it been?

How much longer would he have to live like this? Could he still be saved?

"..."

Thinking of the future despair, an indescribable sense of grievance welled up in Xi Wang's heart.

He wanted to go out... He wanted to eat properly... He wanted to sleep soundly...

His body instinctively curled into a ball, hiding the tears that were about to fall.

I don't want to be hit anymore... I don't want to be scolded anymore... I don't want to hurt anymore...

I really want to agree...

"Hee hee..."

Outside, the children's playful noise hadn't stopped. Something good seemed to have happened today, as they were all very excited.

But none of that had anything to do with Xi Wang.

After a few minutes, Xi Wang seemed to have vented all the grievances he'd felt these past few days. He wiped away his tears, adjusted his breathing, closed his eyes, and tried to slowly fall asleep.

Tonight would be difficult, so he needed to rest well.

However, accidents always happened when you least expected them.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

"Hello~ Is anyone in there~"

A crisp voice rang out along with the knocking.

"Hello~ Is~ anyone~ in~ there~"

It was the voice of a little girl he didn't know well. Her unique energy was conveyed with her words, making it easy to imagine her as a lively and cute girl.

But Xi Wang didn't reply. It would be too much of a strain, and if the Priest found out, tonight might be even more difficult.

"Don't knock on the door, he won't respond. If you want to see him, you can come here."

He heard a familiar voice, it was one of the children living here speaking.

Then, he heard the familiar sound of things being moved. Soon, the sunlight shining on the ground seemed to shorten by a segment.

"He's here, hurry, hurry~"

A more familiar voice appeared at the window. It seemed that through a gap, they confirmed Xi Wang was within sight. They quickly called out to the side.

The sunlight on the ground returned to its original size, then quickly receded again.

"Oh wow~ Isn't someone here?"

She said in a cheerful tone.

"Hello~"

"..."

"Eh? Didn't you hear me? Hmm... Hey~ Can you hear me~ A cute girl is calling you~"

"..."

"Stop calling him, he won't talk to you, and it's better to talk to him less. He's a [Bad Child]."

"[Bad Child]? How is he bad?"

"Hmm... I... I don't know, but the Priest said so, so he must be!"

The child who was asked this question was clearly stunned for a moment. She shook her head, indicating she didn't know.

"But ever since the Priest brought me here, he's been locked up here. So he must be a very, very bad child, that's why the Priest keeps him locked up."

"Eh~ No matter how bad he is, he doesn't need to be locked up for so long, right?"

She didn't seem to understand. After all, how bad would a child have to be to be kept locked up all the time?

"There's no helping it. Who asked him not to change? The Priest said he could let him out if he repented, but he's always refused. Even though the Priest talks to him every night."

"...Talks?"

She shifted her gaze in surprise towards him inside the room. The dim environment inside couldn't block her sight, which was why she saw the scars all over his body.

If it was just "talking," would it really end up like this?

Bang bang—

She gently knocked on the wooden board sealing the window, trying to get his attention. But he remained unmoved, just curled up quietly in the corner, as if he were asleep.

"Let's go, let's go~ If we stay here too long, the Priest will scold us."

"...Mm."

She hesitated for a moment, then smiled and left with the other child.

After all, she was just passing through this city. Seeing that it seemed to take good care of children, she had chosen to stop here to rest. However, it now seemed like something was not quite right here...

"..."

She looked back at the warehouse again. It was located in the backyard of the church, adjacent to the graveyard on one side. Hardly any children liked to go near it. Even during the day, there were only a few sounds of play, completely different from the noise in the front yard. If it were night, this place would likely be as silent as death, just like the graveyard on the other side of the wall.

And in such a place, lived... no, it should be said, a child was confined. This didn't seem right at all, did it?

The girl decided to come back and check later.

"..."

They're gone... That's a relief.