When Joonbum took out a water bottle, the boy also snatched it and began drinking as if he were dying of thirst. Jinpok frowned and growled at the boy.
“Hey. If you’re done eating, tell us your name. How many children are there? Explain if you want to save them.”
“Mike… my name’s Mike. Help…”
“Sure. Where are they? Tell us.”
Mike began to sob. Jinpok frowned, picked the boy up, and handed him to the soldiers.
“Hey, stop crying! Tell us the direction.”
“T…that way.”
Mike pointed toward the darkness and Jinpok glanced at Joonbum and Doral.
“Let’s go.”
Joonbum, Doral, and Jinpok were able to find the children very quickly. There were many young ones under ten years of age, and one older girl named Jesse was about fourteen years old. At first, they were scared of the strangers but they became relieved and were less wary when Joonbum healed Jesse with a potion.
“Thank you.”
Jinpok grinned and gave some jerky to her.
“Share it with the other kids.”
“W-what about M-Mike?”
“He’ll be here soon. Where are the goblins?”
Jesse pointed to the brighter side of the cave and Jinpok started moving. Joonbum frowned.
“It’s dangerous to go alone. The goblins are okay, but they have set up multiple traps.”
“I’ll go with him.”
Doral also got up and followed him. The reason Jinpok got up so fast was because he wasn’t good with kids. The kids all seemed to be concerned but Joonbum shook his head and reassured them.
“You all wait here and get out of this place with Mike.”
The kids became dumbfounded.
“O-out?”
“Yes. Out of the cave.”
It seems they like weren’t sure or convinced. And some of the kids were just plain confused. Jesse blushed and explained, “M-most of us… were taken here when we were babies. We don’t know what it is like outside…”
“I see. What about you, Jesse?”
Jesse shuddered and bit her lips.
“I was brought here when I was eight, together with my parents and other adults.”
Jesse then drank some more water.
“We first thought that we would all die, but the goblins made us work. They made us clean, and they made us produce weapons or tools. Then, the adults began to die. The goblins ate the dead people. All adults quickly died when they came here. They get sick and then die in a few days… nowadays, the goblins just eat the adults and leave the kids with me. The kids don’t die easily, so we work and…”
And that was it. Jesse began to sob.
‘The adults couldn’t survive but the kids did?’
These kids seemed to have adapted to live in such terrible conditions.
“Jesse! This water is so tasty! It’s amazing!”
It was just clean water, but these kids never drank clean water until now. The water they had been drinking had long been tainted with filth. It was amazing that they had survived drinking this water all this time.
“Your Majesty!”
Then they heard soldiers arriving along with the gunfire and explosions. Joonbum’s soldiers came up to him and reported, “Your Majesty, we have to return.”
“What is it?”
“The 375th squadron is looking for you. They have found a huge goblin encampment with a number of survivors. The goblins are requesting to parley.”
“What?”
Joonbum was surprised. As Joonbum and his soldiers began to prepare to extract these kids out of the cave while Jinpok and Doral also returned after cleaning out the small goblin village before retreating.
End of Chapter
