While observing the bright circle on top of the center of the town, I noticed something. A few things, differently shaped compared to rocks, were in the midst of falling towards where the cauldron was.
'Someone from above, where that bright light is coming from, must have thrown these few things not too long ago…' I thought to myself as I watched those unidentifiable things drop towards the cauldron.
"So they're really planning to keep us alive… Are they going to keep us barely alive this time too? What are they going to do if we resist?" I mumbled, a tone of disgust and hate visible in my voice.
I did not walk to the cauldron to inspect what kind of food was given to us. I figured it might just be soup, like the usual. Perhaps it might be something else, but I didn't care.
I had a priority, which was to be free from these unknown people who control our entire lives. To fulfill this priority, I could not be swayed by temporary concerns. I had to focus on my goals and had to do so quickly before such a goal turned into a dream.
My steps were determined and coordinated as I continued to do the same thing that I'd been doing many times already for the past few hours, collecting the bowls that had been prepared for me by my loyal followers and scattering the insects inside these bowls, all over the town.
Fortunately, though the town was sizable, it wasn't excessively large, perhaps around two or four square kilometers, if I counted my steps right…
I was able to spread out a bunch of insects all over the town, and by the time I was done, it wasn't even past nighttime. Perhaps it was midnight because although I felt sleepy, my body wasn't that desperate for it even after the tiring amount of miles that I had to cross.
It was nighttime. Since the task of spreading out rations of food was completed, at the moment, everyone was present in the town. With a tiresome look after overworking ourselves for many hours in one day, we made our way to the center of the town. It was time for everyone to have their dinner, and to finally get the rest they deserve after a hefty meal.
"I hope the food is better than last time… Or else, it's better to just eat those centipedes that actually make us full." A boy quite disheveled in appearance spoke out the thoughts he had while we were still making our way towards the cauldron.
To the words of the boy, Sutow responded. "Yup. It is, isn't it?"
After the words of Sutow, Brolee was the one who decided to speak next. Brolee, surprisingly, praised me, saying, "If it wasn't for the leader, we might have been stuck eating from this cauldron every day! Haha! And it was me who said that we'll be satisfied with the food from the cauldron!"
He sounded all cheerful like a drunk general who had achieved victory not too long ago.
Hearing his words, I felt quite happy and warm. His words indicated that he and the others trusted me and that they were happy to have me. Who wouldn't like to hear such good words?
Such words not only made me satisfied with my choices but also increased the morale of the others including their idolization towards me! It was a win-win!
But it's temporary… Just like a one-sided love that I had worked so hard on, or just like hanging out with those people who were never interested in me for me, everything crumbles the next day, and I would be left alone to destroy myself.
What I need is not praise, loyalty, or a trending idolization towards me, what I need is to become better. To be better every day, so those around me have no choice but to look up to me, aspire to be like me, and become my loyal followers till the end because of the results of their aspiration that had led them to become determined and bright.
I can only hope that these guys aspire to be like me instead of becoming like the leeches that only stay for their own benefit…
Ending my thoughts, I warned him, "Uh-uhm! Remember when I said that we might soon be watched by those evil forces who keep us here?"
"You did." Brolee nodded.
"Now, then, let me warn you, you all. Although they might not understand our language, don't be too loud when saying stuff that might indicate how well set up we are together. What I mean by a well-set-up, in case you don't understand, is that amongst us, there is a leader, a bunch of clever people, strong people, and so on. All together, we create a force that would soon rival them if not dealt with in time. This is something that they would not want! So, every one of you, try to stay under their radar in the future, draw as little attention as possible."
"I… I made a mistake again." Brolee looked all down while saying those words of his. It seemed that he had a sense of deja vu, thinking about the time when he had answered me wrong, and finding the current situation to be all the same as that time.
"It's okay to make mistakes. What's not okay is when you do not work on fixing your mistakes. This applies to all of you too, by the way." I said as I glanced around.