Chapter 43 - Retreat

'Damn it!' I felt frustrated by how things hadn't gone exactly the way I wanted it to go.

"Hazel…" I mumbled before letting out a sigh that indicated a thought that I had quickly given up on.

'If it wasn't for Hazel turning zombie-like… I didn't mind the sudden assault on me by that man who's dead now. That strange pain that my followers experienced from the sound of a bell, I could have acted like I also was in pain in time…' Was the thought I had given up on. I felt like I could not just blame someone, as I knew that life would rarely go the way one wants it to.

Still… Perhaps it was the guilt of killing someone, but I couldn't help but go back again to the thought of the whole problem being Hazel. Eventually, outside, while staring at the light far above me, I spoke out what bothered my mind.

"If it wasn't for Hazel suddenly turning into a flesh-hungry zombie-like creature, the situation would have unfolded nicely into a combination of my two plans instead. The best scenario, combined with a bit of pain that I would not mind as the day of revenge would eventually come after that. But no, that didn't happen… Everything turned into a mess. Unnecessary and immediate merciless killings. Perhaps, Sutow and the others who were fighting against that guy are dead too…"

 I became interested to know if they were indeed dead or still alive. Now, with a conquest and curiosity to fulfill, I no longer stood still to let guilt and a bad day cloud my mind. 

I immediately ran to the other side of the building before going straight towards the center after seeing that Sutow and the others were doing no good.

"Tsk!" I clicked my tongue when I saw what was happening at the center.

A heated battle was going on, not between the enemy and my followers, but between my followers alone! It looked like complete chaos to me from afar, as I saw Brolee running to Hazel to stop her from going to Sutow.

'For damn sake, why are they eating that guy?! I already told them not to!'

Seeing them being cannibals was the only horrible thing in my eyes. Hazel is a zombie, which I was aware of already. It's pretty normal for her to be going after Sutow, which is why I wasn't surprised by that scene.

 Those that were feasting on human meat however, even though I had instructed them not to eat things that look like them, and even if they did, not too much… … They had no regard for my orders and instructions at all! 

They were deliberately giving in to their instincts! As subjects of mine, they were considered failures!

I was no tyrant, neither a lunatic thirsty for blood. I had a sword but I wasn't going to use it on my own kind, no matter how much they might disrespect me. 

However, if they force me to defend myself or someone that I have an interest in, I won't hesitate to add another digit to my record of eliminations.

"What are the three of you doing? Perhaps you might not have heard me say not to eat this kind of food because of how hectic it was earlier, but you had heard and had been trained many times not to overeat. So, care to explain why?"

Like a single mother who came back to her children after having to hear the landlord announce the increase in rent, I walked towards the three boys while not forgetting to scold them loud and clear on the way.

I saw Hazel's head turning towards me after my loud words, but I didn't care. Brolee had her handled, and right now, my priority was to teach my followers against cannibalism! 

"Leader! You should try this! It's really yummy and juicy, unlike those insects!"

Hearing the words that came from the kid who had been sucking on the bones of the guy's arm just a few seconds ago, I couldn't believe it. Once again, my words had been completely ignored! 

'I'm sure they heard me! They just choose not to listen! Ughh! Should I just kill them?' 

I was so frustrated, that I almost moved my hand that was holding onto the sword. However, I did not swing my sword as my intrusive thoughts had wanted me to do. I was controlling my emotions and mental state, making sure that I wouldn't let the needless thoughts get the better of me.

"Stop! You three stop what you're doing right now!" Like a very civil person with the fine ability to control their emotions, I held myself back as I resorted to talking instead of using my fists against the rebelling followers. 

'Phew… At least they still know how to listen to my direct commands." I sighed inwardly while looking at the three young teens who were now still, no longer eating the man, but waiting for what I had to say or order.

"Alright. Now that I finally have your attention… Do not eat anything that looks like us!" I ordered them, this time my words were clearer than ever, as I did not want to hear later that they had forgotten to listen.

"But why?" The same kid who had told me to try human meat just now, asked in confusion.

"Well, there are a lot of reasons. It might be harmful to us, especially since there may be diseases that might spread to us more easily if you touch them to eat them. Also, personally, it's disgusting." I gave a short and simple answer that I believed would sound convincing enough to them.

"I see… So, Leader hates this food. What leader doesn't like we should not like too…" The kid muttered while looking somewhat sorry. 

After saying so, the kid looked to his left and right to where his friends were and nodded as if having come to a decision together with them.

"We are sorry. We might have gotten distracted while trying to defeat our enemies like Hazel was doing. We did not know that Hazel was no longer Hazel and thought that eating those men was what we were supposed to do. But Leader, I am not kidding. The taste is really good. That's why we couldn't help ourselves..."