"Sorry, but this is a new revelation from God," Mother Venice said as she stepped closer to Chayil, her voice steady but her hands trembling slightly. "I know you saved us, and we're grateful for that. But if it's for the village, as the god commanded me, you will be the sacrifice. This is the only way to change our lives as Verdants."
'Are they talking about that old man? What the hell is he planning now?' he thought bitterly.
Chayil let out a small scoff, his demeanor calm as memories of his past flickered in his mind.
Everyone in his life had always used him. They saw his power and fame as opportunities for themselves.
Friends who once laughed with him only stuck around for the benefits his wealth could bring. And once those benefits ran dry, they left—every single one of them.
'Nothing's changed,' Chayil thought with a wry smile. 'No matter where I go, it's all the same—the gods, this Mother Venice, and these villagers and my old world.'
A strange mix of emotions that he couldn't understand filled him, so he just let out a soft laugh, closed his eyes and accepted whatever happened.
"Stop!"
Chayil's eyes shot open at the sound of a familiar voice.
It was Naisha, standing in front of him, her arms stretched out to block Mother Venice. She was panting heavily, her face glistening with sweat as though she had run a great distance to get there.
"Hey, love, just got back?" Chayil teased, a smirk playing on his lips as if he wasn't dangling from a tree about to be sacrificed.
"Shut up! I'm not your lover!" Naisha snapped, glaring at him with fiery eyes.
"Naisha, step aside," Mother Venice said firmly. "This is the will of the gods."
"No! I don't believe that," Naisha argued. "This man saved us from slavery. I was there! I saw how he almost sacrificed his own life just to protect us."
"I didn't do it to save the—" but before Chayil could finish his talking, Naisha whipped around to him with a fierce glare.
"Didn't I tell you to shut up?!" she hissed. "Say another word, and I'll kill you myself!"
Chayil blinked, momentarily stunned by her intensity. Then his lips curled into a grin. 'Wow. She's even prettier when she's mad.'
His amusement was short-lived as he noticed movement from the corner of his eye. Some villagers—those who had witnessed him fight—stepped forward, standing beside Naisha. One by one, they knelt before Mother Venice.
"Please, spare him," one of them pleaded earnestly. "Whether he's the chosen one or not, he fought for us. Even though he had no abilities like us, he defeated a Crimson I.D. He's shown us that we can fight back too."
Another villager clenched his fists and looked at Mother Venice with determination. "We don't need sacrifices. What we need is to stand up and fight for ourselves!" he added, "The chosen one teaches us that we don't have to hide anymore. We can fight back, too.
Slowly, more villagers began stepping forward—women, children, and elders alike. Their voices overlapped, pleading with Mother Venice to stop.
Chayil's brows furrowed as he watched them. 'What's gotten into them? I didn't do anything special.' He sighed internally, 'I've even driven them away and left them to fend for themselves when we were at Mad Clan's camp.'
Then he noticed Mother Venice's hands trembling as she gripped the dagger tightly.
"Everyone…" Mother Venice said softly, her voice cracking as she looked at the crowd. "But the gods told me…"
"This isn't who we are, Mother Venice," Naisha interjected, her tone softening. "This isn't what we stand for. We don't need sacrifices. We just need unity and courage."
Mother Venice's grip on the dagger faltered, her hands shaking more violently. Finally, the weapon slipped from her fingers and fell to the ground. She sank to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
"Oh God, what was I about to do?" she sobbed, covering her face with trembling hands.
Her heart had been torn from the beginning of a new revelation. She wanted to save her people but couldn't bear to kill the one who had saved them.
When the villagers stood against her, it gave her the strength to finally let go.
Naisha knelt beside her, wrapping her arms around her in a comforting embrace. "It's okay, Mother. It's over now."
Chayil let out a deep breath, his expression blank as he muttered under his breath, 'Damn it, old man. This drama is your fault.'
The villagers quickly untied him, murmuring apologies. Chayil muttered to himself with a smile, 'Now I'm free to do what I want.' He didn't pay attention to the conversations buzzing around him.
"So what now? Who's going to lead us into battle?" one of the male villagers asked hesitantly.
Everyone exchanged uneasy glances, whispering among themselves. Being Verdants, they were unaccustomed to fighting in wars, let alone leading a rebellion.
'Sorry, old man. I'll handle the slave hunters my way,' Chayil thought, continuing to mutter under his breath.
But as he was lost in his thoughts, he realized that everyone had gone quiet. All eyes were on him.
A villager named Felix, one of the men who had admired Chayil for defeating ten opponents in an instant, stepped forward. Bowing deeply, Felix said, "I don't want to burden you, but... please lead us Verdants into battle."
'Damn it. What is this? Is this some kind of setup between the old man and them?' Chayil muttered to himself.
For a moment, he didn't respond. 'This isn't part of my plan.' He scanned the crowd, taking in the hopeful faces of the villagers—elders, men, women, and children—all watching him expectantly, waiting for his answer.
'Shit. No, no, no. Don't look at them, Chayil!' he scolded himself.
Then his eyes landed on Naisha. Her soft, pleading expression and her gentle, soulful eyes seemed to pierce straight through him.
'Do you think you can sway me with that look? No way!' he muttered, snickering to himself.
But before he knew it, the words tumbled out of his mouth. "Okay, I'll help."
The villagers erupted into smiles and cheers, their spirits soaring at Chayil's agreement.
'What the hell just happened? No, no, no! This is not what I meant' he muttered furiously, unable to stop the growing celebration around him.
Some villagers approached him, bowing respectfully. "Please take care of us," one said. Others expressed their gratitude with words of thanks and admiration while Chayil's face lifted in a plastered smile.
When the crowd dispersed, Chayil walked over to Naisha, his face was blank.
"Love, this is all your fault," he said.
"What are you talking about?" Naisha asked, clearly confused.
"Because I was mesmerized by your beauty, I ended up agreeing to help this village," he replied, his tone deadpan yet teasing.
"Huh?" Naisha blinked, even more bewildered.
"And because of that, you need to take responsibility for me," he added with a sly grin.
"Sure," Naisha said with a small smile, clearly amused. "We'll all take care of you."
Then she walked away with a knowing smile since everything worked out according to her plan to make Chayil their leader.