I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

A strong hand grabbed his arm as it reached for the car door; his slender arm was like a fragile twig in their grasp.

"Don't be afraid, child."

A soft voice sounded beside me. I shifted my gaze and met her slightly smiling eyes.

"We will protect you."

It felt like falling into an ice cave.

Chapter Four: Hiding Evil in the Shadows and Night

“Father, you’re getting more and more careless these days. You’ve managed to let two little kids run away from here… Won’t the higher-ups kick you out?”

The police officer standing next to the priest glanced at Xi Wang, who was struggling in the police car not far away, smiled indifferently, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and politely offered it to the priest next to him, asking if he needed one.

"That child is already mine."

The priest waved his hand to indicate that he did not smoke, and at the same time, looking at Xi Wang, who was unable to resist and was being dragged out of the police car by the wrists of other police officers, he chuckled and said.

"Really? Those greedy perverts actually left some for you? That's strange."

The police officer didn't seem to care; it was just a polite inquiry. He put a cigarette in his mouth, then took out a few more and handed them to his colleagues. He lit one with practiced ease and took a puff with a blissful expression.

"But you're lucky today. Our meddlesome director was sent home to rest... He's been working overtime every day lately. If he were here, you'd really be in trouble. He's a stubborn mule."

"I see... It seems that heaven is looking out for us."

"Don't say 'us,' it's just you."

The officer waved his hand dismissively, seemingly uninterested.

"Ha ha……"

"Alright, stop laughing, it's disgusting..."

The police officer watched as Xi Wang was being dragged along by his colleagues, watching him struggle, give up, and finally become calm as if in despair. Then he curled his lip and looked at the priest.

"Give it to us, or we won't release them."

"Of course, thanks to your help this time, I will not treat you unfairly."

The priest seemed to have been prepared, and he led the boy, who had kept his head down the whole time and dared not look at Xiwang at all, back into the church. When he came out again, he was carrying a briefcase.

"Wuhu~"

Several police officers suddenly started whistling cheerfully.

"Wow, this time it's cash! That's so much more convenient!"

"It should amount to quite a bit when divided equally."

"........."

Xi Wang remained silent, but the image of the policeman she had held in her mind—the one who would definitely help her—was beginning to crumble slightly…

No, they are different... This thought suddenly popped into Xi Wang's mind, and she managed to piece that shattered image back together.

"They gave quite a lot."

He skillfully took the suitcase, checked its contents of cash, nodded in satisfaction, and then signaled to his colleague to release the person.

"Of course, we won't treat you unfairly, after all... we'll need your help to cover for us."

The priest smiled as he took Xiwang, and he smiled with even more satisfaction when he noticed that Xiwang's wrists were bound with rope.

"Thank you for your help for the next while. If you find any 'bad kids' who have sneaked away, please bring them back so we can discipline them properly."

"whispering sound……"

The officer pursed his lips, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the priest's words, and simply silently gestured for his colleagues to leave.

Even after all the police cars had driven away, the officers did not look at Xi Wang again, nor did they turn back.

not even one.

"...Alright, now it's up to us to decide, don't you think, [Hope]?"

The priest bowed his head, smiled, and gently patted Xi Wang's head as always.

"........."

"What I like most about you is this...you're well-behaved, you're good at recognizing your current situation, and you don't do things that are...futile and boring resistance. You're so much better than those other kids."

The priest spoke gently as he led Xiwang toward the inside of the church.

"That's what makes it interesting, and that's why I kept you from those guys."

Instead of heading to the resting place, they went further back to a place called the "warehouse".

Opening the tightly locked door, what was revealed was an almost completely sealed... [warehouse].

It was very dark, really dark, even darker than the night outside. The few windows were sealed off with thick wooden planks and iron bars, and even the moonlight had to squeeze through the tiny gaps.

"Oh no... I forgot this place hasn't been cleaned in ages."

The priest seemed somewhat troubled, but he didn't seem to care.

He simply brought Xiwang inside, turned on the lights, and revealed the somewhat empty interior.

There was only a slightly worn mattress inside, which seemed to have been unused for a long time and had been mostly gnawed by rats from who-knows-where.

This doesn't seem to be a warehouse...

It's a place that's more like a prison than the "bad kids' room."

"I'm sorry, but from now on, this will be your room."

The priest locked the door behind him, pressed Xi Wang down on the tattered mattress, and slowly, gently, little by little, untied the ropes binding Xi Wang's hands as he spoke.

"I hope you don't resent the officers who brought you back. After all, our area isn't very wealthy, and they also need to make a living."

"...Of course, I think you don't care about these things right now. What you care more about is why I seem to be ready, right?"

With a hint of self-expression, or perhaps some kind of wicked humor, the priest said with a smile.

"........."

"You seem to have guessed... What a clever child, I like him very much."

Seeing that Xi Wang did not make a move, the priest's smile widened.

"Just like you guessed, it was Wright and the others who told me."

However, the priest still spoke, as if with a mischievous urge to pierce the last veil of pretense, in his usual gentle tone, seemingly without any anger.

"You heard me right, it's [them]."

He emphasized it specifically.

"I knew it the moment you mentioned this plan and this idea."

In other words, his every move was being watched by the priest, and the so-called "companions" only came to his side to help him at the priest's behest.

That's why Wright volunteered at that time, and that's why the child seemed guilty.

"However, don't resent them. After all, they're also very sad... Many children are afraid of pain, so I promised them that if they cooperate with me to bring you back and lock you up, I won't touch them for a while. After all... I have a better target now~"

The priest put the thin rope binding Xiwang into his pocket, then reached out and pinched his cheek, forcing him to look up at him.

His eyes remained clear, like a calm lake, which was exactly what I liked most—to break that calm, to create ripples on the surface, and to paint the colors I wanted on it.

"...So, will you keep your promise?"

But he simply asked the question calmly and without any ripples, as if he had not been disturbed by the priest's previous words.

"........."

This time, however, the priest fell silent. He saw no resentment or complaint in Xi Wang's eyes, only... calmness, as if he had already accepted the situation.

"I really hope you can stay this calm afterward... But I think you will, right?"

However, the priest soon laughed again, still with that gentle smile, but his actions were anything but gentle—he pinched Xi Wang's cheek hard, turned him to the side, and then slapped him hard in the opposite direction, leaving a bright red mark.

"After all, you're already mine."

It seems the priest isn't as invincible as he appears.

"We have a very long time to spend together in the future."

The priest got up and walked towards the door, without imposing any restrictions on Xi Wang. He didn't seem worried about him escaping, or perhaps... he had other ideas?

"Oh, right."

As he reached the door, the priest seemed to remember something and turned back to look at Xi Wang, who was still standing there without making any move. A hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes, but he quickly put on a smile, a smile that was clearly very gentle, but in Xi Wang's eyes it was particularly wicked.

"Keeping promises? That's impossible. Breaking promises is something adults do all the time... Besides, you have no right to negotiate with me, do you, you naughty kid Xiwang who tried to run away and slander the benefactor who fed and sheltered you?"

He laughed, then slammed the door shut, locked it, and pulled the power switch. Only after hearing a muffled thud from the other side of the door did he leave, satisfied.

"Ah...so, which 'bad kid' should we punish today? Hmm...let's go with Wright, after all...betraying a friend isn't something a good kid should do~"

The priest chuckled and muttered something under his breath in a voice that could be heard from inside the door before walking toward the "bad boy's" house.

Keep in mind, it was still dark at this time.

--------

Because of your friend's betrayal, you were arrested and locked up in a storeroom that was more like a prison by the priest.

Although you guessed all this, you don't resent your friend because you know that pain is often unbearable for children. If they can pass that pain on to someone else and avoid bearing it themselves, they will definitely do it, after all... it hurts so much, really, it hurts so much.

You understand, and vaguely guess, that the priest's behavior follows some internally defined principle, so when he leaves, you obediently stay where you are, not giving him an excuse to commit violence.

However, he had no intention of keeping the agreement; rather, the so-called agreement never existed in the first place.

He can always find a reason if he wants to.

[A bad kid doesn't eat properly—even if he locked you in the storeroom for three whole days; a bad kid doesn't greet you properly—even if he was starving and passed out.]

[A gluttonous child is a bad child—but I was really hungry then, and I didn't know if there would be any food tomorrow; a child who doesn't sleep well is a bad child—but the candle wax was hot when it dripped on me, and the knife hurt when it cut my skin.]

[Fire is very hot when it touches your skin, and so is hot iron when it's pressed against your skin.]

It hurts a lot when a needle pricks your body, and it also hurts when a fork pierces your skin.

[You could see the increasingly undisguised greed in the priest's eyes, a filthy and disgusting desire, but the priest still didn't do "that kind of thing," as if he was waiting, waiting for you to willingly submit to him.]