Starting with the defeated female knight

Perhaps because he's been in the same place for too long and gotten used to staying put, Green is genuinely a bit bewildered.

Especially since, although he had been in the capital for some time, he had always stayed in the church garden and knew very little about the outside world.

The only good news is that after so much training, he has been able to curb some of the mental pollution.

In addition, although this tentacle is a branch base, it is not only fragile because it has just split, but its corrupting power is also not strong, so there is no need to worry about it driving the child crazy.

but......

His eyes welled up slightly, and after his gaze swept over her, Green's feelings became complicated.

It feels like this child is worse off than insane...

Not only was he covered in injuries, but his arm was also broken.

There was a bleeding wound the size of a finger on his leg, and he was also blind in one eye.

In addition to these, there were festering wounds, residual hidden injuries, and malnutrition caused by prolonged starvation...

Is this what life is like for children from the lower classes in Beijing? It seems a bit too inhumane, doesn't it?

—But actually, the children at the bottom of the capital are a bit better off than Sheila. Although they may starve to death, die of disease, or be bullied, no one usually thinks about eating them or dismantling their bodies for materials, and they don't need to participate in trials regularly.

Although I haven't figured out the situation yet, the child in front of me looks really pitiful.

In addition, she was not afraid of him, and even picked him up and tried to take care of him.

After a moment's thought, Tentacle sighed.

Fine, I'll help her out.

Thinking this, the tentacles spread out slightly, piercing her broken left arm with their tips, and began to assimilate her, turning her festering flesh into a part of himself.

This is a new skill he has learned, based on the Tentacle Technology Center and perfected through Cecilia's evolution.

Sheila was startled by Green's actions and was about to act instinctively when she met those shifting eyes.

For some reason, even though it looked terrifying, looking at those eyeballs made her body relax involuntarily, and the thought of resisting vanished instantly.

She has been contaminated.

But it was only for a moment.

After regaining her senses, a hint of fear appeared in her eyes. She was about to drop the tentacle in her hand, but the next second, she froze.

Turning my gaze to my left arm, which was just broken, immobile, and constantly aching, my left arm is now not only much less painful, but also able to move slightly.

"You...healed me?"

She opened her eyes wide and looked at the tentacles in her hand that were nodding slightly.

Actually, it wasn't cured; it was more like they modified a part of your body, turning it into tentacles for connection.

It's barely usable, but if you have the chance, please go to the hospital or church for treatment.

Since he wasn't an expert in this area, and he had to leave in a hurry without bringing his healing tentacles, Green could only deal with things this way for now.

But it's just a makeshift solution, and it's such a bizarre existence.

For her, who had grown up as a "discarded" person, this was an extremely rare moment of warmth.

"......Thanks."

She thanked him sincerely, and after confirming the tentacle's wishes, she put it inside her clothes, letting it gradually wrap around her body.

A little itchy.

With a slightly flushed face, she twisted her body for a while to get used to the presence of the tentacles, and finally took another step. She went to a nearby family-run shop and, under the disdainful gaze of the shopkeeper, used her remaining money to buy some food.

After finding a place to sit down, he remembered something, beckoned to the tentacle with his finger, and after it stretched out, he broke off a small piece of dry food and handed it to the tentacle.

"Do you want to eat?"

The tentacle waved it away in disgust.

Even the dogs in Dawn City would shake their heads at the sight of this thing.

Then, Sheila saw the tentacles that had been wrapped tightly around her just moments before quickly crawl away.

But just when she wondered if she had done something wrong, the other person came back.

Even on its tentacles, there were a few plant fruits covered in mud.

[I just dug this up from underground. It's also available in Dawn City. It's fine to eat raw, although it's not bad, but it's still better than your stuff.]

Sheila couldn't understand what he meant, but after gesturing for a while, she could roughly understand that he wanted to eat it herself.

I carefully took one of them, wiped the dirt off with my hand, and then ate it one small bite at a time.

It was delicious, much better than the cheap dry food she bought, and it was also more filling, with a bit of juice in it.

She had no idea how long it had been since she had eaten food of this quality. She ate faster and faster, even forgetting to wipe the dirt off her face.

But just as Green was thinking about whether to ask her to slow down, she suddenly stopped.

She took the remaining fruits from the tentacle's arms, put them in her pocket, then picked up the tentacle, placed it inside her clothes, let it wrap around her, and started walking back home.

The sobbing continued until a few clean fruits were stuffed into her hand.

"Eat."

A cold voice spoke.

"......elder sister?"

The younger sister finally stopped crying, touched the fruit that was offered to her, but instead of putting it in her mouth, she pushed it back.

"No, no, you still have trials to complete. I... I can ask my parents again."

"eat."

This time, with just one word, the fruit was stuffed directly into her mouth.

Knowing her sister's personality and realizing she couldn't resist, she opened her mouth and gently swallowed the fruit.

delicious.

Moreover, the skin seemed to have some special smell.

“I didn’t give you all of it. I ate more than half of it and was almost full before I decided to give you the rest.”

"These things don't keep for long, and it would be a waste if we didn't eat them."

[Actually, I only ate about half of it; I filled up the rest with dry rations.]

The tentacles trembled slightly, causing Sheila's body to quiver twice more.

"...What's wrong, sister?"

"......fine."

Sheila gave a forced, indifferent response, then, as if remembering something, she looked down at the tentacles in her arms.

"Her name is Grace, she's my sister. She was born with a disability in both legs and is sensitive to light..."

【photophobia?】

Green was a little confused, but judging from Sheila's expression, she didn't seem to mind him showing up.

After thinking for a moment, he peeked out from her collar and looked at the girl in front of him.

Thin, pale, and exuding a sickly weakness.

A strip of cloth was tied over his eyes to obscure his vision, and his lips, the only trace of color in them, were chewing fruit in small bites.

But even eating seems to be very difficult, and swallowing is extremely challenging.

Upon hearing Sheila's words, Grace stopped chewing and looked up in confusion.

"elder sister?"

"who are you talking to?"

She didn't remember her sister having any friends, nor did she sense any other presence in the room.

“A... kind person.”

Sheila didn't know how to explain the existence of the tentacles to her.

"It was the one that dug up the fruit for me."

"Really? That's really, thank you so much. My sister is going to take the trial again in three days, but she hasn't been eating enough. I'm really worried... cough cough."

Overwhelmed with emotion, she even coughed, and her face became even paler.

Sheila went over and gently patted her back. It took her a while to finally come to her senses.

Is he still there? Or... does he not like to talk much?

She asked cautiously.

"Um, if I've done anything wrong, you can just tell me. I'm not very good at dealing with people..."

"No, it's just..."

Sheila looked down at the tentacle in her arms, and after seeking its permission with her eyes, she slowly took it out and placed it in her sister's palm.

"...This is the kind person."

It healed her own arm, and perhaps it could help her sister too.

Although it was somewhat shameless and the hope was slim, she did not want to give up any hope.

but......

The room suddenly fell silent.

As Green was handed to Grace, she bent down and peered through the blindfold.

It was as if everything had stopped.

Hilla remained motionless, and suddenly there was silence.

The pale girl's body began to tremble, and the strips of cloth covering her face slowly fell off.

Then, he opened his eyes.

The scarlet eyes, as if flowing with blood and tears, slowly opened, and after a moment of rotation, looked at the tentacles in its hands.

"Grace, you—"

Her photophobia began to flare up, and bloody tears kept flowing out, causing her already pale face to lose all its color.

But she did not panic. Instead, she lowered her head even further, running her pale, trembling fingers over the tentacle in her hand, her dark green pupils reflected in her eyes.

A moment later, as Sheila picked up the blindfold, preparing to cover her eyes.

She spoke again, her voice trembling.

"Are you a deity?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the sky outside the window seemed to be stained with a layer of blood.

But in the blink of an eye, it vanished instantly.

It was as if it were just an illusion.

No one noticed.

------

PS: Still updating every 10,000 words.

Book 1: Chapter 64: The Ancient God's Unique Stubbornness

There's work to be done in the capital!