Chapter 181 A cake, and everyone's spirits crumble...

Kujavina acted with great restraint.

She loved Maine's qualities, and the strength and resilience he often displayed.

Oh, the candidate for king, your mother cannot bear to break his bones.

But Kujavina also deeply resented him, hating his lack of pragmatism, his rebelliousness, his stupidity, and his willingness to lower himself to treat servants who would eventually be eliminated as his companions.

"Why won't you listen, huh? My little darling?"

After the second punishment, she left only the wound medicine as usual, letting the children learn by doing how to stop the bleeding, how to disinfect the wound, how deep the wound needed to be stitched, and how much pain a trembling, hesitant hand could cause to the injured.

A perfect experimental lesson, wasn't it? Unfortunately, the nurses' skills were still too inexperienced, and in the end, they had to knock on the mother's door late at night, begging her to save the little leader who had a persistent high fever.

"Maine looks like he's going to die."

“Then he died because of you, Peruvieri. You let him run wild and let him go down the wrong path.”

"...I'm sorry, Mother."

"Fine, Mainkuhn is a wild and untamed beast. It's normal that you can't tame him. Go back to sleep, daughter."

Why won't you listen, my little child?

Kujavina took care of him all night, removing the crooked stitches from his skin, wiping the water dripping from his back, and touching his burning face.

"Can't you see my love? You heartless little thing!"

Mainkuhn was unconscious for two days, and the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Kujavina.

He bit the executor's finger and broke it, but his mother choked him with her hand.

…

"Love? Is she serious?"

Watching the child's eyes gradually roll back under the executor's grasp, the soldier felt waves of nausea.

"Ha! If all mothers in the world were like this, then I wouldn't mind doing some good deeds and killing all the children in the world before they are born, so that they won't suffer!"

"No, don't resist... Little Maine!"

Paimon took off with a whoosh, hugged the cat-eared youth's head with her tiny hands, and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Just listen to that bad woman for a little while, don't go against her... Waaah—I know you don't want to, but, but you'll die if you keep going like this!"

"Why don't you just give in a little bit!"

"..."

Mainkuhn was in a deep sleep and did not answer.

But Leosley could probably guess what choice he ultimately made.

Ten years ago, he personally drugged his trusted brother and then removed the robe that covered his body.

No one knew better than Leosley just how many scars covered the boy's body.

Mainkuhn.

Leosley would grieve for the wounds, and feel sorrow for his pain, but he would never tell Mainkuen...

"Give in a little more, make your body comfortable, no, haha, I won't say that, because I know you won't do it."

In the end, he simply stroked the young man's back quietly, recalling the uneven texture he had felt under his palm years ago.

"Keep fighting, I'm proud of you, brother."

"Want to tie again?"

"certainly!"

Mainkuhn held the pen and clumsily copied letters onto the paper.

"Don't worry, Pepe, just like you said, Kujavina can't bear to let me die, nor does she want to break the rules she set, so no one will disappear next week!"

The rustling sound of the bandages and paper on his arm annoyed Peruvier.

"Lizard...is that how it's written?"

Mainkuhn, on the other hand, didn't seem to feel anything and was even trying to learn to write.

"That's absolutely right, boss."

Jack peered over to check. He had been punished by Mainkun for bullying Rongnock and was now being punished by being made a private tutor for the cat.

"A lizard's tail is a catalyst for explosives. Try to recite this sentence from memory."

"Ah, this is too complicated, I don't know how."

"Fool."

Peruvieri had considered that her mother might not be able to bear to let Mainkun, the strongest fighter, die, but she never imagined that she would be able to bear to torture him.

...It was still that kind of torture.

“I’m not stupid, I just haven’t learned it before.” Mainkun stood on his tail and slowly learned to write.

"Pepe."

"What."

"Don't be sad... You must be sad, right?"

Xiao Mei hesitated, biting her pen, and emphasized to Peruvieri's indifferent little face:

“I’m willing, Pepe, I’m so glad you came up with this idea.”

"Because this is the first time I've had so many friends my age, so I don't want to lose any of them!"

Peruvéli looked at his raised ears and then at his reluctance to lean back in his chair, unsure of what to say.

"Does it really have to end in a tie? Does it really have to end in a tie?"

On the day of the competition, Rongnuoke started crying again.

Just a few days ago, Mainkuen had firmly held the top spot on the Crybaby leaderboard with a four-hour record, but in just a few days, the championship was taken by Rongnock.

I don't want to hurt you!

"But I don't want to lose you either, Rongnuoke. You know that the residue will disappear, right?"

Maine put it bluntly.

"But, but—"

"Although he is a young child, Mr. Mei's determination far surpasses that of many adults," Zhong Li said, shaking his head in admiration.

"He is indeed a brave child, sigh..."

Liu Yun sighed, looking at the defendant's dock with unbearable sorrow, imagining what was happening.

"If he had been raised in a normal environment, what kind of person would he be now?"

The audience waited with bated breath, and the third competition successfully concluded.

As always, the result was a tie.

"Do we really want to go through that torture again?!"

Upon seeing this result, Funina couldn't help but turn pale.

She watched the video of Little Maine, and also watched the video of Alegino and Clévy.

She never imagined that her gaze towards the Fools would be filled with worry and sympathy, yet the reality was truly absurd.

"As a god... how should I save you..."

How can I save you?

Mainkuhn also had this question.

He had prepared himself to be cut by a knife and intended to endure it as usual.

But Kujavina smiled and dragged a basket of burning coals from behind her.

"……what are you up to?"

"Mainkuhn, do you know that of all wounds, burns are the most painful?"

"Take off the gauze on your arm yourself. I know your injury may not be healed, but it's better than having a burn on your stomach."

Mainkuhn tried to run, but Kujavina stopped him, grabbed his wrist, and straightened his arm.

The area around the needle mark was tinged with light bruising, a testament to past crimes.

"Peruvéli, come on, go and get a piece you like."

"Father!"

Lynette covered Arecino's eyes.

Zi—

She heard the smell of burning flesh, and then little Mr. En began to tremble with pain, but he didn't cry.

“Kujavina…”

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!!"

Those were innocent eyes, burned dry by anger, filled with hatred and resentment.

Ah, speaking of which, why do I think Mr. Little En would cry?

Even now, Mr. En wouldn't cry when facing an enemy.

"Kujavina! Kujavina!!"

“You really should call me Mother, next.”

"Get out! Get out!"

Its beautifully striped tail throbbed on the grass, twitching like a python. Xiaomei desperately tried to pull her hand back, attempting to escape the executor's restraint.

"Mother! Mother!"

Clementine cried out in terror, clutching the fire tongs, too afraid to make a move.

“…This word for mother has become a synonym for demon,” Navia said through gritted teeth.

“Press it down, Clementine.”

Xiao Mei managed to suppress her trembling as Kuhn made sure the embers easily separated from her skin, leaving only charred remains.

"Go to hell!!"

Before the next person arrived, Mainkun struggled again, raising his foot to kick the executive in the stomach, but his ankle was grabbed.

"I almost forgot, you haven't been injured in your leg yet, next."

"Awooo—!!!"

"Ughhhhhh—"

After several uncontrollable screams, someone started crying, but it still wasn't Mainkuhn.

"I can't take it anymore!!"

When it was Rongnock's turn to use the fire tongs, he didn't pick up any charcoal. Instead, he wailed and threw the tongs at his brother at the very end of the line, Buck.

“You are…you are the murderer who killed your sister, yes! That’s right!” He repeated a few times, then shoved the child’s shoulder hard. “You deserve it! You deserve it!”

"Oh~"

Kujavina looked on with great interest. "An additional test? I don't really mind."

"Fall down! Fall down!"

Unarmed, he desperately pushed and headbutted Buck, trying to make him fall. Buck said nothing, just squatted down slightly, adopting a horse stance, letting him push and shove him, silent as a calf.

"Hey! Stop! Come back, I won't yell anymore! Come back!"

Didn't they tell him it was Kujavina who killed her?! Mainkun called out in a drawn-out voice, "Come back! I'm not in any pain! Really!"

"Hoo...ha..."

Rongnuoke is weak; he can't be pushed anymore after a couple of tries.

"Damn it!" he pounded on Buck's chest, wailing, "Why is suffering the biggest problem—"

"Very good."

Seeing this, Mainkun breathed a sigh of relief, because Buck did not retaliate, so this round could only be considered a draw, just a one-sided venting.

"I'm really okay! Really! I—"

Thump! With a muffled sound, Buck suddenly collapsed in Mainkuhn's sight.

"!?!"

Jiro stood beside Buck, holding fire tongs with an inscrutable expression, watching the blood trickling from his head.

"I won."

Kujavina chuckled softly, "You win."

The mother was very satisfied, as if she had seen cracks appearing on the inside of a dam.

"Jiro???"

Mainkuhn was the one trying to salvage the situation, roaring at his fallen brother, "Buck! Get up! Fight him! You have the strength to fight him to a draw!!"

"..."

Buck didn't speak, but looked at him with bloodshot eyes, red like a little rabbit.

Mainkuhn.

Jiro threw down the fire tongs and began to tug at the hem of his clothes.

Finally, he tried to explain his actions as if to make amends.

"You were born to be strong, and I don't want to see you weak."

"I don't care about that—!!"

"Oh, my poor baby, it's just a prank that failed, why are you crying so sadly?"

Kujavina lovingly reached out and patted little Mayn's head. She went over, hugged Buck, and comforted him like a real mother.

"Don't be afraid, my dear child. I'll take you to see a doctor. Do you want to go out and play, hmm?"

doctor? ?

"No, no!! I said no!"

"Come on, everyone, goodbye, little Buck, hehe..."

"Stop! Stop!"

Mainkuhn screamed and tried to stand up, but his legs cramped from the pain, and Clementine and Rongnock helped him up.

"Boss..."

"Get away from me!"

Mainkuhn snapped at Rongnock, "I could have tolerated it! Everyone could have passed! But now we're missing one person!"

"Enough, enough, Maine..."

Clementine held him lightly, not daring to hug his back, hold his hand, or support his legs, because he was covered in wounds.

"Haven't you noticed? Everyone's almost at their breaking point..."

"I've found it, but, but..."

Mainkuhn stared at Kujavina's retreating figure and began to sob.

"But! If you disappear, I won't be able to hold on!"

"I don't care about that!"

When Maine cried, Rongnock cried too.

"I just want you to be okay, boss! I don't want you to be hurt! I don't care about anything else!"

"Are you an idiot? You'll be next to die!"

...

Little Peluvelli stood there, expressionless, watching her brothers and sisters cry.

It turns out we're all a bunch of selfish, bad kids, only wanting to fulfill our own desires.

"As expected, we should have stuck to it regardless of who it was..."

She lowered her head, and tears began to fall from her eyes, pattering onto the blades of grass.

"The children...it's so tragic..."

The audience was already sobbing, and Arecino had grown accustomed to the tearful gazes.

As for Clementine, who already seemed to have a very good temper, she had already accepted several gifts of comfort, and was now stuffing cookies into the mouth of Fimini, whose eyes were red and swollen.

"Don't cry, don't cry, sigh, I'm really not sad anymore..."

"Ms. Arecino."

She was observing when suddenly a purple-clad guard arrived, and Clarinde appeared carrying a small cake.

"What's this."

"Lady Funina's condolences."

"Because it couldn't fit in Mainkun's mouth, it was given to me instead? Genius god."

Arecino had no feelings for Frynn, and given her past experiences, it was good enough that she wasn't annoyed by her, so her words inevitably carried a bit of a thorn.

"That is indeed the reason."

To everyone's surprise, the guard wasn't angry at all. Instead, he presented the cake with both hands with a sincere expression, saying, "Please enjoy."

"...Should I say thank you?"

After a moment of silence, Arecino took the cake and spoon, grabbed a child, and said, "Linette, open your mouth."

Eliminated in an instant, Arecino was able to continue watching the images with an air of nonchalance.

"Ms. Arecino."

Before I could even look at it for a few seconds, Claude reappeared with the cake, saying, "Please enjoy."

"What are you doing now?"

Arecino looked up at Funina, who was cowering and dared not meet her gaze.

“…Alright, Fimini, come here.”

After slowly finishing her meal, Clarind reappeared.

"Ms. Arecino..."

Linni leaned closer listlessly, yet with a hint of anticipation: "Is it finally my turn? Father, come and feed me..."

"No, please, everyone, stop making me run up and down."

Clarind darted past like a whirlwind, placing cakes in the hands of Linnie and Clementine, and finally, with a very, very, very sincere look, offered the last piece to Arecino.

"Are there any others who want to share? It seems that Lady Funina's inventory is a bit insufficient."

...Did she think I was the kind of loving father who would share good things with my family first? No, I just don't have that much of a sweet tooth.

Oh well, it's fine to eat it once in a while.

The cream slowly melts in your mouth, filling the air with a sweet flavor.

Looking at the images before her, Arecino felt a sense of peace for the first time.

Those are the past, and they are a past that I cannot overcome.

If Mainkuhn could also experience the sweetness of the present, he might just gain the strength to overcome the past.

“Father…” Only Linnie was dissatisfied, “It’s not fair… I’m the only one who wasn’t fed by you…”

"Quiet."