What does it mean... who is the general after all?

Merka observed the two individuals without giving any indication.

Could it be that both of them are generals?

No... now is not the time to think about these things.

Feeling the rapid disappearance of magic within his body, Merka realized that if he didn't say something soon, he might be doomed here.

I have to lie, but to what extent...?

"The general is right," Merka said.

"After I entered the cave, I saw the damned Altria family's figures and couldn't wait to rush up and capture her."

"But I didn't expect to be ambushed by someone hiding in the dark corner."

"The last thing I saw before passing out was a man's figure, he must also be a cursed child."

Merka chose not to lie, and the situation he described was similar to what really happened to Victor.

The general seemed to be pondering over Merka's words and paused for a moment.

"And since there is outside assistance, it can explain why..."

Suddenly realizing that he had said the wrong thing, Merka's pupils contracted instantly. He urgently stopped speaking, even biting his own tongue.

No, although they seem to be working with Diana, it's not certain that they have exchanged information.

If I say that Turing can easily outnumber and defeat Diana's group of aides because they have outside support, I would expose myself.

At that time, these people might not have seen the scene where we were fighting.

But I've already said the first half of the sentence, what should I say now?!

Think fast... think quickly!

Merka frowned, looking at the man who turned his head questioningly due to the sudden change in his words. Merka felt as if his heart skipped a beat.

Although he couldn't see the expression, Merka knew that he was in deep trouble. Because the magic within Merka's body was pouring out like a burst dam compared to before.

"So!... it can explain why Turing went up the mountain!" Merka's sweat soaked his back.

"The mountainous terrain is complex with numerous caves, easy to hide, but the prey is relatively scarce."

"With such scarce prey, it's not easy for Turing to encounter other hunters by going up the mountain, it's much safer than staying below."

"But although this can ensure self-preservation."

"It's impossible to complete the competition."

"So, she must have hired cursed children to hunt for her, maybe more than one!"

"She only needs to take care of herself, hide on the mountain, and hand the hunting tasks over to her subordinates."

"Altria has always had a grudge against the Galleher family, so it is highly likely that she has thought of these precautions against the Galleher family."

Merka finished speaking with a slightly excited tone, and the frenzied consumption of magic finally stopped.

Merka breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed that the suspicion had diminished.

"..."

After listening to Merka's words, the man seemed to be stunned for a moment, then jumped off the rock and walked towards Merka, stopping right in front of him, close enough that their noses almost touched.

"You make a good point," she said.

"But, I remember you - Victor, you shouldn't be so wise."

The moonlight of the pale blue onion cage shone through the flickering leaves and illuminated the man's cloak. Through the cloak, Merka saw that the general's face was completely wrapped in bandages, with no skin visible.

Merka was not surprised; many cursed children with self-esteem issues went further than he did.

"Although three days apart, one sees with new eyes." The man reached out his right hand and lightly patted Merka's left shoulder.

Merka saw that his arm was also wrapped in bandages.

"I actually had another thought earlier."

"Which is that the reason you didn't die is because you were bribed by Altria."

"You pretended to faint and let her go."

Merka's throat tightened, and he immediately wanted to argue.

"After all, you are still young. Young cursed children simply do not have the imagination to understand how much a noble can offer to stay alive."

"Of course, there is no room for refusal."

Merka relaxed his left shoulder, but when he came to his senses, the man had already walked away from him.

"Although I won't blame you."

"I hope you are not like this."

Merka hurriedly turned around to explain, but found that the man had blended into the darkness and disappeared.

"Comrades!"

A genderless seductive voice came from behind, capturing everyone's attention, including Merka's.

Merka looked back to where the previously sword-bearing "general" had now climbed onto a rock, facing the moonlight, and raised his fist high up for everyone to see.

The clenched fist seemed to contain his bottomless anger and suffering. It was as if he was venting against an unwilling fate. As everyone's increasingly heavy breaths synchronously fell, so did that bandaged fist.

Merka was perplexed, a highly uncomfortable and unsafe feeling filled his heart.

Subconsciously, Merka sensed that this person, to some extent, corresponded with his extreme.

"We all know!"

"Our entire lives have been subjected to inhumane insults and unbearable torture!"

"And yet, they, the fortunate people of Acadia, dare to blame us."

"They claim that our sufferings are caused by our cursed identity. They say it is all our own doing!"

"Just because we are cursed children!"

"Do you feel the same way?"

"Don't you feel sickened by this obvious and unreasonable excuse?"

"You might say that it's impossible."

"But they want to destroy us!"

"We have nothing to gain, no mission to carry out."

"Just like how humans whimsically stomp on an ant or casually destroy a wildflower!"

"We cursed children were born to be bullied by the people of Acadia!"

"They, the people of Acadia, were born to bully us cursed children!"

"And so we have fallen into this predicament!"

"Whose fault do you think it is?"

"They said it's ours..."

"Do you feel wronged?!"

"But I tell you, it is us!"

"It is because we, the cowards without courage for revenge or resistance!"

The man clenched his fists, his arms held upright against his chest.

His provocative words and powerful posture stirred the restless curses in the audience.

"Now is our chance!"

"If they call us demons, we will retaliate like demons!"

"We have the responsibility, the obligation! To repay the disasters we once endured, a thousand times, a billion times over!"

"It is useless to say anything now!"

"I will make them beg for life, wishing for death!"

"I will torture them until they weep, kneeling before us, apologizing for the moral depravity they inflicted on us in the past, and then I will grant them the cruelest execution!"

"Accepting the commission from the Galleher family is just the first step in our revenge master plan!"

"The first curse we are about to unleash will be sealed with the blood of the damned Altria family!"