Nameless King

"How long was I unconscious?"

"Not many. Just a few hours." Franzi said, "You should thank Osvald. If he hadn't gone to the woods for healing herbs, you might have slept for days."

"I see. I'm hungry." Wain got out of bed.

"Wait! You haven't recovered enough yet!" Franzi uttered.

"What? What do you mean?" Wain stepped forward, and suddenly he felt dizzy.

Crackling.

He lost his balance and fell.

"What the fuck?" Wain was in shock. He didn't understand what had happened.

"Wain, you're too impatient. As Franzi said, it's only been a few hours, your body is at its limit, and you have to let it recover. You can hardly even walk now." Osvald said.

"I'll help you."

Franzi threw her arm around Wain's shoulder and walked to the table with him.

Wain was silent, but you could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't happy with the situation.

'Damn that helplessness, what a disgusting feeling that is.'

Wain had always preferred to rely on himself, and it had been a long time since he had found himself in this situation.

"Here, sit down." Franzi moved a chair over and helped Wain sit down.

"Help yourself, the food here is great. I really don't understand how these two can eat so much." Osvald slid a plate filled with fried meat over to Wain.

"Hey! We don't eat that much!" Irma resented.

"Yes. All Beastfolks expend a lot of energy, but we eat as much as we need to get full."

"You think eating several kilos of food at a time is normal?! You both don't weigh more than sixty kilos!"

"Hahahaha." Wain laughed, and his face contorted, "Ouch, it even hurts me to laugh."

"So shut up and eat! You need to regain your strength!" Franzi said sternly.

Wain nodded silently, cut off a piece of meat, and brought his fork to his mouth.

The meat was juicy and spicy, and Wain chewed slowly and enjoyed every moment. The food seemed especially delicious to him today.

"How is it? Do you like it?" Franzi asked.

"Yeah, not bad, though maybe it's because I'm hungry." Wain said and took another bite.

"You're mean!" Franzi pouted her cheeks and crossed her arms.

"Hmm? I just said what I thought. What's more, I liked the taste."

"Ahahahaha, Wain looks like you were actually hurt pretty bad." Osvald grinned, "She's the one who cooked, and that's why she's so interested in your opinion. It's obvious."

"Shut up!"

"Okay, okay." Osvald shrugged.

"Osvald, I knew it right away." Wain said calmly.

"What?" Franzi wondered.

"What kind of meat is that? Pork?"

"Almost..." Franzi scratched the back of her head, "While you were sleeping, Irma and I went hunting in the woods and found wild boar. They're the best thing to find here."

"Good."

Wain continued to eat, he was very hungry, and even a few plates weren't enough to keep him full.

"Do you have anything to drink?"

"Just juice." Franzi offered.

"That's enough." Wain nodded.

"Eh, I wanted to brighten up this meal with great alcohol, but the whole village didn't even have one bottle! How is that possible?" Osvald complained.

"Well... we used to have quite a lot of wine and even whiskey, but it became impossible to restock after we got here. Also, a lot of people started drinking a lot because of grief, since they thought they'd never go home again." Irma muttered.

"Here you go." Franzi handed a glass of red juice to Wain.

He took a sip and immediately spit it out.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

Wain grimaced, "It's too sweet, yuck, it's impossible to drink."

"You're always disgruntled. Okay, I've got something else." Franzi passed Wain another glass of yellow juice.

Franzi smiled slyly. The juice she gave Wain was very sour, and it was impossible to drink.

"Ah, how refreshing. Not bad, it's much better." Wain said suddenly, and Franzi's eyes went wide.

"Wain, Osvald, what do you plan to do next?" Irma asked.

"First, we'll rest, and then we'll go to Pearl Hunters. Osvald, am I right?"

"Yes, it's a nice and cozy place, but I want to go home, there's nothing like home."

"I agree. I got here by accident in the first place. I thought it would be a short twenty-minute trip, but I ended up here and almost died." Wain shook his head and finished his juice.

"You think with the help of Pearl Hunters. You'll find a way out?"

"Yes, but I'm not going to negotiate with them. They can't get out of here either, which leaves only one option."

"Which is?" Irma puzzled.

"Get rid of all the Soul Pearls." Osvald said seriously.

"What? But in that case, the area will be destroyed." Franzi flustered.

"Yes, but I don't think that's a problem. Besides us, you and the Pearl Hunters, there's no one else here. There's a reason the Pearl Hunters haven't destroyed the Pearls yet, they're probably using them for something." Wain pondered.

"Getting rid of the Soul Pearls is the best option." Osvald muttered, "This is the Purgatory Zone, and it depends entirely on the Pearls. We destroy them or absorb them, there will be an energy surge, and the spatial barrier will lose its energy source. Then we'll just have to open the portal, and that's it."

"What? Why?"

"You'll be a burden." Wain calmly replied.

"Girl, listen. We appreciate your warm welcome, company, and food, but if you come with us, you'll die. It's not about our attitude toward you, it's about how safe it is. I'm sure the Pearl Hunters are much stronger than the Cosmic Beetles, you don't stand a chance of surviving. What you're suggesting is suicide."

"But, I have to do it!" Irma slammed her fist on the table.

Wain and Osvald looked at her puzzled. They didn't understand why Irma was suddenly angry.

'Ah, so that's it.' Wain muttered inwardly. He saw Irma's hatred in her eyes, powerful and unconcealed.