A heavy thud echoed in the cell, causing everyone to instinctively look over.
The two newcomers were a boy and a girl, both young.
The boy had bruises on his face and was covered in dust. His lips were pressed into a tight line, and his eyes scanned the surroundings warily.
But the one who truly drew everyone's gaze was the girl beside him.
Her long, scarlet hair seemed to burn even in the dim light, making her dark eyes look exceptionally bright.
As everyone was secretly sizing them up, the iron door clanged again. The overseer from before returned, carrying a bucket. He walked in and barked roughly, "One portion per person. Don't try anything funny!"
Lunch was black bread and a soup with unrecognizable contents, served in battered wooden bowls. Even the two newcomers got a portion each.
"Why didn't I get to eat yesterday..." Shane took a bite of the dry, hard bread in his hand, feeling extremely resentful.
"Newbies came in earlier than usual," Jellal broke his bread in half and handed a piece to Shane. "Usually, to teach them a lesson, they wait until after dinner to toss people in like garbage."
Shane understood now. The mage attack earlier must have spooked them, so they rushed to lock up all the slaves they had captured.
They really were like rats—scared out of their wits by the slightest noise.
Knowing that these people worshipped that dead Dark Wizard made Shane think even less of him.
Shane pondered. If that was the case, they would definitely make a move soon.
Given their intelligence, they would probably halt construction and search the entire tower thoroughly. No wonder they were in such a hurry to lock up the slaves; they were only reacting now...
Once the last portion of food was taken, the overseer didn't leave immediately. He stood in the center of the cell, hands on hips, his beady eyes sweeping over every face.
"Listen up," he announced gruffly. "Stay put this afternoon. No work."
A murmur rippled through the cell, and expressions of surprise and suspicion flashed across several faces.
"Don't think that Mage is coming to save you. We'll find him," the overseer kicked the empty bucket with his boot, making a harsh clang.
"If anyone dares to cause trouble at a time like this..."
He stopped mid-sentence, seemingly afraid of something, and swallowed the rest of his threat. "Anyway, don't cause me any trouble!"
The iron door clanged shut and locked behind him. As the footsteps faded, Sho was the first to jump up.
"No work! Awesome!"
"Those bastards are definitely scared," someone whispered with a laugh. "He didn't even dare to finish his threat. They must be terrified the Mage is hiding here!"
"We really have to thank that archer Mage. Hahaha, feels good!"
Others laughed in agreement. Everyone was excited about this unprecedented holiday.
Shane couldn't help but smile. It felt good to know his effort hadn't been wasted. Besides, half a day of work had barely tired him out.
Sho leaned in, winking mischievously. "Shane, you have such bad luck. If you'd come today, you wouldn't have gotten whipped, and you'd even have a day off."
Shane coughed dryly in resignation and took the opportunity to turn to the two newcomers. "By the way, we still don't know your names."
He used the introduction as a way to change the subject.
Sure enough, the red-haired girl was much more interesting than teasing Shane, so Sho immediately looked over with curiosity.
"Simon," the boy answered briefly, his voice guarded.
"Erza..." the girl said softly, her scarlet hair shimmering in the dim light.
"Erza-chan~" Finally, a second girl had arrived in the cell. Millianna fluttered over like a happy bird and grabbed Erza's hands tightly.
Shane didn't stare at the two girls getting acquainted. Instead, he focused his attention on Simon.
This boy was strong, with solid muscles far beyond his age.
If Shane was going to start something, having Simon's help would make things a lot easier.
However, Shane's unabashed scrutiny made Simon uncomfortable. Ever since his village was destroyed by the Dark Magic Cult and he was separated from his sister, he had been wary of everyone.
"What do you want?" Simon frowned and asked.
Shane acted as if he didn't notice the other's guard. He simply happily handed over the half-piece of bread Jellal had given him. "You're big. You need to eat more."
The cell wasn't large, so this action immediately caught everyone's attention. An injured person who didn't even have enough food for himself giving food to someone else? It looked weird no matter how you sliced it.
Feeling the gaze of those around him, Shane scratched his head in confusion, then suddenly realized. He turned to Erza, who had just broken free from Millianna's hug. "Ah, right, Erza. Here's this bowl of soup for you. Don't worry, I haven't touched it."
Indeed, two people had arrived, and it wasn't right to only give to one. It was his oversight.
"At this point, who cares if the food has been touched?" Erza looked at him strangely. "Why are you sharing your food with me?"
Simon stared at him with the same look.
The atmosphere suddenly cooled, becoming awkwardly stagnant. Finally, Sho jumped in to smooth things over, though he probably didn't realize it.
"You idiot! Even if you want to copy the old man, at least use your own share! Why are you giving away what Jellal gave you as a favor?!"
"No, Jellal's share is already in my stomach. What I gave away just now was my own!" Shane stuffed the remaining bread in his hand into his mouth without changing his expression. After destroying the evidence, he retorted solemnly.
"Bastard, do you think I'm stupid?!" Sho shouted, pouncing on him with claws out.
Jellal watched them fussing and shook his head helplessly. He felt that his friend was great in every way, except sometimes... his thought process was a bit unique.
"Pfft..." Watching this scene, Erza couldn't help but laugh out loud. Even Simon relaxed significantly.
"Accept the boy's kindness," Grandpa Rob walked over to them and said gently. "He doesn't mean any harm."
Simon silently held onto the half-piece of bread, but Erza took the initiative to pick up the bowl of soup. She took a small sip, then tilted her head back and gulped down both bowls of soup in one breath. Gulp, gulp.
"Whoa." Her bold manner made everyone else clap and cheer.
Erza wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, let out a long breath, turned to Shane, who was being pinned down by Sho, and thanked him seriously, "Hah... thank you for the soup."
"Then hurry up and save me!" Shane shouted, struggling under Sho's grip. "Is this how you treat a wounded person?!"
"Understood." Erza nodded solemnly. Without waiting for Jellal to explain that they were just playing around, she immediately joined the fray.
However, she didn't distinguish between friend and foe, and her strength was terrifying. She suppressed both of them with one hand each. Shane felt the pressure increase sharply; his situation was even worse than before.
"Simon! Come and pull this crazy woman off!" he shouted in panic. "The bread is payment! Pay..."
Before he could finish, Erza unceremoniously shoved him down.
...Is he calling me?
Simon stood there in a daze, taking a moment to realize he was being called. After all, he didn't know Shane at all.
He didn't want to get involved, but looking at the three of them tangled together, he looked down at the half-piece of bread in his hand.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly took a big bite, swallowing it without chewing. He strode forward and used his immense strength to pull the three of them apart, saying seriously:
"Fighting is wrong."