In mere seconds, Teresa knocked away the sword the awakened red-haired boy had placed against Marilyn's neck, deflecting it with her own before speaking:
"That is quite a terrible way to greet the people who saved you, do you not think?"
Kaden looked at his sword and then back at Teresa with a faintly furrowed brow. His expression was unnervingly cold, almost entirely devoid of emotion.
"You saved me? I do recall seeing you, but where am I, and who are all of you?"
Marilyn and Oliver shifted aside, giving them space, their attention fixed on the brief yet intense exchange unfolding between the two.
Teresa scoffed as recognition finally surfaced in her mind. The memory arrived belatedly, but she was certain of it.
"You are from House Devon, right? We entered the Garden of Death at the same time, along with him… from House Rothyl."
She pointed at Oliver, prompting Kaden to glance in his direction, still without any discernible change in expression.
He replied to Teresa in a flat tone:
"Then you must be from House Snow. Thank you for saving me. I have somewhere to be, so I will be taking my leave now."
Oliver's face twisted in disbelief.
'What the hell? He does not even know where he is. Look at him. I cannot believe he was almost my favorite character in the earlier arcs.'
Teresa exhaled as he walked past her.
"You still do not know where you are, though, so it explains why you think you can simply walk out of here as if this were some cathedral you visited and are now leaving. It also explains why you started a fire and attracted dozens of Puppets toward yourself."
Marilyn was momentarily taken aback by Teresa's statement, whereas Oliver was not, as it had already been mentioned in the story, though it had once made Kaden appear somewhat foolish until a later explanation clarified it.
Kaden halted mid-step. He tilted his head slightly to the side, his gaze cold, though he did not turn back as he responded:
"Do I need to kill you, or anyone here in particular, to leave this place freely? I have no interest in learning my current location, as I will be—"
The low rumble of his stomach abruptly interrupted him, cutting off his words and drawing everyone's attention.
Kaden swallowed.
"…By any chance, do you have any food?"
***
Kaden sat on his bed, devouring three Flesh Fruits in the manner of a wild animal.
Each one alone was enough to fill him, yet he consumed all three in rapid succession without pause.
Teresa and Oliver sat on another bed, while Marilyn took a seat on a chair facing them.
"Fine. I will help you both, as long as you keep your promise to save my sister from the hands of the castle."
Oliver nodded.
"Sure. We will."
Marilyn cleared her throat and extended her hands toward them. A faint green mist emanated from her open palms, enveloping both of them. They felt a lingering chill seep into their bodies, bringing complete numbness at first, followed by a gradual warmth.
The pain in their bodies dissipated, and Marilyn exhaled softly as she withdrew her hands. Their wounds began healing at an accelerated pace, though not instantaneously.
"In an hour, it should be fully healed. This is simply the natural effect of my Hue, and I have no Stitches, so I cannot perform immediate restoration."
Teresa inclined her head slightly and replied with sincerity:
"Thank you. Now we only have to rescue your sister and bring down this cruel place you call the Settlement. You will have to help us."
Marilyn lowered her hand, her fist tightening.
"It will not be that simple. The people of the Settlement are stronger than we are, and the Four Dogs are on an entirely different level. At the very least, they would be at the Specialist rank. You cannot defeat them, not even a Rookie could, not to mention that we are all still Unranked."
Oliver pressed his tongue lightly against the inside of his cheek.
'That is true, but it is not as though we intend to confront them directly. Let us see what Teresa has in mind. I will let her take the lead on this.'
Teresa grimaced.
"No matter their rank or prowess, there is always a way. But first, we need to build a rebellion, a group of people willing to stand against the Settlement. That is why we need your help."
The healer regarded her with an unsettled expression.
"That will be the most difficult part. There is practically no one in the Settlement with the courage to oppose them. They will falter."
Oliver intervened.
"Fear shifts. People remain still because the consequences of action feel immediate, while inaction feels safer. But when remaining passive begins to feel just as dangerous, they begin to move. And when a few take that step, others follow, because they no longer feel isolated."
He paused briefly.
"There was a case in the real world. A mining settlement lived under a brutal overseer, and no one resisted for years. Then one winter, conditions worsened, rations were cut, punishments increased, and one ordinary person refused to comply. That was enough. Others followed, slowly at first, then all at once, until the entire settlement revolted."
Oliver remembered this clearly, as it had been mentioned in the early chapters of the novel as a subtle foreshadowing of events to come.
"People do not need to be fearless. They only need a reason, and someone willing to act first, someone with influence."
Marilyn was one of the most trusted individuals in the Settlement, and her influence alone could ignite the resolve of a few, which could then spread to many. Oliver had merely nudged that possibility into place.
On the other hand, Teresa was quietly impressed by Oliver's insight.
Her eyes brightened with a flicker of admiration.
'He is knowledgeable as well? Impressive. That was from a historical account I read, so he must have read it too.'
Marilyn, in contrast, immediately grasped his implication. She hesitated for a moment before speaking:
"I will do what I can."
Oliver inclined his head slightly, feigning gratitude.
In the next moment, Kaden cleared his throat and spoke:
"You have been discussing some form of injustice in this place for a while. I could not help but overhear. So, in one sentence, who am I to kill in order to leave this place and repay the debt I owe for being saved? I do not have the luxury of time to waste."