The Tyrant Wants To Live Honestly

“Your uncle is strong.”

“And fast.”

Tutu made a loud ‘shhhhhh’ sound, moving his body clumsily.

Oh, come on now. Stop it. There’s a limit to how easy I can go on you.

Yet, regardless of my thoughts, I still applauded Tutu’s fictional bravado.

He grew so excited at some point that he moved his chair closer just to lie more.

And as I listened, It became evident that his imagination was absolutely remarkable.

One time, he supposedly met a bear in the forest and defeated it with his bare hands, and apparently, the animal’s skin was now hanging on the roof of his house. 

Another time, he was caught in a landslide but managed to dig his way out and survived.

Why didn’t you try writing a novel instead of kidnapping people? With that kind of imagination, you would have been able to make a living.

I thought in a series of mechanical exclamations.

Even though listening to this man was as hard as facing Carnan, thanks to his stupidity, I had time to sneak a look around.

Unfortunately, there was no advantageous element such as weapons, exit locations, or even a favorable environment in sight.

So, with a basic understanding of the circumstances at hand, there was no need for me to further endure Tutu’s chatter.

“Uncle…I am hungry.”

Growing wary of his ceaseless monologue, I promptly interrupted his story. 

If I listened to one more lie, I was afraid that my bad temper would come out.

Besides, the way my hands were shaking was a clear indication  that I had reached my limit.

“Aw! Our little girl is hungry!” Tutu exclaimed before going to the other man playing cards.

Sitting on a chair at an angle, fiddling with his cards, the other guy made no effort to hide his displeasure during my entire conversation with Tutu.

“Danny, she is hungry.”

“So what?” Danny shot back, glaring at Tutu.

This made it clear that Danny was higher in the hierarchy than Tutu.

“Well, it’s time for us to eat,. Plus, the kid already starved for days…”

At those words, Danny glanced at me scornfully.

But it was indeed time for dinner, so he ordered Tutu to bring him a meal.

After a short time, they tidied up the table and arranged the meal on it.

And I must admit that the food served looked pretty good.

You guys kidnapped me, and now you are enjoying your dinner in my face and dreaming about the money you’ll get.

They were having well-cooked chicken, with cheese-topped bread.

The hunger I was trying to ignore came back with force as I breath in the food’s aroma.

I haven’t felt such hunger in a very long time. To the point where I could kneel before anyone who would give me a piece of bread.

On the other hand, I didn’t want to beg my own kidnappers for food, so I kept my mouth shut. Well, I also stayed silent because I was scared that if I opened my mouth, I might drool.

Then, out of nowhere, Tutu grabbed me and seated me in front of the table where the food was laid out.

“Why did you make her sit here? Put her back down.”

Danny gave me stern look, a firmness that forbade me to share his table.

It’s not like I wanted to be here in the first place, so why is he treating me like a criminal?

The words, “Could you give me a piece of bread?” Were forcing their way out of my spider web-like throat, but forcefully swallowed them.

“But the kid…”

“Have you lost your mind? Are you here to play?”

Danny furrowed brow, causing Tutu to quickly retreat.

Seeing this, I quietly got down from the chair. 

But after taking only a few steps, my head started to spin.

Did I starve only for three days? The sensations felt as though it was more than that.

“Tie her to a pole.”

“But I am her uncle…”

“Are you kidding me?”

Growing frustrated with Tutu’s soft behavior, Danny stood up, brandishing a knife as he came up to me.

He pointed the dagger at me, saying, “Kid, we brought you here to kill you. We are not your uncles.”

“why?”

“Because every time I see rich kids like you, my belly gets twisted and I can’t stand it,” he spit out before grabbing me with his wretched hand, dragging me along, and throwing me against a pole.

And perhaps because of three days of starvation, my body obediently surrendered to his grip.

I clenched my teeth hard, not due to the pain, but because of the unpleasant treatment.

Then, he came back with a rope and tied me to the pole.

“Danny, that’s a bit too much…”

“What’s the matter with you? Do you want to die first?” he threatened with the dagger pointing at Tutu.

And as he was about to sit down at the table again, Danny jumped up like a frog.

“Ahh! shit!”

“What’s wrong Danny!”

“A scorpion cub!” He answered, running to the corner of the room.

I looked under the table and saw a scorpion lying flat while showing off its shiny dark brown shell.

Tutu, who also saw it, slowly retreated back.

A scorpion.

I thought of a place where this scorpion might have come from.

There were no scorpions on the Islands of Lampas…

In fact, there was only one place to point out.

In my first life, when we were at war with a neighboring country of the western desert, I remember suffering quite a bit because of those little monsters.

Sometimes I would even find some in my barracks.

Later on, I started to collect them and often held scorpion fighting contests.

Moreover, the dry air and the sand scattered all over the floor gave me confidence in my guess.

Even if I escape, it will be difficult to return to the imperial palace.

Shouldn’t it have been two full days, even on a cart?

This place was quite far from the islands, and there were not many villages near the desert. Even if I tried to flee with this small body of mine, they would catch up in no time.

I had no travel expenses, no strength left, and was too hungry to run anyway.

“Tutu, catch that scorpion or throw it outside.”

“What if It stung me?”

While I contemplated my course of action, the two men hid in separate corners of the room, trembling like fools.

I’m dying of hunger, yet they are being so noisy.

It’s not uncommon for non-aristocrat individuals to encounter scorpions at least once or twice in their lifetime.

It was obvious that if we were to be stung by that little scorpion even once in the desert, we would die without immediate treatment.

We would perish before even reaching the nearest doctor.

“Damn it, this is why I hate the desert!”

My gaze alternated between the two men and the scorpion.

Fortunately, the scorpion looked like it had no intention of attacking.

I have to think about eating something first.

My head was too dizzy to think straight.

“Uncles, if I catch the scorpion, will you give me bread and milk?”

“Bread and milk?”

Tutu and Danny looked at each other.

“Can you really catch that scorpion?”

“If only I had two sticks.”

They were terrified of entrusting me with a crisis situation, but they couldn’t find any other solution.

In the end, they had no choice but to comply with my terms.

“Alright, If you catch the scorpion, I’ll give you something to eat.”

“Then let’s get this out of the way,” I said, pointing out the damn rope.

Tutu was the first to move, coming closer and untying me.

With my hands-free at last, I picked up two of the lottery sticks I had been waiting for.

Then, holding it like tongs, I grabbed the scorpion that was on the floor and carefully lifted it up.

“I got it.”

I quietly picked up the scorpion’s tail and showed it to Danny.

“Hurry up!” He screamed.

“Where do you want me to throw it?”

Where can I even throw it when there are no windows in here? In your mouth?

“Kill it!”

“I can’t kill, can uncle do it instead?”

Kill the scorpion for what sin? The guilt is on you.

“Barrel! Let’s put it in the barrel! Our water bottle!” Tutu offered.

“Why put a scorpion in a bottle of water, you bastard!” Danny cursed.

While the two of them were having a stupid debate, the scorpion struggled with its claws wildly extended.

This thing wasn’t cute, but I exclaimed,

“Uncle, look at the scorpion. It’s amazing!”

As I smiled coldly, their faces became paler.

The scorpion’s two shiny claws and a stoutly outstretched tail were truly menacing.

“I’m so hungry that I have no strength in my arms. I fear that It might slip from my hands…”

If I were to drop the scorpion right now, someone would definitely get stung, and that person’s life would come to an end today.

As I thought that maybe it would be a good idea to let the scorpion deal with the two of them, Danny ran towards the locked door and opened it.

“Throw it outside! If you do as I tell you, I will give you something to eat.”

A kidnapper was willing to open the door for a captured child. Interesting!

This scorpion was the key.

“Will you also give me food tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“And the day after tomorrow?” I bargained as I lifted the scorpion as if to make a toast, making Danny scream with his eyes tightly shut.

“Okay! Okay!”

Feeling refreshed, I suddenly had the conviction that Scorpions were the most beautiful creatures in the world.

I left the room with the ecstatic scorpion. 

And upon entering the narrow, dark hallway that it led to, I understood why there were no windows there.

This is the basement.

Navigating my way through the corridor, I headed up the stairs.

Should I make a run for it with the scorpion to the nearest village? It would be hard, but I wouldn’t die from that…

I hastily climbed the stairs, determined to find what lay behind the closed wooden door.

As I swung the door open, a bright light poured in, accompanied by a gust of dry sand.

Momentarily squinting my eyes at the blinding light, I gradually got used to it and observed the surroundings.

This is…

That explained why they did not bother to restrain me.

The outside revealed a ruined village amidst a wasteland near the desert.

Stretching as far as the eye could see, an endless expanse of sand concealed any sense of direction.

The scorching sun was shining directly overhead without a single shade, heating up the sand.

In an instant,  any hope I had just vanished.

With this body, I would inevitably succumb to the burning sun after a few minutes.

Which direction was the closest village? Were there even people there? Did anyone even discover that I was behind hold here?

My heart mirrored the desolate environment; cracked and dried up like a blank sheet of paper.

I gently set the scorpion down on a parched bush in the distance.

However, unlike me, who didn’t know where to go, the scorpion confidently walk off, skilfully navigating the endless sand.

* * *