Fairy tale: Little Red Riding Hood's wolf mentor

Chocolate and candy coating melted under the light emanating from the badge.

A downward spiral staircase appeared before Polo's eyes.

All around, the light from the transparent candy flickered faintly, highlighting the shadowy steps.

"A dungeon?"

Polo sensed the locations of the other badges indicated by the awakened sage badge marked with the number "seven" on his chest; this sensing also required some mental energy.

These badge markings could only sense the general area.

This was actually a good thing.

It meant that the thirty-six awakened sages still couldn't completely monitor everyone in the castle.

And below...

Inside the "dungeon" made of candy and black and white chocolate.

Polo vaguely sensed several... similar awakened sages, and, several ordinary badges.

"Why are you here? Did you take those who entered the 'locked domain' out?"

One of the awakened sages sitting around a cookie table in front of the lower level's entrance looked up as Polo walked in.

Looking at the appearance of Polo, the seventh awakened sage, and the seventh holy badge symbolizing his identity on his chest, they didn't suspect anything, and casually asked as if greeting him.

"Yeah, I probably stumbled in here by accident."

Polo replied quickly and briefly.

"I heard something like this hasn't happened in a long time. It happened once before because someone drank alcohol. Since then, the angel has banned alcohol in the holy domain."

One of the awakened sages said. These awakened sages were all chubby.

Even at night, they were still chatting and eating the delicacies on the table.

"Want to eat something together?"

The awakened sage waved at Polo, but Polo shook his head and walked down to the next level, "Thanks, but no."

"Oh, are you going to see that blasphemer? Or that unfortunate child?"

The awakened sage, with food in his mouth, thought of something and waved his hand, "Although it's been a long time since we've encountered something like this, they are lucky. They will return to the right path before the angel.

It's just that our dedication ceremony may be postponed a bit."

In front of the angel? Return to the right path?

And... dedication ceremony?

Polo didn't know much about the thoughts of these awakened sages, and he didn't know what these words and phrases meant.

But in terms of the role he was playing now, not asking and talking less was the most correct choice.

"Yes."

Polo echoed and walked to the next level.

Contrary to what he had imagined, what was before him wasn't a dungeon or a cruel purgatory, but still exquisite and clean rooms made of various colors of food.

But at the entrance of these rooms, Polo sensed through the awakened holy badge that maze formations had also been applied.

Moreover, these maze formations were far more rigorous than those in the outer corridors.

In short...

It was a kind of magic lock. Ordinary people without a holy badge couldn't get in or out at all.

Inside the room on the side of the corridor, Polo only sensed one ordinary holy badge.

Is there only one room with someone in it?

Polo thought for a while and walked to that room. He touched the holy badge in his hand. The awakened sage's badge could act as a key in this castle.

For ordinary people, even if they picked up these badges, they wouldn't be able to use them.

But Polo transformed into the aura of the seventh awakened sage, and coupled with his partial mastery of magical knowledge, he was enough to use this badge like a real awakened sage.

Polo raised the holy badge, and the number "seven" on the surface of the badge flickered faintly.

The next moment, the closed door of the room in front of him blurred out a doorway, allowing Polo to walk into it.

"Bang! Clatter!"

As soon as he entered the room, Polo saw Hansel.

The child wasn't crying or shouting. He was just smashing a cookie-made chair against the wall.

But this obviously didn't make any sense.

The crispy cookie material of the walls looked very soft.

But every pit that was smashed out would immediately recover.

And with the boy's strength, he obviously couldn't break through such a magical wall.

"Hansel?"

Polo said quickly.

The boy was startled when he heard the voice, and when he turned back to look at Polo, a trace of fear flashed in his eyes, but he still tried to pretend to be calm.

"Sir, please let me leave. I... I won't talk nonsense."

The boy said with a hint of pleading, "I will go to see the angel. My sister doesn't know anything yet. Can you let her go?"

Polo walked in, and the door that had just been opened behind him quickly hid again, turning into a wall.

Without the guidance of the awakened holy badge, ordinary people wouldn't be able to find this locked door at all.

"Calm down, Hansel."

Polo said, his face changing rapidly, transforming into the appearance of Hansel Gretel's father, before quickly changing back to the appearance of the seventh awakened sage before the awakened holy badge could alarm.

"You are... Mr. Po... Polo?"

Hansel's eyes widened, and then he said in a low voice.

"Yeah."

Polo nodded and asked, "What did you encounter when you came out at night? How did you... get caught here by those sages?"

"I..."

Hansel recalled for a moment before stuttering, "I just wanted to go to the hall to get some egg rolls for my sister, but on the way, I met... that particularly thin uncle, one of the three uncles who wore hoods and grilled meat at the festival."

Polo instantly figured out the identity of this person after listening to Hansel's description.

He was one of the pilgrims.

...

Earlier, in the corridor at night, Hansel looked at the black figure rushing towards him.

"Ah!"

He opened his mouth and exclaimed in surprise.

Because he saw a skinny person wearing golden and white sage robes rushing out of the wall that had just looked empty!

At this time, the pilgrim's face was twisted and manic, with a trace of fear and mental breakdown.

In his hand, he held a kitchen knife.

Looking at Hansel, who was also wearing golden and white robes in front of him, he reflexively wanted to swing the knife, but he stopped the action in his hand after seeing the little boy's face clearly.

"Shh--"

He frantically covered Hansel's mouth, showing a pleading expression.

"Little... little friend, can you, be quieter?"

For some reason, Hansel stopped shouting when he looked at the man's eyes.

"Little friend, why are you here in the middle of the night?"

The pilgrim held his breath, listening to the surrounding sounds, and only asked in a low voice after confirming that there was nothing unusual.

"I'm getting egg rolls for my sister to eat."

Hansel replied.

"No, child, those are... are... the food of demons, they, can't eat..."

Who knew that upon hearing this sentence, the pilgrim's sunken eye sockets once again showed fear and panic. He hurriedly used both hands to hold Hansel's shoulders, urgently adding.

Then, he looked around again, as if he had heard another abnormal sound.

After his expression eased slightly, he spoke to Hansel again:

"Child, your voice, made me rush out of the maze... I'll take you away from here."

Saying this, he grabbed Hansel's hand without explanation and was about to walk towards the other direction of the corridor.

That was the direction of the gate leaving the castle.

"Sir, where are you taking me? My sister and uncle haven't--"

Hansel was stunned and hurriedly struggled to break free, but he saw the pilgrim's desperate eyes with bloodshot eyes.

"Child, it's too late."

The pilgrim walked forward with Hansel.

Due to long-term malnutrition, Hansel's body and strength were also very weak, and he couldn't struggle for long. Although the pilgrim's words seemed a bit crazy, they still had a sense of reason.

As he walked forward, he said:

"Child, do you know? When I first heard about this place, I was overjoyed. I thought that the gods of heaven had finally come to the ground to show their mercy...

So, I came. When I saw that incomparably noble, radiant figure, I thought that the faith I had been pursuing all my life was finally within reach...

But I was wrong.

They are not saints, and the existence in the radiance is not an angel.

When I wasn't blinded by the demon-like seductive fragrance, I saw... the truth of those demons!"

A trace of fear appeared on the pilgrim's face. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say the words that followed.

"Let's go, child, leave here with me, before they... react."

He pulled Hansel and walked into the distance.

Passing through the front hall, the heavy black door appeared in front of him.

The pilgrim trembled as he picked up the kitchen knife and chopped hard at the chocolate door. One notch after another appeared, gradually forming a small hole.

The moonlight outside poured into it...

"Go, child, leave here..."

The pilgrim's lips trembled as he spat out a few words.

But at this moment, a calm voice came from behind him:

"Believer, you shouldn't do such a thing. The bountiful angel will be disappointed in your behavior."

The pilgrim's whole body trembled suddenly, and he turned his head to look with red eyes.

An awakened sage in golden and white robes, the holy badge on his chest, floated with the number "one".

His face was calm, as if carrying a kind of inhuman holiness, but under the reflection of the colored sugar lamps on both sides, it seemed a bit obscure and difficult to understand.

With a wave of his hand, the crack in the chocolate city gate was instantly filled!

And more chocolate slurry still didn't stop!

It escaped from the gap like a gushing spring, and in just an instant, it wrapped the pilgrim in it. The chocolate solidified, not like sugar, but more like a pitch-black mud!

Under the action of magic, they were not as fragile as delicacies at all.

The pilgrim couldn't break free with all his strength.

"You! You apostles of demons, don't even think about deceiving me again. I have already seen the truth! I will let everyone know the true face of your demon!"

The pilgrim looked at the chocolate wrapped around his body, and at this time, he was even more like a madman.

He shouted loudly with a collapsed expression.

Before the chocolate spread to his upper body, the pilgrim suddenly raised his arm and threw it with all his strength--

The kitchen knife in his hand slid in an arc and was about to fly towards the head of the number one sage!

Seeing that the number one awakened sage was about to be hit in the forehead by the kitchen knife because he couldn't dodge in time, at this moment, a slender flying shadow flashed past from the shadows on the side--

"Clang!"

A crisp sound, like metal clashing.

The kitchen knife fell weakly to the ground.

"This is the holy realm of the Lord of Bounty, the angel on earth. You are not allowed to do anything here!"

The number one awakened sage said, and the figure behind him who blocked the kitchen knife slowly walked out.

It was a...

Gingerbread soldier holding a spear.

The face simply drawn with caramel still had a cute smile.

But at this moment, in the eyes of the pilgrim, it was even more terrifying than a demon!

"Friend, you have come from afar, practiced for a long time, and finally seen the true face of the angel. Why are you now being so timid?"

The number one awakened sage stepped forward, and the gingerbread soldier behind him also followed suit.

"Bounty, there is no sin, friend, your faith has always been here. This is the paradise you have been pursuing, without pain and without hunger.

The angel will also love and cherish loyal believers like you.

Join us, and you will know what you really want to get."

The number one awakened sage walked over slowly, and he waved his hand.

The chocolate on the pilgrim's body gradually softened, and the thin pilgrim lowered his head and stopped talking, as if he had given up resisting.

But just as the number one awakened sage approached to a certain distance, the pilgrim's face suddenly lifted up.

There was no calmness on it, but a kind of resentment.

"Ridiculous, you evil people who use people as bait!"

The thin pilgrim trembled as he spoke, his words weak but with a kind of persistence, "Do you want to use those comforts again to blind my eyes? Don't even think about it!

I have always known what the god I truly want to pursue is like!"

While speaking, the pilgrim took advantage of the softening of the chocolate and struggled violently--

The body that looked like wheat straw actually pounced up quickly and was about to grab at the neck of the number one awakened sage!

But a shadow was faster than him.

The gingerbread spear in the gingerbread soldier's hand instantly struck the pilgrim's leg.

"Crack!"

The pilgrim screamed and fell from mid-air.

The leg was twisted and fractured.

"Alas..."

The number one awakened sage shook his head, "Take him away. After seeing the angel, he will truly wake up, join us, and offer everything he has to the loving bounty.

After all, this is the greatest meaning in the world."

The gingerbread soldier picked up the pilgrim.

A strand of blood flowed from the pilgrim's broken leg, staining the gingerbread's light yellow, delicious crispy surface, and sticking together with the caramel painting.

...

Now, in the hidden floor of the castle's basement, inside the room.

"Then, that skinny uncle was taken away by those Holy Ones."

Hansel paused as he spoke, lowering his head in disappointment, "Brother Polo, is the food here really... made by devils?

But they really taste good, though? Why would that uncle say something like that?"

Polo was silent for a moment, then said, "I didn't know something like this would happen here. If I had known, I wouldn't have brought you in."

Hansel was silent upon hearing this, then suddenly reached under his clothes and fumbled around.

He took out... a yellowed, wrinkled piece of paper.

"This was given to me by that uncle before he was taken away. He told me to give it to someone other than the Holy Ones with numbers, if I had the chance."

"Is that so?"

Polo was stunned for a moment, then took the paper.

The paper looked like it had been torn from a book. It originally contained a church scripture, and judging from the wear and tear, it had been read many times by its owner.

On top of it, another, newer handwriting covered it with a few new lines.

Judging from the handwriting, it was exactly the same as the note that Polo Rek had found inside the sculpture earlier.

This time, however, there was more content on this page.

【Day 3: Those scents are like insidious devils, stirring my heart.】

【Is this a test from the angels?】

【But I was prepared long ago. Hunger makes my soul more transparent.】

【In the daze brought on by hunger, I seem to see doors on the walls made of food that I hadn't noticed before?】

【This must be the door to heaven, right?】

【Faith guides me, and I saw them.】

【My two companions who abandoned their training did not see these doors.】

【I walked in.】

...

The self-narration on one side of the paper was interrupted, and the cut-off page blocked part of the content.

Polo frowned and turned to the next page.

On this page, the writing became somewhat shaky, as if the narrator's heart was in an unusually fluctuating state, so much so that even the hand holding the pen was a little unsteady.

There were not many words.

Only three short lines.

【The food is not divine grace, but the bait of demons.】

【Hunger will bring the truth, shadows, filled with wronged souls.】

【I must leave here, someone must be able to leave here—to expose the true face of this false 'angel' to the public!】

Polo looked at the narrative on this piece of paper, his eyes changing.

Although the scripture's influence may have made the pilgrim's narrative somewhat fragmented, Polo still saw a cloud-like terror in it.

He wanted to ask something more, but at this moment, his ears twitched slightly.

Someone was about to enter the room from outside!

He sensed the Holy Crest; it was one of the awakened Holy Ones!

"Creak-"

The door opened again, and an awakened Holy One with the number "Nine" on his chest walked into the room, looked at Polo, then glanced at the boy Hansel, and said, "Still trying to persuade him?"

"Yes, I am."

Polo followed the Awakened Holy One's lead and continued.

"It's okay, the child is still young and has a weak ability to distinguish right from wrong, but under the grace of the Bountiful Angel, he will soon understand the value of food."

The Awakened Holy One looked at Hansel with a friendly smile on his face.

"Sir, I understand. If I eat well, can I leave here first?"

Hansel bit his lip, his eyes also meeting the Awakened Holy One's, "My sister is waiting for me; she'll be worried."

"Haha, no problem."

The Awakened Holy One answered easily, but then, the topic changed as expected, "However, to prevent you from being affected by anything bad, the Angel will personally talk to you first.

She will bring you a lot of delicious food. Children should eat more to grow fat and look good.

After that, if you still don't want to stay here, you can leave at any time."

Hansel listened, silent, only nodding stiffly.

At this time, Polo spoke:

"About when is the Angel coming? I've forgotten a bit."

At these words, the Awakened Holy One frowned, but his expression softened a little when he saw the number "Seven" on Polo's chest:

"Have you forgotten? Now, the Lord is communicating with another heretic and needs seven days..."

"Oh, right, right, sorry, I forgot a little."

Polo nodded and said.

He also had the idea of suddenly attacking and killing this person to leave, but who knew if something went wrong with this Awakened Holy Crest, it might attract that 'Bountiful Angel' herself?

Right now, Polo was not confident that he could face that one...

...an existence whose magic could cover an entire plain.

"Go back and rest well. Don't stay here. Have you been staying up late eating again? How could you forget something like this?"

Saying this, the Number Nine Awakened Holy One made a "follow me" gesture to Polo.

Polo opened his mouth, but had no reason to refuse.

He had no choice but to walk towards the hidden door under Hansel's gaze.

At the moment of turning around, taking advantage of the Number Nine Awakened One's blind spot, Polo mouthed the words "wait a little longer" to Hansel.

The boy was very smart; a light flashed in his eyes, and he quietly nodded, sitting on the cake sofa on the side.

The Number Nine Awakened One, like the supervisor of this hidden underground area, stopped talking after watching Polo leave the corridor.

Polo looked at the shadowy walls around him.

He clenched the remnant page of the book in his hand.