The Lord Of Blood Hill-Chapter 43: Isolated

After the whipping, Henwell and the others aren't let down immediately. Instead, they're left hanging all morning until midday, when the scorching sun causes many kids to faint before they're finally released.
Lunch is meager—a bowl of thin soup and a dry, tasteless biscuit. Vegetables? Wishful thinking! This isn't a summer camp; it's a concentration camp designed to turn youngsters into killing machines!
With daylight, Henwell gets a clearer view of his surroundings. The place resembles a volcanic crater, shaped like a cylindrical barrel with a diameter of about three kilometers. It's been partially modified, with the ground leveled and divided into several zones.
On the north side of the valley is a gap, roughly five to six meters wide, but a small fortress has been erected there, likely serving as a defensive point. Various cavities are built around the mountain walls, some used as rooms, while others have unknown purposes that Henwell needs to figure out later.
Regardless, the defenses here are incredibly tight. "Well-defended" doesn't even begin to describe it; escaping from here with Henwell's current abilities is clearly unrealistic.
For now, he sets aside thoughts of escape and focuses on understanding his current situation better.
In the area where Henwell and the others are located, there's a sign in the common continental language that reads "Blood Pool Seven." The entire valley is divided into sixteen zones marked this way.
These include Blood Pool One to Seven, Horn One to Seven, with the remaining two zones being the Castle Zone and the Selection Zone.
Excluding the last two zones, the other fourteen are all dedicated to training the youth. The number of kids in each area varies, ranging from over thirty to more than a hundred. Additionally, the ages of the children differ greatly, with some as young as five or six, while others are nearly adults.
In Blood Pool Seven, where Henwell is, the kids are generally over ten years old. Henwell, standing at over one and a half meters tall, is already quite noticeable among them.
During mealtime, some kids gather together, using the ointment given by the bald man to tend to their wounds.
Henwell finds himself clearly isolated, with no one to help him. The bald man made it obvious by saying Henwell performed the best, making the other kids look bad. As a result, he "rewarded" the rest with two extra lashes each.
Henwell realizes this is a deliberate move by the bald man. When managing a group, the last thing you want is a standout leader, especially one who is both excellent and smart. Such a leader could rally the others, creating unnecessary trouble for those in charge.
The bald man aims to undermine any foundation Henwell might have to become the leader of these kids. It's a method of breaking them down, preventing them from banding together for support. More tactics will follow, eventually dividing the kids into multiple groups with conflicts and even clashes among them.
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Henwell understands these strategies, but the other kids don't. They only know that because of Henwell's actions, they received two more lashes. Yet, Henwell isn't interested in interacting with them. In times of hardship, it's best to focus on oneself; only in prosperity can one afford to gather companions.
In his current precarious situation, he has no desire to form alliances or friendships. Most importantly, Henwell knows that not all of these kids will survive the training. Getting too close and watching them die would be a torment for him.
For now, Henwell focuses on taking care of himself, ensuring he survives as long as possible.
As Henwell grimaces while applying ointment to the wounds on his back, a voice reaches him, "Need some help?" Henwell looks up to see a young girl standing there. She's the only one who wasn't stripped and whipped like the others.
The girl has a delicate appearance, and from her fingers, skin, and accent, it's clear she's not from a common background. Her use of the Billie Kingdom's language is somewhat awkward, suggesting she's from the opposing side of the coalition. Her accent hints at origins from the Ogiro Kingdom, possibly from a noble family.
Rumor has it that the Ogiro king was displeased with the war's outcome and purged several nobles, and this girl seems to be caught in the crossfire.
During the previous bath, she was the only girl who undressed in front of all the boys at the pool. Despite her lack of stamina and slower pace, she was punished but not forced to undress.
This led the other girls to shun her, thinking she was indiscreet and unashamed around boys.
As a result, like Henwell, she has no one to help her apply ointment.
Henwell glances at her and hands over the ointment, saying, "Thanks!"
After the girl gently applies the ointment to Henwell's back, he takes the ointment from her hand and says, "Take off your shirt and show me your back." Her cheeks flush slightly, but she complies. Henwell thinks to himself, What's there to be shy about? There's nothing to see either way!
When the ointment touches her pale back, the girl visibly flinches.
Henwell casually remarks, "Soak your bread in the soup when you eat. That way, your stomach won't feel as bad."
"But... but then it'll turn into mush, and it tastes awful!"
"Exactly! If it tastes bad, it'll help you forget the pain in your body, or the pain will make you ignore the taste. Either way, it's one less thing to suffer from."
After finishing with the ointment, Henwell adds in a low voice, "During physical training, push yourself as much as you can. Even in your room, force yourself to exercise. You don't have enough muscle."
The girl looks down and says, "I'm Michelle..."
Henwell starts shoveling the mushy meal into his mouth, "No need to tell me your name. I'm not going to take care of you. Here, we can only look after ourselves and rely on ourselves."
"Don't forget the good times and the grudges from before. When you feel like you can't go on, think about those things, and you'll find the strength to endure. If you want to survive, you have to be tough!"
With that, Henwell lowers his head and continues eating his meal.
He understands what the little girl is after—she wants him to be her protector. That's typical of a noble upbringing! Even at such a young age, she knows how to use her advantages to win a man's sympathy.
In a different setting, this girl might achieve something significant. But here, as Henwell said, survival is the priority.
In the afternoon, the bald man has everyone start running. It's aimless running, continuing until they collapse and can't get up even when prodded with sticks.
Henwell holds back, showcasing only enough to be in the first tier of runners. The bald man, with his wealth of experience, can usually spot those pretending to be too exhausted to rise. Yet, Henwell's acting is top-notch.
For Henwell, playing the part of a child has become second nature. In fact, he might not even realize that his acting is somewhat redundant—because, in everyone else’s eyes, he is just a child.