The blonde girl started crying, "What do you mean? I don’t want to die, let me out, I don’t want to die. What on earth is going on here? Weren’t we just supposed to be maids?"
The bald man frowned impatiently, muttered a curse under his breath, then drew the knight’s sword beside him, stepped forward twice, and thrust the sword into the blonde girl’s chest. Blood gushed out suddenly, splattering all over the girl next to her.
Screams erupted.
The bald man shouted angrily, "Whoever makes noise again will be the next to have their heart pierced."
In an instant, the room fell silent.
The girls watched this scene in horror, some holding their mouths tightly, not daring to make a sound.
The blonde girl stared with frightened eyes, mouth agape, fell to the ground, twitched twice, and died.
All the girls in the room backed away, huddling together, except Tianmiao and Lou Sha who remained standing in the corner. Lou Sha tightly gripped Tianmiao’s hand, her gaze coldly fixed on the bald man, yet showing no signs of panic or fear. After confirming her inner unease, Lou Sha did not lose her composure, instead contemplating how to respond next.
"That’s more like it, everyone stay quiet and listen to me," the bald man said with a smile, his tone one of satisfaction.
The bald man tossed the sword back to the knight, took a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped his blood-stained cheek, saying, "You may call me Housekeeper Walter. I hope you will do as I say from now on, and refrain from these foolish antics. Duke Andophin isn’t as patient as I am. Now, I will begin forming groups. Of course, you can also team up on your own first. Four people per group; those without a group will be assigned by me later. Now, move quickly, and stay quiet, as I can’t guarantee what I might do next."
With the blonde girl’s example as a cautionary tale, though they didn’t know what exactly Housekeeper Walter intended, the girls obediently and swiftly formed teams. Some quickly filled up four-member teams, while others teamed up in threes and twos. Lou Sha never let go of Tianmiao’s hand, considering Tianmiao’s fragility something that needed constant protection.
"I advise you to choose your teammates carefully," Walter’s tone was filled with malice, "because the game you will participate in next could easily cost you your life. What you need to do is run out of this castle alive. Knights will hunt you down; you must evade these knights. Of course, if you have the ability to kill knights in return, I’d be even more pleased. After all, useless people don’t deserve to live."
Walter’s words stirred a massive wave of shock among the girls.
They looked at Walter in disbelief, thinking they had misheard. Unfortunately, Walter’s next words confirmed that this was no joke, nor was it a hallucination.
"Listen, there are only two spots available to leave the castle alive. Do you understand what that means? It means that just escaping the knights’ pursuit isn’t enough; to survive, you must eliminate other opponents. As long as you can leave the castle alive, Duke Andophin will reward you with a chest of Gold Coins and remove your slave status, making you a commoner. You can take this chest of gold, start a business, open a shop, get married, have an adorable child, and live happily ever after. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?" Walter bared his teeth in a grin, speaking slowly.