Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 362 Eat well
Lu Ze heard someone humming a song.

The firewood in the fireplace crackled and popped, bringing warmth and a sense of security to the room. The girl hummed a cheerful tune, as if she were sitting not far away. Her clothes rustled and rustled, accompanied by a constant "swish, swish" sound.

Luze opened his eyes and saw Cecilia sitting by his bedside pasting matchboxes together.

The black-haired, blue-eyed girl turned to the side, using the firelight from the fireplace to complete her work. Her expression was serious, and her movements were practiced. She held a matchbox in her left hand and used a small brush in her right hand to apply paste to the edges of a square piece of paper, then folded it to shape it. In a few moments, the matchbox was finished and she tossed it into a basket beside her.

The room was cramped and dimly lit, with only the fireplace in front of Cecilia emitting a warm glow. There was a bit of paste on her nose, and her delicate face looked pale. Her thin body was encased in ill-fitting, patched old clothes.

Cecilia, why are you dressed like that?

Didn't I already tell you to throw away the brush? Don't we already have money?
Seeing his sister like this, Lu Ze felt both heartache and surprise. He tried to speak, but his mouth wouldn't move and he couldn't make a sound.

"Lu Ze, you're awake?"

Cecilia looked up and met his eyes, immediately breaking into a delighted and radiant smile. Her azure eyes shone brightly in the dark room, reflecting the firelight from the fireplace.

Where is this?
I am not
No, where was I before I went to sleep?
Lu Ze felt his mind was a complete blank, as if a stick was stirring a pool of memories, causing sediment to rise to the surface, making it impossible for him to recall anything. He tried to get up, but his body felt as if it were tightly bound by something, unable to move.

He rolled his eyes and, from the edge of his field of vision, discovered that he was wearing a straitjacket with many black leather straps tightly binding him.

"Alright, you just woke up, so don't move."

Cecilia came over, reached for a glass of water on the bedside table, and fed it to him. Then, she gently wiped Luze's face with a faded towel, removing the sweat from his forehead.

Lu Ze stared at her blankly.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you staring at me like that? Don't you recognize your sister?"

Cecilia seemed amused by him. After wiping her sweat, she straightened up, turned around, and draped the towel over the rope by the stove. "Are you hungry? I'll go make you something to eat."

After saying that, she was about to walk out of the house.

Don't go!
Cecilia, don't leave me!
Watching the girl's retreating figure, Lu Ze suddenly felt an immense sense of panic. He wanted to get up, to stop her, but he couldn't open his mouth. The straps binding him tightened, pulling him downwards into the endless darkness.

Cecilia!

The warm little house was gone from him, and the girl's beautiful figure gradually faded into the distance, as darkness filled his vision. Lu Ze struggled desperately, but he couldn't move and could only watch as she pushed open the door.

"By the way, Lu Ze,"

Cecilia gripped the doorknob, turned around, and said in a distant voice, "You seem to be eating very little lately, but you must eat properly."

"Cecilia!"

Lu Ze shouted, suddenly sitting up in bed.

What came into view was his bedroom in Backlund.

Yes, I'm here.
He was panting, gradually recalling the familiar scenery. Yesterday, he had escaped the battle in the Joewood district, and felt extremely tired after returning. He lay down and slept for a while, but unexpectedly had a dream.

In his dream, he saw Cecilia again after a long time.

"."

Lu Ze caught his breath for a while and then calmed down.

He made no further move, but sat on the bed in silence, his face filled with a remembrance and sorrow.

The scene he saw in his dream was probably the room the brother and sister rented together after their parents died. By the time he transmigrated, the two had already been tricked into coming to Sirius's house, so theoretically he had never actually seen that room. However, the fireplace looked exactly like the one in his current room in Backlund. Perhaps it was a fusion of his predecessor's memories and his own, creating a dreamlike illusion.

In her dream, Cecilia and he were so close.
Lu Ze slightly curled the corners of his mouth, but quickly sank into a deeper sorrow.

The winter mornings are cold and quiet. Now, when he wakes up, there will be no one to greet him or offer him comfort.

"Meow."

Suddenly, a cat meowed outside the room. Then, the doorknob was pressed down from the outside, and the door opened, allowing a black shadow to slip into the room. With a thud, Lu Ze felt his legs sink.

"Meow~"

Luna the black cat called out to him.

Its size had increased, and its fur was glossy and smooth, giving it a considerable weight when pressed against Lu Ze's legs.

"hungry?"

Lu Ze, who was immersed in a gloomy mood, was forcibly pulled out of it and asked in an annoyed tone.

"Meow."

The black cat stared straight into his eyes, its paws stomping back and forth on the blanket.

"Okay, okay, let me get up first."

Lu Ze lifted the blanket, and the black cat nimbly dodged, avoiding being crushed. It raised its tail and followed Lu Ze at his feet, keeping him company as he washed up, changed clothes, and watched him prepare his breakfast.

But when Luze put the raw meat and bones on a plate and placed it in front of Luna, it didn't eat it immediately, but instead tilted its head to look at him.

"Why are you looking at me? I don't need to eat."

Lu Ze waved his hand and said.

He also thought that while the black cat was eating and wouldn't bother him, and while the memory of the dream was still vivid, he should go and remember Cecilia.

It was rare for my younger sister to speak a few words to me in my dream.
At that moment, he suddenly froze.

In my dream, my younger sister's last words to me were, "Eat well."

Indeed, since killing Mr. A, he had barely eaten anything. Because he was already at Sequence 5, his body had undergone a fundamental change, so not eating wouldn't have any impact. At most, he would buy a few kilograms of fresh raw meat to replenish his blood and flesh when he was lacking.

He hadn't eaten a proper "meal" in a long time.

".All right."

Lu Ze didn't know why he had this dream, but he didn't intend to find out.

He turned and went into the kitchen. The empty kitchen contained nothing but raw meat for the cat. He rummaged around for a while before finally finding a box of cookies in a corner—it was in a metal jar and barely still within its expiration date.

It was probably left behind by the original homeowner, Charles.

He opened the jar with one hand, then stuffed the dry salted biscuits into his mouth and chewed them expressionlessly.

He thought to himself, "I'll go buy some groceries later."

(End of this chapter)