It was deeply troubling to think about.

Typhon was equally annoyed with them and he approached me insisting they had to be punished, much to the horrified looks of Galahad, Artemis, and Morgana.

They all quivered and stared at me pleadingly, hoping I would spare them, but in this instant, I agreed with him.

It seemed my captains had too much free time that they had to stir up trouble. Perhaps Sensei was right in that I had spoiled them by giving them too much.

However, I had to admit not all of them were at fault.

Cygnus had been attacked and was probably still not fully recovered. It wasn't his fault that he was tracked back, but it made me realize he was not strong enough to scout alone. So the next time he went out, it would be best if he was accompanied by someone else to watch his back.

As for Artemis, he had been recruited from his prison cell to help, but it was because of him that no lives were lost. It was his idea to fight the creatures in the tunnels, and it was also due to his quick thinking and observation that they weren't followed by more creatures.

Contrary to him, Galahad didn't seem to have much say as a captain. He seemed to be easily led by the whims of others and had joined Ophelia without much objection when he should have had a voice.

I was glad none of them had died, but the problem came from the decision to attack without thinking of consequences. It was reckless and impulsive, and I believe Ophelia is to be blamed for that.

But unfortunately, she wasn't here to tell her side.

Instead, I asked Typhon to tell me whose idea it was to attack and when he sent the dark fae to respond, she came back with a conflicting response.

[The wavy snake told the pale snake she was weak.] The dark fae pointed accusingly at Morgana who hissed loudly at her flying figure. [She told her she needed to fight more monsters to increase her strength like that big serpent.]

Hm? So, it was Morgana's fault they attacked?

But wait, did she just say fight?

[Are you sure you understand what they're saying?] I regarded her with suspicion.

[Of course I do! I understand everything.] She buzzed around with a smug expression.

It seemed like she was confusing the meaning of fight and hunt.

Her doubtful translation aside, I could understand the basic gist of it. Morgana had goaded Ophelia into attacking, and Ophelia, keen to prove herself had obliged.

I sighed, feeling tired all of a sudden.

There was another thing that bothered me about their explanation.

If Morgana had been stung before escaping the scorpion creatures, why didn't they follow her scent back to the cave like they did with Cygnus?

In response, Morgana admitted Ophelia had made her swim across the lake to hide her scent.

I was satisfied with this, but I couldn't rule out the possibility of more scorpion creatures finding traces and heading this way.

How could such small snakes be such a handful?

I wanted to throw all of them into prison just for the hell of it, but I had to restrain myself, and turned to Typhon.

I trusted his discretion from how well level-headed he was in the Middle Stratum and I thought he was the best person to decide their punishment.

I was even beginning to suspect the dark fae had misinterpreted his request, saying he wanted to spar when maybe all he wanted was to go hunting with me.

The fact remained that he knew them the most, and as a result he would know exactly how to make them regret their reckless actions without resorting to anything severe. Hence, I consulted with him on punishments based on my captain's behaviours and interests.

While we traded suggestions, my captains were made to face the wall.

In the end we settled on simple things.

Since Ophelia seemed to be in such a rush to level up that she disregarded the safety of others, she would henceforth be forbidden from leaving the cave until she showed better behaviour.

And for added pettiness on Typhon's part, Ophelia would have to watch over the injured nestlings she disregarded, like they were precious goods, until they properly recovered.

When the dark fae told me this, I nearly burst out laughing.

It seemed Typhon was a lot stricter than his calm demeanour revealed, but I had to agree – this time Ophelia's behaviour was out of hand and the punishment was deserving.

I decided Cygnus would not be punished. He'd already been attacked, and his speed was a great quality I would need to bypass the troubles I knew were coming.

But he had to understand he couldn't outrun every opponent and I strongly cautioned him to behave more carefully in the future. To which he agreed.

For Galahad, Typhon seemed to have the impression that spending time away from me was his ideal punishment. He suggested Galahad was not allowed to come within a meter of me until he was able to evolve, and I found this punishment particularly amusing.

I didn't think it would impact him at all, but I had to admit Galahad was clingy to a point, he often followed me around the cave and so perhaps Typhon had a good reason.

To my surprise, Galahad took a turn, hissing furiously at Typhon to vent his frustrations. I tried to decipher their conversation, but the general mood made me think the two have some rivalry.

If Typhon wasn't so big, perhaps Galahad would have attacked him right there.

Nevertheless, punishing Artemis didn't seem right to me. So I thought I would reward him instead.

His efforts saved everyone and so his prison sentence was revoked. However, due to the chances of getting attacked by both the ape and scorpion creatures, all future plans for his underground garden had to be put on hold.

He seemed to be in dismay as Typhon told him, but he quickly recovered, requesting instead that he be allowed to take the stingers from every scorpion corpse.

I had no objection, but his request did strike me as odd.

Lastly, there was the issue of what to do with Morgana.

She was injured and seemed rather pitiful, but according to Typhon she was the instigator of everything. She stared directly at me, looking every bit wronged. But there was still a triumphant air about her, like she'd just won the biggest price.

Typhon's punishment for her was also unusual. At first I didn't understand what the dark fae was trying to convey, but Sensei took over the conversation and decided to explain.

«He wants you to get rid of all the eggs Morgana collected, and to forbid her from raising them as hatchlings to scold her for their actions. If she still insists on keeping them, he wants her to be cast out of the [Pit].»

"Repeat that?" I was perplexed at what I was hearing.

Sensei repeated the words, and I froze in shock.

What the hell, Typhon?

And Morgana too!

Raise what? The heck?

What was wrong with these brats?

Of course the answer was no!

I was fine with them using them as food, but letting them hatch was more dangerous.

Who knew what would come out of those eggs?

However, I didn't agree with Typhon effectively throwing her out because of one mistake – it just seemed too extreme.

I immediately told him, no one was getting kicked out. And Typhon didn't seem too happy to hear it, but he knew better than to argue with me.

As for the eggs, I now had to decide what to do with them.

I now realised just how much I had misunderstood.

It wasn't just Typhon's request, perhaps it was all of theirs.

I glared at the dark fae who buzzed over to rest on Typhon's head with a blissful abandon, completely unaware of my malicious glances.

Since when did this brat get so brave? I was surprised that Typhon would even allow it.

They both seemed to be communicating, and I didn't think she had done it to cause confusion - I genuinely thought she simply mixed up the meaning of the words. Perhaps it was more difficult to understand the thoughts of my nestlings than those of mine.

However, to me she was the cause of everything. And also Sensei to some extent.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I questioned him.

«Because I agree with her.» Sensei replied. «I think it will be a good test for the [Pit], to see how they react to having more members. Don't you think you'll need more creatures to defend you, especially now that the cave can be attacked at any time?»

I didn't like the implication that I needed shields just to survive and I shut him down immediately. "Being attacked is nothing new. That was always inevitable from living here."

«I know you have your way of doing things, and that you have 'principles'.» Sensei sarcastically said. «But it's a question of survival. Would you rather live the hard way or use your head to increase your chances of survival? You have to remember you're no longer human. Showing mercy is weakness. These creatures wouldn't think twice about doing the same to you.»

"I don't want it." I stubbornly replied.

«Why are you letting human principles threaten your way of life?» Sensei questioned, seemingly confused.

"Because it's cruel. It's not their choice to be here. I can't just use them as shields."

«Even crueler than discarding them?» Sensei replied. «Those eggs wouldn't last a day, if they're not under your protection.»

"Then I'll let them hatch, then send them away."

Sensei sighed in defeat. «I hope you're doing the right thing.»