Don't Be Holy! - Chapter 2
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To explain how things reached this point, we must start with the day Eir had an unusual stroke of luck.
As soon as she climbed the mountain, she found clusters of rare herbs in abundance. Overjoyed, she ventured deeper, thinking.
“At this rate, I might even find treasure!”
Hours passed as she boldly pressed on, hands on her hips, reveling in her fortune.
What she discovered, however, was no treasure, but a divine calamity.
The calamity’s name was Rubel Shinote.
He was one of the twelve lions who served the gods, known as the “Red Jewel” and a renowned knight of the Divine Empire.
Stories of this man purging countless acres of the darkened lands for the gods and slaying innumerable witches had spread far and wide.
Said to have purified countless acres of cursed land and slain innumerable witches. His reputation for invincibility in combat and his unparalleled favor with the gods were the stuff of legend.
And yet, here he was, lying in a bloodied heap beneath the very mountain where Eir had collapsed three years ago.
‘Is it really him?’
Red hair like his was rare. So were his strikingly noble features, unforgettable to anyone who had seen them.
Rumors had it that the purification squad had passed through a nearby village months ago, heading north. Could he have failed in his mission? But why was he wearing peasant clothes? Was he being pursued?
‘Should I help him?’
Hesitation clouded Eir’s face.
She wasn’t one to gamble with life and death, but this time, her own life was on the scale alongside his.
‘Those who remember you deeply or share a strong connection with you may break the curse. Be careful, my child.’
Eir recalled the old woman’s warning.
“They couldn’t possibly remember me.”
Before examining the man’s wounds, Eir leaned in close, prying his eyelids open again. Though she doubted an unconscious man would suddenly bolt upright and exclaim, ‘Oh, it’s you!’, the thought made her hands tremble slightly with unease.
Since the curse had taken hold, no one remembered her. The old woman had assured her that even if she encountered someone she once knew, they would pass her by as though she were a stranger, without even the faintest spark of recognition.
In truth, anyone who might have remembered Eir distinctly had long since disappeared from this world. The man before her, Rubel Shinote, had only ever scolded her briefly when summoned, their interaction had been fleeting at best.
‘Even without the curse, they probably would have forgotten me by now.’
She told herself, shaking off the lingering discomfort.
As she pulled back his clothing, she revealed an arrow piercing through his shoulder and a diagonal gash across his torso. With practiced efficiency, she crushed herbs to staunch the bleeding and reduce inflammation, pressing the poultice onto the wounds. Then, she tore her skirt to wrap them as makeshift bandages.
Only someone imbued with divine power could have survived such injuries. An ordinary man would have succumbed long ago, judging by the amount of blood pooling around him.
Eir glanced at the sun’s position, considering her options. Finally, she ground an herb known for its powerful awakening properties and placed it in his mouth. While effective as a stimulant, it came with one significant drawback for someone so gravely injured…….
“Ugh…!”
The man gasped, his body convulsing as the pain struck with full force. Eir steadied his shoulder as he writhed.
“Listen carefully, stranger. It’s just the two of us here. I can’t carry you through this mountain trail on my own, and the village is far enough away that if I leave you here to fetch help, the sun will set before I return. By then, you’ll have been picked clean by wild animals. So, no matter how much it hurts, you need to stay conscious and walk to the cabin halfway up the mountain. Understand?”
The man slowly nodded. Eir heaved him to his feet, draping his arm over her shoulder. The weight was staggering, but she felt his steps moving, however unsteadily.
If they kept going like this, they might just make it to the cabin.
Or so she hoped, until—
“[Protect us from the shadows of darkness this day…….]”
A low voice began reciting a smooth prayer in the sacred tongue.
“[Grant us Your blessing, Lord, so that we may triumph in our battle against the darkness. Guide us to follow Your light as we tread the path of wisdom and strength…]”
“Argh!”
The sudden prayer hit her like a physical blow, and Eir stumbled forward, collapsing to the ground. She hadn’t heard a divinely charged prayer in so long that her body could barely endure it.
The man’s heavy body toppled over her like a boulder, pinning her down.
“No. This can’t be happening.”
But the real problem wasn’t the physical pain—it was the growing light emanating from her hands.
“[Fill our hearts with Your love and goodwill, free us from all evil…….]”
The man’s relentless chanting showed no sign of stopping. Eir barely managed to wriggle free, her glowing hand striking his cheek in desperation.
“Be quiet!”
“[Show us the path of eternal peace and hope.]”
Even after being slapped, the man simply closed his eyes and continued praying like a madman. Her pleas escalated from ‘Be quiet!’ to ‘Shut up!’ and finally, ‘Do you want to die?!’
The white light spilling from her hands grew uncontrollable, shooting upward. If this continued, it was only a matter of time before the villagers discovered her.
She had worked so hard to keep her identity hidden, only for everything to unravel now.
Unable to suppress the overflow of divine energy, Eir directed it toward the blighted ground. The corrupted land, blackened and lifeless, instantly became purified, vibrant with renewed greenery.
Tomorrow, anyone passing through would undoubtedly notice something strange, but she had no capacity to care about that now.
It took every ounce of strength to subdue the light and bring her power under control. At last, the glow subsided, leaving Eir to release a long, weary sigh.
From the moment she discovered the man, she had known he would become a terrible disaster in her life. But she hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.
But this quickly?
“Damn it.”
Eir, age 26, known in Solvik Village as a simple herbalist…… but in truth, she was a priestess once called by the gods, a fugitive who fled the temple three years ago.
And now, it seemed the gods had sent their treasured red gem to punish her.
Bleeding profusely, and impossible to cast aside.
