Don't Be Holy! - Chapter 51
Eir trembled as she thought to herself.
‘I’m definitely going to be executed. And it’s going to be an extremely painful death.’
When stories appeared in the newspapers about how cruelly captured witches were executed, she had only been concerned about her grandmother’s reaction. She never imagined those stories would become her own reality.
Would she be stoned to death, burned alive, or drowned in the sea with stones tied to her feet?
Death itself wasn’t that frightening.
If it had been, she wouldn’t have jumped in without hesitation to save Rubel or her grandmother time and time again. It was just the anxious waiting for death, sitting in a dark room constantly dwelling on the unknown pain she would feel in her final moments, that was terrifying.
She could endure the swift fall of a blade, but watching a massive blade slowly approach from afar for three months, wondering if she would die or not, that was unbearable.
In other words, she lacked patience and endurance.
‘I need to escape anyway.’
Her resolve was unwavering. Even if she died while escaping, at least she would die quickly from an arrow piercing her body, wouldn’t that be better than this?
To search for a way to escape, she focused on the conversation coming from outside the window.
Outside, two knights were starting to chat about their hero Rubel Shinote, whom they hadn’t seen in a long time.
“He’s really changed a lot though.”
“He even acknowledged me with a nod when I greeted him.”
“Maybe it’s because he nearly died.”
They went on at length about how amazing it was that he survived such a battle, and how incredible it was that he still came here for his mission.
While massaging her tingling legs, Eir muttered internally that she understood how amazing their superior was, but could they please share the information she needed?
After all, whether she was officially declared a criminal or not would determine if she should recklessly jump out the window or try to sweet-talk her way out.
“Maybe it’s because he’s discovered love.”
But they, oblivious to her thoughts, were saying strange things.
Love? Love? Here?
Originally, she had expected the conversation to flow like this.
They would lament about the monsters and witches infesting the land, then talk about criminals, and then ask, “But what crime did that woman inside commit?” giving her helpful information.
But to suddenly discuss Rubel Shinote’s love life? Were these people not taking their duty hours seriously?
Spreading such baseless rumors. That man loved nothing but God. How could that proud man, who was so willful toward any being other than God, love a person?
As she scoffed, suddenly, for some unknown reason, she remembered Rubel Shinote’s face gazing down at her in the darkness.
Shadows fell heavily across his face between strands of red hair hanging down, and there was a leisurely quality in his gaze as it traced her facial features.
‘Have you been carrying something this big all this time?’
When she recalled his unusually rough hands that had brushed against her soft skin and that low voice mixed with curiosity and indifference, Eir suddenly banged her head against the wall.
Remembering that moment made her feel permanently tainted somewhere.
Horrible, horrible. Yet even as she muttered this, her face was flushed with an inexplicable emotion.
Meanwhile outside, the discussion about Rubel Shinote’s ‘love’ continued in low, intrigued voices.
“But why did he suddenly become like that?”
“Because she saved his life, they say.”
“The man who said he wasn’t afraid to die for God? He fell for something like that?”
“Have you seen her face? Should we open the window and take a peek?”
“Are you crazy? That would be inappropriate.”
“Right, right? I was just joking, just joking.”
There was a throat-clearing sound and they turned their gazes forward again. They had no idea that the subject of their conversation was right behind the window, peering out with her face slightly exposed, staring at them blankly.
Yes, Eir blinked quietly.
While she had been suffering from unnecessary memories, she suddenly found something in common with what they were talking about.
‘Saved his life? That’s me, isn’t it?’
