I Just Wanted to Avoid Death - Chapter 26
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“So… all you remember is swearing at me?”
Yeshion nodded.
Rosaline squinted, scratching his cheek.
“Well… you did insult me, sure. But you weren’t wrong.”
“…What?”
“When I first came to the temple, I had no idea what I was doing. But you pointed out every single thing I was doing wrong.”
Of course, the process of correction hadn’t been smooth.
‘Yeshion’ had never cared about sparing anyone’s feelings, always spitting out whatever he thought. He had said things like, “Are you here to sell laughter at the temple?” telling Rosaline to maintain the dignity required of a Saintess.
Rosaline shared examples of their past conversations.
“You… now that I think about it, you’ve only ever said good things to me.”
“More nonsense. Do you even realize how many ears listen to your every word? Stop spouting nonsense and go get some sleep. You help me more when you’re not around.”
“Wait, are you telling me how I should act when I meet the Crown Prince later?”
“Tsk. Look at the state of your clothes…”
“Do they not suit me?”
“Oh, they suit you perfectly. Go out just like that. You’ll be the talk of the town.”
“So you’re saying they look terrible. Thanks, Yeshion!”
“..…”
Listening to this, Yeshion scowled.
‘Is this guy… an idiot?’
No matter how you looked at it, ‘Yeshion’ clearly didn’t like Rosaline. He had nitpicked everything from his behavior to his clothes, constantly nagging at him.
But Rosaline had interpreted all of it as helpful advice to improve himself. He claimed he ignored most people, but whenever ‘Yeshion’ spoke, he listened carefully to every word.
‘Oh, right. He’s the main ‘shou’.’
No wonder those lunatic protagonists were all so drawn to him.
It must take this level of resilience to be the main character in a twisted BL novel, after all.
Yeshion gave up trying to understand.
Everyone here is crazy. Thinking that way was the most peaceful way to cope.
“I… see.”
Yeshion forced out a response, turning his gaze away.
But Rosaline followed his line of sight and asked,
“So what did you mean earlier? You still want to die?”
Yeshion’s thoughts drifted back to what Rosaline had said earlier—”You wanted to die, didn’t you?”
But Yeshion knew nothing about the ‘Yeshion’ he had possessed. All he knew was that ‘Yeshion’ was a minor villain who briefly appeared before being killed off.
Even if Yeshion had read In the Name of the Saintess a hundred times, he wouldn’t know. After all, it was never recorded.
“Still…?”
Yeshion repeated Rosaline’s words, mulling them over.
At that moment—
“Still, huh?”
A sharp voice interrupted from nearby.
Yeshion turned his head from Rosaline and froze when he saw the man standing there.
‘…I need to run.’
That thought flashed through his mind, and Yeshion instinctively hid behind Rosaline.
Was it just his imagination? The wound he hadn’t been paying attention to suddenly ached, and without thinking, he clutched his neck.
“Yeshion?”
While Rosaline stood there, surprised, Adelio strode toward them.
Behind the Saintess’s flowing robe, Yeshion could see his plain priest’s uniform. But at least his face and hair were hidden.
“Move aside, Saintess. I need a word with the guy hiding behind you.”
Rosaline looked between the two men, confused by Yeshion’s behavior.
Seeing Yeshion cower as if he didn’t want to face Adelio, Rosaline blocked his path.
“Priest Yeshion and I were in the middle of a conversation, Your Highness.”
“Get out of the way.”
Adelio growled. His eyes fixated on the person hiding behind Rosaline, as if determined to get an answer to Yeshion’s earlier comment.
“Your Highness, this is a temple.”
“…..”
“Even if you are the Crown Prince, it would be improper to—”
Before Rosaline could finish, Yeshion tugged at his sleeve.
The look in Yeshion’s eyes clearly asked him to not say more.
Adelio hated having his pride wounded. Moreover, in the original story, Rosaline had never defied Adelio. If Rosaline were to earn his hatred here, the original plot would completely fall apart. If things were going to turn out like this anyway… it would be better to use Adelio.
As Yeshion took a deep breath and stepped forward from behind, Rosaline hastily grabbed the hem of his sleeve.
“It’s fine.”
“…It’s fine?”
For him, if things went wrong, he could just die and return. But Rosaline’s fate was uncertain. She would have to continue living in a world where Yeshion might disappear forever.
If that were the case, at the very least, he didn’t want to be a hindrance to the protagonist of this world, unlike himself.
“Let’s postpone this conversation for another time.”
“…..”
“When that time comes, I’ll try to remember a little more.”
