Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 113
Irene, unaware of the conversations about her elsewhere, had fallen asleep. In her dreams, she encountered a familiar woman.
[Irene.]
The woman’s face was remarkably similar to the goddess’s. Irene recognized her immediately.
“Goddess.”
[Yes, are you feeling unwell?]
“This much is bearable.”
Irene raised her slender arm to show her resilience.
[You don’t look well, but your spirit seems strong. I must leave for a while as something urgent has come up.]
“Has something happened?”
[Yes, a stubborn little one is causing trouble. They’ve been hiding from my sight until now, but I’ve discovered them, and I must go.]
“Please, take care.”
[Yes, I must. But I’m worried about you. Don’t overexert yourself. Help is on the way, so hang in there a bit longer.]
“Yes.”
[Then, my beloved child, I shall return soon.]
“Yes, please go safely.”
How could she hold back the goddess when there was an urgent matter? The goddess was a magnificent being, and this was not something a human could resolve.
Irene, unaware of the future that awaited her, let the goddess go without resistance. She thought they would meet again soon.
After bidding farewell to the goddess and waking up, Irene was greeted by Luciel. He was sitting in a chair next to her bed, reading a book with a black cover.
“It’s the Holy Scriptures,”
Luciel explained, noticing Irene’s gaze.
“It contains the story of the great Lord Mileka. Now that you’re awake, we can proceed with our discussion. I’ll get straight to the point.”
Luciel took out a round pill from a small pouch.
“Please swallow this poison.”
The first thing she was offered upon waking up was poison. Irene frowned.
“There are two ways to take it. One, you swallow it yourself. Two, I force you to swallow it. You can choose.”
“Refusal is not an option, I see.”
“Of course not.”
“What kind of poison is it?”
“It’s a precious poison crafted with divine power by our followers. Diana has taken it too. If you don’t receive divine power from our followers once a week, you will die.”
“Divine power from heretics?”
“From our perspective, you are the heretics. In any case, you might survive without receiving the divine power, but you won’t remain unscathed. It’s a gamble, and I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“So you intend to kill me anyway?”
Luciel added more seriously in response to Irene’s question.
“Indeed, but you cannot die from poison here. You must perish in a grand spectacle at the central square. The elders are seriously debating how to execute you.”
“How to kill me?”
“Yes. It will take some time to decide and carry out the plan, so we’re giving you the poison to prevent any escape attempts.”
“What if I refuse to take it?”
“Then I’ll assume you’ve chosen the second option.”
Biting her lip, Irene looked around but found no other way. She snatched the poison from Luciel’s hand and swallowed it.
The poison left a bitter taste as it dissolved in her mouth and flowed down her throat.
“Is that enough?”
“And one more thing.”
“There’s more?”
“We can’t rely on poison alone. There’s also a curse. If you don’t receive our followers’ divine power, you’ll die from the curse as well.”
Both the poison and the curse required the heretics’ divine power, making it clear that escaping would be fatal.
‘Fine.’
This wasn’t entirely unexpected. When Diana mentioned taking the poison, Irene knew this could happen to her too.
Some might say, a world without a saintess would be hell, so why not abandon a mere child? But Irene couldn’t do that.
She couldn’t abandon someone she already cherished, not even for the sake of the world.
‘Maybe this is more selfish.’
Knowing what would happen to the world if she died, Irene thought of this as selfishness.
“Cast the curse.”
“What?”
“Cast the curse. Isn’t that what will give you peace of mind?”
“That’s correct.”
Luciel placed his hand on Irene’s neck. While looking at the small book he had been reading, he whispered in an unknown language.
With each whisper, Irene could feel something settling deep within her body. This must be the curse Luciel spoke of.
‘How will I break this later?’
She was worried, but oddly, she wasn’t afraid.
‘Won’t Burt somehow manage it?’
That thought crossed her mind.
‘No, what am I thinking?’
