Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 145
As Grein tried to step forward, someone else held her back from behind.
“It’s dangerous!”
The newly emerged ghoul, Roxon, acted a bit differently from the other ghouls.
He let out a terrible scream toward the sky, then charged at Irene without hesitation.
But the path he took was thorny. The paladins blocked him, and even if he broke through them, knights awaited.
Even with his arms severed and body tattered, he managed to break through, but in the end, he couldn’t overcome.
Because he was stopped by the Northern King, Burt, and the Eastern King, Guy. Under their protection, Irene was able to maintain her blessing until the end.
“I…”
As the ghoul, collapsing to his knees, faded away, human words emerged from his mouth.
“…I. Wasn’t. Wrong.”
Even to the last moment, he was stubborn and foolish. Though the scene was cleared, many problems remained.
First, many priests had turned into ghouls and died, and the damage caused by the ghouls was considerable.
Even though the knights had run around all night, the number of dead was significant. No matter how skilled the priests and paladins were, they couldn’t bring back the dead.
“Lady Saintess, it’s over now.”
At Guy’s words, Irene finally opened her eyes and looked ahead. There lay a giant ghoul sprawled out, and she could tell who it was without asking.
‘Selfish person.’
Irene lowered her clasped hands and staggered as she stood up. Burt and Guy supported her.
“What about the wounded?”
“The remaining priests can take care of them.”
“You don’t look well. It would be best for you to rest, Lady Saintess.”
How could she rest alone here? Irene shook her head and summoned her divine power. She aimed to reach as wide and far as possible.
That day, the capital was enveloped in light. Those touched by the light were healed, and the ghouls’ corpses melted away.
The people, who had been soaked in fear, finally began to come out of their homes. Looking up at the still brightly shining sky, they murmured.
“Goddess.”
It was a night when the grace of the divine descended.
* * *
Afterward, Irene collapsed immediately and began to suffer from a high fever.
Perhaps it was fortunate. Since most of the priests had turned into ghouls while outside the temple, the interior remained clean.
Therefore, Irene was able to rest in her own room. In the dawn, panting with a high fever, she had a dream.
She felt the presence of the goddess sleeping deep within, just like herself. And she also sensed ominous energy rising far away.
‘Camille.’
She, a creation of the goddess, was looking this way. From her, an evil aura was felt.
Camille. Her other name was the Mother of Demons.
“So we meet here.”
As the woman approached with a benevolent smile, Irene stepped back.
“It’s okay. I won’t harm you. Aren’t you tired of the goddess’s selfishness? If only she had done better from the start, you wouldn’t have been branded with the ominous mark. Don’t you think so?”
Irene still kept her lips tightly closed and watched Camille.
“I am the Mother of Demons. And the children with the ominous mark also originated from demons. I cherish my children.”
“And yet you killed the priests without hesitation?”
“Because they are not my children. And hasn’t it become easier for you to move now that they’re dead? There’s no one hindering you anymore.”
“I didn’t want such things.”
Camille smiled softly and said.
“Still, it’s true that it helped, right? How about abandoning the goddess and coming to me? I, too, need my own Saintess. And if that were a descendant of my children, I would be very pleased.”
It was a tempting offer, but Irene shook her head. Now that she was finally changing the world’s perception, she couldn’t take Camille’s hand.
That would only prove that they were evil beings like the demons, just as people said.
As if reading her thoughts, Camille spoke.
“It’s okay. I’ll destroy everything the goddess has made anyway.”
At those words, she thought of those she had formed bonds with: Burt, Aura, Lani, Diana.
There were many others who came to mind. People who, despite not bearing the ominous mark, tried to understand them.
Could she abandon such people and be happy alone? Irene thought not.
“You resent them too. You thought about it when you were being tortured, didn’t you? That you wished the world would perish. Come on, Irene. Let’s destroy it and build a new world just for us.”
Camille reached out her hand to Irene. But Irene did not take that hand.
“I refuse.”
