Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 170
“It would be best to send holy knights and priests. I will go as well.”
“What? It’s too dangerous! You should stay here, Saintess.”
“No, it’s precisely because it’s dangerous that I must go.”
With the goddess asleep, if Camille descended, only Irene would be able to stop her. It was only right that she moved alongside them.
This news spread quickly throughout the temple. They could have prepared more discreetly, but they didn’t. The temple was weaker now compared to the past. Though their influence was growing, they needed a faster way to regain power.
More importantly, announcing this openly meant they could also seek assistance from other kings.
“I will go as well,”
Guy said.
“So this time, I can protect you, Saintess.”
He smiled faintly as he spoke.
“I’ll go too,”
Burt naturally chimed in.
“We can’t send you to such a dangerous place alone, Saintess.”
Of course, a group of priests and holy knights were going as well, but it seemed Burt didn’t see them. He declared he would gladly lead the troops to help.
With Aura adding her forces as well, a significant number of people gathered.
“With this many, that wicked demon won’t be able to escape again.”
Grein breathed a sigh of relief. They weren’t as concerned about losing the battle as they were about letting Ramiel slip away.
“Saintess!”
A child ran towards Ramiel, clutching a bunch of wildflowers, unsteady on their feet. In their small hand, the flowers looked shabby, but they must have gathered them with great care. Ramiel accepted them with a smile.
“Thank you, Al.”
“No, it’s thanks to you! My dad isn’t sick anymore!”
The child beamed, but that smile, so bright and pure, twisted something deep inside her. What should have looked adorable and full of love no longer appeared that way.
Instead, a murderous impulse flickered within her. Ramiel reached out to the child naturally, but the one who stopped her was Luciel, standing nearby.
“Saintess.”
Only then did Ramiel come back to her senses. Lately, moments like these had been happening more frequently. She found herself unable to control her emotions, and sometimes, her memory would lapse entirely.
“Al, it’s time for you to go now.”
“Saintess, are you feeling sick?”
“Yes, she’s feeling a little unwell. It’s best she gets some rest, so come back later, alright?”
Luciel, in an uncharacteristically gentle tone, responded to the child. The child nodded and turned to run off. Now that the child had left like that, the villagers probably wouldn’t come by for a while.
“Something feels off.”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly that. Something’s wrong, but I don’t know what it is.”
Ramiel mumbled absently.
“Pull yourself together. She will be here soon.”
“She?”
“Irene.”
“Ah, that cursed symbol.”
Even being a candidate for Saintess had been too much for her. Everyone had spoken as if it were a given that she would become the Saintess.
‘But reality was different.’
Just as she was thinking that, a sharp headache pierced her, causing Ramiel to rub her forehead. Every time she tried to recall the past, an agonizing pain wracked her body.
‘Don’t think about it.’
Only after burying all thoughts of the past did her body start to feel at ease again.
“Is everything ready?”
“Yes, all preparations are complete. Once you give the order, the villagers will rise for our cause.”
“Of course, they should.”
That’s why we’ve been sowing these seeds with such care, from the elderly down to the children.
“But it won’t be easy.”
“I’ve prepared for that much.”
Ramiel spoke firmly.
“Still, we have to get rid of her this time. It’s what the goddess desires.”
With the true goddess asleep, Camille grew more restless by the day. Eliminating the Saintess now would make taking control of the world far simpler. That was why Camille had begun using Ramiel to mobilize the heretics more aggressively.
The small village, nestled deep within the forest, was soon to face its doom. Yet, no one in this room cared. After all, the villagers had only been found to be used. Once they served their purpose, that was the end of it.
Once the goddess disappeared and Camille ruled the world, Ramiel would finally become a true Saintess.
No one had said this outright, but Ramiel could feel it. That’s why she worked so hard to neglect nothing.
“This time for sure.”
She would become the perfect Saintess, alone. Irene’s position had always rightfully belonged to her. Taking it back was only fair. There was no guilt in her heart.
The villagers, unaware of the truth, continued to praise Ramiel.
“We’re so lucky the Saintess came.”
“Yes, now there’s no more pain. Even my broken leg healed, didn’t it?”
“She’s truly a kind woman.”
“But… hasn’t your stomach been hurting a little lately?”
“Stomachache? No, I’m perfectly fine.”
A few complained of stomach pains, but their concerns were soon drowned out by the reassurances of the others.
