Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 193
The deep, affectionate gaze made her heart race. She wanted to finally say the words she had kept buried for so long to the man who was looking only at her.
“Burt.”
“Yes.”
“I-I love you.”
She stammered without meaning to, but the meaning behind her words was clearly understood. His quivering long eyelashes, his shining eyes, and his radiant expression all reflected how much it touched him.
“Say it again.”
“I love you.”
“Once more.”
“I love you.”
“I should be satisfied, but I find myself growing greedy.”
“What kind of greed?”
At her question, Burt gave her a mysterious smile. Even that was enough for her to understand his thoughts.
‘Burt wants to live the future with me, too.’
Yet, it pained her that despite this, he was still willing to sacrifice his life. Feeling both sorrow and tenderness, Irene cupped his cheeks with both hands. Then, she kissed his forehead. Next, the tip of his nose. And finally, her lips met his.
As their kiss deepened naturally, the tips of Burt’s ears turned red.
“You’re quite bold.”
Only then did Irene realize what she had done. Her face flushed bright red, and she quickly pulled back, but it was already too late.
“But I don’t dislike such boldness.”
Burt took Irene’s hand.
“I actually like it.”
Like a flower in bloom, Burt’s smile grew even wider. It was so beautiful and radiant that Irene found herself staring at him, mesmerized.
Though joyful sounds leaked from the party hall, being here, with him, felt far happier. She didn’t know how long this happiness would last, but in this moment, she wanted to savor it.
The two of them stayed like that in the garden for a long time.
“…It hurts!”
Ramiel writhed in pain. Though Luciel had helped her barely escape, the process had been far from smooth.
Luciel had weakened from overexerting his power, and Ramiel had been struck by a sword while fleeing. The sword, imbued with holy power, left a severe wound on her back. It was not healing easily, and the pain was excruciating.
“Saintess.”
Luciel called to her, tending to Ramiel with devoted care, but it wasn’t much help. As the pain intensified, so did her hatred. She felt her sanity slipping away bit by bit.
There were moments when her mind would black out, and when she came to, she was always standing in ruins. Several villages of slash-and-burn farmers deep within the forest had been destroyed by her hands.
“Get a hold of yourself!”
If things continued this way, they would be caught by the pursuing holy knights. Luciel realized that at some point, he could no longer control Ramiel.
‘But I can’t abandon her.’
She was the only Saintess recognized by the goddess. As long as Luciel had faith in the goddess, he couldn’t forsake Ramiel, even if it led to the worst possible outcome.
Ramiel, increasingly lost in madness, often failed to even recognize Luciel anymore. She had attacked him many times.
‘In the end, I’ll probably die, too.’
Luciel thought this as he reflected on his life. Born the eldest son of a noble family, he had been abused by the woman who became his father’s second wife. That led him to run away from home, and from there, he encountered a new world, eventually leading him to this point.
‘I haven’t even seen the dawn of that new world yet.’
Once again, Ramiel had a fit, attacking everything around her. Then, she moved towards the nearest village. In the process, Luciel was also wounded. He had been stabbed deep in the abdomen, and there was no way to heal.
As Luciel followed Ramiel, who kept pressing forward, at some point, he stopped. He collapsed under a nearby tree stump, exhausted.
How much time had passed? Ramiel awoke once more in a ruined village. She stood among the wreckage of a small town, with bodies strewn all around her. In the midst of it, she called out someone’s name. It was the name of the person who always ran to her and embraced her when she called, but this time, they didn’t come.
No matter how many times she called, no one appeared. At that moment, fear gripped her.
[It’s a demon, a demon!]
She recalled someone’s scream.
‘That’s not true.’
She was a messenger of the goddess.
[Spare me!]
She was supposed to be the one carrying out the goddess’s will, saving people.
‘But… is that really true?’
Doubt suddenly crept into her mind. Her back still throbbed with pain, and the only person who had stayed by her side was nowhere to be found. It was no wonder her mind was faltering.
Ramiel thought back to a time long ago—when she had believed the world was beautiful and was certain she would become a saint. She raised her hands and looked at them. These hands, now stained with blood, were so different from when they held flowers and laughed.
“Aaah!”
Ramiel screamed. For a moment, she had regained her sanity, and it felt unbearable. Or perhaps, she had already gone mad long ago. After screaming for what felt like an eternity, she finally fell silent.
