Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 194
This was all Irene’s fault. If it weren’t for her…
Blaming someone else was easy. Hatred piled upon hatred. Ramiel felt murderous intent toward Irene. It tormented her that while she had become so broken, Irene continued to live as the Saintess, perfectly intact.
“I need to kill her.”
That thought crossed her mind, but killing her outright wasn’t possible—too many things stood in her way. So what could she do? Ramiel already knew the answer: exploit the weakest, most vulnerable person, just as she had done many times before.
Ramiel changed her direction. Until now, she had been trying to distance herself from the central region, but now, she moved in the opposite direction, heading toward it.
Under normal circumstances, Luciel would have stopped her, but he was no longer there.
“The trail ends here.”
The holy knight who had been pursuing Ramiel clenched his teeth as he looked at the ravaged village. If they had just caught up a little sooner, these people wouldn’t have had to die. Chasing down the wicked demon was no easy task.
The heretic by her side had been a constant obstacle.
“Still, we managed to kill that bastard this time, so it should be easier to track the demon now.”
The heretic, despite a deep wound in his abdomen, had desperately tried to stop the knights, but it was futile. In the end, the holy knights succeeded in killing him.
Just to be sure, they burned the body and had the priest purify the remains. Now, only the demon was left.
“Do you think she’ll try to find the remaining heretics?”
“Most likely. The demon wouldn’t act alone so recklessly.”
“Then we just need to keep following this path.”
“It won’t be easy, but we must.”
The tracking party began moving again after gathering the bodies from the village, determined to kill the demon.
After the welcome party, Luna shut herself in her room. The maids suggested she take a walk, but she refused to listen.
“Lady Luna.”
“Anne.”
The only one who consistently cared for her was Anne, the maid who had been with her since childhood.
“You have a visitor.”
“A visitor? Are they in the sitting room?”
At Luna’s question, Anne shook her head.
“No, she’s coming here herself.”
“What? But I didn’t give permission.”
“She is someone who doesn’t need anyone’s permission.”
“Anne?”
Even though her words sounded strange, Anne’s expression remained as calm as ever. She smiled gently and said,
“I never imagined I’d be able to meet her in person. I thought everything was over, but it wasn’t.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
Luna began to slowly back away, glancing toward the window. The door was blocked by Anne, but the window was open, and she could see Milli strolling in the garden.
Though still just a child, he was always with the knights, so in case of danger, he could be a great help.
“Lady Luna, offer your reverence.”
“Anne, what’s wrong with you? You’ve looked troubled lately. Did something happen?”
Luna wanted to trust Anne, but the atmosphere was so strange that she couldn’t bear it.
“She has arrived.”
“Who has arrived?”
“The Saintess.”
“Why would the Saintess come here?”
Luna furrowed her brow without realizing it.
“Because you are needed, Lady Luna.”
As soon as those words left her mouth, the room darkened. Alarmed, Luna turned toward the window, but it had already been closed, and the curtains were drawn, blocking out the view outside.
“Hello.”
A voice called out from a shadowy corner. It sounded like an ordinary woman’s voice, but hearing it sent a shiver down Luna’s spine.
“Goddess, help me.”
Luna whispered instinctively, calling upon the deity. But the woman laughed aloud.
“The goddess is asleep.”
“The goddess always watches over us.”
“No, she doesn’t. Ah, you might not know that. The temple may have kept that story hidden.”
Luna couldn’t stand it any longer. She turned and grabbed the curtains, intending to pull them open and call for help, but despite being just fabric, they wouldn’t budge.
“Calling for help isn’t allowed.”
“It is not allowed.”
Anne echoed, sounding disturbingly off.
Luna felt like she was losing her mind.
“Anne, snap out of it!”
“Lady Luna, it’s you who must come to your senses. How dare you be so disrespectful in the presence of the Saintess.”
“The Saintess isn’t here!”
“A true Saintess bears no ominous symbols.”
Had she gone mad? How could Anne say such things so casually? Luna stared at her in shock, and then, Anne calmly rolled up the sleeve of her maid’s uniform.
There, etched into her skin, was a strange symbol—something Luna had never seen before, yet it filled her with an overwhelming sense of unease. It didn’t take long for Luna to understand what that unease was.
“Anne, you…”
“Yes?”
“You’re a heretic?”
“Yes.”
Anne replied without hesitation.
“Since when?”
“It’s been several years now.”
Luna opened her mouth several times, but no words came out. She didn’t know what to say.
t/n: This one’s quite confusing because Luciel, being by Ramiel’s side, was captured a few chapters earlier. Perhaps he escaped since his specialization involves teleportation. Or maybe there’s nothing wrong or confusing here, maybe that part happened before Irene woke up after the battle with Ramiel and the false goddess.
