Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 67
“Ahh, crazy guy.”
Adlen clicked her tongue as she saw the second messenger pigeon arrive.
Still, she couldn’t just ignore the bird. She knew Luciel was someone who might overlook things once but never twice.
She had learned that the hard way.
With a sigh, Adlen pulled out the small tube attached to the pigeon’s leg.
“What does it say?”
“He wants us to move immediately.”
“Means we need to cover his retreat.”
“Exactly.”
Mid-answer, Adlen clutched her hair in frustration.
“Aaaah!”
“What are you doing?”
“I’m losing my mind, that’s what!”
She had hoped the new Saintess might be different, worth investigating further.
But as long as Luciel held her family hostage, she couldn’t outright refuse his orders.
“Let’s get moving.”
Sometimes, she felt a wave of despair, but she had no choice in the matter.
‘How wonderful it would be if I could abandon everything.’
Like many with a cursed fate, Adlen had not enjoyed a happy childhood. Even her parents kept their distance and tried to abandon her.
But her only younger sister was different.
‘Sis.’
She would call her sister and smile at Adlen, who was shunned by the village. In fact, it was her sister who had given Adlen her name.
That’s why, in the end, she had to follow Luciel’s orders.
‘He has a knack for knowing what people hold dear.’
That was Luciel’s most annoying trait.
Eugene gently patted Adlen’s shoulder. It was a gesture of comfort.
“It’s okay.”
She had always dealt with things like this. So it’s okay, Adlen tried to convince herself.
* * *
It had been half a day since they left the village, and the carriage had covered a considerable distance.
A fork in the road appeared. The pilgrimage group unhesitatingly chose the right path. The left path was faster but much rougher.
There was no urgent matter, and they were escorting the Saintess, so taking the longer route made mroe sense.
Clunk.
At that moment, the carriage jolted as if it had hit a large, unseen rock.
“Are you all right?”
Grein, sitting across from Irene, asked with a concerned expression.
As the High Priest, she had been trying hard to get closer to her since joining the group.
“I’m fine.”
But Irene didn’t feel the need to respond to her efforts, so she looked out the window again.
The scenery outside was monotonous, but it was better than facing Grein.
‘Huh?’
Just as she thought she saw something glinting, a loud shout rang out.
“Ambush!”
With the shout, the carriage lurched violently and was hit with a powerful impact. She tumbled to the floor without time to grab hold, and the carriage flipped over.
“Ugh.”
Grein, who had also tumbled, groaned as she tried to get up, but then a voice came from outside.
“Do not come out! There’s an archer!”
Hearing this, Grein sank back down.
“It’s alright. This will be over soon. The paladins are skilled. And if anything happens, I’ll protect you with my own body!”
Grein’s face was set with firm determination. Seeing her like that left Irene with mixed feelings.
She slowly stood up and approached the window, which looked out at the sky.
It was wide enough that she had to step on the seat to reach it, but she could manage that without trouble.
“Saintess!”
Grein called out to Irene with a flustered expression. At the same time, someone abruptly shoved their face through the window.
Though the figure was masked, making their features indistinguishable, she oddly didn’t feel threatened.
She wondered why and then realized. There was no sense of murderous intent coming from the masked person.
The masked figure simply stared at Irene before briefly lifting their mask. She saw their vivid red eyes.
Then a playful voice spoke.
“Want to come with me?”
What was she thinking?
Irene silently nodded. Perhaps it was because a familiar voice whispered in her ear.
[It’s okay. They don’t intend to hurt you.]
Irene reached out and took the masked figure’s hand. She was stronger than her, lifting her effortlessly.
“Saintess!”
Grein’s desperate voice called out from behind, but she paid it no mind.
Once out of the carriage, she saw that the surroundings were a mess.
In the chaos, as if something had exploded, unknown figures were battling with the knights.
Among them were Garan and Burt.
Every time Garan flicked his fingers, shadows ensnared the intruders.
Burt was more aggressive. With each of his movements, several enemies lost parts of their bodies and collapsed.
“Hurry, hurry!”
Only then did Irene tear her gaze away from the fight and follow the masked person.
‘As long as I don’t die, it’s fine.’
