Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 70
The scars didn’t seem to be from a single incident. Even the tips of her fingers, peeking out from under the blanket, had red marks.
Adlen stared at her for a moment, then reached out to touch the blanket but withdrew her hand.
“Nah, I should get permission to look at something like this.”
She then turned back to the small kitchen and began cooking.
It wasn’t really cooking. She roughly chopped some vegetables that someone else had brought and threw them into the water.
Seasoning consisted only of a sprinkle of salt. Fortunately, they had access to rock salt nearby; otherwise, even that would have been difficult.
Adlen placed the pot on top of the stove and lit the fire. As the water began to boil, the vegetables started to cook.
“Let’s see.”
Looking for something more to add, she found some dried jerky. Without hesitation, Adlen broke it into pieces and tossed it into the pot.
“This should do.”
Since Irene seemed weak, she decided to let the vegetables simmer until they were tender.
Adlen placed a chair in front of the fire, sat down, and crossed her arms.
There had been an attack on the Saintess, but it was not unexpected.
They were prepared, and the enemy didn’t seem intent on finishing things now. It was probably just a warning.
“Until next time, then!”
The cult leader had fled only after most of his men were dead. The knights gave chase, but he vanished like smoke.
“Cultists…”
Several paladins shook their heads in frustration. Finally, when things settled down, Allen approached the carriage.
The area was already being guarded by other paladins, ensuring that no cultists approached.
“Is the Saintess safe?”
Allen asked as he leapt up and opened the carriage door.
However, there was only one person inside, and it was not the Saintess but High Priest Grein.
Allen’s expression hardened instantly. He grabbed Grein by the scruff of her neck and hauled her out.
Grein choked as she was pulled out, but Allen didn’t care.
“Ugh!”
Once on the ground, Grein coughed and opened her eyes.
“Where is the Saintess?”
Allen asked in a cold voice.
“The Saintess? The Saintess! Isn’t she here?”
“I’m asking because she’s not.”
Grein clutched her aching head with both hands.
She felt like something had happened, but she couldn’t remember clearly. Strangely, she didn’t feel as anxious as she should.
“It seems I have some memory issues. Part of my memory about the Saintess is missing.”
“Then you don’t know who took her?”
“That’s correct.”
Grein answered with his head bowed.
“The Saintess is missing?”
Burt, who had approached unnoticed, frowned and asked.
“Yes.”
“To lose the Saintess… even the paladins are unreliable.”
Garan added his remark.
“There’s much I want to say, but the priority now is to find the Saintess. I’ll send out people.”
With that, Garan stepped back, and Burt also moved.
‘Something’s off.’
The ambush hadn’t only occurred from the front. There had been attackers from the back as well, forming a sort of encirclement.
Of course, with two kings on their side, their encirclement strategy was meaningless.
The attackers from the rear were oddly half-hearted. Even as the front attackers were killed, they held back noticeably. Their main effort seemed to be distraction.
In this situation, the Saintess’s carriage was at the rear, guarded by several knights.
Did someone sneak in and kidnap the Saintess?
If there had been any noise or struggle, the knights would have noticed.
‘Could she have gone willingly?’
A bad feeling crept in.
Irene had wanted to die to avenge herself on the world, and it had been Burt who persuaded her to hold on.
In this situation, Burt knew Irene better than anyone.
“Sizu.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“The Saintess is missing. Find any trace of her.”
“Yes, sir!”
Soon, several knights skilled in tracking took the lead and began searching the surroundings. They were joined by Garan’s knights and the paladins.
Anxious voices could be heard from the back.
Everyone was worried that the Saintess might be killed.
‘It’s all right.’
If it were the cultists, they wouldn’t keep the Saintess alive for long. So, the kidnappers might not be cultists.
‘The attackers from the rear were clearly different from the cultists. They might have allied with another group.’
There weren’t many who would oppose the goddess, but surprisingly, the world was full of madmen.
‘Irene.’
The thought of her dying sent chills down his spine.
‘No, that can’t happen.’
The contract wasn’t over yet. Irene’s life was practically his.
He clenched his fists, but the sharp emotions didn’t easily subside.
‘I will find her, no matter what.’
Burt vowed.
