chapter 26
26 – Water City Aran (5) (above)
“Emily, what are you doing here now?”
A middle-aged man with brown hair neatly slicked back and dressed neatly in a white priest’s robe.
Saint Erman tilted his head at the eccentricity of a young girl with bandages wrapped all over her body.
The priest’s uniform, which should always be neat, is a mess with red blood stains, and large and small blades are thrown arbitrarily throughout the room.
Erman, who had been looking at the blood with sacred energy flowing from the sharp piece of metal for a moment, scratched her head in embarrassment and fed a small amount of honey balm to the head of the girl, who had one eye closed with a bandage.
“Didn’t my sister tell me that treating the body God gave us in this way is disrespectful to God?”
“… It doesn’t matter what you do.”
The silver-haired girl spoke her words bluntly, glanced at the faithful servant of God for a moment, then lowered her head again.
-Mites
The sound of a small child crying in my ear.
A child who, like a saint, is said to have received the grace of the Angel of Death. Her name was Sarah Gan She Lin.
“Oh my, Cecil, do you want to eat?”
A saint shouting at the child in his arms with a creepy voice.
Emily, who could barely control her nausea, kicked Erman’s leg and gave a small scolding.
“… No one cares about me anyway, they only care about that kid who does serenge and sheringe.”
A poor girl who received all the love of God, but did not receive any love from her parents.
The saint, looking at the sadness in her purple eyes that should have been shining beautifully, slowly bent down and stroked Emily’s hair.
“…What the heck, don’t touch it.”
“Emily, do you feel like there’s no one around you?”
“… That’s right… No one cares about me.”
The other kids at church are worried when I fall while playing. Even if I get cut by a knife like this, no one cares.
“It’s not that I’m not interested in you. “The world changes its appearance depending on what you think about it.”
Even though she was called a candidate for sainthood, she was still a child.
Erman, who realized his mistake, stroked Emily’s small head affectionately and continued her words.
“Unlike others, you receive the trust of all of us.”
“… Faith?”
“Yes, it’s not that I don’t care what happens to you, it’s that I have faith that you will be safe in any situation.”
You are the master of that high heaven.
Because he is a very special child who is loved by Rom.
“…Special.”
Looking at the little girl who said a word in a very low voice, the saint lowered her head.
“But even so, you are also a child who needs to be loved. “It’s my fault, so can you please look at it just this once?”
“Hmph, I’m not a child, I’m a grown adult.”
Emily looked at the middle-aged man who was smiling like an idiot and lowering her head. She snorted and turned her head.
-Avaba
The tiny baby, with the smell of milk tickling the tip of her nose, wiggles her hands and undoes the bandage wrapped around Emily’s arm.
Unlike the blood-covered bandage, the small forearm is so pure white.
“Where is this cheeky?”
A girl poking her brightly smiling face like a steamed bun with her finger.
I told her to cry, but that obnoxious child grabbed my finger and sucked her finger.
“hahahaha! It looks like our Cecil likes you a lot. “How about you become this child’s older sister?”
“I don’t like it, sister, I won’t do it.”
The saint burst into laughter when he saw Emily Y scrunching up her face as if she was disgusted.
She giggles as if baby Cecil, who is sucking her fingers eagerly, feels good too.
It was like a close-knit family. It would have been great if this little girl and child had become sisters, but that didn’t happen.
The Holy Demon War that took place between heretics and religious denominations.
As the war took the lives of countless people, Ermann could not pay attention to the young saint, and Emily also forgot the name Cecil as she underwent rigorous training as a saint.
Maybe they could have become sisters.
Decades later, Emily met that cute child again, in front of a small tavern in Kente Village.
The girl who had been loved by her angel no longer shined, and the faint scent of her corpse could be felt from her warm milky body.
“hehehehe, hello. Mother-in-law.”
A woman with cloudy eyes that was quite evil, unlike her innocent childhood, greeted me.
“Hmph, I’m not old enough to be called a mother-in-law.”
I don’t like this kid as expected.
.
.
.
Cecil Lionelta, a woman who became one with a high-ranking devil.
After hearing about her past, Emily just smoked the cigarette in her mouth. She said, ‘If she had been confident, she could have saved Cecil.’ She had no such regrets.
Even though she was by her side, there was no way for her priestess to save that poor child.
“What’s the point of being loved? If you can’t convey her love, what’s the use of it?”
Uncle Erman.
The priestess, looking distantly at her black hut next to the blazing campfire, ruffled her hair roughly.
I miss Erman today.
She could only smile bitterly as she remembered the man she secretly thought of as her father.
The story of a woman favored by God who happened in the middle of the night.
***
-Thump thump
“Sorry for staying up late at night! “Is there anyone here?”
-Thump thump
“My name is Emily Lidina, who is now an obsolete person! Is there really no one there? Or are you saying that we can just ignore this kind of waste?”
Aran, a city famous for the beautiful canal that runs through the huge city.
If you cross the castle gate and walk along the well-paved road, you will come across a lively market.
Be careful not to steal the wallet you put in your pocket as you pass by the people and head to the left side of the Yeongju Castle in front of you. The building you can’t help but say, ‘It’s pure white.’ The Aran branch of the Telmere Church comes into view.
The name of the priestess who is causing trouble in front of the large door with the image of an old-fashioned angel is Emily Ridina.
In the past, a legendary priestess who turned all of the water in the lake into holy water and cared for those wounded in war.
If I hadn’t given up, she would have been called a saint and made everyone bow their heads, but now her head has lowered to an absurd degree.
Looking at her crouching down on the ground and starting to draw a picture of her as if she were Thalia, the demon started talking to her as if it was fun.
“hehehehe, she was once revered as a saint, so she can’t be treated like this.”
“… ….”
“The devil passing by will laugh, priest.”
“… I lost thousands of years, tried to seduce a young guy, and ended up getting hit again….”
“What? Ha, huh, really. “I haven’t lost yet!”
Julius, who was looking at the devil blushing after accidentally touching her and Emily, who was downcast but still saying something, looked at the devil waving her arms pitifully, and politely addressed the priestess. Asked.
“It looks like there is no one inside. “I’m sure they contacted you, but isn’t it strange?”
“What’s strange about it? It’s that this kind of old fashioned is not worth dealing with.”
“… ….”
“… It’s a joke. Don’t look at me like that. “It seems clear that something is wrong, so I’ll have to go around and find out.”
“Then I…”
“No, I can do the research on my own. “You’re thinking of doing something like that to the devil and quickly turning her into your wife.”
“… I understand.”
“Then let’s stop here. You can find an inn, get some rest, and meet again here tomorrow. “I’ll probably be back by lunch.”
Emily took a water bottle from her arms, imbued it with her divine power, and drank the water that had turned into holy water in one go. She waved her arms and signaled to go.
When Julius saw her like that, he didn’t try to say anything to her, but just bowed her head once, then snatched her devil’s delicate arm and started leading her somewhere.
“… The atmosphere seems to be very different since last time, Rom’s child. “If you’re overdoing it, you don’t have to.”
“… Unreasonable? I would rip out my heart for her to get her back. “This kind of thing can’t even be included in the group.”
A man who walks without turning his head to look straight ahead.
Nightmare, who was being dragged without shaking off his hand, was intoxicated with a strange feeling.
The devil is Cecil, and Cecil is the devil, so isn’t that affection also directed towards me?
The devil, drunk on a strange way of thinking, is wandering.
She was so lost that she came to her senses when she heard Julius’ voice talking to the innkeeper.
“What would you like to do with the room?”
A sturdy man with neatly tied blond hair and a slender woman in a black dress.
She is a good man and a good woman, so they are probably a married couple.
The innkeeper, who grinned at Julius and the nightmare, asked the man in front of her again.
“Well, it looks like you’re a married couple. Would you like to share one room?”
“Sure, how much will it cost?”
“Give me 4 silver a day, and if you plan to eat here, give me 5 silver.”
The blonde interrogator took out 10 silver coins from his pocket, gave them to the innkeeper, and received the key.
Then Julius started walking again, pulling Nightmare’s hand without hesitation.
After blinking once, we were already in the room together.
Is it because it is a good inn in a wealthy city? The white and large bed catches the eye.
The devil opens his mouth like a fool and looks around the room.
Julius’ voice flows into her ears.
“Then let’s start the game again.”
“… Su, a winner? “You mean here?”
“What’s the problem?”
The devil began to tremble, avoiding the gaze of my husband, who was looking at her as if he really didn’t know what the problem was.
As I look at the bed, memories of Cecil Lionelta come to mind.
The day she created Layla flashed through her mind, and Nightmare made a small decision in her heart.
‘I guess I need to run away.’
If you get caught, it’s obvious that you won’t be able to get rid of it and will go back to being a complete Cecil.
Nightmare, shuddering at the memory of a fearful affection, slowly took a step back,
Julius looked at her and frowned.
“Why do you suddenly say that it is absolutely necessary?”
“So, so? “What is this?”
A devil pointing at the bed and pointing at it.
He shook his head and spoke to the woman who was behaving like a fool.
“I’m trying to win the match I couldn’t achieve last time.”
Recalling the devil’s words that said they should sleep together in front of the hut, Julius walked forward.
Of course, just like the words say, we will just sleep together. Not with Cecil, but with the current nightmare and things like that? It just makes me nauseous.
“Ah, it’s still too early for this!”
“… It’s not for you or anything like that, it’s for Cecil’s sake.”
The blue color in the devil’s eyes is slowly regaining its original color as it blushes and flutters around.
I swore again on that dream-like garden.
Even if this is an unforgivable act, I will definitely make my happy dream with my revived wife a reality.
Julius tried to hold her hand as he watched her slowly return to her blue eyes, but the devil was so frightened by the sight that he waved her hand and created a shadow.
A black monster’s head rose from her feet and blocked the space between Julius and her, and as she desperately moved her trembling body, the nightmare broke the entire wall behind me and ran away.
Julius used the sacred flame to burn the monster’s entire head.
But the devil had already run away a long time ago, and the people who came running after hearing the roar began to murmur in front of the door.
“…Does this devil have a magic spell on his head? “What did you do?”
I told you not to do anything that would harm Cecil’s reputation, but you don’t understand what I’m saying.
The morose voice of the innkeeper is heard from behind Julius, who is inwardly indignant.
“What is all this about? “What on earth should I do in this room?”
A large man holding a key in one hand and covering his mouth with the other makes eye contact with Julius.
Green eyes and golden eyes reflected each other for a moment, and a trick to resolve this situation flashed through Julius’s mind.
“… Demon Buddha….”
“Rice, is there a hole in the wall? No, what is this…”
“I am… Inquisitor Julius Tapnel.”
He slowly raises his right hand and brings out the sacred flame in his hand.
The eyes of the people watching behind the innkeeper were focused, and the interrogator closed his eyes tightly and unleashed the power in his heart.
‘I’m sorry, Tapnel, but this too is the Lord’s will. I believe you will forgive me.’
The sacred flame, which was just pure white, slowly began to turn golden, and the golden flame, the symbol of the Inquisitor who was called the Fear of Lyriam and made the kingdom tremble with fear, was reflected in people’s eyes.
“Hey, this is Julius Tapnel.”
“Hey, Heretic Questioner!”
“Why here?”
“Do, do….”
Run away.
People ran away screaming at a word someone said, and the innkeeper, who witnessed the golden flames from the closest, swallowed her saliva once as she felt cold sweat running down her face.
Why didn’t I notice it at first?
The face of the pyromaniac who, when he was still young, burned down the entire castle gate just because it would not be opened.
The innkeeper, recalling the mischievous boy who wielded the power of an angel with a mischievous smile, struggled to utter a single word.
“… Well, you have to reimburse me for the wall….”
“… ….”
“Oh, it’s difficult. “If you burn it all down like before…”
The golden glow that had been burning in his hand faded, and Julius took out a bunch of money from his pocket with the same expression as Emily before.
The devil who ran away in shame, Cecil who could not have a second child, Julius whose dark history was revealed for no reason, and the innkeeper whose inn was destroyed,
The name of this place where there are no winners is Aran, the city of water.
The first night in Aran was passing noisily with the charming sound of water flowing.