I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess - Chapter 192



192 – The Curse of Love (1)

[Karzan Edelmar]

Did I finally collapse?

Although he had vowed never to give up, he seemed to have suffered a terrible defeat, betraying his resolve.

As I barely managed to lift my heavy eyelids, a stabbing pain came over me.

‘… … The back of my head hurts a lot. Did I get hit in the head? I have a vague memory of the moment right before I fell.’

My head hurts so much it feels like it’s going to burst.

I heard a beeping sound, and my thoughts suddenly stopped as if there was fog.

When I touched the sore spot, there was a sticky, wet blood oozing out.

… … You can touch my head? Didn’t you tie my body up?

Only then did I realize what I was doing.

Even where and for whom they fought.

“Uh, Ellis?”

I looked around quickly.

I just now noticed that the location had changed.

This is not the altar I used to guard.

Now that I think about it, there’s been a rattling noise since a while ago.

Perhaps I felt like I was riding in some kind of carriage.

If I had to guess, it’s a military wagon. It’s probably carrying me with its interior completely empty.

The outside of the carriage was visible through the narrow gap.

It was a mountainside covered with dense trees.

The location of the ritual altar was a small mountain range near the central and southern part of the empire.

The scenery that could be seen not far from the altar did not change much.

Should I try to escape now?

No, there was no need for that.

Luckily, Ellis was sleeping next to me.

“You’re alive… …. Thank goodness.”

A sigh of relief was breathed.

The sound of breathing softly seems quite comfortable.

Fortunately, there was no sign of pain and it didn’t look like he was seriously injured anywhere.

I stroked her pink petal-colored hair and then turned my gaze to her wrist.

She was thoroughly restrained so that she could not move.

The tightly tied rope looked strange. Why was it that I wasn’t tied up, but Ellis was tied up?

The moment I was about to naturally release Ellis’ hand, a blunt voice stopped me.

“Don’t solve that.”

It was Count Bertus’s voice.

When I turned my head towards the sound, I saw a faint outline in the darkness.

Were you in the carriage from the beginning?

It doesn’t seem like he was trying to hide anything, but how can you not notice something like this?

It seemed like my current condition was a bit out of the ordinary.

“You know that, Ellis can’t escape from here alone. You might as well tie me up.”

“I didn’t tie you up because I thought you might run away. If that were the case, I would have tied you both up a long time ago. More importantly, do you think you can run away from me if your hands and feet are free?”

“Then why did you tie it up?”

“If you’re told not to do something, don’t do it. It’s to prevent you from doing something you’ll regret. If you want to make it worse, there’s even a way to do it by cutting the tendons in your arms and legs.”

The grim warning has returned.

Even as he said that, he didn’t show any great hostility towards Count Bertus.

The blade is wiped with a dry cloth, as if the weapon maintenance is almost finished.

Even their gaze wasn’t directed this way.

But I had no choice but to just let it go.

Somehow I felt like it had to be that way.

“How was the consciousness? Did you stop it?”

“No. It was over when I got there. It didn’t look like he was going to die any time soon.”

“… … I see. I’m sorry, for many reasons.”

Before I fall down in defeat.

What Count Bertus said seemed to pierce my heart.

I sold Elisha to Baal.

It is unknown what process the Grand Duke of Illencia went through to deduce this.

But when I heard the voice reprimanding me, a puzzle naturally came together in my head.

The things that my earnest heart had hidden began to become visible.

It is certainly strange that Achilles would create a saint of Asirel.

A saint is someone who was chosen directly by God. It was basically something that humans could not do anything about.

How could the God of Order create a Saint of Light on his own?

It was something that could not happen in common sense.

It’s something that shouldn’t happen.

Achilles said it was the decision of the gods, but that’s a bit much.

Why should other gods intervene in a matter that can be resolved by Asherel’s choice?

In the end, I had to think about whether it was the intention of ‘someone’ in the secular world.

I gave up on that though.

The rest was as Count Bertus had said.

It is impossible with human power. It is impossible even with Gamigin’s power.

There is only one Demon King stronger than Gamigin left in the world.

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“What are you going to do now? Are you going to kill us?”

“Well, at first I had an idea of ​​what to do… … but now I’m not sure.”

“If there is nothing decided, then let us live. I am ashamed to say it myself, but we still have some use for her. Ellis is the most important to me. As long as she lives, the one who will hold my leash does not necessarily have to be Acleon.”

Count Bertus’s hand stopped.

Just like the hand that cleaned the sword.

However, my proposal did not seem to be very appealing.

His gaze glanced at Ellis once, then at me, then dispersed.

It was a fearful gaze, as if facing a wild beast, but anguish could be seen within it.

ha.

Count Bertus sighed.

“What you just said was the original plan. It would be great if we could stop the ritual itself, but if that’s not possible, the goal was to secure the two of you.”

“Then you have accomplished your goal well. All I wish for is time with Ellis. That is all. If you wish, I will even be the Empire… … ”

“Stop it. Don’t say things that a member of the royal family shouldn’t say.”

I was speechless.

I never thought a correct answer would come out of this.

Well, my disgrace was beyond measure.

As someone born into royalty, I must never take the Empire lightly.

Because that makes a mockery of all those who are loyal to the Empire.

As a member of the royal family and as a man, I have become a pitiful human being.

I couldn’t even raise my head because of the shame.

Count Bertus showed mercy to me like that.

“You decide for yourself what to do with Miss Ellis. Let her live or let her die. I will tell the Archduke.”

“Is that true?”

“Instead, think wisely. Don’t make decisions you’ll regret, and don’t blame us.”

“Of course!”

“… … .”

My answer is already decided.

So why did Count Berthus give me a choice?

The reason became apparent soon after.

The carriage stopped as the sun was setting.

Count Bertus left for a moment, as if to give instructions on guard duty.

Meanwhile, Ellis tossed and turned.

Are you trying to wake up? Her beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly.

The way he wiggles his limbs seems to indicate that his restrained body is quite uncomfortable.

In particular, his hands were tied so tightly that he cringed as if in pain.

I’ve been warned not to, but I guess it’s okay to loosen the ropes that tie your hands a little.

I released the rope just enough to allow me to move my wrist a little.

“Uh, uhm… … .”

“Are you feeling better? Your hands and feet might be uncomfortable, but please bear with it for a bit. Let’s check where it hurts first. Is there anything else that feels uncomfortable?”

“Ah… … Karzan.”

“Yes. I am Karzan Edelmar.”

I made eye contact with Ellis for the first time.

Both eyes were blinking. Ellis kept closing and opening her eyes tightly as if she was still dazed, but it was certain that she was looking at me.

It’s fixed. My wish to see each other like this one day has come true.

At that moment, when her heart was about to pound, Ellis’s expression turned into shock.

As if I had seen something I shouldn’t have seen.

“No. No. I… I’m not Ellis. I was wrong. I’m sorry. Please kill me. I have to die.”

“… …Ellis?”

“Ah, ugh… … ugh.”

I couldn’t understand what I saw with my own eyes.

Ellis’ fingers turned red.

The blood that flowed out flows down his slender arm.

Her fingertips were pointed towards her own neck.

So, Ellis tore out her own throat with her own hands.

The delicate skin was torn in an instant, leaving behind ugly scars.

“Ellis! Why are you suddenly doing this!”

I quickly grabbed Ellis’ hand and pulled it away.

Perhaps because the restraints were not completely released, the wound was not deep enough to be life-threatening.

What if all the strings that had been tied up had been untied? I didn’t even want to imagine it.

It was only then that I realized why Count Berthus had told me not to release the bonds.

The reason I was released so that I could try to escape, but Ellis, who was not a threat at all, was kept in custody.

It wasn’t for Count Bertus himself.

What I released was not the restraints, but the protective gear that protected Ellis.

Perhaps Ellis would have attempted suicide in front of the Count, and he would have prevented it sooner than I did.

Now I understand why my hands were tied so tightly.

Ellis was rambling on and on, tears streaming down her face.

“I, I am… … Ugh. Ugh. Who? No. Don’t take my memories. I don’t want to forget.”