Chapter 5: -it’s not ashamed to run away (2)

The plan was perfect.

The private audience with the Saintess was a time no one could intrude upon, and no one would be able to catch me once I escaped through that opening.

Indeed, no one pursued me even after I jumped out the window, so I was certain of my success.

Now, all I had to do was find a suitably quiet countryside and stay put until things calmed down.

Then, without having to shoulder troublesome duties like being the Pope, I could live the rest of my life peacefully as a Cardinal.

…Yes, that’s certainly how it should have been.

“I’m screwed.”

A rough kick flew at me in response to my quiet mutter.

My side, kicked by a man with a bushy beard, hurt quite a bit.

I subconsciously tried to cover the painful spot with my hand, but my wrists were tightly bound with rope.

“Are you some rich young master? Your skin, your delicate features, you could even pass for a woman.”

“This much, you’d sell for a high price to the elves, wouldn’t you? Haha, today’s my lucky day!”

Around me, three burly men surrounded me.

Their eyes appraised me, as if valuing merchandise.

I heard the voices of s*ave traders appraising me.

…Where did it all go wrong?

It was certainly fine until I entered the village directly below the Papal State.

The scent of the secular world, which I hadn’t smelled in a long time, was still tempting, and the streets were filled with the laughter of happy people.

This is what living is like.

If I passed through the village like this and escaped as far as possible, it would be a success.

However, the incident occurred not long after.

It was when I had left the bustling village and was walking through a field near it.

Suddenly, two shabbily dressed men rushed over, knelt before me, and began to plead earnestly.

“Sir! Please help us for a moment! Our carriage has overturned, and our sibling is trapped inside…!”

I paused for a moment.

Even if I was a fake priest with little faith, shouldn’t saving a life come first, even while on the run?

However, I didn’t know then that it was all a planned trap from the beginning.

There was no carriage where I followed them, nor a sibling.

At that moment, I was struck on the head and lost consciousness.

And when I opened my eyes again, it’s the unbelievable story that I had somehow been kidnapped.

‘Haa… why did I really do that….’

I should have just ignored them and walked past.

Regret always comes late.

Immersed in a peaceful atmosphere for a long time, I had momentarily forgotten.

That this world was a heinous medieval fantasy.

I let out a sigh filled with despair.

“How much can we sell him for? He’s quite good-looking. We should at least get one gold coin, right?”

“Pfft, just one? We’d get much more if we auctioned him off to the elves, wouldn’t we? Those women have a lot of money.”

“Is that so? Then this is a huge jackpot!”

…I expected it, but it still feels bad.

To dare treat a person like an object.

And elves, no less.

If I were sold to such lustful monsters, my essence would quickly be drained, and I’d die.

At this rate, a path of hardship is guaranteed.

As if delighted by the mere thought.

They grinned and gagged me.

Unable to speak, my face covered by a black cloth, I was tossed into a carriage as if thrown.

I couldn’t see anything.

But the carriage began to rumble and move.

My entire body was tightly bound by ropes; only my eyeballs could move.

Even then, the cloth covering my face prevented me from seeing anything.

Just then, as I pricked my ears and whimpered, huddled in my uncomfortable position.

Thud!

“Mmph…!”

Suddenly, a loud noise came from outside, and the ground trembled.

Soon, the carriage lurched violently.

Clang! Bang!

“…Ugh!”

Outside, the sound of sharp metal scraping was followed by a series of crashing noises, as if something was being smashed.

Terrifying screams echoed from all directions.

‘What is it suddenly…!?’

Did monsters attack?

But the sounds were too strange for that.

Violent sounds, as if someone was fighting.

The hairs on my body stood on end.

The sounds of metal clashing and swords sliding were continuous.

‘What is happening right now??’

My thoughts spiraled, twisting into knots.

Unable to move or speak.

It was so annoying that my consciousness remained painfully clear.

‘Huh? Did someone come to save me?’

Just as I began to hope slightly.

Thud!

This time, a loud noise came from right beside me.

And in an instant, all sounds around me vanished.

A silence, as if death had passed by, filled the carriage.

‘Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared.’

All I could do was tremble in fear.

Then, my nerves became taut as footsteps drew closer and closer.

Click.

Click.

Someone was approaching.

Amidst my confusion.

Someone who had approached carefully reached out a hand and fumbled at my face.

I instinctively turned my head away sharply.

“Mmph! Mmph…!!”

Resistance was meaningless.

And finally, as the black cloth was removed, a cold, metallic scent of blood assailed me all at once.

I blinked my eyes to recover my vision, which had blurred from the direct impact of the bright light.

Soon, a familiar face stood before my eyes, becoming clearer and clearer.

Elena.

Her white armor, which always boasted cleanliness, was stained crimson with blood, and her flowing golden hair was matted with mud and blood.

Behind her, the surroundings, dimly visible, were entirely smeared with blood, whose origin was unknown.

Before I, flustered, could even take a breath, Elena gently stroked my face with her bloodied hand.

The moment I met her bloodshot, empty gaze.

“Found you.”

I thought it was fortunate that I was gagged.

If there had been nothing in my mouth, I would certainly have screamed.

Because Elena, covered in blood from head to toe, smiling at me.

Was quite terrifying.

****

Elena Blencia did not believe in God.

For her, who had lived her entire life as an orphan with no parents, religion was merely a place for her, who had nowhere else to go, to reside.

She prayed in the cathedral because it gave her food.

She wielded a sword because she had a talent for it.

Thus, her life as a Holy Knight of the Elserada Order was not much different from that of other Holy Knights.

Becoming the sword of the Order, she cut down countless individuals in the name of God’s will.

For Elena, money was God.

And the Order that provided such money was a sacred place.

Holding beliefs that others would call heresy, she had lived for her own god until now.

She worked herself to death.

To earn money.

She cut down enemies again and again.

Solely to protect her own god.

A life whose sole purpose was money, though seemingly humble, was her only value.

Elena’s life took a turning point exactly three years ago, when she was on the verge of death, afflicted by an unknown curse.

Wounds could be healed with divine magic.

But curses that bloomed from within the body could not be cured by magic.

A small rural village she had visited for a mission.

Unaware that an epidemic was spreading there, she ultimately could not escape the clutches of the curse.

Rotten pus erupted from her skin, and she endlessly vomited blood from her throat.

In the never-ending, horrific pain, Elena, who was gradually wasting away, thinking it would be better to die, was slowly dying, unable to do anything.

Is this how I die?

Such a futile death, which I must simply accept without having accomplished anything.

In a corner of Elena’s heart, the faith she had maintained until now crumbled.

If I die, what will happen to all the money I’ve accumulated? The answer is it will become meaningless trash.

As her entire body was subsumed by the shadow of death, only then did Elena realize that the god she had believed in until now was false.

Soon, she began to pray, something she had never done in her life.

God.

Please take care of me.

If you save me from death, I will dedicate everything to you.

Did her prayer reach? A god truly appeared before her.

The god’s name was Theo Esteron.

His pure soul, having lived in the body of an unknown clergyman from the periphery, was enough to move Elena’s heart, which had only pursued money.

A holy priest who cared for patients without minding his white priestly robes getting stained with blood.

Even when everyone turned their backs, saying the curse couldn’t be cured, only he didn’t give up, even as his entire body became drenched in blood.

Feeling death slowly approaching, Elena realized as she admired his holy appearance.

Ah, this person is my God.

He truly heard my prayer and came to save me!

She prayed that if she could only live, she would dedicate her entire soul to him from then on.

Soon, Elena’s earnestness finally reached her god.

She survived.

Like a miracle.

Now, Elena desired only one thing.

To become a knight who protected Theo, guarding him.

It was the moment Elena’s soul became bound to Theo.