Chapter 432: Memories of the Past
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 432: Memories of the Past
“Savior… Ah! Ugh… S-Savior… I love you, too. I love you too, Savior!”
Hearing the sounds coming from inside, Jane hung her head low. You would have to be a fool not to know what those sounds meant.
For hours…
Ever since he’d said he was going to have a ‘talk’, similar sounds had been leaking out nonstop. They were enough to make her face flush. From the very beginning, she’d thought it was strange for him to leave her all alone at the entrance to a room like this.
He must be confident.
Even though she was left alone at the entrance, there was nothing she could do. She couldn’t imagine this place ever being conquered, even if you gathered all the continent’s strongest warriors and threw them in here.
The plant woman who sometimes glared at her, the orcs holding swords, the giant Minotaur, the three goblins who were always together—not a single one of them looked weak. The elf with the bow felt like she was hiding her true power, but she was undoubtedly strong beyond imagination.
If she were to treat this place as a dungeon and prepare a strategy to conquer it, she figured it would take at least a year. It was no wonder a rescue team couldn’t reach this place.
“Not that they ever intended to come for me, anyway…”
Not Maria, not the acquaintances she had helped until now, not even Mark—none of them had come to rescue her.
His words, that even the humans from the nearby towns were leaving the area to join the continental front, were probably not a lie. There was no reason for him to lie. They were already in a position of complete submission. He wasn't the type of person to fabricate such a story.
“…”
Jane unconsciously touched the nape of her neck, where he had kissed her. The dizzying sensation from before came rushing back. What kind of expression had she been wearing then? Why hadn't she resisted? Why had a strange sound escaped her lips? She couldn't understand any of it.
“What… does it mean?”
As she was muttering to herself, the large, tightly shut door began to open. The small woman he called Baek Ahyeon started to walk out of his room.
“Huu…”
A flushed face, ragged breaths, sweat trickling down her forehead.
And a strange scent. Jane swallowed hard. While she stood there blankly, the door began to close, and she felt the small woman’s gaze fall upon her.
“I heard what happened, Jane.”
“Pardon?”
“The Savior is very grateful to you. He was delighted, saying it was a nice conversation in his otherwise boring daily life. It pained me a little to know there are parts of him I cannot satisfy, but personally, I am grateful to you.”
“Oh? Yes…”
She couldn’t help but be bewildered. She doubted if the woman standing before her was the same one she had known. The crazed expression and twisted lips were gone. If anything, she looked almost cute.
It was hard to believe they were the same person. As she stared at the small woman for a long moment, the woman spoke again.
“Why are you covering your neck? Are you hurt somewhere…?”
“Ah! No, this is…”
As the woman grabbed her arm and pulled, Jane’s body flinched. It was a natural reaction. She didn’t understand why she was trying to hide it, but for now, she watched the small woman’s reaction with a flustered expression.
There was probably a mark.
“I’m curious if a wound was left.”
“Ah… well…”
Her arm, which had been covering her neck, was pulled away with almost no resistance. There was definitely a mark there. As she glanced around with a slightly anxious expression, the woman’s lips parted once more.
“It’s a holy mark.”
“A… a what?”
“A holy mark. We should leave this as it is. I received several myself today. Though they’re in places you can’t see. Hehe.”
“Ah… I see.”
Her mind kept conjuring images. More than that, she couldn’t adapt to this sudden change in temperature. She couldn’t tell which side of this woman was her true self.
“The purification ritual will be postponed for a while. The Savior has commanded it. Ah, of course, in your case, your sin has been lightened, so you won’t have to undergo a separate purification ritual. I don’t know when the rituals will resume… but you don’t need to be disappointed. From what I can see, there is nothing else in your eyes. Jane, you are already being purified.”
“Th-thank you.”
“I wonder when the others will have to undergo the ritual again… but it can’t be helped. The Savior told me I work too hard and that he wishes I would take a little rest.”
“I see.”
“Yes. Moving for the Savior is not difficult at all, but since the Savior himself has commanded it, I find myself in a rather difficult position. Hehe.”
The slight smile on her face was cute, even to another woman’s eyes.
“Well then, let’s go together for now.”
“Yes.”
“I would like to prepare a separate room for you, but you are all still prisoners. I’m sorry, but you will have to endure a little discomfort. Still, your treatment will improve slightly.”
“Oh, no. Thank you for your consideration.”
“You can inform the others yourself, Jane. I think I shall enjoy my rest, however brief it may be.”
“Yes…”
It was the same place as before. But there was no more torture, no more physical pain. The promise of being treated as prisoners of war felt like a dream. Jane nodded and slowly began to step inside the room.
The other followers were nowhere to be seen in the small room that had always been used as a torture chamber. The foul smell of blood and the pained screams were also gone. Instead, she saw many people sitting quietly. They all wore expressions of confusion, as if they were wondering why there was no purification ritual today, why they were allowed to be so comfortable.
“…”
The words wouldn’t come out easily. The memory of their glares and the mouths that had condemned her was still fresh in her mind.
If they’re human…
If they were human, it was unavoidable. Surely, they weren’t bad people from the start, she thought.
“Um…”
“…”
“The… the torture is over. The… the master of this place has promised to treat us as prisoners of war.”
“…”
She finished speaking, but no other voices followed. Only the sound of someone muttering in a corner could be heard.
“Fucking bitch.”
“Something stinks in here. Maybe if you erased that mark on your neck before you spoke, you’d be a little more convincing.”
“Ah… this is…”
They weren’t speaking to her directly, but everyone in the room was looking at her with hostility.
“It’s… it’s not like that.”
“Fucking whore.”
“…”
She had no allies. Realizing this, Jane clamped her mouth shut. Perhaps… perhaps they were just confused. She thought that if a little more time passed, they might understand. She was the same. All sorts of thoughts were running through her head, and her mind was a little worn out. It must be hard for everyone. She could endure it. Just a little, just a little bit longer.
A day passed, then two.
But…
Nothing changed.
As she was staring blankly at the wall, a small pebble came flying from behind her.
With a soft thwack, she felt it hit the back of her head. She turned around, but no one would meet her eyes.
“Stupid bitch.”
“I knew you’d be abandoned.”
“Hey. Still, aren’t we living comfortably thanks to her?”
The invisible torment slowly began to intensify. The fear that their old suffering might return if they harmed her seemed to have vanished completely after a few days. The reason was incredibly simple.
Because he hasn’t come to see me.
He hadn’t come to see her since that day. The promise to meet every five hours had become nothing. The people in this small room were completely neglected. She was, too. No news from the outside world reached them, and she had to spend all day with these people.
I want to see him.
I want to see him. I want to feel at ease again. She wanted to have that precious time just one more time. A time to find solace, a time to be saved. A time to be happy. She wanted to be with him there forever.
“Kekeke.”
“She’s crying again.”
“Crying again? Were you that sad to be abandoned? Should I comfort you? I might be different from a monster, but I’m confident in my size.”
“…”
“Say something, you traitorous bitch.”
“I… I already told you it’s not like that.”
They wouldn’t believe her anyway. The reason didn’t matter. Perhaps they just needed someone to blame. Perhaps they were trying to create a target for their resentment to escape this sudden, strange situation and hold someone responsible. As she looked them straight in the eye and opened her mouth, she felt a hand grip her shoulder hard.
“L-let go of me.”
“This fucking bitch still has a sharp tongue. Do you not understand your situation?”
The hand gripping her shoulder tightened, and soon it was choking her.
“Gak… ah… keck… st-stop.”
Another hand suddenly slipped inside her clothes. She tried to scream, but her breath was cut off and no sound came out. The worst possible scenario began to play out in her mind. She raised her hands to fight off the hand choking her and the one that had started to invade her clothes, but it was no use.
“Hel… p…”
The men committing the act, and the women who looked away.
Ah… no.
“Gak… gh…”
“You filthy traitor. Huh? Since your body’s already been used once, it won’t matter if it’s used again, right?”
“The Golden Saintess, my ass.”
“Gak… ghh…”
As her breath was cut off, her vision slowly began to blur. The thought that her body might be defiled and the thought that she might die crossed her mind. Tears streamed from her eyes without her realizing it. Why did she have to suffer this? She felt ridiculous for having stayed with these ungrateful beasts until now.
‘Humans are inherently like that.’
The words that man had once said echoed in her mind.
She couldn’t think anymore. Just as the strength that had filled her body began to drain away, a familiar liquid splattered onto her face with a grotesque sound.
Blood?
Crunch.
The sound was heard once more. She naturally lifted her head, and what she saw was the small woman she felt she hadn’t seen in a very long time.
Baek Ahyeon…
It was the woman he called Baek Ahyeon. A silence fell over the room. A massive amount of holy power poured into the man with the crushed head. Seeming to know that his body had been restored to its original state, the man who had tried to assault her stared at her with a terrified expression. The Savior’s apostle, who hadn’t visited this place in days, had suddenly appeared. She looked around and muttered.
“This brings back memories. Looking at all of you, and at Jane… For some reason… it reminds me of the time before I met the Savior.”