Chapter 168: Nightmare (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 168: Nightmare (4)
Watching Yuri avert her gaze, Ophelia thought.
That bitch.
That bitch had pinned her own sin on her.
After I went out of my way to cover for you…!
This is how you stab me in the back?
Fine. I don’t give a damn what happens to you now!
Ophelia addressed the leader of the Inquisitors.
“I’m innocent! I’ve lived a pure life, knowing nothing of men!”
“A report came in that you slept with the miller’s son. And you still claim to be innocent?”
“Yes!”
“Can you prove it?”
“I still possess the symbol of purity bestowed upon me by Lady Iries.”
“Hoh?”
The Inquisitor’s gaze shifted to Yuri. Just as Ophelia seized the chance to reveal the truth, Yuri blurted out.
“W-we did it in the butt!”
Ophelia was speechless for a moment.
Even if you were desperate…
In the butt?
What woman in the world would ignore her perfectly good genitals and have sex through her ass?
She shot her friend a pathetic look.
But it seemed the Inquisitor and the other nuns thought differently.
“She said they did it in the butt.”
“My goodness, how could she even think of that? That’s where you defecate.”
“Ugh… Filthy.”
“I never knew she was that kind of person… Disgusting, truly…”
The nuns began to murmur. Every eye on her was filled with scorn.
The Inquisitor was no different.
“This lewd harlot has been acting like a servant of Lady Iries all this time!” he roared at Ophelia as if she were a demon, his face twisting viciously.
Ophelia was completely bewildered by his sudden change in attitude.
“You all believe that ridiculous story?! I’ve never done such a thing! Yuri… that woman is trying to frame me for her own sin!”
“This bitch, till the very end!”
“It’s true! If you don’t believe me, bring that miller’s son here and ask him yourself!”
“Fine. Since you speak with such conviction, I will trust you this once. However, if this too is proven to be a lie, you will not escape a harsher punishment. Is that acceptable? If you tell the truth now and beg for forgiveness—”
“I’m telling you, it wasn’t me!”
“…Very well. You! Bring me the miller’s son!”
At the lead Inquisitor’s command, another Inquisitor left the convent. Yuri’s face turned pale. Ophelia scoffed.
You brought this on yourself.
She puffed out her chest and waited confidently for the miller’s son to arrive. A short while later, the Inquisitor returned with him.
He was a handsome man with impressive golden hair and bronze skin.
…Huh? Why does he look familiar…?
Strange.
She had never seen Albert, the miller’s son, before.
While Ophelia puzzled over this, the Inquisitor questioned the man.
“Are you the miller’s son?”
“Yes, I am.”
“I will ask you a few questions. You must swear before Lady Iries to speak only the truth.”
“I swear.”
“Good. What is your name?”
“My name is Gis.”
Ophelia was startled. Not only his face but also his name felt familiar.
No, more importantly…
“Inquisitor, sir. That man is not the miller’s son…”
“Silence! I have not given you permission to speak!”
“N-no… but that man is—”
“Someone shut that bitch’s mouth!”
The Inquisitor standing behind Ophelia clamped a hand over her mouth. Her struggles were no match for his combat-forged muscles, honed in battles against heretics.
The lead Inquisitor turned his attention back to the miller’s son.
“A report came in that you dared to have relations with a nun of our church. Is this true?”
Upon hearing his words, Gis dropped to his knees with a thud.
“I am sorry! I was presumptuous and touched someone I should never have coveted!”
“It is good to see you admit your sin so readily. Now then, with whom did you have relations?”
“It was Lady Ophelia.”
Gis said, bowing his head. Ophelia’s eyes widened as she thrashed about.
“Mmph! Mmph!!!”
“Stay still!”
Of course, being restrained by the Inquisitor, her struggles made little difference.
“I heard you had relations anally. Is that also true?”
“Yes, it is.”
“…Why?”
“Well… Lady Ophelia said that a nun must protect her chastity, so she suggested we do it from behind…”
The Inquisitor’s eyes trembled with rage.
“Have you ever seen such a heinous bitch?! Was it not enough to deceive an Inquisitor, that you had to mock the Goddess Iries herself?! A woman like you is no nun. You are a witch. Yes, a witch! A witch who has hidden herself in this convent!”
“Mmph!”
“To the stake! To the stake! A witch must be burned at the stake!”
“Mmph?!”
“Drag her away!”
The Inquisitor holding Ophelia’s mouth produced a gag and forced it in. With her hands bound by rope, she couldn’t remove it, and thus lost her right to speak.
Burned at the stake?! I’m innocent! I’m innocent!!
As she was being dragged away by the Inquisitors, she saw it.
Gis and Yuri were exchanging a tender look.
Those two?!
Ophelia gestured wildly, as if to say, Look at them!, but all she got in return was the Inquisitor’s irritation.
“Hurry up!”
“Mmph!”
In the end, Ophelia was dragged out of the convent by the Inquisitors.
Murmur, murmur—
Outside the convent, a crowd of citizens had gathered, forming a path.
Ophelia wanted to let out a cry of anguish to proclaim her innocence, but…
Splat—!
A rotten tomato flew through the air and hit her square in the face. The burst skin of the tomato slid down her cheek.
…?
Ophelia slowly turned her head in the direction the tomato had come from.
A young girl was staring at her with the kind of eyes one would use to look at filth. And it wasn’t just her. All the citizens surrounding her were looking at her as if she were something dirty and disgusting.
The sight cooled the indignant rage that had been boiling inside her, and she began to see the situation with objective clarity.
They all think I’m guilty…?
But I… I haven’t done anything wrong…
Whoosh. Thud!
This time, it was an apple.
A mushy, rotten apple struck her shoulder. That seemed to be the signal, as a variety of objects began to fly toward her.
Thwack! Thud! Splat!
Ophelia’s body was sullied by all sorts of fruit.
The Inquisitors did not stop the citizens.
This, too, was part of the sinner’s punishment.
Crack!
The sound of impact was nothing like that of fruit.
Ophelia’s body staggered and swayed.
“Hey! No throwing stones!” the Inquisitor bellowed.
A stone?
Was that what had just hit her?
She brought a sleeve to the throbbing area. Her white nun’s habit was stained red. Seeing the blood, she realized it must have been a stone.
“Ngh…”
She hung her head low. Her beautiful blonde hair fell limply. Drip. Drip. Droplets fell from her face, wetting the dirt ground.
What… What did I do that was so wrong?
It’s true my faith was lacking.
I admit it.
But is that such a great sin?
I did everything the convent asked of me.
I never even broke the rules.
Why is the one who broke them not being punished, while I, who did nothing, have to suffer like this?
A burning sorrow drenched her heart, and her throat tightened.
“Look at that. The witch is crying!”
“The judgment must be working. Hey, let’s throw harder, so that Lady Iries will bless us!”
Seeing Ophelia’s tears, the citizens only grew more frenzied.
Hearing their words, she squeezed her eyes shut.
But when she closed her eyes, the fruit that had been pelting her body strangely stopped coming. The scorching heat of the sun also vanished.
Ophelia opened her eyes and lifted her head.
The sturdy back of a man, and the shadow it cast, was protecting her from the crowd’s assault.
Red hair, fluttering in the wind.
Just from his back, she felt she knew who he was.
He turned around.
An appearance so beautiful it was beyond words.
Cloud.
Her Hero.
He approached and removed the gag from her mouth.
“Ophelia. Are you okay?”
“Sir Hero…”
The tears that had trickled down her face now burst forth like a waterfall the moment she saw him. She threw herself into his arms, unleashing all the sorrow she had suppressed. He patted her back, soothing her as she sobbed her heart out.
Then, he rebuked the Inquisitor.
“What is the meaning of this? Why are you branding a perfectly fine nun as a witch?”
“S-Sir Hero, it’s just that…”
“Stop trembling and answer me properly.”
“W-we received a report that the nun engaged in anal intercourse.”
“What… Did you even hold a proper trial before doing this?”
“We did not hold a trial, but the boy she had relations with confessed.”
“Is that so?”
Cloud turned his gaze to Ophelia.
“Is what he said true?”
“No! I would never—”
She was about to declare her innocence.
But at that moment, fragmented memories flashed through her mind.
A dark mill.
Her own form, panting like an animal with the man named Gis she had seen earlier, using sacks of grain as a bed.
Her tears stopped abruptly.
A cold sweat began to trickle down her skin.
Cloud looked at Ophelia, who had suddenly fallen silent, with a puzzled expression.
“Ophelia? Why aren’t you answering?”
“Ah… um…”
Her eyes darted back and forth. What do I do? Should I lie my way out of this? After a moment of hesitation, she fidgeted with her fingers and opened her mouth.
“Well… it might not be… completely untrue…?”
She couldn’t bring herself to lie to Cloud.
Ophelia cautiously glanced at his face.
“…”
His expression was frozen solid.
“My apologies. It seems I’ve interfered with your work.”
Cloud apologized to the Inquisitor, then turned his back and walked away.
“Sir Hero? Sir Hero?!”
No matter how desperately Ophelia called, Cloud didn’t look back. He disappeared into the crowd, and Ophelia was dragged away and placed on the pyre.
“Save me. Please, save me. I was wrong. Save me!”
“Too late, you witch!”
The Inquisitor lit the firewood. White smoke billowed up as the wood began to burn.
“Aaaah! He really lit it!!”
As a warm sensation began to creep up the soles of her feet, she flailed and twisted her body.
“It’s hot! It’s hot! Hoo… hoo…! It’s not going out!? Aaaaaaaah! I was wrong! Please save me! Sir Hero! Sir Herooooo!!”
“…What should we do in a case like this?”
“I don’t know either. Let’s just put out the fire for now. Eri?”
“…Alright.”
Watching the flailing Ophelia with a troubled expression, Eri began to prepare a spell.