TL/Editor: Butter Cat
Status: 4/week mon-thurs
Illustrations: none
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〈 Chapter 40 〉 Chapter 40. Betrayal.
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It was a torch.
A torch made of a thick piece of wood, a broken crucifix, a spear with a sharpened end, all wrapped in oil-soaked cloth.
Drip, drip.
Burning oil dripped from the cloth, falling to the ground, one drop at a ti.
"It's the witch—!!"
"....Tch."
"....Ah... Aaah..."
The shout of the person who found . And at the sa ti, the narrow alley I was in was instantly blocked off by a surge of people.
The flas they carried illuminated the dark alley, even though the sun hadn't risen yet, bathing it in a crimson glow.
It was an overwhelming change, hard to believe it was caused by a single person's shout.
As what seed like a hundred villagers marched towards in formation, I could only whimper softly and hide behind Rumi.
No matter how hard I tried to be brave, my true nature was that of a coward.
"R..Rumi...!"
"....Han."
I wanted to ask her if this was a joke, if so then she had gone too far.
But the stark fear and disgust in their eyes told that this situation was beyond a re 'joke'.
Witch, hunt.
The words rolled off my tongue, slowly swirling in my mouth.
What, hunt?
What did I do?
I was just living my life, desperately trying to survive, like always....!!
One step, another step.
My back hunched lower and lower with each step they took towards .
All I could do was look at Rumi, standing in front of , with pleading eyes.
"—Han, listen carefully."
"....Y-Yes...Yes!"
A glimr of hope.
A faint glimr of hope appeared on my face.
Rumi's words brought a sense of relief.
She had said before that she had a way to resolve this.
Yes, she must have a solution.
Rumi, the only person in this village I trusted, the only person who wouldn't harm .
Because I believed that—
"—Stay put."
"....Huh?"
Thud.
When Rumi said those words to , my hand still clinging to hers.
With a small shock, our hands separated and I watched Rumi’s body, which had been in front of , distance itself from .
When the villagers, as if waiting for that mont, charged towards like a herd of angry bulls and grabbed .
I couldn't think.
"Ru....mi...?"
"—Good job, Rumi!!"
Crunch.
I was just pushed to the ground, my whole body bound with ropes so I couldn't move.
A dirty, foul-slling cloth was stuffed into my mouth, making it hard to breathe, suffocating .
".....—?"
*Why,* I muttered the word that couldn't escape my lips.
I could only stare blankly at Rumi.
Hoping that she would say sothing.
Hoping that she would tell this was all a plan.
Hoping that she would tell this was all a lie.
I desperately wished for it.
"......."
But Rumi didn't say anything to .
She just gave a cold smile, chilling to the bone.
**
"Ha ha! Rumi, you brought the witch here so she couldn't escape!!"
"........"
"You're not cursed or anything, are you? I heard that witches leave behind nasty curses when they're in danger."
I was surrounded by torches, their flas threatening to engulf , my body bound and restrained.
The ropes tightened painfully with the slightest movent, my mouth gagged with a thick cloth.
The stench that filled my nostrils with every breath.
This, was torture.
"......!!"
"—Don't move!"
With every small movent, the glares and shouts directed at grew colder.
It was all unbearable, but—
"...It's okay, nothing happened, Village Head."
"Ha ha, that's good to hear!!"
The most painful thing was the bitter betrayal of the friend I had trusted.
"......"
Rumi, why?
Why did you, abandon like this?
Were you just like them after all?
Were you just using , looking down on , pretending to be my friend?
Thoughts, even though they have no form, transford into sharp blades and pierced my heart.
More than the tightening ropes, more than the painful stones thrown by so of the villagers, the pain of being abandoned by the person I had trusted was unbearable.
At this mont, I was so grateful for the innkeeper's skill in gagging with that cloth.
If my mouth were free.
I would have bitten my tongue and died.
"—We found the witch, as you requested, Village Head."
"Yes, you brought her here, Rumi. Your bravery will be rembered for generations to co. Ha ha!"
If I could cry tears of blood, I would.
If I could tear out my heart and show them, a heart riddled with knife wounds, I would.
If I could pry open my brain and erase my mories, I would do it a thousand tis over.
That's how agonizing her betrayal was.
"—No."
"......!!"
That's why, when her denial ca, I rejoiced.
Drip, drip, like a long-awaited rain after a drought.
The parched earth, my heart, cracked and dry, began to absorb the small raindrops.
But it was a mistake.
A small amount of water falling on cracked earth only widens the fissures.
I didn't know that.
I was, truly foolish.
"—I found the [real] witch."
"....What are you talking about, Rumi?"
Rumi's confession.
The villagers were thrown into confusion.
Those who had been throwing stones at , those who had held their torches close as if to burn alive, all turned to look at Rumi with disbelief.
As if they couldn't believe it.
As if they couldn't accept it.
"It's obvious, isn't it? There's no way that dimwit could cast such a powerful curse."
"But—"
"And this 'monster' has been here for over ten years, there's no reason for her to suddenly start causing trouble now, is there? Don't you agree, Mrs. Redao?"
"...Th-That's is true"
Rumi, with her strong charisma, swayed the hearts of the villagers in an instant.
Her eyes sparkled with conviction, her words flowed out confidently, and even without any physical evidence, it was enough to lend credibility to her claims.
But even so, perhaps because their lives, or the safety of their village, were at stake.
So still insisted that it was my fault.
That it would be better to bla .
That it would be better to catch the certain culprit than chase after an uncertain guess.
"But Rumi, there's no one else who could have done this except for this monster—"
"—There is."
"...What, did you say?"
"I said, there is a witch."
And those who had been arguing, were silenced.
"........"
I still didn't understand what was happening, why I was being subjected to this ordeal.
I could only vaguely guess that sothing had happened in the village, and the bla was being shifted onto .
So when Rumi claid that I wasn't the culprit, I felt relieved.
Just untie these ropes, quickly.
I don't even know what a witch is, but I'm not one.
I'll forgive you all, so can we just go back?
Because all I could think about was, I wanted to rest.
"—Recently, no, for the past two months, there's been a child who's been enticing Han."
".....What?"
I didn't foresee that my salvation would beco my worst nightmare.
I didn't even imagine that this would be far more terrifying than being accused of being the culprit.
At that mont, I was shafully relieved.
So much so that I wanted to kill myself.
"According to Han, the child lives deep in the mountains where those beasts reside, deliberately avoiding being seen by people."
"...Is that true?"
"Yes, it's true! You've seen the strange carcasses of those animals lately, haven't you? It must be the witch's doing. There's no one else. You all know that she doesn't go out at night, right?"
The story was taking a strange turn.
Those words made forget to even breathe for a mont.
I was admittedly oblivious, and not particularly smart, but even I could understand that this situation was going awry.
What are you, talking about, Rumi?
Rumi... that's not true, is it?
It's not, right?
Rumi?
…
Stop it, now.
Stop it, I said.
I scread those words.
".....—!!!!! ㅡㅡㅡㅡ!!!!"
"Hey!? She's going crazy!"
"—It must be the curse that the witch cast! Don't untie her gag, no matter what!"
"Uh… Uh, okay, Rumi!"
Thump, thump, I struggled, trying to break free from the ropes.
I thrashed around, screaming, trying to cause a scene, so that they wouldn't hear Rumi's words.
I crawled on the ground, I roared, I slamd my head against the dirt.
Dirt got in my eyes, and the hard, rough ground scraped rcilessly against my face, but I couldn't feel any of it.
Because the only thing I could think about was, I had to stop this madness, I had to shut Rumi's mouth.
I made a new friend.
I finally had soone precious to .
The precious mories, shared only between and Alice, a secret I had only told Rumi in this entire village.
"—She even said they sang together in the forest after sunset!"
"Good heavens..!! That's...."
Rumi was twisting those mories, talking about them as if they were sothing strange.
"It's true! Han, she's just a victim, manipulated by the witch. The real culprit, is that 'witch', isn't it?"
"....The…real.."
"If we don't kill the real witch, this will just keep happening, won't it?"
"You're right, that makes sense."
Their eyes, no longer looked at , writhing on the ground.
They didn't react to my screams.
All the torches were raised high, pointing towards the mountainside, as if indicating they were ready to move.
All their hostility, directed towards that place.
At that mont, I realized what Rumi had ant.
When she said she had a way to resolve this.
When she said I would be okay.
I understood, so painfully, so clearly.
".....ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ!!!!!!!"
"......The witch might have cursed Han, so keep the ropes tied tightly."
"...Uh… um, got it, Rumi."
"...Yes, let's go now."
The woman who had approached to untie my ropes, thinking the situation had been resolved and that I wasn't the culprit.
But Rumi stopped her with a firm voice.
To prevent from defending myself.
To pin all the bla on the child.
—To save , by sacrificing the child.
"ㅡㅡㅡㅡ!!"
What are you even talking about?
Let go.
Untie this, I said.
You know it wasn't her, it wasn’t that child.
Why, are you doing this....!!
"ㅡㅡ,ㅡㅡ!!"
But no matter how much I scread.
No matter how much strength I exerted, a strength I had never possessed before.
No matter how much I struggled, trying to break free from their grasp and escape.
I couldn't break the thick ropes that bound .
"......Then, shall we all go, together?"
Whoosh, despite my pleading eyes, she turned her head away without a word.
Her hair, illuminated by the rising sun, was even redder than the flas burning beside us.
Rumi slowly walked forward, leading the villagers.
I could only watch, my movents sealed, my heart sinking.
Rumi walked through the burning crosses, raised high as if ready to march.
And behind her, the procession followed.
"—To catch the [real] witch."
A long procession of people, ready to hunt a witch.
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