Hiding the Fact That We Are Dating From the Amnesiac Villain - Chapter 45

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 45
They remained motionless, absorbed entirely in their prayers.
Could this truly be the behavior of someone corrupted by demonic energy…?
“It’s the Stigma Priest!”
At that moment, the Knights who spotted Freena suddenly turned in unison, then began prostrating themselves before her with clasped hands.
It was even more grotesque.
‘…But I must complete my mission.’
To enter Decklin’s Library.
‘To be honest, this situation isn’t entirely unfavorable for me.’
Though it wasn’t an appropriate thought to entertain given the Knights’ precarious mental state.
After all, every human prioritizes their own survival above all else.
…Or so I told myself.
So why were my fingertips trembling with such contradiction?
“Everyone, please rise now.”
Never mind.
I suppressed the tension coursing down my spine and resolved to play the role of a benevolent Priest.
“Your prayers have been… sufficiently conveyed to Him in the heavens.”
So please stop kneeling.
“Our prayers have… been conveyed?”
At my words, the shoulders of the Knights prostrate on the ground began to tremble with overwhelming emotion.
“Is that truly so?”
In that moment, I felt a terrible premonition.
I had merely offered empty reassurance, but perhaps I had touched upon their deepest yearnings.
“…Priest. I once lost a comrade during a terrible war. That fool… died by the blade while trying to save me after I stumbled foolishly into enemy lines.”
At the Knight’s confession, poured forth with bloodshot eyes staring into the void as though in confession, I held my breath.
“Priest. On the day arrows rained down from the enemy, I abandoned a junior officer who had fallen with an arrow through his leg and fled. I even kicked away his hands with my boot as he clung to my pant leg, begging to be saved. Every night, I feel that cold touch upon my ankle.”
“Priest, my dear friend was….”
“Priest, I….”
Those corrupted by demonic energy were certainly not in their right minds.
Yet these memories were vivid—truly events they had experienced.
“Have you been praying for your fallen comrades on the battlefield all this time?”
“We always pray for them.”
Demonic energy relentlessly gnaws at the most fragile and festering wounds within the human soul.
Whether in ancient times or now, the human heart harbors terrible weakness and guilt that one cannot bear alone.
The ancient Stigma Priest presided over sacred rites, gathering all the suppurating wishes and yearnings of the people and sending them skyward.
Now, in their madness, they scraped together their own aching regrets and despair, crying out toward the heavens.
“I will pray alongside you so that those prayers reach quickly.”
“…Priest, is that truly so?”
“The Stigma Priest will offer prayers for us! Such tremendous honor….”
They rejoiced excessively.
But Freena now understood that this joy was meant for her fallen comrades.
“Merciful God, I beseech you, guide their souls and the weight of their guilt toward eternal rest….”
Freena recited the prayer with genuine sincerity for them.
And they answered in kind.
“We willingly offer our torn flesh as sacrifice, and our spilled, rotting blood as sacred water for your blessing….”
“We gladly tear out these eyes festering with sin, that we may gaze only upon the crimson glory of our merciful Master….”
…Yet the content of their prayer remained deeply unsettling.
At last, the prayer concluded.
“…And everyone, there is something we must do for our prayer to reach the divine completely.”
Freena spoke softly and solemnly.
Now that I had prayed with them, it was time for the real task.
To find the remaining two, I would need to probe the Knights.
“I actually came to this land searching for someone. They are the true intermediaries who will carry our prayer to the divine.”
Truly… speaking like an ancient Priest made me deeply uncomfortable.
But what choice did I have? It was necessary to find the remaining people.
“…Do you happen to know where they are?”
In that moment.
The hazy gazes of the Knights trapped in ecstasy suddenly hardened ominously in unison.
They clearly knew something.
“Could it be that the Priest speaks of those ‘noisy bastards’?”
“…Ah yes, those beasts that screamed and thrashed about?”
The Knights began whispering among themselves.
‘…So they really were the ones who kidnapped them.’
But for what purpose?
Had the shallow bond I’d managed to build actually proven effective?
I might be able to learn the location of the remaining two far more easily than expected.
‘Good, I’ll rescue them immediately and purify all seven at once, then escape.’
At last, the end seemed within sight.
“Priest, please follow us. We shall guide you!”
Perfect!
* * *
“You insane bastards!”
A roar echoed deafeningly.
One of the Missing Knights was bound tightly inside another building.
“Priest, is this the one you sought?”
One of the mana-corrupted Knights whispered near Freena’s ear.
“Y-yes, that’s right….”
Freena nodded reluctantly.
But…
“Hey, you crazy bastards! I stayed quiet and bound myself out of pity for those corrupted by mana, and now what? You kidnap some foreign woman and play with her?! You insane fools! What the hell is wrong with your heads?!”
Why does that person seem perfectly fine?
But why is he alone?
There should be two people here….
“Listen, miss! I don’t know why you’re unlucky enough to be here, but run away right now! Those bastards are consumed by magi right now—they’re mad with their eyes rolled back!”
“That foul-mouthed beast!”
“So before it’s too late, hurry… hack, cough cough.”
The Knight who had been shouting at Freena coughed up blood. It was a symptom that appeared when corrupted by magi.
“Ugh, I’m dying, really. Run away, miss….”
The Knight’s words ended there. His body had gone limp, drained of all strength.
‘That man is in danger now. I need to purify him before it’s too late.’
“Please get him out of here.”
I had to save the man first.
It didn’t seem like his mind had been corrupted yet, but if this continued, it would be difficult.
“That’s not possible, Priest.”
The Knights’ expressions froze solid as ice.
“What are you saying right now?”
Those who had always obeyed Freena’s words suddenly erupted in anger.
“You’re asking us to release a sacrifice for the god?”
…A sacrifice?
“No matter how much of a Priest you are, you cannot make such a request. Do you understand?”
They even spoke to Freena harshly and demandingly.
‘These people… could it be that the reason they imprisoned the Knight here and Decklin Caesar is….’
The current continent’s sacrificial rituals end with offering animal blood upon the altar.
But as long as these people believe themselves to be ancient fanatics….
The sinister meaning of their blind faith struck Freena’s mind.
“Now that I think about it, we should move that red-eyed bastard too.”
“Perfect timing. We need multiple sacrifices for the god, and one of them escaped.”
They intended to offer Decklin Caesar as a sacrifice as well.
“Priest, the ritual is two nights from now.”
The Knights all looked at Freena.
“We were at a loss for how to conduct the ritual among ourselves… but now that you’re here, Priest, we feel so relieved!”
The Knights laughed as if they were delighted.
“Please sever the necks of these filthy sacrifices with a single stroke and wash away our sins.”
These fanatics… intended to slaughter the Missing Knight and Decklin Caesar alike.
They withdrew an old blade from their robes, its surface corroded with red rust and its teeth broken.
It was a ceremonial dagger.
“When the time comes for the ritual, please use this blade to cut down the sacrifices.”
And they did so with great reverence, borrowing Freena’s hands.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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