Chapter 107

They were the loyal dogs of Minurd. They would give up their lives and jump into the fire of hell to serve the warrior. The one who was leading this group was someone I was very familiar with. I could tell who his voice was just by ordering calmly, “Stop making a scene! There is no need to panic. These are just the bodies of the Hwen bastards, like that intruder we executed before. This must be their secret hiding place! All we have to do is make a path through these corpses and lead us to them. We can trounce them!”

“Argghhh… But My Innocent One…”

“We must find Prince Camille and bring him back safely! Are you going to disobey the warrior’s order? We need to do this!”

Eriez screamed at them, and I knew it was only a matter of time before the soldiers got to us.

“…”

I had no choice but to fight. I ran towards the man who has been executing so many people. I kicked him and took back my sword.

It was mine, to begin with, so I was only taking what was mine.

“Juya…! Juya…! No! You can’t!”

The prince followed me hurriedly. What was he going to do? I could again smell the disgusting odor of the rotting bodies. I knew I had the advantage of the dim light behind me. I could see better than the soldiers, who probably couldn’t see me well. All they could see was perhaps just my silhouette. I held my sword firmly, ready to kill anyone who tried to harm us.

“Oh, no…! Be careful! It’s coming down!”

The giant pile of bodies suddenly collapsed, and finally, the soldiers could see us. I squeezed my sword and waited.

I was ready.

But the soldiers hesitated. They climbed over the bodies slowly, and to my surprise, the one who was leading them, Eriez, recognized me immediately.

“Juya? Oh, you are safe! How’s your body…? Huh? You look fine…”

What an idiot! He came to find the prince to drag him back to Minurd, yet when he saw me, all he could do was greet me. Eriez continued to come towards me and offered me his hand. Once they saw how Eriez climbed over the bodies, the other soldiers began to muster more courage to come closer. Once they got inside, they covered their noses and mouths to protect themselves from the smell and looked around nervously. I could see they were trying to act nonchalant as if they were on my side.

Idiots.

I did not relax my stance. I continued to grab onto my sword, ready to spring into action. I assumed the prince was hiding behind me, and I wondered if we could hide from the soldiers anywhere around here. The prince told me not to go into the city, but if he had a very good reason for it, perhaps we could run and hide in there for a little while.

More and more soldiers approached us. Some that were quick on their feet were closer to me than Eriez and announced to their friends, “What the!? There is nothing bad here, guys! No need to be afraid. Hurry up and get in here, you cowards!”

I kept my position and said to Eriez, “Iztal Eriez, please go back. Please return home and leave us alone.”

This was all I could do for now. I kept repeating myself, but I wasn’t sure if this would help the prince at all. Eriez stopped in the middle and tried to distract me, “Hey… Juya… Why don’t you just come here…”

Just then, I saw that one of the soldiers was about to cross the doorway towards us. The boy prince ordered sharply, “Close the door!”

“Huh? Pardon?”

Before I could react, the soldiers, who heard his order as well, pointed their fingers at him and yelled, “Oh, over there! The one who killed the

Goddess! He is right there!”

“Go get him!”

The men came after me, but I made sure not to make it too easy for them to grab the prince. Meanwhile, Prince Camille ordered again, and I realized that his order wasn’t directed at the soldiers or me.

“I said, close the door!”

The ones who reacted to the prince’s order were the old priests who have been kneeling on the floor like statues around us. They stood up slowly and gathered around the stone door to close it. As they touched the door, a dim light began to appear around them, and just like when it opened, a loud rumbling noise began.

I became shocked because it seemed that I was the only one from Alincha who understood what the prince ordered. He spoke in a different language, and somehow, I knew what it was.

Hwenian.

I screamed at Eriez, “G-get back, E-Eriez! You need to go back!” When I glanced at the prince, Sevan Camille’s eyes looked as cold as his brother’s. I yelled again, “Get back! Hurry up! Eriez!”

My friend once swore to me that he would listen to me. He promised to do as I ask. He said he would believe me even if everyone else didn’t. He was the only man in this world who would willingly be used by me.

“Juya…? But…”

“If you don’t want to die, get back! Get out! Yes, keep moving! More! Get out of this place!”

Thankfully, Eriez began to move back. The light from the priests became brighter, and I knew the door was going to slam close at some point soon. When the prince opened it, it did so in one powerful motion…

Crack! Slam!

It was the same this time. With a loud thud, the thick door closed suddenly to create a tight seal. I had the misfortune of witnessing a young soldier being trapped in the doorway as it closed. He was squished, and I collapsed onto the floor in shock. I became wet, and I wasn’t sure if it was from my own sweat or the blood from those trapped and killed in the door. Somehow, I knew that this door would not open for a while now.

“Juya… We should be okay.”

What was the prince thinking? How could he make such a cruel decision? My back spasmed from shock and fear, and I could not stand. The prince came to me to offer his hand. He looked sad, but he didn’t seem hesitant.

“…”

Did Eriez get out alive? Was he okay?

I assumed he was, but I wasn’t sure about many of the soldiers. How many died? Did all of them die?

Whoever survived, I assumed they would return to Minurd. This was a strange and scary place. It wasn’t hell, but it was filled with death. I wasn’t sure if I would get out of here alive.

The boy prince who seemed to be able to control the dead hugged me. I still felt weak, but I hugged him back. Slowly, I realized that the ground, which has been trembling, finally quieted down. It seemed eerily calm, but I knew this wouldn’t last long.

And I was right.

“Ahhhhh! The divinity has been ruined. You little paganssss!”

Something that was part of this place began to speak.