Story 68. From Hell to Another Hell (6)

Chapter 117

Eriez screamed at me, and if any of his guesses were correct, it would have made this much easier. I felt so sorry for my friend, and I contemplated what answer I should give him.

Hwenians exploited their slaves. They may have the divine power to heal, but the source of this energy originated from here in Minurd. The reality was that, to maintain this transcended figure called Isnilen, the priests have been living in horrible pain as they experienced eternal death repeatedly.

It was the definition of a living hell.

Alincha was no better. It destroyed anyone who showed any doubt or rejection towards its religion. Its rules were designed not to create order but to restrain and restrict its citizens.

A man and a woman who had to hide the true identity of the Goddess could continue to rule… and the Goddess who resided in a man’s body and colluded with these people…

This man claimed that if we followed his order and bullied Hwen, the new Goddess will be reborn here. Was he telling the truth?

Well, even if that’s the case, how could it happen if Hakim Karid was indeed infertile? How would he impregnate anyone, let alone Hawaki?

There was no heaven in this world, only hell. It was hell everywhere. We were all in the same boat, but…

I replied to Eriez, “I am not taking anyone’s side.”

I decided to give him a simple explanation.

“It’s true that I will be all alone when I go to Hwen. All alone… but this means I wouldn’t have to take anyone’s side, right? I will be free.”

“What? To be without your religion, master, and brothers? How can you call that freedom?”

I wasn’t sure if he would be able to understand how I felt. We, the Innocent Ones, have lived in restricted circumstances as a group in the name of honor. We were burdened with responsibility and mission all our lives. I have always wondered how other people without these constraints lived their day to day lives, and now, I wanted to experience it for myself.

And I wanted to do it where no one knew me.

I replied, “Whatever. It is how I feel, so what are you going to do about it? I am the way I am, and that is that.”

I knew I didn’t give him an answer that made sense. Eriez yelled in frustration, “Shut up, you idiot!”

I wasn’t sure how long I could last against Eriez’s heavy attacks. It felt strange to be holding my own sword because it has been too long. My palms felt sweaty and sore, and my body ached. Was I strong enough to survive this?

“Argh.”

I didn’t even get a chance to attack because I was busy trying to dodge his moves. Dammit… I finally got myself clean for my journey last night, but I was a mess again. Eriez screamed, “Then you should just die, you bastard! If you are going to sell your body in Hwen, it would be better for you to just die here! I will do it for you!”

Selling my body? What was he talking about?

Eriez’s fist came at me, and this time, I wasn’t quick enough to evade it. I blocked him with my arm, and from the shock of it, I dropped my sword.

“…!”

Eriez sniggered, “What’s wrong, Juya? Well, don’t worry about your sword. It’s not like you need it where you are going, right? I hear there are many male prostitutes in Hwen. Were you envious of those sl*ts? I can’t believe I considered someone like you as a friend…”

Eriez picked up my sword and walked towards the lake. He was about to throw it into the water. I ran to him and fought him only to get my sword back.

“Give it back, you jerk! Give my sword back!”

I was no match for him. It took him only a few seconds to push me down on the ground. My face was crushed against the dirt, and my arms were restrained behind me. He put his weight on my hip and my thighs, pinning me down so I could not even wiggle.

The feeling of his familiar warm weight felt strange. I remembered that he used to enjoy kissing my neck in this position, but this time, all I felt was the sharp edge of the sword.

“… so you are going to kill me?”

There was no answer. He told me before that he would end me if necessary. He had many chances so far, but every time, he couldn’t do it. What a coward.

“Or are you thinking to f*ck me once more before killing me? Hahaha… haha…”

I coughed, and the dirt got into my mouth. Suddenly, I felt Eriez leave my body, but I remained still. I didn’t even turn around to look at him. The only thing left for me to do was to wait for my friend’s decision. Without looking at him, I said. “Hey, Eri… Eriez. You have been thinking about me, haven’t you? That’s why you talked about me selling my body in Hwen, right? You wanna do me again. Is that it? Well, if you do, then just do it… If I’m going to die anyway, I should at least let you do this to me… Haha… Hahaha… My body was healed recently, so I think it’s going to hurt a lot, though.”

I kept chatting, even though I wasn’t sure if he was still listening to me. When I didn’t hear anything from him for a long time, I finally glanced at him. Eriez was standing beside me. His sword was back in his scabbard, and he was holding my sword, which was directed at me.

“…”

I guess he was going to kill me after all. Well, it made sense, but if he wasn’t, I hoped he would let me keep my sword. If I did make it to Hwen, I would need it to work as a sword.

I laid still on the ground, waiting for my death. We were near the water so I could feel the wet mist on my skin. Was this really it? Was I going to die here?

I wasn’t too sad. I was a soldier, and a soldier should not regret losing a fight if he did his best.

What was taking Eriez so long? Was he still trying to decide what to do?

“…”

I looked up again and saw that the sword he was holding was shaking. All he had to do was a single slash, and it would be all over, yet he couldn’t. He had a sad frown on his face as he murmured in a shaky voice, “I was going to do it… I told you I would…”

We could never be enemies. I knew this just as he did.

“Juya… If I kill you now, I don’t think I could live with myself… F*ck. F*ck! I thought you were my best friend!”

He looked so devastated as he tightened his grip on my sword. I closed my eyes and felt the warm blood splash over my skin.

“Eri?”

My life… My neck… It was still intact.

So whose blood…

“Huh?”