Chapter 29

Story 17. The one who killed the Goddess (6)

Chapter 29

“My Warrior! It is all my fault! I will accept any punishment you see fit.”

I kneeled immediately while Eriez pulled his pants up first before kneeling. I meant what I said; I was willing and ready to be punished. The warrior took out his sword, which was his pride and joy, from his scabbard and pointed it at Eriez. There was a bit of dried blood on it, and to my shock, I saw that a head with dirty hair was rolling behind him on the floor. Was the blood coming from the beheading of whoever that head belonged to?

Was the Goddess’ warrior angry? If he was, it was a wave of icy anger, not fiery. Was his fury at us, or was it more at whatever happened out there? Was… was something going to happen to us tonight?

I knew that a man taking another man was against the law and ethics. We would most likely end up in hell after our death. It was especially bad because we were Innocent Ones. We were supposed to follow much stricter moral codes than the rest.

Eriez didn’t say anything. He didn’t even try to make an excuse for himself. I knew I couldn’t let him be killed dishonorably here, but my body froze. I didn’t know what to do. All I could do was hold my pants up to remain as decent as possible.

To my surprise, the warrior remained still. He seemed like he was contemplating, and I finally got the courage to beg him, “… M-my Warrior! Please! Please stop!”

The sword remained on top of Eriez’s head, so I crawled towards him. I kneeled even lower and begged for mercy. This couldn’t happen. I couldn’t let Eriez die here. We couldn’t end up in hell like this. I knew what we did was wrong, but…

My hands shook, and I said whatever popped in my mind, “It’s not Iztal Eriez’s fault! I asked him to do it for me. I was the one who started the whole thing! If you truly believe what we did was wrong, I am the one who needs to be punished, not Eriez. Please, forgive us!”

“Look up, Iztal Juya.”

The cold voice of the warrior ordered me. When I did, I realized that my face was wet with tears, but I didn’t care. There was no time to be ashamed. Thankfully, I could detect the sound of his sword being placed back in the scabbard. I couldn’t see it clearly because my eyes were watering, but I heard a very distinct sound.

Our judge looked down at us and ordered Eriez, “Iztal Eriez, you will return to your room and wait for my punishment. I will call you later, and Iztal Juya, you will follow me right now.”

“…?”

It seemed that the warrior was willing to listen to my story first.

***

“It is nice of you to try to protect your brother, but if it’s not the truth, whatever story you tell me now won’t help you.”

The warrior ordered me to tell the truth, even if it was horrendous and unforgivable. The Innocent Ones were supposed to be pure beings unable to lie. It was especially true when addressing the Goddess’ warrior. Honesty was one of the most basic requirements for us.

“So you made him do it? However, Iztal Eriez is much bigger and stronger than you with a flawless reputation. I would be more inclined to believe that he forced you into this situation, not the other way around.”

“…”

“If you don’t tell me the truth, both of you will be punished severely, Iztal Juya.”

At this cold treat, I shivered in fear. I knew I had no choice but to tell him everything. I believed the warrior could tell if I was lying, so I had to tell him only the truth and from the very beginning.

I told him that I was the one who has fallen to my own lust. I was the one who seduced Eriez. I taught my own brother about this vulgar and immoral act. Eriez… He felt sorry for me and my weakness and was only trying to help.

Eriez knew how much pain I was going through at the thought of losing myself to such a weakness. His brotherly love for me forced him to act on my desire.

I confessed to him that everything stemmed from my unforgivable feelings for Prince Camille. This included my kidnapping of the Virtuous Priestess.

I told the warrior that… it was all because I was in love with the prince because I desired him…

“Camille? You are in love with him…? Ha… Hahahaha…!”

I was still crying and half-naked, looking like a slave. My master laughed at me mercilessly, and I wished that I could just get whipped for my punishment already, but I wasn’t so lucky.

“So are you telling me, Iztal Juya, that you took Camille against his wish?”

“N-no, Sir.”

“Do you plan to do something like it to him in the future?”

“Never! I would never! Please forgive me! I was wrong and stupid!”

“Even if you can no longer seduce Iztal Eriez… Can you still promise me never to take Prince Camille?”

“Of course, my warrior! Please…”

“Hmm… How can I believe your words?”

How did I get here? I wouldn’t have been so aroused today if it wasn’t for Eriez’s insistence. It was him who came at me here, despite where we were, and it was my weakness that reacted to his desire.

But… What was the point of regretting the past? It was too late. Even if I was lucky enough not to get caught today, something like this was bound to happen sometime in the future anyway.

I wasn’t sure since when Eriez developed this kind of interest in my body. If I refused him from now on, would he feel pain and disappointment like I did when I learned that I could never have the prince?

Was this indeed all my fault? To cause my beloved brother to commit such a sin…

How much more pain did I need to go through? At this point, all I wanted was to be allowed to remain close to my prince. Was I asking too much?

“Whatever. Just get up, Innocent One. I don’t want to look at you anymore.”

“A-are you… forgiving me?”

I stood up but kept my face down. Instead of answering me, Hakim Karid asked the same question again, “So you are in love with Sevan Camille?”

I couldn’t lie now, so I replied, “Yes…”

“They call him the one who killed the goddess, but Iztal Juya, look at me, if Prince Camille was like me, the Goddess’ warrior, would you still have fallen in love with him?”

I looked up, but I didn’t know what he was asking. Although they were brothers, Prince Camille and Hakim Karid were too different. Hakim Karid was… beautiful but strong at the same time. He had everyone’s trust in this land, and he remained a cold and ruthless ruler. My eyes felt blinded by his greatness.

People respected and admired the sun, but no one would ever want to take the sun to his bed.

“Why do you ask me such a question, Sir?”

“You can’t feel lust for the Goddess’s warrior, yet you feel it for the prince who has been abandoned and stigmatized as the one who killed the Goddess… Don’t you think that is a weak and cowardly way? What do you think, oh, Innocent One? If Camille was dubbed as the Goddess’ warrior, would you still have loved him in that way?”

“… to me, the only Goddess’ warrior here is you, Hakim Karid. You are the only one.”

I felt like he could see right through me. My heart began to beat fast, and I lowered my face. What was there to think? The prince wasn’t the Goddess’ warrior. Perhaps he wanted to be, but it was not possible.

The boy prince was lucky enough to have lived in this peaceful land. If he grew up in the capital, he would have been treated poorly.

However, what the warrior was telling me was something very unexpected.

“Arim Sevan Camille did not kill the Goddess; I don’t know what to call him other than a Goddess’ warrior as well. After all, he was born from the Goddess herself, just as I did. What else would I call him? Why would I call him something else? Because he cannot use a sword properly? But I thought you, Iztal Juya, has been teaching him the skill.”

“…?”