Chapter 14
Marmond spoke again in a voice flushed with excitement, a twisted sort of laughter laced within it.
“I just did it because I like you so much. Those guys kept hanging around you.”
Ellen bit her trembling lower lip hard.
The true cause of her despair, guilt, and loss of faith — Marmond.
“You were never anything, Marmond. Just… a mad killer.”
“Killer? That’s harsh, Ellen. You said you liked me this way, remember? What did you call me again — an agent of the gods, sent to punish evil? You said that, didn’t you? You told me to kill the Duchess of Debesser!”
So there was someone behind it.
Someone who knew, disturbingly well, all about Marmond and Ellen’s past — and used it.
Someone from the temple?
“I never ordered you. I never said that! Look at me, look at what I am right now — do you think I would tell you to do something like that? Who was it? Who told you that?”
“B-but they even showed me your Saint’s Token! They said if I did this one job well, I’d be released from prison — that you were desperately waiting for me.”
Saint’s Token? Ellen had never lost hers.
Then… was it Anais who lost hers?
Was that person tied to Anais’s death too?
Ellen’s voice burst out, furious.
“So who was it? Who showed you my token?”
“They wore a hood, so I couldn’t see the face. A man, I think… Ah! His hands — they were so pale and clean. Like someone who’s never worked a day in his life. And his wrists — thin, like a noble’s. That’s all I saw.”
A noble? Then maybe not from the temple.
No matter how much she pressed him, Marmond’s answer wouldn’t change.
There’s no time. I have to leave before Dorothy comes back.
Ellen turned to go. But Marmond shouted after her.
“Ellen, you’re taking me with you, right? We’re leaving together!”
Ellen turned her head lazily toward him.
“Why would I leave with you?”
“Then why did you save me?”
“I didn’t save you. You just don’t die from poison.”
Marmond had built up a resistance by taking small doses of poison regularly — even when Ellen had begged him to stop.
That’s why he was still alive even after being stabbed by the poisoned needle from the goddess’s statue.
“Hahaha, that’s right! I don’t die from poison!”
His laughter turned wild; his eyes gleamed with mania.
“Ellen, how did you change your appearance? No, never mind that. Make me the Duke of Debesser too.”
His voice, cracked with excitement, slithered through the air like a serpent.
Then suddenly, he lunged and grabbed her wrist.
“If I become the Duke, could I kiss you again like before?”
Ellen’s face twisted in disgust.
“When did I ever kiss you?”
“You did — when I got bitten by that snake.”
He’d gone completely insane. All she’d done was suck the venom from his ankle to save his life.
“You really are crazy, aren’t you?”
“But you want this too, don’t you?”
Marmond clung to her arm.
Ellen’s revulsion boiled over. She clenched her fist tightly — and slammed it straight into his throat.
Thud!
“Ghh—! Guhk!”
Marmond clutched his neck, wheezing. Ellen’s voice came out low and cold.
“You’ll live in agony and die in misery, Marmond.”
“I… I don’t die…”
“You only have resistance to poison, not immortality. Maybe it would’ve been better if you didn’t — at least then you could’ve died easily.”
Her eyes glinted like ice as she spoke again, spitting out each word.
“You’ll spend the rest of your life doing hard labor under the lash — until your body finally gives out. How’s that? Do you like the miserable death I’ve prepared for you?”
“They don’t make you work in the temple prison. I’ll just go there again.”
“The temple thinks you’re dead. And this time, you tried to assassinate a noble. You won’t escape again, Marmond.”
“You’re not a noble! I’ll tell them! I’ll tell Duke Debesser that you’re not Anais Debesser!”
His bloodshot eyes, twisted face — he looked like a rat cornered in a trap.
Ellen’s lips curled into a satisfied smirk.
“And who do you think will believe the words of a murderer?”
Leaving that victorious line behind, she turned on her heel and walked out without hesitation.
“Come back! Ellen! Aaaagh!”
Crash! — the sound of Marmond falling from the bed echoed through the room, followed by the scratch of fingernails clawing the floor.
No matter how resilient he is, he can’t walk right after drinking that kind of poison.
Ellen didn’t look back once as she made her way back to the library.
Clack —
As soon as she shut the library window, her entire body loosened, as if her strength had drained away.
“Haa…”
Leaning against the wall, she slid down slowly.
“Hhic…”
Tears spilled out before she realized it — tears that weren’t like her at all.
“Sob… hhkk…”
With each stream that fell, a bit of the pain and guilt she’d been carrying washed away.
By the time the feelings of helplessness and loss had ebbed, a large, warm hand gently rested on her trembling shoulders.
That familiar warmth — she knew who it was without looking.
Lysio.
“Anais.”
Her wet eyes, hidden in the shadows, lifted toward him.
“Are you hurt?”
She couldn’t hold his gaze long; Lysio was too busy checking her condition.
Her dress was dirty, but there wasn’t a single wound on her body — the scratches from crawling through the flowerbeds had already healed, thanks to her divine power.
“I’m not hurt, but… I don’t think I’m okay.”
Her voice trembled with quiet sorrow.
Ellen clutched at Lysio’s collar.
“Please, don’t ask me anything. Just… stay with me.”
“…I won’t ask.”
Lysio carefully drew her into his arms.
His mana flowed around her like a gentle warmth, wrapping her whole body.
She should’ve told him — that she was free from black magic now, that she didn’t need his mana anymore.
But the words wouldn’t come.
Later. I’ll tell him later.
After such a long, painful journey… how could anyone refuse a moment of peace like this? Anyone would have done the same.
Whispering excuses to herself, Ellen’s exhaustion finally won, and her eyes drifted shut.
The High Priest refused to hand Priest Nepharos over to the Debesser knights.
He also claimed ignorance about the attempt to poison Marmond.
Furious at the temple’s arrogance, Lysio decided not to report that Marmond had survived.
And so, Marmond was officially declared dead.
“Thinking about what he did to you, even tearing him limb from limb wouldn’t be enough. He’ll live long enough to regret surviving.”
“That’s what I want — a pain worse than death.”
Lysio seemed pleased by her answer. He reached out and lightly tapped the tip of her nose, affectionately.
“He called you Ellen. His mind’s shattered, so finding the one behind it will take time. But as you wish — he’ll live out his days in hard labor.”
Ellen, who’d been secretly enjoying his gentle touch, startled and swatted his hand away.
“Is that so? Well… I guess I do look a bit like this Saint Ellen person.”
“Do you? Now I’m curious about this saint.”
“I think she’s probably a little prettier than me.”
“In what way?”
She only wore her saint’s robes, but Ellen’s looks could easily rival anyone’s.
She had golden hair — a rare color in the slums.
Golden hair made you a target there, easy prey for thieves. Wigs were all the rage among noblewomen, and blonde ones were the most coveted.
So since childhood, she’d had to hide her hair with harsh dyes.
Even when her scalp itched and oozed, she couldn’t stop.
My mother never fed me, but she never missed a day of dyeing my hair, she thought bitterly.
Only when she reached the safety of the temple could Ellen finally stop that torment.
And her eyes — they were something else entirely.
“Maybe her eyes were a bit brighter? Like a forest fairy’s?”
Had she gone too far with the lie? While Ellen squirmed awkwardly, Lysio walked over to the vanity, picked something up, and returned.
“Look at your own eyes again, Anais.”
He handed her a small hand mirror.
“Ah! I mean it — her eyes were green like mine, but a little prettier!”
Lysio motioned with his chin for her to look.
He still didn’t believe her, huh? Pouting slightly, Ellen glanced at her reflection—
“Huh?”
Her eyes widened in shock.
