Chapter 39

“Anne, Anne… Open your eyes…”

“You, who don’t even share a drop of blood with me, are grieving more than I am.”

“…Who are you?”

“I am Anne’s father. Just know that for now.”

“It’s shameless to act like a parent now, but… I came to save my daughter.”

039

Tomorrow Will Be Better (Part 2)

“Louis, do you trust me?”

“Of course.”

“I know I’ve been a bit harsh on you, but… you understand, right?”

“Yeah.”

After hesitating for a moment, I added.

“It was all for me, wasn’t it?”

Everything. Leaving me to the torture of other Inquisition Judges, making me drink scalding water, forcing me to read difficult books and dripping candle wax whenever I hesitated.

Attacking and destroying our village, setting buildings on fire, poisoning the river, dragging me out of hiding and kidnapping me, tearing down the house where the few traces of my father remained.

Setting traps on the hunter’s path, feeding his corpse to wolves, mixing poisonous herbs into the herbalist’s pouch, giving unhealing wounds to the sick, skinning the girl next door, stacking a tower with the wailing faces of those close to me.

“Louis?”

Ah.

“Yeah.”

“Are you okay?”

“Of course I am.”

Let’s not think about it.

I suppressed the rising resentment and nodded meekly.

“Honestly, I said I’d let you go, but it won’t be easy.”

I thought so. This prison was already far beyond the bounds of common sense.

“Especially lately, there’s been a problem…”

“What problem?”

“A heretic went on a rampage. We subdued them quickly, but it’s still something that’s sharpened the Order’s nerves.”

Another heretic—a thought flashed through my mind.

Yes, that man, like a piece of art. More inorganic than beautiful.

“In this situation, discussing the reformation and release of a heretic won’t be accepted.”

After the heat of passion passed, the girl spoke of cold reality.

“Don’t worry. I’m not saying I’ll give up, but…”

It wasn’t hard to read her true feelings, like a childhood friend. Pity, and regret.

The hand caressing my thigh was soaked in emotions other than desire. Without knowing why, I grabbed her hand to reassure Anne.

This time, the smile on her lips wasn’t purely bright, nor was it stiff.

It was a faint smile, like a star just before dawn. The shadow of the crescent moon that brushed her lips was too brief for me to grasp.

“I’m sorry. It’s going to be a more painful and difficult path than you think.”

Without knowing what it was, I firmly replied.

“I’ll be fine.”

Half of me thought, surely nothing worse than what I’ve already been through. The other half thought, it doesn’t matter, I’ll just nod because it’s you saying it.

Whether you knew my heart or not, you smiled at me as if reassured.

“That’s good, but…”

After rolling around for a while, Anne got up. Of course, she couldn’t always be here, but her earlier-than-usual departure made a disappointed sound escape my lips.

“Are you leaving already?”

“Why, will you miss me?”

At her playful question, I nodded obediently, and Anne, as if finding me cute, pinched my cheek.

Then her expression darkened. Like a spell broken by the midnight bell, the affectionate girl retreated, and the cold Inquisition Judge took her place.

Anne let go of my hand. She took a step back, looking at me as if to etch this moment into her memory.

“I’ll be back soon.”

There is no truly heartless, indifferent, or emotionless person in the world. Well, maybe those born inherently flawed could be—but at least the Anne I knew wasn’t like that.

Inquisition Judge, White Calamity, Heartless Slaughterer—I didn’t know those chilling names. The Anne I knew was the only one.

I tried to read what I didn’t know and failed. The faith of a religious person, the mission of an Inquisition Judge, the conviction of a judge… Instead, I saw what I knew.

No matter how much she hid behind a mask of coldness, it wasn’t hard to sense the heart of a childhood friend. Anne was sorry for me, and she was regretful.

Though I didn’t know the reason.

“Louis, do you remember what I said?”

“Uh, yeah?”

Anne was anxious.

“All of this is for you, so…”

“I know.”

“Don’t hate me.”

I gently grasped Anne’s hand. Anne buried herself in my arms for a moment, then pulled away with a brighter face.

“Be prepared. I’ll be back.”

She lightly stood on her toes, kissed my cheek, and left beyond the bars. A path I couldn’t follow.

The silver bars still didn’t hold the meaning of a prison. The sparsely spaced bars left enough room for anyone to pass through easily.

Except me. Reaching out beyond them, I recoiled in fear before touching the sacred barrier. Meanwhile, Anne had already moved beyond.

She said she’d be back soon.

…What did she mean by being prepared?

*

Clank. Clank. Anne returned with the sound of metal clashing.

Accompanied by a red-haired Inquisition Judge.

“…No matter how much I think about it, it just seems like madness.”

The red-haired Inquisition Judge, once so full of madness and hatred, now wore a deeply troubled expression. A step ahead, Anne approached me with a staggered gait.

With each step, the sound of metal grew louder. No longer hiding her affection for me, Anne gently reached out beyond the silver bars.

“Louis, come here.”

“…Okay.”

I was anxious. Scared. From the moment I saw the red-haired Inquisition Judge, from the moment I reunited with Anne in armor, my heart pounded with fear, not excitement.

But I hesitated and eventually obeyed her. More than any cruel act, I was more afraid of her heart changing, of that thin thread snapping.

We stood close, separated by the bars. Close enough to touch if we reached out. But Anne turned away from me.

“The sword.”

“Hey. I told you, I’m the only one who can use that sword. Even so, you can’t just…”

“Brother Verdo. Are you worried about a heretic now? How disappointing.”

Who’s talking to whom? As the red-haired Inquisition Judge shamelessly spoke, Anne drew the sword from his waist.

Her skill with the sword didn’t seem particularly impressive, but she lifted it effortlessly. Holding the sword high, she turned back to me.

“I told you, Louis? A heretic recently went on a rampage. So, we need one more proof.”

She spoke kindly, but her cold eyes stared straight at me. Under that chilly gaze, I instinctively took a step back.

“What… do I need to do?”

“Don’t worry. You don’t need to do anything.”

Contradictory words. The next moment, Anne swung the sword—

—Not at me, but at the man beside her.

“Gah! You crazy bitch…!”

“Show some respect to a brother of faith, Brother Verdo.”

As if cutting down a brother of faith was respectful, I, like the man, was overwhelmed by Anne’s aura.

The white blade, having slashed its original owner, gleamed with blood, glowing with white light. Like magic, flames spread along the blade as blood flowed. I gulped.

It was a light I knew too well. Holding the holy sword, Anne took a step closer to me.

Standing between the bars, on the boundary of inside and outside.

“Just, stay still.”

Until the very last moment, I thought, surely not. Of course, even if I had been fully conscious, I wouldn’t have been able to dodge.

“I don’t want to accidentally cut somewhere else.”

Sssshhk.

The chillingly clean sound made the reality sink in a beat later.

The thigh Anne had been gently caressing just moments ago. A white-hot line was drawn across it. I stared blankly, grabbing the severed leg as if to reattach it. The part where the holy flames had seared showed no blood, only a clean cut.

All these sensations were momentary. My body, missing a leg, tilted and fell. The world tilted sideways, everything upside down.

Anne, regretful yet precise, sheathed the sword. Verdo looked at me with a horrified expression. The severed leg, not a drop of blood spilled, stood upright even as my body collapsed awkwardly.

And then, the pain.

“AAAAAAAAAAH!”

Before losing consciousness, the last thing I saw was Anne, with a pained expression as if she had lost a leg herself—

—Still holding the holy sword, she swung it, tearing the severed leg to shreds until not even ashes remained.