novel
| ← Ch.267 | Ch.269 → |
"We're going to die either way. Kill us!"
The elder screamed while trembling.
"That's because you've already lived your life. The others don't seem to agree."
The elder looked at the other 3 adults with a grimace
"What are you so afraid of?"
The elder shouted.
The one middle-aged woman and the two middle-aged men trembled without being able to lift their heads.
Min Sung clicked his tongue.
He thought they would run away if he scared them, but the elder had quite the influence.
At this point, he had two choices—to kill them or let them live.
And he didn't have to think for long.
"Ho Sung, bring the little girl, " Min Sung ordered.
Ho Sung Lee felt anxious, but he brought the little girl, Marie, out while holding her hand.
"These adults are saying you killed someone. Why did you do it?"
Min Sung asked Marie.
In response, she trembled, unable to open her mouth.
"Just tell me the truth."
Marie opened her eyes wide to Min Sung and then dropped her head before she uttered, "He tried to harass me."
"In more detail."
"He tried to touch my body. And..."
"That's enough."
"..."
"They claim that the villagers are dying from a disease. Did you do it?"
Marie nodded with a resigned look on her face.
She looked like she was ready to die.
"Why?"
"... Because I'm a witch."
Min Sung knitted his brows and glared at the adults.
"Then I have a question for you. Are there those who are dying of the illness right now?"
"Of course, " answered the elder.
The other three were trembling with fear, ready to die.
No matter how prepared they were, their head and body reacted differently.
Min Sung looked away from the three adults back to the elder and laughed.
"Hey, kid, " called Min Sung.
Marie looked up at Min Sung.
"Are you able to heal sick people, too?"
Min Sung asked.
Marie thought for a second and nodded.
The elder looked at Marie with surprise.
"You bitch! How could you sit back if you were able to treat them?"
The elder shouted.
Marie trembled and dropped her head.
Kaboom!
Min Sung's Gungnir S rang.
The elder flinched and stiffened back up.
The thundering noise from Min Sung's weapon had the ability to make his opponent freeze up.
No matter how prepared they were to die, they couldn't help their reflexes.
"If you call this little girl a witch, she'll become a witch. But if you call her a savior? If you ask for help? If you protect her and ask her to protect the village in return?"
The adults looked at Marie with changed faces.
"Then this little girl will be your savior, not a witch."
The four adults thought for a moment.
"If you try to kill this girl, you'll die instead. But if you ask for her help and ask for her forgiveness... If you hold her sacred..."
Min Sung scanned the village filled with dark energy.
"Then maybe your village could change."
"..."
"The choice is up to you. Now take her away."
Min Sung threw his Gungnir S into his item window and turned away.
Min Sung went back into the house, and after scratching his head, Ho Sung Lee followed him back in.
Ho Sung Lee looked back toward the little girl named Marie.
Marie stood there with her head down.
Ho Sung Lee stared at Marie. He sighed and looked away.
***
"... Do you think she'll be okay?"
Ho Sung Lee asked as he put down his tea glass.
After taking a sip of the tea that Ho Sung Lee made him...
"I don't know, " he uttered without much interest.
Ho Sung Lee sighed and then smirked.
"Still... I think you were wise to give them those two choices and make them decide their fate."
"Don't evaluate me."
"I apologize. I didn't mean it that way. I'm just in awe, " Ho Sung Lee said while dripping in cold sweat.
"Find information about the secret document."
"Yes, Sir."
"And don't overdo it like last time."
Min Sung warmed up his tea with his magic energy. He blew it to be warm and then sipped it.
Ho Sung Lee watched Min Sung and smiled.
"Yes, Sir."
***
The little girl that they called a witch named Marie.
She was ready to die.
She had lived her life under persecution.
But she was now tired, and she even tried delicious foods like pork cutlets and ice cream.
Now that she had experienced delicious food, she was satisfied.
Marie followed the adults with drooping shoulders.
One of the men called his son over and asked for his opinion.
His son was set to take after the current village chief as he passed.
But since the former village chief had just died, the young man was no different from the current village chief.
And as soon as the young man heard his father's story, he asked for people to gather in the main square.
He even told the sick to gather as well.
At first, people stared at Marie and cussed her out, but as soon as they heard that she would be able to cure the disease, they all decided to gather in the square.
A moment later, the village square was full of Beatrice natives.
Those who were sick screamed at Marie to cure them.
Among the 3 adults that went to Marie's house, the young man who was set to become the village chief stood on the podium and waited for them to quiet down.
Not long afterward, the square grew quiet, and that was when the young man spoke.
The young man had gone to Marie's house to meet Min Sung, and he delivered what he had heard from Min Sung himself.
"This is what he said. Because we were afraid of this girl's power, we called her a witch, and she only became a witch so that she could protect herself."
The people at the square looked confused. However, they seemed to have changed their mind after hearing the young man speak.
"He asked what would happen if we hold her sacred. What if we never called her a witch? What if we sincerely asked her to protect our village? Then perhaps she would have become our protector and not a witch."
The young man continued, "It's possible that it was us, not her, who caused his disaster... That's what I thought."
Some people began to protest.
They screamed that Marie was the devil.
"If something happened in this village, who would protect us?"
The young man asked.
There was no answer.
Even the noisy ones shut their mouths.
"Do you think Krok will protect us?"
"..."
"Krok stole our base, women, belongings, and our territory."
"Are you saying that girl can fight Krok?"
One of the men asked.
"Of course not. But she at least has the power to resolve small issues."
"Then what about the fact that that little girl killed someone!?"
"Wouldn't you fight back if I tried to kill you right now?"
"..."
"Same goes for this girl. If we protect, respect, and cherish her, she will protect us rather than hurt us."
Most of the people agreed with the young man.
He was using the mob psychology.
But there were always those who resisted.
"What if that girl is evil? What if she wants revenge? What then?!"
The young man looked at him as if he didn't understand.
"You're not getting the point. Can we kill this girl?"
"Why can't we?!"
"If she dies, we won't be able to treat the illnesses that she caused. Do you think Krok will treat us? Only the women he'll take would get treated."
The man was no longer able to refute.
"It's foolish to go after this girl just because she's different. If we respect her and be considerate, Marie will be on our side. But on the other hand..."
The young man made it clear.
"If we call her a witch and try to kill her, this girl will have no choice but to fight back."
The young man raised his voice.
"And that will lead to our village's ruin. It will be us we're killing, not her!"
The young man normally didn't say much.
But his wisdom had always resonated without the need for words, which was why he was picked to become the next village chief.
A young man like that had finally raised his voice.
And since he was convincing, the young man's words were powerful, and the people began to change their minds about Marie.
"I'll give you 3 days. If you wrap a red cloth around your wrist, that means you want to hurt her or kick her out, and if you wrap a white cloth around your wrist, that means you respect her and wish to hold her sacred."
The young man stepped down from the podium.
He then stood in front of Marie.
Marie looked up at the young man with wide eyes.
The young man smiled down at the girl and wrapped a white cloth around his wrist.
"I'm sorry I couldn't help you until now. I know I'm late, but let me make this clear. You did nothing wrong, and I'm on your side, Marie, " said the young man.
Marie's eyes shed tears.
The young man reached out his hand.
Marie held her tears back and held the young man's hand.
| ← Ch. 267 | Ch. 269 → |