Chapter 40 - The Girl Wants to Be M*rdered

〈 Chapter 40 〉 40. Betrayal. * * * ** It was a torch. A torch made from a thick wooden stick, broken cross at the top, and a sharpened spearhead wrapped with cloth soaked in oil. Drip, drip. The oil, engulfed in flames, sizzled and dripped onto the ground from the cloth. "Witch—!!" "....Tsk." "...Ah... Oh no.." The cries of someone who spotted me rang out. In an instant, the alley I stood in was blocked by a wave of people drawn by that cry. Despite the sun not yet risen, the fiery glow from their torches gleamed ominously, casting a red hue over the darkened area. It was an enormous shift, hard to believe it was sparked by just one man's shout. Facing the advancing crowd, which seemed to number at least a hundred villagers, I found myself hiding behind Remie with a small groan. Regardless of how much I tried to muster my courage, my true nature was that of a coward. "Re... Remie...!" "...Hahn." I wanted to ask if this was some kind of sick joke. But the stark terror and disdain in their eyes made it clear that this was far beyond anything that could be dismissed as a joke. Witch, hunt. The words rolled slowly from my tongue. What hunt? What have I done? I was just scraping by, surviving as I always did....!! Step by step. With every inch they advanced, the more I found myself cowering. The only thing I could do was look to Remie for salvation. "—Hahn, listen carefully." "...Yes..! Yes!" A glimmer of hope. A small warmth spread across my face. Remie’s quiet words brought me a bit of relief. Earlier, she mentioned she had a way to resolve this. Yes, if it's her, there must be a way. Remie is the only one here in the village I trust not to harm me. I believed in her— "—Hold tight." "...What?" Thunk. When Remie spoke to me, her hand in mine fell away with a small jolt, and I saw her body pull away from me. As if they awaited this moment, the villagers surged like raging bulls to seize me. I couldn’t think at all. "Re.... Remie..?" "—Well done, Remie!!" Crack. They forced me to the ground, binding me so tightly with ropes that I couldn't move. Filthy, foul-smelling cloth was crammed into my mouth, suffocating me. "...—?" All I could do was mumble the word "why" silently while staring blankly at Remie. Hoping she would say something to me. Hoping she would explain this was all part of a plan. Hoping she would tell me it was all lies. Clinging to that belief so firmly. "......." But Remie didn’t say anything to me. She only gave me a smile that was chilling in its coldness. ** "Haha! Remie, so you’ve brought the witch here to prevent her escape!!" "........" "Weren’t you cursed? I’ve heard witches leave wicked curses when cornered." I was bound and surrounded by torches, looking as if they would devour me at any moment. Every small movement tightened the ropes, and my mouth was filled with cloth stretched wide. Every breath brought the stench closer, overwhelming me. This was torture. "......!!" "—Do not move!" Any small movement elicited glares and commands as cold as ice directed at me. This was unbearable agony, yet— "...It's okay, nothing happened, village chief." "Haha, that’s a relief!!" But what hurt more than anything was the deep betrayal of a friend I had trusted. "......" Remie, why? Why did you abandon me? Were you just like them all along? Had you grown close to me only to use and belittle me? Though I couldn’t form the thoughts coherently, they cut me like blades. The pain of being abandoned by someone I trusted was far worse than the tightening ropes or the stones some villagers threw. At that moment, having the innkeeper’s skill of stuffing cloth into my mouth felt like an unexpected blessing. If my mouth had been free. I might have bitten my tongue and chosen to die. "—We found the witch, as you said. Chief." "Yes, Remie, you found her. Your bravery will be remembered for generations. Haha!" If I could shed tears of blood, I would. If I could show my heart, cut and torn. If I could dig into my brain and erase memories, over and over. That’s how excruciating her betrayal was. "—No." "......!!" So when she uttered a negation, I rejoiced. Drip, drip, like long-awaited raindrops falling after a drought. The cracked earth, my heart, absorbed those small droplets. But it was a mistake. The water sinking into the cracked ground would only widen the crevices. I didn’t know that— I was truly foolish. "—[The real] witch, I've found her." "...What are you saying, Remie?" Remie's confession. The villagers fell into confusion. Those who were throwing stones stopped, and those who brandished torches as if to burn me alive now focused on Remie. As if they couldn't believe it. As if they couldn't accept it. "Of course? That foolish one couldn’t possibly cast such a powerful curse." "And more than ten years have passed since this 'monster' was born, and she's been quiet, only recently causing trouble. Doesn't that seem odd, Leda?" "...That's true." With commanding charisma, Remie swiftly captivated the villagers’ minds. Her piercing eyes and confident words seemed to carry weight, lending credence despite any lack of solid evidence. But even so, perhaps fearing for their lives or for the village’s wellbeing, a few still insisted on blaming me. Wouldn't it be simpler, they argued, to capture the obvious culprit rather than chase unfounded suspicions? "But Remie, besides this monster, who else could—" "—There is." "...What?" "There really is, the witch." Those voices were silenced too, reduced to mere whispers. "........" I remained oblivious to what was happening or why I was subjected to such suffering. I could only vaguely guess that something had happened in the village, and that blame was being pinned on me. So when Remie proclaimed my innocence, I felt relief. I just wanted the ropes untied. I didn’t know anything about being a witch, and I certainly wasn’t one. I’d forgive everything if they’d just let me go home. All I could think about was wanting to rest. "—Recently, no, for the past two months, there's been a child leading Hahn astray." ".....What?" I couldn't foresee that my salvation would turn into my greatest nightmare. I failed to grasp that it would be worse than being framed as the culprit. At that moment, disgracefully, I quietly exhaled in relief. It made me despise myself so much that I wanted to end it all. "Hahn told me she lived deep in the forest where the wild beasts dwell because she didn’t want to be seen." ".....Is that true?" "Yes, it’s true! You’ve seen the strange carcasses of animals recently, haven’t you? It’s definitely the witch’s doing. It couldn’t be anyone else. You know this one doesn’t wander at night, right?" The tale twisted strangely before my eyes. A chill so intense spread through my body that I forgot to breathe. I was slow and not sharp, but at least I could understand the gravity of the situation. What are you saying, Remie? This isn’t it, Remie? It can’t be. Remie? ... Stop this. I begged for it to stop. ".....—!!!!! ーーー!!!!" "Hey!? This one’s going berserk?" "Looks like the witch's curse is activating! Do not remove the gag!" "O...okay, Remie!" I thrashed around, trying desperately to free myself. I had to prevent everyone from hearing Remie’s words somehow. I writhed on the ground, screamed wildly, and bashed my head. Dirt scraped my face, and the coarse, hard ground injured me, but I had no time to feel it. The only thought consuming me was to stop this madness and silence Remie somehow. I had believed I’d found a new friend. I had believed I had someone precious. A special memory only Alice and I knew, shared solely with Remie here in this village. "—She even said they sang songs together in the forest after sunset!" "My God..!! That’s...." Remie recounted them as if they were strange occurrences. "No doubt about it! Hahn is just a victim ensnared by the witch. The real culprit, the 'witch', is the true enemy, right?" "....The real..." "If we don’t eliminate the real witch, this will just keep happening, right?" "Indeed, it makes perfect sense." No eyes were on me as I writhed helplessly on the ground. No one reacted to my screams. All the torches were already raised high, pointing ominously toward the mountainside Remie indicated. All hostility turned in that direction. At that moment, I grasped the true meaning of Remie's words. When she spoke of having a way to solve this. Those words I thought meant I’d be alright. I understood, in the most heartbreaking way. ".....ーーーー!!!!!" "......The witch may have left a curse on someone she saw often, so keep the ropes tight." "..O...okay, Remie." "...Let's go, then." The woman who approached to untie me, reassured by the turn in my favor, stopped cold at Remie’s resolute voice. To ensure I couldn’t protest or defend myself. To place all the blame on the child. To save me with the child's sacrifice. "ーー!!" What are you saying? Free me. Untie this. You know it's not that child. Why, Remie...!! "ーー,ーー!!" But no matter how I screamed. No matter what unnatural strength I tried to muster. No matter how I struggled to break free from those dragging me away. I couldn’t undo the thick ropes binding me. "......Shall we all go, then?" She brushed off my intense gaze and turned away without a word. Her hair, caught in the dawn’s light, looked brighter and redder than the flames by her side. Remie slowly stepped forward at the head of the villagers. And from the rear, bound and immobilized, I could only watch in despair. As she walked through a path of towering, flaming crosses. The procession followed behind. "—To catch the [real] witch." A long procession of villagers set off to capture the witch. ** * * *