Episode 134: Spread the Word (XI)
Noticing Esther’s solemness, Deheen and the twins held their breath and waited.
Even though it was impossible in detail, she could project and show her memories with her divine power, as she did with Cespia.
‘…It’s painful.’
Memories from the past that she had tried so hard to forget and wanted to erase began to emerge in her head one by one.
Everyday, trapped in a prison where there was no light, unable to escape.
Rabienne’s terrible abuse because she needed blood.
Turned away by those who she trusted, falling and staying in a state of disrepair.
Some vivid moments of the terrible memories that made it impossible to choose the worst became the subject of imaging.
In particular, when she recalled the last moments when she had to bite her tongue several times, she began to break out in a cold sweat.
It was now a thing of the past, but just thinking about it made her feel the pain of that time; it attacked her again.
With a pale complexion, Esther frowned in agony.
At that distressed look, Deheen and the twins leaned forward.
—Shouldn’t we stop her?
—Esther looks tired.
Even if the twins didn’t mouth it, Deheen would reach out to Esther, as he was doing it.
Whatever it was, he didn’t want to see her overdoing it.
“St…”
But before he could call her name, Esther slowly opened her eyes.
Her eyes were golden, shining brighter than ever, and everyone froze.
‘Divine’ would be a more suitable word than ‘beautiful’.
“Esther, your eyes…?”
While the three of them were stunned by the ecstatic light that seemed to be brilliant no matter what jewels were put next to it…
Esther slowly said,
“Will you hold my hand and place your forehead against mine for a moment?”
Deheen approached Esther. He sat down on the sofa, leaned over, and brought his eyes to her eye level.
Then, after Esther gently took both of his outstretched hands, he carefully touched her forehead.
That was the moment.
“……?”
As the memories rushed through his head, shock welled up in his chest, his eyes widening.
He nearly screamed at the sight that was truly horrific, and his grip on her hand became rather strong.
He was very afraid that he would lose her into that black darkness even though he knew it wasn’t real.
“This…”
While the memories she had brought out were conveyed without omission, the whites of his eyes began to turn red.
Dark veins stood out on the back of his hand after he had let go of her hand for fear of hurting her.
After transferring the memories, Esther slowly removed her forehead from Deheen’s.
“It’s what I’ve been through.”
“All in person… I mean, you went through… All that terrible…”
The hands of Deheen, who was greatly shocked, trembled. He couldn’t bring any words out, and slowly lowered his head.
The afterimage of the memories that remained in his head was so devastating that it was difficult to believe that a person had inflicted it on another person.
The fact that Esther was the target of that attack made him unbearably angry. He gritted his teeth.
“Now, I understand.”
Why Esther looked so resigned when he first met her at the temple.
Even though she was obviously scared, she did not back down and pushed a knife to him, shouting at him to kill her.
Those empty eyes, as if they had given up on everything, moved even his barren heart.
“How much…”
He had to say something to her, who believed in him and showed him everything, but the words only lingered in his mouth.
The second her frightened eyes met his conflicted ones, he hugged her tightly.
“Good job… You must have had a really hard time.”
Tears quickly filled the eyes of Deheen, who had never shed tears in front of his children.
Even though he clenched his teeth and willed himself to hold it in by widening his eyes to the fullest, in the end, tears flowed down, catching slightly on his chin and then dripping down.
Esther felt the dampness and lifted her head in amazement.
And she found Deheen crying.
“Dad.”
Esther’s voice trembled as she tried not to cry along.
Nevertheless, tears welled up in her big eyes.
“How hard it must have been.”
The hand placed on Esther’s shoulder trembled.
Deheen’s sincerity was conveyed to Esther.
“Me too, show me, me too.”
“What did Esther show you?”
Deheen stepped back, hurriedly wiping his eyes, letting Esther show her memories to the twins.
Delbert and Ben, who were standing in the back, were dumbfounded by this side of Deheen they were seeing for the first time.
‘His Grace…’
Deheen was tough, enduring it all even when his wife died.
He put up with it, saying that he couldn’t be sad because he had to take care of the remaining children.
They couldn’t even imagine the day would come where they would see this sort of appearance from him, so their mouths just hung open in a daze.
And after a while…
Dennis and Judy’s reaction after Esther showed them her memories was not much different from Deheen’s.
Silence hung over the living room, and the atmosphere became chilly.
Having seen the unbelievable sights, the family was struggling to suppress their anger right before it exploded in each of their own way.
“Can you explain?”
Despite trying as hard as possible to not frighten Esther, Deheen’s voice was somber yet strained, like it had been pulled from hell.
It was the first time in his life that he had been so angry to the point of combusting.
His whole body was shaking with rage, and all of his veins that were exposed were protruding and blue as if they would burst.
“Do you remember everything you just showed me? Is that what actually happened?”
“It’s her, isn’t it? A fake who became a saint in your place.”
Judy jumped up and down the living room, about to go crazy. As for Dennis, he became calmer outwardly while his anger simmered within, waiting for Esther’s next words.
“That’s right. It’s Rabienne, the only daughter of the Brions family.”
“When did you experience this? It doesn’t seem like it was once or twice.”
“Would you believe me if I said how many times my life was repeated?”
The twins and Deheen were heartbroken at Esther’s soft yet resigned words.
“Of course, I believe you.”
Esther’s eyes, which were now mysteriously mixed with the original pink and saintly gold, blinked slowly several times.
“It’s 14.”
Her mouth felt rough and her voice seemed to come out harshly.
Revealing what she never thought she would confide in anyone made his heart pound.
“Fu…”
For a moment, Deheen’s emotions overcame his control and he almost spat out curses. Thankfully, he remembered he was in front of the children and managed to swallow it.
“I have never been able to get away from it. As if there’s a constraint… But strangely, this time was different.”
Esther’s small voice continued without interruption, then it thinly cut off.
“That’s why you met us.”
Judy and Dennis, who sat on either side of Esther as she struggled to tell her story, tightly held her hands.
Thanks to that warmth, Esther, who had stiffened up from recalling the past after a long time, gradually regained her composure.
“But does this make sense? What the hell is the goddess doing?”
“Well…”
Esther smiled sadly.
She had asked that question countless times, but she never got an answer from the goddess.
“Starting today, I will throw away all the theology books. Everything, including the books issued by the temple.”
For Dennis, a lover of theological books, to say he would throw them all away… the high magnitude of anger was apparent.
“Our Esther, it must have been really, really hard. No, words can’t express how difficult it is…”
Judy, who had been tearing at his hair the entire time, burst into tears.
He engulfed Esther in a hug, pressing his lips tightly together to hold back his tears.
“Yes. Our Esther had a tough time.”
This time, it was Dennis who hugged Esther, even as she was still held by Judy.
Squeezed by her brothers on either side, Esther threw her arms in the air in panic for a few seconds.
But when she found out that they were hugging her and crying, she let out her suppressed tears, and wept together with them.
“Why is everyone crying? Heuk…”
“Who is crying, ung… ugh… Esther must have been so sad… Heuk.”
The strongest on the outside but the weakest on the inside, Judy cried the most.
Esther’s left shoulder, which Judy had buried his face in, was already full of his tears.
Deheen, who had been watching quietly, slowly came forward, spread his arms wide, and embraced the precious children.
“Thank you. For living.”
Those low-pitched words became the catalyst. Esther began to really cry like a child.
“I really didn’t want to cry… keuk. Sniff. I’m really fine now… sniff.”
Esther really tried not to cry, but no matter how hard she squeezed her eyes and bit her lips, tears kept flowing out regardless of her will.
—Thank you for being alive.
It was something that no one had ever said to her.
Her father and older brothers felt hurt in her stead, as if they had gone through the same thing.
The moments when she gave up everything and just wanted to die passed by.
‘I’m glad I’m alive.’
Esther tightly shut her eyes, thinking so sincerely.
Despite not knowing what was going on, Delbert and Ben watched and eventually turned around, wiping away their flowing tears.
It was a rare and strange sight, to see three adults and three children huddled together and crying.
After sharing Esther’s sorrow and weeping for a long time, unbearable anger erupted one by one.
“It’s sad, but I think I’m going to die of anger right now.”
Judy expressed his outrage and desire to smash everything,
“Me too. My stomach is boiling. This is not something that should be simply paid back.”
The more vexed Dennis became, the more cold-hearted and calculating he was.
Their methods were polar opposites, but the inclination of avenging Esther was perfectly matched.
“Esther, do you have a method of revenge in mind?”
“Yes? Hmm… First of all, it’ll be good to have people pointing and calling her fake. Next… I want her to go through the same pain I went through.”
“How about burning her on the stake?”
“It’s too easy and comfortable to die like that. It’s a very light punishment for the crime committed.”
Dennis firmly shook his head, disagreeing with Judy’s suggestion.
Then, with sheer seriousness, he leaned forward slightly, drawing the attention of the other three.
“This is what I read in a book.”
In his characteristic calm tone, he began reciting ways to kill people.
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-Warning! Descriptions of violence and gore below. If you are not comfortable with it, please go right to my endnote-
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“One way is to cut off a little bit of the tongue so that she can’t speak, then cut off one of her legs and send her to slavery. Another way is to throw her into a wolf or bear den alive. Or even boil her alive.”
“…What?”
“There are also public executions, like being beaten to death, or having the limbs tied to horses, and then torn to shreds by making the horses move.”
Deheen, who had been quietly listening, raised his hand in confusion.
“Wait, wait. Dennis, what book did you read?”
“Ah, it’s a novel called ⌜100 Ways to Survive as the Last Villain⌟, and it’s quite interesting. Shall I go up and get it?”
Dennis smiled brightly, and said happily that it could be called true revenge.
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