I Just Wanted to Avoid Death - Chapter 151
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The woman left with those final words.
Then, as if someone had simply been waiting for her to disappear, a blow struck Yeshion hard in the stomach.
“……Gah!”
But that was only the beginning. Before he could even cry out from the pain, kicks rained down on him relentlessly, forcing him to curl up, only for curses to start flying from all sides.
The reason was that he’d been disrespectful to that woman.
For not answering properly. For daring to say he didn’t know anything. For forgetting his place and lifting his head as if to meet her gaze.
No, according to them, everything had already gone wrong the moment Yeshion stepped into this place.
“Ahh—ugh!”
Yeshion clenched his mouth shut and trembled. Then, when a kick landed squarely against his head, a dull ringing spread through his skull and his vision began to spin.
‘Bastards…
Had this happened before?
He couldn’t tell if what he saw before him was real, or just some hallucination from the space between death and waking?
Who knew how long it went on. Just when he thought he’d die if it continued any longer, one of the men finally spoke.
“Enough.”
A gasp escaped Yesion’s lips. That voice was unforgettable.
A man with eyes cold as ice and blue as glass.
Even with just his voice, Yeshion’s body flinched in response. As he began trembling uncontrollably, the man spoke again.
“The next meeting is in two months. I’ll visit the temple to verify the back entrance you mentioned.”
“……”
“Answer.”
“……Yes……”
Yeshion’s voice was barely more than a breath.
With that, they no longer had any use for him. They walked away without a second glance, leaving him collapsed where he lay.
“Khff—”
Lying there on the cold ground, Yeshion blinked slowly.
It was strange.
This was the first time he’d ever been beaten this badly… and yet, it felt familiar.
“You really… got hit a lot, didn’t you…”
That whisper he’d heard earlier, when his head was struck.
It had to be a memory from the real “Yeshion.” Even in that warped vision, they’d beaten him, laughed at him.
That’s what Yeshion had been to them.
A tool. Something to use until it broke. They had him by the throat, figuratively and literally, and shook him as they pleased.
When they needed an outlet, they took it out on him. And when someone died because of “Yeshion,” they’d mock him until his mind splintered.
‘So this is why… he wanted to die.’
In the illusion, he saw that the real Yeshion had started associating with these people not long after entering the temple. Which meant he’d been enduring this hell for years.
‘He never imagined he’d suffer like this.’
In the end, he’d chosen to give up on his survival, and embrace death.
‘You pathetic bastard.’
Muttering under his breath, Yeshion forced himself upright. Despite how badly he’d been beaten, his face somehow bore no visible injury.
But with every step, it felt like his bones would shatter. Could he even make it back to the temple like this?
‘If Eldis saw me like this… he might actually lock me up for good.’
Maybe… he should go to Adelio instead.
He considered it for a moment, then shook his head. Even now, when he was beaten to that extent, he thought of the two of them. He really was a mess.
He dragged himself up the stairs, only to find Baine leaning against the wall.
“You’re being extra dramatic today, aren’t you?”
“……”
“Well then, 300 gold today. No way you’re getting back to the temple looking like that, right?”
She grinned as she glanced at his legs. No wonder she’d targeted the backs of his knees so precisely.
“I… I don’t have that kind of money…”
“You don’t? Didn’t you get your pay today?”
Could it be… the real “Yeshion” had been robbed like this, too?
Now it made sense. Despite being a senior priest, he’d never had money because they’d always demanded large sums under the guise of ‘escorting’ him.
‘So even the money he took from other priests…’
It must’ve been for this. He had to pay, or something worse would happen. The pay came monthly, and these meetings seemed irregular.
“Let me ask again, Priest Yeshion. Are you saying you don’t need me to escort you back?”
Baine bared her teeth in a grin. The dagger she flipped between her fingers sent a chill down his spine.
