I Just Wanted to Avoid Death - Chapter 58
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“Isn’t it… true?”
Yeshion’s voice trembled slightly, filled with uncertainty. He was starting to worry that the original story was veering off course.
“Rather than disliking you… honestly, lately I’m not sure whether you’re the target of my resentment or not.”
“What?”
“Remember when you told me you thought I was seeing you as someone else? You weren’t wrong.”
Yeshion’s eyes grew wide. He hadn’t expected Eldis to admit that.
Eldis, adjusting the wide collar of his robe, continued to speak with ease.
“Your actions, expressions, manner of speech, and even your gestures—everything about you is different from the Yeshion I once knew. That’s why I’m observing you, deciding whether my grudge should still be aimed at you or if I should let go of the past and move forward, believing that you’ve truly changed.”
Yeshion quietly let out a breath of relief.
He had worried for a moment that Eldis had figured out he was possessed, but it seemed that Eldis hadn’t suspected that far. Of course, it made sense. Who in their right mind would think that someone’s soul had been replaced by another in the same body?
“Letting go of the past and moving on… It doesn’t seem like my actions were something easily forgiven.”
“You’re right. They weren’t. That’s why I’m watching you closely. If you’ve truly changed, I’ll treat you as a new person. If not, I’ll kill you with my own hands. That’s why I kept you alive—to make that decision.”
Yeshion slowly nodded.
He understood what Eldis was saying. Hearing it like this, Eldis’s attitude up until now made more sense.
If he hated someone enough to want them dead, it would make sense to prefer handling it himself rather than leaving it to someone else.
“Besides, you’ve been doing well by the Saintess, haven’t you? For now, I have no reason to hate you.”
Eldis added, a soft smile playing on his lips.
Yeshion found himself admiring Eldis.
The villain “Yeshion” had committed too many wrongdoings to sum up in a few words. And the one who had suffered the brunt of those actions was none other than Eldis.
Yet now, seeing the potential for change, Eldis was willing to set aside his personal resentment and observe Yeshion’s transformation.
“Why go so far?”
“Because it’s what God desires,” Eldis replied.
“The God…?”
“Yes. God commands us to hate the sin, not the sinner. I may despise the sins you’ve committed, but I don’t hate the person you are now, especially seeing you accept responsibility for your past, even without your memories. That too has eased some of my resentment.”
…Is he an angel, perhaps?
Yeshion widened his eyes in surprise as he looked at Eldis, who continued to smile warmly as if what he had said was the most natural thing in the world.
‘Maybe I’ve been too narrow-minded,’ Yeshion thought.
In the original story, Eldis eventually imprisons the Saintess, and he is portrayed as someone with a dark heart.
That’s why Yeshion had been wary of him. Simply because Eldis was one of the main characters in In the Name of the Saintess.
As a priest, he was supposed to love people, heed the gods, and strive not to sin.
But now, Yeshion felt a bit guilty for his assumptions.
“I didn’t expect you to think like that. I was just… confused because you treated me well even though I was sure you hated me. I’m sorry, Archpriest, for not accepting your kindness as just that.”
“It’s fine. With your memory in disarray, it’s only natural to take things that way. It’s good to question everything in this world.”
Eldis said this with a laugh, gently pushing the soup closer to Yeshion. The gesture was clear. Eat quickly.
“…Ah, yes. I’ll enjoy it.”
Yeshion responded quickly, picking up the spoon to eat.
The mildly salty taste confirmed it was Rosaline’s cooking. In the original story, it was mentioned that Rosaline’s cooking always had “too much salt.”
As Yeshion diligently ate the soup, Eldis watched him with a smile, his gaze soft.
Almost as if he were observing an innocent person.
