Chapter 61
What is he thinking as he looks at me right now?
I hope you canāt understand me, lying here at home in this state instead of even getting treatment.
I hope you click your tongue and call me foolish rather than pity me.
That would have been less miserable.
āā¦ā¦ā
But what showed on his face was neither pity nor contempt.
āHa.ā
It was unbridled rage.
I could see the tight line of his jaw harden.
āIām not originally the kind of good person who cares when someoneās hurt and bawling.ā
āā¦ā¦ā
āBut why is it that I canāt just leave you alone.ā
Unlike the dangerous air about him, as if he might explode at any moment, the hand stroking my cheek was careful.
The moment I felt another personās warmth, the corners of my eyes, which had held out until now, suddenly burned hot.
No matter how hard I tried to hold it back, I couldnāt swallow the sob surging up from inside me.
In my head I knew he wasnāt someone I could act spoiled toward, but my body wouldnāt listen, as if it werenāt my own.
Tears spilled down uncontrollably.
The best defense I could manage was to bite my lip and endure, just so I wouldnāt break down crying like a child.
* * *
Without even a knock, the door to the templeās doctrinal chamber was thrown open violently.
āLord Castion, you cannot do this!ā
āThereās nothing I canāt do. Move, if you value your lives. I donāt think I can control my strength right now.ā
The knights only glanced at one another before opening the way they had been blocking.
Not only could they not dare point their swords at Gerard Castion, but even if they did try to face him by force, it was obvious that four knights wouldnāt be enough to leave even a scratch on him.
At the sudden commotion, the priests seated around the round table all turned at once.
The elderly priest who had been about to shout at the unwelcome guest hurriedly shut his mouth the moment he saw Gerard and rose to his feet.
The other priests did the same.
No one could stop him from barging into the doctrinal chamber, a place no one but high-ranking priests could enter.
Gerardās face, usually weary of everything, was now frighteningly cold.
Sensing at once that something was different from usual, the priests became taut with tension before they even had time to feel displeased by the sudden intrusion.
Those ash-blue eyes slowly swept across the priestsā faces, then stopped on one of them.
Reverend Edmond, whose eyes met his, went stiff with extreme tension.
āL-Lord Castion. What brings you to Hartheonā urk!ā
Reverend Edmondās body lifted into the air and was slammed straight down onto the table.
With a heavy thud, the back of his head struck so hard that it bounced once like a ball.
āGhk!ā
Without even realizing what had happened to him, Reverend Edmond sprawled across the table.
At the sudden violence with no explanation whatsoever, a deathlike silence filled the doctrinal chamber.
Gerard walked slowly toward the table.
There was a blaze burning in his eyes.
He lightly leapt up onto the table, then grabbed the silver candlestick set at its center.
āWas it you? The instructor in charge of the lower-ranked Purifiersā practice.ā
āL-Lord Castion, why are you, why are you suddenly doing thisā AGH!ā
With a crack like wood being struck, Reverend Edmondās head snapped to the side.
Coughing up blood, Reverend Edmondās mouth had split open mercilessly.
After casually striking him across the face once, Gerard spoke again.
āI donāt like using violence. I also donāt like people answering my questions with nonsense.ā
āUuh, uhā¦ā
āDonāt make me do unpleasant things because of you. Iāll ask again. Are you the instructor in charge of practice?ā
