I Reject the villain’s ending.

Chapter 27

I stumbled backward, head down, mumbling, and Iros called to me again.

‘Sierra, look at me.’

I lowered my eyes at the low, submerged voice calling to me and looked at the balls of my feet.

I knew the bad guy in our conversation was Richie and the good guy was Eldrakis, but I was terrified that Iros would accuse me of being the bad guy.

‘Sierra.’

Calling my name in a cracked voice, Iros looked up at me sharply, his arm snapping up and grabbing my shoulder.

‘……!’

I stiffened in surprise at the firm grip, but the arm that held my shoulder flexed inward, pulling me to my feet.

In an instant, I was carried away by Iros’s strength, falling backward onto the bed, onto his body.

My face crashed into his hard, smooth chest. When I tried to lift my head, Iros used his other hand to press my head firmly against his chest.

I jerked away, panicking.

‘Why, why, what!’

‘Can you hear my heartbeat?’

‘De, I can hear it, but why?’

I was embarrassed to feel my heart beating so clearly through the thin fabric of my shirt, to feel the texture of my flesh, to feel every muscle.

Normally, I would have clutched the front of my shirt and said, ‘You’re a pervert. Go away from me. If you come near me, I will faint,’ but instead, he pulls me against his body, wraps his arms around my shoulders, and doesn’t let go.

It’s not just embarrassment.

It’s then that Iros breathes a ragged breath over my head.

‘This is the heart you saved.’

What?

‘You saved me from being killed by Richie, and that’s why my heart is beating so well.’

At those words, I pushed Iros away and stopped struggling to get to my feet.

Those words made me cringe.

When I stopped moving, Iros gently ruffled my hair and patted me on the back with a deft touch that seemed like it hadn’t been done only once or twice before.

‘A saint lives as she pleases. Live good or bad, as your heart dictates.’

A lie. If I live as I please, you’ll kill me in the end.

Lies upon lies. I smiled a self-help smile and let the truth spill out of my mouth, mixed with lies.

‘Then I’ll have to be nice but clever because I want to live a long, long time.’

‘You’re not nice, but you’re clever enough. I don’t want you to get any more clever here, so cut you some slack.’

Iros joked softly, trying to lighten the mood, but I remained silent and rested my head against his chest, my ear against his sternum.

Closing my eyes against the heat of his body, I listened to the thump, thump, steady pulse and whispered.

‘I want to live a long time.’

‘Everyone does.’

‘Pink with you.’

I said, meeting her mauve eyes that resembled violets. It was the unadorned truth, the truth that was closer to my heart than anything else.

So don’t kill me, Iros.

I’ll be good.

Sighing, I closed my eyes and whispered to myself.

* * *

As we had predicted, when the veil of night fell over the world, Diane and the others returned to the castle through the darkness.

I took Iros and Mei out to greet Eldrakis’s mutilated body, which Diane would have found.

The basement had collapsed and crushed him, so he must be in terrible shape.

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my fists, and warmth wrapped around them.

‘Don’t tremble. It was an accident, a natural disaster, beyond human control.’

‘I know.’

But that didn’t take away the stifling guilt that felt like a heavy, pointed stone on my chest.

I didn’t know how to face Diane and Eldrakis’s bodies, so I kept my expression impassive.

Finally, Diane entered the castle with Viscount Ellis.

‘Took you long enough. Where’s Eldrakis?’

‘Oh, that’s…….’

Viscount Ellis glanced back and forth between Diane and me with an unreadable expression.

I glanced behind me and saw that there was no coffin among the people coming in behind us.

I asked in a questioning voice.

‘Why is there nothing?’

‘Well, that’s the thing, saint.’

‘I didn’t find it.’

Viscount Ellis was silent for a long moment before Diane spoke. I forgot to shake my hand at the unexpectedness of the story and asked.

‘What? No, why? Are they short-handed and haven’t finished digging the basement yet?’

‘No, it’s not that, Ella’s body is missing.’

‘……!’

My eyes shot open and I heard Mei suck in a breath behind me and then stop.

Iros, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward and asked.

‘Eldrakis’ body is missing. Tell me more.’

‘…….’

‘Diane.’

‘…Ha.’

At Iros’s urging, Diane ran a hand through her hair, a pained expression on his complex face.

‘Let’s go inside and talk about it, it’s not something we should talk about here.’

With that, we bade the viscount and his vassals good night and returned to the room.

Once inside the room, Mei made Diane a cup of hot tea. It was a soothing herbal tea.

Sitting across from her, I asked.

‘Tell me. So what do you mean, Eldrakis’s body is missing?’

‘Literally. I cleared the collapsed building and went to the spot where his altar used to be, and there was nothing. Except for the bloodstains.’

The air in the room froze at Diane’s words.

Iros, who had been standing beside me, was the first to return to his normal self and ask a question.

‘You went with the mages. Any chance they took the body?’

‘None. I was watching them all.’

‘Well, there’s a popular rumor that the Guardian’s body is an elixir, and they’re experimentation-mad, so they might have used magic to blindfold you.’

Diane shook her head at Iros’s reasoning, which was quite plausible.

‘I’m the one most sensitive to magic. I’d know if it was used. And I don’t think anyone would steal so much as a liver with the same guardian watching over them.’

But where, then, was Eldrakis’s body? No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t figure it out.

Frowning, Diane spoke up cautiously.

‘Come to think of it, there’s something strange about it.’

I turned my head at the word ‘strange.

‘What?’

‘There was blood on the stones around the path to the altar. I don’t remember anything happening there that would cause blood.’

‘Isn’t that the blood of the children who ran away?’

‘I think so.’

Diane’s disappointment was palpable at my words.

I felt like I had crushed her hope that Eldrakis might still be alive, even if only by the slightest chance of finding a needle in a haystack.

I looked at Diane, who looked downcast and took a moment to choose my words.

‘For now, I must return to the temple to report, and I will leave Eldrakis to my lord, Viscount Ellis, to continue his search.’

‘Ella, Ella is my family.’

‘I know. I mean.’

I rose from my seat and went to Diane’s front.

‘Diane Emore, this is an order. You are to stay here and not return to the temple until you have found the slightest clue as to Eldrakis’s whereabouts.’

‘……!’

‘The rest of your duties as a Guardian take second place from this moment forward. Do you understand?’

‘Saint……!’

Diane’s face flushed with anger at my pretense of authority, and she scrambled to her feet, kneeling before me and bowing her head.

‘Guardian Shield Diane Emore, I accept your holy command.’

‘Very well, then you may rest for the night. We will leave tomorrow, and Diane will go to the Central Temple first thing in the morning to begin your investigation.’

‘Yes!’

‘That’s it, end of meeting. You must be hungry after a long day of work, so wash up and go downstairs to eat.’

The way Diane looked at me with her clear eyes was overwhelming, so I dismissed him with an unnecessary wave of my hand.

I heard Iros giggle softly beside me. Now that I looked, Mei was laughing too, behind me.

‘Why, what.’

‘You’re being disingenuous.’

‘That’s our saint’s charm, heh, heh.’

‘Shut up, both of you. I’ll sew your mouths shut.’

I felt a rush of nausea and embarrassment for doing something I shouldn’t have. My ears were burning like crazy.

I gulped down the tea with my eyes wide open and my mouth agape. I don’t know what hot tea tastes like.

And so the night wore on.

Mei slept in the small adjoining room, I in bed, and Iros on the floor, hugging his sword and leaning back against the bed, ready to sleep.

I glanced over at him as he sat on the floor, and he felt my gaze on him and looked back at me.

‘Do you have something to say?’

I looked up at his pretty face, then down at his stomach.

‘Even if you’ve been healed with holy power, you’re probably still sore from receiving so much holy power at once, so why don’t you come upstairs and make yourself comfortable?

I pondered that for a moment, and Iros fell silent, unsure of how to interpret my gaze before he spoke.

‘I’m afraid I can’t do that tonight, but you’ll have to forgive me.’

He gripped my robe tightly to cover my body and turned away.

What does he think I am? Do I look like a nymphomaniac who can’t handle a patient?

I shouted in anger.

‘I don’t! But get up off the cold floor, now.’

‘Phew. Okay.’

I cursed myself for trying to be considerate and made room for Iros to lie down, but the bed was wide enough that it didn’t matter.

But Iros climbed on top of me, pinning me down with his arms even though there was plenty of room, and looked down at me from above.

‘Huh?’

‘Really. I thought you’d been a bit quiet lately.’

What the hell?

I looked up at him in confusion, and as if taking that as a sign, he lowered his head so close that our breaths touched.

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, and there was a light, sticky sound from my forehead as hot lips slowly met and parted.

‘Kook-kook. Why are your eyes closed?’

‘You, you, pinkie, you!’

Red-faced, I lifted the pillow I could get my hands on and hit Iros in the side with it, and it exploded under my force, sending duck feathers everywhere.

The duck feathers were white as angel feathers, flying around in the sky and coming down from above.

‘Ugh…….’

… came a small sound, and at the same time, Iros, his eyes tightly shut, collapsed on top of me.

His pale pink hair whipped around, and his cheek pressed against mine as his arms went limp.

‘Why is he so hot?!’

My eyes widened in horror.

Iros’s cheeks were as hot as steamed buns.

‘You’re feverish!’

Somehow, his lips were warmer than I remembered them being when I touched my forehead earlier.