No More Regrets, Just K*ll Me

 

The statue appeared to glow brightly, as if it were emitting light on its own, and I turned around to trace for the inscription I had seen during the day.

“He who makes the body of a god bleed shall receive his tears.”

This inscription was said to have been written a thousand years after the statue was made, ten thousand years ago.

“The inscription may have been written by the high priest.” 

“Do you have any reason to think that?” 

“No, not really. It’s just an unusual detail. It’s an inscription written not on the day the statue was created but afterward. And—”

I looked up at the statue.

“The statue was already there when the high priest visited.”

I turned to Sir Maicher and said, “If there’s a secret hidden here, I feel it might be in this statue. Of course, the probability is low.”

“I see.”

Sir Maicher nodded. I gazed at the inscription under the faint moonlight, pondering its meaning.

“What could this inscription mean?”

If my guess was correct, it was an inscription engraved by the high priest who had fled with the stone of God.

“Body of the god.”

I looked up at the statue. Gods are beings that cannot be seen or touched with our eyes, yet here stood a statue that seemed to represent a god.

“Make the body of God bleed.”

I walked around the statue, inspecting it closely. There had to be something.

Let’s think simply: to bleed, there must be a wound. But I couldn’t just recklessly cut into a statue that was safeguarded by the temple.

I reached out and felt the smooth ivory-colored surface. There must be a way to make it bleed.

As I continued to run my hands over the statue, I felt something uneven brush against my fingertips.

“What is this?”

When I moved my hand away, I noticed a concave navel on the statue. What I had thought was just a deep indentation appeared to have a slight unevenness, as if there were a gap.

“Did something fall out?”

I kept probing that area. The navel was thinner and longer than my finger.

“Sir Maicher, do you have a dagger?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Let me see it.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“I find the area around the navel of this statue a bit suspicious. I want to try inserting something.”

“Then I’ll do it.”

“Oh, you’re probably better at this than I am.”

As I stepped back, Sir Maicher drew his dagger. He then aimed the tip at the statue’s navel and attempted to insert it.

“…It won’t go in.”

“Really?”

“It seems my dagger is a bit too wide.”

“That’s suspicious…”

Sir Maicher stepped back, and I began to seriously examine the gap in the statue’s belly.

‘There must be something that fits perfectly in there…’

As I shifted my weight to the side, I suddenly felt something clinking against my thigh.

Huh?

“Right. I have a dagger too, don’t I?”

In a daze, I pulled out the dagger and aimed it at the statue’s navel. This looks like it might fit by eye!

Thump.

With a push, I inserted the dagger into the gap. It felt perfectly aligned, like inserting a key into an old lock.

“Could it be…!”

I suddenly lifted my head. He who makes the body of a god bleed shall receive his tears.

I recalled that phrase and looked into the statue’s eyes. And then I saw it.

Something began to seep out of the statue’s eyes as if it were crying.

“S-Sir Maicher! Lift me up!”

“Yes? Yes.”

Sir Maicher hoisted me onto his shoulders, and I barely managed to catch whatever was flowing out with both hands.

“Could this be…?”

What I held in my hands was a droplet shaped like a stone. I’m not sure how to describe it. It certainly looked like a pebble, but it also shimmered like water.

“Is this what they simply call the Stone of God?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief. No wonder it hadn’t been found! Who would have thought to hide it like this?

I looked down at the dagger embedded in the statue’s abdomen. Who would have imagined it would act as a key?

It almost seemed like divine guidance. That this dagger, which I had randomly acquired, would fit perfectly here!

It felt as if someone had arranged this just for me.

“P-please, put me down.”

I got back on the ground and showed the relic in my hand to Sir Maicher.

“This seems to be the relic.”

Sir Maicher looked at the relic with curiosity and reached out as if he wanted to touch it.

But at that moment.

“Who’s there?”

A voice called out. Oh no! It must be time for the patrol. And someone over there recognized us first.

“Miss Ariadeline?”

Huh?

It was the person who had explained the temple to us earlier. I started to panic, worried about being caught with the relic in my hand, and quickly…

Thump. 

I popped it into my mouth.

“What are you doing in the temple at this hour?”

Oh crap, right. I can’t talk like this! I quickly nudged Sir Maicher beside me. He looked flustered and replied.

“We… we’re out for a walk.”

Come on, you honest man who can’t lie!

“A walk… at this hour?”

I nodded vigorously. However, the priest approached us without dropping his suspicion.

“Entering the temple at this hour is prohibited. You’ll need to leave…”

Phew.

“Uh?”

There was the sound of something sharp slicing through flesh. My eyes widened in shock.

A blade protruded from the center of the priest’s chest. He looked down at the dagger embedded in his own body.

“Ugh…”

The light in his trembling eyes faded, and the priest collapsed to the floor.

Thud.

As the priest fell, a man in dark clothing revealed himself. I instinctively sensed danger and took two steps back.

Clang!

Sir Maicher stepped forward and drew his sword.

“Who are you?!”

Sir Maicher shouted, but the man charged at him without answering.

Clang!

The swords clashed. The bloodied blade met the sharply honed one.

Clang, clang! The two exchanged blows several times in just a few seconds.

I backed away as much as I could to avoid interfering with Sir Maicher.

“Run away!”

Okay!

I quickly took off in response to that. Honestly, standing here wouldn’t help at all.

It was better to escape quickly and not get in Sir Maicher’s way!

I ran with all my might to get out of the temple. But then I heard fast footsteps behind me.

Oh no, that bastard is chasing me.

I gritted my teeth and made my way out of the temple. The fact that he was chasing me meant that the mysterious man was after the relic.

‘Carlothian, Carlothian!’

I kept running, searching for Carlothian. But with the relic in my mouth, I couldn’t make a sound.

I dashed into the forest, running with all my strength.

Clang!

I heard the sound of swords clashing behind me again. It seemed that Sir Maicher was in pursuit.

As I ran down the mountain path, I hoped to encounter anyone. But like a ghost, no one was in sight.

‘Please, please, Carlothian.’

The sharp sounds continued behind me. I pushed through the branches blocking my way, trying to distance myself from that place. But then.

“Miss Ariadeline!”

Sir Maicher shouted urgently. Huh? I turned around instinctively and saw a sword approaching me closely. Oh no, I don’t think I can dodge this.

The sword was getting closer to my neck. Oh, what now…

‘I have no choice but to regress.’

Thinking that, I closed my eyes. But just as that thought finished…

Clang-!

A loud sound erupted right in front of my neck. My throat stung a little. I fell to the ground and looked up. A large, dark figure loomed over me.

‘Carlothian!’

“Why aren’t you screaming?!”

“I can’t scream right now!”

Carlothian had come after hearing the sounds of swords clashing, and he was now facing the mysterious man who had swung his sword at me.

“Who are you?”