Jane's body trembled at the life in the man's eyes.
When she saw the sword shining brightly in the moonlight, the young maid became even more frightened.
'What on earth was the Young Lady thinking when she came to meet him?'
But even though she was trembling, Jane desperately tried to cover Dorothea with her body.
"Jane."
"Yes, yes."
"Cover your ears for a moment."
Jane, who hesitated, quietly put both hands to her ears.
Dorothea opened her mouth to the man, leaving Jane in the middle with her mouth closed and her eyes rolling.
"What did you do with the body?"
"...!"
"Separate from harming someone with a knife, you will be punished if you treat the body carelessly."
Souls who have lost their way to the underworld cling to the sword.
It was one of the reasons why the man's sword felt heavy and gloomy. Dorothea continued speaking clearly, looking at the man's stern face.
"The blood on the sword does not disappear by washing it in river water. It's just not visible to the eye, but it remains intact. That sword is slowly becoming a monster."
A red spirit that was invisible to others was flashing before Dorothea's eyes.
If the man's spirit had not been strong, he would have lost his senses and been swayed here and there.
Ironically, the blood spilled from his revenge threatened to destroy him, but his obsession with revenge has kept him safe until now.
"Dog sound."
The man spat.
Dorothea's tiny neck, which looked as if it could be crushed with one hand, kept flowing out nonsensical words from Dorothea's small mouth.
The girl's quiet eyes were very annoying.
"Stop right here."
"Why should I do that?"
There is still work left to do. He had no intention of stopping until 'everyone' who created the tragedy was punished.
"Because if you pollute any more souls around you, she will not be able to ascend to heaven. Your poor sister is bearing the burden of killing with that sword."
The man's eyebrows rose at the incomprehensible words. Jane, who had been covering her ears due to the sharp bite, flinched for a moment and carefully removed her hands from her ears.
Dorothea commanded.
"Cover it."
"But..."
"Jane!"
At the stern cry, Jane closed her eyes tightly and covered her ears again. Dorothea looked at the stubborn man and began to recite the history of the blurry image on his shoulder.
"Lady Marsha arranged the marriage of your only sister on behalf of you who went to war. Your sister had a beautiful appearance, but her family was poor and her status was humble."
"..."
"Madam Marsha promised to persuade your old mother to send your sister to a wealthy merchant in a village quite far from here. She moved her heart by saying that the virtuous mother-in-law, the talented groom, and the young master who attended the academy were all decent and good people."
It was difficult to even properly fall into a coma.
In such a family, good looks can actually be a disaster.
Madame Masha took advantage of the old mother's impatience due to a wealthy man who wanted to take her only daughter as his second wife and an administrative official who was greedy for wealth.
The problem was that she decided not to hand her daughter over to money and power, so she decided to marry a mixed wife.
Madame Marsha passed the girl who lived next door and whom she had watched grow up 'like a daughter' to be the concubine of a bastard from a distant village. By the time she realized she had been deceived, it was already too late.
Her life must have been painful as she adapted to the given situation by crying.
She couldn't even imagine how much she must have suffered under the new husband, who gambled a lot, harassed women, and even resorted to frequent violence, and the parents-in-law who pretended not to know and tolerated him.
Her flower-like face was so damaged that it was unrecognizable. As her smooth appearance was ruined, the new groom soon became bored with his wife.
"My sister..."
The silent man's lips parted heavily. It was a muffled voice as if it had been pulled from deep inside the stomach.
"My sister didn't hang herself."
No matter how difficult it was to live, there was no way she would have wanted to die alone, leaving her mother living alone.
She was a bright younger sister who was much tougher and more talented than he was.
"There's no way she hung herself."
Her in-laws, who brought her an unknown body, gave Insincere excuses.
She hanged herself because her face was damaged and she lost the wilI to live.
What was waiting for him when he returned home from the military with unbelievable news was the coffins of his old mother who died of starvation and his younger sister who could not even be buried. The corpse, which was not healthy anywhere, was infested with bugs.
His younger sister, who was as pretty as a flower and lived as hard as anyone else, escaped that hell only when she became a corpse.
"She fell into a well and drowned. The death of a concubine sold from the poor home becomes something that can be easily covered up with a few pennies."
It's such a strange thing.
Even though she exists in a completely different world and in a different body than when she was 'Myeong Jae-shin'.
The people here, speaking an unfamiliar language and wearing clothes, were no different.
Someone's grudges are everywhere in the alleys, people die or get injured due to greed, and people fight for their own gain and deceive their neighbors.
"You probably didn't know. What a karma she has accumulated."
Could anyone have imagined that a few words from Mrs. Marsha, added in exchange for a few pennies, could have plunged someone's life into a terrible hell?
There wouldn't have been any hesitation. Therefore, even at the moment, the sword approached and even at the moment when her head fell on the sword, Madame Masha would not have known why she had to die. Even though they saw it, Marsha and her family turned away or neglected it.
"How on earth did you find out about all those stories?"
The fact that his younger sister fell into the well was a fact that even he found out with difficulty. The girl in front of him vividly depicted the situation as if she had seen it herself.
"Your sister told me."
She smiled as she saw her hanging on his shoulder.
Although only the form remains, it must have once been a clear and bright soul.
She was a pure soul whose heart was not broken even by numerous misfortunes. The reason why the soul that should have passed away long ago still lingers in this world is because it has something to say, even if it means risking extinction. To save his poor brother who foolishly commits murder to honor the dead.
"You know what? Your sister was eating the flesh of the sword."
It was thanks to that that the spirit of the man, who should have gone crazy long ago, was less likely to collapse.
The man has already killed Marsha's family. Next, he was probably going to go to the investigator who took money to bury his sister's death. The intention may have been to hold accountable those who polluted the death of others with a pen for a few pennies.
Plus, his sister's husband, in-laws... Even Mrs. Marsha's children.
"If you go any further from here, you will become a blood demon, and your younger sister will also become a vengeful ghost and wander around without a shape for the rest of her life."
His sister's spirit had already reached its limit.
Taking on someone else's karma means giving up crossing the river of the dead.
No matter how strong a boat is, there is a weight that it can handle on its own, but the burden she took on was too heavy and big. Dorothea looked relaxed even though she was breathing heavily with a thin, thin face.
The man who was looking at the strange girl slowly lowered his body.
The moment they made eye contact, the girl's deadly red eyes were completely overwhelming.
The life of the man who was staring blankly as if he was possessed faded even further.
"How can I believe you?"
He couldn't understand half of what was being said, but one thing was clear.
He knew too much to ignore this child.
"Your sister came to visit me. I didn't find her."
She was glad that the opportunity presented itself at the right moment. Little Mr. Hall, who had come to stay with Mrs. Marsha, made a very earnest request.
A poor soul who stamped her feet unable to bear to leave this world because she was worried about his only brother.
"Go back and burn all the bodies you took with your sword."
"..."
"Everything, including the mansion they live in."
Should he cross the river and kill the remaining people, or should he finish the execution like this?
The choice was his. Dorothea simply conveyed someone else's will.
The breeze circling around cooled what was either river water or sweat on the man's forehead.
After staring for a while, he slowly sheathed his sword.
A satisfied smile spread across Dorothea's lips.
Instead of crossing the final line as his sister believed, he seemed determined to relieve her of the final burden of the long journey.
When Dorothea tapped Jane on the shoulder, the girl, who had been holding her breath until her face turned white, finally released her hands that were covering her ears.
"Now carry me."
Dorothea stretched out her arms toward the man.
"..."
The man, who didn't even know her name, hesitated at her command and then stretched out his back and carried her on his back. His strong legs quickly crossed the soggy, wet ground. Unlike Dorothea, who was smiling contentedly, Jane was struggling to follow her side.
The girl gasped and muttered as she looked at the legs of the man ahead of her.
"It would have been nice if you said that what is needed is workers."
He was confused because she kept saying that she needed legs and that new legs would come.
Even though she complained, Jane felt fortunate. This is because it is much better to bring along a worker with strong legs than to cut off and attach the legs.
***
The man's steps were too fast.
Jane, who was running after him while panting, shouted.
"Miss, where are you going!"
Dorothea was enjoying the blowing wind with her eyes closed.
She was satisfied with the cool breeze passing through her body thanks to the fast speed.
The first and last time she ran on her own was right before she died.
The downside was that his body smelled bloody, but she could tolerate it.
The man glanced back and opened his mouth.
"Stop sending that child away now."
He didn't want to show the terrible scene she was about to see.
Only then did Dorothea open her closed eyes and turn her head towards Jane.
"Bring lye, salt, and some thin paper from home."
"Now?"
"Yes, you can bring them to Madam Marsha's mansion."
Jane hesitated at the sudden remark and glanced at the man.
The feeling of not wanting to leave the girl alone with a stranger collided with the feeling of having to follow orders.
"Hurry."
Dorothea's firm voice helped Jane make a decision.
The man who saw the hesitant maid running away asked.
"Lye and salt. What else are you going to use the paper for?"
"Because blood gets blood. If the blood seeps into the ground for a long time, the resentment will reach other ears, and as vengeful spirits who cannot cross the Three Paths gather, it will naturally affect the entire village."
"Styx?"
"You don't have to know that."
Dorothea giggled.
Disturbance flashed across the man's face as he closed his mouth.
Even though she was a girl who spoke words that were completely in comprehensible, he couldn't dismiss those words lightly.
The eyes of this light being on its back were deep and wide, like those of a person who had lived for decades.
"We have to provide a way for your sister's soul to find peace."
A confused man shook his head as he was told to comfort a dead child.
What was even more incomprehensible was the fact that he was shaking every time the girl continued speaking.
After all, wouldn't it be the same as going back to the place where you committed your crime?
'If the general had seen it, he would definitely have laughed at it.'
Thinking of his old comrades, he quickly shook off his distracting thoughts and took a step forward.
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