Sorcerer's Bride (COMPLETED)

8

CHAPTER 8

Time was short when you were enjoying. That was time to Y/n right now. She was enjoying Satoru's company for the last few days that she didn't realize today was the day she had been dreading.

The appeasements would finally depart.

She immediately ran outside of her room towards Mieruko's the moment she heard loud chattering of other servants that woke her up from her sleep about the group of girls that would go to the Cursed Mountain. But when she got there, the bed was made and it was empty.

She didn't bother to prepare herself and dashed out, "Fuck!" She hissed to herself as she panted. "I should have woken up earlier!" She took a sharp turn and was met face to face with the head chef, Ieri Shoko.

"Woah! Y/n please, slow down. Where are you going? What seemed to be the problem?" She bombarded her with questions.

"Mieruko? Where's Mieruko?" she asked in a haste.

Shoko's shoulders dropped down, "She's in the courtyard with other women."

"Thank you..."

Y/n managed to get in the courtyard which was already filled with people who were yelling different profanities. She forced herself in the middle of the crowd and saw seven women who were all wearing the servant clothes with takuhatsugasa hats covering their faces, but one of those ladies managed to catch Y/n's attention. It was the lady with burn marks on her cheeks and hands were still in bandage.

"Mieruko..."

Monks with tengai hats covering their whole heads and faces were giving those ladies blessings, chanting their prayers.

Y/n gritted her teeth and squinted her eyes as thought of hypocrisy. How can they give them blessings then send them to the devil?

Y/n saw a couple of people going near the women so she took that as an opportunity to do so. An old couple, who seemed to be the parents of one of those ladies, were crying.

There was a girl who had the same exact resemblance to Maki, sitting in front of the hatted figure, which she supposed to be Maki herself. She didn't get the chance to look at Maki's visitor's reaction because the very last girl in the line, Mieruko was kneeling, her head was hanging low and her hands were in a tight clutch on her thigh.

"Mieruko..." she mumbled as she tried to touch her hand.

"Don't..." Mieruko breathed out. "It is forbidden to touch the appeasement before the gods are done with them."

"Mieruko... come with me." This caught Mieruko's attention.

Y/n felt a pang of pain in her chest as she saw her niece's swollen eyes. She had been crying all these days and she was enjoying herself.

"Please..." Y/n murmured.

They both stood as the others stood as well for the final farewell. Y/n decided to take her in the back at the horses' stable where no people were around. And then pulled Meiruko by the shoulders.

The younger girl gasped. "What are you doing?! You can not touch me or else the severity of my punishment will fall upon you!"

"Listen to me, get out of here!" she whispered.

"I can't..."

"Yes, you can!"

"Y/n, no one would take the burden off of me—"

"Then I will!"

Mieruko's hazel eyes glistened with tears, her hands were clutching on her chest,"No, I cannot let you do this anymore. No."