David suddenly felt hot air surging up from deep in his lungs and closed his eyes. The air brushing past his nose wavered and trembled. It was difficult to breathe. David collapsed, burying his face in Catherine’s hand that he held, and exhaled a labored breath.

David opened his lowered eyes and twisted his lips in a soundless laugh. Yes, that’s what I wanted. Then suddenly, he whispered like spitting out the words.

“Catherine, wouldn’t it be all right… if you did that?”

Even knowing those words would sound utterly ridiculous, he couldn’t help but say them. In truth, David knew he couldn’t hide it from Catherine forever.

Regarding the deal between Saul and Catherine, David would have to tell Catherine everything and persuade her soon, if only to break that unfair bargain. But even if it was merely his selfish wish…

“Couldn’t you block your ears, close your eyes… and stay knowing nothing?”

Until everything finds its proper place, just for a little while… couldn’t you do that? David suppressed his voice that seemed ready to tremble several times and forced it out in a deliberately firm tone.

Before Catherine learned everything, David simply wanted to return what had been given to him. David knew it was nearly impossible. At the same time, he knew Catherine wouldn’t do that.

However, even knowing this, David couldn’t help but speak. Though he knew it was foolish behavior, David was desperate enough to make such a choice. But unfortunately for him, his prediction didn’t miss the mark.

His futile wish shattered as Catherine’s hand trembled beneath his. What? Then Catherine’s voice followed, asking back like she was dumbfounded. David lifted his head.

He looked up at Catherine, who stared at him with a rigidly hardened face, like she regarded him as the most shameless scoundrel in the world.

From Catherine’s expression, David realized once again that she wouldn’t grant his wish in the slightest.

Catherine, please. David pleaded, but Catherine shook her head. Her attitude was resolute, like there was no room for reconsideration. Her following words were the same.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”

Catherine’s gaze was deep as she stared at David’s pale face. Catherine looked at David covered in red light like stains and exhaled deeply.

David. Catherine called David with an attitude like she was reluctantly opening her mouth, then frowned. Catherine said.

“You seem to have some misunderstanding.”

I merely told you about why the evil thing ‘shows’ me that. Both Saul and you deny the evil thing and tell me not to listen to it… The evil thing said it would seek my trust by ‘showing’ me things. 

Speaking, Catherine tilted her head with a look asking if he understood now.

“But you… are telling me why you remained silent.”

Like I trust you. David looked confused at those following words for a moment. However, soon realizing what Catherine meant, David opened his mouth blankly.

Without realizing it, he clutched his chest with his empty hand. His throat choked up like something was filling it. It felt like a very tightly tangled ball of thread that couldn’t be unraveled was stuck in his throat.

Even when he barely found an end and pulled it, it was so tangled he couldn’t find the other end and seemed unable to spit it out…

David knew that Catherine didn’t trust him… He had acted that way and hadn’t sought her trust. Strangely, that obvious fact, the fact that Catherine was the one pointing it out, was unbearably painful.

“But the evil thing.”

However, the evil thing was a different matter. Even if Catherine didn’t trust David… he muttered with a dazed attitude.

“You shouldn’t listen to it…”

Then, seeing Catherine’s gaze looking at him, he belatedly realized this was the starting point of their conversation and closed his mouth.

David struggled to find rational and valid grounds in his completely blank mind. However, all that came to mind were propositions he had never once questioned in his past.

To him, evil things had always been malevolent beings. They would do anything for their desires.

They didn’t hesitate to seduce and sacrifice others. Listening to an evil thing’s words wasn’t much different from stepping onto the path of destruction.

David didn’t know how to explain these facts he had accepted so naturally.

The reddish light flickered.

Catherine suddenly realized that the light shining from the other end of the corridor hadn’t come any closer since some point. She lifted her head. She could see part of the round boundary that continued from beyond the corner.

The light that began from beyond it seemed to have stopped after approaching partway.

Catherine, who had unconsciously leaned toward that direction, hesitated at the force pulling her back. She belatedly remembered that David was still holding her hand. Catherine’s gaze fell downward.

David was also looking up at Catherine. It seemed he had come to his senses from his thoughts at her movement. Their eyes met. Catherine opened her mouth.

“David, now…”

However, before she could ask him to let go of her captured hand, David shook his head. 

Catherine, please. Catherine frowned as she watched him plead without being able to ask her not to go. Instead of answering, Catherine pulled her captured hand.

However, the hand caught by David couldn’t move at all. Instead, Catherine was pulled several steps forward toward David by the pulling force.

David extended his other empty hand to grasp Catherine’s remaining hand as well. In a somewhat choked voice, he said.

“Rather, I’ll. I’ll explain.”

“Now?”

Finally, Catherine couldn’t hold back and asked sharply.

“You’ve been silent all this time, asked me to be silent too, and now you’re saying you’ll explain?”

Catherine’s breath became ragged as she spat out words almost accusingly. Struggling not to be pulled by David, Catherine bit her lips. Then she exhaled a rough breath. David’s grip on both of Catherine’s hands was so strong it felt like putting her hands deep into sticky mud. 

Trying hard to ignore her arms trembling from lack of strength, Catherine struggled once more to pull her captured hands free.

“I was wrong.”

Then suddenly, she lifted her head at the fallen voice. Catherine stopped in confusion.

“What are you… doing now?”

Catherine forgot about her struggle with David just moments before and stared down at him blankly. She could see his spilled hair disheveled in all directions. Below it, his exposed white neck and collar appeared entangled with red light and shadows.

Catherine looked down at David kneeling before her with his head bowed and opened her mouth blankly. She couldn’t find words.

Because Catherine hadn’t expected David to go this far, she hesitated without being able to react immediately. With both hands caught, she couldn’t lift David up or push him away. She felt something hot falling onto the back of her hands.

Catherine nearly froze. She could only stand there dumbfounded, staring down at him blankly. David didn’t miss that opportunity.

“I heard a voice.”

At the suddenly begun story, Catherine blinked.

“I don’t know when it started. I heard it from when I was very young. From the earliest moment I can remember, that voice was always with me.”

Perhaps because she was flustered, Catherine couldn’t quite understand his story at first and just listened.

“At one time, I considered that man my only confidant. He always spoke to me when I was struggling. What that voice was, what kind of being he was, didn’t matter to me.”

Then at David’s following voice, Catherine finally realized what David was talking about.

“I think I believed God was listening to my voice. I just wanted to believe He was responding to my faith.”

David’s voice began to speed up gradually.

“I know I was foolish. I didn’t know what kind of being he was. I had forgotten everything about my childhood. So I couldn’t remember at all what he demanded of me. I, I…”

David’s voice repeatedly rose and fell sharply like he was agitated. Catherine found it increasingly difficult to understand his words.

“Wait, wait. David.”

“I could only sweetly accept his comfort and advice. I… trusted him.”

The story pouring out incoherently was closer to confession than explanation. Catherine finally realized David was hardly in his right mind. She realized it belatedly due to the confusion. 

Catherine noticed David’s voice, his body trembling terribly, and bent down.

“David.”

She bent her knees and approached David who had collapsed. Then she shook her captured hands and called David. David, stop. When he seemed not to hear her call as he rapidly poured out words, she called him once more. Only then did David react.

With a start, David’s shoulders shook. When Catherine called David calmly again, he raised his body that had been bent and lifted his head.

Catherine, who had been watching the reddish light gradually cover his pale face, gasped in surprise when she finally saw his fully revealed face.

“Catherine, all of this is my fault.”

I… I drove Saul to his death. David whispered and closed his eyes with a face like he was enduring pain. His face… was completely drenched in cold sweat.