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What were they planning to do by treating her so well?

This thought had occupied Aira’s mind for the past three days. It was preventing her from resting properly. She was trembling with anxiety every night, imagining being suddenly dragged away. And so, three days passed, and Aira was dragged out to the front gate of the Lord\'s mansion, chained.

A large crowd had gathered along the main street to see the Lord\'s punishment.

Aira, already overwhelmed by their stares, lowered her head. A soldier next to her placed a sign on Aira, which read....

– I stole from the lord\'s mansion and tried to escape without repenting for my crime.

Aira let out a bitter laugh. So this was the plan—something like a public execution. She was to walk down the street, be pelted with stones, shed some tears and repent.

Aira thought it was a religious idea. The lord ascended the platform, probably to explain the punishment about to unfold. The crowd, anticipating the nature of the punishment, stood ready with stones in hand.

“Everyone commits sins. We often don\'t realize the gravity of our wrongdoings and repeatedly make the same mistakes. Thus, we all become sinners. You and I, we all carry the burden of sin within our hearts.”

Aira turned her gaze towards Lucius. The people were also the same.

“Everyone, here stands Aira, who has committed a grievous crime. An immoral sinner. Typically, a thief would have their hand cut off, but I don\'t believe that such a brutal law can bring about true repentance. Don’t you agree?”

There was no response. In the silence, Lucius spoke again.

“As I mentioned earlier, we are all sinners. The reason we continue to live despite our sins is to repent and atone for them for the rest of our lives. Aira here, though her sin may be greater than most, is no different from any of us. She deserves a second chance. Don’t you agree?”

Someone answered ‘yes’ in a low voice. Then others began to nod and murmur in agreement. The murmurs grew louder, spreading through the crowd like a ripple until it became a roar.

“Yes! That’s right!”

As dozens of villagers answered in unison, Aira momentarily shrank back, overwhelmed by the voices. Lucius nodded with satisfaction and, gesturing to the soldiers, he said.

“Strip Aira of her clothes.”

“What?”

Aira was so shocked by his words that she forgot to keep up her crazy act, and questioned him. The villagers, also surprised by this unexpected turn, began to murmur. Even the soldiers, uncertain about the command, hesitated with their hands outstretched.

“As it stands, Aira has already ended this life as a sinner. Just as new wine is put into new wineskin, a new life must begin with a new body. Today, Aira will perform a ritual by walking naked through this village, washing away her sins and becoming a new person.”

“Wh-what… wait… wha-what are you doing?!”

The soldiers grabbed Aira\'s clothes. Despite her attempts to resist, they tore off her clothes, leaving her in only her undergarments. Aira sank to the ground, watching the lecherous gazes fixed upon her.

“Everyone, as she walks the streets, feel free to heap insults upon her. Her sins will be washed away along with those insults, and when she returns to these gates, she will be a new person, ready to start afresh.”

A soldier nudged Aira forward slightly, and the crowd parted to let her pass. Lucius spoke.

“Aira, remove your undergarments yourself.”

“Wha-what?”

“If you refuse, we will force you to take it off. We were born into this world naked. To become a new person, one must return to that state. Take them off.” �

“D, don’t be ridiculous!”

Aira shouted, pointing at Lucius as she screamed.

“That man raped me! Now he wants to humiliate me here!”

There was a slight stir among the crowd, but Lucius remained unfazed, praying as he spoke.

“Dear God, please forgive her for continuing to falsely accuse.”

“You\'re all being deceived! That man is a fraud and a rapist!”

“Strip her.”

The soldiers rushed at her. Aira struggled and began cursing Lucius, but through it all, Lucius\' expression remained unchanged.

“You piece of trash! You damned bas†ard! You son of a b*tch! F*ck... You!”

“Even so, I will forgive you.”

“Kkiyaaaaak!”

Aira seemed on the verge of madness. The sheer unfairness and brutality of the punishment overwhelmed her. Once the soldiers had torn off her undergarments, she was left completely naked. The crowd cautiously picked up stones and stared at her. Lucius spoke.

“Aira, you will now walk around this village. You must endure any indignities. If you fall or collapse, you will return to my estate, and we will start this procession over again.”

“Heuk....Huhuk... Son of a b*tch...”

Finally, Aira collapsed and began to sob. Lucius ordered to the soldiers.

“Stand Aira up at the gate.”

Two soldiers lifted Aira to her feet at the gate. They looked embarrassed as they touched her bare skin, turning their heads away. Aira continued to sob, leaning on them for support. Once she was positioned at the gate, Lucius declared.

“Let the procession begin.”

“Huheuk... Huk... Heheuk....”

But Aira remained seated, refusing to move. She was trying to outsmart the situation. By sitting there and crying, the lord wouldn’t have any recourse. He had called this a march of atonement, so he wouldn’t kill her. He also couldn\'t force the soldiers to make her move.

Aira had her own way of mocking Lord Lucius. She cried but wore a sly smile. She could hear the murmuring of the crowd and the sound of footsteps. Yes, footsteps.

Someone was approaching.

“Who…”

Just as she lifted her head to see who it was....

“You wretched b*tch! Who do you think you’re deceiving?”

Ppak-!

A man she\'d never seen before kicked her in the stomach.

“Ugh…!”

Aira gagged and curled up. Another young man followed, kicking her leg.

“How dare you do this to our respected lord!”

“Geeuk…”

Before Aira could resist, the two men began to give her a merciless beating. Every time they mentioned that she dared to touch the lord, shouts of agreement came from behind.

“S-save….”

Aira reached out toward the lord’s soldiers, but none of them came to her aid. Lucius watched her with a detached gaze.

Puck! Puck! Puck!

The sickening sound of blows echoed in the air. Bruises began to form on her stomach, legs, back, waist and all over her body. She had been actively resisting, but now she cowered in fear and helplessness.

The crowd, worried that Aira might die, started to slowly back away.

The two men who were excitedly hitting Aira also stepped back, panting heavily. And at that point, Lucius spoke.

“Enough.”

Aira sighed in relief at those words. Right, now that she had been beaten so thoroughly, it must be over. She had never experienced such a malicious beating before. Trembling, Aira barely got to her feet, her entire body covered in bruises.

Deep inside, she felt a sense of relief. It was finally over. When Lucius asks if she had repented, she would cry and say yes. Then Lucius would let her dress and leave, and once he does, she would start spreading rumors about him in other villages.

“‘That\'s all for \'today\'.”

“...What?”

But Lucius’s declaration was enough to halt Aira’s thoughts. The soldiers, too, looked at Lucius as if they had misheard him. Lucius continued firmly.

“She has not repented yet. We will continue until she completes this march and becomes a new person.”

“Y-you’re insane...”

“Take her back to her room. We will resume at this time tomorrow.”

“You fu...”

Before she could spit out an insult against her lord, a soldier clamped her mouth shut. It was a small mercy on the soldier’s part.

Aira was dragged back to the room. Only then did she notice the strangeness of the room. There were no sharp objects, no hard corners, and no heavy items. Why?

The door opened.

Lucius entered the room with a smile.

“D-don’t come! Don’t come near me!”

Aira tried to scramble out of bed in terror.

“Do-don’t come, I said...?”

Lucius approached with his arms open. Aira curled up in fear, trembling.

“You had a hard time today.”

Lucius said so, as he hugged Aira tightly. Aira was bewildered by the sudden warmth enveloping her.

“Get... get away!”

Aira forcefully shoved Lucius away, hoping he would fall and crack his head, but he was surprisingly heavy for his small frame. It felt like trying to push a log; instead, she bounced back and rolled onto the bed.

"Calm down, Aira. No one is going to hurt you."

“You f*cking crazy bas†ard! You came back to assault me again, didn\'t you? You disgusting pig!”

“Aira, calm down. No matter how much you yell at me, nothing will change. Understand? I\'m not here to hurt you or assault you. Look, see?”

Lucius stepped back and raised his hands. Aira still looked at him with deep suspicion. She demanded.

“Let me go.”

“No.”

“F*cking let me go! I\'ve repented! I\'ll never set foot in this territory again, so let me go!”

“No.”

Aira was frustrated by the argument.

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