Resetting Lady

Three days of ash for atonement.

Four days of water for prosperity.

The first day is the day of atonement.

The second day is the day of reparation.

The third day is the day of absolution.

The sin of the subconscious. The sin of the vulnerable. The sin of ignorance. These were all what needed to be atoned for, but the scale of the ritual varied depending on one’s income and status.

Those who have coveted their neighbor’s belongings, those who have defiled their offerings, those who have made false oaths—they must confess their sins, pay back the damages tenfold, offer blood sacrifices during the ancestral rites on the day of ash. This was in accordance with the divine law, which was separate from each domain’s governing law.

* * *

Blood flows during the festival.

This is a commonality not just in this country but also in the lands beyond the White Mountain Range. With only a single mountain range separating them and no vast seas or deserts to completely isolate them, races, languages, and religions are bound to be similar.

Religions have splintered into different sects, each calling the others heretics, but they share the same name for their god and very similar sacrificial methods.

The commonality of religions in this world.

Every nation offers many sacrifices.

Sacrifices that involve bloodshed.

Ewes, cows, and mares. These animals become food for the people after the sacrifices. The sacrifices have turned into festivals, but their essence is to atone for the people’s sins. To atone for the myriad sins of humanity, livestock are slaughtered, shedding their blood. Especially when a new king ascends the throne or there is a great victory in war, the blood flows like a river.

A thousand years ago, it was human blood that was shed.

It is a very old story. So old that the original records are hard to find.

In ancient times, people sinned.

Under one language, one culture, and one god, people advanced rapidly and became corrupt. They enslaved each other, began to consume each other as food, and harbored deep hatred.

Humanity’s sins were so profound that an enraged god decided to destroy the world.

Earthquakes erupted, tsunamis engulfed the land, and plagues spread. People went mad, endless droughts continued, and prophets foretold the end of humanity.

“God shall not forgive humankind now.”

Terrified, people sought a way out. Hoping their god had not completely forsaken them, they turned to mages and priests, crying out for help. They began to revive the forgotten sacrifices, praying to their god. They burned their most cherished possessions.

But it was not enough.

“Find and offer what will satisfy God the most.”

People pondered what this could be and eventually began offering the righteous to their god.

“We offer the righteous here. Please forgive our sins.”

But God was not satisfied with the righteous.

The righteous who met the god’s standards were too few.

So the people began to sacrifice children.

“We offer these innocent children, please forgive our sins.”

But God was not satisfied with the children. Those who knew nothing had accumulated nothing and were therefore insufficient.

The people despaired. Their sacrifices, the righteous, and the children were all inadequate for their god. The number of people dwindled as they killed each other for sacrifices.

“Are you going to let us perish like this?”

The people gathered and prayed day and night for a hundred days, wailing and weeping. Moved by their tears and cries, their god pointed them to one particular woman.

“Here is a woman who is innocent yet not ignorant.”

And thus, destruction ceased.

* * *

Kiiiiek!

Even rabbits scream. Animals that seem docile make unimaginable sounds in the face of death. Every time he heard such noises, Dullan had to stop himself several times. Sometimes it bothered him so much that he couldn’t sleep.

But that was only the first few times. As the number of animals he killed became uncountable, he got used to it. It was something he had to get used to since this was his lifelong duty.

The process of slaughter begins with subjugation. Knock them out with a hammer blow to the head. Some animals die from this, but life is tougher than one might expect, and most only get stunned.

When dealing with sheep or cows, knocking them out was quite the task. Dullan managed to succeed with rabbits and lambs but not yet with cows. It would take more time to perfect his skill.

“……”

It became quiet. Then the bloodletting followed. Initially, he tried to slit the throat, but blood splattered everywhere, making a mess. Clean decapitation is reserved for convicts.

As the blood drained, the convulsions subsided. Though using drugs would be easier, it was forbidden to use drugs on sacrificial animals. Additionally, all these steps had to be performed by a priest, not a butcher.

“Damn it.”

Dullan swallowed a groan. It seemed the rabbit had opened its eyes during the skinning process.

And so, again— thud! If it moved again, then thud! once more.

Dullan looked down at the convulsing animal under the hammer. This time it was definitely dead. But he had struck too hard, making it a grisly sight. He grimaced and switched to a smaller, sharper knife for the next step.

Normally, his task would end after draining its blood, but Dullan took on all the subsequent tasks himself.

He didn’t want to waste the flesh. He wanted to use the carcass more efficiently. While sacrificial animals are burned whole, including their innards and fur, there was no need to do that with practice animals. It would be a waste of flesh.

After draining the blood, he skinned the animal. Since he wasn’t burning it, he could skin it more cleanly. Next, he removed and discarded the innards. The innards were boiled and fed to the hunting dogs. The remaining meat was split in half vertically and washed with water.

And then it was time to cook.

Only after mixing the meat with spices and medicine could Dullan wash the blood from his face.

At first, it made him nauseous.

The smell of blood and the sight of the gruesome innards were enough to make him vomit, and his hands trembled. The animals in front of him kept moving or screaming, showing their resistance to the approaching death with their whole bodies.

.

.

“I’m not eating that.”

The meat he offered to Carynne was covered in so many spices that its original form was unrecognizable. Seeing her push away the meal he had painstakingly prepared, Dullan frowned.

“…Show some compassion for the animals. They died for you.”

“Why don’t you eat it? Oh, right, you can’t because of the drugs?”

“Hmm.”

He would need to work harder to mask the taste of the medicine.

Carynne looked down at the dish and then glared at Dullan.

“Every time I eat the food you bring, my head feels foggy.”

“Good grief.”

His young god did not seem pleased with the offering. Dullan picked up the meal he had carefully prepared. If he left it now, Carynne would throw it in the trash. In the end, Dullan gave up on the offering. Since his god did not accept his devotion, there was nothing more he could do.

“Well, then I suppose you’ll have to starve.”

“I’ll eat as long as it doesn’t have any medicine in it.”

“…We’ll see.”

“I’m not eating anything you give me! Bring me something with nothing in it!”

But you’ll soon forget this, too.

Dullan looked down at the furious Carynne and muttered to himself. And the next day, when Carynne didn’t remember refusing the meal, she silently shoved the same food into her mouth.

The time she spent raging didn’t last long. Her periods of memory were becoming shorter, and as Nancy whispered, Carynne began to feel increasingly distant from herself and others. She acted formally when seeing the lord and felt uncomfortable with the maids’ service.

Soon, she would forget everything.

“My lady believes she comes from a better world.”

Nancy told Dullan.

“A paradise-like place. People help each other, families are perfect, and there are plenty of friends. In that place, status and rank don’t matter, and people live according to their abilities. No one goes hungry no matter how incompetent they are. Does that sound right?”

As if a deity had descended into the human world.

Dullan didn’t find Nancy entirely trustworthy, but that much was enough. Carynne would increasingly distinguish herself from the world and live blindly for one single value.

That was what Catherine had wanted.

For her daughter to find a more perfect love.

***

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