Please Stop The Pope

 A miserable and unfortunate life—those words encapsulate my twenty years better than any other.

It was an utterly wretched existence.

My parents passed away when I was nine, victims of the black plague.

Of the five siblings in our family, including me, the youngest succumbed to the same illness. The rest of us were saved only thanks to the priests dispatched by the Rimen Church.

I survived too, though survival was a burden in its own right.

Pain is always reserved for those who live on.

For the sake of my siblings, I endured with every ounce of strength I had.

I remember stealing bread from a bakery once. Caught by the owner, I was beaten nearly to death. But even then, I managed to keep the bread hidden in my clothes.

I limped back home and shared it with my siblings.

Looking back, though, not every moment of my life was filled with misfortune.

Losing my parents at such a young age and having to act as the head of the family was undeniably difficult. But we were fortunate to have people in our lives who extended a helping hand.

“Luna, could you take the orders from the mercenaries who just walked in?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Oh, and Luna, there’s some leftover meat from cooking earlier. Take it home with some cheese before you leave, alright? Your siblings must be eating a lot these days.”

That helping hand came in the form of Mr. Hans and his wife, who ran an inn in our village.

Our village saw frequent visits from adventurers, so the inn was always bustling with customers.

Their daughter had married and left, leaving the inn short-staffed. That’s when Mr. Hans noticed me and took me in.@@novelbin@@

I’ve been working at the Resting Wind Inn ever since—for three years now.

Thanks to the care and support of Mr. and Mrs. Hans, my siblings and I never went hungry.

But misfortune, as it often does, strikes just when you begin to feel at ease.

Like now.

“Well, well, for a backwater place, there’s quite a looker here,” one of the mercenaries sneered.

“...Please don’t do this,” I said, keeping my voice steady.