I Want To Die One Day Before You - Chapter 38
“What…?”
This was the first time Rufus had heard such words.
“Going back in time, what does that mean?”
Rufus hurriedly questioned the specter of the demon king.
The specter chuckled, saying, “Oh, I see. What you want is to change the past! Fine, I’ll grant that wish!”
“But you’re already dead. How can you fulfill my wish?”
“I am Audixus, the demon king who defied fate and was born. Although I am a specter without a body, if you wish, I can turn back time for you.”
The eyes of the demon king’s specter flickered towards Rufus. Rufus stared at the specter in a daze.
“Yes, you can go back to the past you desire.”
The specter of the demon king added an explanation.
“You can regain wealth and honor you didn’t obtain. Or you can seek revenge on those who ignored you. Or you can correct your past mistakes.”
In response to the specter’s words, Rufus stared blankly at him.
Going back to the past. Living life once again.
If that were truly possible…
“Well then, human. Speak. When is the past you want to return to?”
“I want to meet Sarubia again.”
Without hesitation, Rufus provided the specter with his prompt answer, causing the specter to gaze at Rufus as if seeing through him. Eventually, the specter couldn’t contain its laughter.
“Foolish human!”
The specter of the demon king Audixus ridiculed Rufus as it flew through the air.
“Reflect on everything you’ve worked for now. You have everything a mere human could wish for! Wealth and honor are all yours. Yet, you’re willing to abandon all of this and go back to the past just to meet a lowly maid. Truly foolish!”
“She is worth it.”
Rufus retorted.
“Worth? Human, the worth in your eyes and the worth in my eyes are incomparable. Don’t argue the value of your worth in front of me.”
In response to Rufus’s words, the specter of the demon king burst into hearty laughter. The bold response from the human genuinely amused him.
“Very well, human. I shall grant you the opportunity to meet that maid you care so much about again!”
In an instant, the specter of the demon king leaped towards Rufus.
The area it passed through transformed into a pitch-black dust. Simultaneously, Rufus’s vision began to ripple like melting.
Soon, a magical array, unseen in any grimoire Rufus had ever encountered, began to take shape. Rufus intuited that this magical array was a forbidden spell that defied time and dimensions.
“Why are you granting my wish?”
Staring at the rapidly changing space, Rufus asked the distorted form of the demon king’s specter about the force expanding the domain.
“Because a specter imprisoned in its magic stone cannot exist with its own will. However, if you turn back time as you wish, I too can live again.”
Demon King Audixus turned towards the magic array before Rufus.
“Let’s meet again, foolish one! Next time, it won’t be as easy for you!”
The specter of Demon King Audixus vanished as it passed through the magic array. The array continued to expand, seemingly engulfing everything around it. The world felt like it was collapsing.
But there was no fear.
Rufus slowly approached the magic array.
Beyond the array, a brilliant light blinded Rufus. Pain surged as if his breath was being choked. Rufus emitted a groan of agony almost unconsciously.
As if his skin was being torn apart, it felt like he was being ripped into pieces. In the face of unimaginable pain, Rufus staggered, trembling on the spot.
It was unbearable. It was more agonizing than death.
Yet, there was no fear.
‘For Sarubia.’
In an instant, a small bud bloomed in Rufus’s memory.
The image of her face, with a tender smile, appeared.
He missed the warmth of her radiant smile that shone like the sun.
He wanted to protect her.
He wanted to touch her again.
He wanted to cherish that beautiful smile for a long, long time.
So, Sarubia.
Please, this time, live as long as possible.
Live so long that you won’t even remember how many candles to put on the cake when you become too old to recall.
And, please, don’t die before me.
Because a life without you is truly hell.
Let me die one day before you, for this chance that has come again.
To reach that opportunity once more, Rufus took a step towards the magic array.
In the midst of the light, Rufus smiled.
