I Want To Die One Day Before You - Chapter 6
02_The story of Rufus, the hero
Rufus joined the subjugation army as per the king’s orders.
Rufus was a country youth who had never held a sword in his hand except for basic swordplay throughout his life. Furthermore, his innate magical power was not particularly strong, and it was certainly not on par with nobles.
For him, there was no power to resist the devilkin, let alone the demon king himself. It was truly a battlefield he entered, fully expecting to die.
In reality, he narrowly escaped death several times. There were moments when he nearly lost his life to the sharp fangs of the demons.
But Rufus tenaciously survived, believing in the words that the maid Sarubia had told him.
‘You won’t die until the expedition is over.’
Because that’s what she said.
So, it must be that way.
He won’t die.
He can’t die.
He vowed to survive.
And that’s how he lived.
He did whatever it took to survive. He pilfered others’ rations, swapped his own meager armor for sturdy comrades’ armor in secret. He even hid beneath the corpses of fallen comrades to narrowly evade the demons’ searches.
Some criticized Rufus, saying he had abandoned his pride as a noble. However, Rufus didn’t care. It wasn’t an inaccurate statement anyway. He had nothing left. His noble status had long been forgotten.
He must not die. He must survive.
Only that thought dominated Rufus’s mind.
And so, three years passed.
Rufus, who used to clumsily wield a sword, now had calluses on his hands. The novice who couldn’t even control magic properly was no more.
Now, looking at the demonic creatures baring their gruesome teeth and howling didn’t evoke much of a reaction from Rufus. His body, which used to tremble at the mere sight of a drop of blood, was now drenched in the scent of it. All that remained in him was a primal instinct for survival.
Rufus, appointed as the subjugation army’s lieutenant, stood with a resolute demeanor.
The screams of the demons no longer pierced his ears. Even when their claws scratched him, he felt no pain.
He swung, thrust, and cut with pure instinct, killing without hesitation.
And finally—
Rufus faced the demon king, Audixus.
The demon king Audixus had taken on the appearance of a robust man. He looked entirely human, but Rufus wasn’t deceived.
This was the one who had pursued him relentlessly for the past three years. How could he be fooled?
“Human, what do you desire?”
Audixus, realizing that his shape-shifting magic was ineffective against Rufus, hurriedly spoke.
Now, the demon king was utterly alone. Over the past three years, the devil race had all been massacred by humans.
Once, the demon king Audixus had instilled fear into humans. Yet now, he was kneeling before a mere human, begging for his life.
“Do you desire riches? I will give you all the treasures in my demonic palace. Just spare my life, I beg of you.”
“I have no need for that.”
“Then, is it fame you seek? I can grant it through my witch subordinates.”
“I am not interested.”
“Or maybe you want to exchange—”
“Shut up.”
Rufus, raising his sword above his head, retorted.
“Give me your head. I want to get out of this damn battlefield quickly.”
Rufus’s sword struck down sharply.
Thunk!
The body of the demon king Audixus fell like the trunk of a rotten tree. As life left him, the true form of the demon king was revealed.
His eyes were still as bright red as coagulating blood, horns and vicious fangs, a monstrous figure that could make onlookers nauseous and repulsed.
However, Rufus couldn’t feel any revulsion even as he looked at that gruesome sight.
It was already worn out.
Damaged, worn down, and broken.
For the past three years, Rufus had survived with singular dogged determination, like a beast. All that remained in Rufus were dried-up tear ducts, corroded emotions, and the primal instinct to kill for the sake of survival.
“Haha.”
With a hollow laugh, Rufus gazed down at his blood-soaked sword with weariness.
It’s over.
The demon king was dead. The subjugation of the demons was complete.
At that moment, Rufus suddenly remembered the maid named Sarubia.
‘I hope you survive ‘til the end.’
Despite that relentless kiss, the girl who never changed her expression, who teased him to her heart’s content, and even left without asking his name, like the wind.
“Damn it.”
Rufus’s hand holding the sword trembled.
He shouldn’t have thought of her face at this moment.
