I Want To Die One Day Before You - Chapter 65
“Iruel.”
Rufus called out in a calm voice.
“Even if it’s an empty bottle, you possessed prohibited alcohol within the unit. Military law must be strictly enforced.”
“Lieutenant, please listen to me! It’s not mine, it belongs to the prince—”
“Instead.”
Rufus cut off Iruel’s words.
“You are my valuable subordinate. I’ll take responsibility for the mistakes of my men.”
The squad members’ eyes widened at Rufus’s words.
“Lieutenant, what are you saying?”
“I’ll go to the knights myself and return this bottle. And I will willingly accept any punishment given.”
“That’s not acceptable, Lieutenant!”
The squad members hastily tried to stop Rufus.
“This alcohol was indeed consumed by the prince! How can you take the punishment when you’re innocent, Lieutenant!”
“Exactly! It’s the prince who drank it who’s at fault!”
The flustered squad members blocked Rufus, who was intent on self-reporting. After a long dispute with his men, Rufus reluctantly stepped back.
“If you insist on stopping me, then so be it. I’ll bury this matter. But let’s not have any more incidents like this.”
“Yes, we’re sorry…”
“And Iruel, you come see me.”
“Ah crap…”
Iruel grimaced as he turned his body. However, he was soon ushered out of the tent by other squad members. Head hung low, Iruel grumbled as he followed into Rufus’s tent.
Thwump.
The entrance to Rufus’s tent closed. Silence flowed inside.
“…….”
Rufus said nothing, just gazed at Iruel. Iruel, too, looked back at Rufus with wide, unblinking eyes.
There was no conversation between them.
Iruel was the first to break the silence.
“Lieutenant.”
“What.”
“Can I laugh?”
“No.”
Despite Rufus’s warning, a snicker escaped from Iruel.
“Oh, really! What are you saying? ‘You are my valuable subordinate,’ that’s hilarious!”
Iruel collapsed onto the floor, laughing so hard he was pounding the ground. Rolling on the bare earth, it felt like his lungs were filled with air.
“Stop laughing.”
Rufus frowned.
“Why, are you afraid you’ll get attached if you see me smiling?”
“You sure have a lot to say for someone with such a loose mouth.”
Rufus flopped down across from Iruel.
“So, what’s everyone saying?”
“Exactly what you think, sir.”
Iruel fiddled with a bottle of liquor, smirking.
“They’re all going wild, shouting ‘Sir Rufus is amazing!’ And since you said ‘You are my precious subordinate’ earlier, your popularity must have soared even more.”
“I see.”
“Yes, must be nice to be welcomed by such stinky men.”
“Shut it. Anything else?”
“Oh, right now everyone is cursing the prince, calling him a lazy bastard who spends his days drinking and doing nothing, believing the prince is also drinking heavily today.”
“Good. Well done.”
Having heard Iruel’s satisfying report, Rufus took back the bottle of liquor.
It goes without saying, but the source of this liquor bottle was Rufus himself.
He had kept the bottle he had given to Iruel, saving it for use today.
Today is a very important day.
“Iruel.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now, go put this in Prince Tarek’s drinking cup.”
Rufus handed Iruel a pill the size of a small bean.
Karosis, a colorless and odorless poison.
“It’s less than one-tenth of a lethal dose. Prince Tarek won’t die from ingesting it, but he will experience paralysis throughout his body.”
Iruel, who had already once been a victim of the Karosis poison, grimaced at the sight of the poison Rufus offered.
“But do you really have to do it this way?”
“What?”
“Do you really have to turn Prince Tarek into a ‘demon king’ and kill him? If you’re going to kill him, why not just use this Karosis to poison him?”
“No, that won’t do.”
“Why not?”
“It’s too easy a death.”
Rufus replied curtly, leaving Iruel at a loss for words.
“You’re joking, right?”
“Do I look like I’m kind enough to joke around with you?”
“Wow, really… Sir, you’re truly cruel. Heartless.”
Iruel, clutching the Karosis poison, shook himself off. Suddenly, a small sparrow appeared.
“Then, I shall return, my ruthless commander.”
With a flapping sound, the sparrow holding the poison flew out.
The sun that seemed to shine forever set, and the day darkened. Soon, another moonless night would come.
Today is a very important day.
Today is the day the ‘Demon King’ dies.
Now everything begins.
There was no turning back now.
