I Want To Die One Day Before You - Chapter 76
The demon dodged, attacking another human instead.
“Ah, aargh!”
Squad member Nad’s scream echoed.
Rufus clicked his tongue, leaping back.
Boom!
Rufus’s descending sword created a shockwave toward the demon. Dust and dirt, like fragments, obscured the demon’s view. The ground shook under the force of the sword’s path.
Rufus seized the moment to grab Nad.
“Are you okay?”
He steadied the staggering Nad.
“Aim for the arms. Why did you just stand there?”
Pale-faced Nad clung to Rufus.
“I can’t do this. Lieutenant, I don’t want to die here. Please save me. Please, I don’t want to die like this.”
“Understood.”
Rufus forcibly stood Nad up.
The demon growled, rising again. Rufus’s sword had grazed its abdomen. Though not deeply wounded, its movements slowed.
Now was the moment.
“Get up. We go again.”
“I can’t. I can’t do this.”
Nad, terrified, pushed Rufus away.
“I’ve never handled a sword before. I worked in an office. Please.”
“Nad.”
“I’m a coward. I don’t want to die. Please save me. Please.”
“Nad.”
Rufus looked calmly at the panicked Nad.
“Do you want me to kill you?”
Nad gaped, unable to comprehend Rufus’s words.
Rufus stared at him.
“No reply? You must not want to die then.”
“Lieutenant…”
“Live.”
Rufus gripped Nad’s sword hand tightly.
“Or I’ll kill you.”
Magic began to emanate from Nad’s sword.
“Think of it as training. Do as you’ve practiced.”
“Y-yes!”
Nad, trembling, gripped his sword. Rufus raised his own sword.
“Let’s go.”
The demon, eyeing the two humans, lunged again.
Nad’s sword swung. Compared to Rufus’s, it was feeble and insignificant. Though an awkward strike for the demon, it was enough to provoke its heightened alertness.
Rufus seized the moment, leaping upwards.
Startled by the airborne human, the demon tried to evade.
“Nad!”
Responding to Rufus’s call, squad member Nad raised his sword overhead.
Too late to defend, Nad’s trembling blade sliced the demon’s arm.
The demon roared in agony.
“Now!”
The onlooking squad members rushed in. Overwhelmed by the human onslaught, the demon retreated.
“We won!”
“We defeated the demon!”
The squad, drunk on victory, cheered.
“Let’s wipe out all these demon bastards!”
“For the Kingdom of Hevania!”
Rufus scoffed at their naivety.
‘Typical men.’
Celebrating as if they’d saved a nation, just for fending off one demon.
Yet, united against the demon, their excitement didn’t wane, ready to storm the Demon King’s castle.
‘I need to control this.’
Rufus signaled Iruel.
“Hey, hey! Let’s not risk our lives too much.”
Iruel, amidst the squad, made light remarks.
“Even if we sacrifice ourselves to kill one demon, who’ll appreciate it? Let’s just do enough.”
“Iruel, what are you saying…!”
As the squad was about to react angrily,
“Right, let’s just do enough.”
Nad, as if back from hell, gasping, supported Iruel’s words.
“We can’t beat the demons with our skills. Let’s just aim to survive.”
Silenced by Nad’s cold reality, the squad quietly resumed their battle stance.
Iruel discreetly approached Rufus.
“Lieutenant, that demon was actually quite close to me. Remember to apologize when we meet in the Demon King’s castle.”
“Fine, now be quiet.”
Rufus pushed Iruel away, whispering too close for comfort.
Memories surged.
When the demons declared their intent to attack humans, Rufus found himself kneeling before them.
And he pleaded.
‘If that’s the case, please show mercy to the humans who target your arms during battle.’
‘Target our arms?’
‘I beg of you. Spare those humans.’
Rufus bowed deeply. The glass shards on the floor of the Demon King’s castle pierced his forehead, but he paid no mind.
He wanted to save them.
At least he wanted to save ‘his people.’
Rufus had repeatedly emphasized this to his squad members. When attacking demons, focus on their arms.
As a result.
“The demons are fleeing!”
“The arms are their weakness! Aim for the arms!”
Rufus’s squad members began to gain the upper hand.
The tide was turning. The demons, initially overwhelming the humans, started to falter. Emboldened, the squad members began to drive the demons back.
“Lieutenant Rufus, at this rate, humans might eventually annihilate the demons!”
Squad member Nad, brimming with unfounded confidence, gripped his sword and shouted to Rufus.
What is this guy saying? Rufus inwardly laughed.
Nad was a naïve young man, sincerely believing that humans could exterminate the demons in a single battle.
Behind Nad, Iruel’s face briefly appeared. Iruel glanced at Nad disdainfully, then shook his head in disbelief.
That’s when it happened.
A fierce whirlwind swept in front of Rufus’s squad. The strong wind forced their eyes shut.
When they reopened, a red-haired woman, seemingly an ordinary human at first glance, stood before them.
However, the black mark on her forehead revealed her true identity.
A cursed saintess serving the Demon King.
Or rather…
“A witch!”
