I Want To Die One Day Before You - Chapter 79
Rufus coldly gazed at the fallen Prince Tarek.
“Where have you hidden the Queen’s demonic sword?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Tarek clenched his teeth, averting his gaze.
Expressionless, Rufus raised his sword.
“AAARGH!”
Tarek screamed as Rufus’s sword severed one of his fingers.
Witch Odr observed indifferently.
“I’ll ask again. Queen Echinacea, mother of Crown Prince Viren and the late Queen, where did you hide the demonic sword buried with her?”
“How would I know such a thing!”
Tarek retorted, prompting Rufus to lift his sword once more.
Screams echoed within the tent, but thanks to Odr’s magic, The medic Fertina outside remained oblivious.
Rufus stared at the continuously screaming Tarek.
Not an ounce of sympathy for him.
Tarek, the half-brother and envious rival of Crown Prince Viren, had always coveted his position. His volunteering for the demon subjugation was driven by ambition, well-known for his lust for power.
Jealous of his legitimate brother, Tarek committed an unforgivable act.
“I ask again, where is the demonic sword stolen from Queen Echinacea’s grave?”
Odr’s expression shifted, hearing Rufus’s words.
Indeed.
Tarek sought leverage over Viren. Unable to find a flaw in the impeccable prince, he resorted to desecrating the grave of Queen Echinacea, stealing her demonic sword.
The demonic sword of Queen Echinacea.
A sacred relic, part of her soul, and her only remaining possession. Tarek planned to use it to blackmail Viren.
In his previous life, a dying Tarek begged Rufus, revealing knowledge of the sword’s location. Rufus, then indifferent to its value, ignored it.
But now, the sword was essential for eliminating the royal family.
“Speak. Where is the Queen’s sword?”
“…It’s in my palace.”
Rufus, having extracted Tarek’s answer, signaled Odr. She opened her pouch, releasing a red toad – her familiar.
The toad, hopping onto Tarek’s head, paused as if contemplating, then croaked at Odr.
“He lies. The human lies.”
“Hmm, indeed.”
Odr relayed the toad’s verdict to Rufus.
Rufus’s sword, merciless, aimed again at Tarek’s fingers. Another scream filled the tent.
“You seem eager to lose all your fingers.”
Rufus glared at the writhing Tarek.
“Stop wasting time, or I’ll cut off your wrist. If you want to end your suffering, tell the truth. Where did you hide the demonic sword?”
“In the… palace sewers…”
“What?”
Rufus unwittingly frowned.
The palace sewers? To think the Queen’s demonic sword was hidden there.
“Under a tree near the sewer entrance… I buried it there.”
Rufus waited for Odr’s judgment on this claim. The toad perched on Tarek’s head blinked at Odr.
“Not a lie. He speaks the truth.”
“Seems to be true,” Odr muttered with a slightly disgusted face, surprised by this revelation.
Rufus, equally shocked, believed Tarek would have hidden the relic somewhere unreachable, not amidst waste and filth.
Ripping off Tarek’s royal coat with its gold threads, Rufus remarked, “That’s enough.”
He handed Tarek’s finger-ring, sliced off earlier, to Odr, who received it with a queasy expression.
Now, with the location of the queen’s sword known, Rufus could easily eliminate the other royals.
All tasks were complete. Alive, Tarek was now worthless.
“So, shall we transform this filthy human into a fake demon king?”
Odr rolled up her sleeves. Rufus nodded, gripping his sword.
Tarek, realizing the situation, was appalled.
“A fake demon king? What are you…!”
“Shut up, or I’ll slit your throat. Such disrespect for my mother. Those who don’t honor her deserve to die.”
Odr touched Tarek’s forehead.
Slowly, Tarek’s form melted away, revealing a horrific demon beneath.
A perfect imitation of a demon king materialized.
“Remarkably convincing,” Rufus observed.
“Don’t underestimate a witch’s magic,” Odr replied.
As Rufus prepared to execute the fake king…
Suddenly, the air in the tent shifted. Rufus, sensing danger, alerted, “Odr, something’s wrong…!”
In an instant, chaos erupted.
BOOM!
A massive surge of power burst from Tarek, overwhelming the space.
A magical rampage.
“This…!”
Rufus swiftly conjured a protective shield with his magic.
CRASH!
The prince’s attack, sharp as a razor, sliced through the air, narrowly deflecting off Rufus’s shield.
It was a close call.
“Demons, beware…!”
Rufus hurriedly turned to the witch Odr, who had been accompanying him. However, he was greeted by a rising mountain of crimson blood and flesh.
What was that.
Rufus, frozen in place, realized what had fallen before him. It was impossible for him not to know.
Those were impaled pieces of the demons that had been accompanying him and the witch Odr. The realization struck him hard as he identified the blood and flesh as remnants of the once-living demons.
“Seems like royalty isn’t royalty for nothing.”
The witch Odr muttered, in shock over the swift loss of her companions.
“Looks like we underestimated the royal family. What a mess.”
“…”
Rufus couldn’t help but agree.
“You filthy demons…!”
The prince, transformed into the guise of the Demon King, stood up amidst his own blood. Even though the poison had paralyzed him, he managed to move again.
‘…He must have forced the poison out by inflicting pain upon himself.’
Rufus gritted his teeth.
The poison that affected Prince Tarek was a deadly poison called Karosis. Unless he took an antidote, the paralysis would not be lifted. However, Prince Tarek injected a large amount of magical power into his body to remove the toxins flowing in his blood. He then amplified it in an instant.
It was a rather wise choice. Better to struggle in a last-ditch effort than to wait to die.
“You… all of you, I will kill you all!”
