I Will Live for Your Death (20 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 9
After Alan brought the witness, everything moved swiftly.
After receiving a firm promise of protection, the shop clerk pointed clearly at the Imperial Guard officers and spoke in a steady voice.
“Those people grabbed my hand and harassed me first. The mercenaries over there stepped in to stop them.”
“But we were the ones who got hit…!”
“You were the first to swing your fists, officers. I saw it clearly with my own two eyes.”
Alan testified quite convincingly, like a reliable observer. It was clear the Imperial Guard officers had indeed attacked first. However, their blows had been utterly ineffective—inflicting not even a scratch on the mercenaries—making them appear pitifully like victims in comparison.
The officers wore deeply aggrieved expressions, but it was useless. After several heated exchanges, the door to the office suddenly burst open, and military police stormed in.
“We received a report about someone possessing firearms.”
Everyone in the room silently pointed with their eyes toward a single individual. The accused turned deathly pale and stammered nervously.
“I—I acted in self-defense! Those mercenaries started the trouble and used violence first.”
“Doesn’t the fact that the Emperor’s own soldiers aimed firearms at civilians leave you without any excuse? Not only the harassers, but everyone who joined in swinging fists as well.”
Alan crossed his arms and sneered. The military police silently dragged the officers away. With the commotion gone, an uneasy silence filled the room. It almost seemed as if someone had softly sung a clear, pure tune.
“Well then, it seems all disputes have been settled, and responsibility is clear. I’d appreciate it if you’d now release these people.”
“We were about to do just that. We didn’t hold onto those Imperial Guard bastards because we liked them.”
The patrol officers had long endured friction with the Imperial military due to status differences. Secretly, their goodwill toward the mercenaries—who’d just given those officers a proper thrashing—had risen sharply. They’d harbored plenty of resentment toward those officers anyway, so this turn of events felt perfectly timed.
One of the patrol officers shrugged and opened the holding cell door.
“Oh, so we can leave right away then?”
“You’ll still need to file a statement—please come this way.”
It didn’t take long for the mercenaries to be released, thanks to the witness who’d stayed beside them until the very end.
Stepping outside the station, they found night giving way to the first light of dawn.
“You’re… Alan, right? Thank you. You must’ve been exhausted, yet you stayed until the end.”
“In the south, there’s still plenty of prejudice against northerners. I just worried you might face some unfair trouble. Well then, a law-abiding man like me must take his leave before curfew!”
Alan, looking slightly awkward, scratched his head lightly and walked off. It was nearly time to return to the mansion—time to shift from “Alan” back to “Alice.”
“My thanks are belated, but… thank you sincerely for your help.”
The shop clerk bowed deeply toward the mercenaries.
“Well, it’s our creed not to stand by when we see injustice. I’m just worried those Imperial Guards might try to retaliate…”
“Both you, who testified for us, and anyone those bastards might threaten—call us immediately if they dare. We’ll help you for free.”
Lailo and Eddie’s words sounded reassuringly solid. Both the clerk and the mercenaries exchanged repeated bows of gratitude before walking off into the dawn.
The sky was already turning blue in the far distance. Daybreak would arrive soon.
“To think we’d be tied up until this hour.”
“…I’m exhausted.”
“It ended quicker than I expected. I thought they’d lock us up for days just because we’re from the north.”
“Honestly, the captain’s appearance helped a lot. You have to admit it, right?”
A sharp smack echoed from Lailo’s back as he made his boastful remark. Following the well-deserved hit for speaking truth, Lailo lamented his pitiful fate, while Rivel simply ignored him.
“Didn’t you notice how people in that tavern stared at you, Captain? Even the patrol officers nodded like they were spellbound whenever you looked at them.”
“I don’t care.”
“You should take some pride in it. Someone like me—who looks like a thief to everyone—will never know that feeling.”
Rivel left Lailo’s chuckling behind and issued a short command.
“We’re returning.”
“Huh? Wait a moment—we didn’t even get to enjoy the festival!”
“Our mission is over. We’re leaving.”
The Licas Mercenary Company now had only two options.
Either return to their usual post near the Licas Mountains, or stay in the capital and look for new contracts.
“The latter’s out of the question.”
Eddie nudged the remnants of firecrackers on the ground with his toe, feeling secretly disappointed. They’d directly clashed with the Emperor’s personal Imperial Guard—there was no doubt they’d earned powerful enemies.
But even so, they wouldn’t starve to death. The continent was in the throes of upheaval—wars and developments were flourishing everywhere, and jobs were plentiful.
“We’d better pack our things as soon as we get back.”
The thought of traveling all the way back north felt daunting. They’d likely depart at first light tomorrow, so even a short nap would be better than nothing.
Though every member trudged along, worn down by fatigue, Rivel was the exception.
He was still thinking about the woman he’d met at the Clover Tavern.
“That was definitely…”
How could he ever forget? He’d survived countless near-death moments, all while refusing to let her slip from his memory.
What he pulled from those faded memories wasn’t just the scent of silk. Her strong yet gentle voice brought that past moment vividly to life.
“Do you truly consider buying and selling people to be mere business?”
He’d imagined her now beyond his reach—someone he could never dare face directly—yet he’d failed to recognize her standing right before him. A bitter smile formed at the corner of Rivel’s lips.
“If this plan succeeds…”
Perhaps they might meet again. But he held no great expectations. Disappointment always matched expectation in size, and Rivel knew that truth better than anyone.
Beside him, the square still echoed faintly with the remnants of the festival. Drunken revelers now staggered homeward, their unsteady steps mingling with the cool dawn air.
He needed to clear his tangled thoughts. He recalled once more the mission entrusted to him by his predecessor, Turgel.
“A certain woman came and gave me this job. From what I saw, she seemed quite high-born—or incredibly wealthy. But the request itself was odd.”
“What was it?”
“On the first day of the festival, cause a reasonable disturbance in a crowded place. What do you think? It’ll be your first assignment as captain. A bit dull, isn’t it?”
At first, he’d assumed it was some wealthy noble scheming. He was certain whoever had come from the capital would come to witness the commotion personally to confirm its success.
And the person he’d encountered there was entirely unexpected.
Of all people, it had to be you. Rivel’s lips twitched faintly. He’d always thought she’d remain in that one place—waiting for him to approach—but she’d taken initiative and moved forward herself.
It didn’t matter. That was precisely like her—never sitting idle, always acting. That quality gave Rivel reassurance.
“Thank goodness.”
Rivel had already guessed the hidden meaning behind the request. A tiny trap—at first seeming easy to escape with a casual nudge—but it would inevitably swell into a vast whirlpool without notice.
Even if it entangled his entire life, he didn’t care. In fact, he welcomed it. Rivel gladly accepted the noose tightening around his neck.
**
No one in the empire was unaware of Captain of the Imperial Guard Kaelum Western.
In his youth, it was rumored that merely threatening a crying child with “Kaelum will come and take you” would silence them instantly. Now, whenever that tale was mentioned, Kaelum would chuckle and wave it off.
“Those are old stories. These days, I’m just a toothless tiger.”
But even a toothless, aging beast remained a beast. The tiger was still very much alive. Though approaching middle age, his gaze alone remained as sharp as ever, freezing anyone who met it.
And now, the Imperial Guard officers standing before Kaelum, receiving the full force of his icy glare, truly felt like they were dying. They’d rather quietly remove their uniforms, fold them neatly, and bid the world farewell a hundred times over.
“Do you even understand what you’ve done?”
The sound would be like a predator’s jaw crushing bone without mercy. The main culprits behind the Clover Tavern riot sweated profusely, scrambling for words.
Yet they realized everything they might say would be mere excuses. At least, they were smart enough to grasp that much.
“We understand.”
“You claim to understand!”
The officers’ bodies trembled as they bowed their heads toward the floor. Their hearts rose and fell with each of Kaelum’s sighs.
When would this man finally lose his vigor? Or did he even age at all? A few officers failed to hide their aggrieved expressions.
“…Judging by your faces, you’re still full of complaints. Shall I recite each of your foolish acts one by one?”
“No!”
Already drunk, they’d harassed civilians, then recklessly brought firearms and caused a public incident. The offending officer had been thrown into the barracks long ago.
“To think I must serve His Imperial Majesty with men like you.”
What good was intelligence or talent alone? They lacked basic humanity and neglected to hone their skills. Kaelum pressed his knuckles firmly against his throbbing temples.
“…Return to your quarters and reflect quietly.”
The officers saluted and shuffled out on trembling legs. As Kaelum sat in his chair, a deep ache spread through his eyes.
He had to restore the Imperial Guard’s tarnished reputation immediately. After all, they were nothing less than the living symbol of His Imperial Majesty.
He’d summon journalists friendly to the palace to suppress it as best he could—but he couldn’t silence everyone. And since the incident occurred at a tavern frequented by commoners, rumors would spread like wings.
“Those mercenaries are also a problem.”
Kaelum’s pen paused as he fell into thought. He’d suspected the officers’ skills had declined, but for a small group of mercenaries to overpower them so decisively meant they were certainly no ordinary rabble.
Ordinary mercenaries would have pretended not to see. In fact, witnesses reported other mercenaries in the tavern had not only avoided stepping in but actively hid or quietly slipped away.
“They must be aiming for a contract with the palace. Stepping in wrongly would not only lose them the contract but make it hard to even stay in the capital.”
Mercenaries lived and died by coin. To think they’d risk themselves for others ahead of financial gain? Nonsense.
Kaelum hesitated briefly. Should he report the truth? This was a matter of pride.
Reporting the facts as they were would surely anger the Emperor. The very thought of the Emperor’s soldiers being bested by a handful of mercenaries was chilling.
But Kaelum was not one to sugarcoat words. He stopped hesitating and resumed writing his report. He firmly believed it was his duty to stand firm—even if the furious Emperor threw the document at him.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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