I Will Live for Your Death - Chapter 37

The sun hanging in the middle of the sky was slowly tilting westward.

Tea cups were placed again in front of those gathered in the hut, and emptied.

The man who finished washing the dishes and sat down was fidgeting uncomfortably, caught between the heavy silence between Turgel and Lebel. What was that mysterious jeweled crown, and what on earth did those two talk about?

“Sometimes I wonder what’s going on inside your head. Are you really planning to overthrow this country, that iron fortress of an imperial family?”

Living up to your name, not disappointing at all. He listened to Turgel’s grumbling with one ear and let it go out the other.

“It’s the worst and best revenge I can carry out.”

Lebel adjusted his posture, folding his arms and leaning back in the chair. Though his body was relaxed, his eyes were sharp.

“You mentioned an extended contract with the imperial family. You haven’t forgotten that you’re leading the members, have you?”

“Of course not.”

It was a dangerous tightrope walk. One wrong move could lead to not only Lebel’s death, but the massacre of all the mercenary members.

Turgel had also heard plenty about the Emperor of Astrid. Wasn’t he the one who purged his consort’s entire family to solidify his own power?

He would likely view commoners or those below them as insects accidentally stepped on while passing by. The imperial family was full of those who showed an endlessly benevolent attitude on the outside while endlessly despising others on the inside.

“Don’t let those bastards get the better of you. Protect all the members no matter what. If you endanger them and then wash your hands of it, I’ll blow your head off first.”

Clear killing intent flowed over the table. It was exactly like Turgel’s legendary appearance from back in the day.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Though his voice was calm, it sounded quite reliable. At the very least, when such a situation arose, Lebel was not the kind of guy who would let go of the hand of the person next to him.

He didn’t hesitate to harm others and sometimes take lives, but was relentless in the face of the karma of revenge. It was surprising enough that he was the leader of the Ashen Hawks, but to suddenly engage in righteous thief activities on top of that.

Turgel muttered just barely audibly:

“Such a consistently two-faced bastard.”

“Thank you.”

“Take that as an insult!”

The sound of a palm slamming on the table was heard. As the former leader, she couldn’t exactly smack the current leader’s back, which was maddening.

Lebel usually seemed well-behaved, but at times like this, he was unbelievably shameless. Perhaps the reason his facial expressions didn’t show was because he was thick-skinned.

As if reading Turgel’s frustrated thoughts, Lebel showed a slight smile and said:

“Please consider it as feed for the Ashen Hawks. I’ll give you a separate wedding gift later.”

“That’s enough, you rascal.”

“It’s pretty… Turgel, do you want to try it on?”

The man who had been just watching nervously picked up the tiara and examined it. Turgel rubbed her arms as if getting goosebumps and grimaced in disgust.

It wouldn’t suit her anyway, but the weight she had briefly felt seemed considerable.

“Stop it, I feel like my neck would break if I wore that. By the way, how are you planning to use this? Are you thinking of sending a threat to the imperial family? Something like ‘We have the imperial treasure, so give us money!’?”

“It’s not worth that much.”

Lebel answered mercilessly, to the point where a cold wind seemed to blow. His curt way of speaking suggested that he quite disliked the owner of that treasure.

“We can just remove and sell the jewels, and for the main body… I’ll have to use my baby’s connections.”

“Ba…by?”

“My husband.”

Turgel raised her thumb to point at the man next to her. The man’s face turned bright red like a ripe tomato.

To see Turgel use such an outrageous term without her face changing color at all – it was something to see in a long life.

“So, what are you planning to do with the money after selling it? Our Ashen Hawks’ leader seems to have some ideas.”

Turgel asked in a playful voice, as if she had a rough guess.

“There’s a slum on the outskirts of the capital. I hear there’s a small private organization that supports that place.”

“Anonymously? Or making it obvious?”

Lebel handed a folded paper towards Turgel. When unfolded, inside was a symbol Turgel couldn’t fail to recognize.

The image of a hawk in flight, colored gray, was clear. The Ashen Hawk, prepared to fly again from the ashes even if burned and torn.

“It’s about time to take flight. Alright, I’ll help.”

A chuckle naturally escaped Turgel’s lips. He would do it anyway even if she tried to stop him. Should she say she picked a good leader?

The atmosphere on the table loosened a bit. There was no better lubricant than the solid trust and faith built between them.

“By the way, I’m glad. Your face looks quite peaceful. Before, you were so full of resentment I wondered if anyone could stop you.”

It was clearly different from before. It was the expression of someone who had grasped something that was either a reason for living or hope.

What was it like when they first met? When she witnessed the boy who suddenly appeared stealing the mercenary group’s goods, she was both dumbfounded and amazed.

Not only had the young lad perfectly masked his presence, but the way he lunged at Turgel the moment their eyes met was no ordinary feat.

He was exactly like a beast with all other senses killed, leaving only the survival instinct. It was true that she had felt the desire to make him renowned across the continent if she could polish that raw feeling just a little.

The problem was that he seemed likely to become infamous in a completely different way.

‘Whoever it is, they’ve put a proper leash on this guy.’

Or perhaps he had unknowingly handed the leash over to its owner. A satisfied curve appeared at the corner of Turgel’s mouth.

**

After barely fending off Turgel and her husband’s insistence to stay for dinner, he set out on the road. The mountain always called forth darkness at an unrelenting pace.

After hurrying, he was able to arrive at the imperial palace just as night fell. The gatekeeper of the palace’s back door, now familiar with Lebel, greeted him.

“Looks like you’ve been to a nice place. Your complexion has improved a lot in the past few days.”

Lebel gave a short bow to the gatekeeper and entered. The maids and servants he encountered also occasionally asked him simple greetings. Perhaps it would be difficult now to completely hide his body in the darkness.

“You’re back, Leader!”

“Did you meet Lady Turgel?”

“Yes. She’s married now.”

“What?”

Lebel looked with an amused expression at the members’ wide-open mouths. He went inside, taking advantage of the gap filled with all sorts of exclamations like “Oh my” and “Good heavens.”

It had been quite a tiring journey since dawn. Perhaps tonight he could fall asleep without tossing and turning. Lebel collapsed onto the bed. The noisy sounds of the members gradually faded away.

Hot air touched his breath.

He jolted up. And immediately realized. This is a dream. Looking around, flames were rising everywhere.

The sound of a wooden roof corner collapsing was heard.

Nightmares always came without warning. Lebel tried to move his feet somehow, but they didn’t budge. A metallic taste came from his bitten lips, as if blood was seeping out.

‘Hey, kiddo! Wake up!’

A familiar term of address. It was a welcome voice he always heard at the mansion, but he didn’t want to hear it in the nightmare. Lebel squeezed his eyes shut, but someone’s strong hand slapped his cheek.

And immediately after, he felt a cold sensation over his head. The water in a soldier’s canteen was poured out without reserve. Someone’s voice rang out, filled with shock.

‘What are you doing? We’re completely surrounded. If we go out like this, we’ll all die with the Imperial Guard bastards waiting outside!’

‘We have to save the child first!’

At the soldier’s cry, the surroundings fell silent. After the flames rose, the eyes that had given up on life came back to life one by one and approached Lebel. Lebel looked into their eyes and shouted.

‘I’m not a child. I’m not a kid! I’m going out with you, brothers. I’ll fight together…’

‘Hey, Lebel.’

One soldier who had been coughing heavily due to the smoke barely opened his mouth to speak.

‘Have you ever drunk alcohol?’

What did he want to say in this urgent situation? Lebel shook his head with a face about to cry.

‘Have you ever met friends your age? Have you been to the sea? Have you ever confessed to someone you like?’

Tears fell between the shaking of his head. The salty taste mixed with smoke dug into the inside of his eyelids.

‘So live. You must survive and experience it all to the end. You’re still young. In this world… There’s still so much you haven’t done.’

‘…I don’t want to.’

‘This stubborn brat. Looks like only our young master could resolve this.’

Everyone trapped in the flames knew. They could no longer meet the young master. They had heard the voice of the Imperial Guard outside the warehouse announcing the death sentence of Limless Rowen Melpiram.

‘Is there anyone with a body in decent shape?’

Those who had barely covered their mouths with their sleeves staggered over. Everyone was in a situation where even breathing was difficult due to the smoke and heat. Someone tore a piece of cloth and soaked it with all the remaining water from the canteen, covering Lebel’s nose and mouth.

‘This is all we can do. Everyone, keep your wits about you and block as many of those Imperial Guard bastards as you can with your bare hands. Meanwhile, you run as fast as you can. Got it?’

No, I don’t want to. I’ll fight together. What’s the point of surviving alone like this? Lebel shouted, shaking his head. But his crying voice was blocked by the wet cloth and not a word came out.

‘Kiddo. Your name, make sure you remember that.’

His mind snapped to attention. My name. Lebel. The name given by the young master, the one I couldn’t tell the person I wanted to tell the most.

‘Never forget it. And survive… Make sure to tell it to your precious person.’

At last, Lebel’s head nodded. A strong hand ruffled Lebel’s hair roughly.

‘Now, this is our last mission as proud soldiers of Melpiram. Carry it out with pride! If we can latch onto even one of them and get our kiddo to escape, it’s a success. When I give the signal, run straight for the door!’

And what happened after that? When he was half-dragged towards the door, hot air enveloped his entire body.

The sound of someone’s flesh being cut by a sword was heard vividly. He thought he heard gunshots too. The coexistence of groans and screams. The panicked shouts of the Imperial Guard also filled his ears.

‘Go! Don’t look back, just go!’

The cloth covering his nose and mouth fell limply. The soldier beside him must have pushed his back until the very last moment, as a strong force remained vivid on his back.

The tears had already dried up due to the hot air and wind. He ran, and kept running.

Until he could no longer hear the sound of anyone chasing, until darkness enveloped everything around him.