Will You Cry for Me If I Die? - Chapter 69
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 69
“Good.”
Then Yurahel asked me in a very small voice.
“Are your hands okay?”
This wasn’t the first time he asked like this.
The same words repeat.
Still, I don’t get used to it.
When I hear it, I always stop.
If I get used to it, it hurts more when I lose it.
I answered briefly.
I didn’t let it drag on.
“I’m fine.”
Lermiel was holding his breath beside me.
He was covering his mouth.
His eyes looked at my hands.
His gaze lingered on my palms.
My palms were red.
The skin was split open.
The skin was cracked because of water, snow, and stones.
Thin lines had formed.
I hated that his gaze was so gentle again.
It touches the inside.
I spoke while avoiding his gaze.
I turned my head slightly.
“Don’t look.”
Lermiel asked quietly.
He lowered his breath.
“Why?”
I didn’t answer.
I kept my mouth shut.
Explaining why would take too long.
Words would drag on.
If it gets long, I waver.
I don’t want to waver.
I lowered my body further.
From far away, I heard the voices of the patrol.
It came through between the trees.
“There are no traces on this side.”
“They said the holy symbol reacted here.”
When I heard the word holy symbol, my stomach froze again.
The inside became cold.
I clenched my hands tighter.
My palms were pressed down more.
Demian placed his palm on top of my head.
His hand slowly came down.
His palm was warm.
Heat remained there.
I didn’t dislike the warmth.
My body relaxed a little.
If I don’t dislike it, it’s dangerous.
Strength drains away.
Still, because of that palm, my breathing stabilized a little.
My heart beat less.
Iden whispered very quietly.
The sound barely reached.
“If we wait just a little longer, they’ll pass by.”
I hate waiting.
Time gets longer.
But right now I have to wait.
If I move, they’ll see me.
I’m four years old so I’m not good at waiting, but today I did it.
I didn’t move my body.
The patrol’s footsteps grew distant.
The sound of stepping on snow became weaker.
Their voices also grew distant.
They scattered between the trees.
Only then did I exhale a long breath.
I released my chest.
My breath spread out white.
The air in front became cloudy.
I was startled and covered my mouth.
I covered my mouth with my hand.
It was too late.
It had already come out.
Demian immediately scattered frost with his fingertips and thinly pressed down my breath’s vapor.
White grains scattered from his fingertips.
The vapor seeped into the snow.
The traces disappeared.
Winter does things like this too.
It makes things invisible.
That was amazing.
It changed right before my eyes.
I spoke in amazement.
My voice rose up.
“Demian, that’s amazing.”
Demian looked at me and smiled
Only moving the corners of his mouth.
“Shh.”
I pressed my lips tightly shut.
I cut off the sound.
And I thought to myself.
I put the words inside.
‘I am No. 1. But right now I’m Rumel.’
The two names overlapped.
That thought made my chest a little warm.
* * *
Eventually we escaped from the cave.
We pushed out to the outside while keeping our bodies low.
Snow hit my face again.
Light particles brushed past.
I took a small breath.
I breathed in only through my nose with my mouth closed.
The tip of my nose felt cold.
The coldness penetrated inward.
When it’s cold, I feel like tears will come.
My eyes felt like they would get wet.
I hate tears, so I didn’t sniffle.
I didn’t make any sound.
If I sniffle, it makes noise and I’ll get caught.
Demian pointed in a direction with his hand gesture.
His hand pointed between the trees.
It was the side where the trees were denser.
The trunks were closely packed.
That side is dark.
Light reaches there less.
When it’s dark, it’s scary.
I can’t see ahead well.
Even if it’s scary, it’s good for hiding.
I can conceal my body.
I endured the fear and went forward.
I moved my feet carefully.
Yurahel walked close beside me.
He stayed close.
He tried to exhale long but stopped.
His chest rose and then stopped.
His face showed him holding back his own breath.
Strength went into his jaw.
That face was a bit strange.
I wasn’t used to it.
Strange isn’t bad.
In the Research Institute, everyone had the same face.
There were no expressions.
Here, everyone is different.
Each person moves differently.
When they’re different, it’s less scary.
They’re distinguishable.
Iden raised his finger in front.
Two.
Then he laid his palm flat.
He pressed down on the air.
Stop.
I stopped immediately.
I planted my feet on the snow.
When standing on snow, my feet get cold.
Cold air rose up.
When it’s cold, my toes hurt.
The inside went numb.
Even though it hurt, I didn’t move.
I didn’t lift my feet.
Iden listened carefully.
His head tilted slightly.
It seemed like only the sound of wind could be heard, but there was a very faint sound mixed in.
It came through between the tree branches.
The sound of metal touching.
It was the sound of hard things scraping.
It’s the sound of weapons.
Metal clashing.
I covered my mouth with my hand.
I covered it with my palm.
I held my breath.
I stopped my chest.
Demian placed his hand on top of my head.
His hand pressed down gently.
A warm hand.
Heat remained in it.
When it’s warm, my heart relaxes.
The inside becomes loose.
I clenched my teeth to avoid relaxing.
My jaw became firm.
But since his hand didn’t leave, it was a little okay.
The top of my head wasn’t empty.
Light flickered once between the tree shadows ahead.
It moved in the darkness.
It wasn’t a small lantern, but a light like red embers.
It was burning in a round shape.
Embers are living fire.
They don’t go out.
Embers don’t get extinguished even by snow.
They remain even on white surfaces.
I hated embers.
They stay in my eyes for a long time.
There were embers in the Research Institute too.
Embers at the tip of needles.
They were attached small.
Those embers stabbed me.
They touched my skin.
My body automatically curled up.
My shoulders drew inward.
“Who goes there.”
A low, rough voice was heard.
It came from between the trees.
Demian stepped forward one step.
He moved his feet quietly.
His voice was cold.
It dropped low.
“Ikaros.”
The ember-like light came a little closer.
The light brushed across faces.
Two, three people wearing black cloaks were visible.
They stood between the shadows.
His face was half-covered.
Cloth covered the lower part.
Only his eyes were visible.
They glinted in the darkness.
His eyes were sharp.
The edges were keen.
Sharp things cut.
His gaze reaches out.
I don’t like being cut.
I thought to myself.
I kept the words inside.
‘I should avoid blade-like eyes.’
I lowered my gaze.
But there was no room to avoid it.
The distance was close.
Iden stepped forward and added just a small smile.
Only the corners of his mouth moved.
“I’m also from Ikaros.”
He said.
His words flowed smoothly.
“Count Iden.”
He added his name.
Only then did one of them ask.
His head moved.
“Count?”
I breathed a little.
That person spoke again.
His eyes narrowed.
“Why are you here at this hour.”
Iden answered.
His words didn’t falter.
“The Priesthood is sweeping through the forest.”
Surprised by this, they exchanged glances with each other.
Their gazes moved quickly back and forth.
One of them raised his hand to signal us not to come closer.
His palm faced forward.
Demian stood still.
He didn’t move his feet.
Yurahel didn’t move either.
He stopped with his shoulders lowered.
Lermiel swallowed a shallow breath.
His throat bobbed once.
Afraid that shallow breath might make a sound, I covered my mouth more with my hand.
I pressed my palm harder.
When you block your mouth, you also block your breath.
Air swirls around inside.
When blocked, your head spins.
Your vision shakes.
I endured even as my head spun.
I held onto my body.
At that moment, a very faint glimmer leaked from beside me.
It spread between the snow.
A silver dot protruded from the end of Yurahel’s sleeve.
It pushed through the cloth.
The snow caught that dot and flashed.
Light bounced off.
If it flashes, it’s over.
Gazes will turn.
I immediately grabbed Yurahel’s sleeve and covered the dot.
I covered it with my hand.
Then I grabbed snow and rubbed it over the sleeve.
The snow crumbled in my hand.
The snow melted and became water.
Cold water flowed.
The moisture weighed down the sleeve heavily.
The cloth drooped downward.
The dot sank a little.
The light was buried inward.
I felt that small change at my fingertips.
The movement stopped.
I cursed inwardly.
I did it with feeling, not words.
Four-year-olds can’t curse well with words.
It doesn’t come out of their mouth.
So their face scrunches up instead.
My forehead narrowed.
One of those guards squinted and spoke.
Their gazes gathered toward us.
“That’s.”
The end of his words dragged out.
Before those words could finish, Demian stepped forward.
His foot pressed down on the snow.
Frost spread from his toes.
White patterns scattered.
The snow surface froze white.
The surface hardened.
The guard flinched.
His shoulders shook briefly.
A flinch is an opening.
Movement breaks.
Iden immediately intervened.
He moved his body half a step forward.
“A child.”
His voice continued low.
“And a guest of the Lord.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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