I Want To Die One Day Before You - Chapter 53

“If we could go now, that would be great. Is it possible?”

“It’s not impossible, but why? Weren’t you supposed to return to the demon subjugation army?”

“He wants to see his lover at the palace, that’s why.”

A mocking voice came from above Rufus’s head.

“Such profound love! A man who just betrayed his country to demons, and now all he thinks about is his lover— Ouch! Stop squeezing! It hurts!”

Rufus firmly grasped the chattering squirrel.

“Mother, save me!”

Iruel struggled desperately to escape Rufus’s grip. The Witch Odr looked at her son with an expression of dismay.

“Can’t you do anything without your mother? Learn some independence, will you.”

With the Witch Odr’s implicit consent, Rufus glared at the squirrel trapped in his fist.

“Iruel, don’t speak carelessly. I’ll throw you to the ground.”

“Go ahead and try! I’ll turn you into a butterfly and eat you!”

“Is that so? Then I might as well twist your neck off.”

“Ahh, don’t! I was wrong!”

Having narrowly escaped from Rufus’s hand, the squirrel scampered onto the Witch Odr’s back. Odr, stroking the squirrel that climbed onto her shoulder, turned to Rufus.

“Rufus, your lover… the maid who works in the princess’s palace?”

The Witch Odr also vaguely knew about Sarubia, having overheard Rufus and Iruel’s conversation while disguised as a mouse.

“Are you going to the palace to meet her?”

“It’s not so much about meeting her as it is…”

Rufus hesitated for a moment.

It was deep into the night. A time when humans would be in bed, asleep. Sarubia would have already gone to sleep in preparation for the next day’s work. Even if he went now, he probably wouldn’t be able to see her.

But still.

“…I just want to make sure she’s alright.”

How was Sarubia faring?

Had the princess already started beating her? Was she aching from the day’s work, groaning in pain? She always hated the heat, so on a tepid night like this, was she tossing and turning in bed, exhausted?

“That’s quite romantic.”

The Witch Odr chuckled.

“Alright. I’ll take you to the palace, just this once.”

Odr lightly flicked her finger.

The speed of the broomstick increased rapidly, to the point where it was almost impossible to keep one’s eyes open.

The broomstick, carrying a witch, a human, and a squirrel, sliced through the moonless night sky with astonishing speed.

Before long, the capital of the kingdom came into view.

“Ho-ho, so my son will soon rule over this place?”

The Witch Odr gazed down at the city with a satisfied expression.

She was greatly intrigued by the promise Rufus had made to the Demon King. The idea of her son becoming a human king delighted her immensely.

As they flew closer, Rufus could see the palace sprawling beneath him, the most ornate of them all, adorned in gold and silver. It was just as majestic as he remembered.

The Witch Odr brought the broomstick to a halt.

“I’m sorry, but this is as far as I can go.”

“Can’t we go inside?”

“I can’t enter. Look at all that silver powder they’ve sprinkled around. If I go in, I’ll suffocate and die.”

The witch laughed heartily and turned to Rufus.

“But you should still go and see your lover.”

Tap.

She lightly pressed Rufus’s forehead.

Instantly, Rufus’s body became as light as a feather. The sudden loss of weight made the broomstick wobble.

Flutter.

A crow now perched where Rufus had been.

“What, what is this?”

Suddenly transformed into a crow, Rufus fluttered in confusion. Though his body had changed, his mind remained human.

“I’ll wait here with Iruel. Go and see your lover’s face.”

“In this form?”

“Of course. Do you want to get caught by the palace guards in your human form?”

“What if the transformation spell you cast on me suddenly wears off?”

“You worry too much. There’s no such risk. Now go.”

The Witch Odr gently pushed Rufus, who had been gripping the broomstick tightly with his talons. Released from the broomstick, Rufus had no choice but to flap his wings and start flying.

‘How fascinating.’

Though abruptly turned into a crow, his body responded naturally, as if he had been living as a crow his entire life. Every sensation in his body was attuned to his new wings.