Chapter 219: Escape (1)

 

“...What do you mean by that?”

 

Ner questioned me after hearing my words.

 

Sien simply blinked in silence. She already knew about my dreams and seemed to understand my intent.

 

I looked at Ner and Arwin.

 

“...I’m leaving.”

 

Then, I began to share my true feelings with them.

 

“I don’t want to live under constant tension anymore. From the slums to the mercenary corps, and now as a lord... My life has always been about worrying about the next moment. I don’t want to live like that anymore.”

 

I gazed at the boat where my body had once lain.

 

“...I’m already considered dead. No one is searching for me. If anything, showing up again would seem strange. Arwin, I’m grateful you saved me, but... if it becomes known that elves can do something like this, it could cause problems.”

 

Arwin’s expression hardened.

 

“...That’s...”

 

Having already made my decision, I grabbed the oil that was sitting on the boat and began pouring it inside.

 

Once the boat was thoroughly soaked with oil, I pushed it into the lake.

 

The boat began to drift toward the center of the lake.

 

As I watched it float away, I spoke.

 

“...I’m going to build my own home in a place as beautiful as this. I’ll cultivate my own land, and live off of it. Sometimes, I’ll drink during the day. Other times, I’ll lie down on the grasslands and rest... Maybe I’ll even travel to new places from time to time.”

 

The more I spoke, the more I felt that this was the right choice.

 

I felt sorry for the Red Flames group, who would grieve over my “death,” but... for once, I wanted to embrace my selfishness.

 

Returning to them would only chain me down again.

 

I didn’t want to waste the life Arwin had saved by sacrificing her own lifespan.

 

As I said, I wanted to live a happy life.

 

“...”

 

I fell silent for a moment, staring at the ground.

 

What I was about to ask next might seem selfish.

 

But I had to say it.

 

I turned around to face Sien.

 

“...Sien.”

 

“....Yes.”

 

Next, I addressed Ner.

 

“...Ner.”

 

“...Speak, Berg.”

 

Finally, I turned to Arwin.

 

“...Arwin.”

 

“...Yes, go ahead.”

 

Taking a deep breath, I asked,

 

“...From now on, I’ll live a poor life. I won’t have any servants by my side, and sometimes the food might be humble. It’ll be especially hard for you, Ner, and Arwin, who have lived as nobles your whole lives. But...”

 

I spoke to them with absolute sincerity.

 

“...But I hope you’ll follow me. I don’t think I can live without you anymore. I feel sorry asking you to follow someone who has nothing, but... please. Come with me.”

 

I made a promise to them. It was my own vow.

 

“If you do, I’ll make you happy until the day I die.”

 

Sien, Ner, and Arwin all looked at me.

 

None of them gave an immediate answer.

 

They seemed to be taking my words as seriously as I had spoken them.

 

Sien was the first to approach me.

 

“...Berg, I’ve loved you since you lived in the slums.”

 

She smiled as she spoke.

 

“...I don’t need anything else. As long as I have you.”

 

I gently embraced Sien.

 

Next, Ner approached.

 

“...You still don’t understand, do you, Berg?”

 

“...Understand what?”

 

“The nature of our species. I’ve told you countless times... I can only love you now.”

 

Ner leaned into my arms, replacing Sien.

 

Her white hair brushed softly against my neck, tickling it.

 

“Even if you push me away, I’ll follow you. Even if you yell at me to leave, I’ll stay by your side. I’ll be with you until the day I die.”

 

“...Ner.”

 

“Let’s go together, Berg. Forget about Blackwood.”

 

Every time one of them came forward and pledged to stay with me, I felt something fill my chest—a growing, unshakable resolve.

 

Finally, Arwin stepped forward.

 

“...I won’t go with you.”

 

Her words made me frown.

 

“...What?”

 

Arwin chuckled at my reaction, a rare break from her usual stern demeanor.

 

“See, Berg? You feel strange when I say I won’t stay with you, don’t you?”

 

Realizing it was a joke, I let out a small laugh of relief.

 

Arwin stepped closer and wrapped her arms around me.

 

“Berg. From the moment I gave you my life, it has been yours. Who can take it away from you now?”

 

I hugged Arwin tightly.

 

Then, I looked at all of them and said,

 

“Thank you, everyone.”

 

I picked up Arwin’s bow from the ground and used her flint to light the oil-soaked arrow.

 

Turning to the boat drifting in the lake, I aimed the flaming arrow.

 

This was my own kind of funeral—a symbolic farewell to my past self.

 

-Thwack!

 

The arrow soared through the air in a fiery arc.

 

-Whoosh!

 

The boat burst into flames almost instantly.

 

As black smoke billowed into the sky, my wives and I stood silently, watching.

 

Ner sniffled as she looked on, and I gently kissed her forehead to reassure her.

 

“...Well then.”

 

Though the choice was made, there was still much to be done.

 

Disappearing suddenly wasn’t an option, especially with Ner’s and Arwin’s families in the picture.

 

If this turned into a missing persons case, things would spiral out of control.

 

And I still had unfinished business in Stockpin.

 

Taking a deep breath, I said,

 

“...Let’s start planning.”

 

****

 

Baran, who had been the vice-captain of the Red Flames, had now risen to the position of leader.

 

It was not a role he had desired, but one he had to accept to protect the people of Stockpin.

 

He stood silently, gazing at the forest that led to the lake.

 

The sobs of Sien, Ner, and Arwin had grown louder for a moment but then quieted down.

 

“...They’re coming.”

 

As he waited for them, Gale whispered softly.

 

Baran looked at the three women approaching.

 

They were the ones who had mourned Berg the most, the ones whose loss had cut the deepest.

 

They were also the ones he needed to protect, if only to honor Berg’s memory.

 

“...?”

 

But the first thing Baran noticed about the women was that their tears had stopped.

 

Perhaps they had made a collective decision to become stronger. Or maybe they had released all their emotions while saying goodbye to Berg. Whatever the reason, they now approached with a hint of calmness and resolution on their faces.

 

Even Ner, who had been weeping uncontrollably just moments ago, was now walking firmly, her steps steady.

 

“...”

 

Still, questioning someone’s way of mourning was not his place.

 

Baran pushed aside his thoughts and bowed his head as he approached them.

 

“...It’s over,” Sien said.

 

“...”

 

Her words made Baran’s heart sink once again.

 

He had to accept, yet again, the reality that Berg was truly gone.

 

“Let’s go back.”

 

Baran quickly gathered his resolve.

 

As he saw Sien, Ner, and Arwin nod in agreement, he turned around.

 

There was still so much left to do.

 

.

.

.

.

 

After Berg’s funeral, Baran headed to the cemetery.

 

He was searching for a place to erect a gravestone in Berg’s memory.

 

Though Berg’s body now lay beneath the lake, a symbol to honor him was undeniably needed.

 

Berg had contributed as much as, if not more than, Captain Adam to secure Stockpin.

 

Baran, his future wife, and the members of the Red Flames group all owed Berg a great debt.

 

For many, including Baran, the choice to become mercenaries had been the turning point that saved their lives.

 

Without Berg and Adam, they would have likely perished as mercenaries or continued to live at the bottom of society, unable to achieve the fulfilled lives they now enjoyed.

 

For everything they had received, Baran felt it was only right to commemorate Berg’s final moments in some meaningful way.

 

“Wouldn’t this spot be suitable?”

 

Baran asked Gale, who had followed him.

 

He pointed to a spot next to Adam’s grave. It seemed fitting to place Berg’s gravestone there, beside Adam’s.

 

Gale nodded in agreement.

 

“...It seems right. Let’s ask Sien, Ner, and Arwin about it later. For today...”

 

“...Today might be too soon.”

 

It wasn’t the right time to ask them, not after they had just returned from the funeral.

 

Even though they had appeared surprisingly composed on the way back, Baran understood their grief was far from over.

 

“...Ha.”

 

Baran let out another heavy sigh.

 

The pain of loss was still fresh, and he felt as if he could cry at any moment.

 

He found himself replaying his final battle alongside Berg over and over in his mind.

 

Every action they had taken together remained vivid in Baran’s memory.

 

When Berg’s stomach had been pierced, it seemed like everything was over. But then, through some inexplicable strength, Berg rose again and finally defeated Krund.

 

For his comrades who were ready to give up, Berg had raised his voice, rallying them one last time.

 

Baran had joined him, sounding the horn, and when Berg called his name in those final moments, he had even thrown his sword to him.

 

To remember Berg’s fiery last stand was, in a way, a blessing.

 

Berg had become a hero among humans.

 

And Baran had the honor of witnessing the end of such a hero.

 

Baran looked down at Adam’s grave.

 

“Here lies Adam, at rest.”

 

“...”

 

The epitaph on Adam’s gravestone was still incomplete.

 

It was one of the last tasks Berg had left unfinished, unable to fully let Adam go.

 

“...Now, it’s up to you to finish it,” Gale said, echoing Baran’s thoughts.

 

Baran nodded slowly, his expression heavy.

 

With a burdened heart, he replied,

 

“...Yes. I suppose it is.”

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

 

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