Second Life, I’m Dying Soon

 Chapter 1 

A shadow of death hung heavily in the underground prison.

 

Without a single ray of sunlight, it was bone-chillingly cold. Rather than the low temperature, it was the fear and terror of those imprisoned that permeated the interior.

 

The conditions grew worse the deeper one went inside.

 

Rotting mold covered everything, and rats and insects swarmed throughout. The long-stagnant smell of blood and the prisoners’ carelessly strewn excrement made it difficult even to breathe.

 

Yuria carefully followed the torch’s light. The cries of prisoners begging to be saved echoed from all around. As she deliberately ignored them and stepped on the sunken stone floor, the hem of her pale green dress became stained black with dirty water.

 

“Yuria, watch your step.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

The man walking ahead slowed his pace and guided her to a more even path.

 

Past the dense prison bars, they headed toward the very end. The place they reached was slightly different from the prison cells they had seen so far.

 

It was the only place with a window. Though too high to reach, it allowed one to watch the sun rise and set from afar.

 

Through the small window, pale moonlight poured in. Today, the melancholic moonlight illuminated one person.

 

The man in the prison cell showed no reaction despite hearing their presence. He merely kept his head down with eyes closed, not even caring when rats came to gnaw at the dry bread placed beside him.

 

The clothes the man wore were clearly expensive at first glance.

 

His bony wrists and bare feet visible through the garments had no uninjured spots, and a thick chain was fastened around his slender neck.

 

As if to prove that someone who had once been at the highest position had fallen to the bottom.

 

His once lustrous dark brown hair, which always gave off a fragrant scent, was now matted and hardened with sweat and dust. His fingernails and toenails were missing, leaving dark scabs. Evidence of brutal torture.

 

Cecil had committed a serious crime. Though he once wielded power second only to the Crown Prince in the Verka Empire, he was now imprisoned in the deepest, darkest part of the underground prison.

 

Claude, the man leading the way, easily opened the prison door using his authority as Knight Commander. His smooth leather boots stepped onto the cold ground. Despite the clear sound of footsteps, the prisoner remained motionless. Whether dead or alive, even the chains didn’t move.

 

“The sentence has just been passed.”

 

The heavy voice announced.

 

Only then did the limp arms twitch slightly. The chain rattled with a rusty sound as it slipped down below his hunched shoulders.

 

Cecil barely lifted his eyelids. Despite the brutal torture, his face remained pale and noble.

 

The moment he saw those emerald-colored eyes, Claude frowned as if looking at something repulsive.

 

Damn bastard, even at a moment like this, you look down on people.

 

“Tomorrow morning, you’ll be banished to the Black Forest.”

 

At those words, Cecil let out a bitter laugh. Though he was smiling, his face looked like it might crumble at any moment.

 

“That’s more generous than I expected. I thought I’d be beheaded.”

 

“Well, you have quite a few supporters in the Senate. Seems you’re reaping the benefits of carefully manipulating the nobles all this time.”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Claude. You know this is just as good as a death sentence.”

 

Claude glared at Cecil with a coldly rigid face. Indeed, he knew. Even well-trained knights easily lose their lives in the Black Forest. Entering the forest teeming with magical beasts without weapons was no different from suicide.

 

“Why did you do it? What could you possibly gain from killing Yuria?”

 

Claude stepped forward and asked. Though he wanted to wring that slender neck right then and there, he couldn’t touch him now that the sentence had been passed. His fists trembled as he tried to contain his anger.

 

“Why bother asking that now? If I didn’t tell you after having all ten fingernails torn out, why would I tell you now?”

 

“You vicious traitor.”

 

“As if that’s news.”

 

Cecil smiled faintly even at the curse. The skin of his dry lips split as he forced himself to curl his mouth. His already red lips became stained with an even darker blood.

 

“I knew you were tough, but I didn’t think you’d keep your mouth shut until the end. Didn’t you think about how leaking secrets could destroy the empire?”

 

A month ago, Cecil had sold imperial secrets to enemy nations in exchange for arranging the kidnapping and murder of Yuria Beatrice. Fortunately, the Crown Prince and his knights managed to rescue Yuria just before she came to harm. Additionally, all of Cecil’s actions were exposed.

 

Though it was a case worthy of immediate execution, a formal trial was held solely because he was a member of the imperial family.

 

Empress Elizabeth, Cecil’s birth mother, desperately tried to have her son’s crimes pardoned, while Crown Prince Alexis sought to deliver an appropriate judgment. The week-long bitter struggle finally ended in the Crown Prince’s victory.

 

“I just hated that woman that much. I wanted her to disappear from this world.”

 

As he candidly revealed his true feelings, Claude’s patience crumbled. His arm shot out to grab Cecil’s neck.

 

“Claude, please! Don’t!”

 

The fragile voice immediately stopped the man’s action. Unable to stand by any longer, Yuria had followed them into the prison cell. The small-framed woman fell to her knees on the bare ground, not caring that her dress was getting dirty.

 

“Cecil. I don’t expect everyone to like me. I’m sure you have your reasons for hating me.”

 

Then her small, warm hand touched the back of Cecil’s arm. Though timid, she offered warm comfort. It was indeed befitting of a saint who loved all people.

 

At this, Cecil burst into laughter as if he’d lost his mind.

 

“Still haven’t come to your senses. You pathetic woman. I tried to kill you, you know. How dare you pity me? What right do you have?”

 

“This bastard is still…!”

 

It was Yuria’s hand that stopped Claude’s outburst. After giving him a stern look, she turned back to face Cecil.

 

“Cecil. You are a fragile and weak person. I know better than anyone that your nature isn’t evil.”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Yuria! Have you forgotten what humiliation you suffered because of him? He’s not worth pitying!”

 

The shouting was deafening. It was just laughable to see this spectacle unfold before him—Claude, desperate to kill him, and Yuria, forgiving everything like a true saint. Cecil looked down at the floor and let out a dry laugh.

 

“…If you came here hoping for an apology, forget it.”

 

“The apology doesn’t matter. I just wanted to pray for you.”

 

“……”

 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t persuade His Highness.”

 

At her words, Cecil’s eyes stung. Not because Yuria’s sincerity had touched him, but because her words reminded him of someone.

 

“May God’s protection be with you.”

 

Yuria tilted her head and kissed Cecil’s roughened left cheek. Unlike the rumors, there was no special power felt in the saint’s blessing. But Cecil felt more at peace than ever before.

 

“I… don’t believe in God.”

 

He forcefully swallowed the sobs rising in his throat. Cecil maintained his selfish and cunning appearance, refusing to shed even a single tear.

 

“He’s never answered any of my prayers.”

 

A hollow whisper escaped. Yuria gazed at Cecil with sorrowful eyes.

 

“They say this is His final act of kindness.”

 

“……”

 

Yuria silently placed the dagger she had brought on the floor.

 

The luxurious jewels embedded in the scabbard and handle couldn’t shine properly in the dark underground prison. However, the engraved pattern was clearly visible to Cecil’s eyes.

 

A brave lion and shield symbolizing the imperial family. Two swords.

 

A definitive proof that only the empire’s heir could possess.

 

He had committed such vicious acts just wanting to have this. Actually, he had only wanted the person who possessed it. Foolishly, he had lived for years doing meaningless things without even understanding his own heart.

 

Claude couldn’t let his guard down from the moment the Crown Prince’s dagger was brought out. He had to quickly separate the two, fearing Cecil might harbor ill intentions toward Yuria.

 

While he was sending the hesitant Yuria back outside the prison, Cecil just stared endlessly at the dagger left before his feet.

 

“It’s too precious to be given to someone like you.”

 

Claude returned with a sharp voice.

 

“…Indeed. What am I supposed to do with this?”

 

Though his reply was indifferent, Cecil’s gaze was tender. It was so precious that he couldn’t even bring himself to touch the dagger, only admiring it with his eyes.

 

The Crown Prince’s reason for sending the dagger was obvious. Once banished to the Black Forest, Cecil’s fate would be either being torn apart by magical beasts or dying of starvation. One of the two.

 

Instead, the Crown Prince offered a final mercy—encouraging him to take his own life with dignity, befitting a royal. The Crown Prince’s last kindness was as cold and ruthless as ever.

 

“He said he would personally see to the handling of your corpse. Though you won’t be buried in the capital, it’s better than becoming food for the crows.”

 

“Ha, how considerate of him.”

 

Cecil quietly closed his eyes. A storm of emotions raged within him. He swallowed it down, forcing it past his throat. His quivering eyelids struggled to lift, revealing emerald eyes filled with regret, staring at the stern-faced knight commander.

 

“You wanted to know the reason, didn’t you?”

 

“……”

“Let’s make a deal. If you teach me how to use a sword, I’ll tell you the truth.”