I Just Wanted to Avoid Death - Chapter 170
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The moment he stood before the large figure, he saw the bruises all over his face. Whoever it was that had beaten him, Eldis’s body was always covered in bruises and injuries.
“Get lost.”
The first thing Eldis said to Yeshion was cold to the bone.
But Yeshion didn’t give up.
If he didn’t cling to him, he wouldn’t survive this brutal slum.
So, he followed him for days like that.
Eldis showed up with another wound on his face. Unable to watch anymore and partly to get closer to him,‘Yeshion’ tossed him a vial of medicine he had taken from the estate.
Eldis caught it and stared blankly at ‘Yeshion.’
“Use it or don’t. I don’t care.”
That kind of exchange continued for days.
And at some point, the distance between them began to close…
“Got hit again? You’re sleeping here tonight too, huh.”
They grew close enough that whenever Eldis came back beaten, he’d sleep in Yeshion’s tent.
Eldis was unusually calm for his age.
Even when his emotions frayed, he never showed it outright. He always swallowed it down and waited for the right moment.
Yes, he was like… a wild beast.
He even reminded Yeshion of the knight commander who had once served House Azelist. If that man had ever had a son, he would’ve looked like Eldis.
‘And handsome, too.’
‘Yeshion’ poked at Eldis’s cheek while he was asleep beside him. When the bruised skin flinched in pain, he sighed and gently applied medicine to the boy’s face.
That’s how they spent their time together.
Through rain and snow, as the seasons passed, they remained together.
Like close brothers. Or like family.
Then, one day.
Eldis awakened his divine power. When it emerged from his body, the burst of light was so bright it reached even distant temples, not just the slums.
Priests arrived at dawn and explained when they would take Eldis to the temple, and he nodded happily.
“…So you’re leaving.”
His voice lacked all strength.
After sending the priests away, Eldis looked at ‘Yeshion’ with a guilty expression.
Meeting his gaze, ‘Yeshion’ put on the most pitiful face he could manage.
“Take me with you.”
“…I asked. But they said only people with divine power can enter.”
“So, you’re just going to leave me behind?”
“…I’m sorry. But I’ll come visit more often.”
Yeshion knew that was a lie, but he only pouted his lips. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything.
That was how slum relationships worked. If you found a way to survive, you had to leave without looking back.
“…Do what you want. Ungrateful bastard.”
Yeshion spat the words and stormed out of the tent. Eldis called after him, but right now, he just wanted to be alone.
Yeshion wandered the streets for a long while, forcing down the ugly, gnarled emotions churning inside him. He should’ve been happy for Eldis. He should’ve congratulated him. But in some dark corner of his heart, something twisted boiled over.
‘If you can’t take me with you, I hope you never get to leave either.’
Pressing his lips together, Yeshion hung his head.
“…How pathetic.”
Instead of wishing him well, he was hoping Eldis would stay in hell with him.
Yeshion sighed and turned back.
They said the way you end a relationship leaves the deepest impression. If he could let Eldis go gracefully, maybe someday Eldis would help him.
Yeshion steeled his resolve and returned to Eldis’s tent.
And he saw it.
Eldis, strangling his father to death, panting in the aftermath.
“Ha…”
The first thing that escaped from Yeshion’s parted lips was a faint scoff. His throat trembled, and his voice came out, trembling with delight.
“A future priest, committing a crime, Eldis?”
All those warm feelings, all the hope he’d held for Eldis vanished like a lie. All that remained was the filthy desire to clutch his weakness and use it for his own gain.
“T-This is…”
“Can you handle this by yourself? I mean, sure, bodies pile up in the slums all the time… But if anyone sees how you’re disposing of this one, they’ll start talking.”
Yeshion pulled out a gold coin from deep in his pocket and held it up.
“I could help you.”
