I Just Wanted to Avoid Death - Chapter 49
Did you get hooked and started binge reading too fast? IJWTAD has advance chapters now available on ko-fi! Check it out!
It was a pointless war of attrition.
The two men, who had been glaring at each other with sharp eyes, looked away at the same time, as if they had agreed upon it beforehand.
In a much calmer voice, Eldis spoke.
“There will be no reversal of my decision. Return to the palace now.”
His words were firm.
Though he wanted to protest, Adelio had no choice in the matter. The one cursed was Adelio himself, and the temple was the one aiding in his treatment.
In the end, whether he liked it or not, Adelio had to comply. Instead of responding, he ruffled his hair in frustration and stepped away from the desk he had been leaning on, walking toward Eldis.
“It seems the nobles are targeting Yeshion.”
“…What?”
Eldis’s face contorted.
“Did you know Yeshion had conspired with the nobles to try to kill me?”
Eldis remained silent.
He had always kept a close watch on ‘Yeshion.’
Not out of any positive regard, of course. It was to ensure that if Yeshion ever caused trouble within the temple, Eldis would have a reason to cut him off, claiming ignorance.
“I knew. I was also aware he was trying to get close to you because of that.”
That’s why, when Yeshion had agreed without complaint to clean the dungeons, Eldis had assumed he had gone there to either kill the cursed prince or spread rumors about his condition.
He had expected Yeshion to do one or the other.
But ever since that day in the dungeon, Yeshion had changed.
“So, you just stood by and watched?”
“Yes. It’s temple policy not to interfere in matters between royals and nobles.”
Adelio frowned.
But in this case, non-interference had been the right move. Yeshion’s behavior had shifted completely after that day.
Yeshion hadn’t tried to harm the crown prince.
He didn’t spread rumors, nor did he make any connections with suspicious people.
However, the issue arose the day Yeshion stayed in the palace.
The assassination attempt on the crown prince, which would have succeeded if left alone, was exposed because Yeshion accidentally broke a crystal bottle.
It was because of him that the plot to kill Adelio had come to light.
“Because of that, it seems the nobles are now branding Yeshion as a traitor.”
And traitors must be purged.
But since Yeshion was a high-ranking priest, they couldn’t simply execute him.
Instead, they would find a way to get him expelled from the temple, using that opportunity to kill him.
“So don’t leave him alone. You know better than anyone what underhanded tactics the nobles might use. Whether it’s through poison or people, they’ll try to defile Yeshion.”
Adelio’s words made Eldis study him in silence, trying to gauge his true intentions.
“Even if Yeshion’s memory was muddled, the fact remains that he tried to kill you. And yet, you’re siding with him?”
No matter how saintly a person is, they would be hurt if someone attempted to kill them.
But Adelio didn’t seem to care in the slightest.
With a shrug, Adelio responded casually.
“He saved me.”
“What?”
“That day, he could have easily killed me if he wanted to.”
Adelio glanced down at his own hand.
How could he ever forget that day?
He had been poisoned and gasping for breath. If Yeshion had truly intended to kill him, he could have stabbed him in the heart when he fainted.
But instead, Yeshion had pulled him back and healed him.
“Even if he had intended to kill me… thinking back on it, it wouldn’t have been so bad.”
“What…?”
“If he had tried, it might’ve made it easier for me to take him for myself. If he didn’t respect me, then I wouldn’t have had to respect him either.”
Adelio smirked.
