TOPWL 80

People began to murmur among themselves, each with their own thoughts, at Yudit’s words. A man, dressed in thin, worn clothes despite the cold, raised his hand and asked,

“How long will it take for the road to be completed?”

“A few years ago, there was an attempt to connect the capital and Bern 3. A lot of the road was already paved, but the project was halted due to a budget shortfall. The construction has resumed, and I believe it will be finished by the time the swordsmanship competition takes place, assuming enough workers are available.”

The murmurs grew louder. The man, encouraged by Yudit’s kind response, asked another question.

“How’s expensive is the rent?”

“A house with two rooms and one bathroom, is about 300,000 kes per month.”

“That cheap?”

The man looked at Yudit suspiciously. Considering a room in the slums costs around 700,000 kes per month, his suspicion was understandable.

“Bern 3is somewhat far from the capital right now. However, I do not plan to raise the price even after the construction is completed. This building is state-owned and will be operated to serve people with low incomes.”

People began to look around at each other and whisper.

“Could it be true?”

“Of course, it’s a lie. Once they drive us out of the slums, they’ll forget about us.”

“It’s natural to be skeptical. I didn’t expect you to accept it all at once.”

With Yudit’s words, people closed their mouths tightly. He hadn’t expected to persuade them easily. Housing was one of the three pillars of life, and it wasn’t something that could be changed by a single word. That’s why it had taken three days to come back here. Yudit placed a thick stack of papers onto the podium with a soft thud. People looked at the piles of papers with puzzled expressions. Yudit smiled gently and said,

“Then, let’s discuss this until you’re convinced.”

***

The discussion didn’t end until the early hours of the next day. People were exhausted and sprawled out on the floor. Both Eden and Diego appeared visibly tired. Yudit, though tired as well, seemed to be the most composed among them. He was sorting through the crumpled papers and said,

“If you have any more questions…”

“Uh, no. Nothing more.”

The people from the slums, looking drained, spoke, and Yudit narrowed his eyes slightly. He had thought it would take three or four days, but in just two days, they had raised the white flag. Yudit patiently answered the same questions and, with his consistent approach, their doubts slowly faded away.

“Yuli’s turned out pretty great, hasn’t he?” 

Eden poked Diego with his elbow and asked. Diego stared at Yudit for a while before snickering.

“He’s always been like that.”

“That’s right. What was it again? A cane in his pocket…”

“You mean an awl.”(Korean idiom: “주머니 속의 송곳” (“an awl in the pocket”), which means someone whose talent or presence can’t be hidden—it sticks out no matter what, like an awl poking through fabric.)

“Yeah, that’s it. An awl. Aldrich was the same. He said he was sick of the royals, but sometimes, when he looked at Yuli, he felt like dreaming again.”

Diego continued to gaze at Yudit, who was still busy organizing papers. Yudit wasn’t just someone who stood out from the group. Even in Diego’s heart, Yudit had always been like that small, sharp object in his pocket. Even when it seemed fine, on the tough days, it would poke out, reminding him. And now, Yudit appeared before him again.

He had grown taller, but Diego recognized him in an instant. His skin, pale to the point of being bluish, his thin body with bones showing, and his incredibly bright eyes were all the same. Every time he saw Yudit, he appeared in his dreams. In those dreams, Yudit never looked at him. He was simply walking a few steps ahead, on the same path.

Whenever he saw the slender neck between Yudit’s hair, Diego often felt an urge to break his wings. To tear his wings and strangle his neck, keeping him only by his side. That feeling didn’t exist only in dreams. The dream always ended with Yudit’s pale and faintly colored lips saying something to him, but he could never hear what it was before waking up.

“Are we going home now?”

“Hmm, probably.”

Yudit nodded as he packed his things. After fastening his bag’s button, Yudit hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I saw Aldrich’s books in the study… Would it be okay if I took just one? Any is fine.”

Eden shrugged his shoulders.

“Take whatever you want. They’re just gathering dust, and no one’s reading them anyway.”

With Eden’s approval, Yudit turned to look at Diego. Yudit’s gaze was one Diego could never resist.

“Go ahead.”

“Thank you.”

With both their approvals, Yudit’s face brightened with joy. He seemed genuinely happy. Yudit entered the study and began to feel along the bookshelves in the dark. Diego raised his shoulders high.

Yudit, like a curious little dog, walked around the shelves for a while before finally pulling out a book. Eden, who had been watching to see which book Yudit would pick, frowned.

“Introduction to Agriculture? There are other books, why that one?”

“It’s the most interesting one to me.”

Yudit wiped the dusty book with his sleeve and replied.

“That’s the book Aldrich wrote when he was farming, right?”

“Yeah.”

“It was boring because it kept talking about farming. Yuli, are you going to farm?”

“It depend on the situation. Eden, do you want to farm with me?”

“Ugh, no thanks. It’s easier to buy food.”

“You don’t know the joy of farming, little kid.”

“Well, I know the joys of other things, adult.”

Having spent several days together, any awkwardness had vanished, and they were perfectly in sync. Diego watched Yudit, then he met Shane’s eyes. The guard, tall and bulky, occasionally surprised Diego with his almost invisible presence. Although he was supposed to be a knight, Diego wondered if he was also an assassin. From the first meeting, Diego had seen the man injured—Yudit, too—and hadn’t trusted him. However, after observing him over the past few days, the guard seemed competent and didn’t show any weaknesses.

But there was something about him that didn’t seem to like him. Diego had spoken with Eden frequently, and although the guard didn’t speak much, Eden had said that despite his large build, he was quite delicate and had many worries, which he found amusing. Diego didn’t find him amusing, but perhaps he was fond of Shane.

In any case, Diego didn’t like Shane. For the past few days, Shane had only reacted to Yudit and those who were hostile toward him. Diego wondered how far he could go for Yudit. He had held his tongue so far, but the resentment kept piling up, especially when his feelings resurfaced.

They walked through the alley at night. The alley in the slums was surprisingly clean. There was a lot of trash, but no peddlers or beggars. Crows, after all, gather only when there’s food.

“Yuli, are you coming tomorrow?”

Eden asked, playfully messing with Yudit’s hair.

“No, I have an appointment tomorrow. I’ll come the day after.”

“Are you participating in the construction, Eden?”

“Of course! I have to build my own house.”

Eden, who had done everything from pickpocketing to manual labor, was very excited about the idea of building his own house. Yudit smiled slightly as he looked at Eden. Over the past few years, Yudit seemed unchanged, but in many ways, he had grown. He had not been able to protect those dear to him, but now he was someone who could embrace the people of the slums.

Was he destined for that? Was that what royalty was meant to be? Having learned Aldrich’s philosophy of equality between royalty and slaves for over ten years, Diego felt small when standing in front of Yudit. Aldrich would probably call him a ‘pathetic fool’ for this.

The alley came to an end. Yudit’s back was gradually enveloped in the orange light. Diego stared at Yudit without blinking.

Then, from the darkness, a figure rushed toward Yudit.

“Die!”

Shane, as if already sensing the danger, quickly drew his sword. Diego ran toward the assailant, subduing him, and Eden drew his own sword, pointing it at the man’s neck. Eden squinted his eyes and scanned the figure in the darkness, his expression turning strange.