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"Originally, I was going to die like that right there. That's why I refused when Alicia first asked me if I wanted to leave the poor village. I knew that even if I could come back to this world, there was nothing more I could do.
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"...... were you already sick then?"
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His voice is a little gravelly.
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Grandpa was fine then. If ...... you ask me, he looks healthy even now. I don't see any sign of weakness.
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Grandpa rolled up his clothes and turned his arm toward me. I stopped thinking. I can't think anything, and no words come out.
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...... green spots.
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The progression on his arm alone suggested that he was going to die soon.
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I had not realized that Jicchan was going to die until just now, but when I look at his arm, for the first time, my whole body understands that his life is almost over.
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"Spotty disease?"
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"Oh, yes. There is no such thing as an epidemic, so don't worry."
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There's no way I could ever feel safe. I swore to support grandpa, but I feel like that vow is already shattered. My heart is aching and I can't do anything.
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How can the human heart be so fragile? How can we be strong?
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I realize that death is not my death, but the death of others. My death does not bother me or make me feel anything. What happens after I die does not matter to me.
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But what if grandpa dies? What will happen to us?
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"Why? Why grandpa? In this country, people with that disease should be few and far between! How could my grandpa get that disease? This is just too horrible."
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I tried not to cry, but there was no way I could stop the tears from flowing. Why am I in so much pain and sadness? Even though grandpa is still alive.
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He looks at me with an apologetic look.
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Please don't look at me like that. I want him to smile at me like he always does, like he always says, "It's all right."
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Family, relatives, friends, lovers, their deaths are the most painful thing for us. It is true that dying is scary. But the death of a loved one is even scarier.
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This is my fate.
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I'll destroy that fate. I'll make you a medicine with the same ingredients as Maddie. So please don't die! I will give you my life, but you must not die."
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I cry like a little child. I feel more crushed than when my own family dies.
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"Even if they find the medicine, it will be too late with my condition. Even if we could get Maddie, it would be pointless.
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"You don't even know if you've tried it yet! ...... Cather Liz, yes she might be able to save grandpa!"
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"Jill, listen to me."
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I have to go!
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With that, he forced himself to leave the room.
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I know it was rude, but I couldn't stay in that room any longer. If all my hopes were denied, I would never be able to stand up again.
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I opened the door as fast as I could and almost bumped into the king.
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His deep blue eyes caught mine. I ran away without saying hello.
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"Jill was here?"
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Luke entered Will's room and asked him. Will answered with a wry smile.
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"Yeah. I told her about my illness, but I guess Jill still couldn't accept it."
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"So it was Jill who was in the hallway yesterday."
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Maybe he's not ready to talk about this yet.
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"He adores you very much. And he looks like an adult, but he is still a child. ...... I can't stand the thought of losing him again."
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"They love me, don't they?"
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Will smiles wistfully. Luke's heart tightens at the sight of that smile.
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The joy of seeing the brother he had looked up to once more was stolen from him in an instant. Luke's heart is so complicated that he thought he could save his brother this time.
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"My part in this is long over. I will get Jill out of the poorhouse before this life burns out. That was the task I set myself.
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Luke's eyes widen at Will's words and he freezes.
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He can't believe that he has put his life on the line for one boy, Jill. Not to be a good teacher for Alicia, not to be the leader of a poor village. It was for one boy, Jill.
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It was probably the only goal he found in the poor village.
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"He is not the kind of person who belongs there. With no family, he needed a mentor in that cruel world. Then Alicia came along and she got him out. I knew I couldn't take him out on my own. But one day the Duke informed me that his daughter was coming. She wanted me to protect Alicia, but at that time I saw it only as a chance to free Jill from the poverty of the village. It was not long after Alicia's arrival that Jill left the poor village. ...... She really is amazing."
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Will's face breaks into a happy smile. Luke was speechless at the look of satisfaction on his face.
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Perhaps it was Will who loved Jill more than anyone else.
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