The torment had finally ended.
I lay on the ground like a body drained of every last drop of strength, as if I had been hurled from the depths of suffering onto cold tiles that knew no mercy.
Pain spread through my muscles like fire through dry brushwood, and every breath I drew felt as though it cost me a year of my life.
My chest felt ready to burst, and my hands… hands? No, they were no longer part of my body. They were nothing more than two pieces of wood that refused to obey me.
Amid that fragile, exhausted silence, the employer's voice descended like a blade—calm, yet decisive.
"You may leave now. The punishment is over."
With great difficulty, I lifted my head, like a man dragging a mountain off his shoulders just to peek above it, and said between ragged breaths:
"W-wait… haaah… j-just a moment… haaah… I have… a few questions I'd like to ask you."
He fell silent, then looked at me with his usual impassive gaze.
"What is it?"
I tried to steady my breathing before speaking again, hoping my words wouldn't choke in my throat.
"W-why… why didn't the noble Valis simply say that he already knew the whole truth after we came to him?"
He remained silent for a moment, as though arranging his answer in his mind, then said calmly:
"He wanted to test you."
I stared at him for a few seconds, unsure I had heard correctly.
"Test us?"
He nodded.
"Yes. He wanted to see whether you would tell him the truth on your own… or continue lying. He gave you the opportunity… but you wasted it."
I kept staring at him, feeling something slowly collapsing inside me.
Perhaps the truth was heavier than I could bear… or perhaps it was because deep down, I had already known it and simply refused to admit it.
"So… if we had gone back to him and told him the truth… would he have forgiven us?"
The employer answered quietly:
"Most likely… yes."
I froze.
A sudden wave of regret poured over my chest like cold water on an open wound.
Why hadn't I thought of that?
Why had I convinced myself that the noble Valis was some merciless man?
He had always seemed strict, yes… but never unjust.
Even Cairo—yes, Cairo had said it. He had told me we should go and confess the truth.
But I…
I was the one who buried that idea.
I was the one who rejected it.
I was the one who dragged Cairo into this lie, as if pulling him behind my own foolish assumptions.
I had wronged the noble Valis.
I had wronged myself.
And worse… I had failed my companion.
Cairo broke the silence, his voice carrying a trace of bitterness.
"See?! What did I tell you?! If we had just gone and told the truth to the noble Valis, none of this would've happened!"
I couldn't reply.
There was nothing to say.
Words had no meaning in a moment like this.
I deserved the blame.
The employer then said dryly:
"Is that your question? If so, I will leave now."
But I lifted my head slightly and said quickly:
"Wait!"
He stopped and looked back at me.
"Do you have another question?"
"Yes…" I said, forcing the words out through aching joints and trembling veins.
"This question has been stuck in my mind ever since I heard the story… why did you refuse the noble Valis's offer to give each of us fifty thousand dollars as a reward?"
Cairo raised his eyebrows and joined in, his tone filled with reproach.
"Exactly! Why did you do that?! Were you trying to live like some kind of ascetic?! We lost a fortune!"
The employer stood there silently for a few seconds, as though weighing his answer on scales invisible to us.
Then he said:
"I don't think you would understand the reason…"
I insisted:
"Just… just tell us. Let us try to understand."
He sighed softly before replying in a calm voice, like a father explaining something to children.
"Guard duty is a simple task. It does not deserve such a large sum. What I mean is… if I had accepted his offer—if we had taken fifty thousand dollars as a reward—then sooner or later we would have paid the price for it. Perhaps not now… but the day we would pay for accepting that money would certainly come."
After that, he fell silent, as if he had said everything he intended to say.
Cairo looked hesitant.
His expression suggested he wasn't convinced, yet he didn't argue.
Perhaps exhaustion had already taken too much from him.
Or perhaps he realized that arguing now would change nothing.
As for me, I nodded slowly as if accepting the answer…
But inside my mind, the thoughts would not settle.
The noble Valis had offered the money willingly.
We hadn't asked for it.
We hadn't bargained for it.
We hadn't deceived anyone to take it.
So what harm would there have been in accepting it?
Doesn't life sometimes offer unexpected gifts?
Rewards that far exceed the effort given?
Isn't it natural to be rewarded beyond expectation once in a while?
Is that… wrong?
Perhaps he meant something else.
Perhaps it wasn't about money at all…
Perhaps it was about intention.
About logic.
About some internal balance I did not yet understand.
But still…
I couldn't drive one thought out of my head.
Fifty thousand dollars…
Gone.
Then the employer said, turning his back to us:
"So… are those all your questions?"
I nodded weakly.
"Yes… that's all."
He nodded as well, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Alright. I'll return to my shift now."
He then walked away with steady steps, showing neither hesitation nor regret.
I watched him with tired eyes until the corridor's corner swallowed him and he disappeared as if he had never been there.
I took a deep breath and tried to sit up, but—
"Ughh…"
Pain struck fiercely, as though my muscles were taking revenge for what I had put them through.
I fell back onto the ground and exhaled sharply.
Under my breath I murmured:
"Ah… every muscle in my body hurts… unbelievably so…"
A weary voice came from beside me. Cairo.
"You're not the only one suffering here…"
I groaned and muttered with my eyes closed:
"Be quiet… I want some peace."
He replied instantly:
"You're the one who should shut up."
I swallowed my irritation with difficulty.
At any other time, I would have shot back a sharp retort.
But now?
Now my body hurt too much to even sustain anger.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Exhale… inhale…
Exhale… inhale…
I repeated it several times until my head began to drift away, as if I were sinking into soft white clouds—clouds that knew no pain, and certainly carried no Cairo on them.
Time passed.
I had no idea how long.
Then suddenly I heard Cairo's voice.
"I'm going to rest in the guards' room. Aren't you coming?"
I ignored him.
I didn't respond.
I didn't want to start another argument, nor disturb the fragile curtain of peace slowly settling over my exhausted body.
He spoke again with indifference.
"Suit yourself. I'm leaving."
I heard him stand up, and his footsteps gradually faded away…
Until they disappeared completely.
I lay there quietly.
I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes and surrender to this honorable exhaustion.
Sleep pulled at me gently.
I did not want dreams—only emptiness.
But suddenly, a voice nearby broke the calm.
"Hey… hey, are you alright?"
I slowly opened my eyes and needed a second or two to realize I wasn't dreaming.
I turned my head slightly and saw Sirion's face looking down at me with mild concern.
I murmured, fighting the heaviness of my eyelids:
"Yes… I'm fine… what's wrong?"
He said calmly:
"The sun has already set. The employer asked me to wake you. He said your shift has started."
I was startled and immediately tried to stand up—
But my back had other plans.
"Ahhh—my back!"
I froze, a quiet groan escaping me.
"Ah… I should have stood up more slowly…"
I looked at Sirion again.
He had his hand over his mouth, clearly struggling not to burst out laughing, his eyes glinting with amusement.
I said tiredly, but with half a smile,
"Ha… it's fine. You can laugh if you want."
He shook his head immediately.
'What? I wasn't laughing at you. You misunderstood."
I raised an eyebrow at him with sleepy sarcasm.
"Yes, yes… of course you weren't."
Then I slowly stood up, as if lifting mountains off my bones, carefully avoiding any sudden movement that might cause my body to cramp again.
I thanked Syrion quietly for waking me and then headed toward the second floor.
Every step reminded me of the punishment.
The heaviness of my body.
The ache of my spirit.
As I dragged my feet through the quiet corridor, I began remembering that embarrassing moment…
I had fallen asleep in the middle of the first floor!
How many people had walked past and seen me lying there?
How many had wondered whether I was truly a guard… or just some human trash bag dumped in the hallway?
I hadn't meant to sleep there. Truly.
I only wanted to recover my strength.
But my body had betrayed me and surrendered to rest.
Ah…
What use was regret now?
I sighed and told myself,
Just forget it… it's not a big deal.
And so, lost in thoughts mixed with embarrassment and exhaustion, I eventually reached the second floor.
I lifted my head toward the ceiling.
Night had truly fallen.
I slowly lowered myself and sat on the stairs, giving my stiff back a moment of rest, closing my eyes briefly.
So…
My fourth shift had arrived.
My last one.