NOVEL'S EXTRA: I Will Die at the Peak-Chapter 24: Villagers

As the third moon slowly set in the sky, the first sun was rising.

The room was filled with a soft yellow-orange light. The light filtered through the curtains and wandered across the walls.

Asogi was still sitting in the same position, unmoving. His eyes were fixed on Ravien. It was as if he hadn't looked away from Ravien even in his sleep.

(POV: Ravien)

This bed... it's really soft.

In my previous life, I had never slept in a bed this comfortable. My body didn't want to get up. But I had to. There was a lot to be done.

I slightly opened my eyes. The silhouette of the ceiling stayed blurry for a while before becoming clear. I lifted my head.

Asogi was watching me intently.

"You're finally awake, Father," he said quietly.

I sat up in bed. My eyes were still a bit groggy.

"Did you sit there waiting all night? You didn't sleep at all?"

A strange, unreadable expression appeared on his face.

"Why would I sleep?" he replied in a plain tone.

Could it be... he doesn't feel the need to sleep?

I wanted to ask, but held back.

I will ask... just not now. I have priorities right now.

I got out of bed. With silent steps, I walked to Asogi and stood by the window. I parted the curtains and looked outside.

The sky was clear. The horizon stretched out flat. Far in the distance, the silhouette of a forest could barely be seen. There was no sound of wind; the morning still held onto its silence.

I need to prepare the documents today.

For the villagers' identification processes... I have to know each one's name, surname, how many people are in their family, and what job they do.

If a crisis breaks out tomorrow, or I need to make a plan, those lists will be my only point of reference.

I adjusted the clothing on me. I straightened the collar of my coat with my hand, then opened the door of the room.

Asogi stood up from the table and quietly started walking behind me.

In the long stone corridor, only the sound of my footsteps echoed. Asogi's bare feet blended into the silence—there wasn't a single sound where he stepped.

After a few minutes, we arrived at the study.

On the shelves were six books I had taken from the castle's library. My desk was relatively tidy—a stack of blank papers in one corner, a few ink bottles on the other. I sat on the chair and began to work.

For each villager, I filled out the same information, one by one.

Name, surname, age, number of family members, job...

Everything had to be written without missing a single detail.

When I finished another page, I turned my head and spoke:

"Asogi, go call Jiho. I need to talk to him."

Asogi nodded slowly and silently left the room.

As soon as the door closed, I let out a deep sigh.

"This job is really tedious... writing the same information on every single paper. But it has to be done."

I picked up my pen again, dipped it in ink, and continued writing. The window was slightly open, and the morning breeze drifted in.

It's going to be a long day...

At that moment, Asogi stepped in front of the castle. Jiho was a bit ahead of the caravan, checking the supplies one by one.

Approaching with an emotionless face, he spoke:

"Human, my father wants to see you. Follow me."

There was a tone in his voice—contemptuous, yet accustomed. Jiho turned his head and gave him a brief glance but said nothing as he began to follow.

They moved down the corridor in silence. When Asogi reached the door, he didn't hesitate—he turned the handle and walked straight in.

"Father, I brought the human."

Asogi entering without knocking annoyed me. Just as I was about to speak up, Jiho beat me to it.

He spoke in a calm yet firm voice:

"You forgot to knock. That's considered disrespectful to your master."

Asogi turned around in irritation. Starting from his shoulders, his skin rose slightly, and thin, pale tendrils seeped out without breaking the flesh. Each one moved like a worm.

He hissed:

"You don't get to tell me what to do... human."

But Jiho didn't take a single step back. His face remained blank.

"I merely stated what's proper. There's no reason to be angry."

I didn't want to listen to them argue any further.

"Enough! Both of you, be silent," I said sharply. "Asogi, next time, knock before you enter."

The room went quiet. Asogi's body returned to normal, and a brief expression of regret crossed his face. He quietly stepped aside.

Jiho approached me as if none of it mattered.

"Young master, why did you call me?"

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"Set up a stand near the village road. Make sure it's visible. One hour after it's ready, send word to the villagers—children, elders, everyone. Tell them free supplies are being distributed."

Jiho gave a slight nod in response.

"Understood, young master. I'll take care of it."

As he turned and left the room, I felt slightly relieved. I was about to get back to work when I realized I had forgotten something.

I looked at XZ, who stood silently in the corner of the room like a statue.

The front of the castle... was still littered with blood and remains.

I quickly grabbed a blank sheet and scribbled a few instructions.

"XZ, come here. Take this paper, find Haldvir, and clean the front of the castle together."

Asogi had been watching XZ closely for a while. Eventually, he couldn't hold back and asked:

"Father... who is this?"

"He's the first semi-intelligent humanoid I created. Think of him as a mannequin. He can't think deeply, but he follows orders."

XZ took the paper, bowed slightly, and left the room without saying a word.

He's intelligent in his own way, but not as practically capable as Asogi.

Asogi was still looking at me silently. This time, there was sadness in his gaze.

"What's wrong, Asogi?"

He hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head.

"Nothing... I suppose it upset me that someone else was created before me."

A small smile touched my lips.

"Don't be upset. You're the first to reach full intelligence."

Upon hearing that, tendrils once again sprouted from Asogi's body—this time from happiness. I ignored them and went back to writing.

Meanwhile, Jiho had begun setting up a small stand ahead of the caravan.

Within half an hour, he had placed a sturdy table and a comfortable chair.

Ravien hadn't asked for this, but he took the initiative to inspect every item in the caravan, calculating what would be distributed and in what amounts.

He completed everything within the hour. Then he stood beside the stand, ready and waiting.

Ah... finally done.

Filling out all these papers took me two hours.

My eyes wandered to Asogi, who was standing idly nearby.

"Asogi, take the papers from the desk, then follow me. And while you're around the villagers, don't forget to stay in human form."

I got up from my seat and headed to the door. Asogi did exactly as told and followed right behind me.

As I stepped outside the castle, I examined its outer wall for the first time.

Gray-black in tone, square in structure—a plain castle, not particularly majestic, but it looked solid. I'll improve the exterior over time.

Walking down the stone path, I saw XZ and Haldvir cleaning up.

Haldvir still hadn't fully adjusted to his new duties. He seemed a little afraid of XZ, but he was focused on the task.

I watched them for a moment. Despite their lack of harmony, the result was orderly. I liked that. Then I continued walking.

The sky was completely clear—not a single cloud in sight. It looked like today would be hot.

There wasn't anything of note around me, so my gaze returned to the sky.

Strange... the sky in this world is so much clearer. It even feels easier to breathe.

Maybe I'm finally beginning to live here—for real.

Eventually, I reached Jiho. He was waiting for me beside the stand.

"Master, everything is ready. All that's left is to summon the villagers. Shall I begin?"

I sat down in the chair beside the stand.

"Alright, go and call every villager. Leave no one out—old or young, doesn't matter.

And you, Asogi, leave the papers on the table."

Jiho quickly set off toward the village.

Asogi placed the papers on the table and stood behind me. He was a bit too close, but this time I didn't mind.

Now... we wait for the villagers to arrive.