A Blend of Romance and Fantasy - Chapter 34

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

34.
“A rift?”
As I rolled the word around in my mouth, a chill ran down my entire spine.
“Yes, to be more precise, it’s a rift that Herebus accidentally left behind. Herebus is the god who rules the Demon Realm.”
“I know. He’s the evil deity standing in opposition to the gods of the Five Continents. Dark magic flows from him, and he shapes the demonic creatures, doesn’t he?”
“You’re well-informed. That rift is the passage he accidentally left behind.”
But that wasn’t the work of an evil god—it was Demian who twisted it using dark magic.
‘Just as I receive holy power from Elisia and use it, does he receive dark power from Herebus to create these gaps?’
I had no idea.
But that wasn’t what mattered right now. The priority was to close the rift now that I’d discovered it.
In the original work of 【Habuldal】, the Priest uses the holy power of the Barrier to seal the rift.
‘Now that I can use holy power, I should be able to do it too… but the problem is I don’t know how to actually use it.’
Even in typical novels, it was only described like 【Aurora used holy power to heal】, with no real explanation.
-How do you sense holy power? Just close your eyes and take a deep breath, and you’ll naturally feel it. Then you’ll instinctively understand how to use it.
As I recalled what Aurora had told me long ago, my eyes naturally closed.
“….”
Then I truly felt a strange power emanating from within my body.
The cleanly gathered energy spread smoothly from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes, pulsing in rhythm with my heartbeat.
Instinctively, I seemed to understand how to wield this power.
A pink sacred pattern was drawn once more across the back of my hand.
The very pattern of holy power that the Priest in the original 【Habuldal】 uses to seal what’s called a “rift.”
“….”
I slowly brought my hand above the rift.
Pink holy power flowed like threads from my fingertips, gradually filling the gap.
But whether it was because this was my first time, or because my method was wrong,
my vision suddenly grew dizzy. Then, with Ignis’s voice calling out to me urgently, I lost consciousness entirely.
* * *
For Leonard Blake, twenty minutes felt like two hours. No—
like two days.
He had honed his five senses sharper than any beast, so with his eyes closed he could sense the slightest presence.
But now, he felt nothing around him.
Eventually, Leonard Blake tore through the mountain like a madman, and his expensive hood became a filthy rag, shredded by sharp branches and mud.
He found it difficult to understand why he was searching for Charlotte so desperately. Honestly, he’d lost sight of his original purpose.
But before he could even analyze where this anxiety came from, his body moved first.
“Charlotte!!”
His resounding voice echoed across the mountain.
Now the situation of pursuing Camilla had faded into insignificance. Whether he was discovered or not, finding Charlotte was what mattered.
After searching through the mountain for a while, he saw someone approaching.
It was Ignis in human form.
He appeared as a ten-year-old child, but he was still a dragon nonetheless.
With physical abilities far surpassing any human, carrying a woman weighing less than fifty kilograms was child’s play.
“Ignis!”
Leonard Blake rushed forward in a single bound and snatched Charlotte from his arms.
From the woman with closed eyes came ragged breathing. The body he held radiated warmth, and her cheeks flushed a delicate pink.
Though he should have been relieved by now, bewilderment refused to fade.
He still pressed Ignis with a frozen expression.
“What’s happened? Where were you both? Why are Charlotte’s eyes closed?”
At the barrage of questions, Ignis’s golden eyes gleamed sharply.
“Don’t interrogate me so harshly. And isn’t the Princess simply asleep? Keep your voice down!!”
Only then did Leonard Blake realize that Charlotte was in deep slumber.
Embarrassment flooded through him, and his grip on Charlotte tightened.
“….”
“The Princess is like this, so shall we return to the Singchester Royal Palace?”
Leonard Blake’s gaze fixed on Charlotte as he stood motionless for a long moment.
…She was alive.
For one who dwelled closest to death, her warmth and breathing were more precious than anything.
The trusted subordinate of an enemy he could slay a thousand times over stood here now, yet he felt no urge to pursue.
The choice was not difficult.
“Yes, we return.”
Leonard Blake nodded slowly. Ignis, watching him, posed a sly question.
“…I could stay behind and observe what that woman does instead.”
Leonard Blake’s eyes widened in surprise at Ignis’s words.
“What scheme lies behind such a generous offer?”
“Not for your sake, you wretched creature. My summoner lying there seems to wish to learn more about Camilla.”
Leonard Blake’s eyes narrowed with suspicion, but only briefly before he exhaled a short sigh.
“…Then I’ll ask for your help.”
“Hmph!”
With a scoff, Ignis transformed back into a dragon no larger than a palm and receded into the darkness.
Leonard Blake drew a massive magical circle and teleported to the Princess Palace.
* * *
Leonard Blake’s destination was the Bedroom of the Princess Palace.
He had intended to return to the Study, but realized he could not leave the unconscious Charlotte in a place without a bed.
Upon returning, the Bedroom he saw again was simple and austere, whether by preference or cultural difference.
“…Now that I think about it, it’s quite modest. I expected far more ornate and expensive furnishings.”
She must prefer handsome things, after all.
As he laid her on the bed, he suddenly realized she was not dressed appropriately for it.
But removing her clothes felt wrong.
In both this life and his previous one, he had never undressed a woman with his own hands.
There had been no situation requiring it, nor had he ever harbored lust for a woman.
-I like the Sixth Prince, after all….
-I’ll marry the Sixth Prince….
-So please permit me to go to Blake….
That’s why accepting a contract marriage was all the more unexpected.
‘This woman knows nothing of the world. What was she thinking, letting me do this?’
I knew that back then, I hadn’t shouted about marriage out of genuine love.
Conversely, I also knew that the words I’d spat out afterward—”I don’t trust you, something’s suspicious”—weren’t sincere either.
What exactly did she believe in to accept me? Because I’m a possessor like her?
Even so, she must have considered the possibility of betrayal. Are the Pope and Saint of Sincester really that formidable? Do they possess the ability to kill me outright if I betray them?
…Could a woman truly be that ruthless?
It didn’t seem so.
Reaching a conclusion in an instant, I was startled by myself.
I prided myself on my ability to read people, yet I couldn’t believe how easily I was lowering my guard around a woman who could become my enemy.
“….”
This wouldn’t do. Before I could atone, I mustn’t pursue anything else.
A complete life. Warm emotions. A face without lies. All of it lay at the end of a planned journey.
To achieve that, I had to wear a thousand masks and don armor of steel. I could never be sincere with anyone.
Until then, God’s mercy would not touch even a single strand of my hair.
Perhaps that’s why the Priest who should have appeared in the original story never revealed himself to the end.
“Mm….”
While I was lost in endless thoughts, Charlotte, who lay on the bed, furrowed her brow and shifted restlessly.
The moment I approached with concern, I heard something absurd.
“I’m hungry.”
“…Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped my lips involuntarily. Leonard slumped onto the chair beside the bed.
“She really has a talent for leaving people deflated.”
Then Cedric’s words came to mind.
-When all is said and done, I hope you’ll let the Princess go.
I thought I understood why he had given his heart.
No one had ever made me open my heart this quickly. But why? Was it because we’re from the same world?
Leonard let out a brief curse and washed his face with dry hands.
“I need to leave. If I stay here any longer, my mind will go strange.”
Soon after, a massive teleportation magic circle was drawn beside Leonard, and he vanished without a trace.

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————