I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit - Chapter 10

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

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Tears streamed down Karin’s pale pink eyes.
“What kind of life have you been living?”
“Teacher, are you crying?”
Pink eyes filled with sorrow.
A pitiful gaze as if looking upon a suffering child.
Red lips trembling slightly.
Yet Isabel did not loosen her grip on vigilance.
‘I would have been in serious trouble if I hadn’t read the novel.’
Karin was also a master of disguise and acting.
So I was certain that these tears were naturally just an act.
Isabel firmly grasped her wavering heart and spoke calmly.
“Don’t cry. Stop.”
Karin embraced Isabel tightly.
Afraid she might break if held too firmly, she embraced her carefully.
“Don’t be so indifferent about death.”
That is an act of deceiving and abusing yourself.
She did not say those words.
Yet she believed she understood Isabel’s heart better than anyone.
‘Because I was like that when I was young.’
* * *
Karin had grown up in great misfortune.
Her parents abandoned her at an orphanage.
From a young age, she was not outgoing and was rather timid.
Her beautiful appearance became poison to such a girl.
‘I’m… I’m sorry.’
‘So… you can’t date me?’
There was one boy in the orphanage three years older than Karin.
His name was Michael, and he confessed to Karin, but she did not accept his confession.
The harassment began from that moment.
‘You’re rejecting me?’
Fourteen-year-old Michael was larger and stronger than his peers.
There was no child in the orphanage who could stand against him.
The teachers at the orphanage were not on her side either.
‘There’s always a reason for being bullied. If you conduct yourself properly, things will get better. Come now, shake hands, make peace.’
The teachers disliked any disturbance in the orphanage.
Because of this, Karin had to silently endure ostracism and harassment.
At some point, she became indifferent to the harassment instead.
Then one day.
When a mage who happened to discover Karin’s magical talent said he would adopt her.
When hope finally emerged.
She realized she was not okay.
‘This is too much.’
She buried herself beneath the blankets, biting down hard as she wept uncontrollably.
All those times she had told herself she was fine were merely lies she had constructed to escape the unbearable pain.
The man who adopted her was Wilhelm, the Chief Mage of the Mirotell Magic Federation.
‘My name is Wilhelm. From now on, call me Father.’
She was seized by vague hope.
Perhaps now she could finally be happy—or so she had thought.
But the nightmares did not end there.
‘For magical cultivation to progress, intimate and profound exchange between master and disciple must be prioritized.’
Wilhelm, known to the world as an angel, was a two-faced madman.
The Wilhelm that Karin remembered was nothing but a vile beast.
Life in the orphanage had been better.
She abandoned everything.
‘It’s all fine. It doesn’t matter.’
When he taught her magic, she learned it. When he commanded her to do other things, she simply obeyed.
She thought of herself as a living doll.
At some point, she resolved to seek revenge.
There was no burning rage.
She simply decided, with calm resolve, to live for the purpose of vengeance.
‘I must grow stronger.’
She devoted herself to magical training with even greater intensity than before.
When she turned twenty, she earned the honor of becoming the youngest First-Class Mage.
And when she turned twenty-two, she heard rumors that the Princess of the Vilotian Sword Empire was seeking a magic tutor.
‘I’ll escape Wilhelm’s grasp and cultivate my power.’
What had recently captured her interest was something related to Narbidal.
Narbidal is the god of death.
If I could wield the power of a god, I could take my revenge on Wilhelm.
‘A child bearing Narbidal’s mark would be quite useful for my research.’
That was what she had thought.
So she came to meet the Princess, and the Princess, true to her young age, was brimming with curiosity.
‘How old are you?’
‘Why is your name Karin?’
‘When did you start learning magic?’
The Princess asked her many questions.
It was then that she realized something.
‘This is the first time someone has been curious about me.’
For the first time, someone was asking about who she was.
‘Here, have some jelly. I’ve been saving it. It’s peach flavored.’
The Princess freely offered her treasures without hesitation.
She lowered her voice as if no one would hear, and her cautious demeanor resembled a meerkat.
Suddenly, I found that innocent expression endearing.
Then one day, the Princess spoke.
“Isabel is living a gift.”
Karin was deeply shaken.
Even knowing she would die at twenty-one.
This child spoke of living as a gift.
“Meeting Teacher Karin was also a gift.”
Among those gifts was herself.
It was the first time Karin had heard such words.
“Have I ever been a gift to someone?”
Not once.
Since meeting the Princess, everything was a first for me.
* * *
“….”
So I wanted to tell her.
That she shouldn’t be so resigned.
“It’s only natural for a person to want to live.”
And the child asked again.
“Is Isabel only mine?”
“Your Highness is a good child.”
In the Princess’s form, I saw young Karin.
That figure accepting death calmly and abandoning life was my own self-portrait.
Tears streamed down my face.
The burden carried by a three-year-old seemed far too heavy and overwhelming.
“I’ll hold you.”
“Teacher?”
“I’ll help you carry that heavy and frightening burden together.”
Isabel’s body flinched.
She said “Really?” and quickly pulled Karin into her embrace with her short arms.
She hugged her hastily, afraid her flustered expression would be noticed.
“Wait, get a grip. Don’t be fooled. She’s the final mastermind psychopath.”
I resolved not to fall for that warmth.
“Phew, I almost got moved there.”
* * *
In “The Doomed Villainess Dies,” Karin ultimately takes revenge on Wilhelm and rises to become the “Starborn Mage,” the highest position in the Mirotell Magic Federation.
However, everything was not smooth sailing.
Many in the Magic Federation still followed Wilhelm.
The title of the unprecedented villainess who betrayed her father weakened Karin’s authority.
In such circumstances, Karin had only one choice.
‘There’s no choice but war.’
I had to channel the internal discontent outward.
She expanded her influence based on her overwhelming magical prowess.
The citizens and mages of the Mirotell Magic Federation gradually began to acknowledge her.
In the midst of this, Karin transformed bit by bit.
‘This is exhilarating.’
She discovered a joy she had never experienced before.
Ironically, the most joyful memories throughout her entire life were those of war and conquest.
And so that became the reason she lived.
Yet her charge was halted by Arun, the Emperor of Villorian.
‘I must kill Arun.’
She devised every possible means at her disposal.
She even dabbled in dark magic.
She sacrificed humans as offerings and made pacts with demons.
To kill Arun and topple the Sword Art Empire.
Before long, that alone became the reason she lived.
The Karin who would have lived that way in the novel had now become Isabel’s magic instructor.
* * *
Six months had passed.
“…and so, like this, you sense the mana. Once you’ve done that, concentrate on this pebble here and try to layer your mana over it. Oh, and remember—mana flow is fundamentally direct current. Think of a strong, swift linear flow.”
I already knew it wouldn’t work.
As always, I focused on building an intimate relationship with the Princess.
Thinking we had grown quite close now, Karin decided to teach her magic.
Though it was less about her genuinely learning magic and more akin to playing house.
“Like this?”
Karin’s eyes widened.
‘Huh?’
It wasn’t visible to ordinary eyes, but to the trained eye of a skilled mage, it was unmistakably clear.
A thick mana veil had settled upon the pebble.
It was a level Karin could only achieve after six months of formally studying magic.
‘The color of that mana veil…’
The mana veil shimmered with five brilliant hues.
Five-colored luminous mana.
She had only encountered it in theory; this was her first time witnessing it in reality.
Even Karin, who was called a genius, possessed only four-colored mana.
Karin swallowed hard and tried another command.
“Try to imagine lifting the pebble.”
“Yes!”
Isabel clenched both fists tightly and squeezed her eyes shut.
As she tensed her entire body, her eyelashes trembled delicately.
“Yaaaah!”
When I opened my eyes wide, the pebble floated up gently.
It was a level of mastery only possible after Karin had studied magic for a year.
Karin concealed her astonishment and opened her palm.
“Shall I try moving it here?”
“Mm, understood.”
As I spoke, my concentration wavered and the pebble fell onto the desk.
“Hehe, I failed.”
“….”
“Teacher, shall we try again?”
I swallowed hard.
‘This is incredibly fun!’
I found this mysterious telekinesis utterly fascinating and delightful.
Karin’s eyes watching the fallen pebble trembled noticeably.
Despite the clear failure, her body was quivering.
“Teacher, what’s wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Karin adjusted her glasses.
She quickly hid her left hand beneath the table.
Faint traces of a magic circle remained on her left palm.
‘The table nearly shattered.’
To prevent disaster, Karin had to deploy a shock-absorption spell.
‘She cannot control it yet, but her innate mana quality is truly transcendent.’
Karin realized it.
Isabel was a child born for magic.
More time passed.
Before long, I had turned four years old.

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

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