I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit - Chapter 12
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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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The man laughed.
“Hehehehe.”
He appeared to be in his early thirties, though his appearance held little significance.
Those abundant in mana rarely aged.
He was a man with a rather benevolent impression.
He smiled with one corner of his mouth curled upward.
Isabel was not particularly alarmed.
“Who are you, sir?”
“Someone considering whether to adopt you.”
“But I already have a father, sir.”
“Is that so? Who is he?”
“His Majesty the Emperor, sir.”
“What?”
He had never imagined that Isabel could be the Princess.
Though she was certainly charming and adorable, she hardly looked like a princess.
The Princess of Villorian, playing in a flower garden covered in dirt.
“Ahahaha! What a rebellious child.”
I glanced around cautiously.
Strangely, there was no one nearby.
It was the perfect environment for an abduction.
“Wait, now that I think about it, she really might be the true Princess.”
The Princess of Villorian.
She would be a headache for the imperial family as well.
A member of the Sword Art Empire’s royal bloodline who cannot master swordsmanship would be a disgrace to Villorian.
Why else would the Emperor, who despises magic, have recruited Karin just to teach her magic?
“If she truly is the Princess, it’s an even sadder story.”
He looked around.
“If a child is so unwanted, there’s not a single soul to protect her.”
“There is though…”
He chuckled softly.
“Noble Princess, follow me.”
“Mister, are you a kidnapper? Are you taking me away?”
“I’ll make you into a magnificent mage, so don’t be afraid.”
Isabel shook her head firmly.
“I thought you were a smart person, mister.”
“You know me?”
“Wilhelm.”
The fact that he could freely walk through the Imperial Palace meant he was an invited envoy.
At the same time, he was an exceptional mage capable of making Luluka disappear with a single gesture.
A man whose eyes gleamed with sinister intent as he gazed upon a child with outstanding magical talent.
A bold man who would plan a kidnapping even if the girl were the Princess herself.
There weren’t many people who satisfied all these conditions.
Even thinking casually as a reader of this novel, it was Wilhelm, and thinking hard about it, it was still Wilhelm.
“Oh, I’ve heard much of Lord Wilhelm’s great name myself. I’m grateful you’ve mistaken me for him.”
“I don’t care if you play dumb. I can tell you’re not that intelligent of a person.”
“What are you talking about?”
And then a voice rang out.
“This is what I mean, friend.”
Crude language rose to my throat, but I softened it to ‘friend’ in case Isabel heard.
A sharp blade pierced through the man’s chest.
It was Biatone.
Biatone thrust his hand into the man’s shadow and pulled out Luluka.
“Your Highness!”
Luluka hastily embraced the Princess tightly, shielding her from view.
Biatone dramatically softened his language in case Isabel might hear.
“I’ll give you a full-body massage with dirt.”
It meant he would bury him.
Biatone drew another sword from subspace and planted it in the man’s shadow.
He was a magic swordsman who wielded both magic and the blade simultaneously.
The sword was inscribed with various magical runes, from which a faint pale-green light seeped out.
The sword planted in the ground restricted the man’s movements.
“Still don’t understand, friend?”
“….”
The man didn’t answer.
He seemed afraid that revealing his voice would expose his identity.
“Why would there be no guards? Is that on your shoulders just decoration?”
Many guards weren’t necessary.
One was enough.
Biatone realized something.
“Wait, this is a magical projection, isn’t it?”
He was thorough.
This body was fake. It didn’t bleed.
Fwooosh—
The man’s body was gradually disappearing.
Biatone grinned wickedly.
A glint of madness gleamed in his eyes.
“Failed kidnapper, friend.”
“….”
“Don’t think you’re safe just because no evidence remains.”
The man never opened his mouth until the end.
“I’m really good at finding evidence, you know.”
Biatone pulled the sword embedded in the man’s chest and licked the blade with his tongue.
Lick—
The sword gleamed as it reflected the moonlight.
His sinister eyes watched the magical form gradually disappearing.
“And I don’t leave evidence either.”
The lower half of the magical form completely vanished.
Only the upper body remained now.
I’ll find you and kill you.
That’s what I wanted to say, but I softened my words because Isabel was nearby.
“I’ll find you and we’ll become close friends. Let’s have a deep exchange.”
Biatone swung his sword.
He severed the magical form’s neck, and it scattered in the wind and disappeared.
Meanwhile, Isabel already knew that Biatone was nearby.
That’s why she could remain so composed.
However, Viscount Biatonn misunderstood.
“Your Highness, you’re being calm again.”
The Princess has a limited lifespan. That’s why she remained composed and indifferent about everything.
Biatone found that sad.
“What do you mean?”
“Weren’t you scared? He was a bad man.”
“Why would I be scared when you’re here?”
“But I appeared late.”
“I was just trying to accurately grasp that bad man’s objective and identity. And I trusted you, Viscount Biatonn.”
“Oh, Your Highness…!”
Deeply moved, Biatone suddenly embraced Isabel.
Held in Biatone’s arms, Isabel tilted her head.
‘Did the original work have him getting moved this easily?’
That didn’t seem to be the case.
Setting aside my slight doubts, I asked.
“Is it Wilhelm?”
“I’m not sure.”
“I’ll investigate carefully. I really enjoy making friends, after all.”
Biatone smiled brightly.
That refreshing smile, like a gentle autumn breeze, made Isabel’s heart feel cool and clear.
Biatone gently brushed back Isabel’s hair with a kind expression.
Isabel asked with a clear expression.
“But Viscount Biatonn.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“What’s the point of swinging your sword so fiercely while speaking so prettily?”
Biatone regretted it immediately.
He feared the Princess might grow afraid of him.
“F-fierce? That’s the first I’ve heard of it. I’m actually a very gentle and kind teacher.”
“Liar.”
It felt as though I had lost everything in the world.
“But it was cool. Biatone.”
Biatone’s world returned to him.
* * *
“Wait a moment.”
I held out a single yellow flower to Biatone as a token of gratitude.
The same flower I had given to Luluka.
“You’re giving this to me?”
Viscount Biatonn’s fingertips trembled ever so slightly.
“Sniff, sniff! I’m deeply moved.”
“This is all I have to give. When I grow up, I’ll give you something better.”
“That’s a promise.”
Viscount Biatonn extended his pinky finger.
“You absolutely must give me something wonderful when you’re grown.”
“Promise!”
“Then I’ll write it in my diary today. Twenty-five years from now. Today, when you give me such a precious gift.”
“Well, in twenty-five years I won’t be in this world anymore….”
Viscount Biatonn cut himself off.
“Then let me make it twenty years instead.”
That would still make me twenty-four.
I won’t live past twenty-one.
“Children who break their promises are bad children. You understand, don’t you?”
“I understand.”
“A promise. You must keep it no matter what. I will remember this promise for my entire life. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“If you don’t keep it, I’ll hide away and cry?”
“I know.”
Understanding Viscount Biatonn’s heart, I smiled gently.
I was truly grateful for that feeling.
“Hehe, then I shall make my rounds. I’ve called the knights, so this place will be safe.”
Viscount Biatonn waved his hand and walked away.
It seemed he had barely taken a few steps before his figure vanished.
I completely forgot about meeting Wilhelm.
Having a baby’s body was truly convenient.
If the dirt play right before my eyes was fun, everything else was quickly forgotten.
“All done!”
“What is that?”
The Midwife’s eyes sparkled with delight.
Her mouth moved as if she had already loaded praise into it.
I spoke proudly.
“A flower ring!”
“My goodness, what a beautiful flower ring. I’ve never seen such a lovely ring before. How do you have such skillful hands?”
The Midwife, as always, showered me with praise, and as always, I was delighted by it.
Unlike before, my bottom didn’t bounce with excitement, but I couldn’t hide my smile.
“Your Highness’s smile makes me breathe.”
“Huh?”
Just now, I think I heard something rather clingy.
The Midwife’s face flushed slightly.
“Oh, no. Anyway, it’s time for you to head back now.”
Soon the third day’s Imperial Palace banquet would be ending.
The Imperial Palace would become bustling.
“Today’s the time.”
“Yes?”
“I’m going to give this ring to Father.”
“To His, His Majesty?”
My Biological Father is enjoying the banquet in the Grand Banquet Hall.
Though it’s called a banquet, it’s really politics and diplomacy.
I understood that fact well.
“Don’t worry. Today is the day for giving gifts anyway.”
The event would be in full swing by now.
It was delayed a bit because of the suspicious stranger presumed to be Wilhelm, but there was still time.
“Let’s go!”
I headed toward the Grand Banquet Hall with the flower ring in hand.
The Midwife tried to stop me several times, looking flustered.
“It’s fine, Midwife.”
I’m four years old.
I have seventeen years left.
“I only have seventeen chances left to give Father a gift, you know.”
“…Your Highness.”
“Each one, each single chance is so precious.”
“…”
The Midwife eventually picked me up.
While doing so, she subtly felt around my armpits and back.
“That’s strange, I can’t feel any wings.”
“Huh?”
“Yes?”
“No, it seems the Midwife said something.”
“Me?”
The Midwife appeared to have muttered something to herself, yet she showed no recollection of it whatsoever.
The Midwife has been acting rather strange lately.
“We shall arrive at the Grand Banquet Hall shortly, angel—or rather, Your Highness.”
The knights guarding the entrance of the Grand Banquet Hall blocked the Midwife’s path.
They had failed to recognize me properly.
I spoke with dignified authority.
“Stand aside! Make way! I am Isabel.”
“….”
Good, I had charisma.
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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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