I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit - Chapter 70

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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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‘Honey scent?’
I felt something soft and fluffy against me.
A familiar buzzing sound—bzzzz—reached my ears.
“Bumblebee?”
Bzzzz—
Though Bumblebee preferred being called Kim Beolggwol over just Bumblebee, I didn’t mention it today.
She simply buzzed and embraced me.
It was a strange sensation.
Moments ago, it felt as though an enormous, terrifying, dark hand was approaching me, but Bumblebee seemed to have driven it away.
‘So comforting.’
I pulled Bumblebee into a tight embrace.
Her fur was always smooth and wonderfully soft.
Bzzzz—
Bumblebee gently lifted her front paws and stroked my head reassuringly, as if telling me not to worry about anything.
Remarkably, much of my fear dissipated.
For a long while, I buried my face in Bumblebee’s chest and breathed.
An indescribable abundance of comfort and peace washed over me.
‘How strange.’
It was truly remarkable.
Though my body aches remained, somehow they no longer felt as frightening as before.
I was no longer alone.
“I’m not scared anymore. Thank you, Kim Beolggwol.”
Magical letters appeared above Bumblebee’s head.
[Kim Beolggwol = Icon of Courage.]
[Sharing Courage.]
[Isabel is now brave.]
I let out a light laugh.
‘But has Bumblebee always been this large?’
I hadn’t noticed it until just now, but she seemed much bigger than me. She felt like an absolutely enormous creature.
‘No, that’s not right.’
Coming to my senses, I realized that wasn’t the case.
Bumblebee was just her normal self.
Body length approximately 70 centimeters.
“You know, Bumblebee, I just felt you were so much, much larger than 70 centimeters?”
[Kim Beolggwol’s presence is immense.]
Bumblebee laughed like a person would—hehe.
It was truly remarkable.
“Bumblebee is definitely not an ordinary ratel.”
No matter how much I cast my translation magic, there’s no way an ordinary ratel could express itself with such clarity and intention.
She was undoubtedly a genius among ratels.
[Wow! Kim Beolkkot is powerful.]
“That’s right. Kim Beolkkot is a powerful Ratel.”
I pulled Bumblebee into my arms once more.
Though it didn’t feel as large as before, Bumblebee’s warmth soothed me.
Thanks to Villorian’s body, the aching sensation had already faded considerably.
“A powerful Ratel.”
Chirp chirp?
I suddenly wondered what would have happened if Bumblebee hadn’t been here today.
Perhaps I would have been consumed by formless terror and trembled in fear all night long.
I whispered my true feelings to Bumblebee.
“You mean so very much to me.”
Chirp chirp!
Bumblebee seemed delighted.
[Agree.]
[Isabel precious.]
I adore Bumblebee, and Bumblebee adores me.
I don’t know how we came to meet, but I’m grateful Bumblebee exists.
“Since Bumblebee is a powerful Ratel, you need to make a promise with me.”
Chirp chirp?
“It’s a selfish and terrible request—can you grant it?”
Chirp chirp!
The attitude suggested no request was too unreasonable.
“I will die before you do.”
The average lifespan of a wild Ratel is eight years. However, the average lifespan of a captive Ratel is approximately twenty-four years.
Since I’ve given Bumblebee a name, she can be cared for by the Royal Family, which means she could live twenty-four years.
‘I have fourteen years left now.’
So I wanted Bumblebee to live longer than me.
Being left alone like today was far too frightening.
“I hope you live longer than me.”
Chirp chirp.
Bumblebee’s fur drooped.
“You promise?”
Chirp chirp.
Today, Bumblebee seemed to spare the magical letters.
“Thank you for promising. You must stay right by my side from now on. Do you understand?”
Chirp chirp!
I embraced Bumblebee again.
Warmth spread all the way to my fingertips, and I felt genuinely content.
‘Even if Bumblebee is a genius Ratel, surely she doesn’t truly understand the exact meaning of death, does she?’
That couldn’t possibly be the case.
Bumblebee was incredibly attuned to my emotions, so there was no doubt she was feeling slightly dejected at the moment.
‘Yet my heart feels so at ease.’
Even if it was a somewhat selfish promise.
Even if it was a promise Bumblebee couldn’t fully comprehend.
Still, an inexplicable warmth washed over me.
“I think I’ll be able to sleep now. Thank you for coming.”
In truth, I should have harbored reasonable doubts at that moment.
How the Ratel had managed to reach my quarters within the Royal Palace.
How she had been able to find me so precisely.
And I should have questioned why the blanket was warm all the way to its edge, when Bumblebee was clearly so small.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but the bed was warm all the way to its end.
As if Bumblebee had grown enormous.
Lost in the comfort of it all, I drifted into deep sleep without entertaining those obvious thoughts.
* * *
Arun spoke.
“I’m back, Mother.”
“You’re quite late. You have no idea how worried I was.”
“You were worried?”
“Of course. You chose to become a Ratel, after all.”
Dragons unconsciously store the life experiences of other creatures in their minds.
When transformed into a Ratel, one must truly live as a Ratel.
Ratels are fearless and incredibly brave, often finding themselves in danger.
If killed while in Ratel form, the actual Arun dies as well.
Dragons rarely perish, but the transformation into a Ratel was the single highest probability method of bringing a dragon to death.
“I like being a Ratel.”
“It seems you have many fond memories. What makes you like it so much?”
Arun didn’t miss the subtle shift in Kadelina’s eyes.
‘If I reveal anything here, Mother will erase all my memories.’
Fragments of memories from when she was a Ratel remained.
In truth, these memories shouldn’t have existed. They could destabilize a dragon’s sense of self.
If memories persisted, it was customary for the guardian to erase them.
‘Thank you for promising. You must always stay right beside me. Do you understand?’
Not all of it, but pieces of memory returned.
The Ratel Kim Beolkkot had someone very precious.
Someone who became so frightened without me that she hid under the blankets. Someone who needed me to stay right beside her.
So Arun didn’t want to lose these memories.
‘I’m sorry, Mother.’
She lied.
“I have no memories. It’s just that my heart is filled with an exhilarating and refreshing feeling.”
“Is that so?”
Kadelina laughed lightly, relieved. She felt pleased seeing Arun growing so well.
“The power of emotion is stronger than the power of memory.”
Arun’s eyes widened innocently, as if he understood nothing.
“Really? Is the power of emotion stronger than the power of memory?”
“Yes. Everything you experience is stored in your subconscious in the form of emotion. It becomes the source that allows you to grow into a righteous dragon. It seems you’re having very good experiences.”
The Black Flame Dragon Kadelina smiled gently. Then she continued with subtle intent.
“Then shall Mother take a look at what kinds of things our son has experienced?”
“Of course!”
Arun tilted his head forward innocently, as if he knew nothing.
But Arun already knew. He knew that Mother still harbored suspicions about him.
If she noticed even the slightest irregularity, she would immediately probe his memories.
Kadelina’s hand touched the top of Arun’s head.
‘I cannot yet overcome Mother’s magical power.’
I could not defeat Mother in direct confrontation. But I could hide things secretly.
‘Mother doesn’t view me as an enemy.’
If Kadelina were to dissect Arun’s memories with complete sincerity, things would be different. But Kadelina was merely trying to read Arun’s experiences with a light heart.
Arun had layered dragon power over certain portions of his memories and hidden them deep within his mind.
After some time passed, Kadelina spoke.
“You’re having such diverse experiences that a dragon alone could not have.”
There seemed to be no problems.
Arun, who had been slightly anxious, broke into a wide smile.
“Yes. When I grow up, I’ll become as magnificent a dragon as you, Mother.”
Having safely passed Kadelina’s test (?), Arun lay down on his bed.
‘I must remember Kim Beolggwol. For Isabel.’
Kim Beolggwol had to be there beside Isabel. Arun clenched his fists tightly.
‘I won’t let my sense of self as a dragon waver.’
Arun steeled his resolve.
I would live as Kim Beolggwol, but I also had to solidify my identity as a dragon.
As a Ratel, there were limits to how much I could help Isabel. Only as a dragon could I truly help her greatly.
‘I am both Kim Beolggwol and Arun, and I will stand by Isabel’s side.’
As Arun drifted into sleep, Kadelina rose slowly with a soft sound.
“My son is already scheming against Mother?”
Arun seemed to be using his head quite well, but in fact, Kadelina had experienced all of this herself.
Kadelina could understand her son’s heart better than anyone.
“Blood doesn’t lie.”
She had been exactly the same way as a child.
She had been a dragon too absorbed in the experiences of being human, and that was precisely the background behind the birth of the ‘Black Flame Dragon.’
Arun’s actions were perfectly transparent to her eyes.
“I understand, but it’s not pleasant.”
The Black Flame Dragon’s pupils narrowed like those of a reptile.
There was something I needed to investigate further.
“Let’s move.”
Kadelina warped us somewhere.

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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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