If I Were Reborn, I Wouldn’t Marry You - Chapter 152

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

Chapter 152
“…What plan do you have in mind?”
The Crown Princess asked sharply, observing my unwavering composure and confidence even in this crisis.
“Yes, I do have one.”
At my assured response, the Crown Princess met my gaze directly and spoke with the weight of a declaration.
“Very well. I shall place my faith in the Arcadia Empire once more. Do not betray Tervan’s trust.”
The Crown Princess firmly calmed the agitated Tervan Delegation.
She was a wise woman who clearly understood that concrete results and truth were far more urgent than the simple emotional conflict before her eyes.
The moment the chaos in the Grand Reception Hall subsided, Leonhardt’s gaze had already shifted toward the window.
The sky above the Underworld was beginning to burn a vivid crimson.
Despite the considerable distance between the Imperial Palace and the Underworld, the towering black smoke was etched into his vision with a clarity that sent shivers down his spine.
Though his face remained expressionless, his tightly clenched jaw and the subtle tremor in his crimson eyes revealed just how furious and anxious Leonhardt truly was.
‘The Imperial Palace Mages, Merlin, and Caspian have only just been contacted.’
No matter how quickly they moved, it would take at least another thirty minutes before they could assemble at the scene and begin a full-scale suppression effort.
After gazing at the sky for a moment, Leonhardt turned his attention away and spoke in a cold voice.
“I will go directly and command the operation on site.”
He seemed to believe that the Prince taking action personally would ensure everything moved with perfect coordination.
“I’m coming with you.”
I whispered toward Leonhardt.
“It’s dangerous. You should stay here.”
Naturally, Leonhardt’s response was to dissuade me.
I understood the danger well enough.
But that didn’t make me the type to meekly wave goodbye and say, “Okay, be careful and come back safely.”
“Then who’s going to capture the cause of the fire with the Spirit Mirror?”
When a disaster of this magnitude occurs, spirits either dissipate or relocate elsewhere.
Time was running short.
In this situation, only six people knew about the Spirit Mirror.
Among them, Leonhardt, Merlin, and Caspian had to focus on suppressing the fire.
‘Emil and Lady Kellion aren’t even in the Capital.’
That left only me.
I had deliberately had the artifacts from Roderick’s Underground Treasure Vault brought along for exactly this reason.
My counterargument struck home, and Leonhardt’s lips pressed into a thin line.
“I’ll be careful. I’m already wearing protective artifacts, and I’ve brought the ones from the Manor as well.”
Eventually, Leonhardt’s brow furrowed, and a shallow sigh escaped him.
“Capture only the accident scene and come straight back to me. Understood?”
“Of course. I’ll hurry back and stick right by your side, so don’t worry.”
I smiled brightly and nodded.

* * *
The moment I arrived at the entrance of the Underworld, what assailed my senses was acrid smoke that caught in my throat and a heat so intense it felt like it would sear flesh from bone.
‘That madman. He really did intend to burn everything to ash.’
Stepping down from the carriage, I swallowed a string of curses at the hellish scene unfolding before my eyes.
The wind had shifted direction.
Given the nature of the slums with their tightly packed, dilapidated wooden structures, the flames spread with terrifying inevitability.
Though we had managed to buy time to evacuate people, many still remained unrescued.
Throughout the streets, screams of those fleeing mingled with the cries of those trapped beneath collapsing rubble, creating a scene that rivaled the depths of hell itself.
“Your Highness! Bombs suspected to be the ignition source are detonating in succession—we cannot contain the flames!”
The Imperial Palace Mages who had arrived first rushed to Leonhardt with ashen faces to report.
In that brief span, their faces had become caked with soot and sweat.
Leonhardt’s crimson eyes grew cold and still.
It was then.
With perfect timing, Merlin and Caspian arrived.
“Ugh, I feel so nauseous…”
The coachman must have driven like a madman in his haste—both figures descending from the carriage looked haggard.
Yet the moment they beheld the horrific scene before them, the pallor of nausea vanished from their faces in an instant.
Leonhardt issued his orders with perfect timing.
“Merlin, douse the entire fire zone with water. Caspian, establish a defensive perimeter against the flames. Imperial Palace Mages, assist in evacuating the people. When mages from the Mage Tower arrive, have them provide immediate support to the Spirit Contractors.”
Before Leonhardt had even finished speaking, Merlin extended her hand toward the inferno with economical precision.
“Undine.”
With that soft invocation, a high-tier water spirit materialized.
A high-tier water spirit contractor can even alter the climate of a localized region.
Rain summoned by Undine’s power fell across the entire Underworld district.
Caspian, too, worked without elaborate incantations, pressing his hand to the ground.
The earth resonated with a deep rumble, and a long firebreak was carved out along the path where flames would spread.
He had physically severed the fire’s route of advancement.
All eyes turned toward the overwhelming power of the Spirit Contractors.
In that moment, I crept cautiously toward Roderick’s carriage, where the transparency veil and the spirit mirror should be.
Concealed by the transparency veil, I approached Merlin carefully, holding the spirit mirror.
“Merlin.”
I kept my voice low, and Merlin, who had been concentrating on suppressing the fire, startled visibly.
“M-Miela? Goodness, a transparency veil! You gave me quite a fright.”
Merlin fumbled toward the direction of my voice, whispering softly.
“Yes, that’s right. I need to head toward the ignition point now. Just lend me one spirit. I can’t use the spirit mirror myself—I need your help.”
“What? You’re going there directly? Absolutely not, it’s far too dangerous! If the Prince found out…”
“Leonhardt has already approved this. I’ll only capture the accident scene and return immediately, all right?”
At my firm insistence, Merlin’s expression grew worried, but she eventually nodded in agreement.
Having participated directly in its creation, Merlin readily grasped how urgent the current situation truly was.
Merlin waved her hand lightly through the air, and a small, translucent water droplet—a low-tier water spirit—bounced cheerfully into existence.
“Protect Miela from the flames. And convey my wishes to your friend.”
The moment the command fell, a lesser water spirit leaped onto my shoulder.
In an instant, a thin, transparent water veil wrapped around my body in a perfect sphere. The scorching heat that had threatened to sear my flesh and the acrid smoke were completely shut out, replaced by cool, refreshing air that circulated around me.
“Thank you! I’ll be back shortly!”
Protected by the spirit, I moved stealthily toward the Abandoned Warehouse, presumed to be the source of the fire.
Thanks to the transparency veil, I escaped the notice of the crowds, and thanks to the water spirit Merlin had provided, the sparks erupting in all directions and the toxic fumes parted around me.
While Leonhardt and the mages rescued the citizens and extinguished the remaining flames, I reached the Abandoned Warehouse located in the deepest alley.
True to its nature as the place where the inferno had first erupted, the warehouse’s interior—with only its skeletal frame remaining—reeked of acrid gunpowder, and half-melted iron bomb crates lay scattered about.
Without wasting a moment, I withdrew the Spirit Mirror I had been carrying in my arms.
After waiting long enough for the spirit that had accompanied me to convey Merlin’s intentions, I activated the Spirit Mirror.
Fortunately, it seemed spirits still lingered in this place.
The silver disc began to vibrate with a faint, resonant hum.
Light scattered across the empty space above the mirror’s smooth surface, and soon a holographic image began to take shape.
As if rewinding time itself, the scene of the Abandoned Warehouse just before the chain explosions unfolded in perfect clarity.
“The Underworld must be obliterated entirely. Without a trace.”
Though disguised and with a voice altered, anyone who knew the true identity would recognize them without question.
It was Viscount Perington.
In that moment, his personal involvement—meant to ensure thoroughness—became the most irrefutable and inescapable evidence that would tighten the noose around his own neck.

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