If I Were Reborn, I Wouldn’t Marry You - Chapter 50
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 51
“Leon!”
I was able to catch Leonhardt as he collapsed, but that was all I could do.
Due to my lack of strength, I fell down with Leonhardt and landed hard on my bottom.
“Ow, ow, ow.”
At least thanks to me catching him, I was able to prevent Leonhardt’s head from hitting the floor directly, which was fortunate.
“Are you okay?”
I asked out of habit.
However, the Leonhardt I saw with my eyes didn’t look okay at all.
As if he had coughed up blood, there was blood spread around his mouth, and he seemed to lack the energy to answer, only keeping his eyes barely open while gasping for breath.
He looked like he was on the verge of fainting at any moment but was forcing himself to endure.
Leonhardt weakly gestured toward Merlin with his eyes.
‘Oh, right. Merlin.’
Whether the ability was still affecting her, Merlin was still terrified and sobbing.
“Teacher, I’m sorry…”
She kept apologizing while looking at the sky, as if she was seeing Lady Kate’s phantom.
This was probably an unexpected side effect that Leonhardt hadn’t anticipated.
I gritted my teeth and stood up after seeing that sight.
The reason Leonhardt used his ability wasn’t to torment Merlin.
‘He artificially created a fear situation to fulfill the known awakening conditions.’
Leonhardt wanted to survive, so he placed his hopes on Merlin.
That’s why he was forcing himself to endure with willpower, afraid that if he lost consciousness, the manifestation of his ability would be cut off.
All to save everyone.
‘I have to handle the rest.’
I steeled my resolve as I watched the situation getting worse.
Whether mages had arrived, water kept pouring down from the sky, but it wasn’t enough to contain the flames.
At this rate, everyone here might burn to death.
I approached Merlin and grasped both her hands.
“Merlin, Lady Kate is gone now.”
When I told her firmly, focus returned to Merlin’s eyes that had been blurred with tears.
“Thanks to Merlin bravely reporting Lady Kate’s wrongdoings, that person had to pay the price. You remember, right?”
Merlin slowly nodded her head.
“Yes. I remember.”
Though it was as quiet as the sound of an ant crawling, at least I got an answer back.
Warmth slowly returned to her body that had grown cold from fear at seeing the insubstantial phantom.
I had somewhat resolved the unexpected side effect.
Now it was time to desperately call upon the water spirit.
I glanced at the Ignis Salamander rampaging in the flames.
Leonhardt’s mental strength was also at its limit now.
This meant the time he had bought by raising potential through extreme tension was about to end.
There wasn’t much time left.
However, I had a strong feeling that what I was trying to do wasn’t the right answer.
‘Windermere heard the spirit’s voice when his desire for survival reached its peak, but Merlin is different from that person.’
If my choice was wrong, Merlin would fail to awaken and everyone’s hope, including mine, would end.
But I was certain.
I turned my body while holding Merlin’s hand.
So that Merlin’s gaze would turn toward the children who were crying in fear because of the approaching flames.
“Leon is right. Merlin has strong spirit affinity.”
Because Merlin had shown courage not for herself, but for others.
“And if Merlin can awaken now and contract with a water spirit, it would greatly help save all of us.”
The flames had already approached near the barrier line that had been dug into the ground.
If this had been an enclosed space, we would have died from smoke inhalation before the flames reached us.
The children who had been sitting scattered around to stay as far from the flames as possible were gradually gathering together.
They were still holding onto the thread of hope that someone would rescue them from outside, but anxiety was gradually taking up more space.
The sound of stifled crying could be heard endlessly.
Merlin looked at the children and flames for a long time with moist eyes, then asked as if talking to herself.
“Can I do it?”
“Yes, of course! Merlin’s potential is truly amazing. Probably for the next hundred years, there won’t be anyone with stronger spirit affinity than Merlin!”
I spoke in a strong tone to instill courage in Merlin.
“It’s nothing special. Since Merlin has already sensed the presence of spirits, you just need to call and ask them to lend you their power.”
“…I’ll try!”
Having made her decision, Merlin clenched her fists and shouted.
Then she put her hands together as if praying and squeezed her eyes shut.
“Help me. Please…”
Her words gradually became quieter and turned into whispers, but I guarantee it was a prayer as earnest as the one Windermere made at the moment of his awakening.
Meanwhile, the flames drew even closer.
‘Please.’
I added my wish to Merlin’s prayer.
‘I don’t want to die!’
That’s when it happened.
Splash, pop!
Something like the sound of water droplets splashing was heard, and a feeling of moist and cool energy like water mist enveloped us.
I had never seen a scene of contracting with a spirit, but I was certain.
Merlin had succeeded in summoning a spirit.
“It worked!”
I cheered and was about to embrace Merlin when I fainted from relief.
Because Leonhardt wasn’t the only one who had been enduring through willpower.
‘This is my second time fainting.’
The first time was in the first round, and it was because of the Prince.
The second time, which is now, is probably also because of the Prince.
‘That bastard.’
I woke up feeling strong resentment toward the Prince along with a light headache.
“Ugh.”
As I was blinking my eyes trying to regain consciousness, Mother, who had been sitting on a chair placed beside the bed I was lying on, asked worriedly.
“Baby, are you awake?”
“Ahem, yes!”
I tried to answer as brightly as possible for Mother who seemed gloomy from worrying so much, but my voice was hoarse and didn’t come out well.
‘I guess it’s from inhaling smoke.’
Still, aside from my throat feeling scratchy and lacking energy, I didn’t feel any particular pain.
‘Merlin must have succeeded.’
As I was organizing the situation while thinking various thoughts, Mother was strangely quiet.
“Mother?”
Mother answered urgently with a face that clearly showed she was holding back tears.
“Does it hurt anywhere? Both the physician and the priest said there was nothing particularly wrong.”
My self-diagnosis was complete, but hearing that the physician and priest, who were experts, also said I was fine made me feel more relieved.
I smiled and shook my head.
“No, it doesn’t hurt at all!”
Then I carefully sat up and asked.
“But what happened?”
I needed to confirm how much my parents knew.
I asked with feigned curiosity, pretending to be innocent.
Just as Mother was about to explain, the door to my bedroom opened and Father, Lionel, and Lester entered one after another.
They all had serious expressions, but when they saw me awake and sitting up, their faces cleared instantly like the sky after a sudden shower.
“Little one! Are you okay?”
Lester, who came running over, placed his hand on my forehead and then waved his fingers in front of my face, asking how many there were.
“You’re making me dizzy, Lester!”
I answered while pushing away Lester’s fingers as he acted frantically.
Fortunately, Father and Lionel didn’t fuss as much as Lester.
Though they did voice their concerns one by one.
After appropriately deflecting my family’s worries, I asked again the question I hadn’t gotten an answer to due to the three of them entering.
“What happened? Are the other people okay?”
This time, at least, I got an answer.
“Except for Kairon, Conrad, and His Highness the Prince, no one was seriously injured. Fortunately.”
“For now, they say His Highness the Prince will be fine after a few days of treatment.”
His Highness the Prince…
That meant Kairon and Conrad were not so fortunate.
Just as the atmosphere was about to grow heavy, Lester’s mouth opened.
“Lady Ravis was a spirit mage! And an advanced one at that! You were unconscious so you couldn’t see, but right when it seemed like it was all over, rain fell only from the sky above the annex!”
Getting increasingly excited as he spoke, Lester enthusiastically described Merlin’s heroic deeds.
‘Advanced, not intermediate?’
Throughout the entire history of the continent, there had been only two advanced spirit mages.
‘Now with Merlin included, would that make three?’
The third in history.
Her very existence was a miracle.
“Merlin really is amazing!”
I wanted to run to her right away and praise her for being so cool.
However, I restrained myself from stirring and asked instead.
There was something I needed to know first.
“Why did the fire start?”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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