Limited Extra Time - Chapter 101

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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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—— Page 1 ——

Since Periel Kalos had spoken thus, he would surely bring back some result.

“Save her.”

“I have no intention of letting Carina Leopold die either. I’ll do my best regardless of what you ask.”

—— Page 2 ——

It was the first time I had fought with him so fiercely.

Even at the Academy, he had always pestered Millaiyen Pestellio. Millaiyen had always pushed him away.

Yet we had never quarreled so intensely before.

“When the Support Unit arrives, we rest today and begin the subjugation from dawn tomorrow.”

“Understood!”

Millaiyen Pestellio turned his body as he heard the response.

Yuri, who had been overseeing the moving Knights,

glanced back at Millaiyen Pestellio.

“Where are you going, sir?”

“To get some air.”

Get some air? What air could one possibly get in the Forbidden Forest where death lurked at every turn?

However, the perceptive Yuri did not press further. He had a rough idea of where Millaiyen Pestellio was headed.

‘He’s going to meet them.’

By the clock, the Support Unit still had

quite some time before arrival.

Yet Millaiyen moved.

Remaining still felt as though anxiety would consume him entirely.

‘Will she arrive safely?’

Millaiyen, who had never known fear in his entire life, had to forcibly suppress the turmoil rising in his chest.

It was an unpleasant sensation.

***

“Grrr—.”

Herta shook her body with visible frustration.

The carriage moved far too slowly, and the procession of soldiers crawled at a snail’s pace. With so many people, the formation itself stretched endlessly and tediously.

“Frustrated?”

“Grung!”

—— Page 3 ——

Herta shook her head, her growl conveying utter exasperation.

Carina Leopold laughed and carefully peered downward. Below, Goreden moved astride his horse.

“Goreden!”

At Carina Leopold’s call, Goreden immediately lifted his gaze. Despite her voice being far from loud, he responded without hesitation.

The moment Carina Leopold opened her mouth, Goreden leaped from his horse.

“Oh?”

Then she kicked off the ground and stepped on Herta’s protruding carapace. And she immediately leaped her body once more.

At the unfamiliar weight of his footsteps upon her shell, Herta released a low rumble.

It was a threatening voice, but for some reason, I found it rather dissatisfying.

Something landed heavily upon Herta’s carapace.

So forcefully that even Herta’s massive frame seemed to shudder slightly.

“…Wow.”

“Kwaaaaagh-!”

Herta thrashed about, expressing displeasure. The violent roar sent tremors through the area below.

Boom, boom-!

Herta stamped the ground harshly twice. The earth resonated with a tremendous sound.

“Gaaaah!”

“What’s wrong with it, why is it like this?!”

“Wait, Herta!”

I reached out and stroked Herta’s head.

As I soothed it with a gentle voice, Herta lowered its foot with a sullen expression.

Though it did not set it down willingly.

After calming Herta, I stood calmly amid the chaos,

—— Page 4 ——

gazing at Goreden.

The image of him launching skyward with a powerful thrust from the ground remained vivid in my mind.

What an extraordinary person.

As I blinked, Goreden lowered his posture slightly.

“Did you call for me?”

“Oh, it’s nothing much. Herta seems restless, so I was wondering if it would be alright to go ahead first.”

“…Go ahead?”

Goreden’s brow furrowed.

Carina gazed up at him quietly, her brow creased with apparent difficulty. Her eyes moved softly as she considered.

“It will be safe with Herta.”

Goreden turned his head, shifting his gaze toward the destination.

At the speed Herta had displayed earlier, the journey would take only thirty or forty minutes. For those traveling on foot, however, it would easily exceed three or four hours.

‘A horse lacks the speed to keep pace.’

Besides, no horse could run without rest as Herta did.

Asking someone to accompany her was unreasonable. Goreden himself could ride along with her, but he was the commander of the Support Unit.

“Do you think she’ll rampage if left as is?”

“No, I think she’ll refrain if told not to….”

The fear of those below was palpable.

Goreden deliberated briefly. Sending her posed no significant problem.

Given Herta’s speed and ferocity, the likelihood of danger on the journey was extremely low.

‘There are no bandits in this area.’

Magical beasts rarely ventured beyond the forest. And the forest’s entrance would likely be guarded by the Advance Party.

—— Page 5 ——

Goreden, having weighed his thoughts, nodded gravely.

“However, I must ask that you promise to keep moving without stopping.”

“Without stopping?”

“What I mean is, even if you encounter some trouble along the way or spot a lost child, you must pass by without looking back.”

He spoke with perfect composure.

I understood his concern well enough and let out a low laugh.

A flicker of confusion crossed Goreden’s face before vanishing. I nodded in acknowledgment.

“I understand. I’ll keep moving without stopping, so promise me you’ll help anyone like that if you see them.”

“I will.”

“Good. Then I’ll trust in you and keep going without pause.”

“Understood. I’ve conducted several tests with Herta and discovered her sense of smell is quite keen. I should have no difficulty tracking them down.”

I nodded at Goreden’s words.

It seemed they were getting along better than expected—when had he even conducted such training? Seeing my response, Goreden leaped down from Herta’s back.

“Herta.”

“Growl.”

“Take us to where Millaiyen is.”

“Snort!”

Herta exhaled sharply through her nostrils and began quickening her pace.

Soon I lowered my body as far as possible to reduce air resistance, nestling between the ridges of Herta’s carapace, and she surged forward at full speed.

— Hmph. Weak, human.

At the low, grating voice that scraped like metal against my ears, I blinked.

Did this creature just call me weak?

I wanted to say something in response, but the speed—

—— Page 6 ——

Herta was moving so fast that I could barely cling to her back.

At least with her neck held high, there was almost no air resistance. As Herta galloped swiftly, I laughed. The cool wind felt wonderfully refreshing.

“Kwaaaaaang—!”

Herta cried out loudly. Her voice, like a roar, thundered through the surrounding area.

How long had we been running?

Hidden behind Herta’s carapace, I couldn’t see the scenery

properly, so the thrill began to fade.

Feeling Herta’s pace gradually slowing, I craned my neck to peer over her head.

Someone was leaning against a tree.

“…Millaiyen?”

As I murmured softly, the figure by the tree turned his head toward us.

“Carina!”

“Millaiyen, what are you doing out here?”

Before Herta could even lower herself, Millaiyen eagerly stretched out both arms.

He had told her to travel comfortably in the carriage with the Support Unit, so why was she dismounting from Herta’s back?

Millaiyen reached out his hands, his worry evident on his face.

Herta lowered herself slightly. Millaiyen grunted as he caught my waist as I descended, pulling me directly into his embrace—

and pulled her into an embrace.

“I told you to behave, yet you couldn’t resist…”

“Herta wanted to run.”

Carina Leopold mumbled her response, avoiding Millaiyen Pestellio’s narrowed gaze. Herta’s body was already covered in sand and dust.

“And it was so much fun, so it’s fine. I wonder if horses feel this way when they ride alone?”

Wind swept down from the Forbidden Forest, tousling Carina Leopold’s hair.

—— Page 7 ——

“I want to try it someday.”

Carina Leopold murmured softly, brushing her flowing hair back over her shoulder. Millaiyen Pestellio’s eyes widened.

He clenched his fist and removed his upper garment, draping it across her shoulders.

“Ah, it’s fine. This dress is quite warm too.”

“Still, the winter wind is cold.”

“Well, truly it’s fine. I had no problems when riding with Herta.”

Fortunately, there had been no episodes, and Herta’s body had shielded her from the wind, so she suffered no discomfort.

The only regret was that the surrounding scenery passed by far too quickly.

“And if you’re willing, I’ll teach you how to ride whenever we have time.”

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

At Millaiyen Pestellio’s words, Carina Leopold broke into a radiant smile.

She was truly a simple person. She found joy in things that would bring no happiness to others. Knowing that this moment would not come again…

That is why Carina Leopold rejoices in all things and welcomes them with open arms.

Millaiyen Pestellio, feigning ignorance of his racing heart, mirrored her smile with a clouded expression.

“That’s unexpected.”

“What is?”

“I thought you’d refuse outright. But I’m glad you didn’t. It was one of the items on my bucket list.”

Millaiyen Pestellio’s brow furrowed at her words.

A bucket list? What manner of inventory was that? Seeing his bewildered expression, Carina Leopold clapped her hands together.

“Ah, a bucket list is… something that became fashionable in the Capital before I departed.”

“Is that so? I’ve never heard the term before.”

—— Page 8 ——

“Yeah.”

“Well… everyone dies eventually, don’t they?”

Thump.

In that instant, his heart plummeted.

Millaiyen Pestellio hastily lowered his gaze to the ground beneath his feet, yet all he found was earth.

There was no heart pounding frantically within his chest, no blood running crimson and cold.

“…”

“But since we don’t know when we’ll die, the idea is to live doing what we want to do while we’re alive. Actually, it was more of a trend among commoners than among the Nobility.”

The lives of commoners were like candles before the wind.

Disturbing the Nobility’s mood often resulted in losing one’s head or being punished for the crime of insulting the Nobility.

Oppressed by rank, struggling through each day, crushed beneath the weight of poverty.

Even if one labored their entire life, a single misstep before the nobility meant swift ruin.

The Southern Territory was particularly prosperous, and its nobility carried themselves with insufferable pride. They rarely forgave even the smallest mistakes.

That was when bucket lists began to gain popularity, or so I had heard by chance.

“I decided to try it myself. That list of things I wanted to do—that’s what it was.”

“What else is there?”

“Pardon?”

“This bucket list thing—besides riding a horse alone, what else is on it?”

“Well…”

I fell silent.

Most of it had nothing to do with Millaiyen Pestellio. Part of me wanted to make myself known, and I desired to humble my family’s arrogance.

Landscapes I wished to paint before death

—— Page 9 ——

filled my heart abundantly.

Yet the things I most desired to accomplish were largely connected to Millaiyen Pestellio.

To sleep in the same bed with him…

…Though I had unexpectedly achieved that recently.

To hold his hand, to kiss him…

‘…I’ve accomplished all of these without even realizing it.’

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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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