Limited Extra Time - Chapter 129

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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 ——

Your Excellency, there’s another corpse over here.

…Someone’s been ransacking the nest.

The stench of blood and gore permeated the air in all directions.

It had happened mere days after Millaiyen Pestellio left the Forbidden Forest. The torn and mangled corpses of Magical Beasts lay

scattered throughout the forest.

Not a single body remained intact—each one had been eviscerated.

A desolate and eerie atmosphere enveloped the entire forest in an uncanny silence, like the calm before a storm.

“This is unprecedented. I believe we should retreat for now. Shall we reorganize the Subjugation Force and close the Checkpoint?”

—— Page 2 ——

“It’s Herta, the alpha. That beast is the one ransacking everything. We’ll need to capture it for next year’s sake.”

At Goreden’s words, Millaiyen Pestellio exhaled a short sigh.

The situation seemed to be spiraling. Part of me wondered if I shouldn’t have gone back then, even if it meant pushing myself. Yet I harbored no real regret over my choice.

‘If I hadn’t gone, I would have regretted it far more.’

Thanks to that, I was able to eliminate that leech right before my eyes.

Now that I’ve dealt with the most irritating obstacle, all that remains is finding a way to save her.

“Let’s venture a bit deeper.”

The moment Millaiyen Pestellio twisted his body to move further inward, a chilling killing intent washed over him entirely.

Goreden reflexively drew his sword.

“…You came in person.”

Millaiyen slowly drew his sword, releasing an even more sinister killing intent.

The creature before him could no longer be called a simple Magical Beast.

How could it be a Magical Beast when it locked onto targets and radiated such a chilling murderous aura?

“Has it grown larger, or is that just my imagination?”

“It has grown. And it appears to have been consuming the other Magical Beasts.”

“It didn’t eat the Magical Beasts themselves. It ate what was inside them.”

Among the scattered entrails, only one organ was missing—the heart. It had devoured Haron. In this brief span, it had chewed and swallowed countless Magical Beasts.

It is. While devouring countless Magical Beasts in this short span of time.

Saliva dripped from its maw as it bared its teeth.

Its armor had turned an even darker black, and its expression—utterly vacant—looked far from normal.

And that wasn’t all. Behind the lead Herta, another pack of Hertas emerged from the shadows.

Carina’s Herta, which had been patrolling the perimeter, thundered forward and took its place beside Millaiyen.

—— Page 3 ——

I stood next to Ryan.

The eyes of the baring-teethed Herta gleamed.

The alpha Herta and Carina’s Herta stamped the ground simultaneously. Both creatures, teeth clenched, drove their horns together.

As the two massive beasts collided, a deafening boom erupted. The impact sent a shockwave rippling outward.

Millaiyen and Goreden narrowed their eyes.

At a cry that sounded almost like a scream, Millaiyen urgently drew his sword and rushed in.

As expected, Carina’s Herta lay pinned to the ground. Flipped onto its back, its stubby legs thrashing uselessly in the air, Millaiyen’s brow furrowed.

He drove his sword directly into the alpha Herta’s eyes.

The alpha Herta, unable to anticipate such a move, shrieked in agony and staggered backward. Carina’s Herta swiftly seized the opening and charged forward.

“Keep the others at bay.”

“Grrrowl.”

Herta released a low, contemptuous growl before launching into a relentless slaughter of the other Herta, each impact thunderous and devastating.

The alpha Herta rose again, blood dripping steadily from its wounded eye.

The exchange intensified. The seasoned alpha Herta, having learned from its first mistake, would not grant a second opening. It was an infuriatingly formidable opponent.

Clang—! Screech—!

Horn and blade collided, locking together in a desperate struggle.

Millaiyen Pestellio gritted his teeth, holding his ground. He aimed for the creature’s other eye,

—— Page 4 ——

but the opening never came easily.

The alpha Herta’s teeth gleamed wickedly.

A strange, almost gleeful smile formed—and in that instant, an opening appeared. Millaiyen raised his blade high, about to drive it into the creature’s remaining eye when—

Your Grace, be careful!

Goreden’s voice rang out as the world inverted. Millaiyen twisted his blade, teeth clenched.

Your Grace!

What greeted him was a world awash in crimson.

Carina, what are you doing?

Well, I wanted to paint something in that aurora I sketched before, and also something in the End of Winter.

The sudden voice didn’t startle Carina much. Periel and the others often dropped by unannounced like this, ostensibly to check on her progress.

“Is that… a dragon?”

Periel asked in an astonished voice.

Though rendered only in uncolored lines, a massive form seemed ready to leap from the canvas at any moment, displaying its grandeur within the frame.

Carina’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she offered a faint smile.

“Where did you research dragons?”

“Oh, no… I just had a feeling it would look like this.”

The pristine white dragon, still uncolored, bore numerous scars both large and small, as if worn by countless ages.

Rather than the beautiful and majestic impression found in legends and folklore, it resembled an ancient, gnarled tree.

A being standing firm, its entire form bearing the weathering of countless years. Periel smiled gently

—— Page 5 ——

and nodded.

She excelled at imagining through her body rather than her eyes, conjuring visions in her mind.

Her imagination was the inexhaustible wellspring of her creative work. Like sturdy roots, it sustained her hand, never allowing it to cease.

“Where did you get such a feeling?”

“When I went to the End of Winter with Millaiyen Pestellio, there was another Mountain Range crossing through the dense Mountain Range that somehow… felt grand, like a massive dragon.”

“I see. So you’re selling this piece as well? If you are, I’d really like to purchase it.”

“No, there’s someone I need to give this to. It’s just that…”

Carina Leopold trailed off, fidgeting with the pencil in her hand.

I somehow couldn’t concentrate well today. Periel Kalos wouldn’t know, but there’s barely any change from what I painted yesterday.

“But?”

“Strangely, I can’t seem to focus on the painting today. It’s been five days since Millaiyen left, and I wanted to finish it before he returns.”

I exhaled deeply.

I’d tried grasping the brush several times, but no color that satisfied me came to mind.

As a result, my hand wouldn’t move easily. Since I began painting, I’d never felt this way before.

“Then I’m afraid you’re too late.”

“Too late?”

“I overheard earlier that Millaiyen arrived at the Territory riding Herta. He seemed quite busy.”

“Ah… truly?”

I asked back, my eyes brimming with disappointment.

Periel Kalos nodded while leaning against the wall. Even if I started now, completion would be impossible.

“He was faster than expected.”

—— Page 6 ——

“Being Millaiyen, he might have defeated the Magical Beast through brute force again.”

It was a story too plausible to deny.

I laughed awkwardly without responding and quickly turned my head away. Then I promptly set down my brush and rose from my seat.

“Are you going to greet him?”

“Yes, I think the painting will be completed quickly once I see Millaiyen.”

“So Millaiyen will be the owner of this masterpiece.”

At Periel Kalos’s words, I couldn’t respond, my face flushed. Watching me, Periel Kalos turned his gaze to the dragon filling two canvases.

“What a shame. I would have liked to have one as well.”

Periel Kalos spoke while keeping his gaze fixed on the canvas.

A gentle spring breeze drifted through the partially open window, stirring his long hair.

Carina Leopold glanced at Periel Kalos and smiled faintly.

“You have one too. I haven’t painted it yet because I wanted to give Millaiyen Pestellio’s gift quickly.”

“I have one as well?”

“Yes, so don’t make such a disappointed face.”

At Carina Leopold’s words, Periel Kalos’s eyes widened in surprise. He soon softened his lips and smiled. Carina Leopold nodded along with him.

“Go down quickly and wait for Millaiyen Pestellio.”

“…You’re cruel, asking me to greet that fellow, Carina Leopold.”

Yet as Periel Kalos obediently left the Studio, she stifled her laughter.

They despised each other greatly, yet they knew each other better than anyone else.

Leaving the Studio, Carina Leopold grasped the staircase railing as she carefully descended to the lower floor.

—— Page 7 ——

“Physician, call Winston the Physician!”

“Bring warm water and towels and take him to the first-floor room!”

Since Carina Leopold’s Studio was at the very top of Leopold Manor, the voices she heard were quite faint, but she could tell the lower floors were in chaos.

Carina Leopold furrowed her brow and stopped walking.

The two of them exchanged startled glances before hurrying down the staircase as if running.

“The Duke…!”

The commotion continued all the way down the staircase.

Periel Kalos descended two steps at a time with long strides, arriving at the Entrance Hall before Carina Leopold.

“What on earth is happening?”

Periel Kalos asked urgently as he stepped onto the final stair.

Peng, who stood at the front commanding the chaos, bowed his head with a bewildered expression. Instead of answering, he stepped aside slightly to clear Periel Kalos’s view.

“…Good heavens.”

Periel Kalos’s eyes widened.

Before Peng stood Goreden, covered in wounds, and beside him lay Millaiyen Pestellio, gasping heavily as if he had lost considerable blood.

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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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