Limited Extra Time - Chapter 156

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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 ——

At the soft rustle of fabric from behind, she turned her head with keen awareness. The child’s heterochromatic eyes gazed intently at Carina Leopold.

“Seren, you’re awake?”

“Ma…”

The child whimpered, flailing small arms through the air. At this signal for an embrace, Carina Leopold rose immediately from her seat.

As Carina Leopold carefully lifted Seren into her arms, the child nestled snugly against her.

“Serenus’s eyes appear to be an exact replica of yours, Lady Carina Leopold.”

“…Yes, I hear that quite often.”

“Are you aware of the renowned painter who has been causing quite a stir in the Capital recently?”

At Kalan’s words, Carina Leopold tilted her head. As she gently rocked the child and patted his back, the whimpering ceased almost immediately.

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No matter how I looked at it, Seren seemed somewhat more mature than other children his age.

“A painter? What sort of painter?”

“A painter by the name of ‘Carina,’ it is said.”

…

Carina Leopold stiffened visibly, and Kalan broke into a bright smile, his usual gentle expression blooming across his face.

Carina Leopold’s gaze dipped briefly before rising again.

“Yes, is there some problem with that painter?”

“Not at all. It simply happens that sitting in this position, one hears all manner of rumors.”

“What sort of rumors?”

“There are rumors about a painter named Carina Leopold suffering from artistic fever, or that she’s currently in the Capital… that sort of thing.”

Carina Leopold regarded Kalan with a quiet gaze.

It wasn’t a look of hostility—merely curiosity, which I understood well enough. After all, I had chosen to use the same name without a pseudonym in the first place, thoughtlessly as it was.

“Is that a problem?”

“Not at all. I’m simply a great admirer of that painter. I even participated in an auction and won one of her works.”

“Ah…”

I lowered the hand I had raised, worried I might say something unnecessary. But it seemed that wasn’t the case.

She rolled her eyes playfully.

“If my suspicion is correct, might I ask for your signature?”

“…”

Kalan spoke with a somewhat bashful smile. He too seemed quite embarrassed to be making such a request.

And facing that expression, I felt a touch of embarrassment myself.

“Your paintings, Carina Leopold, are blessed by the divine. They were beautiful. The miracles that unfolded from the tip of your brush must have been far more beautiful still

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.”

Kalan rose from his seat and carefully retrieved the canvas from its frame.

The fact that he kept it in a glass case to prevent any scratches or fading made it clear how much he truly cherished the painting.

Feeling a wave of embarrassment, I scratched my cheek.

It made sense—the painting Kalan had brought was one from my early works, created when I was still suffering from artistic fever.

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone treasure a painting I sold like this.”

“I’d like to display it somewhere, but honestly, I’m afraid something might go wrong. A painting like this will never be born again.”

Carina Leopold lifted her head in surprise, and Kalan smiled silently in response.

He carefully removed the canvas from the glass case, his movements deliberate and tender.

“However, I think it would be better to display it rather than keep it in a glass case. That way, you can truly appreciate the painting’s original beauty.”

Even if the colors faded slightly over time, that would possess its own distinct beauty.

I couldn’t say I’d calculated everything, but I certainly possessed confidence that it would be so.

“I see. I’ll keep that in mind. So, will you sign it?”

“If Kalan permits it.”

“It would be an honor.”

Carina Leopold took the pen he offered and signed the bottom of the canvas with a modest signature.

Kalan gazed at it with a noticeably brightened expression.

“Now that I think about it, you never left a mark on your paintings before.”

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“Ah, I had considered it, but… it felt like it would ruin the painting.”

So I deliberately refrained from doing so.

I wanted the viewer to enjoy the painting in its entirety, without the artist suddenly intruding upon that moment.

“Then I must be your sole patron to receive your signature.”

“It appears so.”

Carina Leopold nodded with a faint smile playing at her lips.

Kalan, as if following her words, placed the painting on an empty chair rather than returning it to the glass case, then seated himself across from her once more.

“That painting contains tremendous divine power.”

“…Divine power?”

“Isn’t the miracle of art itself a blessing bestowed by the divine? I’ve witnessed many miracles, but truthfully, this is the first time I’ve encountered an object imbued with such divine power.”

I painted until the very edge of my limits, then set down my brush. If divine power were truly woven into each brushstroke, his words would ring true. It would be on the verge of shattering.

“And I can also perceive the divine power that envelops Serenus.”

“…I suppose so.”

Seren was truly a special existence. Born from the harmonious convergence of magical and divine power.

Because of that, I had inherited even the Dragon’s sensitivity, but I was grateful that things seemed considerably more peaceful now.

“You are a beloved person.”

“…Thank you.”

Kalan’s gaze was filled with something akin to reverence as he looked at Seren. It was curious how Seren appeared through his eyes.

“Since Seren has awakened, I should take my leave as well.”

“Yes, may blessings always abound for you and Carina Leopold.”

—— Page 5 ——

Kalan reverently brought the tip of his finger, which glowed with soft light, to Seren’s forehead. Seren’s expression brightened instantly, and he laughed merrily while quickly grasping Kalan’s finger.

“Please enter safely, Serenus.”

At Kalan’s farewell, Seren’s eyes widened in surprise. Then he obediently released Kalan’s hand. Carina Leopold watched this remarkable exchange quietly.

“I shall escort you to the entrance.”

“Yes, thank you.”

When Kalan and I reached the Temple Carriage Station, two Knights were waiting. “Please enter safely.” “Yes, see you next time.”

Kalan offered a gentle smile and a slight bow in greeting. As the carriage pulled away, Kalan turned slowly, the warmth lingering in his palm remarkably pleasant.

“Cardinal Kalan Dium, if your audience has concluded, might I impose upon you to attend to the accumulated matters?”

“Of course.”

Cardinal Kalan Dium nodded with an expression of evident satisfaction. The Senior Priest assisting him found his expression subtly shifting.

“You appear to be in excellent spirits. Is it because of Serenus, or perhaps Carina Leopold?”

“Both. I never cease to admire Serenus’s perceptiveness, but Carina Leopold carries something equally intriguing about her.”

She had seemingly suppressed her divine power and deferred death itself. I was curious about the source of such a thing, though formulating several hypotheses proved effortless. It was likely a force closer to magical energy—something antithetical to divine power.

“Should Serenus enter the Temple

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it would be most welcome.”

“That is unlikely to occur. Duke Pestellio does not forgive those who reach for what is his—not even the Imperial Court itself.”

As the child grew, she would harbor ever greater power. Eventually, his assistance would become inevitable. There was no need to rush.

The magical energy rooted within the child’s body merely suppressed the vast divine power contained within—nothing more.

Once a week, Kalan Dium steadily pressed down the divine power threatening to burst forth from the child.

“And I have little desire to incur the displeasure of those two.”

I had no intention of transforming their goodwill into enmity. While ambition was not absent, there existed boundaries—certain things could be touched, others could not.

Duke Pestellio was someone you shouldn’t mess with.

“However, I am somewhat curious about who advised that it would be better to come this way.”

She could not have known by chance. When we first met, Carina Leopold had said the same thing—that the child’s godparent had advised her to come.

I found myself curious about who that person might be.

Kalan Dium’s encounter with Carina Leopold and Serenus stemmed from nothing more than simple curiosity.

The Pestellio Ducal House had made a rather substantial donation, and he’d slipped out under the guise of an ordinary priest simply to satisfy his curiosity about their motives.

Throughout the journey, Serenus had clearly suffered from the ambient noise around him, his expression growing increasingly troubled. Carina Leopold’s face, as she soothed the child, betrayed her helplessness.

Yet the boy seemed remarkably at ease within her embrace.

The noise disturbing the child’s surroundings arose from his own heightened sensitivity.

A side effect of magical power, necessary to endure

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the physical overload caused by divine power.

“Could you not simply investigate them?”

“The Pestellio Ducal House is far too meticulous when it comes to information.

And the Kalos Duchy stands beside them as well.”

If I pried and left any trace, it would become troublesome. It was far simpler to leave untouched what could not be safely handled.

Kalan Dium smiled, recalling the painting he’d acquired today.

The moment he’d laid eyes upon it, he’d fallen utterly captivated.

Immense, concentrated divine power waited within the painting, poised on the verge of eruption, its threads coiled taut.

Its beauty had seized his gaze effortlessly. Though it had cost him considerable coin, he would have regretted it deeply had he not purchased it.

His only sorrow was not witnessing the moment that divine power burst forth.

He could force it to erupt if he wished, yet he harbored no desire to do so. After all, whether that miracle would truly unfold before his eyes remained uncertain.

“However, should others notice the child’s nature, many would grow covetous.”

“He is someone quite extraordinary, after all.”

“Do you have much work to do?”

“If you’re referring to everything you’ve postponed under the guise of receiving visitors since this morning, then yes, quite a bit.”

At that reproachful tone, Kalan Dium shrugged his shoulders. One couldn’t help but feel anticipation, could one?

He hadn’t anticipated that Duke Pestellio’s reclusive nature would be to this extent.

“Now that I think about it, Serenus’s birthday is coming up soon. I should prepare a gift.”

If it could serve as an opportunity to draw out that godfather figure, all the better.

Kalan Dium exhaled a deep sigh and walked into his study.

“And His Holiness the Pope?”

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“He is spending the entire day in prayer.”

“I see. Make sure he doesn’t go without food like last time.”

“Yes.”

The Temple never involved itself in politics. It dared not overstep the Imperial Court’s authority, and both sides maintained their boundaries.

That was precisely why they could maintain their own decision-making power and hold the position of Pope. Perhaps it was simply that all the Popes throughout history found such complications tedious.

Regardless, lacking ambition for power was beneficial in many ways.

“These documents can be handled on this side, and several papers have also come down from the Imperial Court. They appear to be cooperation requests.”

“Cooperation requests?”

“It seems that unsavory elements have been disturbing the Empire recently, so the Imperial Court is requesting that you attend a banquet they will be hosting.”

Kalan Dium’s expression became peculiar.

He raised his hand, which had been reaching for his glasses, to brush back his fallen bangs, then leaned back in his chair.

He exhaled a low sigh.

“Are you referring to that heretic construction project?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not a matter I wish to decide immediately. I’ll postpone that issue for last and handle other matters first.”

“Understood, sir.”

Kalan Dium adjusted his spectacles and picked up the documents nearby. His gaze swiftly traced across the pages.

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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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