Limited Extra Time - Chapter 158

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

—— Page 1 ——

At his words, Carina Leopold fell silent, completely at a loss for what to say.

Of course, she had kept the matter concerning the Dragon entirely secret, so she supposed rumors spreading here and there were inevitable, but….

“Soon enough, that god’s wrath will spread gradually from the Northern Territory, and it’s said that even Duke Pestellio, the gatekeeper of the North, could not escape the hammer of that divine fury.”

“…Pardon?”

Millaiyen’s voice carried a hollow laugh as well. Naturally, Carina Leopold, hearing this secondhand, was equally flabbergasted.

When Millaiyen first heard such rumors, he had dismissed them as trivial—so much so that he hadn’t even managed a bitter laugh before ordering them suppressed.

Yet in less than a month, this absurd rumor had resurfaced, seeping into far more minds than expected and swelling in magnitude.

Perhaps the Imperial Palace had likewise

—— Page 2 ——

dismissed it lightly.

“And to protect the world from that god, ‘Salutaris’ is said to have descended. They came to drive away all manner of disease and evil that plague the world.”

“No, there are actually people who believe such nonsense?”

It was the sort of thing that made one scoff merely hearing it. From the start, it was far too flimsy to believe.

Moreover, the god’s name was arrogant beyond measure. They had simply appropriated the ancient word for ‘Savior’ wholesale.

“Quite a following has formed, in fact. Suspicious movements have been detected even in the Capital, which stands under the Emperor’s protection.”

“There must be a reason for it.”

“Remarkably, a plague unlike anything seen before emerged at precisely the right moment, and the followers of ‘Salutaris’ traveled from village to village, curing the disease in an instant.”

At Millaiyen’s irritation-laden voice, Carina Leopold laughed bitterly.

She sat Seren upon her lap and stroked his back as Millaiyen exhaled a long sigh and buried his forehead against her shoulder.

I had only just arrived in the Capital when my workload suddenly multiplied, leaving me with a throbbing headache from all directions.

The Imperial Court was desperate to put the Duke, who had ascended after so long, to work, and Millaiyen had to process Northern Territory affairs from this very position.

As a result, the time I spent with her diminished proportionally.

This irritated Millaiyen greatly.

Yet at precisely that moment, an even more vexing group of fools began to grate against my nerves.

‘I want to kill them all.’

The Emperor, the Heretic Sect, the nobles who crossed me—I wanted to cut them all down.

Then, in that quieted world, I could spend time with those I love and her, until our days ran out….

—— Page 3 ——

“Millaiyen, are you alright?”

At the tender voice brushing against my ear, I lowered my head and pressed my lips to her nape.

Burying my face against her shoulder and drawing a deep breath, the surging emotions gradually subsided.

‘We have grown somewhat distant lately.’

I hadn’t gone on any Subjugations or hunted Magical Beasts.

Yet I couldn’t spend nights with her either, so I felt the accumulation of tension in many ways.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

If only a suitable target would present itself.

My crimson eyes gleamed dangerously. As I blinked once, the murderous intent that had been rippling through me vanished without a trace.

I lifted my lowered head, pressing my lips to her cheek.

“…Did something happen? You must have been through so much. I’m sorry—I wish I had listened to you properly.”

“Not at all. You rarely venture beyond Leopold Manor anyway. And I’d rather not burden you with such worries.”

In fact, it was Millaiyen himself who had been desperately shielding her eyes and ears, ensuring that such useless information never reached her.

If she knew nothing, that would be a blessing.

Had it not been for the Emperor’s coercive command, he would never have revealed such information to her.

There would have been nothing to confess.

That was precisely why he found this situation so distasteful.

“Still, the fact that this absurd follower has grown in numbers is somewhat… The fact that I didn’t know means the disease hasn’t spread to the Capital, doesn’t it?”

“True. But they say that man can cure any illness with a mere touch. There are those who have witnessed it firsthand.”

“Ah…”

—— Page 4 ——

“Humans always crave life. When it comes to matters of survival, people become far too fragile and weak.”

At his words, a smile briefly graced Carina’s lips before fading—a smile so sorrowful it was almost unbearable. Watching her melancholy expression, he spoke again.

“If he truly could cure even incurable diseases…”

Millaiyen drew a slow breath.

‘I would be the first to become his follower.’

Swallowing the thought, he silently pressed his lips to hers once more. It was something that could not be spoken, something that must never be spoken.

Both of them knew what would come next, yet neither spoke it aloud.

“But why are you summoning the nobility at all?”

“It seems to be a warning. Apparently, followers have emerged even within the nobility.”

“Within the nobility…? That’s quite serious.”

“The power to save lives is truly remarkable. It’s almost surprising that Periel Kalos didn’t succumb to greed despite possessing such a gift.”

Millaiyen Pestellio rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb as if exhausted, having said that much.

Then he quickly lifted Seren from her arms, pressed a kiss to the child’s forehead, and laid the boy down on his personal bed.

“Sleep well, Seren.”

“Papa!”

The child, apparently exhausted, waved his small hands through the air a few times before quietly closing his eyes without a whimper.

As if he understood Millaiyen Pestellio’s words.

“That’s the end of the story.”

Millaiyen Pestellio pulled Carina Leopold into his embrace and quickly lay down beside her. As his body naturally tilted toward hers, she burst into laughter.

“Don’t stay long at the banquet. Just go, keep a low profile, and come back after an hour. I’ll assign Goreden as your escort.”

—— Page 5 ——

“Goreden as well?” Millaiyen Pestellio gazed at Carina Leopold without speaking. Though silent, his gaze carried a hint of reproach, and Carina Leopold quickly nodded in agreement.

“Understood. But… is Millaiyen perhaps in a difficult situation? Are they using Millaiyen as leverage…?”

“If there’s a problem, Periel Kalos will help as well, so it’s fine.”

Except for the fact that the nobility, like hyenas sensing an opportunity from the Northern Territory’s rare misstep, were swarming in to tear at the wound.

But he deliberately chose not to tell her this.

He didn’t want to burden her with unnecessary worry, and besides, those who sought to abandon him would fall away easily enough.

“Somehow my mood doesn’t feel quite right.”

“Don’t worry. I will protect you. The same goes for Seren. Nothing will happen to either of you.”

At Millaiyen Pestellio’s words, Carina Leopold nodded while nestled in his embrace. Since giving her heart to him, she had never once doubted his word.

Yet no matter how he tried, an inexplicable unease continued to cling to him like a shadow he couldn’t shake.

“Still, be careful.”

“Of course.”

“Sleep well, Millaiyen.”

“You as well.”

At Millaiyen’s soft voice, Carina Leopold slowly closed her eyes. Surrounded by the familiar warmth of his presence beside her, she gradually drifted into slumber.

“…Carina Leopold and Serenus, you say?”

“Yes, it appears they will be attending the Imperial Palace banquet this time.”

“Why so suddenly…”

—— Page 6 ——

Kalan Dium’s brow furrowed as he questioned the familiar name nestled within the report, his gaze fixed upon the Senior Priest.

The Senior Priest’s lips parted once more.

“The Imperial Court has issued a summons to all nobility currently in the Capital. It appears the matter concerning the Heretic Sect is far more grave than initially thought.”

“…So that’s why Carina Leopold and Serenus as well.”

He exhaled a low sigh.

If this so-called ‘new god’ were truly nothing more than a fraudster devoid of divine power, that would be fortunate.

But if that were not the case, matters would become considerably troublesome.

Both Carina Leopold and Serenus possessed formidable divine power from birth—they were precisely the sort who would make ideal targets for the Heretic Sect should they draw unwanted attention.

Thus, Duke Pestellio had even stationed unseen guards at her side.

Kalan Dium removed the spectacles he wore and sank deeper into his chair.

“Send word to the Imperial Palace that we accept their request for cooperation.”

“Yes, I shall convey that at once.”

“And bring me the documents we’ve compiled regarding the Heretic Sect matter.”

“Understood!”

As the Senior Priest departed, Kalan Dium’s expression twisted with irritation.

They treated him as a thorn in their side under ordinary circumstances, yet sought him out whenever it suited their purposes—a hypocrisy that grated on his nerves.

“The Imperial Court and all their machinations truly vex me.”

Had it not been for Carina Leopold and Serenus, I would have sent a refusal to the Imperial Palace after a suitable interval.

Their duplicity was precisely what I despised most.

“The real challenge lies in how to draw out the Pope.”

—— Page 7 ——

Dragging that man—whose very being overflowed with such reluctance that he would sooner die than undertake such duties—all the way to the Banquet Hall was my primary responsibility as Cardinal Kalan Dium.

Upon further reflection, the position of Cardinal was truly nothing but an endless source of tedium.

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