Limited Extra Time - Chapter 186

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

—— Page 1 ——

A Doomed Extra’s Time

A Long Romance Fantasy Novel by Ja Eun-hyang

A Doomed Extra’s Time

Special Side Story 11

I never imagined such a thing could happen.

If it were true, then why did the version of myself in that dream have to die so unjustly, so emptily?

“What method is there?”

“I cannot tell you immediately, but I shall reveal it gradually. You see, I wish for you to become my companion.”

The arrogant man spoke words utterly without foundation.

Carina Leopold lost her voice,

and could only let out a hollow, foolish laugh.

I had wondered if there was some grand reason for being dragged this far, but there was none—I didn’t even want to engage with him.

“…I’ve just lost even my final reason to engage with you, so please send me back.”

I even felt foolish for being angry over something so trivial and worthless.

“‘Sha’ means king, doesn’t it? If you’re truly a king and care for your nation,

—— Page 2 ——

then you shouldn’t place someone like me on the throne as queen.”

“Why not? Carina Leopold, you were confined within the Empire and wouldn’t understand, but we are different from others. We have a duty to produce heirs. Do you understand?”

“No.”

Carina Leopold answered flatly, not even turning her head—a gesture that made it clear she had no desire to continue the conversation. Karsan Erha watched her back of her head as she gazed out the window and let out a heavy sigh.

Karsan Erha let out a deep sigh as he watched the back of his head.

“You have no idea how extraordinary and magnificent you are, what a remarkable Achievement we could leave behind together.”

“How many times must I say I’m not interested before those ears of yours actually listen to me?”

I wanted to paint a picture right then and there to create a door leading directly to Millaiyen Pestellio.

I had promised not to use my ability, but what good would it do to hold back now, in such a dangerous situation?

Fortunately, the miracle she wielded could manifest with nothing more than a pen and paper.

‘It’s rather amusing—cursing my ability like that, yet relying on it in moments like these.’

Yet Carina Leopold acknowledged her own weakness. Without formidable martial prowess or exceptional intellect, there was nothing she could do about it.

“Only those of us who are chosen can work together to produce something greater for future generations. If you look at this nation, I’m certain you’ll come to appreciate it.”

“….”

“For now, rest. The effects of the medicine haven’t fully worn off yet, so we’ll have dinner in the evening. I’ve arranged for some light refreshments to be sent.”

She kept her lips firmly sealed, offering no response.

She could not fathom what he saw in her that made him cling so desperately.

—— Page 3 ——

Was it truly just that one moment—a single butterfly being created—that he coveted so intensely?

“And Carina, why don’t you choose someone from among these attendants? They’ll be here to serve you from now on.”

“I don’t need anyone. Let me go.”

“Hmm…. You’re surprisingly stubborn.

But I happen to be quite stubborn myself.”

Carina Leopold pressed her fingers to her forehead.

There was simply no reasoning with him.

They weren’t playing some game to see who could be more stubborn for longer, yet she couldn’t comprehend how he could treat this situation so lightly—it defied all common sense.

“Then I think it would be best if you and Lan took care of things.”

“Are you even listening to what I’m saying?”

“I’m listening, but you’re not truly hearing me either, so we’re even.”

“How can I possibly agree to a request I cannot fulfill? And besides, I don’t need any attendants or anything like that.”

“And I don’t need the market or anything else.”

Karsan Erha shook his head as if resigned to the situation. At that expression—the one he wore when looking at a disobedient child—it was Carina Leopold who found herself at a loss for words.

When Karsan Erha raised his hand and gestured, two women stepped forward and bowed deeply at the waist.

They were two women dressed in elaborate finery. One had raven-black hair with skin so pale it was striking, while the other possessed sun-kissed skin and eyes the color of amethyst.

Like the other women, they wore garments that revealed their skin and left their waists bare, and with each movement, the thin silk draped around them fluttered like a cape.

Carina Leopold didn’t know where to look and felt her face flush crimson.

“They’re the finest among my guards. Quick-witted and the ones I trust most.”

Carina Leopold parted her lips to respond, but then—

—— Page 4 ——

—she simply gave up on the conversation. The impossibility of reasoning with him was infuriating beyond measure.

“Then rest now.”

“You have so many concubines already, and now you want to take me as another one of your women?”

“They are concubines, not queens—there’s a difference, isn’t there?”

He was simply a man who defied all logic and reason.

She had completely given up on conversing with him after that final response.

“Ah, she creates miracles through her paintings. So make absolutely certain—no pen, no paper, no paint, no brush, nothing that could possibly be used for drawing. Not a single thing.”

“Yes, sir.”

The two women bowed deeply, Carina Leopold’s words entirely disregarded.

‘Millaiyen.’

Carina Leopold sighed, thinking of Millaiyen Pestellio, who must be bewildered by her sudden disappearance.

* * *

“Ugh… hack… hrrgh….”

“I’ll ask once more. Who did you betray, and how did you do it?”

“Gasp… ugh… p-please… hrrgh… save me… I beg you, I beg you. I was wrong… gaaaaahhh!”

The Innkeeper, bleeding profusely from every wound, thrashed about and screamed.

Millaiyen Pestellio stared down at him, his fists clenched. He had never imagined that not only the mercenaries but even the Innkeeper would be bought and paid for.

“Save you? You drove my fiancée to the brink of death, and now you dare beg for your life?”

“N-no… ugh, no… I didn’t… ugh, didn’t kill her….”

With a sickening sound, the Innkeeper convulsed violently on the ground.

—— Page 5 ——

Millaiyen Pestellio watched with cold, expressionless eyes as the Innkeeper writhed helplessly, his hand impaled upon the blade.

“Still haven’t found her?”

Nearly a week had already passed.

The urgent dispatch brought not only the nearby Knights, but also those from the Northern Territory who had ridden without rest, arriving in the afternoon covered in dust from the pit.

The mercenaries who had betrayed their employer were already half-dead in Millaiyen’s hands.

“By combining and tracing the testimony of the employer and the mercenaries, we believe they likely came from the Eastern Desert.”

“…The Eastern Desert?”

From what he knew, hardly anyone lived there.

He had heard that the only inhabitants were nomads living in the desert and one fairly large nation that followed the state religion.

A nation that calls itself an empire, the Katlan Empire.

Katlan had little interaction with other nations, and with the harsh desert terrain, it was a peaceful country that had never been caught up in war.

There was little known information about it, and since Millaiyen had never taken much interest in the place, he possessed no knowledge beyond what was commonly known.

“If it’s the Eastern Desert, it must be the Katlan Empire. Were you thinking of that nation as well?”

“…Periel Kalos.”

“Ugh, the stench is foul—perhaps you could clean up a bit while you work. You’re quite untidy yourself.”

He entered the ruined Inn with leisurely ease as he spoke.

Periel Kalos had arrived here this morning after receiving the dispatch and riding swiftly through the day, driven by curiosity.

“If it bothers you, then leave.”

“I’ve heard of the Katlan Empire before.”

“I’ve at least heard the name myself.”

—— Page 6 ——

Millaiyen, his pride wounded, let out a sigh and left the Inn with his sword still planted in the ground. The fact that Periel Kalos had come all this way meant he surely had something to say.

“The Katlan Empire is known to have little beyond the desert, but it’s surprisingly famous in the arts. Particularly renowned for sculpture, in fact.”

“…Art? Sculpture?”

“That’s right. Throughout the generations, the emperors of the Katlan Empire, known as ‘Sha,’ have been exceptional artists and miracle workers alike.”

At Periel Kalos’s words, Millaiyen, who had been reaching for a cigar, froze mid-motion. His expression darkened. The words he’d just heard suddenly came flooding back to him.

“I-I don’t know. I just… wanted to have a conversation with that w-woman, so I asked… *choke*… g-gaaaah!

I-I just asked for a little help… *sob, sob*! I just said I fell for her at first sight…!”

The Innkeeper, speaking desperately, didn’t seem to be lying. But falling for Carina Leopold at first sight? And she was a foreigner at that? Something about his story didn’t quite add up. ‘Of course, she’s cute enough that it’s possible, but…’

It was rare for someone to resort to kidnapping for such a trivial reason. However, if the Innkeeper had recognized Carina’s talent as an artist, the possibility existed. In fact, she had mentioned being caught performing miracles by someone recently, and she disappeared a day later. The timing was remarkably suspicious.

“The Katlan Empire….”

He lightly bit the end of his cigar.

—— Page 7 ——

He hadn’t anticipated that a foreign nation would be involved, and the realization gave him a headache.

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