Limited Extra Time - Chapter 187

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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 ——

“What troubles the Katlan Empire, Your Grace?”

“…Winston. It’s nothing of consequence. I apologize for offering you employment only to keep you lingering here.”

Winston shook his head at Millaiyen Pestellio’s words.

The acrid scent of cigars and smoke drifted through the silence surrounding them. Each time Millaiyen drew a deep breath, the flame at the cigar’s tip flickered in rhythm.

“The Katlan Empire—I visited it in my younger days,

wandering aimlessly from place to place.”

There had been a time when I left the Empire. I ascended into the Desert because I wished to torment and exhaust myself in every conceivable way. I wanted to forget my own stupidity beneath the weight of fatigue.

“…Truly?”

“Yes, but that place was extraordinarily hostile to outsiders. I remained there for barely five days, and meaningful conversation was exceedingly rare.”

—— Page 2 ——

“Do you know anything of it?”

Millaiyen asked casually, extinguishing his cigar with a gentle twist.

Winston’s brow furrowed briefly before he nodded. Though not extensive, he had observed and heard things during his stay.

“Not much, but even in that brief time, I could sense it was a most peculiar nation.”

“Peculiar?”

“Yes. The nation itself embraced polygamy as an institution. Both men and women dressed in remarkably light garments, and their worldview differed vastly

from the Empire’s.”

Neither women nor men showed any shame in exposing their bodies, and it was unmistakably clear that men held a superior position to women.

“What was truly distinctive was the populace itself. Most of them were artists.”

Typically, no matter how high the proportion of artists in a nation, not every passerby could possess an artistic temperament.

Yet in that country, it seemed as though everyone savored the arts.

“And it appeared that place was governed by an Emperor named Shah, whose influence was considerable. Everyone worshipped Shah as though he were a god.”

“…It seems to be a nation with formidable royal authority.”

“Yes, and by chance, I heard from a Katlan native whom I had helped using my abilities… it seemed the Katlan Imperial Court permitted marriages between blood relatives.”

“seemed to be.”

Millaiyen Pestellio and Periel Kalos’ eyes widened.

Incest was a crime strictly punished under Imperial law. Since it was a crime that could never be permitted, those who committed incest were sentenced to death.

“They permit incest?”

“Yes, it appeared so. When I asked the reason, they said this to me.”

Winston paused for a moment.

—— Page 3 ——

“An unavoidable sacrifice for the grand cause that Shah envisions.”

“…A sacrifice for Shah’s grand cause?”

It sounded grandiose beyond measure, yet the substance within felt utterly hollow and preposterous.

Periel Kalos let out a scoff of derision. How could such a thing as sacrifice for a grand cause possibly exist in this world?

“Yes, after that I was expelled, so I don’t know the details well.”

“…Damn it.”

He muttered the curse as though grinding it between his teeth.

Unlike the Millaiyen Pestellio I had seen in dreams, raw and unvarnished profanity spilled forth, yet Periel Kalos merely shrugged lightly, as though accustomed to it.

“…So you were thinking the same thing.”

“Absolutely reckless.”

I was at a loss for words, utterly flabbergasted.

Millaiyen Pestellio strode purposefully into the Inn.

“Help me…!”

The stench of blood wafted out from within, thick and unmistakable.

I heard the wet sound of flesh being cleaved several times, and soon after, the Inn fell into an eerie silence devoid of any sign of life.

When night fell, this place would burn quietly to ash. Since the official story was that the Inn was closing due to unforeseen circumstances, if we managed the rumors carefully and contained them, the scandal wouldn’t spiral out of control.

‘How meticulous.’

Then again, reducing the Inn to this state in the first place might be the real problem.

‘Scratch that—meticulous is off the table.’

The way he emerged with a blood-soaked blade in hand suggested he had no intention of covering his tracks anyway.

“The Katlan Empire… I wonder who he dared to lay hands on.”

I had barely managed to extract him from Count Leopold’s Residence, handling him as though he might shatter at any moment, a journey that should have taken a mere two weeks.

—— Page 4 ——

Yet here we were, two months into the journey, and I never imagined something like this would happen.

“Are you leaving?”

“Yes.”

“I’m coming too. I have nothing else to do anyway.”

“You’ll only get in the way.”

“Ha, obstruction? If you’re an obstruction to me, then you’re an obstruction.”

Periel Kalos let out a scoff as he spoke.

One of the Knights, watching the two men lead their horses over and mount them, strode toward Millaiyen Pestellio.

“I shall accompany you as well.”

“Goreden.”

“While a large contingent may be impractical, it would be unwise for only the two of you to venture forth. I would recommend adding two or three more to your party.”

Millaiyen Pestellio furrowed my brow.

It was not an unreasonable suggestion, yet I had to consider whether additional numbers were truly necessary. Moreover, I still needed to maintain adequate forces to defend the Northern Territory.

“Bring only two more. Five will suffice. They must be swift of foot and capable of protecting themselves.”

“Understood.”

Goreden vanished hastily, as though fearful that Millaiyen Pestellio might change his mind.

Winston, observing from beside me, extended an embroidered handkerchief.

“Winston, no matter how fond of me you are, a man departing for war cannot accept from you what he ought to receive from a woman….”

“That is not it.”

Winston cut off Periel Kalos’s nonsense with firm resolve.

“Once you arrive at the Desert and successfully enter the Katlan Empire, burn this handkerchief in fire. It will reveal the location of Miss Carina Leopold to

—— Page 5 ——

you.”

…Could it be.

It was Periel Kalos who immediately brightened at that brief explanation.

Periel Kalos furrowed his brow as he regarded the man, then carefully accepted the handkerchief.

It’s merely a trivial hobby. Perhaps this old man’s time has come, given how turbulent my dreams have been of late. I cannot fathom why the thought of embroidering while thinking of that young lady seized me, though perhaps I sensed this turn of events beforehand.

At Winston’s words, Millaiyen Pestellio’s expression shifted subtly.

He gazed down at Winston in silence for a moment, then nodded.

It was no trivial matter to bring this to light, yet I appreciate your concern. You are to proceed northward with the other Knights. Mention my introduction to Peng, my Head Butler, and he will treat you well.

Understood. Please take care on your journey. The Desert is terribly hot, so I recommend bringing a robe to shield yourself from the sun, along with ample water and dried meat.

Understood. Are there any other precautions?

There are magical beasts in the Desert, so please exercise caution.

Amusing. Such creatures hardly qualify as obstacles for me.

Millaiyen Pestellio and Periel Kalos departed swiftly alongside Goreden and two Knights who had returned.

…What a remarkable young lady.

I cannot comprehend why her presence wrenches at one’s heart each time I see her.

Whether when she first arrived and nodded composedly, or when I gazed quietly into those piercing blue eyes—she is a person who tears at the heart.

I hope matters resolve favorably.

His soft voice drifted away on the wind.

—— Page 6 ——

A fortnight had passed.

Carina Leopold remained confined in this stifling desert nation. The surveillance was so thorough that drawing was utterly beyond reach. Yet if one were to ask whether she could simply remain in her room undisturbed, the answer was equally no.

“What on earth are you trying to do?”

“Today I wish to show you my country. Once you see it, you will surely understand how beautiful it truly is.”

He produced a silver-ringed bracelet and fastened it around her right wrist, then clasped an identical one onto his left wrist.

Uuuuung—

The moment she thought the bracelet was humming, a powerful magnetic force yanked her forward.

Carina Leopold’s right arm snapped flush against Karsan Erha’s left arm.

“It’s a safety mechanism to keep you from straying far from me. The greater the distance, the stronger the pull, so be careful.”

Carina Leopold’s face twisted into an expression of displeasure.

Like the other women, she wore a plunging garment that exposed her skin beneath.

She was not particularly heat-tolerant, and she had no desire to wander through such a place dressed this way. Fortunately, she wore undergarments over the vital areas, but that hardly made it any less humiliating.

“I am neither an exhibit nor your pet. And I have no intention of going out dressed like this.”

“I cannot fathom why you would conceal such a beautiful form. The people of my nation take pride in displaying the physiques they have cultivated.”

“Your values are not mine. What your people prefer has nothing to do with what I prefer.”

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Values differ from person to person, and one can never say who is right and who is wrong.

And Carina Leopold had no desire to deal with someone who would not respect such simple preferences.

“Hmm, you are quite particular.”

He retrieved a robe from somewhere and draped it over her head.

“Will you have no complaints if we go out like this?”

“…Even if I object, you’ll take me out anyway, won’t you?”

“Of course. I wish for you to see my nation and come to love it, for it is the realm you shall one day govern.”

“Your ambitions know no bounds.”

The man chuckled, a low, rich sound. There was no denying the visual impact of a beautiful man laughing with such unrestrained delight.

He wrapped an arm lightly around Carina Leopold’s waist, tucked her against his side, and leaped straight out the window.

“Wait, wait! What are you—!”

Carina Leopold’s scream caught in her throat as she squeezed her eyes shut.

Gripped by terror, she reflexively clung to him.

“Open your eyes, Carina Leopold.”

“….”

At Karsan Erha’s urging, she finally clenched her teeth and slowly opened her eyes.

Her eyes widened.

They were not plummeting downward—they were suspended in mid-air.

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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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