Limited Extra Time - Chapter 23

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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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“That’s… that’s why I came. So when the time comes, I’ll return.”

“You truly won’t tell me what kind of artistic affliction this is?”

“Whatever kind of artistic affliction it is, it’s too late to cure the illness. I don’t even have the confidence to set down my brush before then.”

“….”

“Until the very end, as long as time permits, I simply wish to paint what I desire.”

Carina Leopold answered with serene composure.

Her words, so resolute and unwavering, carried the weight of a general stepping onto the battlefield with death already accepted, leaving Millaiyen utterly speechless.

“So it’s fine—when the time comes, I’ll return and….”

Carina Leopold’s lips, which had been moving, fell silent.

She was right. Even if he listened, Millaiyen knew there was nothing he could truly do for her.

Yet to simply pretend ignorance felt

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equally wrong.

‘I must await Periel Kalos’s answer.’

There had to be a reason why she wouldn’t speak so firmly herself.

“Very well, I won’t press further. Let’s have breakfast.”

“Shall I join you?”

Carina Leopold asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

Millaiyen nodded and rose from his seat.

“Yes, from now on, be my dining companion. I’ll make sure to collect on what I promised, so remember that.”

“Oh! Yes, of course. Thank you so much.”

At Millaiyen’s words—a permission of sorts—Carina Leopold’s face brightened instantly.

“That’s right! I’ve already prepared the annulment documents, so I’ll give them to you now.”

Avoiding Millaiyen’s gaze, Carina Leopold rummaged through the drawer beneath the side table and promptly handed him the documents.

Millaiyen glanced at her radiant smile and accepted the papers, examining them carefully.

The documents were flawless—requiring only his seal to take immediate effect.

‘…Did she truly despise it that much?’

Yet here she was, presenting the annulment documents with such genuine happiness.

She had merely wished to demonstrate her commitment to honoring their agreement, but for Millaiyen, receiving the annulment papers from her smiling face left him with an inexplicably bitter taste.

“Prepare yourself and come downstairs.”

“Yes, I’ll see you shortly.”

As Millaiyen departed, Carina Leopold exhaled deeply and buried her face between her knees.

‘…Why do I feel so warm?’

She fanned her flushed cheeks with her hand, remaining in that position for a moment.

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“My, the Physician was fortunate indeed. Snow clouds are beginning to gather, and had you been delayed even a few days longer, the Northern Checkpoint would have closed.”

“Is the journey safe from here onward?”

“Absolutely! Having passed through the Northern Checkpoint, you’ll reach the Pestellio Dukedom well before the snow falls.”

“That’s a relief indeed. Thank you for your assistance.”

“No, it is thanks to you, Physician, that my ailing daughter was spared. Such a trifle is nothing compared to the debt I owe my benefactor.”

Winston, frost-bitten from sitting in the carriage, nodded with a smile.

Coming to the Northern Territory, the weather had certainly grown colder. After sitting briefly on the coachman’s bench, he heard the Coachman announce their departure and climbed back into the carriage.

Winston re-entered the carriage, warmed his frozen hands, and withdrew thread, needle, and cloth from his bag before resuming his embroidery work.

“Fortunate that we’re not running late.”

He meticulously transferred the map of the Northern Territory he had brought beforehand onto fabric roughly twice the length of a handkerchief, rendering it entirely in embroidery.

The embroidered map was delicate and precise, as though the original had been faithfully reproduced stitch by stitch.

“But why are you transferring the map onto cloth?”

“Because there’s someone I need to find.”

“…?”

The Coachman’s expression grew puzzled at Winston’s cryptic remark, yet he offered no further explanation.

Winston merely smiled gently and resumed completing the remaining stitches.

The map was etched upon the embroidered cloth.

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The atmosphere within Leopold Mansion had grown desolate of late. Since departing the Capital, not a single piece of information regarding Carina Leopold had surfaced. So dire was the situation that even Count Leopold himself—Cassis—had written to several nobles of his acquaintance, yet the results proved scarcely more encouraging.

‘…Should I have written to the Duke of Pestellio as well?’

Though he had believed it unlikely she would have gone that far, now he found himself contemplating whether he ought to search not only the Northern Territory but every remote mountain village besides. Cassis slowly examined the dates upon his calendar.

‘…Even if I dispatch a messenger now, they won’t arrive before the Northern Checkpoint closes.’

The time when the Northern Checkpoint sealed its gates was known throughout the Empire. The Northern Territory had conducted extensive propaganda to discourage unnecessary travel. Though the timing varied, the Northern Checkpoint typically closed its doors between mid-November and mid-December at the latest. When the bitter winter arrived, the beasts awakened from their slumber and grew violent with hunger. The Northern Territory regularly launched expeditions to suppress them during this period, and to prevent needless casualties among the unfamiliar, the checkpoint was shuttered. Occasionally, exceptional individuals could pass through even during this season, but without imperial decree, it was ordinarily impossible. Since most of the Northern Territory belonged to the Duke of Pestellio, closing the checkpoint’s gates presented no difficulty. Naturally, the Emperor himself had sanctioned this arrangement.

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In truth, over a decade ago, the Duke had faced opposition from the nobility.

The previous Pestellio Dukedom’s Duke had been every bit as bold and bellicose as the current one.

It was only natural that the nobles harbored selfish desires and resentment toward the Duke.

They voiced their discontent regarding the Northern Territory’s privilege of unilaterally closing the checkpoint during winter, and demanded its revocation.

And during the conference that followed,

the infuriated Pestellio Duke declared that if they were so certain, they should handle it themselves—then left the checkpoint open and recalled all soldiers to the Dukedom.

He redirected every soldier within the Dukedom’s borders, using them solely for its defense, exactly as the nobles’ sarcastic remarks had suggested.

For the first time, the Northern Territory launched no expeditions.

That year, the Empire was thrown into upheaval by beast damage unprecedented in living memory.

The other nobles who had scoffed at such mere demonic beasts were forced to suffer great damage from the numerous demonic beasts that escaped from the Northern Territory.

Beasts infiltrated their domains, leaving corpses in their wake—even among the nobility itself.

The beasts nested in forests and even appeared within the Capital itself.

Only then did the nobles realize that their peaceful existence had been secured by the Pestellio Duke’s vigilance at the Northern gateway, and they dispatched messengers multiple times, begging for apologies and a resolution.

Of course, the Duke ignored them entirely.

Ultimately, the Emperor grew wrathful and severely rebuked the nobles who had opposed closing the Northern Territory.

As a result, every opposing noble was forced to travel to the Pestellio Duke and offer their apologies.

This was because the Duke had burned every letter and message they sent without even reading them, using them as kindling instead.

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Yes.

Of course, he had also made it clear that if every opposing noble did not come in person to apologize, the Northern Checkpoint would remain neglected the following year and the year after that.

The nobles trembled at the thought of beasts that could strike at any moment and any place, and upon reaching the Pestellio Dukedom, they bowed respectfully before Millaiyen Pestellio.

After that, no one in the Northern Territory opposed closing the checkpoint during winter.

At the knock on the wooden door, Cassis Leopold lifted his gaze from the calendar and emerged from his reverie.

“Come in.”

“Pardon my intrusion.”

It was Nocton, my physician.

My eyes widened.

Wondering if something had happened to Abelia, I opened my mouth with a hardened expression.

“Has something happened to Abelia?”

“No, sir. While she lacks energy, her physical condition is sound. As long as she does not overexert herself, she may participate in simple outings or social gatherings such as tea parties without issue.”

Nocton answered with a gentle smile.

Indeed, Abelia’s condition had improved considerably from before.

As long as she did not push herself, living normally was entirely possible.

I exhaled a long breath of relief.

“That’s fortunate. Please look after her. She must be quite lonely.”

“Of course, sir.”

“What of Dalia?”

“She appears to have accumulated fatigue from lack of proper sleep. It is merely a light case of body aches, so with medication and adequate rest, she should recover quickly.”

“I see.”

“Yes, sir.”

Nocton answered quietly, drawing in a breath.

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He exhaled slowly.

He clenched his fist once, then released it, studying Cassis Leopold’s expression carefully.

Cassis Leopold’s face, shadowed with worry, appeared utterly exhausted. Nocton opened his mouth with caution.

“…Forgive me, but have you received any news regarding Miss Carina Leopold yet?”

“Carina?”

Cassis Leopold looked at Nocton with an expression of surprise, then shook his head.

He had not even heard rumors, let alone any actual news.

Nocton’s face darkened further as he observed Cassis Leopold.

“Why do you suddenly ask about Carina Leopold?”

“I…”

Nocton’s eyes shifted uneasily for a moment.

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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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