Limited Extra Time - Chapter 27

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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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“The Festival of Abundance?”

A banner with large, bold letters written in ink fluttered at the entrance.

Winter was nearly upon us, yet they called it a Festival of Abundance? I had always understood harvest festivals to be held at the beginning of autumn.

‘Winter hardly brings abundance, does it?’

Especially in the Northern Territory—I had heard its winters were far harsher than anywhere else. Abundance seemed a distant concept.

“When the Northern Checkpoint officially closes for the season, the Northern Territory holds its festival.”

“…But winter isn’t abundant, is it?”

“Word doesn’t spread easily because the Northern Territory’s borders seal shut in winter, but their winter is different. In the Northern Territory, you can feast on meat all winter long.”

Millaiyen walked beside Carina Leopold as he spoke,

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his pace steady.

Meat? Don’t most animals hibernate in winter?

As Carina Leopold’s head tilted slightly in confusion, Millaiyen laughed.

‘Why does everything show on my face now?’

Before, I could mask everything with a false smile, but now that it’s gone, every expression and gesture betrays me.

I can’t even say with certainty which is better.

“Carina Leopold.”

“Yes?”

At the sudden call of my name, my heart trembled with an electric thrill, but I pretended not to notice and answered quietly.

“You know you shouldn’t follow anyone, even if they offer you candy or show you something interesting, right?”

“…Yes? Yes.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Yes.”

I answered, but something felt odd about it.

I wondered if I really appeared so childish in his eyes.

He was only a few years older than me, but while I’d grown weary of hearing how mature I was wherever I went, I’d never once been called childlike.

‘…Should I be pleased about this?’

Or perhaps I should feel bitter about it instead.

Watching Millaiyen’s suddenly serious expression, I couldn’t help but laugh with an ambiguous smile.

Fortunately, though he looked skeptical, he nodded in agreement.

The Market at the heart of the territory was in disarray, as if the festival preparations were in full swing.

Muscular workers carried long logs and wooden beams, erected tents, affixed items to storefronts, and many distributed flyers.

“What kind of meat are they feeding them to get so large?”

“Magical beasts.”

“…What?”

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“Where else would the Northern Territory’s food come from with the borders sealed? Obviously from magical beasts.”

Eating magical beasts? What on earth was he talking about?

I stared at Millaiyen with my mouth agape, forgetting to hide my shock.

“There was once a time when my father got so angry that he left the Northern Checkpoint open and refused to go on a subjugation mission. Everyone went hungry that day.”

“Ah….”

She furrowed her brow, and only then did she

close her mouth, her eyes rolling slightly.

‘…I really have lived in such a narrow world.’

Her world was narrow. All her knowledge and understanding came solely from books.

Carina Leopold suppressed her surprise and nodded.

“But if only the Northern Checkpoint closes, doesn’t the Pestellio Territory remain open?”

“No, once the snow falls, this side will close too.

I’ll shut the Northern Checkpoint today, but we must wait until those who passed through the checkpoint last arrive safely at either here or another territory.”

“I see.”

She lifted her head in light acknowledgment.

Unlike winter in the capital with its thin long-sleeved garments and sufficient heating, the Northern Territory had not yet entered winter, yet without wearing a thick outer coat, the cold would seep into one’s very bones.

She gazed up at the pale, biting sky and cast a

glance toward Millaiyen.

Carina Leopold’s cheeks were faintly flushed—whether from the cold or something else remained uncertain.

Carina Leopold’s cheeks were slightly flushed, whether from the cold or for some other reason.

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“This is the Pestellio Dukedom, Physician.”

“Oh, thanks.”

Winston stepped down from the carriage he had borrowed for quite some time, speaking as he did.

He pressed his bowler hat firmly against the fierce wind with one hand while clutching a bag in the other, shaking his head.

“A festival at this time of year?”

“Yes, sir. The Northern Territory always has a festive atmosphere around this season. You might think of it as a ritual before heading out on beast hunts.”

“Much obliged. Do be careful on your way in.”

“Thank you again for all your assistance.”

“Not at all. It’s simply what a Physician does.”

Winston waved his hand dismissively and exchanged a brief farewell with the Coachman.

The Coachman, who was heading further east within the Northern Territory, bowed several times more before hoisting himself back onto the carriage and disappearing into the distance.

Winston showed his identification papers and entered the Pestellio Dukedom without difficulty.

Credentials from the Imperial Physician’s Guild proved most useful when establishing one’s identity.

“My skills shouldn’t have grown rusty.”

Winston withdrew a matchbox from the inner pocket of his chest

and lit a match, then held it to the cloth embroidered with a map of the Northern Territory that he had been stitching throughout his journey here.

The cloth ignited instantly.

Because the embroidery had been sewn onto fabric that burned readily, the matchflame consumed the map-embroidered cloth in moments.

When only a small portion remained, Winston tossed it skyward, and the cloth crumbled into ash before it could fall.

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But this time, something happened. The ash that should have scattered on the wind instead coalesced, gradually forming a verdant glow before settling into Winston’s palm.

“Now then, find the young lady for me.”

Winston tossed what he held in his hand skyward.

The spirit beast hesitated, circling through the empty air several times before gradually beginning to fly off in some direction.

Winston secured his bag firmly and followed the spirit beast with slow, measured steps.

Over his gray eyes, a different color began to gradually overlay itself.

Soon his irises transformed into a blazing golden hue, gleaming with an otherworldly brilliance.

“Wow.”

“Good heavens.”

“My.”

Millaiyen bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as he watched Carina Leopold’s eyes sparkle with wonder.

He tensed his lips and the corners of his mouth, clenched his fists, and pressed his blunt nails into his palms.

Yet unable to hide the trembling corners of his mouth, he was forced to cover his mouth with his hand, feigning a cough.

The festival of the Northern Territory felt entirely different from those held in the Capital or the Southern Territory.

Though the people were excited because of the festival, the atmosphere itself was actually quite savage.

Carcasses of demonic beasts lay scattered about proudly in various places, and severed pieces of demonic beasts—skewered meat and other parts—were being sold

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everywhere.

The demonic beast dissection show visible before her eyes particularly captivated Carina Leopold’s attention.

Demonic beasts typically became active during winter, though the quicker ones would awaken from their long summer slumber as soon as autumn arrived.

Because of that, in the Northern Territory, when late autumn arrived, he would make a light subjugation tour around his domain, and the magical beasts caught at that time were usually used for the festival.

“Is it really that fascinating?”

“Yes, it’s quite… blatant, isn’t it?”

Carina Leopold replied, gazing at the pristine hide of the beast—a creature twice her height.

It possessed a vividness that made it seem almost alive.

Her eyes rolled with wonder and fascination. Millaiyen caught a glimpse of her profile and smiled softly.

How could he not smile? After all, Carina Leopold marveled even at the sight of her breath rising visibly in the cold air.

She found wonder in the simplest things.

“Is there anything you’d like to have?”

“No.”

Carina Leopold answered matter-of-factly. There was nothing in particular she desired.

The festival was mostly food stalls, and she generally avoided anything too spicy or stimulating.

She had no wish to embarrass herself by retching in the middle of the street.

‘…And besides, there’s Millaiyen.’

She belatedly noticed how her thoughts had spiraled into a conclusion centered entirely on him, and she smacked her forehead against her palm.

Carina Leopold waved her hand dismissively, trying to hide her flushed cheeks.

Millaiyen was an exceptionally comfortable companion to be around.

He didn’t pester her with endless chatter, yet he spoke to her often, offered explanations, and stood steadfastly by her side.

When the crowd grew thick and threatened to sweep her away,

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he noticed immediately and reached out to pull her close.

He was indeed, as he had said of himself, someone who would never embarrass his partner.

Though he didn’t appear to be, escorting came naturally to him, ingrained in his very being.

He was even more graceful and fluid than Infrick, who frequently attended high society gatherings.

‘Is it because he’s a mercenary…?’

Despite being someone who wielded the same blade,

he was discerning, quick to read the room, and moved with elegant fluidity.

Clang—! Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!

From somewhere, the urgent tolling of an alarm bell rang out.

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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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