Limited Extra Time - Chapter 28

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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 bell tolled with such urgency that its frantic clanging seemed to match the very rhythm of desperate, gasping breaths.

Carina Leopold stopped dead in her tracks.

The Festival-goers around her came to a halt as well, exhaling long, weary sighs in unison.

Of course, none of them wore expressions of alarm—merely a hint of weariness.

…Millaiyen?

A Demonic Beast must have drawn near. I should venture outside the Castle for a moment.

You’re going yourself?

I’ll be the fastest.

Millaiyen Pestellio answered with a casual shrug, then strode purposefully toward the village entrance.

Due to the frequent incursions of Demonic Beasts, Millaiyen’s Territory—encircled by its Castle Wall—appeared formidable enough to repel most creatures from breaching it.

Following close behind Millaiyen, Carina Leopold watched as he came to an abrupt stop before the Castle Wall, and she mirrored his halt a few paces back.

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“You weren’t thinking of following me, were you?”

“No, I won’t be a hindrance.”

“If you want to see outside, try climbing up on the Castle Wall. As long as I’m protecting it, this place will be safe. You just can’t go over the Castle Wall.”

Carina Leopold, who had expected him to tell her to go back immediately or wait somewhere safe, could only blink repeatedly at his unexpected words.

She fumbled with her lips as if trying to say something, but ultimately answered by nodding her head instead.

“There.”

“W-what…? Y-yes, Lord Youngjoo! Yes!”

The Soldier, who had been standing listlessly with his spear propped against the wall, immediately straightened his posture upon seeing Millaiyen Pestellio.

Millaiyen’s brow furrowed slightly, as though displeased by the man’s demeanor, before he gestured toward Carina Leopold.

“This woman is my guest. Guard her until I return.

Take her to the Castle Wall.”

“Yes, understood, my lord! Where are you headed?”

“Hunting.”

Millaiyen Pestellio rolled his neck slowly from side to side, loosening his shoulders, then drew his blade with deliberate grace.

Like a sated predator stretching its body with unhurried leisure—expanding its frame, extending its claws—he moved with an ease that was simultaneously tinged with an inexplicable ennui.

I observed him carefully as he tilted his head to one side.

My gaze traced the sharp line of his nose.

Today, unlike his usual stern expression, his lips were slightly parted, curving downward in a gentle arc—a detail that seemed particularly striking.

It was curious how his skin appeared far paler than expected, a consequence of growing up in the Northern Territory.

But what truly captured my attention most was the prominent network of veins that stood out across the back of his hand as he gripped the sword.

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Even the cold wind that swept across the courtyard seemed to exist solely for him.

He lowered his blade and glanced at me once more. Meeting his slightly dilated pupils, I swallowed hard.

In those crimson eyes, I sensed a peculiar, bloodthirsty desire—as though he might draw his sword and rush forth at any moment.

“Go on. If you’re frightened, close your eyes.”

Go up. Close your eyes if you’re scared.

“….”

I simply nodded in response to his light tone.

Millaiyen Pestellio extended his hand and gently stroked my hair a few times before instructing the guards to open the Castle Gate.

The massive gate creaked open just wide enough for a single person to slip through, then sealed shut once more.

* * *

“This way, Miss!”

“Ah, yes.”

I nodded obediently and followed the Soldier up the path.

The route to the Castle Wall ascended from beside the Castle Gate.

As I climbed the spiraling stone staircase, I found at the top a Scout Soldier holding a crude, long brown telescope.

There was a scout soldier.

“Who’s this? Who’s behind you?”

“A guest of the Lord. He said to let her have a quick look around while he’s out hunting.”

“Ah.”

Only then did the Scout Soldier bow respectfully and greet me.

I nodded slightly and turned my gaze outward to watch the magical beast thundering outside the walls.

Several Soldiers and Knights were engaged with the beast, and between them, Millaiyen Pestellio walked leisurely with his sword arm hanging at his side.

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Mila Ian walked leisurely through the gap between them, her arm holding the sword hanging down at her side.

“You’re fortunate. It’s rare to see the Lord hunt like this outside of subjugation campaigns.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I’ve only seen them twice myself, and they were so magnificent. Miss, please watch carefully too.”

“Forget it—subjugation is impossible.”

“Why?”

“These are the ones that emerged newly this time. It seems difficult to capture them even now. Of course, if it were the Lord, he would drive them away.”

The Scout Soldier spoke with quiet resolve.

His expression barely shifted, and his voice was equally monotone and devoid of emotion.

Carina Leopold kept her gaze fixed on Millaiyen’s back, observing the strange dark-blue beasts that surrounded him.

They appeared to be covered entirely in steel plating.

Their gleaming skin looked solid even from a distance, and the navy-blue armor glinted ceaselessly in the sunlight.

The armored skin protruded slightly outward on all sides like mountain ridges.

The sharp gray horns jutted out as keenly as the unicorns I had once read about in books—so perilous that a single puncture seemed capable of causing instant death.

And their sheer size was another matter entirely.

Two or three Soldiers rushing together would be no match for them.

Only after the alarm bell sounded and Knights from various positions ceased their work to come to aid did the situation stabilize, and no more wounded appeared.

The beasts that had swarmed this time were as massive as ancient, gnarled trees.

Most alarming of all was the sheer momentum of their charge.

Millaiyen evaded the lunging beasts by twisting his body slightly, moving with grace, yet Carina Leopold could only watch the unfolding crisis with sweat pooling in her palms and her heart pounding wildly—

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—as she trembled with quiet, anxious sounds.

I wish I had brought a drawing that could help in a situation like this.

I would have preferred to perform some miracle that could actually be useful.

Carina Leopold watched in a daze as Millaiyen Pestellio swung his sword threateningly, slicing through the beast’s sturdy horn. The magical beast, sensing the threat from the blade that sang through the air,

retreated backward. But then it gathered strength in its legs and charged at Millaiyen again. Millaiyen focused solely on a single beast—the largest one. His sword clashed against the creature’s horn with a sharp, piercing sound.

“That beast is called a Herta. It’s a magical creature that appeared recently, and it’s difficult to kill because of the iron plating that covers its entire body. Moreover, it’s quite aggressive—these creatures directly attack the territory.”

“I see.”

“Yes, to subjugate them, we would need to know their weaknesses. But since they appear to be high-ranking magical beasts with superior cognitive abilities, it’s difficult even to capture a single one alive. It’s been giving us quite a headache.”

“Ah….”

She nodded in acknowledgment.

Millaiyen was engaged in a rather strenuous contest of strength, striking the beast’s various points with his sword, but true to the guard’s words, the creature—unmarked and unscathed—seemed only to grow more excited, its ferocity intensifying without pause.

As Carina watched the battle between Millaiyen and the beast unfold, she withdrew a palm-sized bundle of paper—a notebook and pencil she always carried since taking up drawing as a hobby. It was her quick sketch pad for capturing landscapes before they slipped from memory.

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She observed the beast’s distinctive features and sketched them rapidly.

Sharp horns, iron plating wrapping its back, a deep indigo that gleamed in the sunlight, a shell-like spine composed of dozens of ridges layered like mountain ranges.

With merely a few strokes, a crude black-and-white magical beast took shape on her notebook page.

I hope this helps somehow.

Drawing was all well and good, but without completing it, no miracle would manifest—and that was unfortunate.

And to achieve completion, she would need to add color, yet she lacked the tools at present.

Frustrated, she gazed at the black-and-white sketch in her notebook repeatedly, smacking her lips.

Boom—!

Millaiyen flipped the beast over in one decisive motion.

Its massive body tumbled across the ground.

As Millaiyen raised his sword, the beast thrashed its four legs in the air, barely managing to rise before suddenly

vanishing into the treacherous depths of the Northern Forest with the pack it had brought with it.

“Driving it back like this every time is reaching its limits.”

“I wish we could find its weakness soon.”

She spoke while naturally tucking her notebook back into her bosom.

No one seemed to have noticed the sketch Carina Leopold had drawn in that brief window of time.

It wasn’t that I was particularly trying to hide it,

but I didn’t want to be misunderstood as drawing pictures in such a dangerous situation.

‘If Millaiyen finds out, I’ll probably be scolded.’

Watching Millaiyen turn his body, I also made my way down from the Castle Wall.

“Tsk, there’s no opening. How on earth are we supposed to kill that thing?”

Hearing Millaiyen’s rough tone as he descended the stairs, I

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tilted my head in curiosity.

I recognized his voice, but his manner of speech was far harsher than what I knew—even more so than when we first met.

“I considered tearing out its reproductive organs, but I can’t even see those, and I should have just gouged out its eyes instead.”

Millaiyen clicked his tongue in frustration.

“Still, if we launch a full-scale subjugation, there will likely be even larger packs to contend with. I’m concerned.”

“Damn it.”

Carina Leopold blinked at the curse that followed.

Having spent her life moving only between the Nobility and high society, she had rarely heard anyone curse aloud, and the experience felt entirely novel and unfamiliar.

“I thought I could at least warm up, but all I’ve done is accumulate stress. No matter what attack I throw, it all bounces back. Tsk. So, how many were injured?”

“We managed to respond skillfully, so there are minor injuries like fractures, but no severe casualties.”

“Ah, I see.”

A languid voice drifted through the air.

Carina Leopold resumed her descent.

The man still leaning against the Castle Wall with a cigarette between his lips was the first to notice her coming down the stairs.

“Ah, Miss Leopold.”

With eyes slightly unfocused, he exhaled a long breath.

He reflexively stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette and strode toward her.

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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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