Limited Extra Time - Chapter 50

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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 ——

The moment Carina Leopold raised the canvas, loaded her palette with pigment, and gripped her brush, her expression transformed in an instant.

“…You’re painting without a preliminary sketch?”

“Ah, yes. I’m going to try painting a bit faster without a sketch for now.”

Without turning her head, Carina Leopold finished her answer, and her eyes slowly descended into focus.

Moments before, she had been someone who had abandoned the world, destined to scatter like dust on some arbitrary day—but now she was someone possessed of a fierce will to live, stronger than anyone else’s.

Her gaze upon the canvas was sharp enough to cut.

As if her eyes had never been hollow, the pristine white canvas now filled her vision entirely.

Periel Kalos stood silent, watching her profile with quiet intensity.

Carina Leopold moved. In the same breath, a long line appeared across the canvas.

Her hand moved without hesitation, each stroke executed with absolute certainty, and the landscape she conjured forth radiated unwavering conviction.

Periel Kalos found himself helplessly drawn along, his gaze fixed upon the tips of her fingers.

He could not help it. This was unmistakably a movement that seized the eye.

As a descendant of the renowned Art House, he had witnessed countless talented artists and their creations, yet never before had he been so overwhelmed and captivated.

He had never seen anyone who could overwhelm him from the very sketch itself.

Without even a preliminary drawing, she wielded pigment directly, drawing a line with such forceful confidence that it seemed almost reckless.

Periel Kalos watched in rapt silence as her composed, methodical strokes branched outward, weaving together into patterns of exquisite beauty.

It was beautiful.

The lines flowed with grace, and though she did not employ an excessive variety of pigments, the colors felt remarkably rich and varied.

Some areas were translucent and delicate, while others were heavy and deep.

Her firmly pressed lips were resolute, and her sparkling aquamarine eyes were clearer than ever before.

The pristine white canvas reflected in her gaze had already filled every empty space with a rich tapestry of colors.

Periel Kalos felt it would be a betrayal to tear his gaze from Carina Leopold, or to fail to etch this moment into his memory.

—— Page 2 ——

The chestnut hair swaying at her waist, her blue eyes, her gracefully moving pale wrists—all of it came to him like a living landscape.

How wonderful it would be if this place were the Lakeside, brimming with cool waters. A lake surrounded on all sides by quiet forest and mist. He wished he were there.

If she were sitting in the middle of that lake, it would seem beautiful.

Without blinking, Periel simply watched as her brush strokes painted the canvas in ever-shifting hues.

Suddenly, he felt the urge to lay his music atop that painting.

The completed work gradually revealed itself—surprisingly crude despite the fluid grace of her movements.

A crude door, tinged with gray, deep burgundy and utterly unadorned.

It seemed like the sort of door one might find in some manor.

Save for the patterns carved into it at creation, it bore no decoration whatsoever—austere enough to feel almost cold.

Somewhere along the way, Periel had unwrapped his flute from its cloth and brought it to his lips.

A pristine white flute emerged into view. Adorned with elegant gold inlays at intervals, the instrument gleamed with the patina of meticulous care.

Its delicate craftsmanship and the distinctive hue of ivory made it a magnificent instrument that naturally commanded attention.

He was an artist who could not help but respond when beholding beauty.

Every work of art possessed its own beauty, and Periel cherished them deeply.

Exquisite, beautiful, and precious.

As he gazed at Carina, Periel found himself thinking these very words. She deserved to be loved.

Had he been loved enough to share his talent with the world, he would have become a great artist whose name would endure for eternity even after death.

‘If only we had met just a little sooner.’

Regret bloomed first. Periel Kalos drew in a deep breath and slowly exhaled it into his flute.

The moment Carina Leopold finished her final brushstroke and slowly lowered her brush, a beautiful melody resonated through the air.

Carina Leopold’s eyes widened as she set down her brush. The gentle melody was emanating from right beside her.

As golden shimmer bloomed in her blue eyes, Periel Kalos’s eyes were already glowing with golden light.

Their gazes met in the empty space between them. Carina Leopold stared blankly at Periel Kalos before her eyes drifted down to his long, moving fingers.

At first, the melody was gentle and beautiful. From the sky, glittering golden dust began to fall.

Seeing the golden shimmer blooming in her eyes, Periel Kalos moved his fingers faster.

The gentle melody instantly became rich and varied.

Though he played only a single flute, countless harmonies emerged from it. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

‘Have I ever heard a song like this before?’

It was a melody I had never heard, yet it felt strangely familiar, as though I had encountered it somewhere. My entire body grew limp and drowsy.

My breathing became easier, and my body, which had felt somewhat heavy, grew light.

—— Page 3 ——

‘I heard the head of the Kalos Family possesses healing power.’

I never expected it to be of this kind.

The golden dust falling beautifully like snow in all directions sparkled and dissolved away with a soft pop when it touched my hand.

As the excitement that had burned within me gradually subsided, I found myself closing my eyes without realizing it, savoring the flute’s melody.

When the flute’s sound ceased moments later, I slowly opened my eyes.

My rapidly beating heart had long since calmed, and the heat that had set my body ablaze seemed to have cooled considerably.

Unlike the composed Carina Leopold, Periel Kalos’s eyes burned with fervent intensity.

“…Carina Leopold.”

Periel Kalos called out to her, his voice thick with emotion.

I could not conceal the feelings that had just overwhelmed me. It was a beauty I had never witnessed before.

As though my gaze, my heart, everything was being stolen away. I genuinely wished to draw her into my embrace.

Desire consumed me.

How I wished she would see only me, and no one else.

“Yes?”

“Do you know? Right now, I feel as though I’ve fallen in love with you.”

At Periel Kalos’s sudden words, Carina Leopold blinked blankly.

She could not quite comprehend what she had just heard. The music had been beautiful, and the painting had been beautiful too, but love—such a word had come so abruptly.

“…What?”

“Did you enjoy the music?”

“Yes, it was… truly beautiful.”

“I composed it while watching you paint.”

At his words, Carina Leopold’s eyes widened.

That meant he had composed it on the spot just now. His genius was truly worthy of admiration.

“That is my honest impression upon seeing your painting. It was extraordinarily beautiful. As though a goddess herself had descended before me.”

“…Thank you.”

Watching Periel Kalos’s eyes burn with fervent intensity, she nodded her head.

Carina Leopold cradled the canvas and approached one of the walls, setting it down gently.

By then, her irises had transformed entirely into burnished gold.

“Your miracle takes a moment to activate, Carina Leopold.”

“It seems to trigger only after the work is complete.”

Unlike her, Periel Kalos’s ability had activated the instant he began playing the flute.

He nodded, watching as Carina Leopold stepped back a few paces from the canvas.

“What sort of door is it?”

The moment Periel Kalos spoke, light erupted outward—the canvas dissolved into the wall like watercolor bleeding into parchment, and in its place, the door she had painted materialized before them.

“A… no, a door to Count Leopold’s Residence.”

“You mean opening that door will lead to Count Leopold’s Residence?”

“Yes.”

Carina Leopold answered his question plainly, her gaze fixed straight ahead.

Periel Kalos felt his tongue slip involuntarily.

—— Page 4 ——

This was an ability that transcended the realm of humanity by an immeasurable distance.

She could make anything possible through creation alone. And that power was far more formidable than any Creators recorded in history.

Periel Kalos tried to suppress the chill creeping down his spine.

It was shocking enough to make his hair stand on end, and simultaneously, he became certain that this immense power was precisely what was consuming her life.

“…Carina Leopold.”

“Pardon?”

“Does the ability manifest automatically once you complete a painting?”

At Periel Kalos’s question, I tilted my head.

Of course that’s how it worked.

As I nodded with a puzzled expression, Periel Kalos drew in a breath.

“How often do you typically paint? That is to say, how frequently do you complete finished paintings like these?”

At Periel Kalos’s question, asked with a rather serious expression, I carefully sifted through my memories.

I hadn’t completed many paintings.

I’d had to conceal my ability, so my circumstances were limited. Most of my works were sketches or unfinished pieces. I only painted completed works late at night, when I couldn’t sleep.

“…It was irregular. My opportunities were limited, and I only painted when I couldn’t control my emotions.”

“Roughly how many would you estimate?”

“The ability manifested around age ten, I believe… and I don’t think I’ve completed more than two hundred paintings.”

“…Two hundred?”

“Yes.”

Merely two hundred finished works?

I’d heard her lifespan had only half a year remaining. Twenty years old now. Among the short-lived Creators, she was relatively young.

They completed one painting daily. Thousands upon thousands accumulated, consuming their lives. Yet merely two hundred?

It was far too little to end her life at twenty. Periel Kalos regarded her with an odd expression.

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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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