Limited Extra Time - Chapter 60

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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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Harlon could certainly be found at random within the corpses of magical beasts, but what was certain was that the more formidable the magical beast one faced, the larger its size tended to be.

Until now, Millaiyen had yielded all his harlon to others.

He had never believed in such superstitions, and there was no one he wished to gift them to.

The harlon he possessed had been given to him by the Previous Duke—his Father.

Yet this time, for the first time in his life, he found himself wanting to gift harlon to someone.

The woman, so delicate she seemed as though a mere breeze might carry her away, had burrowed into his heart of her own accord and settled herself there. And she remained there now, steadfast and resolute.

“So that is… the day I leave this Manor.”

“It’s the day I’m leaving.”

Another voice echoed in his mind, and Millaiyen’s expression darkened. The feeling of watching her, whose gleaming eyes always spoke the final word, was profoundly strange.

“Commander, preparations are complete—ow! Why are you hitting me?”

“How many times must I tell you? It’s ‘Your Excellency,’ not ‘Commander.’ And who reports here like this? Are you going to do this properly or not?”

Jeron, Millaiyen’s right arm and the guard knight who protected him most closely, struck the Old Knight on the back of the head as he spoke.

Jeron, the escort knight who was protecting him at a close distance, struck the back of the Old Knight’s head and spoke.

The Old Knight rubbed the back of his head and pouted his lips.

“It’s just the three of us here anyway. What does it matter?”

“You….”

“Besides, the Commander doesn’t say anything about it either.”

At the Old Knight’s grumbling addition, Jeron’s fists trembled with barely contained frustration.

He raised his hand to strike, then stopped himself and released a short sigh instead.

“We’re not mercenaries anymore. Since you’re a Duke now, you need to conduct yourself accordingly, or you’ll invite criticism.”

“…Heh.”

At Jeron’s more subdued tone, the Old Knight clicked his tongue but obediently stepped back.

Millaiyen gazed at the two old comrades before him and slowly drew his blade.

“Enough idle talk. The Support Unit seems to have arrived as well, so let’s

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get moving.”

“Yes, understood!”

“Finally! Winter at last! I’ve been waiting so long!”

The Old Knight drew a pair of blades from his back as he spoke.

One was considerably longer than the other, while the second was slightly shorter. It was an unusual pair of weapons. Millaiyen’s eyes gleamed crimson.

As you know, the first objective is Herta, and the second is to monitor the movements of the Demonic Beasts. I won’t pursue them if

you encounter them—absolutely do not venture deep alone, and if trouble arises, you must return to the rendezvous point immediately.

“Yes, understood!”

In situations where survival is at risk, disregard orders and prioritize your own survival. The objective is to return alive.

“Yes, understood!”

After issuing several final instructions, Millaiyen turned toward the entrance.

The entrance to the depths of the Forbidden Forest was shrouded in desolation, and the massive opening gaped

like the maw of an enormous serpent, pitch-black and foreboding.

Let’s go.

The Knights drew their swords in unison and entered the Forbidden Forest alongside Millaiyen. Darkness swallowed them whole in an instant.

Miss.

Yes, Winston.

It doesn’t seem your condition has deteriorated suddenly. However, as I mentioned, your body is declining progressively.

Carina Leopold nodded at his words. It was a relief that her body wasn’t failing abruptly.

It meant my time was still flowing as it had been.

This is a fundamental issue with the curse itself, so there’s nothing I can do about it.

Yes, I understand. Don’t worry.

I didn’t want to reconsider what I had already accepted.

If I did, I would discover that some part of me was hiding away, yearning to live again. I refused to entertain such thoughts.

All I would do was savor the present.

I would enjoy it now, live happily before my family to prove my worth, and then bid farewell cleanly with an embrace from Millaiyen.

Will I continue to regurgitate my food from now on?

Likely so. But you mustn’t stop eating because of it. If you don’t eat, your condition will only worsen.

Even if I keep eating and vomiting?

Yes. If you stop consuming food, a person deteriorates rapidly. That cannot happen.

At Winston’s firm words, Carina Leopold furrowed her brow.

I understood it was necessary, but the thought of it made me dizzy. The sensation of eating and vomiting repeatedly was truly horrifying.

The feeling of food that had naturally gone down suddenly flowing back up was utterly unbearable.

…Will it be enough to just be careful about that?

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“Yes, drink water frequently, and of course, you need the will to survive.”

Winston lifted his head, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Her eyes were distinctly different from when I first saw her—those eyes that had been fading away. Yet this vitality was not the will to live. She had simply accepted and acknowledged this situation. She was clearly thinking that she would do her best to survive and face whatever came. That much was certain.

“Of course. I don’t wish to appear unsightly before Millaiyen.”

I didn’t want to burden a kind person with guilt as well.

My goal was to depart on the planned journey and leave as scheduled.

Whether news reached them or not, quietly fading away would be the best ending for us both.

“I’m sorry to Periel Kalos and Winston. Originally, you both shouldn’t have known.”

“This is my profession. The dead and the dying have both passed through my hands. My work is to save people, so it’s inappropriate to apologize for that.”

Carina Leopold blinked once at Winston’s stern voice.

The usually kind old man’s subdued tone was frightening, yet not cold.

“Yes, I apologize.”

“There’s no need to apologize, but don’t say such things again.”

Winston soon smiled playfully. The atmosphere lightened in an instant, and Carina Leopold smiled in return.

“We might be able to use slightly stronger medicine now. Where exactly is your pain located?”

“My heart and hands. When my heart aches, breathing becomes a bit difficult. Sometimes my entire body just hurts.”

“Is there no specific area?”

“Well, my heart is the most frequent.”

Carina Leopold pressed her thumb firmly between her ribs as she spoke.

The pain is so severe that sometimes I entertain dangerous thoughts of tearing out my own heart and shattering it.

“What is the pattern of your pain episodes?”

“…Well, it’s intermittent.”

Carina Leopold searched her memory. Whenever the pain struck, I was too consumed by agony to record precise timings, but unfortunately, there was no discernible pattern to identify either.

“I can’t pinpoint exactly when it happens, and it’s always unpredictable—there’s no consistent interval. Sometimes a week passes without any symptoms, and other times I struggle to breathe all day long.”

“The Artistic Affliction is truly a vexing illness.”

“Because it can’t be treated?”

“That’s part of it, but the symptoms vary entirely from person to person. The only commonality is that pain manifests somewhere. The location, duration, intensity—everything differs.”

Since learning of Carina’s condition, the Physician had undertaken far more rigorous study of the Artistic Affliction than he had during his certification examinations.

Yet no records aligned, and no patterns held consistent.

Everything was chaotic. Perhaps that explained why, even centuries later, the cause of the affliction remained undiscovered.

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“If a time comes when you can’t even swallow medication, we may need to administer it by syringe instead.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. If you can’t even keep medicine down, you’ll suffer all the more.”

Carina Leopold nodded at Winston’s words.

Still, thanks to his medication, I had been able to sleep peacefully through recent nights.

“Is there a sedative mixed into the evening medicine?”

“Yes, there’s a sedative and a mild analgesic, just in case.”

“That explains why I’ve been sleeping so well.”

After taking my medicine and lying down, whenever I opened my eyes it was always morning, so recently even symptoms like sleep deprivation had diminished.

Perhaps because of that, I felt my physical condition had improved somewhat.

“That Periel and I have been deliberating. We’re determined to save you by any means necessary.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes, so you mustn’t give up either. If you wish to live, you’ll be able to live a little longer.”

“Don’t worry, Winston.”

At Carina’s words tinged with a soft laugh, Winston’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. Under that dubious gaze, she scratched her cheek with an embarrassed expression.

Even cosmetics had become poison to her, and her bare, pallid skin flushed slightly red at the tips of her fingernails.

“I truly don’t have the desire to die like I did before. I’m simply filled with regret. If I had known such a world existed, I wish I had come out just a little sooner.”

Such regrets accumulated, and now rather than dying, I was preoccupied with finding what I wished to do with the time remaining.

I wanted to accomplish as much as possible while any time remained.

“I resent my past self who couldn’t even conceive of moving without a reason.”

Wasn’t I foolish?

As Carina added this with a light laugh, her face no longer bore any trace of gloom or melancholy.

Her blue eyes, gleaming as though caught in sunlight, revealed her emotions with each passing 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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