Limited Extra Time - Chapter 76

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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 ——

She turned her head back sharply toward Millaiyen.

Though her neck couldn’t rotate a full 180 degrees, so she couldn’t quite see him properly.

“What is the End of Winter?”

“The Northern Territory has its final point too. If you venture deeper than where the sea freezes, there’s a colossal mountain range standing like a sentinel.”

No one has ever ventured beyond it, and no one knows where its end leads.

The entrance to that mountain range was hidden so thoroughly that its location remained a mystery, and the cliffs were far too treacherous for any human to scale.

“According to records, an entrance supposedly exists somewhere… but nothing is written about where it is or what lies beyond. It could all be mere speculation.”

As Carina’s eyes sparkled and her cheeks flushed, Millaiyen chuckled softly.

The bridge of her nose and cheeks on her porcelain-white face were stained with color—

—— Page 2 ——

pitiful and yet his gaze kept drifting there.

“There are many legends passed down.”

“What kind of legends?”

“Some say the End of Winter is a paradise where all things in creation coexist in harmony without discrimination. Others speak of rare medicinal herbs, or that a god dwells there, or that an extinct dragon resides within, or perhaps it’s the domain of Magical Beasts and demons…”

“Wow… truly opposite extremes.”

“Indeed.”

Millaiyen had heard various stories about the End of Winter since childhood.

There was a time when he yearned for it, but now he considers such tales to be nothing but fantasy.

There was a time in the past when I admired that, but now I think it’s just an empty fantasy.

“If such a place existed, it would be beautiful.”

Millaiyen nodded as he watched Carina Leopold’s lips part in astonishment.

He deliberately refrained from voicing his own thoughts. He had no desire to shatter her fantasy.

“But in reality, it’s nothing but cliffs. Since it’s a lush mountain with no entrance, no one truly knows what lies within.”

“I see. And there are no other stories?”

“Well, this is merely a rumor, but they say somewhere in the End of Winter Mountain Range, there exists a passage that resembles a cave.”

Carina Leopold’s eyes began to sparkle.

Millaiyen stifled a laugh. How adorably her eyes gleamed like that.

He truly wanted to steal a kiss right then and there…

‘…’

Millaiyen, lost in thought, clenched his fist and struck his own cheek.

The sharp crack of the blow startled Carina Leopold, and she whipped her head around with wide, alarmed eyes.

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“M-Millaiyen?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you all right? I thought I heard something just now…”

Millaiyen’s expression remained composed.

He appeared so serene, as though he hadn’t heard any sound at all.

‘I could have sworn I heard something crack just now.’

The sound was too vivid to be a dream. And it came from right behind her.

It was a loud sound that reached my ears. I rolled my eyes about, but there was nothing particularly amiss.

“Is something wrong?”

“The horse must have stepped on something. I was lost in thought and didn’t notice.”

“Ah, I see.”

Though the sound seemed to come from behind rather than below, as if the horse had stepped on something…

Since Millaiyen himself appeared unharmed and said he hadn’t seen anything, I couldn’t press the matter further.

Unable to shake off her lingering unease, Carina Leopold nodded and turned her gaze forward once more.

“In any case, End of Winter is such a beautiful name.”

“Does it intrigue you?”

“Yes, because the end of winter is spring, isn’t it? Perhaps beyond that, spring awaits.”

Millaiyen feigned ignorance as I leaned comfortably against his chest, his expression one of surprise.

End of Winter—among the Northern Territory’s people, those words carried an ominous meaning.

If winter itself were to end, nothing would remain in the world. Only barren wastelands and frozen air would persist. The end of winter signified precisely that.

Eternal death.

Thus, in the Northern Territory, that word was seldom spoken and never regarded favorably.

I never imagined that she could conceive of it with such a perspective…

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…at all.

“Indeed. When winter ends, spring shall surely come.”

“That’s right. Winter must be a time when the earth rests in preparation for the next year.”

Millaiyen’s eyes widened at Carina Leopold’s words.

‘…So she can think like that too.’

Of course, spring came to the Northern Territory once winter ended.

Not with the vivid, unmistakable verdancy

that blanketed the Southern Territory’s domains.

Yet as the fallen snow melted and the frozen earth thawed, tender shoots emerged from the soil as if to prove it.

“I want to see the world through your eyes, at least once.”

I realized that the bleakness of winter—unrelenting as it was—could be seen as a time of rest before spring’s inevitable return.

For someone born and raised in the Southern Territory, experiencing such cold for the first time would be

remarkable, yet for her, the End of Winter held such meaning.

“Through my eyes? It won’t be interesting.”

“It may not be interesting, but I think it will be beautiful.”

“…”

At Millaiyen’s words, Carina Leopold gave a bitter laugh, her breath catching.

He always spoke with such tenderness.

Always with such gentleness that sometimes it felt as though my heart might stop

altogether.

Carina Leopold did not answer his words.

She simply couldn’t find a response. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to expect one, for he said nothing more.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“It’s fine. The scenery is so beautiful that I don’t even feel the cold.”

He wasn’t sure whether to call her admirable or pitiful—this woman who never uttered a single complaint, enduring with such quiet strength.

—— Page 5 ——

The barren winter landscape held no beauty for him whatsoever.

The desolate scenery of End of Winter simply didn’t resonate with him.

‘Do people who practice art perceive things differently?’

To him, the air, the landscape, everything around him—it was all so familiar it had lost any sense of novelty.

Even when he’d first arrived here, he hadn’t found it beautiful.

“We’re almost there.”

“Yes.”

She nodded in acknowledgment.

As they ventured deeper into the Forbidden Forest, surrounded by towering trees, a vast expanse of open water suddenly came into view.

Carina’s gaze froze at the sudden revelation—a sprawling lake beyond the forest’s edge.

Just as he’d said, the Lakeside remained unfrozen.

‘It’s warmer here.’

Whether the trees shielded them from the wind or not, the cold was noticeably gentler.

Compared to the bitter chill she’d endured moments ago—even bundled in thick furs and a heavy robe—her body felt as though it might thaw.

Millaiyen vaulted from his horse in one fluid motion.

She attempted to dismount after him but abandoned the effort, recognizing the considerable height. Millaiyen caught her effortlessly and set her down on solid ground.

No matter how many times she experienced that sensation—being lifted like a doll and lowered to safety—she never quite grew accustomed to it. It made her feel like a child.

“Touch the water.”

Millaiyen suggested with a smile.

Carina crouched down carefully and dipped her hand into the lake.

“Oh, it’s freezing!”

She yanked her hand back from the ice-cold water and quickly tucked it into her robe.

Winter water was bitterly cold. For a moment, she thought her hand would freeze solid.

‘It’s incredibly cold…?’

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It felt colder than the air outside—as if she’d plunged her hand into ice itself.

When she glanced at Millaiyen, she found him already barefoot with his trousers rolled up, his arms extended toward her.

“Millaiyen…?”

He swiftly gathered her into his arms.

Last time he’d lifted her like a prince cradling a princess, but now he held her like a child, supporting her thighs against his chest.

Splash, splash—

“What are you doing?!”

Millaiyen walked into the lake with her still in his arms.

His expression remained unchanged as he waded deeper, but she knew all too well how glacially cold the water was.

Her face drained of color.

“Millaiyen, get out. Now.”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s fine, really, but it was incredibly cold. What if you catch frostbite? I know Millaiyen is sturdy, but…”

Splash, splash—

The water displaced by Millaiyen’s footsteps assaulted my ears.

With each step, it felt as though I were cleaving ice beneath my feet, and my face grew progressively paler.

Unable to endure it any longer, I seized Millaiyen’s shoulder.

“Millaiyen!”

At my raised voice, Millaiyen’s eyes widened.

It was a shout loud enough to sting his ears. And I had never raised my voice like this before.

Only then did Millaiyen cease his advance.

“Please, let’s leave.”

—— Page 7 ——

Millaiyen, who had dismissed my protest as mere petulance, finally grasped the gravity of the situation upon seeing my ashen complexion.

It had been meant as a playful surprise, but he had never anticipated such a vehement reaction.

“Carina?”

“If you actually catch frostbite….”

I know all too well how dreadful pain can be. Any suffering, anyone’s suffering—I despise it.

Every night, I hold my breath

and wait for the agony to pass—it is unbearable. So why does this man willingly thrust himself into torment?

Millaiyen exhaled softly, supporting me with one arm while his other hand caressed my face. My skin had grown so pallid and cold that even my complexion felt frigid.

He grasped the hem of my dress and smiled faintly.

“Tie your clothes up a bit higher.”

“Pardon?”

“Trust me. Quickly now.”

Carina Leopold nodded and gathered the hem of her dress with trembling hands, tying it above her knees.

Watching her quivering hands, Millaiyen’s smile faded.

“Don’t be startled.”

Millaiyen bent carefully at the waist and lowered Carina Leopold onto the lake. She gasped in surprise and gripped his shoulders.

The moment her feet touched the shallow lake bottom, Carina Leopold’s eyes widened in wonder.

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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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