Limited Extra Time - Chapter 83

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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 ——

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On my way down to breakfast, I encountered Millaiyen coming up the stairs.

The events of last night suddenly flooded back, and I turned my head away slightly. Millaiyen ascended with long strides, his expression utterly composed.

“Good morning.”

“…Yes, good morning.”

At his customary greeting, I studied him carefully. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be dwelling on yesterday’s events at all.

‘I don’t know whether to be glad or sad.’

To him, I was merely that insignificant. Should I accept this as adequate?

A bitter taste filled my mouth, unavoidable though it was.

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Yet I couldn’t voice a complaint even if he had abandoned his feelings for me.

“I was on my way to wake you.”

“…Me? Why?”

“I wanted to have breakfast together.”

At Millaiyen’s words, my eyes widened.

My body’s frailty meant my waking hours were always irregular.

Sometimes I would suffer through the pain until dawn broke before finally falling asleep.

As a result, I often ended up skipping meals.

“Ah, …is that so?”

At her suspicious gaze, Millaiyen nodded readily.

“Yes, that’s why I was on my way to fetch you.”

Carina Leopold nodded at his words. It felt awkward to question his change of heart when he said it so plainly. Truth be told, she didn’t dislike it.

‘…I shouldn’t hold his hand anymore.’

If it was I who kept encouraging his feelings, then I should be the one to change my behavior first.

It was clear that these problems arose because my desires kept accumulating, one after another.

“Yes, let’s go together.”

Carina Leopold nodded and descended the Staircase first.

Millaiyen drew close beside her as she calmly made her way down, maintaining a measured distance.

Carina Leopold shrank back slightly.

“Make sure you eat your meals regularly.”

“…I understand.”

“And if you wish it, you may accompany me on the Subjugation. The condition is that you promise to stay safe.”

At his words, Carina Leopold came to an abrupt halt on the final step.

Her eyes widened. Though she had said as much, she had genuinely thought there was a fair chance of refusal.

“Has the decision already been made?”

—— Page 3 ——

“With Herta present, there would be no need for separate protection for you.”

“Yes.”

Carina Leopold tilted her head quickly in agreement.

I had secured time to spend together. That alone was enough to make me happy. Reducing even a moment of separation was what I had wanted.

“If you participate in the Subjugation, I’ll be able to show you the End of Winter.”

“That Winter Mountain Range?”

“Yes. However, you won’t be able to participate in the Subjugation itself, so you’ll stay at the Campsite while we’re out on the expedition.”

We plan to station the Medical Corps and other personnel there separately, so it will be far more secure.

Carina Leopold’s eyes sparkled as she nodded eagerly.

“And make sure to dress warmly. I’ve already instructed them to prepare several winter outfits that provide good insulation and allow for mobility—wear those.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Carina Leopold nodded with renewed brightness radiating across her face.

Watching her brightened expression, I smiled faintly. She was always far better when she was smiling.

‘I’m glad it worked.’

I had spent a fair amount of time last night pondering how to close the distance that had grown between us and lift her spirits.

In the end, the only conclusion was to give her what she desired.

“Good. If you promise to follow my instructions well… then I’ll include you in the Support Unit as well.”

“Periel Kalos too?”

At Carina Leopold’s words, my expression crumpled. Why did that bastard’s name have to come up now?

Unable to voice my irritation directly, I forced myself to smile as if nothing was amiss.

“Why would I take that fool along?”

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“If we’re going to conduct research anyway, wouldn’t it be better to bring Haron here and study him directly on the spot?”

“…”

Carina’s words left me speechless. There was nothing wrong with what she said.

To be honest, she was right.

It would be faster to bring Haron here and conduct research immediately rather than go through the trouble of moving him.

“That’s true enough.”

The problem was that I didn’t particularly like it.

I exhaled a sigh and turned my head away.

Periel Kalos really had his fingers in everything.

Even when I attended the Academy, I avoided him because of it.

‘In the end, we even received our diplomas together.’

He was always beside me, whether it was exams or anything else.

That man seemed to enjoy mocking me, and eventually I found his constant smirking unbearable to watch.

Later on, I couldn’t even stand to see him laughing so foolishly all the time.

“Fine, I’ll ask Periel Kalos about it.”

“Yes.”

The two of us headed toward the Dining Hall.

This evening was a banquet. Originally today had been scheduled for a meeting, but due to protests from the Lords, we decided to hold the meeting during the day instead.

‘Those fools obsessed with combat.’

They were so eager to conduct the Subjugation that their eyes were wild, insisting from morning to—

into the room.

So they decided to hold a conference during the day, a banquet in the evening, and a final meeting the next day before dispersing.

The Northern Territory’s Magical Beast Subjugation was conducted on a large scale, progressing sporadically across the entire Northern Territory.

Preparation for the Subjugation began once each lord returned to their own Domain.

Usually, preparations started around early winter, the conference concluded, light preparations were finished in two or three days, and then they would

—— Page 5 ——

depart immediately.

Still, since these were people seasoned in dealing with Magical Beasts, major casualties were never reported each year.

‘This time, Herta is the biggest variable.’

He had received a report not long ago about Herta attacking his Domain on the day he was away on reconnaissance.

Those creatures clearly possessed intelligence.

He couldn’t express how shocked he was upon receiving that report.

As if they had learned, there was not a single instance among their attack patterns where they raised their front legs.

Literally zero. The meaning of that number was simple.

They were hiding their weaknesses. They had restrained themselves and changed their attack patterns to rely on what they were confident in—their stone-hard defense.

It was absurdly ridiculous.

Magical Beasts learning, thinking, and devising strategies.

‘The fact that they even found and attacked the Domain in the first place is shocking enough.’

Those creatures were dangerous.

If he didn’t uproot Herta or suppress them, next year or the year after, even more threatening creatures would emerge.

Especially if they were the type of Magical Beasts that thought and grew in the way those creatures did.

The reason the meeting, which would normally conclude in a single day, had been scheduled for two or three days was due to the appearance of an unexpected variable: Herta.

Their strength was formidable, and their weaknesses were limited.

While their belly was a weak point, the gap between the ground and their underside was so minimal that attacking would be impossible unless the creature flipped over.

As Millaiyen gazed at the meal laid before him, he pressed his brow repeatedly with his fingers.

Every time a complicated matter like this arose, he found himself desperately wanting to abandon his position.

“Is something troubling you?”

“Hmm? No, what makes you ask?”

—— Page 6 ——

“Your expression doesn’t look well, so I wondered if something was on your mind….”

At Carina Leopold’s worried expression, Millaiyen fell silent.

He feared telling her anything. What if she used her ability again and wasted it on something unnecessary?

As long as he knew it was gnawing away at her life as an artist, he had no desire to see her use it under any ordinary circumstances.

“It’s nothing. My head just aches from thinking about the meeting.”

“What sort of people are the other Lords?”

“Ruffians.”

“I beg your pardon?”

At Millaiyen’s single word, Carina Leopold’s head tilted to the side in confusion.

It seemed an entirely unsuitable word for nobility had just escaped his lips.

“Ruffians, I said.”

‘Did I mishear?’

She pressed her ear firmly against the door.

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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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