Limited Extra Time - Chapter 84

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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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A Doomed Extra’s Time

Chapter 84

“Still, they are nobility, after all.”

“Is there anywhere in this world a more ignoble nobility than them?”

Millaiyen answered with a scoff, his expression so contemptuous that even the thought of them made his teeth clench. Carina blinked her eyes stupidly, like a cow observing his reaction.

“I told you, the Northern Territory lacks formality. Should you happen to meet them and they behave rudely, you need not….”

Millaiyen paused mid-sentence, stroking his own chin thoughtfully.

“There’s no need to tolerate it. Tell me directly if they do.”

“Yes….”

She nodded obediently despite the peculiar expression crossing her face. Millaiyen regarded Carina quietly. Her face bore not a trace of suspicion—it was utterly innocent.

As if she thought, ‘If Millaiyen says so, then it must be true.’

“Among them, I’m probably the closest thing to actual nobility.”

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“Is that so?”

“The Northern Territory doesn’t have much desire for power. It’s partly because it’s the farthest from the Central Region, and also because of the regional characteristics of the Demon Territory.”

Millaiyen, who had been watching Carina’s gaze filled with curiosity, opened his mouth with a faint smile.

“Above all, the weather was cold and food was limited. Back then, if people didn’t help each other, we would have just died anyway.”

Yes.

Why would a story like this be fun?

Looking into those gleaming eyes, I couldn’t shake the sensation of being pulled down into the depths of the sea.

Millaiyen parted his lips again while holding Carina Leopold’s gaze.

“Such traits persist over time, so rank becomes irrelevant. There’s no formality in my speech, no formality in my actions. When I find myself in a place that demands it, I do try to maintain some decorum, but….”

Millaiyen’s lips curved upward crookedly. The mockery was unmistakable.

“In the end, I’m nothing more than a dog pretending to be a cat.”

“I see.”

As Carina Leopold listened to Millaiyen’s words, her lips curved into a gentle arc. He gazed quietly at her face as a faint smile graced it.

“Still, you seem close to them.”

“I’ve known them for a long time. Some of them I’ve seen since childhood.”

The conferences are held every year, so naturally our bonds have only deepened. Without mutual support, everything crumbles. Most of life in the Northern Territory was like that.

“What they care about is not rank, but ‘how strong you are.'”

“They’re interested in strength?”

“Yes. It matters far more how many Magical Beasts someone killed in the last Subjugation than whether they received a title.”

It was certainly a uniquely distinctive cul

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ture.

Carina Leopold laughed softly. Millaiyen appeared quite weary, yet his lips still relaxed gently at the corners.

Despite his words, I could feel his affection for the people of the Northern Territory clearly.

Could I ever become someone like that? The thought crossed my mind before I let out a helpless laugh.

The word “someday” was far too generous when time was so desperately short.

“That’s why we place wagers every year when this season comes around.”

“A wager?”

“Yes, the lord who subjugates the most Magical Beasts receives regional specialties from each territory.”

Carina Leopold’s eyes sparkled with interest.

A wager—the more I heard about the Northern Territory, the more captivating it became. Certainly, wagers existed in the Capital and Southern Territory as well.

Though truthfully, they were more like friendly exhibitions than genuine wagers. Equestrian tournaments or sword matches between knights—

that sort of thing. But she found them rather tedious.

“Who won last year?”

“I did.”

Millaiyen answered promptly, as if he’d been waiting for the question. His voice carried unmistakable pride and satisfaction.

“And the year before?”

“…There’s one cunning fellow.”

“Cunning?”

“Yes, he’s been participating in the Subjugation since my Father’s time. When it comes to experience, no one can match him.”

Millaiyen’s response was blunt.

At least, that’s how it appeared to Carina Leopold. She let out a soft laugh. He looked just like a sulking child.

“If I offered each of them a potion, wouldn’t they be upset?”

“Hmm.”

At Millaiyen’s response, Carina Leopold’s lips curved into a subtle smile.

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On this matter alone, she didn’t press the issue further. She even withdrew cleanly after a single refusal.

“I hope they don’t get hurt.”

“They’ve been hunting Magical Beasts since childhood. They won’t be easily injured.”

“But that’s exactly why you’re worried—because Hertalara is an unknown variable this time.”

“….”

Her words struck the mark, and Millaiyen fell silent.

She was right. The problem was that even killing a single one would be difficult with ordinary skill. There was no guarantee that casualties would be minimal. Yet I didn’t want to rely on her potion either. I had overcome countless crises without such things until now. “I would prefer that you not use your abilities at the cost of your own life.”

“…What? My life…?”

Carina Leopold concealed her startled heart and asked for clarification. Fortunately, the misunderstanding was quickly resolved. “Your life as an artist would end, wouldn’t it? The problem is that we still don’t know exactly where complications might arise.”

“Ah….”

Carina Leopold let out a small gasp at Millaiyen’s words, then her lips sealed shut. It was clear that Periel Kalos had deliberately glossed over the matter.

The Artist’s Curse takes away sensation from the afflicted area. Those who contract it typically experience pain where they will lose function. Anyone who has suffered from the Artist’s Curse knows this truth. Frequent pain in the arm means the arm loses sensation and becomes immobile. Conversely, if pain strikes the legs or eyes, it means losing those parts soon. The pain of the Artist’s Curse is surprisingly straightforward in its logic.

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Carina Leopold narrowed her eyes and smiled softly.

“That’s true, but I thought Millaiyen would be sad if any of them died.”

“…”

Carina Leopold, who had spoken so calmly, suddenly lifted her head. The vow she had made this morning came rushing back.

“That’s why I wanted to help. Millaiyen is my benefactor, after all. But since you’d rather I didn’t, I won’t say anything more.”

She hastily added to her words.

She had considered adding something about how one ought to repay a debt of gratitude to a benefactor, but worried the atmosphere would become even stranger, so she held her tongue.

“I would grieve deeply if you died.”

“Pardon?”

“So don’t you die either.”

Millaiyen spoke the words matter-of-factly, then picked up his utensils once more. Carina Leopold lifted her head belatedly, but he was already gazing at the

food laid out on the table.

“…”

Something swelled in my throat. Struggling against the suffocating sensation, I drew a shaky breath.

It was a phrase I had never heard from anyone. Perhaps in the past, I had desperately longed to hear it from my family.

Words I had yearned for so deeply—yet why did they now constrict my chest so painfully that breathing itself became difficult?

Perhaps I had never wanted to hear them from him.

As I fought to suppress the emotions welling up from within, my throat ached with a raw, burning sensation.

I lifted my head, forcing a smile as though nothing were amiss.

“I’m hungry. Let’s eat quickly.”

Among the countless words crowding my throat, there was nothing I could speak aloud.

Whatever I said would only give him unnecessary justification. The plan was already

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set.

When the time came, I would leave this place.

Fortunately, I had my paintings. Before I lost even the strength to hold a brush, I would sketch out a place to escape to in advance. I would leave a letter and depart.

If I told him I was returning to the Capital, going back to my family’s side, Millaiyen would surely not pursue me.

“When spring arrives, I’ll take you to the Northern Waterfall.”

“The Northern Waterfall?”

“Yes. If you see it once in spring and again in summer, the experience will feel entirely new. In summer, a beautiful rainbow rises near the waterfall.”

“Wow, that sounds absolutely beautiful. I wish we could go together.”

Carina Leopold answered quickly, her expression brimming with anticipation.

Gazing at the rainbow together with him would be so wonderful. Millaiyen smiled back as he watched Carina Leopold’s radiant face.

“There’s much to see in the Northern Territory in autumn and winter as well. The land is vast—even if we travel through each season for years, there will still be more to discover.”

“And before long, I’ll settle down permanently in the Northern Territory.”

His voice carried a note of pride, and Carina Leopold laughed. She replied lightly, her voice tinged with amusement.

Summer will never come. Her summer will remain forever in the past. Summer, autumn, winter—none of them will arrive for her once this season ends.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Millaiyen spoke, his gaze fixed intently on the laughing Carina Leopold.

At his unexpected words, Carina Leopold’s laughter froze mid-expression.

“If that’s what you wish, you can stay as long as you like.”

A heart brimming full as a bucket kept overflowing no matter how much he tried to empty it.

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A life with an ending had never felt so bitter. The fact that she couldn’t wholeheartedly accept his offer weighed heavily on her heart.

“…That’s quite a radical proposal.”

Her throat ached. So many emotions surged within her that she couldn’t swallow them all—they swelled painfully in her throat.

How could she ever release these feelings?

The lies I must tell you

grow larger with each passing day.

What began as a single falsehood has now become impossible to contain.

“I mean it. Think about it—the Northern Territory may not be as warm as the Southern Territory, nor does it offer the same variety of food, but I promise you it’s more beautiful than anywhere else.”

“…Yes.”

“I’ll show you many different places so you can paint. If you don’t want to leave, you don’t have to.”

Millaiyen set down his utensils, his gaze piercing directly toward Carina Leopold.

Meeting his eyes, even breathing felt difficult for Carina Leopold. Knowing she could no longer lie to him, she simply smiled in silence.

“I’m not asking for an answer right now. Just think about it.”

“I will.”

Millaiyen stepped back.

Only then could Carina Leopold respond. Forcing a smile wouldn’t change anything.

I would have to lie to Millaiyen until my dying breath. I could never tell him the truth.

‘I love you.’

Unable to speak those words, I slowly picked up the utensils with trembling hands, my expression caught between tears and laughter.

The food I forced into my mouth

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had no taste at all. It was my first flavorless meal since arriving here.

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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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