Limited Extra Time - Chapter 97

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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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Millaiyen’s voice was hollow as he spoke in hushed, measured tones.

Unlike his usual demeanor, there was something achingly melancholic in that voice, and my heart throbbed with a dull, persistent ache.

It was a different kind of pain—distinct from the suffering wrought by the artist’s curse.

“…I found a precious flower I wanted to possess, so I began cultivating it some time ago. But I heard it was withering. I went there half-hoping it wasn’t true, only to learn it would soon perish entirely.”

“Ah…. My goodness, is that so? You—Millaiyen was tending to flowers?”

“Something like that.”

“Ah, so you hired a gardener. I never knew Millaiyen was fond of flowers….”

“It’s an extraordinarily rare flower. I myself only learned of its existence after I was born.”

Millaiyen was clearly drawing me close,

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yet I could not shake the feeling that he was seeking to nestle into my embrace.

And strangely, I found this neither irksome nor unwelcome.

“It will be all right. There are flowers elsewhere in the world. You can find another and cultivate it anew.”

“There isn’t. And I don’t know how long I would have to wait.”

Millaiyen’s voice was saturated with profound sorrow. My eyes began to move rapidly, searching his face.

“What if it hasn’t died yet? Could we not attempt to save it somehow? Or perhaps….”

My elixir might work.

From what I understood, the elixir was not limited to human subjects alone. My eyes widened as I lifted my head sharply.

“Would you like me to give you one of those elixirs I showed you before? It might prove effective.”

At the sound of Carina Leopold’s voice, Millaiyen Pestellio’s crimson eyes flashed with light. His peculiar gaze turned toward her.

“…Why don’t you consume that potion yourself? If it truly works like a panacea, wouldn’t it cure your seizures as well?”

Millaiyen Pestellio asked, his tone casual.

Fortunately, Carina Leopold shook her head without detecting anything amiss.

“The remedy I created has no effect on me.”

“Have you tried it?”

“Yes. I once fell and scraped myself, so I attempted to use it to treat the wound, but it had absolutely no effect on me.

However, it worked on my younger brother….”

It was when I first learned of that potion.

If my family discovered I had been injured, they would surely scold me for being unladylike.

Fearing that, I had sketched the potion from a book I was reading at the time

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and attempted to recreate it.

But when my ailing brother grew heavy on my mind, I secretly gave him the medicine in the dead of night, and his condition improved remarkably.

‘I still don’t understand why that happened.’

After all, that child had plenty of people to worry over him besides me.

“You gave it to your brother as well? And it still didn’t cure him?”

“Well, back then… he improved to the point of nearly being cured for a time, but it gradually returned. I was younger then and far less skilled than I am now. I’m uncertain what would happen with the potion I’ve created now.”

If the Art Affliction grew stronger as one matured, much like human growth itself, then the potion I had painted now might be capable of effecting a complete cure.

“In any case, it doesn’t work on me. That much I’m certain of.”

If that were possible, the Creators would have already used such methods to extend lifespans, multiply lives, and eliminate the pain of afflicted bodies.

The fact that they could not meant she could not either.

“I see.”

Millaiyen Pestellio’s voice sank low.

The only way to save her lay with Haron, the sole remedy effective against such suffering. Millaiyen Pestellio’s brow furrowed.

‘I cannot even kill him.’

He had considered leaving Periel Kalos half-dead, but that too had become impossible.

A knock sounded, and Millaiyen Pestellio lifted his head.

“Enter.”

He spoke permission in a low voice, and the door opened. It was Peng, the Head Butler. The moment Peng entered, he bowed deeply at the waist.

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“My apologies. There was a matter in the Banquet Hall that delayed me somewhat.”

“A matter?”

“Yes… there were guests who had overindulged.”

Peng answered with an awkward expression. He then extended a small box he held in both hands.

“The item you sought.”

It was a plain yet refined box. Millaiyen Pestellio reached out and accepted it. Its satisfying weight lifted his spirits somewhat.

“Well done. Disperse the Banquet Hall appropriately.”

“…Yes, I shall do my best within the limits of my ability.”

Peng spoke with a bitter tone. In truth, it was a difficult task for him.

The Northern Lords were fundamentally combative by nature, with wills as sharp as steel. One could easily imagine what became of such men when drunk.

“Go.”

“Yes, sir.”

Peng bowed once more, his expression weary as he turned to leave.

I could picture all too clearly how the Lords were tormenting their servants.

Most likely demands to drink together or fetch fresh wine.

“This is a gift for you.”

“A gift? For me? What is it?”

“Open it.”

At Millaiyen’s words, Carina Leopold accepted the box from him.

Nestled against his chest, she carefully opened the box.

Carina Leopold’s eyes widened.

“This is…”

Exquisitely crafted necklaces and bracelets lay within.

Two bracelets, meant for both wrists, were nestled carefully beside a necklace.

Gazing at the treasures that filled the box completely,

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Carina Leopold turned her trembling gaze toward him.

“Millaiyen, this is…”

“Bracelets and a necklace made from Haron. I asked them to compress it as much as possible to keep it light. It took some time, but…”

The craftsmanship was exquisite.

It was hard to believe it had once been nothing but a stone.

It possessed a luster that rivaled even the finest jewels, and its color shifted continuously as the light caught it from different angles.

“Good heavens….”

Carina Leopold covered her mouth.

She couldn’t even imagine how tedious the process must have been. She withdrew the bracelet from the box with utmost care.

It was a bracelet roughly the thickness of a pinky finger.

Not excessively thin, yet not burdensome to wear either. Carina Leopold beamed with delight.

“Thank you, Millaiyen.”

“…Yes.”

“Truly, truly thank you!”

She suddenly wrapped her arms tightly around Millaiyen Pestellio’s neck.

His back stiffened. His eyes darted about in bewilderment.

Carina Leopold’s gaze remained fixed upon the accessory, utterly captivated.

‘…I never expected her to be this pleased.’

Perhaps I should have prepared an additional gift instead?

Regret already crept in. Carina Leopold carefully fastened the bracelet on one wrist and slipped another onto the other.

“Millaiyen, would you fasten the necklace for me?”

“Of course.”

His calloused hands took hold of the delicate necklace.

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In his grasp, it felt almost like a toy.

The ring itself was so delicate that he had to press his face close just to see it properly.

After struggling for what felt like an eternity, Millaiyen finally managed to fasten the necklace around her neck after more than ten minutes had passed.

Every ornament on the necklace, every metal link connecting it—Haron was woven into all of it.

As he painstakingly extracted Haron from the piece,

he hoped it might offer her even a measure of help.

“Thank you so much.”

“If you’re grateful, does that mean I can do what I wanted to do earlier?”

“What you wanted to do?”

Millaiyen smiled mischievously and brought his face close to hers.

Carina Leopold’s eyes widened. Yet she did not pull away.

With a bittersweet expression, she simply

closed her eyes quietly.

“Carina Leopold.”

“Yes.”

‘Don’t die.’

Unable to voice those words, Millaiyen simply pressed his lips against hers in silence.

Her lips, still sweet and soft, still held their warmth.

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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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