They Say an Age Gap Like This Doesn’t Even Need Matching - Chapter 68

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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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In the deep of night as the moon waned, I ran swiftly in pursuit of shadows, controlling my breathing.
‘I need to hurry.’
Originally, I had planned to leave the Separate Palace earlier, but spending time with Elhart had delayed my departure.
I had even skipped dinner, yet I harbored no regrets about that choice.
His arms holding me firmly, his clumsy yet sincere comfort—I was deeply grateful for it all.
‘The massage felt wonderful too.’
And the enchanting, sweet moments that followed.
‘It’s only a shame that it had to end.’
I found it remarkable that such pleasurable things existed in this world.
‘Is it always like this, or is Elhart simply special?’
After a moment’s consideration, I concluded that Elhart was indeed special.
Because….
‘There couldn’t possibly be another person in this world with such a face, such a body, and such a character.’
Even his warm and sweet Manarang was perfect.
‘Now that I think about it, Elhart’s Manarang has changed again.’
Most things remain unchanged throughout a lifetime, yet his has already shifted twice.
And it was peculiar that it always transformed whenever we were together.
‘I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.’
What influence was I exerting on Elhart’s values and goals?
The fragrance that had been refreshing had become enchantingly sweet, as if beguiling.
‘Now it feels quite different from Mikhail’s Manarang.’
When I first met him, they were so identical that it wouldn’t have been strange to mistake him for Mikhail.
As the protagonist destined to usher in a new golden age for Bardia, I could only hope that this transformation was for the better.
As I pondered my time with Elhart, the Tower of Repentance came into view.
Each time my feet touched the ground, ancient dust rose faintly, then settled as if nothing had happened.
Even that movement caught my attention, so I placed my steps with even greater care.
The area around the Tower of Repentance remained silent.
Since it was not a space for habitation but rather a prison built to confine people, it possessed a distinctive desolation.
‘The guards have been reduced further.’
I murmured to myself while surveying the tower’s perimeter.
Indeed, the guards stationed nearby were little more than a façade.
The true barrier against intrusion and escape was the mana barrier installed in the tower itself.
I pressed my body against the outer wall where shadows lay thick and slowly raised my gaze upward.
Five stories high.
A window appeared at the same location as before.
The spot where Elhart had lifted me in his arms and leaped in one swift motion.
That moment flashed through my mind, brief and fleeting.
Today, I had come here alone.
Since I still hadn’t found any clues about the life force supply device, there was a need to move quickly.
So we divided the tasks—I would negotiate with the Crown Princess, while he would search the location.
Within the Imperial Palace, only a handful of locations remained that we had yet to explore, and one of them—the Imperial Gardens—was where he had ventured today.
The Imperial Gardens.
A place where discovery of our intrusion could cost us our lives.
Moreover, the surrounding area was guarded not by soldiers, but by knights.
In other words, the difficulty of reconnaissance was at its highest.
‘…He should be managing well.’
Assuming one relied solely on physical prowess without drawing upon mana or sacred power, no one was more suited for this task than Elhart.
It was almost laughable that I, who knew this fact better than anyone, would find myself worrying about him.
‘Pointless thoughts.’
I quickly shook my head, dispelling the unnecessary concern.
‘What matters is here.’
I moved my hand as if gently scraping through the air.
As I slowly traced the barrier laid bare on the surface, I felt the undulating flow of mana.
‘As expected, it’s not completely sealed.’
This was an intrusion detection method used even in the early days of Bardia’s founding.
Its structure responded the moment it was touched, trapping intruders like a snare.
I steadied my breathing and channeled strength into my fingertips.
Then I tore open a section of the barrier as one might tear through a spider’s web.
I chose the most sparse area and opened it only just enough that no alarm would sound.
‘This should suffice.’
Thus I pressed forward into the barrier, driving strength into my feet before pulling myself up in one fluid motion.
The moment I grasped the window frame and pushed my body inward, the air transformed.
The flow of mana had become completely severed from the outside.
I landed silently and surveyed my surroundings.
Nothing had changed from my last visit.
‘Success, at least.’
That Elhart could accomplish so effortlessly what required such delicate precision on my part was remarkable.
‘No matter how I think about it, it’s practically cheating.’
I was truly fortunate that Elhart was mine.
Following the faint light rising from below, I descended the stairs slowly.
Today’s objective was not reconnaissance, but to meet with the Crown Princess.
Upon reaching the circular corridor, I headed directly toward the room where the Crown Princess was confined.
‘She said the punishment had stopped.’
There had been information that the personnel entering the Tower of Repentance had changed since the incident occurred.
Something about a slave having scarred the Crown Princess’s face.
I pressed my body against the wall and peered through the gap in the door.
Whether because the time to return her to the Crown Princess’s Palace drew near, the Crown Princess appeared different from before.
Unlike when she had been stripped bare, she now lay on the bed dressed in sleeping clothes.
I had prepared to act if there were others present, but fortunately, only the Crown Princess remained.
I slowly stepped inside.
Did she hear the sound of the door opening?
The Crown Princess opened her eyes and looked toward me.
“…Who are you?”
Her voice was hoarse.
I slowly stepped out from the shadows and revealed myself before the Crown Princess.
The moment our eyes met, her eyes widened dramatically.
What lay within them was fury and hatred, and an obsession with something.
“How did you get in here…!”
She tried to jolt upright but let out a low groan instead.
Looking closer, I saw her limbs were wrapped in chains.
From the way she was bound, it seemed less designed to prevent escape and more meant to stop her from harming herself.
‘A pitiful sight indeed.’
Though I felt no pity for it.
“What if I said I came to help you? Would you believe me?”
The Crown Princess’s eyes narrowed.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
A natural response.
I shrugged and stepped closer.
“Then let’s call it a deal instead.”
“A deal? What could someone like you possibly offer me?”
Fury still burned in the Crown Princess’s gaze as she looked at me.
I examined the scar that cut across her face carefully.
Medicine had been applied, but it would be impossible to erase the scar completely.
Not in this age where magic and divine power have become worthless.
“About that scar—I can make it disappear without leaving any trace.”
“…What?”
I felt the Crown Princess hesitate.
Several days had already passed since the incident occurred.
For the Crown Princess, who had cycled through despair and resignation, the bait I had cast would be quite tempting.
Given her obsession with beauty, bearing such a large scar on her face must be unbearable.
“I have a healing potion that can make any wound disappear without a trace. It’s a treasure of Bardia.”
“Something like that… exists?”
“Of course it does. I brought it for the prince, but I’ll give it to you as a special favor.”
In truth, it’s just an ordinary potion.
Still, as a supply item from the Expedition Team created three hundred years ago, it can heal a wound of that degree cleanly without leaving a single scar.
“And there’s one more thing.”
The Crown Princess’s pupils trembled.
She didn’t want to hope, yet she couldn’t help but hope.
“Auriel.”
The moment that name left my lips, the Crown Princess’s expression stiffened.
“I’ll help you have him.”
The Crown Princess’s gaze sharpened.
“What nonsense are you spouting….”
“I know you’re not siblings. In reality, he’s just a man, nothing more.”
“….”
The Crown Princess stared at me intently, forgetting even to blink.
“You can only have him if you prove that.”
Since I too was gazing into the Crown Princess’s eyes, I could discern it.
The obsession and possessiveness lurking in the depths of her gaze.

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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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