I’m in Trouble Because The Emperor Thinks My Time is Limited - Chapter 20

“Were you abandoned?”

At the unexpected question, I looked at the man—no, Melaine—and thought, ‘What is this lunatic talking about now?’

I couldn’t answer, as I didn’t understand what he was getting at. He asked something else this time.

“Was it those guys who did this to you?”

“Those guys?”

“The dragons.”

Melaine’s expression turned menacing for a moment.

“Was it the work of the dragons?”

Though the tone of his words felt off, after a brief moment of contemplation, I nodded. It was the contract with Laroche that had brought me to this state, so yes, in a way, it was the dragons who made me like this.

“I knew it.”

Melaine lowered his head as if in deep thought, standing motionless.

‘What’s gotten into him now?’

Melaine looked deadly serious.

The atmosphere had calmed dramatically. Not long ago, he’d acted like he was ready to kill me, but now he seemed to have lost interest in my life.

Because of that, I cautiously began to move my body, keeping an eye on him. Though my weakened legs didn’t respond well, I couldn’t just sit there helplessly.

But before I could fully rise, my eyes met Melaine’s. His eyes, which had returned to a human’s form, were fixed on me. I froze in place, startled, as he stared right through me.

“Don’t you want revenge?”

“What?”

Caught in the middle of trying to move, my voice came out unusually high-pitched.

“Don’t you want revenge on the one who tried to kill you?”

His calm voice, monotonous as if reading from a book, was disconcerting. But his human-like eyes carried an ominous aura.

“If you want, I can help you.”

I responded with disbelief, “You’re the one who tried to kill me, though.”

The very person who had just attempted to kill me was now offering to help with revenge. It was absurd.

From my perspective, the worst villain here was Melaine himself.

Naturally, my face twisted in disgust. “You’re the worst bastard of all.”

I muttered my thoughts out loud without realizing it. Only when I saw Melaine’s face stiffen did I realize what I had just said.

‘Damn it, my mouth!’

Once again, my mouth had caused trouble. It had felt like things were starting to calm down, but of course, I had to go and ruin it.

Melaine’s face contorted in fury, his fists clenched tightly. I watched him anxiously, unsure of when he might attack me again.

Instead of lashing out, however, he buried his face in his hands and groaned in agony.

“I’ve been doing the same thing…!”

Melaine was tormented.

He muttered a few more things, but with his face buried in his hands, I couldn’t make out what he was saying.

‘What now?’

His reaction was hard to understand. Clearly, as a sane person, I couldn’t keep up with the thought process of a mad dragon.

Watching him go through such a rapid change of emotions, I quickly realized something—I needed to find an escape route while he was distracted.

However, with Melaine blocking the path to the door, there was no clear exit.

The strange standoff continued.

The longer Melaine stayed lost in his thoughts, the more frustrated I became.

Finally, he lowered his trembling hands and cast an uneasy glance my way. His staggering steps towards me were unsettling, and the tension that had faded began to build once more.

I couldn’t predict what this crazy dragon would do next.

“I…”

Just as Melaine’s trembling lips began to speak, there was a loud crash as the white door behind him burst open.

Our attention was naturally drawn in that direction.

—Bang!

In the next instant, a massive explosion reverberated, accompanied by an intense heat.

***

Sionel had appeared at the now wide-open door.

Smoke curled faintly from his fingertips, and I realized belatedly what he had done.

Hurriedly, I turned my head towards where Melaine stood, and sure enough, he was staring at his upraised arm with a hardened expression.

The sleeve of his garment had melted away, leaving his skin exposed, with clear scorch marks darkening his arm.

“How did you open it?”

Unlike me, who was shocked by the sudden turn of events, Melaine remained calm. Tilting his head, he asked Sionel, seemingly curious.

“How did you open it? It shouldn’t have been possible to break through my magic.”

Sionel didn’t answer Melaine’s question. Instead, he ignored Melaine’s presence and looked straight at me.

Even from a distance, I could see Sionel’s eyes trembling with rage.

“I told you not to do anything foolish.”

His voice was low and growling, the tone clearly showing his anger.

Sionel didn’t hide his fury as he approached me. Melaine stepped forward as if to block him, but at that moment, he had to dodge another surge of flame.

I was astonished by Sionel’s use of non-verbal magic.

‘Since when…?’

Although Sionel was one of the highest-ranking wizards in the Empire, I hadn’t known he was capable of casting spells without chanting.

As I stood there gaping, Sionel swiftly pulled me into his arms. I should have asked what was going on, but having been held in his embrace a few times before, I oddly found comfort in his arms.

That caused me to miss the timing to ask any questions.

Over Sionel’s shoulder, I saw Melaine’s face twisted with anger.

“What is the meaning of this—?”

“The handprint.”

Sionel’s cold voice cut off Melaine’s words. I stepped back slightly from his arms and looked up at him, only to find his icy blue eyes fixed on my neck.

His gaze traced the bloodstains on my mouth and clothes.

Sionel didn’t say anything further, but being close to him, I could tell he was beyond furious.

As Sionel slowly released me, I instinctively took a few steps back.

His chilling gaze left me and turned towards Melaine, and I held my breath as the tension between them escalated.

By the time I snapped out of my daze, Sionel had already turned fully to face Melaine.

“How dare you…”

A massive wave of magical energy began to pulse around Sionel.

The power gathering around him was greater than anything I had ever seen before, but the situation was dire.

‘No!’

The opponent was a dragon.

No matter how powerful Sionel’s magic was, there was no way he could defeat a being whose very existence was made of mana.

I reached out to stop him, but an invisible barrier blocked my hand.

At some point, Sionel’s magic had formed a protective shield around me. It was meant to protect me, but at the moment, it was nothing but an obstacle.

No matter how much I pounded on the mana shield, Sionel didn’t turn to look at me.

“Sionel, stop!”

If he fought a dragon, he would surely die!

In my growing panic, I stamped my feet, but Sionel still didn’t listen.

When I looked back towards Melaine, I saw that he, too, was preparing to fight.

Melaine flashed a sharp smile, baring his teeth.

“Your little tricks are impressive, but it seems you don’t recognize your opponent.”

“That’s something you should be saying to yourself.”

The tension between them was palpable. I could feel Melaine drawing his power as well.

“Please, stop this!”

If Melaine fought for real, there was no way Sionel could win.

I continued pounding on the barrier, and Melaine glanced in my direction.

Even though it seemed pointless, I shouted for him to stop. Melaine hesitated for a moment before speaking to me.

“Let me kill him, and come with me. You may not trust me now, but I’ll help you.”

‘What the hell is he talking about?’

Before I could fully process his words, Sionel’s voice rang out.

“You’re crazy.”

I strongly agreed with that.

The flow of magical energy between them grew even more intense, ready to clash at any moment.

The ground shook, and the walls began to crack under the pressure of their power.

It was then that I realized the real danger of this fight.

“What are you two doing in such a confined space?!”

If a battle broke out here in the temple, the entire building would collapse.

Surely, they knew that, but neither Sionel nor Melaine showed any signs of backing down.

“Killing the emperor will cause quite the uproar,” Melaine said with a mocking tone, taunting Sionel with a grin.

Without replying, Sionel began to materialize his power into his hand.

He was serious.

“Sionel! That man isn’t just an ordinary priest!”

“Yes, he’s an incredibly annoying bastard.”

Sionel’s lips curved into a smirk.

That wasn’t what I meant!

I almost nodded unconsciously before snapping out of it. This was no time for jokes.

“No, that’s not it—he’s not human!” I shouted desperately, trying to stop Sionel.

His calm voice replied, “I know.”

“What do you mean, you know?!”

Frustrated, I clutched my chest, and at that moment, Sionel spoke again.

“He’s a dragon.”

I froze, my hands still on my chest. I was speechless, stunned by the revelation that Sionel already knew Melaine’s true identity.

Melaine also seemed taken aback this time.

“How…?”

“I’ve known from the start.”

Sionel paused for a moment before turning his head slightly to look back at me. Although his face was expressionless, I couldn’t shake the feeling that he seemed unbearably sad.

“I knew that bastard was in the temple of Lute. As much as I hated it, I was in a hurry,” he muttered bitterly.

I couldn’t understand what he meant.

“I know more than you think, Lindel.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“So this time, don’t try to hide anything from me.”

With those words, Sionel turned his back on me.

I stood there, speechless, as a massive clash of magic erupted.