I’m in Trouble Because The Emperor Thinks My Time is Limited - Chapter 35

It would indeed be a serious problem if a dragon, which is practically a symbol of mana, were a being that couldn’t handle mana at all.

Yes, if it were a dragon.

But I’m human, right?

“I’m sooorrryyyy—Lindel!”

Melaine’s wailing grew even more pitiful.

It was absurd, but seeing him cry like that made me feel as though I had done something wrong. I glanced at Sionel, but he merely shrugged. He didn’t seem inclined to offer any help.

“I’m human,” I said, my voice tinged with both disbelief and frustration.

Amid his sobbing, Melaine seemed to hear my voice, for he paused his loud wailing for a moment. His black snout trembled, as though he were struggling to hold back his tears.

“A-a human?”

“Yes. I’m human. So, it’s fine.”

His gem-like eyes wavered with anxiety. Had he truly understood what I said?

“Even without mana—hic!—even without mana, you’re clearly a dragon, Lindel! Waaaah!”

Damn it.

He didn’t believe me at all.

Feeling the stiffness creep into the back of my neck, I let out a small sigh. I had no idea why he was calling me a dragon.

At that moment, golden magic circles began to form around Melaine. Blinding rays of light radiated from them, causing me to instinctively step back in surprise. The light quickly wrapped around Melaine’s black scales, and then his form began to change.

“Aah!”

His long tail vanished, and his short, stubby limbs elongated into sleek, graceful ones. A tall figure with striking ebony hair and a handsome face emerged from the dazzling light.

It was the Melaine Crostan I knew.

“Lindel.”

The youthful, refreshing voice was still the same, though now it carried a deeper resonance as he called my name. His tear-filled gemstone eyes sparkled even more as they reflected the fragments of light from the disintegrating magic circle.

Melaine reached out toward me. Amid the ethereal atmosphere, I found myself staring, entranced, at the beautiful man extending his hand to me.

And then—

“Lin—Gah!”

—Bang!

With an earth-shaking crash, Melaine vanished from sight.

All that remained in his place was a long, elegant leg stretched out into the air. I blinked in shock, staring at the leg before shouting the culprit’s name.

“S-Sionel?!”

The culprit was indeed Sionel. He had kicked the newly transformed Melaine, sending him flying. I looked at Sionel with disbelief, but he simply stared coldly in the direction where Melaine had been sent flying.

Following his icy gaze, I turned my head to see Melaine sprawled helplessly on the ground, dust billowing around him. Having just transformed, Melaine was completely naked, making him look even more pitiful.

Though he was still twitching on the ground, it didn’t seem like he was seriously hurt.

“Why did you—”

“There’s no need to look at such a thing, Lindel.”

Sionel’s voice flowed toward me with soft kindness. Not long ago, he had been quite composed, but now it seemed something had gotten under his skin.

Gently, he turned my head toward him with a tender touch. “You should only see the good things.”

He smiled warmly at me, but it felt more terrifying than comforting.

“You bastard…!”

I heard Melaine’s voice from the direction he had flown. The tightly clenched anger in his voice made it clear he was truly furious. Judging from his voice, it didn’t seem like he was severely injured, but Sionel was still holding me, so I couldn’t confirm it with my eyes.

Melaine’s enraged voice rang out again. “You bastard dare kick a dragon?!”

“And you had the audacity to think about showing your naked body. Are you insane?”

“Wh-who was planning to show their naked body…!”

That seemed to be the issue.

Sionel didn’t hide the disgust in his voice, and Melaine responded with an embarrassed tone.

“It was just a mistake!”

I heard some rustling sounds. It seemed like he was summoning clothes with magic.

“Now that you’ve regained your mana, get lost. You’re in the way.”

“And who the hell are you to tell me to get lost?!”

“Just be thankful I gave you those flowers.”

“You’re the reason I ran out of mana in the first place, you bastard!”

“Because of Sionel?”

I realized something new—that it was Sionel’s fault Melaine had been low on mana. Now that I thought about it, Melaine had mentioned before that he had exhausted his strength because of Sionel.

‘What happened between them that I don’t know about?’

I had been curious for a while now, but it seemed like the two of them had gotten close behind my back. Of course, not in a friendly way, but it was clear there had been some sort of interaction that I wasn’t aware of.

I looked up at Sionel with a puzzled expression, and he answered kindly, “Though he doesn’t look like it, he’s fairly skilled with magic, so I gave him some work.”

“Don’t talk like you’re my superior, you annoying bastard.”

I could hear Melaine stomping toward us in irritation. He soon pushed Sionel’s hand away from my cheek and abruptly brought his face close to mine.

“I-I’m sorry for scaring you earlier. When emotions run high, I tend to forget the small details.”

Melaine had surprised me earlier, but not because he had shown up naked. As a knight, I had grown immune to such things, having sparred in the training grounds regardless of gender. Besides, I had been too focused on his striking face to even register his nudity.

I was about to tell him it was fine, but Sionel spoke first. “Calling that a small matter? You’re a shameless pervert.”

“Do you really want to fight for real this time? Huh? I’m only tolerating you because Lindel likes you!”

“Tolerating me? You?”

The perfect sneer.

If there were a textbook for mockery, Sionel’s expression would be the cover. I couldn’t help but be impressed. Even though I loved him, even I wanted to punch him at that moment.

Melaine must have felt the same, for his face flushed red with rage.

“Alright, that’s it! I’m going to—!”

“Stop it. Both of you.”

In the end, I had to intervene.

If I didn’t stop them, it was clear they’d start fighting again, and this time, they’d probably destroy everything in the process. This greenhouse was important to Sionel, after all.

Even the sturdy Temple of Lute had shown cracks after their last confrontation. There was no way this small greenhouse could withstand another clash.

But whether they would actually listen to me was another matter entirely.

‘If push comes to shove, I’ll have to step in, even if it means coughing up blood again.’

Just thinking about it made my head throb, and I pressed my hand against my forehead. For some reason, the bickering stopped.

When I lowered my hand, I saw the two of them staring at me, their faces frozen in concern.

“What is it?”

“Does your head hurt?” Sionel asked, his voice tense.

Though the headache wasn’t that bad, I shook my head. Then Melaine, visibly agitated, spoke up.

“Are you feeling nauseous?”

His face, which had been red with anger moments ago, had now turned pale. He looked terrified.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Let’s lie down for a moment,” Sionel said, gently pulling me toward him.

Melaine quickly summoned a blanket with magic, spreading it out to make a spot for me to lie down. As Sionel guided me toward the makeshift bed, I finally regained my senses.

“No! I’m not sick!”

“Even so, you should rest for a bit. Or maybe I should summon a proper bed?”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

“Wait, what? No! You can’t just summon a bed here! I’m really fine!”

These two had been bickering earlier, but now they were working together in perfect harmony. If I didn’t stop them, they’d probably summon a bed right here, so I firmly shook my head.

“I won’t get sick as long as the two of you don’t fight, so just stay still.”

The two men exchanged dissatisfied looks, but they nodded reluctantly.

“Alright, but don’t overdo it,” Sionel said softly, gently stroking my forehead. His touch was so careful, as if he were afraid I might break.

On the other side, Melaine summoned a cup of water and handed it to me.

“You said you can’t take mana, so drink this at least. And if you feel even a little unwell, let us know.”

His eyes were filled with worry that I might collapse again. They were both following my words perfectly, so why did it feel like my eyes were starting to water?

There was no point in insisting that I was fine anymore, so I gave up.

“By the way, how are you able to use magic in the palace? Isn’t it impossible to use magic here, even for dragons, except for Sionel?” I asked, deciding to satisfy my curiosity instead.

“If I grant permission, magic can be used within the palace. Of course, the restrictions mean that it takes three or four times more mana to perform even simple summoning magic,” Sionel explained.

As he spoke, he adjusted his position to allow me to lean against him more comfortably.

“I haven’t used this much mana in a long time,” Melaine muttered.

“What kind of magic required that much mana?”

“Well…,” Melaine hesitated and glanced at Sionel.

“The barrier around the palace seemed a bit weakened, so I asked him for help repairing it,” Sionel said.

“Yeah, I helped out with that.”

I found it hard to believe.

“So, Sionel asked for your help, and you agreed?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Even though they couldn’t stand each other?

It made no sense. Sionel despised dragons, so the idea of him asking one for help seemed absurd. And the thought of the palace barrier weakening was even more unlikely.

When Laroche had attempted her magic before, the barrier had been as strong as ever.

Despite my disbelief, Sionel nodded, while Melaine averted his gaze awkwardly.

“So,” I said, my voice filled with suspicion, “are you two secretly close? You seem to work well together.”

Both Sionel and Melaine’s faces twisted in displeasure at the same time, but they couldn’t deny it.

Their pouting expressions were honestly quite amusing.