I’m in Trouble Because The Emperor Thinks My Time is Limited - Chapter 50

The woman’s movements were strange, far from what a human would normally display. It was as if she was throwing her entire body like a weapon, lunging towards the boy.

-Clang!

When her arm clashed with my sword, it made a noise like metal striking metal. The weight of the impact shot pain through my palm, and I couldn’t help but grimace.

“Li… Lindel Bodebachne…!”

The boy, who seemed to have only just realized who was standing in front of him, called my name in a trembling voice. But I had no time to respond.

-Bang!

Seeing the woman trying to swing her other arm, I kicked her in the abdomen, sending her flying back. The impact on my foot felt like I had kicked a steel block.

Her skin did not seem like that of a human.

“What are you? Are you even human?”

“What could I be? Who do you think I am? Come on, take a guess! Who do you think I am?”

She spoke incessantly, her bright yellow eyes glaring at me sharply. Her gaze, like that of a predator hunting its prey, briefly turned towards the boy.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

“Hahahaha!”

I intercepted her attack aimed at the boy, and she let out a burst of laughter. Her laughter, excited as if she was delighted to death, made my skin crawl.

“Lady Lindel!”

Just then, I heard someone calling my name. Looking around, I saw the knights running toward us. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one who noticed them.

“Don’t interfere!”

At the woman’s shout, the creatures that had fallen on the floor began to twitch and rise again. Their limbs, already mangled from the knights’ attacks, now moved as they lunged at the nearby people.

Unlike before, their movements were now cunning—they targeted the weak and the young. The knights had no choice but to turn their attention to protect those people.

The way they kept rising even after being knocked down reminded me of zombies from storybooks. It was clear that hoping for help was now futile.

“Where do you think you’re looking? You’re supposed to play with me!”

In the brief moment I was distracted, the woman charged at me. I swung my sword to the right to fend her off, but instead of being pushed back, she grabbed onto it with immense strength.

I was momentarily startled by the sudden weight, but I quickly twisted my wrist, trying to set the blade. Despite what should have been a solid attack, the woman’s palm was unscathed.

“…You almost died and came back, and now your body is like iron.”

I grumbled in frustration, and the woman responded with a chilling smile. Though she seemed to be looking at me, her gaze kept shifting towards the boy. The look of someone wanting to toy with a fragile plaything made anger well up within me.

“Kid, can you stand?”

“Ah, my… my legs…”

The boy’s legs seemed frozen with fear, scratching the ground uselessly as he tried to move. His tear-stained young face was pitiful, but there was no one nearby to help.

“Stay here quietly.”

In the distance, I could see Sionel himself using magic. If I could just hold on a bit longer, either Sionel or Cryan would come to help. But with the child behind me, simply waiting for support was too dangerous.

There was only one choice left.

“Because of you, my doll is completely ruined. What are you going to do about it? I really liked it, you know.”

“Oh, shut up. Don’t mutter nonsense in that metallic voice—there’s a kid here, and you’re scaring him.”

I stepped toward the woman, positioning myself between her and the child. Wind blew in through the terrace window, making my red cloak billow, but I moved toward the woman without hesitation. For the sake of the young life behind me, a knight could not put down their sword.

When I gripped my sword properly, the woman sneered. “You think you can beat me just by swinging that little sword?”

“I know.”

When I had gained enough distance, I reached into my coat and felt a hard glass vial. Since the mana rampage, I had always kept it with me, so it wasn’t hard to find.

“Oh? What’s that?”

Seeing me take out the small vial, curiosity flickered across the woman’s doll-like expression. Dark red powder swirled within the vial—a color that always made me uneasy.

My heart’s heat responded as if knowing what I intended to do. The warmth spread from my heart, eager to unleash the power I hadn’t used in so long.

“What are you planning to do?” The woman tilted her head in confusion.

Ignoring her question, I uncorked the vial, and a unique, indescribable smell immediately filled the air. The stench made me frown involuntarily, but there was no time to hesitate.

“I really don’t want to drink this. Seriously, the smell is awful.”

“What?”

“But if I just fight without it and collapse again, someone’s definitely going to cry. So I have no choice but to drink it.”

If an ordinary sword couldn’t cut her, then a sword imbued with aura could. The reason I hadn’t been able to use aura was because every time I did, the resulting heat from my heart caused me to vomit blood and pass out.

I couldn’t make Sionel cry again, so now was the time to use Laroche’s remedy. Though I couldn’t shake off the fear of the side effects she had mentioned, there were no other options.

The ominous red powder seemed to urge me to drink it, wafting its scent enticingly.

“I’ll make sure you never rise again.”

If the enemy was strong, I simply had to become stronger. Without hesitation, I swallowed it.

And then—

“Ugh, bleeerggh!”

“……”

The woman looked at me, speechless, her face full of disbelief. I bent over, retching loudly.

‘Laroche, you idiot!’

The side effects appeared in an unexpected way.

***

Awoken by the loud chirping of birds, Laroche opened her eyes. It had been a few days since she last regained consciousness, and her vision was still blurry.

A weak, hoarse sound escaped her lips, sounding pathetic. Even the small movement made her throat ache, forcing her to grimace.

“Are you feeling better?”

“…Tumel.”

Recognizing a familiar face, Laroche finally understood what had happened.

“You saved me.”

Tumel quietly poured water and brought it to her lips, allowing her parched lips to barely swallow a sip.

“How long has it been?”

“By human standards, quite a while. But to us, it was but a fleeting moment.”

Tumel adjusted his slipping glasses, sitting beside Laroche’s bed. Though he tried to act indifferent, Laroche knew he had been worried and stayed by her side all this time, and she smiled faintly.

But her smile did not last long.

“Please, just let it go now. Stop all of this.” Laroche’s face hardened instantly, her voice sharp.

“No. I will never give up.”

“Even after all these injuries, you still won’t give up?” Tumel’s voice rose in exasperation.

“Even dragons die someday. Death is inevitable. I understand your feelings, but—”

“You understand my feelings?”

Deep ripples appeared in Laroche’s eyes. Her dry eyes welled up, tears spilling endlessly. The pink hue in her eyes made the tears look almost like blood.

“No one understands me. Do you know what I’ve lost?!”

Tumel covered his eyes in anguish, pained by her words. How cruel fate could be. His eyes, wise from centuries of experience, seemed clouded with sorrow today.

“I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn. But doing this while you’re in that form is reckless.”

“Even if it means my death, I will not give up.”

Laroche’s trembling lips murmured in despair, “I even deceived that child. I lied to that poor thing who doesn’t know anything, just to get this far. I cannot regret or give up now.”

Tumel swallowed a sigh, watching his friend silently shed tears.

“So, you gave Estelle as well? You’ve done your duty.”

“I only gave Estelle, nothing more. Even after lying.”

Estelle was the elixir of dragons, something that only a few among the dragonkind could make. It required pouring precious mana and effort over several days to create. Despite having given something so rare, Laroche still felt regret.

Tumel could not understand her regret.

“Do you think that child took it?”

“She probably did. There must have been a problem.”

Laroche closed her eyes deeply. Another thick tear rolled down her cheek.

“When I gave it to her, I lied. I said, ‘You’re human, so there might be side effects.’ At that moment, I didn’t even know why I said that. But now, I think I do.”

“…Why did you?”

“I was scared. I was terrified that the child would take it and learn the truth.”

Laroche’s lips trembled, guilt and self-loathing strangling her.

“How did I fall this far?”

Tumel gently wiped away her tears, waiting patiently for Laroche to calm down.

“Still, you gave Estelle, so everything should be alright. Besides, she’s strong, isn’t she? She’ll hold out. Don’t let it burden you too much.”

Leaning on the strong hand that had always supported her through hardships, Laroche rested her cheek.

“Thank you for helping me make Estelle. Without you, it wouldn’t have been possible in my condition.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Still.”

The warmth in Laroche’s voice caused Tumel’s ears to redden slightly. To hide it, he quickly changed the subject.

“Ahem! More importantly, why did you take my spice that day? I had to make it all over again.”

“Spice?”

“When you came to take Estelle before leaving.”

Laroche thought for a moment, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t recall.

“I only took Estelle that day.”

“What are you talking about? You took my spice too. It was on the top shelf of the cupboard.”

Laroche’s expression changed as she looked at Tumel’s puzzled face.

“…The top shelf?”

“Yes.”

She forgot her pain and leaped up from her bed. Her voice trembled with anxiety. “What color was it?”

“Red. Why?”

“My Estelle is red too.”

Laroche and Tumel exchanged glances briefly before they both dashed toward the cupboard.

And as always, ominous premonitions never failed to come true. They found a vial filled with red powder shoved into the bottom corner of the cupboard.

It was, unmistakably, Laroche’s Estelle.

“So, you’re saying I mistook your spice for Estelle and took it?”

“……”

Laroche’s voice trembled.

Laroche desperately hoped Tumel would deny her words, but he shook his head, his face as pale as hers.

“I’m dead now.”

Laroche muttered helplessly, her face as white as a sheet.

***

“Ugh, bleeerggh!”

“…Uh…”

“Ugh, gag! Bleeerggh!”

“…Excuse me?”

The woman’s face was full of shock.

It was clear she had no idea what was happening, but I was in no condition to respond to her confusion. The horrendous taste left in my mouth—if one could even call it a taste—was unbearable.

My senses were overwhelmed, my tongue felt not only painful but also tasted bitter. Or was it spicy? My mouth burned, itched, and stung horribly.

Nothing was coming out, yet I kept retching, clutching my throat. I felt my legs weaken, unable to focus on anything around me.

“Lady Lindel has collapsed!”

The boy’s desperate cry echoed from behind me.