I’m in Trouble Because The Emperor Thinks My Time is Limited - Chapter 57

Hearing Hasina mention the contract with the dragon, I felt like my heart had stopped.

Unable to respond hastily, Hasina also remained silent. As her face, which had come close, slowly pulled away, the darkness began to recede as people around us relit the candles.

‘I’ve been found out! I’ve been found out!’

Not only had what I wanted to reveal come out, but also something that should never have been exposed. I had no idea how to handle this situation.

While I looked at Hasina with confused eyes, she continued to smile beautifully.

“Th-this is, well…”

“Shh—it’s alright. I understand everything.”

An angel smiled in front of me.

But I couldn’t be fooled by it.

I had never seen a truly kind person who smiled like an angel, but stupidly, I had momentarily been deceived by that smile once again.

While I hesitated foolishly, Hasina suddenly shouted loudly.

“Aah—!”

Her beautiful smile remained unchanged, but tears welled up in her eyes. They rolled down her cheeks and chin, falling in large droplets.

She showed that scene to everyone.

“How could the heavens be so indifferent!”

Her smile gradually twisted, and her desperate cry shook the temple.

I didn’t even need to look to know. Everyone here was focused on Hasina’s words.

She, who knew all of that better than anyone else, shouted as if she couldn’t stand it.

“Why do you seek to take away this pitiful soul?!”

I saw the devil.

***

Never interfere.

The request of the black priest was not to interfere with the ritual, no matter what happened before my eyes. With gentle eyes, she promised to do her best.

Bound by that promise, Sionel couldn’t take a step toward the ritual. It wasn’t that he trusted the priest, but rather that he was worried that Lindel might be harmed because of him.

Light leaked from the priest’s hand, and the walls shook. He felt as if he had abandoned his lover in a dangerous place, and his body kept wanting to lunge forward. He clenched his fists until his flesh tore, suppressing the impulse. Amidst it all, Sionel desperately hoped and hoped again.

‘It’ll be alright, I’m sure.’

Lindel, sitting there, looked fearless.

Sacrifice was a terrifying thing for anyone. But strangely, foolishly, Lindel had never hesitated to sacrifice himself, neither in the past nor now.

That’s why Sionel was scared. He was scared of losing everything once again.

‘It’ll be alright. It’ll be alright.’

As he repeated the familiar words, the wind finally subsided. When the extinguished flames were rekindled, he could see Lindel’s back.

‘Can I approach now?’

Was it still not over? Would this be considered interference?

While he hesitated, the priest opened her mouth.

But the cry of the black priest shattered Sionel’s expectations in an instant. This was not what he wanted.

“How much pain you must have endured. How afraid you must have been.”

The priest’s two arms recklessly embraced Lindel.

He wanted to cut off those arms, which were carelessly touching what was his, driven by a possessive desire. But knowing it was a crazy thought, he suppressed it.

While I am holding back like this, shouldn’t you refrain from saying such things?

“How could saving a life that should have died be considered a sin! Why are you so desperate to take away this poor soul?!”

The silent cry was deafening.

His insides churned.

Something that should have died. It was all too clear who that referred to.

At that moment, Sionel’s gaze met the sky-blue eyes of the black priest. He realized the vivid emotion contained within them.

Mockery. The priest’s eyes spoke to him. They mocked him.

—It’s because of you. All of this.

His fingertips went cold.

***

Hasina should have become an actress, not a priest.

Every sobbing word she shouted was so exquisite that it tugged at the heartstrings of those listening.

I could see her tear-filled eyes beneath her thick eyelashes. There was no sincerity in them, but I was the only one who knew that.

“Oh no—!”

Hasina was now wailing. Hearing her mournful cries, people around us, clueless, began to sob.

As my expression twisted beyond control, Hasina embraced me, as if trying to hide it. It was an incredibly meticulous move.

“But don’t worry! Hasina is here now. I will stand by you in that lonely fight!”

Oh, come on.

“I will definitely save you…!”

“Priest…!”

You’ve got to be kidding me.

“Even if it means exhausting all my divine power, even if the god I serve punishes me! I will not give up!”

“Hngh!”

Crying erupted around us. As I slipped out of her embrace, I saw that even the captains were in the same situation.

The naive Zimokan was already bawling, while Millior and Alita bit their lips and let tears fall. Even Cryan had his head bowed.

“How could…”

Just then, I sensed a presence behind me. A thorny voice, like something scraping the floor, spoke to Hasina.

“How can you save her?”

“The broken soul is in a condition that is difficult to mend. But we cannot give up. There must be a way,” Hasina answered fervently. It was a holy vow befitting a saint, not a mere priest.

She shed another tear.

“To find that way, I need to be alone with Lindel for a while. Please, allow it.”

“…Granted.”

With the emperor’s permission, those who had been sobbing quickly left the temple.

Things were proceeding regardless of my will, and I couldn’t even let out a hollow laugh.

The heavy footsteps of those leaving were the last sound I heard before the arms that had embraced me fell away.

Just as I began to feel pity for her tear-soaked face, Hasina spoke, “Wow~ I thought I’d die squeezing out all those tears!”

The moment the crude voice emerged, her expression changed. The holy smile and sorrowful sadness were gone.

Hasina lazily smiled with a half-careless attitude. “You said your name was Lindel, right? Wow—you’re even more incredible than I thought! A nationwide fraud! I should learn from you.”

“……”

“I’ve never been known to do things on a small scale, but I’ve never done something of this magnitude. Can I call you big brother?”

All my expressions turned to dust and disappeared.

“Who exactly are you?”

“I’m a priest. A black priest serving Lute, the god of death.”

“And yet you lied like that…”

“Oh, come on—”

Hasina smiled, her eyes narrowing. What had once looked like an angelic smile now felt insidious.

“I wasn’t the one who lied first.”

Hasina spoke as if tired, patting her shoulder.

“I was surprised to find out that the loyal knight, who supposedly took on the emperor’s curse with his whole body, was actually someone like me. The world truly is vast.”

“I didn’t lie—!”

Hasina smiled slyly. Her fingers covered my mouth, then pointed at my heart. “It seems no one knows about your contract with the dragon, not even His Majesty the Emperor.”

I had to grit my teeth.

“Then why not just say it outright? Why put on such an act?”

“I wouldn’t waste an opportunity for something trivial.”

It was a smile full of clear intentions.

It had been dismal when everything was exposed, but now it was dismal in a different sense. Of all people, it had to be this strange person who found out.

“By the way, I’m curious. Was the coughing up blood fake too? How did you—”

“How could that possibly be fake!”

When I shouted in irritation, Hasina widened her eyes. But only for a moment; then she gave me a thumbs up.

“You’re right. There’s no way that could be fake.”

The crescent-moon eyes looked genuinely delighted. I was so taken aback I couldn’t even respond.

While I was speechless, Hasina took my hands. From her tightly clasped hands and her shining eyes, I felt a deep desire.

“Since I’ve met such an amazing person, is it okay if I hitch my wagon to yours? I will do my utmost to help you!”

“Hitch your wagon to what, and help whom?”

“The meticulous planning over such a long time. The audacity to target the entire empire. I felt it immediately.”

In Hasina’s eyes, what burned was ‘greed.’

“I smell an incredible amount of money!”

I finally understood why she was called the ‘black priest.’ Hasina was white and glossy on the outside, but inside, she was as dark as coal. I smelled a con artist the moment I met her.

“You always attract strange people.”

Utilia’s voice, something I had heard once, echoed in my head.

Now, I would never be able to refute that statement.

As I sighed with a gloomy face, Hasina shook the hands she held with enthusiasm. She truly looked overjoyed.

“I’ll serve you to the best of my ability from now on!”

The loyalty of a con artist was anything but reassuring.

I had no idea what to do now.

All I had wanted was proof of my health, but instead, the situation had grown even bigger. Just thinking about everyone’s tears from earlier made me feel like I’d wake up startled in the middle of the night.

‘I’m doomed.’

Then Hasina asked, “By the way, is that black-haired man behind you the dragon you made a contract with?”

Apparently, her abilities were so extraordinary that she figured out Melaine’s identity immediately.

“Can you tell all that too?”

“Oh, it’s not like I felt or saw anything.” Hasina added proudly, “You can just tell by looking at his face. No human could be born with a face like that.”

Her gesture of waving her hand in front of her face was impertinent, but it was so accurate that I couldn’t argue.

“That’s why I first thought His Majesty the Emperor was also a dragon. Such an otherworldly beauty. But there’s no way the emperor of the empire could be a dragon!”

“So, in the end, you just guessed he was a dragon and got it right…”

“Oh no! Is that how it is? I thought it was a logical deduction!”

I wondered what to do with this overly cheerful person. Her promise to help me inspired no confidence whatsoever.

“How am I supposed to trust you?”

“Hmm, do I still seem suspicious? Then I’ll make an ‘unbreakable vow’!”

“You mean you’ll swear in the name of a god?”

“Yes, exactly! If a priest breaks that vow, they’ll lose all their power. Would that be enough to trust me?”

I sighed and eventually nodded. Refusing her could lead to her spreading the truth, which would be troublesome.

“[I, Hasina Lejuroane, swear in the name of Lute, to give my ‘best help’ to Lindel Bodebachne.] There! Does that make you trust me?”

“…Yes, I’m counting on you.”

“Don’t worry too much! I might be more helpful than you think!”

It still didn’t inspire any confidence.

Perhaps because of my face, full of distrust, Hasina said she’d show me something valuable and rummaged through her robes.

‘I doubt it’s anything impressive.’

But the next moment, when I saw what she took out, I couldn’t help but gasp.

“H-how is that even possible?!”

What Hasina took out was a badge proving her status as a priest. And the title written on it was anything but ordinary.

“Believe it or not, I’m a saint of Lute! How about that? Pretty helpful, right?”

“……”

Looking at her smiling face, I thought,

Something has definitely gone wrong.