I’m in Trouble Because The Emperor Thinks My Time is Limited - Chapter 64

It hurts.

Even though I didn’t feel any physical pain, I found myself muttering those words unconsciously. It hurts, why does it hurt so much?

My entire body felt strangely heavy, yet at the same time, I felt a peculiar sense of buoyancy, as if my whole body was floating in the air. Unable to adapt to these unfamiliar sensations, I muttered again that I was in pain.

But I couldn’t hear my own voice.

“No, please! Please, Lindel…!”

Suddenly, I heard someone crying.

The voice calling my name sounded desperate. It was a voice I knew all too well, crying out for me not to do this.

Sionel, the man I loved, was holding me and crying.

The moment I realized this, I opened the eyes I had kept closed until now. And before me, I saw another version of myself.

‘What is that?’

A breath scattered into silence, unable to form words. My lips trembled, but no sound came out.

As I clutched my throat in confusion, the me before my eyes spoke to Sionel.

“It’s okay.”

The ‘me’ lying on the floor and Sionel, who was holding that version of me and crying.

Judging by the bloody state, that ‘me’ was about to die. Both the ‘me’ over there and Sionel seemed to know it. The blood oozing out didn’t seem like it would stop until that version of me drew my last breath.

Sionel’s hands pressed on the wound in my abdomen, trying to stop the bleeding. I instinctively lowered my head, and before I knew it, I realized my own hand was pressed against the same spot.

What was this vision, or rather, this dream? Although it was my first time seeing this scene, there was an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.

I knew this ‘moment.’

“Run away, quickly.”

The dying version of myself spoke.

That ‘me’ was not afraid of death. My pale face, soaked in blood, held nothing but sorrow.

It was concern for someone who couldn’t leave me behind. I could easily guess the reason why.

“You’re crying.”

Just then, someone spoke to me.

‘Who is it?’

I tried to ask the stranger with my still soundless lips.

A man with black hair, someone I had never seen before, was smiling at me.

Or had I never seen him before?

Just like how I felt when I saw the current scene, I felt a sense of déjà vu from the man with black hair. Despite being a stranger, he did not feel unfamiliar.

“Why are you crying?”

The man asked me.

It was then that I realized I was crying. Even though my tears had already soaked my entire face, I hadn’t even been aware that I was crying.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

‘Why? What is this place?’

“Something that once existed, but no longer does. This is a vanished ‘moment.'”

‘I don’t understand.’

Though my words were nothing more than stammering, the man somehow understood them. He frowned slightly as he smiled at my last response.

It wasn’t a joyful smile but rather an expression of discomfort.

“Go back. That child is waiting for you.”

‘That child?’

“The child you wanted to protect at all costs. That child is still waiting for you.”

Instinctively, I lifted my head and looked past the man, towards Sionel.

‘Sionel is waiting for me?’

When I looked back at the man, he was already standing much closer to me.

‘……!’

“Go.”

With a gentle push, I was thrown backward. Though it was a weak force, I found myself helplessly falling backward, as if my body had been flung away.

Time seemed to flow incredibly slowly as I fell. I caught sight of my reflection in the man’s startled eyes.

I waved my arms, trying to catch hold of the receding figure, but all I managed to do was brush the edge of his wide sleeve with my fingertips, failing to grab anything.

Suddenly, the empty space beneath me had turned into a cliff.

My body fell endlessly toward the ground.

“Goodbye.”

The man’s farewell was gentle, but in that final moment, his expression was chillingly cold.

***

“Hah…!”

I gasped for air as I opened my eyes, only to find that I was still reaching out to the empty space, trying to grab the man.

I blinked a few times in a daze before finally registering the surrounding noise.

“Lindel!”

The loud sound made me wince, and I belatedly realized that a voice full of panic was calling my name.

It took me a moment longer to understand that I was in someone’s arms.

Right in front of me was the person I had desperately wanted to see, holding me with a tear-streaked face.

“…Laroche?”

The owner of the luscious black hair and rosy eyes was indeed Laroche.

“How did you—”

Boom!

Before I could finish my question to Laroche, a massive explosion drowned out all other sounds.

The dizziness brought me back to reality, but I still had no grasp of the situation.

I was in Laroche’s embrace, even though she had left, and there was a fierce battle raging around us.

A man with green hair had his back to us as if protecting us, while in front of him were Melaine and Alita.

Another massive explosion followed.

Boom!

Crash!

With the explosions, the ground cracked, and nearby trees splintered. They were continuously attacking each other. It seemed this was the reason I thought it was so noisy when I first opened my eyes.

“…What is this?”

I muttered in confusion, and Laroche pulled me closer, hugging me tightly.

“I’m so glad. I’m really so glad. Thank you for waking up. Thank you, Lindel.”

“Laroche?”

Laroche was still crying. It seemed she was paying no attention to the battle around us, focusing solely on me.

I couldn’t understand why Laroche was here, nor who the man in front of us was. Everything felt chaotic.

Just then, I heard Alita’s shout from a distance.

“Deputy Captain!”

It seemed Alita had noticed that I was awake and called out in my direction. I saw him attempting to approach me, but the green-haired man blocked him immediately.

Thud!

With a simple gesture from the man, Alita was slammed to the ground.

“Ugh!”

Alita’s movements stopped with a pained groan. He seemed to have lost consciousness from hitting his head on the ground.

“What are you doing?!”

Shaking off Laroche’s grasp, I shouted at the man’s back, but he didn’t stop.

“Hey! Stop it right now!”

“Stop, Lindel!”

Just as I tried to stand up to help Alita, my body swayed. As I collapsed to the ground, Laroche caught me and held me back.

“You shouldn’t move in your condition!”

“But Alita is…!”

Even though I saw Laroche’s tearful face, I couldn’t just watch without doing anything.

The man’s fierce attack descended upon the defenseless Alita.

Just before the sharp sword could pierce Alita’s back, Melaine hurled a magical fireball at the man.

“Tch, if it weren’t for this damn barrier.”

The man looked at the scorched edge of his sleeve as he deflected the fireball with his blade, muttering irritably.

“Step away from Lindel.”

Melaine’s expression was anything but ordinary. The gaze he directed at Laroche was fierce, as if he would tear her apart immediately. His eyes no longer seemed human.

Unlike my own startled reaction to Melaine’s dragon-like glare, the man remained unperturbed.

“How fascinating. Eyes made of mana—did you make them yourself?”

“Shut your mouth and give Lindel back.”

“Tch. Such foul language.”

The man wasn’t the least bit surprised by Melaine’s eyes.

Overwhelming strength, a face that looked somehow bored, and an aura that seemed not quite human—all of these qualities described the man.

Melaine charged at him. Despite Melaine’s magic surging towards him, the man neutralized all her attacks with just one sword, his expression bored.

While the man remained unscathed, small wounds continued to accumulate on Melaine’s body.

Staring at the man’s back, I muttered involuntarily, “Could he be… a dragon?”

The man seemed to glance my way, as if he heard my faint words. Even though they were human eyes, just locking gazes with him momentarily made my whole body stiffen.

Predator’s eyes.

I couldn’t be sure of the man’s identity, but one thing was certain—he wasn’t human.

“Come here, Lindel.”

While I was distracted by him, Laroche pulled on my wrist.

“Wait, let go, Laroche!”

“Look at his eyes, Lindel. That guy is a dragon.”

I tried to shake off Laroche’s grasp, but it was impossible. She had never used her strength against me before, but now I understood—Laroche was a dragon too.

She was simply holding onto me, but I couldn’t break free of her grip.

“I already—”

“He hasn’t done anything to you, has he?”

The trembling, teary gaze was gone, replaced with an intense, murderous glint aimed at Melaine.

“What?”

“I shouldn’t have left you alone. I shouldn’t have gone! I never imagined something like that would happen while I was away!”

Laroche was glaring at Melaine as if he were the worst villain.

Sensing Laroche’s gaze, Melaine bared his teeth fiercely in response. Naturally, this only made Laroche’s intimidation even more frightening. She pulled me behind her, as if protecting me from Melaine.

“I don’t know what that guy whispered to you, but don’t trust a word of it. And don’t worry anymore. I’ll protect you no matter what.”

“What? Wait! Melaine isn’t an enemy—”

“How dare that trash try to deceive you. I’ll never forgive him.”

Gritting her teeth, the sound was terrifying.

“I said he’s not an enemy!”

“Did you hear that, brat?”

I yelled, trying to clear up Laroche’s misunderstanding, but she ignored me again. Hearing Laroche’s words, the man spoke to Melaine.

“Looks like Laroche has no intention of forgiving you. Sorry, kid, but she comes first.”

The man’s demeanor changed.

When he opened his eyes again, they had transformed. The vertical slits in his pupils were undeniable proof.

Just as I suspected, the man was a dragon.

‘Dragons just keep popping up, don’t they?!’

I had already encountered three dragons, even though they were supposed to be a rarity. It wasn’t the least bit pleasant.

Every time a new one showed up, they turned my life upside down, and I was going mad because of it.

Seeing the two men ready to charge at each other, I shouted at the top of my lungs.

“Melaine!”

However, it wasn’t my desperate shout that ended the situation.

“……!”

With a flash of gold, Sionel appeared.

“Sionel!”

All eyes, filled with shock, turned towards him.