I’m in Trouble Because The Emperor Thinks My Time is Limited - Chapter 65

“Kuh…!”

Tumel struggled, grabbing at the human arm choking his neck. Though the person in front of him was just a frail human, escaping from their grasp seemed impossible.

‘Magic…!’

The power constricting his entire body was definitely magic. Using magic within the imperial palace was difficult due to the barrier, meaning that the opponent must be the emperor.

The moment Tumel realized Sionel’s identity, his form was thrown into the air.

-Bang!

Sionel tossed Tumel aside as if he were shaking off filth. The sound of Tumel’s body crashing against the wall was deafening. Had he been an ordinary human, he would surely have died.

“You… you, just who…?!”

“Tumel!”

From afar, Laroche called Tumel’s name in shock, but it was a bad choice. It drew Sionel’s attention to Laroche.

“Stop!”

Tumel struggled to get up to stop Sionel, but once again, Sionel’s magic activated.

“……!”

Pinned down by the force pressing on his entire body, Tumel tried scratching the floor with his nails, but he couldn’t move.

“Emperor…”

Meanwhile, Laroche also realized how dire the situation had become. While Sionel’s presence—having subdued Tumel in an instant—was the biggest problem, it wasn’t the only issue.

“Captain?”

‘Damn it!’

At some point, knights from the imperial guard had surrounded them. The massive pressure coming from behind was unmistakably that of a Swordmaster.

‘Schrein Empester is here too.’

It was expected that humans would gather after such a noisy battle, but of all people, it was the most formidable ones. Schrein Empester, the captain, was flanked by the three captains.

It was then that Schrein spoke.

“Lindel, come here.”

His face turned colder than ever upon discovering Alita, lying on the ground.

“You can’t have Lindel.”

At that moment, Laroche considered whether it might be better to kill everyone rather than trying to keep them from harm. If it meant protecting Lindel, Laroche would do it, even if it meant earning her resentment.

Laroche began channeling mana throughout her entire body, but the palace barrier fought against it. Her skin prickled as though pierced by thousands of needles, yet Laroche did not stop.

“Stop, Laroche!”

“I will protect Lindel.”

Tumel’s voice could be heard from afar, but Laroche didn’t stop.

As Laroche moved, Sionel didn’t remain idle.

-Boom!

Once again, an incredible explosion rang out. As the two magics clashed, the humans around them were thrown back by the shockwave. Everyone, except for Schrein and the captains who had already wrapped themselves in aura, was knocked to the ground. Melaine, too, was safe thanks to a shield made of magic.

Amidst them, the only one unscathed without doing anything was Lindel.

As the dust stirred by the collision of magic gradually settled, the unexpected result was revealed.

“Kuh…!”

Though the power seemed evenly matched on the surface, it was Laroche who stumbled.

‘Damn barrier!’

The problem was the barrier. Within the imperial palace, the only ones not affected by the barrier were the emperor and those he permitted. Thus, after casting magic, the terrible backlash hit Laroche.

“Laroche!”

Already expecting this outcome, Tumel forced himself to stand as he watched Laroche stumble. He couldn’t just stand by; he moved his mana to dispel Sionel’s magic.

“Don’t interfere. I’ll handle you myself.”

But Melaine blocked him immediately, his words heavy with impending menace.

Ignoring them, Sionel spoke for the first time.

“You’re desperate to die.”

His cold voice was devoid of any emotion, and his inorganic eyes only held a gloomy glow as they stared at Laroche.

Laroche, meeting those strangely glowing blue eyes, fell into thought.

‘Is that guy even human?’

It wasn’t simply a matter of being affected by the barrier or not. When Laroche resolved to withstand the backlash, she deliberately used powerful magic. But Sionel had replicated the spell exactly, without a trace of error.

She had never heard of a human able to imitate a dragon’s magic.

“Who… what are you?”

“……”

Sionel did not answer Laroche’s wary question. He merely raised his hand slowly, a prelude to the next attack.

‘Killing him might not even be possible.’

Though surprised by Sionel’s unexpected strength, Laroche had no other choice.

If it meant protecting Lindel!

Just as Laroche raised her arms to block Sionel’s attack, a sharp pain struck the top of her head—Lindel had struck her.

“Ack!”

The mana she had gathered, putting her life on the line, dispersed instantly with the unexpected blow.

“W-what are you doing—Lindel?”

Turning her head toward Lindel in her confusion, Laroche found she could no longer complain.

The expression on Lindel’s face was anything but ordinary.

“That’s enough.”

“L-Lindel?”

Laroche realized what she had forgotten. The problem wasn’t the emperor, the barrier, or the humans surrounding them.

“All this talk about protecting someone who doesn’t even need it.”

“W-what, Lindel?”

“If both of you want to protect me, then who exactly is trying to harm me?”

Blue veins stood out beneath Lindel’s translucent skin. Her face showed clear signs of barely suppressed fury, causing Laroche to step back involuntarily with an awkward smile.

The fear she had forgotten waved its hand.

“You both disappeared on me, and now you’re suddenly here causing chaos. What on earth is this?”

“N-no, it’s just that…”

Laroche couldn’t continue as Lindel’s unfocused eyes bore into her.

-Gulp!

Swallowing nervously, Laroche trembled in fear as Lindel’s emerald eyes shifted to look at Sionel on her left.

At some point, Sionel had approached.

“Sionel.”

“Lindel, are you okay—”

“Are you going to lower that hand?”

“……”

“Or not?”

Lindel’s voice, dropping the honorifics, was clearly a final warning.

Sionel lowered his arm quietly.

The humans around them watched Lindel’s mood intently.

In the heavy silence, Lindel’s voice resonated clearly.

“The imperial palace.”

Melaine gave up fighting and clasped his hands together demurely.

“Completely.”

Laroche fidgeted restlessly, wringing her hands in anxiety.

“Did you intend to destroy it?”

Sionel’s brows furrowed as he recalled the massive crater he had just created.

With each word, the silence deepened.

Tumel, the only one who couldn’t adapt to this strange atmosphere, found the situation peculiar.

Wasn’t she the weakest of them all? As the once overheated atmosphere cooled to an eerie stillness, Tumel found himself making eye contact with Lindel’s emerald eyes.

Her dilated pupils were fixed precisely on him.

“……!”

Without realizing it, he flinched and hunched his shoulders.

Without breaking her gaze, Lindel pointed at several knights.

“Take Alita to the priest. He hit his head, so hurry.”

“Y-yes!”

The knights hurried to take the unconscious Alita away, visibly eager to leave this place.

Tumel felt even stranger. He couldn’t understand what was happening.

“Melaine.”

“Y-yes?”

“Explain.”

Lindel turned her head towards Melaine, who was standing next to Tumel. Tumel unconsciously relaxed, relieved to be out of Lindel’s line of sight. Meanwhile, Melaine tensed up.

“W-what should I explain?”

Without considering the eyes around him, Melaine unintentionally used honorifics. It was clear that if he made a mistake here, he might die. His dragon instincts, keenly aware of danger, prompted him to bow his head meekly.

“Explain what happened after I fainted. Every single detail.”

Lindel’s lips curved into a soft smile, but her eyes were far from amused.

Sweat trickled down Melaine’s back.

***

Kneeling on the ground, their hands cuffed, the two dragons accepted the current situation with surprising compliance. There wasn’t much else they could do anyway.

Laroche, seemingly frightened by my presence, wasn’t even making a sound.

“You.”

I turned my gaze towards the man next to her—Tumel.

Having been grabbed by me earlier, his hair was a tangled mess. He didn’t even try to adjust his fallen glasses, simply watching my every move.

Initially, he had tried to resist, but after a “gentle” touch, he had become quite docile.

“You’re Laroche’s friend?”

“Y-yes. That’s correct.”

“I’m grateful you saved me, Laroche included.”

The two dragons rolled their eyes up to glance at me, then quickly lowered their heads.

“But what you did to Alita is something I cannot forgive.”

“…I apologize.”

With my arms crossed, I looked down at Tumel sternly. The anxious expression on his face was just like Laroche’s.

“Sigh.”

With a deep sigh, I thought back to what had happened earlier.

“When I arrived, that black-haired dragon was feeding you something strange.”

Given the circumstances, I had dismissed the knights, including Schrein, and brought only Sionel, Melaine, and the two dragons inside. After placing magic-suppressing cuffs on their wrists, I had demanded an explanation from Melaine once more. And his story, right from the start, had been shocking.

“When we first found you, your heart had stopped.”

“What?”

Melaine, recalling the shock of that moment, looked at me with tearful eyes.

“How could I stay calm after seeing you like that?”

Sionel, who had been listening to Melaine’s explanation with me, had a hardened expression, as expected.