Chapter 159: Sunrise
As I rose to the surface, it seemed like the battle was already over, leaving a serene silence behind.
Yusera, who was guarding the entrance of the White Tower, waved at me but then seemed startled by Elsie’s condition, sprinting towards us.
“Elsie? Elsie!”
I stopped her with one hand, saying, “Be quiet. She’s just unconscious.”
Even so, we needed to act quickly. I transferred Elsie into Yusera’s arms instead of waiting for the penalty of the Awakening Pill to hit me.
Just as we were about to head towards the branch of the church in the Leim Kingdom for treatment, Yusera noticed something in the sky.
“Is that the sky?”
She was the first to notice the change. The dark skies over the Leim Kingdom were gradually brightening.
‘The Nameless Festival shouldn’t be over yet, right?’
It hadn’t even been half a day.
And yet—somehow—the sky of the Leim Kingdom was regaining its light.
‘Could it be…’
I had a suspicion.
What if the Nameless Festival was somehow linked to Libero?
After all, the barrier around the Leim Kingdom was created in exchange for the existence of the Nameless King.
But Libero had continued to remember the Nameless King.
If that was the case, this suspicion meant…
‘Has Libero’s memory completely vanished with this?’
The memory of Libero and the Nameless King I saw just moments ago seemed to have completely disappeared.
Now, no one would remember the Nameless King.
At the same time, the barrier of the Leim Kingdom would also be complete.
‘I promised Elsie we would watch the Nameless Festival together next year after she protected the kingdom.’
With this, that plan was in trouble. I would have to find a way to soothe her later when she wakes up.
By the way…
“Your Highness?”
“Your Highness!”
Those inside the castle began to notice us running with Yusera, who was carrying Elsie.
Most were the Enemy Knights and Black Knights who had been resting after their victory in battle.
I also caught a glimpse of the Captain of the Royal Knights, caught in tatters, but it would be Elsie who would deal with him.
“The Princess is in critical condition!”
“While we were fighting, the Princess too…!”
The shining light from the barrier began to warm them up. Seeing Elsie’s figure made them slowly rise back to their feet.
And they shouted, “The Princess is in critical condition!”
“Clear the way!”
Their shout was quicker than Yusera and I could run.
It reached even outside the kingdom.
“The Princess is in critical condition!”
“Clear the way!”
The terror that struck the royal palace during the Nameless Festival. The light that signifies succession. Plus, the suddenly brightening barrier.
The citizens of the Leim Kingdom, who were confused, nevertheless responded to that call.
“The Princess is in critical condition!”
“Clear the way!”
Despite being covered in blood, Elsie’s golden hair shimmered under the light of the Leim Kingdom’s barrier like a golden wave.
Upon seeing her, the citizens naturally began to clear the path for us.
Thanks to that, we reached the church’s Leim Kingdom branch faster than expected.
“Quickly, call all the Healing Mages!”
“I’m sorry, but we need to know the symptoms…”
“Mana depletion, life force depletion, and injuries all over the body!”
A staff member immediately realized the seriousness of the situation and called all the Healing Mages in the building.
“The condition is serious!”
“How on earth is he still alive?”
“Injecting mana in this state could cause shock, so let’s infuse life force first and aim for slow natural recovery!”
Hearing their urgent conversation, I finally felt relief. Now that treatment had started, if it was up to Elsie’s will, she would surely survive.
Thank goodness.
“Seong Yoo-rang…?”
I heard Yusera’s voice beside me.
Sorry, but my eyes are starting to close.
It must be the side effects from forcefully using the Royal Sword.
“Wait, I will rest for a moment.”
With my body already under immense strain and the penalty of the Awakening Pill hitting me, I could no longer hold on.
Cough.
The nausea that had been building since activating the Royal Sword overwhelmed me, and I finally threw up something.
Just as I was about to lose consciousness, Yusera caught me.
‘This is…’
A fluffy and warm sensation enveloped my head.
Before I could even think about what it was, my consciousness faded away.
*
“Ugh.”
My left arm felt numb.
And that pain brought my consciousness back.
I was on the verge of opening my eyes when I thought about why my arm was numb.
‘Warmth?’
Someone was sprawled over my left arm.
That person could only be either Elsie or Yusera.
But Elsie would probably still be lying down.
“Yusera.”
I spoke to the designated suspect.
“My arm is numb.”
“…Not me.”
Yusera replied.
But that was for her right side, not mine.
I opened my eyes.
There sat Elsie, sleeping on my left arm.
“Elsie?”
Why was she here?
Well, it’s okay that she’s here, but she should be lying down, right? The last time I saw her, she was barely hanging on to life.
“Is it okay for her to be here?”
I brushed aside her hair to check her face.
Her serene sleeping expression looked surprisingly healthy.
In fact, she appeared to be in the best health I had ever seen.
“The Healing Mages said she’s fully healed now. In fact, she started moving even before the healing was complete.”
“I see.”
She must have had an extraordinary basic healing ability.
Seeing her look healthy put my mind at ease after all the worry.
Yusera said to me, “You should worry about yourself first.”
“Eh?”
“You’ve been lying down for nearly two weeks.”
What in the world was she talking about?
“Two weeks?”
I had only guessed it was a few days.
That was why I was impressed by Elsie’s amazing recovery.
But two weeks changed everything.
With the Hero’s body, it should be normal for Elsie to have fully regained her health by now.
“The Healing Mages said that while Elsie was more critical, you were harder to treat.”
“Why is that?”
“Don’t you remember? You collapsed while spewing blood from your eyes, nose, and mouth.”
I did recall throwing up something, but I didn’t know it was blood.
“Most of the blood vessels in your body were burned as if they were exposed to a strong light.”
I froze in shock at those words.
I had forced the use of a 5-star Relic, the Royal Sword, but I never expected the cost of just a brief use would be that severe.
That meant something quite clear.
‘No matter how much I could ascend, forcibly using a 5-star Relic was essentially a death wish.’
Perhaps luck had just been on my side this time.
Still, it was a relief that I survived after all.
“Umm…”
Maybe because of our conversation, Elsie was starting to wake up.
“Allen?”
I raised my right hand to greet her.
“Did you sleep well?”
I wished she would get up quickly since my left arm was numb.
“Allen!”
Just as I had hoped, she sprang up from her seat instantly and rushed to embrace me.
“‘Did you sleep well?’ What do you mean? I’ve been waiting for you to wake up!”
That was probably true.
“Sorry.”
Before long, my shoulder was soaked with her tears.
Seeing her cry right after waking up tugged at my heartstrings, so I patted her head gently.
At the same time, I began to say things I had been unable to say before.
“You did well, Elsie.”
That was mostly praise, as this operation couldn’t have succeeded without her.
And…
“It’s all over now.”
Elsie’s revenge was over.
I didn’t know whether the Captain of the Royal Knights had already been executed, but the conclusion was now clear.
But Elsie told me, “What are you talking about?”
“Eh?”
“The Central Sea System is still left.”
The Central Sea System.
She was right.
There were still many things I had to do.
“That’s right; Miss Gwen is probably waiting for us.”
Moreover, I had learned something during this battle.
There were not too many Demon Kings inside the royal castle.
I hadn’t seen the main Demon King, Levia, either.
‘That means…’
My plan to send them towards the Central Sea System had worked.
So while I wasn’t sure what exactly was going on in the Central Sea System, something was definitely happening.
“It would be a good idea to hurry.”
Fortunately, after lying down for two weeks, my body had recovered enough to move.
“When will we leave?”
However, I needed to ask something to Elsie, who was inquiring.
“How about you, Elsie? What do you plan to do?”
“Huh?”
“Are you going to follow me to the Central Sea System?”
At my question, Elsie’s grip around me tightened again, as if she didn’t want to let go.
But this needed to be settled clearly.
“Your Highness.”
With her late father, the previous King of Leim, already dead, she was now the queen of the Leim Kingdom.
“Do you intend to leave the kingdom at a time like this?”
The national power had already weakened significantly over the past three years.
And with this recent siege, the national power of the Leim Kingdom had been brought to its knees.
In this situation, the kingdom would have no defense against the Heroes returning before I could come back.
“But I’ve only just gotten strong enough to be your strength now…”
“You know as well, Your Highness, that right now the people need that strength more than I do.”
“That’s…”
Ultimately, Elsie lowered her head on my shoulder.
“Okay, but you must come back as soon as possible.”
I promised her with those words.
“Of course.”
She then lifted her head from my shoulder and straightened her posture.
She looked me in the eye.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Sure, I’ll trust you.”
Her face leaned closer.
Just at that moment, their lips were about to meet.
Bang.
It was the sound of a door closing.
Startled, I turned to the side, but no one was there.
That’s when I recalled that Yusera had been next to me.
“Elsie, you knew, didn’t you?”
“It’s fine, right?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
Truth be told, I had been anxious ever since deciding to hide my relationship with Elsie from Yusera.
In reality, she had already caught on when I spent the night with Elsie.
Besides, it seemed I would have to head to the Central Sea System alone with Yusera without Elsie.
“It’s fine, really. While you were asleep, we already came to an agreement.”
I wasn’t sure if that was how it worked without the parties involved.
“What agreement?”
“Curious?”
“Of course…”
At that moment, my mouth was suddenly covered.
It was soft and warm.
‘Well, I might as well hold on to this warmth for a while longer.’
Of course, before that…
There were words I hadn’t yet said.
“I like you.”
“You sure are quick to say that.”
“Sorry.”
“Of course, but I like you too.”
Indeed, knowing something and speaking it aloud were entirely different matters.
“I like you.”
That phrase continued to circle around my mouth.
It seemed Elsie felt the same way.
“I like you too.”
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