Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Chapter 85 - 84. 황녀의 병문안(3)
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Translator: crow
Chapter 85: The First Imperial Princess's Sickbed Visit (3)
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A luxurious platinum carriage arrived in Noston.
I headed home, forcibly seated on its plush cushions.
"Vail Mikhail. Judging by your expression, you seem quite uncomfortable."
The First Imperial Princess, Lea, sat across from me.
She propped her chin on the back of her hand and gazed at me fondly.
"No, I'm not uncomfortable at all."
It had been just a single cough.
Yet the two royals had hounded me relentlessly, as if they'd seized upon my weakness.
In the end, the situation resolved with me riding in Lea's carriage all the way home.
Lydia had certainly opposed it at first.
But after receiving some promise from Lea, she let me go willingly.
I tried to eavesdrop slightly by concentrating my mana.
However, due to my fatigue, I couldn't quite catch it perfectly.
'Home address...?'
That was all I vaguely made out, those three words.
"You don't need to pretend to be fine in front of me."
The princess shook her head with a cold expression.
Then, removing her imperial cap, she said,
"The intense golden light surging in your chest is plainly visible."
'Dealing with a magician, it feels like being seen through.'
I cleared my throat and clamped my mouth shut.
Next, I averted my gaze from the princess, turning to look out the window.
Outside, rain was falling.
The gloomy atmosphere suited the northern city of Noston perfectly.
Black rooftops everywhere, along with drab gray roads and buildings.
I gazed at the familiar sight, waiting for the moment to alight.
"The north has such a melancholic vibe."
Lea impassively took in the sight of Noston, which she was visiting for the first time.
Residents wandering about without umbrellas, soaked to the skin.
Watching them enter their dingy, burrow-like homes, Lea remarked,
"You live in a place like this?"
The First Imperial Princess, who had spent her life in a dazzling, pristine platinum world.
I looked at her and replied matter-of-factly,
"Yes. I've lived here ever since returning from the northern front lines."
"You've earned plenty of money, so why haven't you moved?"
The princess brushed back the hair flattened by her cap and asked.
In response, I answered with a decadent smile.
"Because if a commoner knight lives in a wealthy district, he'd draw all sorts of attention."
The princess let out a scoffing laugh, finding my answer unexpected.
"Most knights go to extremes to attract noble attention. You're truly unique."
As she said, I could have gone to the capital's western district.
However, there was no guarantee the crown prince's lackeys weren't among them.
To avoid their eyes, it was better for me, at least, to stay here.
"For the alliance, I need to keep my existence hidden."
I pressed my cap down with a serious expression.
Then, to make it easy for Lea to understand, I gave a perfectly fitting example.
"Like in Your Highness's novels...."
I looked up with a chuckle.
However, at that moment.
My words caught in my throat.
Lea was staring at me with a lion-like, utterly ferocious blank expression over my offhand joke.
"I'm sorry."
I apologized first, before she could unleash a torrent of abuse.
But even hearing that, the princess didn't soften her blank expression.
"No. Keep up that cheeky attitude like you are now."
Instead, she lifted the corner of her mouth in a smirk with those dead eyes, exuding leisure.
"That way, it'll be even more fun to handle you from now on."
The princess tilted her head, eyeing my body.
She seemed to be looking at my elevated mana, but....
It felt a bit scary somehow.
"Um... if you could let me off here, I'd be grateful."
Just then, we arrived near my home—a perfect timing.
I opened the door and bowed my head as low as possible in courtesy.
"Thank you so much for seeing me all the way here, Your Highness."
Kneeling, I backed away.
Then, I slipped out of the carriage.
"Very well, I permit it."
The princess chuckled at my demeanor, as if I were a mole.
"However, when you summon me next time...."
Lea paused for a moment.
Then, looking down at me coldly, she warned,
"It had better not carry impure intentions like today."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Even after alighting from the carriage, I kept my head bowed.
I waited like that until Lea's carriage departed.
￣￣￣￣￣￣
Eventually, the carriage splashed through puddles and left.
Only then could I finally raise my head.
"Hoo."
I took a deep breath.
A stinging pain in my lungs made me furrow my brow.
'Let's get back quickly.'
To meditate, I headed straight into the villa.
My room was on the third floor.
A spiral staircase led right up to it.
Noisy party sounds came from the second floor.
Normally, it'd be noise pollution and irritating, but....
After spending time in a suffocating tension with royals, even that felt endearing.
"Hoo...."
Once home, I tossed off my jacket.
Dressed in just my dress shirt, I sat cross-legged in the middle of the living room.
I began deep breathing.
Then, closing my eyes, I focused on the solid mana condensed in my dantian.
Was it because my mana had grown even stronger?
My youthful body protested in pain.
Gritting my teeth, I clasped my hands together.
Slowly, I emitted green mana.
The realm of Ekina, vice captain of the Crimson Flame.
Swordmaster lower grade.
Next, I emitted crimson mana.
The realm of Camilla, the imperial vice captain.
Swordmaster mid-grade.
Finally, the golden mana possessed by only six people in the empire....
Swordmaster upper grade.
I calmly stabilized the overflowing power.
Cold sweat poured out like mad in the process.
My legs trembled as if they might burst.
Even my firmly clasped arms shook.
Thus, I condensed intense golden mana into my heart.
And at that moment.
"...!"
The curtains on the balcony billowed.
Documents on the table all flew away from the powerful surge emanating from my body.
I remembered near death.
The sword saints I had slain countless times.
The mana and power I'd gained from them.
All of it had gathered in my heart, reaching a realm beyond Swordmaster.
And we called that realm.
Grand Master.
Now, I could reach that level again.
But at that moment.
This body would explode too.
So, I couldn't unleash this power yet.
'I need to train this body to endure like in my past life.'
I clenched my teeth to block the intense white mana trying to burst from my heart.
Focusing my mind to the point my nerves felt like they'd protrude, I barely sealed the power back into my heart.
"Haa...."
Only then did the creeping white mana subside.
The billowing curtains settled, and the papers scattered to the floor.
My sweat-drenched body collapsed onto the floor.
I exhaled deeply.
Fortunately, the pain constricting my heart eased.
However, my whole body was exhausted, as if I'd marched for days.
Unable to even shower, I crawled straight to bed and passed out.
￣￣￣.
Pouring rain.
The platinum carriage remained in Noston.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness...."
Was it because she'd only ever traveled pristine western roads?
Lea's carriage wheel broke on Noston's poor roads.
"No, it's my fault for not ordering a spare wheel prepared."
The princess looked down at the bumpy ground.
The unpaved road, treacherous and unpredictable.
It seemed similar to someone who'd slipped away from her like a sly fox.
"Ha, even the place he lives is just like him."
The knights tried to cover Lea with umbrellas.
"Please wait inside. The repairman will arrive soon."
But she firmly shook her head.
"No need. The rain has nearly stopped anyway."
While slowly circling the carriage until the repairman came, her gaze suddenly stopped at the luggage compartment.
Opening the partition revealed the box of novels Vail had saved.
Something she'd forgotten suddenly sprang to mind.
"Have any of you received anything from Vail, by chance?"
The knights exchanged glances at the princess's abrupt question.
They bowed their heads in unison and apologized.
"We're sorry, but we received nothing from Sir Vail."
The princess rummaged through the box again.
But no matter how she searched, only tactical manuals were there.
No sign of the novel Vail had supposedly set aside separately.
"Oh dear...."
Lea placed a hand on her waist.
Letting out a short sigh, she said to the knights,
"All of you, wait here until the repairman arrives."
"Yes...? Then what about Your Highness...."
The knights panicked at the sight of the First Imperial Princess preparing to go off alone somewhere.
They hurried toward her to follow.
But at that moment.
Lea commanded with a lion-like fierce glare.
"I have a place to go alone."
"That's not possible. Noston is already a city of poor quality...."
The deeply loyal knights hesitated.
To this, Lea stated firmly,
"Noston is also Father's land, so how can you hold such prejudices?"
The knights were speechless.
The princess stepped far away from them and ordered,
"I'll find my own way back, so don't worry."
Lea pressed down firmly on her uniform cap.
Then, hands behind her back, she leisurely strolled through the drizzling Noston.
As if she didn't want her subordinates discovering what she sought.
The princess soon reached the street where she'd dropped Vail.
Having memorized Noston's streets from peering out the window, she boldly ascended to his home.
Creeeak-.
The stairs were so worn that they screamed with every step of her boots.
The princess curiously pressed down a few more times.
Then, she strode up the spiral staircase.
Reaching the second floor, two drunken men were descending the stairs at an angle.
Spotting Lea, they flinched and plastered themselves against the wall.
Even with her beauty, the sovereign aura she exuded remained undiminished.
"...."
Lea passed them indifferently.
And....
She realized room 302 was Vail's lodging.
His mana, usually concealed, emanated strongly from there.
"He really is sick, it seems."
Lea stood boldly before the door of Vail's room.
She knocked with the back of her hand.
Knock knock-.
"...."
The princess silently waited for Vail to appear.
But there was no response from inside.
Even though his mana was still detectable.
Feeling irritated, she turned the doorknob with her gloved hand.
Creeak....
The old door opened all too easily.
Sensing something amiss, Lea called out,
"Vail? Are you inside?"
The princess frowned at the documents strewn across the floor.
It looked like a thief had ransacked the place.
"I'm coming in for a moment."
She removed her dripping uniform jacket.
Then, wand in hand from her bosom, she entered the living room.
"The bedroom, perhaps?"
Mana fluctuations from the master bedroom drew her.
Lea cautiously opened the bedroom door.
And....
Her sharp eyes widened round in shock.
Vail, collapsed asleep on the bed.
She witnessed intense white mana dwelling on his bare upper body.
"That's...."
A white radiance she'd seen only once in her life, from her father.
Enchanted by it, Lea slowly approached.
She peered intently down at Vail's exhausted sleeping face.
"Asleep?"
She already knew he was a Swordmaster.
But she'd never dreamed he was knocking on a realm beyond that.
"So that's why you were sick."
The princess removed her gloves.
Cautiously, she reached out a hand.
Placing her palm on his sweat-slicked shoulder, Lea cast a healing spell to ease his pain.
"Urgh...."
Hearing Vail's groan, the princess withdrew her hand momentarily.
She tied back her abundant hair.
"Bear with it. You'll feel better soon."
She drew close to him again.
Extending both hands, she infused mana into her palms.
And at that moment.
"Eh?"
Lea blinked her blue eyes at the black shadow falling over her.
The sleeping Vail had reacted to her mana, slightly raising his body.
But he didn't stop there.
His raised body lost consciousness again and tilted toward her.
"W-Wait a second...."
His unconscious body toppled onto Lea.
From the impact, the princess tumbled onto the bedroom carpet with him.
"Vail...!"
But no matter how she called, the man showed no response.
His sweat-drenched upper body simply enveloped the princess.