I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit – Chapter 144

Chapter 144

My body floated in the air.

“Just a moment.”

Sir Viaton carefully put me down.

“Ugh, it’s cold.”

“It is cold, isn’t it?”

I thought he was going to lift me up again, so I spoke urgently.

“Not yet! Not yet! Just one minute.”

“One minute.”

I kicked my legs.

Splash! Splash!

Water sprayed up.

I don’t know if the lake was shaking or the sky was shaking.

I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Today was also filled with happiness.

‘This is so good.’

It was so good that I got hungry.

Just then, Sir Viaton said, “One minute is up.”

I immediately replied.

“Okay.”

It’s not that I answered right away because I was hungry.

It’s true.

Even the Diamond Mountains are best viewed after a meal, so I think I should eat something first.

I took out a sandwich from the basket. My nose twitched involuntarily.

“The sandwich looks so appetizing.”

Chomp.

I took a big bite of the sandwich.

I’m used to Yuri’s cooking, but this sandwich wasn’t bad either.

I heard somewhere that the scenery is the best side dish, and I guess this is what they meant.

The sandwich tasted amazing.

“Wow, what is this grape juice? It’s so delicious.”

The grape juice was as delicious as the one Yuri made.

Even Sir Viaton couldn’t help but admire the grape juice.

“This is the most delicious grape juice I’ve ever tasted.”

“It’s homemade grape juice. Not bad, right?”

But Sir Viaton flinched.

“Did you say it was homemade?”

Sir Viaton’s expression was unusual.

“Yeah. Is there a problem?”

“Why……”

Sir Viaton stopped there.

It was a little strange.

It was as if his body had suddenly stiffened.

“What’s wrong, Via……”

But the strange thing was that I was the same.

I tried to reach out to Sir Viaton, but my hand wouldn’t move.

‘It won’t move?’

My whole body was paralyzed, and my tongue wouldn’t move either.

It felt like I had turned to stone.

Sermon said in a calm voice.

“Sir Viaton, you seem to have let your guard down.”

“…… ……”

“Even for you, Sir Viaton, it will take six hours for the antidote to work. It’s best to wait patiently because struggling will only make it take longer.”

Sermon’s hand touched my cheek.

His hand was still warm, but the feeling was very different from before.

A chill ran down my spine.

‘What, what is this?’

I felt a pure and transparent killing intent.

Along with a very strong sense of affection.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

A few days ago, Sermon went to see Duke Bladock.

Duke Bladock was the prince’s primary guardian and acted as a father figure.

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

The fact that Sermon came to him first with a question was not a pleasant thing for Duke Bladock.

It meant that the shadow that should be passively controlled had developed a self.

However, Duke Bladock did not show it.

After talking with Sermon, Duke Bladock felt that something was slightly off.

‘What has shaken Sermon’s mind like this?’

For assassins, emotions are a luxury.

A shadow must grow like a shadow.

They must be able to handle their work mechanically, without emotion.

Duke Bladock calmly led the conversation without revealing his thoughts.

“You said you became curious about the emotion of sadness? You want to share other people’s emotions?”

“Yes.”

That was a luxury for a shadow.

Sharing emotions and experiences.

It’s something that humans, not shadows, enjoy.

“If I ordered you to kill everyone around you right now, who would you want to kill last?”

“I think it would be Isabel.”

If he had asked, “Who is the most precious person to you?”, Sermon wouldn’t have been able to answer.

Because the concept of preciousness was vague.

However, the question, “Who would you want to kill last?”, was clear.

“Then why don’t you try killing Isabel?”

“…… ……”

“Why are you hesitating?”

“Sir Viaton is always with her. Assassination would be difficult.”

“That’s why you need to create the right situation. A situation where you can neutralize Viaton and eliminate the Princess.”

“…… ……”

“Lose the Princess. Then maybe you can understand what sadness is.”

Duke Bladock’s eyes were bloodshot.

It was brainwashing using Blood Magic（血術）.

For over a decade, Duke Bladock had been injecting his blood into Sermon’s body, allowing the Blood Magic to take effect.

Sermon nodded as if he was possessed.

After Sermon left, Duke Bladock spoke.

“Will this do?”

A skull-shaped figure made of magic power rose from the air.

Duke Bladock conversed with it.

“Yes, I’m sure it will be handled. The resistance was stronger than usual, but the brainwashing was successful.”

After finishing his report to someone, Duke Bladock took off his shirt.

A skull-shaped tattoo was engraved on his back.

“No, I just did what I had to do.”

The skull symbol floating in the air seeped into Duke Bladock’s tattoo.

Duke Bladock shuddered.

“Thank you for your grace. Yes, I will return once the task is complete.”

As if nothing had happened, he put his shirt back on.

The Duke’s residence was quiet as usual.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Sermon spoke.

“I still don’t know what sadness is.”

It’s vague and difficult.

But he wanted to know what it was.

An empty feeling, as if he was living without something very important as a human being.

Things he hadn’t felt before, he started to feel after meeting Isabel.

It was like being intoxicated.

Every day was hazy and his heart was heavy.

So he wanted to check.

“If I lose you, will I be sad?”

Sermon removed his hand from Isabel’s cheek.

“I can’t imagine it.”

He took a step back. And then, thud, he pushed Isabel.

Splash!

Isabel’s body fell into Glass Lake.

Isabel couldn’t move her body.

‘What?’

It didn’t feel real.

‘Am I really going to die?’

I’ve never thought of an ending like this.

Sermon’s face was visible above the water.

Because the water was rippling, I couldn’t tell what expression he was making.

‘My body, it won’t move.’

My breath grew short.

My chest felt tight and dizzy, and my vision started to blur.

‘I’m not even twenty yet.’

I thought I could at least live until I was twenty.

I was so happy to be granted a healthy and happy life.

‘Why?’

What did I do wrong?

I didn’t do anything wrong.

‘Why do I have to die?’

My body sank deeper and deeper.

I don’t know how deep I sank, but my ears felt stuffy and painful.

But I couldn’t feel that pain anymore.

‘I can’t…… breathe……’

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Sermon silently watched Isabel sink.

He didn’t drink the grape juice, but he couldn’t move his body.

The water was so clear that he could see Isabel even as she sank deep.

‘I don’t see any bubbles.’

She seemed to have lost consciousness.

She’ll be dead soon.

Tingle.

His chest ached.

It felt like his blood was circulating rapidly.

‘This feeling again.’

He always felt this way after completing a mission.

Afterwards, his mind would become calm and he wouldn’t feel any emotions.

Although Sermon didn’t know it, it was the influence of Duke Bladock’s Blood Magic.

‘I guess it’s the same today.’

He thought something would be different today, but it wasn’t much different.

Quite some time had passed.

Suddenly, the image of Isabel splashing in the water came to mind.

He couldn’t understand why she was laughing so happily as if it was so much fun.

He stood on the railing of the ship.

Far below, in the very depths, Isabel was submerged.

“You are below, and I am above.”

In fact, revealing himself from the tree was meant to imply this.

A foreshadowing of what would happen today.

‘Don’t do dangerous things from up high! And what do you mean attacking the carriage? What if the passengers get hurt? What if there’s a big accident? Do you want to get scolded terribly? I’m really angry! I won’t let you get away with this!’

The image of Isabel putting her hands on her hips and getting angry also came to mind.

Isabel had also said this.

‘Brother! It’s dangerous! Come down!’

When he came down and sat next to Isabel, how did he feel?

He felt pretty good.

‘What is sadness?’

But he felt empty inside.

“If you do something dangerous, will you scold me again?”

If he jumped from here, would Isabel scold him again?

He felt that way.

‘What is sadness?’

He still couldn’t understand it intellectually.

‘I succeeded in my mission.’

He had lived for that alone.

‘Why am I not happy at all?’

He felt none of the usual sense of accomplishment and joy he felt after completing a mission.

Tears flowed from Sermon’s eyes.

It was the first time he had cried since he became an adult.

‘So this is what crying is.’

His mind became complicated.

Too many emotions exploded, making his chest feel tight.

The Blood Magic that had been suppressing and controlling his emotions, and his honest feelings, became entangled and clashed, fighting each other.

He felt something explode in his heart.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

And at some point,

‘Isabel?’

Isabel came into clear view.

‘This is wrong.’

It felt like his blood was rushing through his body.

It felt like some external force was trying to restrain his body.

‘Isabel!’

He stopped thinking with his head.

If he kept thinking, his body wouldn’t move as he wanted.

It felt like there was a parasite inside him, controlling his body and emotions as it pleased.

‘I can’t think with my head.’

He shut down his reason and simply entrusted his body to his instincts.

His body moved on its own.

Splash!

He jumped into the water.

But he couldn’t breathe and his body stiffened.

It was the price of rejecting the Blood Magic.

Duke Bladock’s blood, which had been injected into his body for over a decade, eroded Sermon’s body and mind, paralyzing him.

His body hardened like a rock and sank to the bottom.

He could see Isabel far below.

‘I don’t want to see Isabel die.’

He had never been so afraid of someone’s death before.

But he couldn’t do anything.

He was confident in killing, but not in saving.

‘I’m scared.’

He was so scared of the future that was to come.

It was a feeling he had never felt before.

‘And I’m sad.’

Now he knew.

This was sadness.

His vision blurred and he lost consciousness.

He saw something through his blurry vision.

‘What is…… that?’

A magic circle was created beneath Isabel’s feet.

After confirming that, Sermon lost consciousness.

Kim Beolkkul popped out from the bottom of the lake.

『Hero, enter.』