I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit – Chapter 174

Chapter 174

Honestly, I was a little surprised.

‘Warp?’

It was much more comfortable and relaxing than moving using the Transfer Gate.

I didn’t know Arun’s magic skills were this good.

‘He seems much stronger than he was described in the novel……’

It wasn’t just limited to Arun.

Not only Arun, but everyone around me had become much stronger than in the original.

While it felt good, it was also a bit puzzling.

The only variable was me, but I wasn’t some kind of elixir or miracle, and I didn’t understand how everyone could become so strong just by being near me.

‘Well……’

Arun was originally a dragon, so it wasn’t unreasonable that he was this good at magic.

But this was truly unbelievable.

“This is really my house.”

I saw many large marble pillars.

It looked like a temple, not a house.

The floor was also paved with white marble, which looked cold, but the surrounding air was warm.

The golden chandelier hanging from the high ceiling sparkled brightly.

“There’s someone I want to introduce you to.”

“Introduce me to someone?”

Arun held out his hand to me.

I instinctively took his hand.

‘Ah……’

Calm down, my heart.

I just held his hand, it’s just an escort, I don’t know why my heart is racing like this.

But then I thought about it again and it was a bit ambiguous to consider this an escort.

“Isn’t this more than an escort?”

It was closer to how lovers hold hands, rather than an escort.

“This is how dragons do it. This is the Dragon’s Nest, so we follow the dragon’s law. But if you’re uncomfortable, I’ll let go of your hand.”

“……”

Ah, that face with that expression is cheating.

I couldn’t help but feel my heart soften.

“If it’s the law of this place, I can’t help it.”

I think Arun smiled slightly just now, but maybe I saw it wrong?

The smile disappeared from Arun’s face when I looked again.

I think I saw it wrong.

But was there anything about dragons having this kind of law?

Dragons wouldn’t even have the concept of an escort in the first place.

It was a bit strange, but it was a bit awkward to ask.

Arun said.

“But you’re not very surprised.”

“Where should I be surprised?”

“It’s the first time I’ve directly told you about my identity.”

“A honey badger suddenly popped out of the water, and now it’s reappeared in human form, proficient in all kinds of magic and swordsmanship, what more explanation is needed?”

“……”

Arun let out a sigh of relief.

“That’s a relief.”

He smiled brightly.

Looking at that smile makes my heart ache for some reason.

“……What’s so relieving?”

“I was worried you might not like me because I’m a dragon.”

Arun’s emotions continued to be conveyed through our clasped hands.

A refreshing sense of relief stirred my heart.

He must have really been worried about that.

I said.

“We’re friends.”

“Friends?”

A feeling of hurt came from Arun.

I almost weakened again, but I pulled myself together once more.

“Yes, friends.”

“……”

I glanced at Arun’s face.

I could see his sharp jawline and elegant neckline that looked like they could cut me if I touched them.

I unknowingly gulped.

Soon, Arun smiled brightly.

“It’s okay if we’re friends for now.”

Arun walked a little further, still holding my hand.

I saw a large door.

It was a bit strange because there were no walls, just a door standing alone.

“The door is a bit unusual, isn’t it?”

“It’s completely sparkly.”

“Yeah, she really likes flashy things.”

It was definitely solid gold.

And the edges were studded with diamonds, it was probably the most glamorous door in the world.

Arun opened the door.

As I entered through the open door, another scene unfolded.

‘Wow……’

This was a large room, but no matter how I looked at it, it wasn’t my style.

Most of the floor and walls were covered in gold.

She said she liked flashy things, and it was truly flashy.

‘Red carpet……’

And a large table that I guessed was probably made of cut crystal.

The interior decorations were gold coins from all over the world.

“Isn’t it glamorous?”

“……Yes.”

“She’s a bit of a show-off.”

Arun went to the middle of the space and said something.

It was a strange language I couldn’t understand, but I think it was probably Dragon Language.

Then, a golden magic circle appeared on the floor, and something slowly began to rise.

‘What, what is that?’

I have a very sensitive Ki sense that is sensitive to the movement and flow of mana.

I could feel a powerful mana swirling.

Although I couldn’t see it, it felt like tens of millions of mana strands were intertwined, rushing towards me like a storm.

What I saw was a glass tube.

‘A person?’

There was a person lying inside the glass tube.

I suddenly felt scared, wondering if it was a corpse, but I could see their chest rising and falling.

They were sleeping peacefully.

There was a note attached to their chest.

I took a closer look to see what was written on it.

『If you touch me while I’m sleeping, you’re dead.』

✦✦✦✦✦✦

After hearing all of Arun’s story, I was dumbfounded.

“So, the reason I’m alive is……”

“That’s right. My mother transplanted half of her heart to you. That’s why she’s fallen asleep now, and she’ll probably have to sleep for over 500 years to recover.”

“……I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t bring you here to apologize.”

Arun smiled faintly.

But I couldn’t help but feel sorry.

“How can I not be sorry? She has to sleep for 500 years.”

“500 years isn’t that long for a dragon.”

Arun said calmly, with an indifferent expression.

It was a little comforting because it seemed like he was telling me it was really nothing.

“The reason I brought you here is because I wanted you to know this.”

“……”

“My mother wanted you to live. Enough to give you her own heart.”

“……”

“And I want you to live too. Enough to give you my own heart.”

I was still holding Arun’s hand.

Arun’s words were not lies.

Everything Arun said was so true that it weighed heavily on me.

“So please, don’t give up on your life.”

“……”

“Fate can be changed. But you have to be the one to start it.”

Arun suddenly hugged me tightly.

It seemed like his emotions overflowed as he spoke.

Arun’s embrace was warm, almost hot.

“Tell me you want to live.”

“……”

My lips wouldn’t easily part.

I wondered if I was giving him false hope.

If I was making him too attached to something impossible.

Could I even dream such a dream?

What if I dreamed it and then fell apart?

I was a little scared.

“I’ll change my words.”

Arun met my eyes.

In his eyes, there was a kind of longing that I couldn’t dare to judge.

I felt a little embarrassed to meet his gaze, so I averted my eyes slightly.

“Tell me you won’t leave me.”

“……”

“Tell me you’ll be with me, even after 3 years, even after 30 years.”

“Arun.”

Tears welled up in Arun’s eyes.

Feeling Arun’s sincerity, my heart ached so much that tears welled up in my eyes too.

“You just stay still. I’ll find a way. So just say one word. Tell me you won’t leave me.”

“……”

“If you don’t want to say that, just say you want to live, just one word.”

Arun’s mana surged into my body like a tide.

I suddenly wanted to say it.

That I want to live.

‘No. Don’t say it. Nothing will change anyway.’

Even if I said that, it would only give him false hope.

Even after receiving half of an adult dragon’s heart, all it did was open my eyes.

The Mark of Narvidal is a divine power that even dragons can’t do anything about.

‘I can’t say it.’

But my lips betrayed my mind.

“……Want to live.”

Arun’s eyes widened and his body trembled.

The tears that had welled up in Arun’s eyes began to stream down his face.

“Just one more time, say it one more time.”

“……”

“Please, I’m begging you.”

I bit my lip.

My inner feelings, which I had only confided in my mom and dad, kept tickling my throat.

Say it.

No, don’t say it.

Say it.

No, I can’t say it.

“……I want to live.”

I don’t know why, but Arun was pleading with me with such a desperate heart.

Arun hugged me again and started sobbing.

Even without using mana, I could tell.

How sincere Arun was.

After a little while, Arun said.

“I won’t ask you to marry me right away. But don’t push me away.”

“I’ve never pushed you away.”

“But if you start to dislike me, if you think I’m not qualified to be your partner, then you can push me away.”

Arun’s face as he said those words was so beautiful that it was surreal.

“But that won’t happen. I’ve worked hard, and I’ll continue to work hard. To become a man worthy of you.”

I didn’t know.

What was included in what Arun meant when he said, ‘I’ve worked hard.’

I didn’t know what Arun had accomplished during the 7 years I was asleep.

That Arun was a much more cunning （?） fox than I thought.

Arun held my hand tightly and said with determination.

“I will definitely get rid of the Mark of Narvidal.”

His words had power.

Even I could see a glimmer of hope, wondering if I could really live.

I cautiously asked.

“Then what should I do?”

“Isabel has already done so much. You don’t have to do anything anymore.”

I don’t think I’ve done that much.

I’ve only been asleep for 7 years.

But the heart that was conveyed through mana was so sincere that it was a bit confusing.

“Isabel, just stay by my side as Isabel. Then I can do anything.”

“……”

“Your existence is my help.”

And he smiled lightly at me.

His firm hand was still holding mine tightly.

‘What is this feeling?’

It was a kind of reassurance I had never felt before, not even from my mom or dad.