47. Settling Accounts After Autumn
The result of forcibly using Alsace and exhausting my physical strength in one go is that I would lie there like a vegetable, motionless for ten days or half a month. I had already experienced this painful price once before.
But… what would the cost be if, on top of that, I exhausted enough strength to allow Alsace to deal with even stronger enemies?
Caught up in protecting the Lightning Fairy Jousi and ensuring Letty’s safety, I had no time to think about it. So when I regained consciousness, all I felt was a vast expanse of darkness and chaos before me.
Am I… finally going to meet my end!? Yet, there were no rolling credits appearing before my eyes, no words like “Ogilid (KIA) — playing himself.” Rather, there were some contrary sounds, like voices coming from all directions, familiar yet elusive, leaving me momentarily unable to grasp their source or the identity of their owner.
“You’re quite interesting, human guest.”
I only knew it was a young female voice, her tone so condescending.
“Then tell me, what do you want this child for?”
“Hmm… A blonde really should match with lightning, that’s the way to go! And a more flamboyant weapon, whether it’s reasonable or not doesn’t matter, as long as it’s flashy!”
“Hahaha~ you really know how to amuse this king. Now, before you go back, how about taking another look at this child?”
“Well… I’m not the one writing the script, I’m running out of ideas here.”
The voice was too familiar, but… the word “script” jolted me awake from my stupor: Kefir and the others’ script hasn’t been resolved yet, what am I doing slacking off here!? Is this the attitude a leg accessory should have!?
Thoughts surged, and suddenly a blinding light appeared in my line of sight, then…
“!”
With a fragmented memory of having just heard something, I jolted awake!
All I could see was the ceiling, and my body seemed to be unaffected in its movements. As I looked around, I realized: I was lying on a hospital bed like a critically ill patient, and beside me, Kefir was resting her head on my arm, her even breathing soon disrupted by my movements.
[Kefir wakes up!]
As the script dictated, the next moment, Kefir rubbed her sleepy eyes, but upon seeing that I was awake, her reaction was far greater than what those few lines of the script described.
“Ogilid!?”
She didn’t care whether I was a patient or not, immediately throwing herself onto my chest. And while Kefir was excited, I was even more so! I still clearly remembered the dangerous situation I was in before I closed my eyes and kicked my legs; not only did Letty and Jousi have a death script, but Kefir was also facing a powerful fairy, and the script was fraught with peril!
So, the first thing I did upon waking was to confirm the status of Kefir and Letty! Kefir looked lively and unharmed, but what about Letty…
[Claudilus strategically retreated, Letty and Jousi are safe.]
I let out a long sigh of relief and turned to face Kefir. Our eyes met; I wasn’t foolish, and I could already see the slight weariness on Kefir’s face, her eyes slightly red and rimmed with dark circles, making me feel without even looking at the script that she had probably been by my side for these past few days without leaving.
Now it was my turn to feel anxious.
“I’m sorry, Kefir. At that time, you were all in danger, and I had no choice.”
When I encountered Claudilus, if there hadn’t been any worries, I would have definitely run out immediately to save my life, not wanting to add trouble for Kefir and Letty. But at that time, everyone had a death script, and Letty and Jousi were facing life-threatening danger. I had no choice but to take the risk to stop it, whether for Kefir’s “treasure” or for the safety of Letty and Jousi.
From the outcome, it seems I was quite lucky. With Kefir’s “protagonist halo” backing me, my “death script” did not come to pass, and both Letty and Zeus also escaped the death script. But with that came the next problem.
My act of saving Letty was far too decisive, especially in front of Kefir! What if this big shot realizes it and gets jealous? I wouldn’t even have a good excuse to explain myself; it would inevitably turn into, “Clearly, I’m your fiancée! Why were you so desperate to save her!? You better explain!” “I won’t listen, I won’t listen!” Such a deadly conundrum.
The best course of action is to apologize directly! However, I hadn’t even finished my sentence…
Just as Kefir, who had rushed over and was on the verge of tears, leaned in and pressed her lips against mine, the script appeared!
[Kefir takes pride in Euclid!]
No, no, don’t do this, big shot. It’s quite embarrassing; I’m covered in goosebumps.
After indulging in me for a while, as if there were no one else around, Kefir slowly pulled back, her red eyes fixed on me.
“Welcome back, Euclid. And… you didn’t think I was jealous, did you?”
“Hahaha… no, not at all.”
Even if I did, I wouldn’t dare say it.
“I’ve already taught Alsace a lesson, so you absolutely must not use Alsace like that again. When I felt your life signs fading, I…”
As a major villain, a big boss, I can’t become your weakness, big shot.
But looking at Kefir, who was choked up, I swallowed those words back down.
“Sorry, no one expected the other side to be not only well-prepared but also stronger. At that moment, you were all in danger, and I thought it was the best and fastest way to help.”
It’s pointless to dwell on what happened then; knowing the three women are safe puts my mind at ease. More than that, I’m now more concerned about the situation after the crisis, especially the final outcome of the ‘negotiation’ and Letty’s attitude and misunderstandings regarding Leyef. Did they manage to calm down and resolve things properly?
“Kefir, what time is it now!? What happened after the ‘negotiation’ day!?”
“You’ve been unconscious for several days now. As for what happened after the negotiation…”
At first, Kefir was able to answer my questions well, but suddenly, a hesitation appeared that was completely unlike her, and I keenly sensed something was off.
Kefir had been with me without any issues, so… what about Letty!?
I immediately checked the next part of Letty’s script, but what I found completely doused the little “desire” that had just been ignited by my fiancée’s kiss.
After all, the content of Letty’s script that followed was so dangerous, a different kind of peril from the death script!
[The Thunder Fairy Zeus occupies Letty’s body and takes action!]
[The Rosia Empire is plunged into internal strife and turmoil, allowing the Rodmar Empire to take advantage!]
Letty…
No, this crisis has escalated to an imperial level of danger!? Why!? Ah, I have a clue!
“Kefir!?”
“…”
Under my pressing questions, Kefir finally furrowed her brows and, with a complex expression, revealed the truth.
“Euclid, after that day, Ivan Letty began preparing to eliminate the nobles of Rosia. This is something I simply cannot stop…”