ALL NOVEL Chapter 235
“Your Majesty.”
Lars held Acella’s hands.
The two engagement rings touched, making a clink sound.
Acella’s plea for him to love her.
Thump, thump. Acella’s heart raced faster than ever, tense about what answer would come back.
Even if this was a dream, here, it felt as real as reality might.
She felt like she could take Lars’s words as if the real Lars was speaking to her.
If he rejected her… it felt like the slender thread of hope she had been holding on to would be swept away by the winds.
‘I know.’
Acella understood resentment better than anyone.
As a princess, born into the imperial family, she accepted the duties of royalty.
But her instincts couldn’t be concealed.
Her true feelings were elsewhere. She had merely been avoiding the truth all this time.
She hated the royal family.
She hated Camilla.
Sometimes she resented and cursed her own birth, wishing she were born ordinary.
She loved magic, but hated her intelligence that fell into a field nobody understood and least of all empathized with.
She even found commoners with their ordinary families and environments repulsive.
From far above, looking down, she didn’t want to admit that she, a regal being, hid inferiority deep in her heart.
Resentment was Acella’s foundation.
Hence, she committed evil deeds.
She became a wicked woman.
She knew well how terrifying that emotion was.
The better she knew it, the clearer she saw what resentment Lars harbored for her would bring about.
Even if it wasn’t her who killed him.
Even if it wasn’t her who annihilated the world.
From Lars’s perspective, they were the same.
The same tyrant Acella von Württemberg.
No matter how much time they spent together, or the stories they shared, it couldn’t compare to the depth of resentment Lars felt.
It seemed impossible for Acella to bear such a thought, which was why she had never dared to meet Lars.
She didn’t have the courage to face his emotions.
If she was rejected, she couldn’t even imagine what she might do.
Yet, there was one thing she could hold on to, a glimmer of hope.
—The teacher chose you.
A single sentence from the hero had awakened that fact in her.
Lars invited her to go to the former country with him.
If it wasn’t a mere misunderstanding, he didn’t seem inclined to immediately refuse when she confessed.
Perhaps, just perhaps, if Lars could accept her.
If she could prove she wasn’t the future emperor he knew, and could affirm that herself.
If she could gain the qualification to do so…
Then… it felt like she could live.
She came to herself and realized she had gone all the way to the depths of the Demon Realm to achieve something monumental.
“Your Majesty, I have a question.”
Lars leaned in closer to Acella, asking.
“Sure.”
“Why are you… um… like this with me…”
“I love you.”
“…You’ve fallen in love with me? A person as beautiful and enviable as you, Your Majesty? I…”
Lars hesitated for a moment. Then, as if he had made up his mind, he spoke clearly.
“It’s my confession, but I’ve damaged you. I disrupted your cool-headed mind that should reign above the people as a perfect emperor. I robbed you of the magical talent that no one in human history could match. I’ve certainly had a negative influence on you.”
“No, Lars.”
Acella immediately denied Lars’s confession.
“I wasn’t perfect when I became an emperor. You said you ruined me, but…”
Nudge. Acella lowered her head until her forehead touched Lars’s.
“It’s the opposite. You fixed me.”
In a distance where their breaths mixed, the words were conveyed directly, not through ears but through breaths.
“You completed me.”
In the halted world, there was only the sound of the two of them.
On a stage prepared solely for them.
No, in fact, the background wasn’t even necessary.
Acella only looked at Lars, and Lars only saw Acella.
There was nothing else.
Nothing more was needed.
Nothing else was in sight, unheard, or felt.
“…When you return, Your Majesty.”
Lars slowly conveyed his response.
“Deciding whether I will love you or not is an illogical choice.”
For a moment, Acella’s breath stopped.
As if her heart also came to a stop, her blood seemed to freeze.
But only for a moment. Lars gently pulled her waist closer, leaning his body against hers.
“I already love you, Your Majesty.”
———
– Good Ending
– After years, back in 68% → 91%
———
…Ah.
I melted.
Acella realized she had lost a few seconds of memory.
For that brief moment, the words Lars conveyed were more destructive, violent, and simultaneously sweeter than any magic she had known before.
She could taste it in her flushed ears.
When she came to her senses, Acella was already throwing herself at Lars, frantically exploring his lips.
‘…Yes.’
It was a taste she had almost forgotten, one she had experienced several times.
Unintentionally, her body tensed up, causing her to thud, and push Lars to the ground.
“Sorry, are you okay?”
“Yes. I can heal it.”
Lars smiled awkwardly and brushed Acella’s hair back.
“Your silver hair is beautiful.”
“…I’m glad to hear that.”
“We’ll continue when we return. So.”
Lars gently held Acella in his arms. Acella nestled into his embrace, finding the spot she had marked a few years ago.
“Come back safely, Acella.”
As she heard his dreamy voice, Acella buried her face in Lars’s chest and drifted into a deep sleep.
*
“…Hah.”
Acella woke up and brushed her messy hair back, looking around.
It was the scene from when she fell asleep. The tent, inside the sleeping bag.
“…Ah-ha.”
Remembering the dream right away, she chuckled to herself, twisting her body here and there.
It was such an embarrassing moment she’d rather gouge someone’s eyeballs if they noticed.
Lars had said he loved her.
Even if it was in a dream, it felt much more vivid than reality. Acella stood up from her spot, feeling good, and stepped outside the tent.
“Did you cough?”
In the distance, Faust was making a fire and grilling fish.
“How long have I been asleep?”
“About fourteen hours.”
“Really? Huh, I’ve never slept more than eight hours in my life. I didn’t know it could feel this refreshing.”
Stretching her arms, Acella began a light stretching routine.
“Faust, did you sleep too?”
“I’m a human too.”
“Then that’s a problem. What will we do if something happens while we’re both asleep? We don’t even know how long it’s been here.”
“Our items time flows. We have a clock. How was your dream?”
Acella, suppressing a smile, squatted down beside Faust and picked up a fish.
“It wasn’t bad. I’ll reward you later.”
“It seems Gothberg appeared.”
“Shut up.”
“By the way, the lucid dream potion has a peculiar principle. Rather than constructing a dream world based on the user’s mind, it creates a dream based on reality.”
“What does that mean? That the Lars in my dream was just like the real Lars?”
“Yes. I don’t know what events happened in your dream, but if the real Gothberg found himself in the same situation, he would have acted the same way.”
“Ugh, no way.”
Acella struggled to hold in her laughter, biting into the fish and immediately spitting it out.
“It’s not cooked!”
“The time here is stopped, so it takes skill to cook. It takes time.”
“Forget it, I’m not hungry. If you don’t have anything else to say, let’s go pick up the hero.”
Tack tack. Acella brushed off her skirt and stood up. Faust sorted out the belongings and followed behind her.
*
Maybe it was because she had slept soundly, Acella’s steps back to the gate were light and cheerful.
Well, she thought it might also be because she had just met herself.
Just after returning to the first teleport gate, Acella opened the door, and Lishe quickly joined her.
“I brought it. This is the light’s barrier stone, right?”
Lishe quickly opened the sealed box, but it nearly blinded her with sunlight, causing her to snap it shut again.
“Well done, hero. But.”
Acella looked straight at Lishe and said.
“Don’t let your guard down. There are still many forks ahead. I won’t tolerate any failures. If you die at the hands of the Demon King, I will kill you myself.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean get your mind right and win. No matter what happens, I will eliminate the Demon King.”
“Um… I feel the same way.”
“Just knowing that is enough.”
Acella turned sharply and began walking ahead. Back to where the heroes’ party was. Back to the place where she had first acquired the time barrier stone.
Lishe leaned closer and whispered to me.
“Your Majesty, did something happen?”
“Honestly…”
“Is Gothberg doing something strange to you?”
“If he did, then I can say he did… No wait, Gothberg?”
“Oh, no! No, Faust! I’ll keep it a secret.”
Lishe lowered her voice and made an “X” sign over her mouth with her finger.
Hmmm.
How did she know?
“Did Tanya say something?”
“Master? Does Master know?”
“I can’t believe this.”
Lishe giggled and bent over with a grin.
“It’s okay, no one knows. It’s seamless to anyone looking. I can tell because of the atmosphere, though.”
“That atmosphere isn’t someone else’s.”
“Um… it has that peculiar thing you can’t hide… Anyway, I can’t tell you how relieved I am. Just having the teacher here has given me a breather.”
“I’m glad it helped. The hero seems to have grown while I wasn’t watching.”
“Ehehe.”
Lishe scratched her head.
“Did the teacher come to help with the hero party’s strategy directly? Or did you have other motives?”
“That’s right. Defeating the Demon King is the most important task, and…”
At that moment, a message popped up in the status window.
———
– You have gained enough experience in producing/using advanced potions!
– [Alchemy B] has ranked up to [Alchemy A].
– [Enhancement B] has ranked up to [Enhancement A].
– Alchemy has ranked up to A.
– You have realized all potion recipes.
– Elixir = Demon King’s Blood + Ancient Dragon Scale + World Tree Branch
———
I answered Lishe.
“I needed the Demon King’s blood too.”