ALL NOVEL Chapter 240
“Whew.”
Acella let out a deep breath.
Moonlight seeped through the gaps in the ceiling, but the surroundings were dark due to the debris scattered everywhere.
Her whole body ached.
Her back, her legs. She had tried to spread her circle to reduce the impact when she fell, but it didn’t help much.
The fact that she survived was no mere stroke of luck.
The artifact hanging around her neck had crumbled to bits, having exhausted its lifespan. The Sun Protection Talisman, a world-class physical enhancement artifact entrusted by Heike. It was a shock even it couldn’t withstand.
And there was Dr. Faust’s shield cast on her.
Thanks to that, she survived with injuries like this.
At least her right arm seemed intact. It was the only part that didn’t hurt.
Her head felt like it was ringing from the mild concussion after hitting the back of her head. Even in her dizziness, Acella struggled to remember her role.
This was the Demon King Castle. I am Acella von Württemberg.
A wizard who had reached the pinnacle.
Her immediate goal was clear.
“I must win and return.”
Being alone in the darkness made his face stand out even more.
Thinking of Lars allowed her to stand up again, no matter how much pain she felt. She had no intention of giving up, nor did she think of resting even for a moment.
“…Ugh.”
Acella realized she couldn’t lift her body.
The protective magic garment that had protected her was torn in several places. Was her injury that severe?
First, let’s get rid of the darkness. With that thought, she turned on the light.
“Light.”
Then Acella gasped in shock.
Her right arm wasn’t intact; rather, it had been crushed to the point where she lost all sensation.
It was pinned beneath a large piece of obsidian. The sticky blood flowing from the gap stained her silver hair.
“…Ugh.”
She tried to roll and pull her arm free, but it was futile. Her already weak strength was sapped further by the blood loss.
“Magic…”
Casting high-level spells was impossible. She had lost her wand in the fall. Acella’s immediate casting was triggered by crossing her arms.
She couldn’t muster strong enough magic to move a boulder of this size. All she could do was create a small ice chunk to cool down.
“Hah.”
Had she known this would happen, she should have listened to Seymour’s advice. She should have changed the trigger for immediate casting to a different action. Of course, it was useless to regret now.
“…Painkillers.”
No, didn’t Lars say that one shouldn’t take painkillers when there’s heavy bleeding?
At least she could use the vitality potion Faust had given her.
Acella pulled a potion from her garment pocket. As she opened the cap, the flask slipped from her hand, covered in her blood.
Clang!
The potion mixed with the dust on the floor and vanished.
The sound of shattering glass snapped Acella to attention.
“Uh…?”
Wasn’t this more dangerous than she thought?
All alone amid the rubble.
In the heart of the Demon Realm, the most dangerous enemy lurked in the Demon King’s castle.
She couldn’t move, and the blood continued to drip without showing any signs of stopping.
“…Lies.”
Then Acella realized.
That she was in a serious crisis.
Death was looming close.
“…No.”
No matter how much she denied it, reality wouldn’t change. There was no sign of improvement, and time continued to flow aimlessly.
In a place like this, she had never imagined she would die, not even a little.
Naturally, as the great sorceress and the imperial princess, she believed she could obtain everything without ever failing.
As long as she acted with confidence, the world would revolve around her.
It had always been that way, so she believed it would surely be the same this time too.
“…I don’t want to.”
Acella’s brows furrowed.
She didn’t want to end up alone in a place like this, without achieving anything, facing a miserable death.
Above all.
“Lars.”
She hadn’t been able to meet you again yet.
She hadn’t been able to take you to that future.
She hadn’t heard those words come from your mouth.
“I don’t want to, I don’t want to…!”
Acella desperately pushed against the obsidian boulder pinning her arm again, but it was useless. It only scraped her fingertips.
“Why…?”
Was Lars’s remark in her dream right?
Was the current her merely a broken criminal, unlike Empress Acella?
Was it the result of being arrogant and knowing her own limits?
“Hah, hah.”
She should have accepted that potion from Faust.
If she had known she would die like this, she’d want to at least die in your arms, even if it was an illusion.
…
……
………….
“Don’t say something so ridiculous.”
She opened her eyes wide.
Golden Mana spun and glimmered within Acella’s pupils.
She bit her tongue to snap back to reality. She brushed aside the fog clouding her mind.
“Who do you think I am?”
Acella whipped herself back to her feet.
“I am Acella von Württemberg. The sixth empress of the great Dengliwood Empire, the fifth child and the third princess in the line of succession to Balthasar von Württemberg.”
She swept her disheveled bangs aside.
“How pathetic you’ve become, Acella. What you’ve set aside is the throne of the empress, not yourself.”
Paf!
Acella began to draw a magic circle with her trembling left hand. As she added more numbers and completed the incantation, a sharp ice sword appeared.
“You’ve trampled all that stood in your way, cut it down, and came this far.”
With a swipe, Acella placed the ice sword on her pinned right arm.
“Cut it off and stand up. Move on, just as you have until now.”
It was simple enough.
Why hadn’t she thought of this simple idea from the start? She felt foolish.
An arm is merely a part of the body, not herself.
If she lost a leg, she’d crawl; if only her teeth were left, she’d bite; she had sworn she would prove that fate didn’t exist.
“Hah.”
A deep breath.
Just as she was about to finish her resolve, cold rationality seeped in.
“…If I cut my arm…”
The bleeding would only worsen.
Without any supplies for a tourniquet, if she couldn’t find her wand quickly, she might bleed out and die even if she managed to escape.
What would she regret the most at that moment?
…It was only one thing.
Acella stared blankly at the ring on her left hand.
At the very least, if she made it known that she was here, wouldn’t the sharp-eyed you notice something was wrong?
Wouldn’t you take this signal to heart?
Even if she couldn’t convey it in her own voice.
“I… love you.”
Would you recognize that?
Until everything ended, she had no intention of revealing herself to Lars.
But now, the end was close at hand. Even if Lars realized the truth, there was no way for him to come here immediately.
If they failed to defeat the Demon King, that would be fine too.
He would blame her just as he always had.
She could take the punishment for failing.
“Lars.”
Acella flipped her hand and examined the ground.
A thin crack etched at the bottom of the ring, showcasing its elegance.
How hard she had tried not to look at it.
She slightly tore the thumb part of her garment glove with her teeth.
Bringing her fingernail to the ring’s crease.
Swish
She lightly slid it down as if to brush it away.
“…Ahah.”
Just doing that filled her with an immense sense of happiness.
She didn’t know what time it was in the human realm, but surely, it must have reached him.
Just knowing that made her feel undeniably connected to Lars.
Acella was happier than ever.
“Okay, that’s enough.”
Satisfied, she decided to stop there.
She picked up the ice dagger again and measured its angle.
The biting cold was a strange reminder of the chilling object, connecting her back to reality.
“You melted it well.”
His face surfaced in her mind.
What expression are you making? It could have been everything to her.
Acella chuckled involuntarily and raised her hand holding the dagger high.
Boom!!
The loud noise startled her, causing her to drop the dagger. It was the sound of the ceiling collapsing. It was close.
The urgent footsteps followed. Whatever the situation, they were definitely approaching her.
Soon, a silhouette appeared before Acella.
“Your Highness.”
It was a crow mask that didn’t even deserve a chuckle.
“Faust.”
It was Doctor Faust. He swiftly pushed away the pile of obsidian crushing Acella’s arm and began her treatment.
He applied a tourniquet and injected all sorts of potions. As if by magic, the pain disappeared. He pulled various things from the dark void, and in an instant, an impromptu clinic was set up. A blood transfusion pack was inserted into Acella’s arm.
Faust cleaned Acella’s right arm and placed it on a waterproof tarp, then hurried into surgery.
His hands moved faster than ever before. The needle at the tip of his tweezers repaired broken bones and muscles. Acella watched closely as he worked.
The healing spell followed. Faust poured in divine power as if he were overflowing with it.
In no time, Acella could tell her body had healed enough for her to stand up by herself.
As Faust finished the emergency treatment and gathered his things, he stood up and turned his back as if to escape. Acella slowly lifted her body in pursuit.
“Faust.”
He didn’t reply.
“How did you know I was here?”
Faust slightly turned his head and answered.
“…I heard screams.”
Clack. Acella took a step closer to Faust.
“Did I look like someone who would scream from this level of pain?”
Faust was at a loss for words.
Acella looked at him affectionately and continued speaking.
“You hurriedly put your mask back on. Your hair is sticking out.”
“…That’s…”
Before Faust could make an excuse, Acella leaped into his arms.
As if to never let go again, she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.
Burying her face in his chest, she inhaled his scent with all her strength.
“You were with me from the start.”
“Your Highness.”
Acella gently pushed up Faust’s mask. He didn’t resist.
Their eyes met.
“Lars, my attending physician.”
The smile Acella gave him couldn’t be described as demonic.