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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: A Tearful Warning
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Over the past two years, the bond between the five children had grown deeper and stronger.
They had reached a point where calling each other “friends” felt completely natural, without any hesitation.
They spent each empire’s holidays together, prayed for New Year’s wishes, and celebrated one another’s birthdays, making quite a few memories.
During that time, Lellia had forgotten all about the original novel and her past life, becoming completely one with them and simply enjoying her days.
Then, one day, it happened.
A letter arrived from the emperor of her home country.
*Do not forget your duty, and conduct yourself quietly.*
It was a message of warning, lest the secret she held should ever leak out. The emperor seemed anxious, even though he knew she was incapable of telling anyone.
Lellia, who had been living with no thought for emperors or crown princes, snapped back to reality the moment she saw the message.
Not long after she returned to her home country, a rebellion would break out.
‘And after that, the new emperor, Perseus, will ascend the throne…’
What did this mean? It meant that Crown Prince “Leo” would officially die.
His chances of survival were close to zero. He was fated to die just before the rebellion, killed by a poison steadily administered by a courtier with a grudge against the emperor.
As she recalled this fact, her vision suddenly went dark, and the faces of her friends came to mind. The faces of her friends, who would be plunged into despair at the news of her death.
‘Should I tell them the truth?’
But the moment she spoke, she would die. The curse placed upon her was one used on spies of a national scale; it was extremely powerful. Not even divine power could break it.
Only then did Lellia see her situation with objective clarity. She felt ridiculous.
‘I got so ahead of myself…’
She had been intoxicated by the joy of having friends and had fallen in too deep, forgetting that she was just a fake.
After agonizing over it, Lellia concluded that it would be better to push her friends away before it was too late.
So she tried to be deliberately mean to the boys and say hurtful things, but…
“What’s wrong? You’ve been so aggressive lately. Got a razor blade for a tongue?”
“Hey! What the hell is your problem! How are we supposed to know if you don’t tell us!”
“Leo, I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s obvious you’re doing this on purpose.”
“That’s right, Leo… We’ll listen to you. Okay? You’re the one who said worries are meant to be shared… right, Leo?”
As Romeo, Calix, Griffith, and Oscar each took turns holding on to her and saying those things…
A sudden wave of sorrow washed over her, and before she knew it, she had burst into tears like a child.
But she couldn’t tell them the truth.
‘They’ll be so sad when they find out later. What if they get hurt in the subjugation team because they’re missing me from the shock?’
So, after crying for a long while, Lellia stopped and spoke metaphorically, leaving out any mention of her true identity.
“Hey, guys… even if I happen to die, don’t be too sad. Okay?”
“What kind of bullshit is this?”
Romeo, with a look of utter exasperation, took out a handkerchief and gently dabbed at Lellia’s face.
“This punk is such a coward. Hey! The Mad Dragon subjugation team might be dangerous, but your big bro will protect you.”
Calix said, patting Lellia’s shoulder reassuringly.
The five of them had promised to meet again in the Mad Dragon subjugation team after returning to their home countries.
Lellia had agreed in the heat of the moment, but she had laid the groundwork by saying she might not be able to go.
“I told you back then! I might not join the subjugation team. I might… I might die before then.”
“…Is there someone after you?”
Griffith asked in a serious tone. Lellia latched onto the idea.
“Yeah, there are people after the throne I’m supposed to inherit… and my body is weak. That’s why my dad is so overprotective.”
“Leo, you can’t die.”
Oscar clutched Lellia’s hand, tears streaming down his face. He had started crying the moment Lellia began to sob. That crybaby Oscar always cried whenever someone else did.
Lellia wiped Oscar’s tears away and said.
“So… even if I can’t join the Mad Dragon subjugation team with you, don’t be too disappointed. You all have to fight safely and come back, even if it’s just you guys.”
“Why the hell is he talking about stuff that’s years away?”
Lellia ignored Calix and looked intently at each of their faces, one by one.
Oscar Hresvelg, a crybaby now… but destined to obtain the sealed demonic sword from the distant past and become a semi-immortal being.
Calix Ascad, the mercenary king. He was a one-armed berserker in the novel, but here he would freely wield a greatsword with both arms—one so massive no one else could lift it.
Griffith Nicea, who would awaken a divine power greater than any of the past pontiffs of Creutz and become the master of the Creutz Holy Sword.
Romeo Rosebery, who would obtain a dragon’s heart and become a dragon-tongue mage, the first in history to establish a magic tower.
She was proud that she, a nobody, could have been their friend. Overcome with emotion, Lellia began to sob again.
“You’ll all become great heroes who will go down in history! So even if I’m not in this world… *hic*…”
She cried like that for a long while. And the four of them comforted her, all while wearing expressions that said they didn’t understand a thing.
