For You In The Cage

Episode 99: Escape (X)

“Hey, can I go already? What if he’s talking?”

“What do you mean, what do you do? I’m sorry, I just can’t come out and… Your Grace?”

“Huh? What, Your Grace!”

Roana and Derek, who appeared from the end of the hallway, found Yulif and ran to him. Just before Yulif fell, the two managed to catch him. His arms, which were covering his nose and mouth, slid down, revealing his face covered in blood..

“Lord! What happened!?… What’s going on, my lord!”

“…Be quiet and go to the office.”

“Who broke in? No, this is…!”

“No, Derek. I’m not hurt.”

Yulif nodded slowly towards Roana. Roana swore and supported Yulif with magic.

“…I’ll tell you the details when we get to the office. Don’t make a fuss and go quickly.”

With those words, Yulif lost consciousness.

*******

Yulif opened his eyes with difficulty. A dark green ceiling welcomed him, not a dark reddish-brown ceiling close to black. He put his hand on it and pressed it and then dropped it down. It was a bed. It seemed that Roana and Derek didn’t listen to him and moved them to his bedroom.

Roana, who sighed a little as he opened his eyes, met his eyes.

The two were silent for a few seconds. Roana’s expression was so harsh that it wouldn’t be strange if she put swear words in her mouth right away, and Yulif was as dry as usual. A suffocating silence followed, as if there was a rule that the loser in a snowball fight should open their mouth first.

Finally, an impatient Roana decided to go first.

“You used your magic until you got to this point… Are you crazy? Yes?”

“Don’t scream. My head is ringing.”

“Your head is ringing? I thought you were fine again. I hope that you don’t use your magic so much! Speaking of which, I should ask. What the hell are you doing these days? Your mana has been twisted into a total mess!”

“My lord! My lord, you are awake! What are you doing, come in and check on our lord! Hurry!”

“Only Orcard and Derek can remain. Make the rest go away.”

“How about receiving treatment first…”

Yulif swung his hand away, dismissing the healing wizard who was about to enter the bedroom and locking the door. Yulif’s magical energy covered the entire bedroom like a curtain. It was a barrier that combined soundproofing magic and intrusion prevention magic. Roana shook her head.

“Your Grace! Why do you keep using magic like this!?”

“I can’t help it because my subordinates are ignoring my orders.”

“Wow, are you passing the blame on us now? How ridiculous, really.”

“Derek, come closer.”

They wanted to bring the healing wizard back, but Derek, restless at the door, sprinted to the bedside.

Yulif tried to get his upper body up, but it was not easy because his stomach felt nauseous and his arms were shaking. Derek put his back up and put a pillow on his back.

Roana’s face was seriously contorted. It was the first time she had seen Yulif in such poor condition.

Yulif said with his back to his pillow and closed his eyes.

“The aristocratic forces have united. Duke Theodore joined us a few days ago. I’m going to kill the emperor soon.”

“Treason… You’re  going to stir up treason, aren’t you?”

Derek asked back cautiously. He wanted to slap his mouth, because what he had been talking about seemed to have become a source of trouble, saying, “Didn’t you make a secret association half as a joke?”

Yulif nodded his head. Roana rushed forward like crazy.

“If you tell me something so important now, what should we do? No matter how important it is… No, the more important it is, the more you should have told us! We are your closest aides!”

“That’s right. I’m lacking a lot, but I’m officially a lieutenant to the lord… Don’t you trust me?”

“No.”

“No? That’s it? I instantly thought that we would go to the emperor and blow it all away.”

“I can’t believe that I have only gained so little trust from the lord… It is heartbreaking.”

“I told you. No.”

Yulif sighed deeply. Even after denying twice, Roana and Derek were still shocked. Yulif opened his eyes and saw the two of them filled with disappointment and grumpiness, and pressed his temples down.

“Let’s have a productive conversation. Using the commotion I made earlier as an excuse, the emperor will soon summon me to the imperial palace. We don’t have much time, so be prepared.”

“You can do it with things like the duke’s aristocrats. Just like you have always done.”

“Orcard, do you think I’m joking?”

“That’s what I want to ask. Does the lord think I am joking? Rebellion, good. Anyway, I guessed everything from the time I brought Canarenfrom the riot in the Imperial Palace. But before that, don’t you have a story to tell? It’s treason or whatever, but the lord’s body needs to be strong, doesn’t it?”

Derek stared at Roana’s trembling fist. Derek only guessed that Yulif’s condition was serious, as the wizard Roana was reacting violently because she noticed the details.

To Roana, Yulif was more than a superior or a noble. He was the object of her admiration and inspiration, and he was the goal that Roana wanted to reach. Roana was also shaking when the legendary figure, who always seemed to be standing very high and looking down at her, began to falter.

“Lend me your hand.”

Roana and Derek reluctantly reached out. Yulif held the two people’s hands with his left and right hands, respectively.

The moment he grabbed their hands, a deep blue light wrapped around their arms like a vine. Derek, who was not familiar with magic, was startled. Roana, on the other hand, glared at Yulif with her blazing eyes.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you. If that was the case, I wouldn’t have even talked about it.”

“Is this what the one who made the oath of silence would say?”

“Oath of Silence? What is that?”

“It’s a magic that kills you if you reveal it with your mouth, what is it?”

“D-die?”

“No need to worry. It’s a magic that makes it impossible to forcibly speak. You are not going to die.”

Yulif, who reassured Derek, thought for a moment.

He didn’t know where to start or what to say. He always had in mind that he had to tell Roana and Derek as much as he could, but when things came to pass, things got complicated in his head.

In this case, it would be better to pick out the ones you don’t need. Yulif erased the many regrets and wrong choices that had accumulated within him, and the traces of struggles to rectify them one by one. After that, unfortunately, there wasn’t much left. Something so easy to say. Yulif sighed to himself and looked at Roana and then Derek in turn.

“My life is coming to an end.”

“…Wait a minute, I think my head was spinning for a moment.”

“Uh… Me too.”

“You have the right to hear. As the lifespan of the body expired, my magic power became unstable. The unstable magic is putting a burden on this body. It’s a vicious cycle.”

Roana and Derek wrapped themselves in the back of their heads as if they had been physically hit in the head. In fact, only Yulif, who spoke of his own death, did not lose his composure. He spoke in a very monotonous tone, as if describing the color of the wallpaper.

“I won’t last a month like this.”

“This is bullshit. That’s ridiculous!”

“Roana! Hey! Don’t. You’re screaming! Calm down, please! My lord, he is not feeling well!”

Roana grabbed Yulif’s neck. Derek tried to tear Roana away from Yulif, but Roana was holding on to Yulif with her superhuman strength. Yulif blinked his eyes slowly, as if he had no will to pull her away from him.

“Who is it? Who says that the lord can’t last even a month and fall behind? You didn’t even try to get treatment. Aren’t you a healing wizard? Did you even say that you had mastered all the laws of the world?”

“I know my body best.”

“Great. Let’s say the lord words are right. It’s good we’re getting rid of the evil emperor. But what about Canaren? How much Canaren loves you…!”

Roana, who was shaking Yulif by the collar, stopped, standing tall. The incomprehensible things that Yulif had done to Canaren in the past quickly passed her eyes.

In front of her, he acted like he was anxious because he couldn’t hurt Canaren, but from the back he was anxious because he couldn’t take care of Canaren, so it was strange for anyone to see him. He only knew Canaren. Maybe, maybe… 

“…Is it because of this?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Don’t bullshit me now! Did you know? Since when? Since when on earth have you known and now, you’re telling me now?”

“Roana Orcard! Stop it. His Grace said it was not normal!”

Derek barely took Roana from Yulif as he sat her in her chair far away from him. Roana slammed the table with a cry.

Derek took Yulif’s hand with a worried face. Yulif’s hands were as cold as ice. As if his blood was not flowing at all.

“Lord, you should be receiving treatment now. I’ll bring all of Pionia’s, no, all the healing wizards of the empire. We will also call in all the highly skilled wizards. If we all work together, we can find a way. We will find it.”

“Derek.”

“Don’t say you won’t. Lord, Pionia cannot be without you. You know? Roana is right. What about that poor woman who only looks at you? She won’t be able to stand it. She must be with you.”

“Listen carefully.”

Yulif grabbed Derek’s hand. A determined, hardened wick was burning in his purple eyes. It was too vivid and full of life to belong to someone who was about to die. So Derek couldn’t believe Yulif’s words. No, he didn’t want to believe it.

“When I die, let Canaren do whatever she wants.”

“Lord… ”

“I will prepare all the procedures for you. All you have to do is ask Canaren’s doctor. You are better than Roana, so I’ll leave the administrative work to you. It’s cumbersome, but do it right. My request.”

“Why, why are you like this, really… Why are you acting like someone who will die soon? …! Get treatment. With treatment, you’ll be fine. Get some treatment… Get it!”

Derek let out a cry he had been holding back. Tears also fell from the eyes of Roana, who was sitting in her chair devastated. Yulif tapped Derek’s sobbing shoulder as if comforting him.

“Don’t worry about Canaren. She doesn’t love me anymore.”

He didn’t know that Deltinus’ tenacious spirit would help in this way. Yulif smiled weakly as he recalled Canaren’s golden eyes, who were glaring at him saying he was a liar.

The clock of fate was moving slowly but surely towards the end.

Ame: I realised I haven’t quite gone on a break for this novel yet… and with examinations, the team is struggling to keep up with our 2x a week schedule (we have also been depleting/eating into our stock… oh no). Soooooo this novel will go on a break for 1 week! Once it’s back, it’s off to the climax!