Chapter 110 · Rampage (2)

“Dēfénsĭo!”

I quickly raised another barrier, but the moment Leo’s black light struck it, it shattered with a hiss.

“Unus, geminus, triplex!”

Only after casting a triple barrier could I barely see ahead. Leo was continuously emitting masses of black light from his body.

“Princess!”

Ark called out to me from the opposite side. He was clutching one side of his waist, his whole body wrapped in barrier magic, his face contorted.

He must have jumped out of the carriage right after me and been hit by Leo’s black light.

“Princess, are you all right?!”

Despite bleeding heavily from his waist, Ark tried to come toward me, ignoring his injury.

“Watch out!”

When I screamed, he quickly dodged. He had nearly been hit directly by another flying mass of black light.

“Isn’t this aura? No, aura requires a real sword to use… What on earth is wrong with that guy?!”

Leo’s condition was clearly not normal. He seemed to have lost control of himself. His dazed pupils were unfocused, and he was clutching the area around his heart and gasping raggedly. Black energy repeatedly gathered and scattered around his body.

“It’s a mana rampage!”

I said in a trembling voice.

“What?!”

A mana rampage. I know that symptom better than anyone.

‘Because I died from it at ten in my second life!’

In my first life, after being driven from the royal palace and meeting death on the charge of coveting Kalisan magic, I became afraid of using magic. So in my second life, I pretended I couldn’t use mana at all. I thought that way I wouldn’t be falsely accused and killed.

But I didn’t know that if you don’t use mana for too long, the accumulated mana can cause a bad reaction inside and rampage.

The moment mana rampages, control becomes impossible, and powerful mana is released outside the body. Not only can it injure those around you, but if left alone, the person themselves can die within a short time.

Actually, I don’t know the details of what happened when I rampaged in my past life. I was almost unconscious. But one thing is certain—when I was dying like that, no one saved me.

There is only one way to stop a mana rampage. Someone with divine power must inject powerful divine power into the person and completely neutralize the rampaging mana.

Paeon happened to be away from the royal palace subjugating monsters, but even so, other holy knights or priests should have come running.

But no one came. After the attendants and servants fled screaming in terror, I suffered alone and died.

“Ark, hurry and bring Papa!”

I shouted, but Ark didn’t budge.

“I can’t leave the princess alone!”

“Hurry!”

At my resolute look, he hesitated, then moved.

The training grounds weren’t far. If we could hold out a little longer, we could save him. If it was Paeon, he could save Leo!

Ark ran with all his might despite his injury. I approached Leo to try using my own divine power until Paeon arrived.

Then.

“Ampléctor!”

When I turned toward the voice, Alter had appeared from somewhere and was casting magic on Leo.

‘Alter, you bastard…!’

A round reflective barrier formed around Leo.

“Kuh…!”

The released masses of black aura bounced off the barrier and returned to Leo. Leo was hit helplessly and writhed.

“Aaaagh!”

“Leo!”

I screamed and ran toward Leo, but Alter blocked me.

“Princess, you must not go near him.”

“Get out of my way!!”

“I cannot. The princess might be hurt.”

“I said get out of the way! Leo is dying!”

Alter roughly lifted me and slung me over his shoulder.

“That man is the prince of an enemy nation. And he attacked the princess and our knight. Even if he dies, there is nothing to be done.”

“Electrícĭtas!”

“Kuk!”

While he staggered from the sudden electric attack, I quickly broke free and jumped down. I definitely saw the corner of his mouth curl up for an instant.

I realized that all of this was Alter’s doing. Fury boiled up madly inside me, but that wasn’t important right now. Leo’s life hung by a thread. I had to save him first.

“Irritatĭo!”

I broke the reflective barrier and quickly knelt before Leo.

Leo was in a very serious state, wounded all over. His slick blood soaked even my clothes. Trembling, I held Leo’s whole body and poured out divine power. Then I felt his rampaging mana entering my body.

I groaned as I felt again the pain I had suffered because of Alter when I was four.

“…Asha.”

Leo seemed to have regained consciousness faintly. He forced his voice out.

“Asha, move… you’ll… die.”

I gritted my teeth and shook my head violently. Tears streamed down without my meaning them to. Leo tried weakly to push me away.

“Why are you going this far…?”

Because I died like you in my past life. How could I just leave you?

And you’re my friend…

Even if you’re the prince of an enemy nation who might later start a war, you’re my friend who helped me.

I don’t know. I’m annoyed at myself too. I decided never to interfere in anyone else’s fate, so why can’t I turn away from anything? It’s so frustrating!

I should have lived as I first resolved! I shouldn’t have made anything precious!

Anyone looking at me would be incredibly frustrated.

If I meet an eleventh life like this, that life’s me will resent the current me. Why did you do that like a fool when you were almost there? Paradise was right before your eyes, why did you stupidly kick it away?

‘But what can I do? This is who I am.’

My consciousness was gradually fading. And then the voice I had desperately wanted to hear reached my ears.

“Princess!”

Paeon grabbed me. It was definitely Paeon, but my vision was blurry and I couldn’t see him properly.

I called his name, tears streaming down my face.

“Papa.”

Paeon is here. Then it’s all right now.

In this life, he keeps saving me. As if trying to repay all the times he couldn’t save me in every past life.

“Save Leo…”

I let go of the hand holding Leo.

My consciousness ended there.

◇ ◆ ◇

Fluffy, fluffy. I was walking barefoot on cotton candy. I couldn’t tell if it was clouds or cotton candy, but the sweet smell told me it was cotton candy. I tore off a piece and ate it, and it melted softly in my mouth.

‘Is this heaven?’

Looking around, there was nothing but endless cotton candy, so it was either heaven or a dream.

‘Something must have happened…’

I couldn’t remember. Trying to remember made my head hurt. I just plopped down and closed my eyes. Lying in a soft cotton candy world without worrying about anything felt truly peaceful.

I felt something warm on my forehead. The rough calluses told me it was definitely Paeon’s hand.

I had woken up like this before.

‘Interrupting such a heavenly dream!’

When I opened my eyes slightly, Paeon was there, as expected.

A face that enchanted people—that was this man. Long golden eyebrows, a high, straight nose. His firmly closed lips were pink and well-shaped. Looking into those beautiful but cold red eyes, a smile escaped me.

Suddenly, the words I had heard at the pastry shop in Letitia came to mind.

“No, you were looking at her with such loving eyes~.”

I had thought that was nonsense.

Paeon’s expression was no different from then, so why did he look at me now as if he cherished me?

Before I came to the royal palace, I never could have imagined it. That Paeon would sneak in while I slept to check if I was sleeping well—doing something so fatherly.

‘Does Paeon love me?’

I suddenly became curious. I wanted confirmation. Perhaps because I was still half-asleep, a bold question burst from my mouth.

“Papa… do you love me?”

He seemed startled, his eyes going wide. For a long while, he only moved his lips and couldn’t answer.

‘Sigh. Of course.’

I sighed inwardly and closed my eyes again. I hadn’t expected an answer anyway.

Actually… I think I know without hearing the answer. I think I know now.

◇ ◆ ◇

When I opened my eyes, this time Sierra and Yuz were there.

“Princess!”

“Princess, are you all right?”

Countless memories rushed into my head. I sprang up and shouted.

“Where’s Leo?!”

“The prince is all right.”

Phew. A sigh of relief escaped me. Few people survive a mana rampage. Leo was very lucky.

“But… Sir Parsiel…”

Yuz spoke, choking up.

“He collapsed while stopping the prince… and hasn’t woken up since.”

“What?”

I had never even imagined he could be hurt, so I shot up in shock.

“No. He came to me while I was sleeping…”

“What?”

“Papa came to see me.”

Sierra shook her head with a gloomy face.

“You must have been mistaken. He hasn’t woken even once.”

“That can’t be. What happened?”

My heart pounded.

“I heard from someone who was there… They said he held the prince and took the attack with his whole body. And when the prince calmed down, he vomited blood and collapsed…”

The only ones there were me, Paeon, Leo, and Alter. That bastard must have described the mana rampage as an attack.

But Paeon vomited blood? Paeon’s divine power is immense. The best on the continent! He should have been able to stop a mana rampage easily. Why…

“Then he’s being healed, right? But he’s still not waking up?”

When I pressed, Yuz answered, tears streaming down.

“The High Priest came and tried to heal him, but his divine power doesn’t work at all. It’s as if something is blocking it… When he uses divine power, it gets worse.”

Others’ divine power doesn’t work either!

‘That makes no sense.’

Does receiving a mana rampage cause symptoms like that? There’s no way, unless there’s some serious problem.

‘Don’t tell me…’

I remembered that his condition had been bad for weeks. His complexion had been terrible for the past few days.

An ominous premonition seized me.

“I’m going to Papa.”

I threw off the blanket and jumped out of bed. And I ran straight to the next room.

When I threw the door open, Rosa was sitting by the bed crying, and High Priest Belus was standing beside her.

Belus was looking toward the bed with a worried face.

“Pa… Papa.”

I barely moved my trembling body and approached Paeon.

He lay like a corpse with a pale face. He didn’t even seem to be breathing.

It was the first time I had seen Paeon like that. I had never even seen him with his eyes closed. I always fell asleep first.

I urgently asked Belus.

“H-High Priest, what happened to the Commander?”

“His internal injuries are severe. My divine power doesn’t work at all.”

Belus spoke in a dark voice, as if spitting out a sigh.

“At this rate… his life is in danger.”