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Chapter 99: Something Was Missing
Chapter 99: Something Was Missing
Ascal, who was thought to have gone to defeat the ancient dragon, suddenly returned to the Moonlight Troupe, handed Serena her earrings, and confessed his feelings.
Serena, while hesitant to believe him, accepted his confession with happiness. Happy, happy.
Thus, the two set off on the Golden Pegasus to the Windwall Plains.
“Hey, are you really Ascal?”
Riding behind him on the Pegasus, Serena held Ascal’s waist tightly.
‘It’s warm.’
She didn’t want to doubt him, but a faint question lingered in her heart.
Why had Ascal returned to the troupe?
Could it all be a dream?
“Bite me and see for yourself. I’m undoubtedlyAscal.”
Serena bit Ascal’s neck.
A faint mark was left behind.
“This taste… you’re definitelyAscal.”
With her judgment made, Serena concluded that this man was indeed the real Ascal.
Smiling blissfully, Serena observed Ascal, who was holding the reins.
‘He is mine.’
Ascal’s black uniform.
Ascal’s black hair.
Ascal’s scent.
‘Wait… what’s this?’
Serena felt something strange.
At first, she hadn’t noticed because it was dark, but now that they were close, she could see.
His uniform was astonishingly dirty, with parts torn like rags.
And his hair… it seemed oddly long.
‘Can hair grow this quickly?’
Ascal was hiding something.
Feeling like a detective, Serena touched Ascal’s chin.
“...?”
“It’s so prickly. How did your beard grow this much overnight?”
“I’ve been under a lot of stress lately; it made my beard grow.”
“Hmm...”
Her instincts told her this man was undoubtedlyAscal.
Yet something felt off.
What was it?
“You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”
“You’ve caught me.”
Ascal scratched his head.
“Yes, it’s true. I am—”
“You’ve been terrified all this time, unable to tell anyone, staying up nights worrying, haven’t you? That’s why you look like such a mess.”
“What?”
?Serena gazed at Ascal with a look of pity.
Though called the "Empire's Hidden Dragon" and "Hero," in the end, he was still just a man. The weight of his responsibilities was bound to be overwhelming.
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She could understand because she, too, carried the noble status of a princess.
“It’s okay now, Ascal. Yes, I’ll be by your side.”
Pat, pat.
Serena patted Ascal’s shoulder.
“Because now I’m your lover.”
“…Thank you for understanding. As expected of Serena. Your insight is remarkable.”
Ascal let out a sigh of relief.
‘Phew, she didn’t catch on.’
In the end, Serena hadn’t realized.
That he came from the future.
****
It had been a grueling week.
Even a severely injured ancient dragon was no easy opponent.
Had he not seen the dragon’s attack patterns in his dreams beforehand, the raid might have failed.
‘How many times did I scream, "Dodge the breath attack"?’
The raid was a success.
Though everyone was battered and bruised, there were no casualties.
Unfortunately, the airship they arrived on had been incinerated by the dragon’s breath, so the group had to walk or ride horses back to the Empire.
Their steps were confident.
Like triumphant generals returning after vanquishing the dragon.
In the distance, the Empire’s lands came into view.
Finally, he could retire.
He could finally ret…
Whoosh??!
“Uh, why is the capital on fire?”
Ascal wondered.
Why was his home burning?
No, they had taken down the flame-breathing dragon. Could there have been a second dragon?
“A civil war has broken out! Princess Serena Barba has started a rebellion!”
Hearing the messenger’s words, Ascal collapsed to the ground.
It was like this:
On the day of the college entrance exams, after confidently scoring a perfect mock test, you return home to find your house in flames.
Or: while rushing to the enemy’s base, your own base gets nuked in your absence. And the nuke? Fired by your own side.
Or: just before destroying the enemy's base, your allies suddenly surrender without you, forcing a loss.
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“The word ‘meteor’ is still ‘meteor’ backward… I’ll show you something! Oh, but if my house burns down, I can’t get married…”
“Get a grip, Ascal! Ascal!”
Shouts erupted all around him.
Buildings ablaze.
Voices calling his name.
Overwhelmed by mental stress and accumulated fatigue, Ascal fainted.
That’s when he realized:
Yulia wasn’t the only one with the potential to become a tyrant.
Yulia and Serena were the same type of stand.
If Yulia could become a tyrant, Serena could too.
“Serena becoming a tyrant… Who could have foreseen this?”
It happens sometimes.
You think everything is going smoothly, but a small overlooked detail ruins it all.
Indeed, just as they had defeated the final boss, the true final boss appeared.
Second Princess Serena Barba.
She had started a rebellion.
?****
When Ascal opened his eyes, everything was already over.
No matter how long Serena and her closest allies had prepared their plan, they couldn’t overcome the overwhelming force of the Empire’s dragon-slaying warriors.
But the fact that a civil war had occurred was no longer about victory or defeat.
“The nation’s credit rating has plummeted!”
“The Empire’s cultural artifacts have been destroyed!”
“The White Tower has broken their alliance, claiming they can’t trust a country that can’t manage its own household!”
The Empire’s national strength had been drastically reduced.
It was a crisis.
Ascal’s dreams of retirement were forgotten, as he was forced to handle work at ten times his usual pace.
Naturally, his bed and he had to say goodbye for a while.
‘What am I even looking at?’
The room was filled with stacks of the rarest kind of paper—pure white and free of impurities.
Each sheet represented tasks Ascal had to complete.
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And it wasn’t just paperwork. As someone with diplomatic status, Ascal had to visit dozens of countries to restore the Empire’s reputation.
As a hero, he also had to travel to comfort the people.
“Ascal, there’s somewhere you need to go.”
“Guh-blargh-humm...?”
“…First, regain your ability to speak properly.”
Yulia looked at him with a mixture of pity and exasperation.
Still, she thought this might give him a small reprieve.
Carrying Ascal, who now resembled a ragdoll, under her arm, Yulia headed somewhere.
Since they were already in the Imperial Palace, the destination wasn’t far.
They arrived at the underground prison.
A place Ascal had seen in his dreams.
‘This is where Sushia was imprisoned back then.’
As he was carried like a doll, Ascal thought to himself.
“Follow me. Someone said they wanted to see you one last time.”
Yulia led him to the deepest part of the underground prison.
Ascal’s mind was blank.
For now, he was just happy to take a break from his grueling workload, following Yulia with a light heart.
In the Empire’s underground prison, the main instigators of the rebellion were imprisoned.
“Cursed princess! You’ll meet the same fate in the end!”
“Do you think you’re any different?”
“Traitors have much to say.”
The prisoners gripped the iron bars in frustration, their faces ones Ascal recognized.
Famous knights. Renowned nobles.
All part of Serena’s faction.
The deeper they went, the more significant figures they encountered.
For example, there was Rosa, Serena’s most trusted maid.
“Well, well. The great hero and the third princess herself have graced us with their presence. What an honor.”
Yulia looked at Rosa coldly.
“This one hid her true identity and served as a maid for years. Our investigation revealed she was connected to the doppelgänger who murdered Duke Senestia.”
“Oh dear… Seems like I’m the only one left.”
“This woman incited Serena Barba to start the rebellion. She might be the most guilty of them all.”
Rosa smirked coldly.
“If you fail, it’s treason. If you succeed, it’s a revolution. Well, we failed, so I have nothing more to say.”
Yulia frowned, her brow furrowing.
“You show no signs of remorse. Don’t you feel guilt?”
“Well, I do feel a little sorry for the young lady.”
With that, Rosa clamped her lips shut and said no more.
“Cough.”
A faint coughing sound came from the cell next door.
The person in there was likely…
“Don’t come near me.”
A hoarse voice, as if the speaker had a cold.
“Princess Serena.”
The underground prison was damp, and meals were barely provided. Naturally, Serena must have looked terrible by now.
“Cough. I don’t want you to see me like this. If you come closer, I’ll bite my tongue.”
“Did you know? Biting your tongue won’t actually kill you.”
“Really? Then I’ll bash my head against the wall.”
“That would be dangerous. I’ll stay here, then.”
Serena let out a small laugh.
“Do I look ridiculous?”
– – – The End of The Chapter – – –
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