TPITT - Chapter 93

Only after dawn did Michael finish treating the patients with mana infarction.

Mana Drain is a fairly high-level spell. It is also used to drain mana quickly.

He even went so far as to repeatedly use attacks that were close to annihilation.

The mental and physical fatigue that accumulated overnight was considerable. Michael was on the wall.

He fell asleep with hia head down and lost consciousness.

And he had a dream.

In the splendid palace of Hadelamide, Michael's eyes were following the lime-blond princess.

Eve's face was a little more mature than it is now. About 5 years later in the future.

If he met Eve, this would be exactly what she would be like.

His consciousness was so clear and all his senses were too vivid to be just a dream.

Even the emotions and thoughts of that time were vaguely flowing into his mind.

This is the level of reconstruction of reality. Thanks to this, he realized it instinctively.

'I guess it's a memory from a past life.'

He was somewhat anticipating what clues it might provide. Michael concentrated on absorbing all the information from the dream.

What Michael saw was Eve's peaceful daily life.

The dream place of resting in one of the palace's banquet halls, drinking tea in the royal ladies' salon, and stepping out to get books out of the library has changed in various ways, but Michael was always looking at Eve as if any small daily life were hers.

Michael felt a little proud. This dream was also his past self.

It seemed like proof that he had assisted her very sincerely as her direct knight 

However, as the observation time increased, he began to feel a little more suspicious.

'Why does the Princess feel so distant?'

It is no exaggeration to say that Eve is the closest being to Michael. However, he felt distant from the wall to Eve, who he was observing as a dream.

He thought they would be closer a few years from now, but it was the opposite.

'Is it because it is a monarch-subject relationship?'

Somehow, a faint pain appeared in his chest.

It was time to spread out.

The dream changed again. Michael went beyond just watching and made contact with Eve.

They talk alone on the moonlit banquet terrace, and together in the ballroom.

They danced facing each other and walked side by side through a flower-filled garden.

It was extremely ordinary. But for some reason, the emotion that Michael felt at that time in his past life was a burning earnestness.

It's as if he desperately wants something out of his reach.

At that time, the dream showed him a garden where cherry trees shed flower petals. There, Eve and Michael drank tea together.

A cup of oolong tea with a beautiful color was held out in front of Michael. In the dream, Eve spoke for the first time.

"I wonder if it will fit Sir Agneto's taste. What do you think?"

"I like the scent and the color. Especially the color is like the pupils of your eyes."

"Where does it hurt, Your Highness?"

"Yeah. You...Oh, no."

An awkward atmosphere was read. This kind of stiff conversation was not like Eve and himself.

It was at that moment that the vague sense of suspicion began to clearly crack.

"Then I will leave this for Her Highness the 8th Princess."

"I'll go. Have a nice time."

Michael felt his blood run cold as he heard his dream self spew out words.

'I'm going to the 8th Princess?'

Why would he go to the 8th Princess, who he doesn't even want to look at when Eve is right in front of him?

Michael was shocked. Even in the midst of that, in his dream, he bowed politely to Eve, turned around, and left the garden.

While denying and denying again, the dream was heading toward its conclusion.

When Michael's two legs reached the entrance to the garden, the 8th Princess appeared as if she had been waiting for him.

Rosenit smiled at Michael.

"Why are you so late, my knight?"

My knight.

Michael's heart sank at those words. It was as if he had witnessed a tragedy.

***

I opened her eyes on my own in the bright sunlight.

Peony was still asleep on the small cistern bed.

I was very impressed by the young noble girl who faithfully carried out her duties even in a place that was no different from the wilderness.

I quietly washed my face and changed my clothes so that Peony could sleep better.

'Michael hasn't come back.'

There was no direct reporter behind the partition. As soon as he confirmed this, I went out of the barracks.

'Is he still draining mana?'

It was bright outside. It was late morning, so the homunculus had already left for the mines.

I cut across the quiet, secluded village.

When we arrived at the shelter, we found a barracks we had never seen before. It was a temporary treatment center that Cadeline had set up. There, Amber flew happily in front of me

“Michael, are you there?”

Michael would have noticed my presence long ago. I wondered why there was no answer.

I entered the barracks.

Michael was in a deep sleep, holding Nightray in his arms.

At first glance, it seemed as if he was just resting with his eyes closed, as he looked so uncluttered.

'It's not happening.'

Even though I got close, Michael didn't respond. Thanks to that, I've got time to observe Michael's sleeping face in detail.

Indeed, it was a beautiful sight that even the Imperial White Rose could seduce. His sleeping face was a perfect harmony of defenselessness and was emitting a fatal charm.

What particularly caught the eye were the deep eyebrows that went down below the black bangs.

It gave a strange feeling, like a satin drapery draped over a bed at night. That alone made me feel ashamed because I felt like I had seen Michael at night.

'Oh, no, what am I thinking right now?'

It was time to take some time for self-reflection.

'Huh? Michael?'

Suddenly, Michael's breathing became ragged. It was hyperventilation, enough to make his entire body shake, not just his chest.

A disturbing possibility occurred to my mind.

'Could it be a collision?'

It was a side effect that could occur when casting Mana Drain.

Although it is an extremely rare phenomenon, since Michael absorbed the mana of many people, the probability of this occurring would have increased.

“Michael!”

An anxious cry broke out. It was the moment I was about to grab Michael's shoulder.

Michael opened his eyes.

He, who was panting for breath, slowly focused his eyes on this person.

“Michael, are you okay?”

“Princess?”

Even though I heard the voice, I was not easily relieved.

I grabbed Michael's hand and checked his condition, forgetting to ask for his permission.

'It's not a mana clash.'

Only after confirming that there was nothing wrong did the tension ease. At that time, Michael's breathing was also in a relatively stable state.

“Whew, you weren't sick. You've improved."

I let out a long sigh of relief.

Now that the confirmation was over, there was no reason to continue holding Michael's hand. I tried to let go.

But then, Michael grabbed my hand as I tried to escape.

“Michael?”

Michael couldn't answer the mysterious call. He didn't seem to understand his behavior himself.

An awkward atmosphere flowed.

If things were as they were, it would have been normal for him to let go of my hand at this point, saying that he made a mistake while sleeping.

But Michael didn't do that.

Instead, he expressed his confusion and opened his mouth.

“Forgive my rudeness, my Princess. Please...  just stay like this for a moment.”

It was an unusual request.

I looked at Michael again with eyes filled with worry.

He looked so precarious now that I couldn't understand why I only discovered it now.

“Did you drain mana all night? I guess it’s because you slept so hard and uncomfortably. Go to my barracks and sleep.”

The usual Michael would have accepted the excuse.

But he was different now.

“I had a nightmare.”

"Nightmare?"

“It was a dream that I became a knight directly belonging to another royal family, not you.”

I was speechless for a moment and then I laughed bitterly.

“Hmm, that would be a nightmare for me too.”

"Is it."

Michael continued speaking with a much more relaxed expression on his face.

“The opposing royal family was someone who would rather die than become a direct knight.”

“Could it be Rosie?”

“You’re right. As expected, you're my Princess.”

I felt a strange feeling. I looked around for a moment and then asked.

“What kind of dream was it...?”

It was a question like opening Pandora's box.

“We were drinking tea together in the garden, and you kicked me out, saying I was uncomfortable. Then I went out into the garden and the 8th Princess was waiting for me with a venomous look on her face. Horribly, in my dream, I was the direct knight of the 8th Princess.”

It was a dream very similar to a memory from my past life.

I was so shocked that I shook my shoulders.

'Oh, I asked for nothing!'

It's too late to regret it. At that time, Michael did something that was out of character for him.

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