TVDWL - Chapter 213 < The Pain of Heartbreak >

"Karina!"

Mikhail ran to Karina, who was lying in the Ice cave. However, Karina did not respond to his call. Her face was pale and unconscious. Startled, he quickly placed his hand on Karina's carotid artery to check for a pulse.

"Phew."

Fortunately, her pulse was still beating well. She was still warm, and her breathing was steady. Her clothes were covered in blood, but she didn't seem to be hurt. However, there were traces of black magic on Karina's body.

'No way. Is the reason she's here because of the warlock?'

The dragon power that he felt from Karina also felt greatly weakened and unstable.

'Did you bring her here to extract the dragon's power and kill her?'

Mikhail's stomach began to boil with rage. He was once again burning with hostility toward the warlock. But...

'I have to take her out first.'

The first priority was to move her to a place where she could receive comfortable treatment.

'That's the closest and safest place from here, after all.'

Mikhail carefully picked up Karina. Then he felt warmth. He cast a teleportation spell, feeling grateful for the warmth. 

Karina had a dream. At first, she thought she had entered consciousness again like last time.

'Didn't I see all the memories before the regression?"

Time would have been turned back right after Jeremiah made the contract with the dragon.

'I think that was the last time I saw you?'

But this time, it felt a little different. It was a subtle difference, but she could tell. As if her feeling was not wrong, a completely unexpected sight unfolded before her eyes. The Imperial Palace in the Imperial Capital is now desolate and ruined. Inside, Jeremiah was aiming his sword at the fallen Emperor.

"Tell me. Where is the dragon's heart?"

The Emperor was lying at Jeremiah's feet, panting heavily. His face was red and blue with anger.

'In the past, the Emperor clearly died at the hands of the Saintess. Then what on earth am I seeing now?'

Karina, who had been wondering, suddenly realized something.

'Could this be... the future?"

She couldn't believe it, but a strong conviction spread through her as if someone had answered yes.

"I lost."

The Emperor raised both hands and surrendered, expressing his unwillingness to fight any longer. It seemed as if Jeremiah had dealt with and subdued all the guards and monsters who had been turned into killing machines by black magic. The Emperor asked him to stand in front of the mirror, saying that he would tell him where the dragon's heart was. Jeremiah reluctantly grabbed the Emperor by the collar and dragged him to the mirror. For some reason, he didn't feel good.

"Jeremiah!"

She hurriedly called Jeremiah's name, thinking that she had to stop him, but just like in her consciousness, her voice did not reach him. At that moment, a black shadow shimmered in the mirror reflecting the Emperor and Jeremiah, and soon transformed into dozens of sharp needles. 

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!! 

Black thorn-like needles emerged from all directions, not just from the mirror, and shot at Jeremiah and the Emperor at the same time. Every part of his body was pierced messily.

"Jeremiah!! No!!!"

Karina's eyes shot open. She was breathing heavily. It was a terrible nightmare.

"Karina. Are you okay?"

When she woke up, she saw Mikhail with a worried look on his face.

“Ah.”

Looking around, she realized it was the room she had used when she was in the Northern Grand Duchess' mansion.

'Why am I here? I was definitely in the ice cave with Jeremiah before I fell asleep.'

Karina blinked a few times and searched her memories before quickly asking.

"What happened? How long was I asleep?"

"You woke up after two days."

"Two days?"

She can't believe she slept that long. It was more time than she thought.

"What about Jeremiah?"

"..."

Mikhail stared at her blankly for a moment before answering.

"When I found Karina in the ice cave, there was no one else there but Karina."

"No one was there?"

Karina was lost in deep thought. If no one had been there, would Jeremiah have already gone to the capital to find the dragon's heart? 

Her heart thumped with anxiety and worry as the scenes she had just seen in her dream came to mind.

"I was worried because you didn't wake up."

Mikhail spoke in a gentle voice. His voice was soft, but somehow there seemed to be a hint of complaint in it.

"You kept looking for the Grand Duke, saying, 'Jeremiah, Jeremiah."

"Huh? Me... me?"

"Yes. I was so jealous when I heard how desperately you called him."

"Ah..."

Karina was embarrassed and couldn't find the words to say, so she kept her mouth shut. Her face turned slightly red as she turned her head away to avoid eye contact.

A bitter smile appeared on Mikhail's face when he saw that. However, he immediately pretended as if nothing had happened and continued to speak.

"Were you with the Grand Duke in the Ice Cave?"

"Yeah, that's right. I was captured by a warlock, but he saved me."

"I see."

Mikhail asked in a casual tone, his fists clenched but not showing it.

"Are you worried about the Grand Duke?"

"..."

Karina hesitated without denying.

"You're right to be worried. Oh, that's too bad. I brought Lady Karina out of the ice cave and cared for you with great anxiety until you woke up."

"Ah. That's... Thank you."

Karina was embarrassed and thanked him, but Mikhail was a little more mischievous.

"But Karina, as soon as you wake up, you only look for the Grand Duke. Is this the pain of heartbreak? It's heartbreaking. You're such a cruel person, calling out the name of the person who left without even thinking about the feelings of the person who nursed you. How cruel."

Mikhail put his hand on my chest with a sad face.

"No, don't tease me."

Karina stuttered her face red from embarrassment. Then, Mikhail suddenly stuck his head out in front of Karina.

"...!"

Karina was startled by the close proximity of their lips almost touching. But, knock. Instead of lips, Mikhail's forehead lightly touched her forehead.

"If you're worried about the Grand Duke, you can go see him. I'll do whatever you want, Lady Karina."

He smiled kindly at Karina. Karina felt grateful for Mikhail's consideration.

"I want to go to the capital."

Mikhail nodded in understanding at her words.

"But there's something I have to do before that."

Karina made up her mind as the uneasy feeling kept coming back to her. In the past, it was Lucia who had driven out the ominous power and killed the Emperor who had conspired with the warlock.

This time, she felt that the Saintess's divine power would be of great help. She had a premonition that if she was there, they would be able to kill them for sure.

"I have to save the Saintess."

Before leaving, Karina used her magic Image sphere to contact Selena and her group first. She briefly explained what had happened to them, who must have been confused by her sudden disappearance, and told them that she was safe.

"That's really fortunate. You've had a hard time."

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you properly."

After Karina disappeared, Hasten searched for her but found no trace of her, so he returned to the north and showed an embarrassed expression.

"I'm fine, I'm okay."

If Hasten had been there to stop the warlock, there would have been unnecessary sacrifices. Karina thought it would have been better if he had not been there.

"So, are you planning to go back to the capital?"

"No. Now I'm going to go save the Saintess."

"Yes? A Saintess?"

Selena looked slightly surprised at Karina's unexpected words. But...

"Yes, we'll join too."

They followed her wishes without a second thought. They spread out a map on the table beyond the screen and began to plan how to escape Lucia.

"The Saintess is currently imprisoned in the Bahican dungeon."

"Are you talking about the Bahican prison, which is notorious for its harsh treatment?"

"You're right."

The Bahican Prison was so famous that no one in the empire didn't know about it. One side of the land where the prison was located was adjacent to the sea, and the other side was adjacent to the cursed forest where monsters were rampant, so it was considered impossible to escape. Karina had also heard that if a prisoner did not listen and rebelled, they would be thrown alive as food to the monsters.

"And the Saintess's public execution date has been brought forward to tomorrow."

"What? Tomorrow?"

Karina looked embarrassed. Time was running out.

"The area around Bahican Prison is surrounded by a barrier, so you can't enter using movement magic."

Mikhail said with a serious face.

"Although surveillance is lax on the sea and forest of curses side, there are many checkpoints and strict security on the outskirts and main gate."

"There must be a way."

"If you want to break through head-on, you will have to be prepared for a fierce fight."

"..."

Even though the surroundings were controlled and surveillance was strict, there was bound to be a loophole somewhere. At that time, they were struggling to find a way.

"Huh? Are you coming here? It might be dangerous."

Aiden peeked out from beyond the screen.

"Aiden?"

Karina was glad to see Aiden again after such a long time. She was glad that he seemed to be doing well.

"Um, no. I was just wondering what you were talking about that took so long."

Aiden pretended not to notice, but he was clearly glad to hear that Karina was safe and was waiting for their conversation to end.

"Anyway. Are you going in here?"

Aiden looked down at the map, feeling awkward about the attention focused on him.

"It's not difficult to get in here."

"Huh? How do you know that?"

Karina asked in surprise.

"Before I came north, I lived around here begging for about a year."

Aiden continued speaking with an indifferent expression as if it were nothing.

"At that time, there were kids who went inside the prison to steal bread that was being distributed to the prisoners. Well, I was one of them."

"..."

"If it hadn't changed, I have some recollection of what the inside would have been like. Do you need it?"

"...Yeah. I really need it."

Everyone's expressions brightened at the words that sounded like good news.

"I will prepare as quickly as possible."

Karina nodded in satisfaction at Selena's words. After finishing the meeting, they gathered near the Bahican Prison as soon as they finished preparing. While monsters were running wild throughout the empire, the Bahican Prison was unharmed.

"I think the map of the prison that Aiden drew for me would be a great help."

"Let's go in."

As Aiden said, getting inside the prison wasn't that difficult. Finding where the Saintess was being held was also easier than expected. The deepest part of the underground was where the most vicious criminals were kept. Lucia was there.

"Your Highness? How is it here..."

The Saintess looked at Karina with a startled expression. Normally, when someone is locked up here and their execution date approaches, their condition should be very bad. However, Lucia's condition did not seem that bad, perhaps because she possessed divine powers that gave her healing powers. She looked healthy enough to have a proper conversation.

'I thought she'd have to be carried if she couldn't control her body properly. But at this level, I think she can run by herself without any problem.'

"There's no time. I'll explain on the way out."

Karina ran down the empty prison corridors with Lucia, explaining why she had come all the way here to rescue the Saintess. Lucia listened to Karina with a serious attitude, then answered with a determined face.

"I see. Thank you for your help. I will do my best to help you defeat the Emperor."

It was fortunate that the Saintess's attitude was favorable. Now the problem was escaping safely. Since magic could not be used inside the prison anyway, Mikhail decided to keep watch outside. Hasten, who had come in with them, split up and went in the opposite direction to find Lucia. They decided to prioritize escaping unconditionally if anyone found the Saintess. Karina and Lucia stopped for a moment at a bend in the hallway and looked around. They looked around while catching their breath, and the security was lax, perhaps because they were on the side of the Cursed Forest where monsters were swarming. After confirming that no one was there, they were about to move again, but Lucia cautiously spoke up.

"Your Highness, I'm sorry."

"Yes?"

Karina looked back at the Saintess with a puzzled expression at the sudden apology. Then the Saintess smiled awkwardly.

"No matter how much I said it was to follow God's will, in the end, it was because of me that you divorced His Highness the Grand Duke against your will."

Karina couldn't find the right words to respond. She was also extremely embarrassed, as she had never expected to hear such an apology from Lucia.

"People who don't even know you well are pointing fingers at you and calling you a villain, but that's wrong. Even though you went through all that because of me, you came to save me for the sake of the empire. The Grand Duchess is absolutely not a villain."

Lucia took one of Karina's hands and expressed her gratitude.

"Thank you for being with me on the mission God has entrusted to me."

Karina, who had been listening to the Saintess's whispered words, denied it.

"No. Not for the Empire. Not to carry out the will of God."

It wasn't for such a grand purpose. Karina pulled her hand away from Lucia and continued speaking with a calm expression.

"It's for me. Because I want him. It wasn't until after the divorce that I realized that Jeremiah truly loved me. And that I love him."

Even though it was a flat voice, it was full of power as if it was loaded with weight.

"Of course, the main reason for the divorce was indeed because of you, a Saintess, but I don't have any great regrets about that."

Lucia listened to Karina's words, seemed lost in thought for a moment, and then smiled gently.

"I'm glad you said that."

It felt like the awkwardness that had existed between the two since they first met had disappeared a little.

"We have to go now."

"Yes."

Karina took Lucia outside to find the hole Aiden had told her about. However.

"Ugh... Oh no. I think my leg is stuck."

Lucia let out a shocking statement while half-retracting her body. It wasn't impossible. Even though it was a hole, it was small enough for children to barely fit through. Karina had already passed through it once before, so she had gotten used to it and had no trouble getting out, but Lucia seemed surprised by the smaller size than she had expected.

"I'll pull, so don't bend your legs and just relax."

Karina grabbed Lucia's arms and pulled hard. But it wasn't easy to get Lucia out.

'What should I do? I have to go quickly.'

At that moment, footsteps were heard not far away.

"...!"

Clank. Clank. 

There was a sound of armor and blades clashing. The guards, swords strapped to their waists, were approaching them.

'If we get caught here, we're in big trouble.'

Karina's heart grew impatient.

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