Episode 161. Holding onto the Deep Crimson End of Time
Meanwhile, the King's personal doctor gasped for breath as if he were dying while watching the world flash by.
A wild soldier who appeared suddenly rudely forced him onto a horse and galloped down the road.
As the doctor screamed that he was about to die at this rate, the soldier roughly pressed down on the back of his neck and whispered ominously in his ear.
“If you’re late, you might really die, so please keep your mouth shut.”
Moreover, that wasn't the end of it. As soon as the rude soldier dismounted, he was put on a ship. After crossing a sea where dark monster corpses were floating, the place they arrived at was, surprisingly, a warship.
“Tell me now! Is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince injured, or is His Royal Highness the Prince injured?!”
As the doctor, being pushed up the stairs of the warship, asked in protest, Meson, who was pushing him from behind, sighed and said
"You will need to treat Her Highness."
At that, the doctor's face hardened.
Eventually, as they entered the hallway where the faint smell of blood wafted, the doctor stopped, turned around, and shouted at Meson.
“This is against the rules of the palace!”
Meson let out a sigh in front of the doctor with a stubborn expression. He glared at the doctor with eyes dripping with irritation and pushed his shoulder with his hand.
"We don't have time for this, so let's walk quickly."
“Let go of me! I can’t heal the Her Highness!!”
His booming voice echoed faintly in the hallway.
The eyes of the special task force members waiting in the hallway turned simultaneously toward a certain door. This was because the man had recklessly provoked a beast that was already highly agitated.
Sure enough. Just as they heard the sound of footsteps that sounded almost like running,
Bang!
With a deafening roar, the door opened, and Noah appeared.
The doctor turned his head with a creaking sound, his lips trembling at the sound of eerie footsteps approaching him.
"What?"
As he turned his head, a handsome face was thrust forward.
“Eek!”
Constricted pupils, a chill devoid of even a shred of human emotion.
The doctor felt as if he had come face to face with a heartless beast or a demon bearing sharp fangs, and his legs gave way.
Then, Meson, who was behind him, kindly grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, lifted him up, and pushed him toward Noah.
Noah looked down at the doctor with blazing eyes and spoke.
"Why?"
A doctor who strictly observes the rules of the royal court.
How hard did I work to earn that glorious title?
The doctor barely managed to protest, suppressing his fear of death.
“...I must uphold the rules of the palace. To heal Her Highness? I cannot do it.”
At those words, Noah felt something inside him crumbling.
At the same time, he felt it acutely.
Even though they lived under the same sky, the worlds he and Olivia lived in were completely different.
Arguing with this stubborn fool is just a waste of precious time. Noah ran his hand down his face. Olivia's blood smeared on his face from that touch. That drove Noah mad.
"That damn palace protocol."
'Herod's royal women receive medical care from female doctors only within Herod's borders.'
Then, it would suffice if the place of treatment wasn't Herod, and if not him, wouldn't it be fine if she wasn't royalty?
Noah gave orders to the soldiers who had approached him.
“Send the warships. The destination is the common waters beyond Herod’s Sea.”
While the soldiers, realizing the gravity of the situation, moved quickly, Noah stared intently at the doctor and spoke.
“Do you want more? If you still won’t treat her, fine. I will relinquish my status.”
“...!”
The green eyes, which even hinted at madness at first glance, were burning for a single purpose.
“If I am no longer royalty, Olivia would not be royalty either, so will you treat her?”
Due to his intense determination, the doctor could no longer bring up the palace protocol.
Noah pushed him from behind, leaving him speechless.
After pushing him into a room reeking of blood, they dragged him before the pale, dying Olivia.
"Save her."
The command that settled upon the thick white hair was monotonous yet powerful.
At the same time, the sound of the warship's engines running violently was heard, and the ship began to move.
"Please."
The intimidating voice, which had felt nothing but hot-tempered until now, felt damp for some reason.
The doctor could not bring himself to look back at Noah and took a step toward the Princess. It was evident at a glance that she had lost a great deal of blood. Her face was so pale it appeared deep blue, and her breath was thin and long.
He insisted that he could not treat her, but seeing her in this state, he could not just leave. The doctor let out a sigh-like breath and quickly took off his coat. Then, he shouted at the military doctor.
"Disinfectant!"
Shortly after, as the warship was leaving the borders of Haroldington Bay, Olivia's surgery began under the supervision of the doctor.
The flow of the universe, or all changes, moves from order to disorder.
Involved in everything in the world, yet fairer than anything else, and at the same time the most heartless.
Noah could not let go of the time that had already passed.
Couldn't I have noticed just before the ship carrying Olivia surged—or perhaps a little sooner? If not that, should I have headed to the Magic Dome with Olivia? Should I have prevented her from going to the Magic Dome at all?
The time that enveloped him stretched out cruelly long. Every minute and second felt like an eternity.
As the deep red inside was rummaged through with a silver tool, something even crimson flowed down onto the white skin already stained with blood. The doctor pulled out a fairly long piece of metal with thin tweezers.
It would be easier to endure if it were he who was being torn apart, and if it were his blood that was flowing.
Noah checked Olivia's breathing again. Her faint breaths were very short, and the intervals between them were very long. Looking down at Olivia, Noah spoke incessantly to himself.
I'm sorry, I was wrong.
I was wrong, Liv.
However, Olivia had no answer.
He thought he had saved her.
A crumbling house, people's contempt.
Since she saved him from all those things, he thought it was only natural that she was by his side.
But it wasn't.
The reality was clearly revealed only after the shells of pride and dignity disappeared.
Noah's eyes trembled slightly and eventually rippled.
The one who was saved was not her, but him.
She was the one who pulled Noah Astrid, who was weary of not being able to find a foothold anywhere in the world, back into the world.
“Just hang in there a little longer. It’ll be over soon, Liv.”
Noah carefully wiped the blood from Olivia's forehead and whispered affectionately.
Ignoring the red, exposed flesh on the backs of his hands and back, Noah stayed by Olivia's side until her surgery was over.
It looked as if he absolutely could not endure it unless he did that, so no one could stop him.
The surgery was completed in the common waters, not Herod's territorial waters.
After finishing a long surgery that lasted several hours, the King's doctor glanced at the Prince, who looked as if he had crawled out of hell. It was surprising that Noah Astrid had stayed by his side throughout the entire operation, staring only at the Princess's face.
"There were a total of five fragments. Just in case, I examined every corner of the organ, but..."
"Can she live?"
“Fortunately, the fragments avoided vital organs, blood vessels, and bones...”
"Can she live?"
Noah ignored the long explanation and asked only consistent questions.
Having sustained a fatal injury to the abdomen, there was a high probability of permanent disability. If the uterus was damaged, she would be unable to have children, and if the bones were broken, she might never be able to get out of bed again; yet, he was asking only one thing.
Can she live?
The doctor looked at Noah with a strange look and nodded.
“Yes. However, I am concerned about the excessive amount of blood lost. The key is for her to regain consciousness as soon as possible.”
Only then did Noah close his weary eyes and slowly let out a long breath. The doctor hesitated for a moment and added
"Fortunately, I believe there will be no problem having a baby in the future."
Noah, who had been silent for quite a while, replied slowly.
“...That doesn’t matter at all.”
It would be a pity if Olivia wanted to have a child, but Noah himself was perfectly fine. They could just live together without children.
Noah politely greeted the wrinkled doctor.
"I apologize for my rudeness. Thank you."
"Ah..."
While the doctor was momentarily stunned by the unexpected polite greeting, Noah turned to look at Olivia.
"What should I do to help her regain consciousness?"
The doctor gazed blankly at the princess lying as if dead and continued speaking.
"Please just stay by her side."
Noah moved at his words. Sitting on a narrow chair with his bulky back hunched, he smoothed the hair stuck to Olivia's forehead. His back was a mess, too.
"Your Highness, you must also receive treatment."
"Don't worry about me."
His stubbornness was exactly like that of King Leonard's son. The doctor, who had been staring blankly at Noah's wounded back, took an ointment from his bag, placed it beside Noah, and quietly disappeared.
Ansen stood in the harbor where snowflakes were swirling.
It was a strange thing.
I was sure the Kraken appeared, so why is it so quiet?
He ultimately refused Noah's command and did not repair the Magic Dome, so why has there been no contact from the Herodian royal court?
Ansen rubbed his face roughly and glared at the dark sea when someone held something out.
“...?”
Ansen turned his head in annoyance, but froze the moment he saw the man handing him the item.
“...!!”
Noah Astrid stood there. His face, exquisite like the image of a god yet devoid of humanity, overflowed with a distinctive aura.
However, when he met those dark eyes, Ansen realized that he was not Noah.
Ansen lowered his head with a sour expression.
"I greet Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
Usher chuckled and shook the newspaper he had held out to him once again.
"Read it first. Then we'll talk."
Suppressing the creeping anxiety, Ansen accepted the newspaper that Usher handed him. He should have begged, yet he was acting so brazenly...
“...”
Sadly, the night of misfortune did not end.
Meanwhile, the King's personal doctor gasped for breath as if he were dying while watching the world flash by.
A wild soldier who appeared suddenly rudely forced him onto a horse and galloped down the road.
As the doctor screamed that he was about to die at this rate, the soldier roughly pressed down on the back of his neck and whispered ominously in his ear.
“If you’re late, you might really die, so please keep your mouth shut.”
Moreover, that wasn't the end of it. As soon as the rude soldier dismounted, he was put on a ship. After crossing a sea where dark monster corpses were floating, the place they arrived at was, surprisingly, a warship.
“Tell me now! Is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince injured, or is His Royal Highness the Prince injured?!”
As the doctor, being pushed up the stairs of the warship, asked in protest, Meson, who was pushing him from behind, sighed and said
"You will need to treat Her Highness."
At that, the doctor's face hardened.
Eventually, as they entered the hallway where the faint smell of blood wafted, the doctor stopped, turned around, and shouted at Meson.
“This is against the rules of the palace!”
Meson let out a sigh in front of the doctor with a stubborn expression. He glared at the doctor with eyes dripping with irritation and pushed his shoulder with his hand.
"We don't have time for this, so let's walk quickly."
“Let go of me! I can’t heal the Her Highness!!”
His booming voice echoed faintly in the hallway.
The eyes of the special task force members waiting in the hallway turned simultaneously toward a certain door. This was because the man had recklessly provoked a beast that was already highly agitated.
Sure enough. Just as they heard the sound of footsteps that sounded almost like running,
Bang!
With a deafening roar, the door opened, and Noah appeared.
Meson glanced at Noah, who was charging toward them like a furious lion from behind the doctor, and gave the doctor a subtle nod.
"What?"
As he turned his head, a handsome face was thrust forward.
“Eek!”
Constricted pupils, a chill devoid of even a shred of human emotion.
The doctor felt as if he had come face to face with a heartless beast or a demon bearing sharp fangs, and his legs gave way.
Then, Meson, who was behind him, kindly grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, lifted him up, and pushed him toward Noah.
Noah looked down at the doctor with blazing eyes and spoke.
"Why?"
“Ah, surely you know, Your Highness. It is a solemn palace protocol. A protocol that has been upheld in every crisis...”
“Then I guess I’ll just break it now."
How hard did I work to earn that glorious title?
The doctor barely managed to protest, suppressing his fear of death.
“...I must uphold the rules of the palace. To heal Her Highness? I cannot do it.”
At those words, Noah felt something inside him crumbling.
At the same time, he felt it acutely.
Even though they lived under the same sky, the worlds he and Olivia lived in were completely different.
Arguing with this stubborn fool is just a waste of precious time. Noah ran his hand down his face. Olivia's blood smeared on his face from that touch. That drove Noah mad.
"That damn palace protocol."
'Herod's royal women receive medical care from female doctors only within Herod's borders.'
Then, it would suffice if the place of treatment wasn't Herod, and if not him, wouldn't it be fine if she wasn't royalty?
Noah gave orders to the soldiers who had approached him.
“Send the warships. The destination is the common waters beyond Herod’s Sea.”
While the soldiers, realizing the gravity of the situation, moved quickly, Noah stared intently at the doctor and spoke.
“Do you want more? If you still won’t treat her, fine. I will relinquish my status.”
“...!”
The green eyes, which even hinted at madness at first glance, were burning for a single purpose.
“If I am no longer royalty, Olivia would not be royalty either, so will you treat her?”
Due to his intense determination, the doctor could no longer bring up the palace protocol.
Noah pushed him from behind, leaving him speechless.
After pushing him into a room reeking of blood, they dragged him before the pale, dying Olivia.
"Save her."
The command that settled upon the thick white hair was monotonous yet powerful.
At the same time, the sound of the warship's engines running violently was heard, and the ship began to move.
"Please."
The intimidating voice, which had felt nothing but hot-tempered until now, felt damp for some reason.
The doctor could not bring himself to look back at Noah and took a step toward the Princess. It was evident at a glance that she had lost a great deal of blood. Her face was so pale it appeared deep blue, and her breath was thin and long.
He insisted that he could not treat her, but seeing her in this state, he could not just leave. The doctor let out a sigh-like breath and quickly took off his coat. Then, he shouted at the military doctor.
"Disinfectant!"
Shortly after, as the warship was leaving the borders of Haroldington Bay, Olivia's surgery began under the supervision of the doctor.
The flow of the universe, or all changes, moves from order to disorder.
Involved in everything in the world, yet fairer than anything else, and at the same time the most heartless.
Noah could not let go of the time that had already passed.
Couldn't I have noticed just before the ship carrying Olivia surged—or perhaps a little sooner? If not that, should I have headed to the Magic Dome with Olivia? Should I have prevented her from going to the Magic Dome at all?
The time that enveloped him stretched out cruelly long. Every minute and second felt like an eternity.
As the deep red inside was rummaged through with a silver tool, something even crimson flowed down onto the white skin already stained with blood. The doctor pulled out a fairly long piece of metal with thin tweezers.
It would be easier to endure if it were he who was being torn apart, and if it were his blood that was flowing.
Noah checked Olivia's breathing again. Her faint breaths were very short, and the intervals between them were very long. Looking down at Olivia, Noah spoke incessantly to himself.
I'm sorry, I was wrong.
I was wrong, Liv.
However, Olivia had no answer.
He thought he had saved her.
A crumbling house, people's contempt.
Since she saved him from all those things, he thought it was only natural that she was by his side.
But it wasn't.
The reality was clearly revealed only after the shells of pride and dignity disappeared.
Noah's eyes trembled slightly and eventually rippled.
The one who was saved was not her, but him.
She was the one who pulled Noah Astrid, who was weary of not being able to find a foothold anywhere in the world, back into the world.
“Just hang in there a little longer. It’ll be over soon, Liv.”
Noah carefully wiped the blood from Olivia's forehead and whispered affectionately.
Ignoring the red, exposed flesh on the backs of his hands and back, Noah stayed by Olivia's side until her surgery was over.
It looked as if he absolutely could not endure it unless he did that, so no one could stop him.
The surgery was completed in the common waters, not Herod's territorial waters.
After finishing a long surgery that lasted several hours, the King's doctor glanced at the Prince, who looked as if he had crawled out of hell. It was surprising that Noah Astrid had stayed by his side throughout the entire operation, staring only at the Princess's face.
"There were a total of five fragments. Just in case, I examined every corner of the organ, but..."
"Can she live?"
“Fortunately, the fragments avoided vital organs, blood vessels, and bones...”
"Can she live?"
Noah ignored the long explanation and asked only consistent questions.
Having sustained a fatal injury to the abdomen, there was a high probability of permanent disability. If the uterus was damaged, she would be unable to have children, and if the bones were broken, she might never be able to get out of bed again; yet, he was asking only one thing.
Can she live?
The doctor looked at Noah with a strange look and nodded.
“Yes. However, I am concerned about the excessive amount of blood lost. The key is for her to regain consciousness as soon as possible.”
Only then did Noah close his weary eyes and slowly let out a long breath. The doctor hesitated for a moment and added
"Fortunately, I believe there will be no problem having a baby in the future."
Noah, who had been silent for quite a while, replied slowly.
“...That doesn’t matter at all.”
It would be a pity if Olivia wanted to have a child, but Noah himself was perfectly fine. They could just live together without children.
Noah politely greeted the wrinkled doctor.
"I apologize for my rudeness. Thank you."
"Ah..."
While the doctor was momentarily stunned by the unexpected polite greeting, Noah turned to look at Olivia.
"What should I do to help her regain consciousness?"
“Well, I suppose this is when I truly realize that life is, after all, a path one must walk alone. There is no other way but for Her Highness to find a way out on her own. As for Your Highness…”
"Please just stay by her side."
Noah moved at his words. Sitting on a narrow chair with his bulky back hunched, he smoothed the hair stuck to Olivia's forehead. His back was a mess, too.
"Your Highness, you must also receive treatment."
"Don't worry about me."
His stubbornness was exactly like that of King Leonard's son. The doctor, who had been staring blankly at Noah's wounded back, took an ointment from his bag, placed it beside Noah, and quietly disappeared.
***
Ansen stood in the harbor where snowflakes were swirling.
It was a strange thing.
I was sure the Kraken appeared, so why is it so quiet?
He ultimately refused Noah's command and did not repair the Magic Dome, so why has there been no contact from the Herodian royal court?
Ansen rubbed his face roughly and glared at the dark sea when someone held something out.
“...?”
Ansen turned his head in annoyance, but froze the moment he saw the man handing him the item.
“...!!”
Noah Astrid stood there. His face, exquisite like the image of a god yet devoid of humanity, overflowed with a distinctive aura.
However, when he met those dark eyes, Ansen realized that he was not Noah.
Ansen lowered his head with a sour expression.
"I greet Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
Usher chuckled and shook the newspaper he had held out to him once again.
"Read it first. Then we'll talk."
Suppressing the creeping anxiety, Ansen accepted the newspaper that Usher handed him. He should have begged, yet he was acting so brazenly...
“...”
Sadly, the night of misfortune did not end.
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