Chapter 194 - North Korean rabbit

Chapter 194

A sob welled up, emotions threatening to overflow. Hilia barely managed to suppress it and answer.

“I too……”

“Liar.”

For the first time, a resentful word escaped Arpad’s lips.

Hilia’s shoulders trembled faintly.

“You abandoned me and left. Someone like you couldn’t have missed me.”

The emotions she had barely held back finally burst forth.

Watching a few drops of clear liquid shimmer like pearls at the corners of Hilia’s eyes, Arpad forcefully suppressed his surging desire.

If he didn’t, it was obvious he would want to lick away all those tears, swallow her lips, and never let her go.

‘Now is not the time for that. Besides, I must consider Hilia’s physical condition.’

“Your Highness, please save the young lady! Our young lady is… now, she is currently with child!”

Fresh resentment and bitterness threatened to surge anew.

‘You abandoned me even though you had my child?’

But he couldn’t outright say that.

Partly because he was worried about Hilia’s condition, and partly because he didn’t want to risk being hated if he pushed further.

To be honest… he was truly afraid of being abandoned again.

It was a childish sentiment, but it was sincere.

Of course, if Hilia abandoned him and ran away again, he would chase her to the ends of the earth, no, even beyond the continent.

“Are you alright physically?”

“I’m alri……”

Having barely regained a bit of composure and facing Arpad directly, Hilia’s face turned pale.

“What’s wrong with your face?!”

Arpad’s face was gaunt and had a grayish pallor.

Without thinking, she reached out and touched his sunken cheek, which she hadn’t seen in barely a month.

“No, for such a handsome face to be damaged like this. This is a continental loss!”

To be so flustered over a little lost weight on his face after she had abandoned him and run away.

It was a bit absurd. And more than that… it made him happy. Arpad chuckled softly and replied.

“…It’s thanks to you.”

“…Huh?”

“After you left, I couldn’t eat or sleep. Even someone like me would inevitably have their face suffer.”

In truth, it wasn’t because of that; the aftereffects of recklessly wielding the dragon’s magical power to reach Beneta in a single night were greater.

But Arpad deliberately hid that.

Partly because he didn’t want Hilia to worry sincerely, and partly to play pitiful and weak.

He hoped that even if it was just a little out of pity or sympathy, she wouldn’t think of leaving him again.

Arpad’s mind was working busily, desperately trying to reduce any possibility of being abandoned by Hilia once more.

“…….”

Hilia was at a loss for what to say.

That was when it happened.

A bizarre, gurgling voice mixed with strange noises intruded, disturbing their private world.

“Gurgle, you lovebird couple… gurgle, please stop ignoring a person’s very existence, keck! ….”

Only then did Hilia and Arpad become aware of Gaspard’s presence.

Unlike Hilia, Arpad had been sufficiently wary of him.

It was just that he had left him alone because Gaspard was currently suffering due to the dragon dagger Hilia had stabbed him with.

The dagger was made from a dragon heart, and the moment Arpad saw its magical power, he could guess whose hand had touched it.

“Not dead yet. Tsk.”

Arpad clicked his tongue with a tone full of displeasure.

Gaspard, who had been contorting his body grotesquely in agony, finally spat the dagger out of his mouth.

“Cough!”

The dagger did not fall to the floor but landed in his hand.

Gaspard looked at Hilia with his peculiar eyes, genuinely impressed.

“Magnificent.”

Being defeated or struck by Arpad was something he had anticipated and guarded against.

“I never expected to receive such a blow from you……”

Gaspard readily admitted his mistake.

“It seems I underestimated you excessively. Calling you a powerless woman.”

But he hadn’t come away empty-handed.

Gaspard gazed at the dagger of Artanus with a look of ecstasy, as if licking it.

It was an almost sticky, lovestruck gaze.

“A magical artifact made entirely from such a powerful and high-purity dragon heart… It’s unbelievable. It’s several times more powerful than the dragon heart kept in the Empress’s custody.”

The words he uttered while running his fingertip along the blade were tinged with madness, beyond mere passion.

“Such a perfect magical formula. Beautiful… It would be impossible unless a dragon directly worked on it.”

The corners of Gaspard’s mouth rose as if they would tear.

“To gift me such an item. I should rather be grateful! Ahaha!”

To that, Hilia replied in a cold voice.

“Who said it was a gift for someone like you?”

At that moment.

The dagger held in Gaspard’s hand smoothly melted away.

Hilia had retrieved the dagger.

Artanus had enchanted the dagger to respond to Hilia’s will.

“Gasp! No!”

A rare, utterly genuine cry of dismay escaped Gaspard.

Despite his desperate efforts, he couldn’t gather the magical power that scattered and returned according to its owner’s will.

The red magical power flowed freely like water and returned to Hilia’s left hand.

“…….”

A brief, futile, and bitter silence swirled within the basement.

Gaspard was truly left with nothing but the chase.

Meanwhile, Arpad frowned as he watched the magical power that constituted the dagger enter Hilia’s left hand.

Though it was usually perfectly concealed and unknown, now that it revealed itself, it was impossible not to recognize.

‘It’s Artanus’s power.’

Having directly handled that immense magical power and authority, he could recognize it even more clearly now.

‘As I thought, that damned lizard definitely pulled some trick on Hilia after putting me to sleep then.’

He decided to postpone finding out about that, as now was not the time for such questions.

‘But to dare leave such a mark on Hilia’s body. And of all places… on her left hand.’

The only thing that should be on Hilia’s left hand was their wedding rings.

For the same reason, Arpad felt a somewhat satisfying feeling.

Despite manipulating reality and running away saying she would divorce him, the star of Stytillia still sparkled on the ring finger of Hilia’s left hand.

Their wedding ring.

But neither his displeasure nor his satisfaction could be fully indulged in at the moment.

Because Gaspard was staring openly and fixedly at Hilia.

It was an intensely unpleasant gaze.

Arpad hid Hilia behind his back.

And he pointed his sword at Gaspard.

Red aura bloomed like flames along the blade.

“Get lost. Then I’ll let you keep your life for now.”

“For now? That sounds like you won’t guarantee my safety later?”

Arpad said with a fierce smile.

“Well, of course. Even if you withdraw now, I’ll chase you to the end and sever your life.”

Gaspard also grinned back at him.

“I take it you know perfectly well that’s not a threat at all, nor is it a negotiation?”

“Only a fool wouldn’t know.”

The two men smiled at each other, exuding full murderous intent and madness.

Hilia was slightly bewildered.

‘No, why are they laughing so cheerfully?’

Both seemed a bit unhinged. And indeed they were.

Gaspard grinned and said.

“But from my side, I shall propose a proper transaction. If you give me what I want, I will let your wife leave safely and alive. Isn’t that what you desire?”

Gaspard’s greedy eyes gazed at Arpad as if licking him.

Realizing this, Hilia flared up anew.

“Don’t look at my husband with those eyes!”

“But there’s no help for it. The sample with the thickest dragon blood, excluding the dragon itself, has come into my grasp.”

“Who is in whose grasp?”

Arpad sent a sword aura flying not at Gaspard, but towards the tank containing the experimental specimen behind him.

Surprisingly, Gaspard then flung his body to block the front of the tank.

Just as Arpad had tried to protect Hilia moments before.

Arpad’s aura was blocked by Gaspard’s barrier and inflicted no damage on the tank or the specimen inside.

However, the difference between Gaspard and Arpad was that no anger was revealed.

There was no sense of crisis that something precious had almost been harmed.

It was natural. To Gaspard, both Hilia and Arpad before him were also precious experimental specimens and their materials.

Gaspard grinned and continued.

“It’s only natural you don’t trust my promises. Haven’t I been quite deceived by that couple’s tricks? Being such people yourselves, you probably can’t trust others’ promises either.”

Gaspard was stroking his own neck.

He was referring to how Arpad had promised to spare him, then severed his neck the moment his usefulness ended.

“While you deceived us by preparing five spare lives.”

“That’s what’s so fascinating. Not even those within the Magical Tower knew I had prepared spare bodies… How on earth did you find out?”

Eyes filled with curiosity and doubt once again turned towards Hilia standing behind Arpad.

“That’s not important now, so let’s set aside the suspicions for a moment.”

Gaspard shamelessly demanded.

“What I want are the possessors of dragon blood. The Crown Prince and the child in that woman’s womb. Those two are enough. The woman herself is unnecessary. So I can let her go.”

Arpad frowned.

“…Do you think I would believe the words of someone like you?”

“Well, of course you can’t. Just as I can’t trust you.”

Then Gaspard extended his hand.

“Instead, we can create a compulsory condition that forces us to trust each other.”

“What?”

“I have long researched the dragon’s language magic. Though not completely identical, I have partially implemented a similar level of speech magic.”

“…!”

The corners of Gaspard’s mouth curled up sharply.

It was the expression of someone brimming with confidence, offering a proposal the other party absolutely cannot refuse.

“Let’s make a contract using that speech. I will guarantee your wife’s safety with it. How about it? Is this still an untrustworthy proposal?”