I Helped The Imprisoned Male Lead And He Became Obsessed - Chapter 74

“Still the same monstrous bastard as ever,” Dietrich thought bitterly.

During the seven-year war, the allied nations of the Kingdom of Malta had fielded two transcendents, including Dietrich. Even with three transcendents working together, they couldn’t match Emilian.

The difference in strength was undeniable. In the final battle, the two other transcendents had been killed—hearts pierced by Emilian’s blade. Only Dietrich had managed to survive.

While all transcendents were called monsters, Emilian was on a completely different level.

To face him alone now was daunting, but Dietrich didn’t care. Serena hadn’t asked him to defeat Emilian, only to stall him for as long as possible.

If he could buy enough time, he’d retreat before things got too dangerous.

“But that won’t matter if I end up dead first!”

Dietrich lunged forward, thrusting his spear straight at Emilian’s throat with lightning speed.

Emilian deflected the strike by parrying upward with his sword. Dietrich leapt back, but Emilian was relentless, closing the distance with another flurry of attacks.

The clash of two transcendents shook the very air around them.

Though it was just a battle of sword and spear, the sheer force of their strikes caused shockwaves, ripping apart anything nearby. Street lamps shattered, and the ground bore deep gashes, as if clawed by a beast.

Emilian’s sword sliced through the air, aiming to end Dietrich. The latter swung his spear desperately, blocking the blow.

Dietrich’s feet skidded violently across the ground, the friction heating the earth beneath him. Hot breaths escaped through his clenched teeth as he struggled to keep up.

Their movements were so fast, no ordinary human could hope to follow them with their eyes.

The thunderous battle inevitably drew attention, and it wasn’t long before a third party arrived on the scene.

Court mages, dispatched to capture Dietrich, appeared.

“There he is! Seize the escaped transcendent!”

Spells of restraint flew toward Dietrich.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Damn pests.”

Dodging the incoming magic, he briefly lost focus. Emilian seized the opening and slashed downward with his blade.

Dietrich couldn’t avoid it in time. Blood spurted from his torso as the sword connected.

“Goddamn… that hurts,” he hissed, pressing a hand against his wound to stem the bleeding.

Dietrich realized he was running out of options. Battling Emilian was hard enough; dodging spells at the same time was impossible.

Had he stalled Emilian for Serena long enough? He couldn’t be sure.

“That’s it. I’ve done my part!”

Dietrich parried Emilian’s sword with a powerful swing of his spear and leapt high into the air.

The court mages fired restraint spells furiously, but he twisted and evaded them as he fled.

Emilian, however, did not give chase.

Dietrich’s parting words—“I’ve done my part”—nagged at him slightly.

But there was no time to dwell on it. Anise was his priority.

Checking the tracking artifact, Emilian noted the glowing thread of light was now dimmer than before.

Sensing that he was running out of time, he launched himself forward with a powerful leap, resuming his pursuit.

***

Buildings blurred past beneath Emilian as he soared through the air, cutting through the fierce wind. His gaze remained fixed on the glowing white thread extending from the tracking artifact.

The thread led him past the city’s bustling central district and toward a massive gate-like structure. Lowering his altitude, Emilian approached the arch-shaped stone gate. At its center hovered a colossal orb of magical energy, and beneath it, an intricate magic circle was etched into the ground.

It was a large-scale teleportation portal. The thread of light stretched beyond the portal, disappearing into its depths.

Examining the portal’s exit destination, Emilian confirmed it led to Laghtia. Anise had used the portal to travel there—it was undeniable.

Without wasting another moment, he prepared to follow her through.

However, the portal had closed just ten minutes ago.

The fight with Dietrich had cost him precious time, and he had missed the portal’s activation window. Large-scale teleportation portals consumed an enormous amount of mana stones, limiting their usage to only a few times per day.

The portal attendant explained that it would take five hours before the next activation. Emilian’s eyes darkened with frustration, their cold intensity enough to freeze the air around him.

The thread of light from the tracking artifact was growing fainter by the minute. If he delayed any further, he might lose Anise entirely.

Five hours?

His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, veins bulging with strain. Without hesitation, he seized the attendant by the collar and growled through gritted teeth,

“Charge me whatever it costs for those mana stones.”

“…!”

The attendant flinched, trembling like prey cornered by a predator. He had been following protocol, but the piercing gaze of the Empire’s sole transcendent and celebrated war hero made him feel that defiance would lead to swift and lethal consequences.

Stammering, the attendant choked out a reply,

“E-even if the mana stone issue is resolved, there’s still another problem. Long-range portals generate massive amounts of magical energy. Activating the portal consecutively risks overloading it, which could cause serious accidents. There have been incidents in the past—”

The portal needed time to cool before it could safely be used again. But to Emilian, safety was irrelevant.

“Activate it anyway.”

“Excuse me? Sir, if you push the portal now, you might get trapped in the rift between space and time!”

Death was a very real possibility. Yet Emilian’s resolve didn’t waver for even a moment.

Sweat dripped down the attendant’s back. Whatever was driving this man to take such extreme risks, it was beyond the attendant’s comprehension.

Ultimately, faced with Emilian’s unwavering pressure, the attendant reluctantly began preparations to activate the portal. Charging the vast mana core required for a long-range teleportation would take considerable time.

Two tense hours passed before the portal was fully powered.

As Emilian stepped onto the platform, the mana orb vibrated with a deep hum. A swirling vortex of unstable magical energy erupted at the portal’s center, its power palpable and chaotic.

Without hesitation, Emilian strode into the heart of the vortex.

Blinding light enveloped him entirely, consuming his figure as he vanished.

When Emilian opened his eyes again, he found himself in the bustling heart of a city. The sights and sounds of trade, hurried footsteps, and chattering voices filled his senses. Supplies were being loaded and unloaded, and throngs of people moved busily around him.

The rough portal activation had left him nauseous, as though his insides had been twisted into knots. But there was no time to recover.

The white thread of light from the tracking artifact was now so faint it seemed ready to vAniseh at any moment.

Gripping the artifact tightly, Emilian began to push through the crowd.

The dim light weaved its way through the mass of people filling the plaza, flickering like a dying bulb. Emilian’s sharp eyes locked onto it, unwilling to let it escape.

He pursued the light down a congested street lined with vendor stalls, brushing past pedestrians as he went. Emerging from the crowded avenue, he finally saw the faint glow settle on a single figure.

A petite woman with soft brown hair.

Her small frame, her familiar presence, and the curve of her back—they were unmistakable.

Emilian’s steady stride broke into a sprint.

Behind her, a faint halo of light shimmered briefly before fading entirely. Desperately, he reached out, his hand grasping for that vanishing glow.

And at last, his fingers brushed the light.

In that moment, Emilian’s eyes widened in shock.

***

“It’s a relief. The bridge repairs were finished earlier than scheduled,” Scarlett remarked, polishing her sword inside the rattling carriage.

About two hours ago, the carriage had departed from Laghtia, heading westward toward the Empire’s borders.

Due to several days of halted trade, the merchants had suffered significant losses and pressured the workers to speed up the repairs, even cutting into their rest time. Thanks to their efforts, we were able to leave Laghtia sooner than expected.

I leaned against the somewhat stiff backrest of the carriage, gazing out the window.

The city, which had been bustling with people just hours ago, had given way to open fields covered in heather.

A gust of strong wind swept across the land, making the tall grass tremble like delicate strings.

The wind had been growing stronger for some time now. I brushed back the strands of hair disheveled by the breeze and glanced upward.

The sky, which had been clear when we left Laghtia, was now overcast, as if painted with gray watercolor.

It seemed like rain could fall at any moment from the darkened heavens.

“……”

I found myself staring out the window for a long time, as if expecting someone to appear in pursuit.

I had worried that Emilian might come after me, but thankfully, that didn’t happen.

If he had tracked me down… If he had asked me to return to the palace… I might have foolishly faltered in my resolve.

I reached into my cloak and retrieved the necklace, holding it in my palm.

The necklace he had given me when I first joined the research institute swayed gently with the carriage’s motion.

I care for him deeply, but I can’t bear to see him in pain because of me.

Even if this decision is selfish, made without considering his feelings…

I have to believe this is the best choice for now.

As the carriage rocked back and forth, I silently whispered a farewell in my heart, one that could never reach him.

Goodbye, Emilian.