I Helped The Imprisoned Male Lead And He Became Obsessed - Chapter 84

The meaning of his words hit me like a bolt of lightning, and my ears burned furiously.

If I hadn’t been so hesitant last night… would he really have gone all the way?

The memory of his brief but unmistakable touch came rushing back—firm and unyielding. My thoughts stuttered for just a moment before my face flushed hotter than ever.

What am I even thinking right now?!

Emilian’s laugh brought me back to the present.

“Did you just have an amusing thought?” he teased.

“N-No! Nothing like that…” I stammered, trying to sound calm, but the betrayal of my shaky voice gave me away.

This is all his fault, saying such ridiculous things!

Trying to cool the heat on my face, I pulled away the stethoscope and cleared my throat, feigning composure.

“Well… your magical energy flow is completely stable,” I announced.

When physical symptoms couldn’t be diagnosed, listening to the patient’s account of their pain was crucial. But after everything he’d just said, I didn’t have the courage to ask him where he hurt again.

Thankfully, Emilian decided not to push further. He leaned his elbow on the table, resting his chin in his hand with an air of languid ease.

“The pain? Half-joking. But I am a bit tired,” he admitted.

Tilting his head slightly, the delicate shadows cast around his eyes stood out, as though drawn with the stroke of a fine brush.

Now that I think about it, he only came to see me after sundown yesterday.

What had kept him so busy during the day?

Managing the Bernstein duchy was one thing, but on top of that, his duties as a transcendent, protecting the empire… I could only imagine how much responsibility rested on his shoulders.

He was a war hero, but behind that illustrious title, there must have been struggles no one could see. The thought left a faint bitterness in my heart.

I found myself staring at his composed yet weary face before opening the medical kit.

Pulling out an alcohol swab and a syringe filled with a nutrient solution, I addressed him.

“Emil, roll up your sleeve.”

“What are you going to do?” he asked, already complying.

As he rolled up his sleeve, the well-defined muscles of his arm came into view.

“I’m giving you a vitamin shot. It should help with the fatigue,” I explained.

I placed my hand on his arm, searching for a vein, pressing gently against the firm muscles. Once I found the spot, I swabbed it with alcohol and carefully administered the injection.

Emilian watched the syringe empty as the solution traveled into his vein.

“At first, I hated it when you pitied me,” he said softly, breaking the silence.

I glanced up at him as he lifted his gaze to meet mine. His crimson eyes held a trace of vulnerability beneath their usual intensity.

“So this is how it turned out,” Emilian said with a faint smile, lightly rubbing the spot where the needle had pierced his skin. The mark had already healed, disappearing as though it had never been there.

“It’s not so bad, having you care about me like this.”

His words made me pause. When I looked up, his gaze softened, and he smiled at me—a warm yet bittersweet curve to his lips.

“I won’t ask for your heart…” he added, his tone measured and calm, as though trying to keep the weight of his emotions hidden.

“…Just let me stay by your side.”

His nonchalant words shouldn’t have hurt, but they cut through me like a sharp blade.

Last night, we had shared a kiss, a moment of intimacy, even the warmth of each other’s bodies. But in the end, nothing had changed.

Our relationship remained tethered to the bond of surviving the transcendent research lab together—a connection that was special, but not enough to make us each other’s most important person.

Not as long as I couldn’t accept his feelings.

I bit my lip hard. He only asked to stay near me. How could I bring myself to tell him to return to the imperial palace?

Focusing on the task at hand, I recorded his condition in the medical log and said, “This vitamin shot will only provide temporary relief. Don’t overexert yourself and make sure to rest.”

I kept my tone steady, masking my turmoil. Fortunately, Emilian didn’t push further.

Resting his chin on the table again, he smiled, his long lashes casting shadows over his eyes. “Of course. I’ll do my best to follow the doctor’s orders.”

“‘Do your best’? Are you even taking this seriously?” I retorted, raising an eyebrow.

“I always take your words seriously,” he replied, his gaze soft and full of feigned innocence.

I nearly laughed. This was the same man who had ignored my parting note, explicitly asking him not to follow me, only to show up here uninvited.

“Really? You always listen to me?”

A small chuckle escaped me despite myself. His expression mirrored mine, his lips curving into a faint smile.

After noting his stable magical energy levels in the logbook, I replaced the pen in its inkpot and asked, “Are you busy again today?”

Like yesterday, he was dressed in his uniform. If he wasn’t working, there’d be no reason for him to wear it.

“Yeah. I’ll probably be busy for a while,” he said.

“What kind of work has you running around so much?”

“Hunting down a rogue transcendent,” he replied nonchalantly.

“…!”

The answer was entirely unexpected.

It was common knowledge that during the Seven Years’ War, Emilian had captured Dietrich, the transcendent of the Kingdom of Malta, as a prisoner of war. In the original timeline, Dietrich had sworn fealty to the emperor, becoming the empire’s second transcendent under a binding magical contract.

But now? How?

“Dietrich escaped? But wasn’t he under tight surveillance? How could that happen?”

“He had help,” Emilian said, his tone sharp.

“Help? Who would—?”

His next words left me stunned, my breath catching in disbelief.

“Serena. She’s the one who helped Dietrich escape.”

***

“Dietrich escaped? Well, isn’t this a sign that the heavens are favoring Your Excellency?”

The man gazing beyond the thick reinforced glass of the laboratory spoke. His face, framed by a monocle, resembled a grotesquely melted candle, with his flesh sagging unnaturally.

When Emilian awakened as a transcendent and burned the research facility to the ground, the director barely managed to escape with his life. He owed his survival to the man standing beside him, observing the scene in the lab with a cold, unyielding gaze.

“It’s good news that Dietrich won’t bolster the emperor’s forces. However, if V-0 cannot surpass the transcendent Emilian, it’s just an incomplete puzzle with a missing piece.”

Duke Varez dismissed any hint of optimism as he looked down at the pristine, square, white room.

Inside, a child with long silver hair stood in the empty space. Before her loomed a monstrous beast, its enormous maw bared, saliva dripping from its jagged teeth. Yet the child, her expression devoid of any emotion, stared blankly at the creature.

The director wiped the dust off his monocle. His sharpened vision revealed his masterpiece.

“Rest assured, V-0 is a transcendent built from the experimental data of that Emilian. With improved techniques applied this time, you can expect far superior results.”

The explosion had destroyed all the experimental data. However, the data stored in the director’s mind remained intact. For the past seven years, he had poured his efforts into his research, ultimately succeeding in creating a transcendent.

Though V-0 had initially struggled to control its magical energy and was unsuitable for deployment, the situation was now different.

Despite the director’s confident demeanor, Duke Varez replied in an even, unyielding tone.

“Anyone can boast with words.”

“Ah, quite true, Your Grace. Allow me to show you the results immediately.”

The director manipulated the controls, releasing the restraints on the monstrous beast. Then he picked up a communication-type magical device linked to the laboratory. Speaking into it, his voice resonated through the massive square chamber.

“V-0, prove your worth to His Grace.”

The girl lifted her head. Her inorganic eyes betrayed no trace of emotion.

Then, in the next instant, she moved.

The girl dashed forward in a blur, closing the gap with the beast in the blink of an eye. A blade of magical energy shimmered in her hand. Without hesitation, she leaped onto the beast’s back and drove the blade deep into its hide.

Kraaaaah!

The beast’s roar reverberated, piercing the air like a physical force. It thrashed violently in an attempt to dislodge the girl. The recoil sent her small frame hurtling into the wall.

Yet her body showed no sign of injury. Reinforced with magic, her physique was as resilient as the beast’s armored hide. Using the wall as a springboard, she launched herself at the creature once more.

At that moment, a blazing orb began to form within the monster’s gaping maw. The beast opened wide and unleashed a fiery projectile aimed straight at the girl.

‘!’

The massive fireball engulfed the silver-haired girl as she charged unwaveringly toward the beast.

The monster, long confined and starved in the laboratory, roared in pent-up fury.

Grrr!

The beast roared, turning its fury toward Duke Varez and the director, who had been observing the battle from outside the laboratory.

With a deafening crash, the beast slammed its massive forepaw against the reinforced glass.

Crack!

A sharp sound rang out as fractures spiderwebbed across the glass. However, the gray eyes of Duke Varez, who stood just behind it, showed not a hint of disturbance.

The beast raised its paw again, aiming to shatter the cracked barrier completely.

At that moment, the silver-haired girl darted in like a flash of lightning, severing the beast’s forepaw with a precise, blinding strike. Blood and torn flesh sprayed through the air, and the beast’s agonized howl seemed to rip through the eardrums of everyone present.

Kraaaaah!

What followed was a one-sided massacre. The girl moved like a machine, devoid of emotion, systematically reducing the beast to pieces.

The once-pristine white space became a chaotic scene of scattered bones and shredded flesh.

Thud.

Finally, with a thunderous crash, the massive body of the beast collapsed.

The silver-haired girl, now drenched in blood, landed lightly atop the defeated creature. Her chest rose and fell ever so slightly, as though she were catching her breath.

Into the heavy silence that followed, a slow clap echoed.

For the first time, Duke Varez’s previously stoic expression broke into a smile.

“Impressive. Truly a result worthy of your confidence,” he said.

“You flatter me, Your Grace,” the director replied, bowing his head deeply.

“But her magical control still seems imperfect.”

“Your observation is astute, Your Grace. However, she will master it fully with just a little more time.”

“And that will mark the day of our advance,” said Duke Varez. His gaze, now burning with an unfamiliar fervor, seemed to envision a future long sought after.

The time to fulfill his long-cherished wish was drawing near.