Pick Me Up! - Chapter 254: What you can't have (1) (2)

Pria puffed out her cheeks.

“A lifelong contract. I want you to make a lifelong contract with me, Han.”

“A lifelong… what?”

Pria stepped closer to me.

And with utmost seriousness, she spoke.

“Stay by my side until the day I die. As the emperor, I’ll give you anything you desire. Mountains of gold, rivers of jewels, the highest titles, and vast lands.”

“That… that’s an abuse of power.”

“I told you I wanted to indulge in luxury, didn’t I? So, what will you do? Will you sign a lifelong contract with me? If you want, I’ll make any wish come true. That’s my resolve. That’s how I feel.”

I opened my mouth.

‘This girl…’

Does she even realize what she’s saying?

I stood up from my chair, hesitating.

“It’s a bit hard to answer that right now.”

“When the fighting is over, give me your answer. I’ll be waiting.”

Pria whispered in my ear.

“I’ll try my best not to disappoint you.”

“…”

“Ha, power really is a wonderful thing.”

Pria smiled sweetly and left the terrace humming a tune.

I stood there, dumbfounded.

“A lifelong contract?”

If I did that… I’d have to give up returning to Earth.

Although I couldn’t be sure of the exact process, if Townia resurrected, Pria would remain as emperor in that world. Her proposal was a request to support her reign once she took power.

‘Hah, unbelievable.’

I finally began to grasp the passage of time.

The little girl who used to sniffle had grown up enough to say something like that to me.

[Stage Clear!]

[‘Han (★★★★★)’, ‘Jenna (★★★★★)’, ‘Velkist (★★★★★)’, ‘Kishasha (★★★★★)’, ‘Katiio (★★★★★)’ leveled up!]

[‘Roderick (★★★★★)’, ‘Benik (★★★★★)’…]

[Rewards – 300,000G, Cursed Eye, Monster’s Heart…]

[MVP – ‘Han (★★★★★)’]

The stage clear message popped up, and light began to swirl around me.

I didn’t move from the terrace. I thought I could handle anything, but this situation had really caught me off guard.

Eventually, I returned to the waiting room.

In the square, combatants from the mission and the support staff who had come to greet them were all celebrating. It was a victory with very few casualties. Anytng had even set up tables filled with food, drinks, and party supplies for the heroes to enjoy their victory.

I sat at a table in the corner, raising a glass of wine.

Pria’s words kept echoing in my head.

‘Why didn’t I reject her?’

I scratched my head.

I hadn’t cut off Pria’s proposal immediately.

That hesitation meant I was conflicted inside.

“Well, I suppose it must be nice to be you.”

I turned my head at the voice.

Next to the buffet table, filled with various dishes, Jenna was holding a chicken skewer, muttering to herself.

“Aah, I wish I had someone too. A young, handsome noble who would make a lifelong contract with me…”

I reached out to Jenna.

Crackle! A dark red lightning bolt surged from my hand, and Jenna was pulled toward me as if she were being dragged.

“Ughyaa!”

Thud.

I grabbed Jenna’s cheeks with both hands.

“Were you listening?”

“No, I-I just happened to overhear by coincidence…”

I tightened my grip.

“My face! You’re squishing it!”

“Don’t speak carelessly.”

“I was just dreaming out loud…”

“Do you understand now?”

Jenna frantically nodded her head.

Once I let go, she rubbed her now reddened cheeks.

“Oww, that really hurt.”

“If word about this gets out, you know what’ll happen, right? A hundred consecutive sparring sessions with me.”

“…I’d rather die than do that.”

Jenna shook her head, her face turning pale.

“Good. Now go back to your seat.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

After Jenna scampered away, I took another sip from my glass.

With my left hand, I flipped through the pages of a book on the table.

[Book of Reversal]

This was a scene from the illustrated book.

The part where the main character, El Cid, forms a bond with Princess Relthea of a foreign land. Well, no one around here knew what the Book of Reversal was, so I could read it openly. To anyone else, it just looked like a thick book.

‘This guy was around the 60th floor too.’

The flow of the story was similar to mine.

After overcoming an obstacle, all the forces in Dorado united.

‘But why…’

Why did it end like that?

I could still picture the scene of El Cid spitting blood in front of me.

“….”

The reason El Cid died in front of me.

Was it to serve as a warning?

‘Is it that the difficulty will suddenly spike?’

No.

El Cid had completed every mission in the end.

Even if the missions became harder, it meant I could still overcome them with my own strength.

It was the same for the current situation in Townia.

Except for the capital, all regions of Townia had fallen under the princess’s banner. The civil war was essentially over, just waiting for the final conclusion. Pria had also awakened the dimensional sword, Lusrada, and obtained the means to face the Fragment Series.

‘The issue is…’

Dorado and Townia.

The specific circumstances differed, but the general outline was the same.

‘I’m not sure.’

I gulped down the rest of my drink.

Even though it was technically alcohol, it was so weak it might as well have been a soft drink.

I had a training session with Halkion scheduled for later, so I couldn’t drink too much.

It wouldn’t do to show up to training tipsy.

The El Cid situation would be handled well by Yurnet.

I’d heard the investigation was almost complete. The few remaining questions about El Cid would soon be answered.

I set my empty glass down on the table.

A familiar voice echoed in my ear.

I was just about to reach out to her.

“Yurnet?”

“Well, it just sort of worked out that way.”

“But?”

After a brief pause, Yurnet spoke again.

Yurnet’s tone was as cold as ever.

“She’s not exactly like that…”

Beep.

The connection was abruptly cut off.

“…”

I’m currently Translating the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!