I Captured the Enemy Who Tried to Kill Me - Chapter 14
I hadn’t seen how Guides in this world, which seemed like a mix of games and novels, calmed energy, but the basic process should be similar.
The source of power for Espers, or Awakened Ones here, is the heart.
When power flowing through blood vessels creates brilliant miracles, Awakened Ones who exert power beyond ordinary humans experience physical defects.
Burning pain, fever that feels like flesh and bones breaking and crushing, headaches that feel like brain vessels are about to burst, and many others.
And when they extract power to the limit and beyond, Awakened Ones lose their reason.
‘That’s when big trouble starts.’
They begin to wander like beasts, searching for their matching Guide who can calm that pain.
And I had never seen an Esper who, despite reaching such a dangerous state, didn’t destroy something or go berserk.
Looking at the disheveled person before me, so different from his usual appearance, I gave a bitter smile.
‘In that sense, you really are.’
Terrible.
The male protagonist who tormented himself every time had always been hateful, scary, and frightening, but right now, I pitied him.
Kaisis was quite an excellent emperor. He was arrogant but not negligent.
He wasn’t a tyrant who abandoned his duties to enjoy pleasure and luxury.
‘So I can’t ignore him completely.’
Not once had I seen such a disheveled appearance when facing him as Duke Ariel.
To my eyes as a Guide, it was always obvious that his power was piercing and hurting his body, yet that annoyingly handsome face had never once shown distress.
That’s why he was such a harsh person.
I had never seen an Esper without its match endure so well.
‘I couldn’t bear it if it were me.’
Perhaps that’s why, despite eating, sleeping, and living normally after death, I could vaguely and dramatically think this wasn’t reality but inside a novel.
Because he was so different from the Espers I had faced in South Korea, the real world.
He didn’t destroy his surroundings, didn’t vomit in disgust at my guiding, and didn’t seem like he would abandon me at a Gate.
I raised both hands and approached carefully.
The sculpture-like bare upper body of the man was somewhat burdensome, but I couldn’t just leave, could I?
“I’m here to help, so please don’t kill me. Don’t hurt me either.”
Since I didn’t need to speak in Duke Ariel’s stiff manner, I approached trembling in my original way of speaking.
Even if I looked pathetic, it couldn’t be helped.
I don’t know how dangerous it is when even an S-class reaches its limit.
There were cases where Guides who approached had their limbs grabbed and burst by Espers who had lost their reason.
But this person?
‘What do you mean SSS-class?’
That was a rank that should only exist in novels.
As I approached swallowing bloody tears, I really felt like my thighs would give out and I’d collapse.
How did I manage to approach him last time, hold his hand, pour in power, kiss, and even roll around?
Looking at Kaisis’s eyes up close, they were unlike usual, with his intelligence scattered.
‘Like this, even without the system’s effect, he wouldn’t recognize me.’
As confidence grew in my pea-sized liver, sympathy for him surged even more deeply.
‘He must have endured alone like this every time.’
The fact that there was no one around, and thinking back, even during the rampage risk, the knights were strangely far away.
Perhaps he had been losing his reason and digesting pain alone like this every night.
Maybe the knights believed in the emperor that way. That he would overcome and return as always.
“Um, Your Majesty. Can you hear me?”
“……”
“You don’t understand what I’m saying, right? I know. Your head must be foggy.”
Since he didn’t have a properly matching Guide, had he been swallowing fire and ice without even chewing every time?
“Uh, I’m that Indoja from that night. If you allow me to touch you, I can help you.”
But as if whipping my leisurely and cautious self, the status window flashed red.
[Rampage risk is rising!]
Ah, I know. I know.
But I should explain humanely. What if he remembers?
[Rampage risk is rising!]
[Rampage risk is rising!]
[Guide the emperor to calm him. Rampage risk increasing!]
Ah, really! I said I know!
Unconsciously shouting inside, I hurriedly reached out my hand.
Just like that time, I firmly gripped the man’s forearm, which was stiff as if about to burst.
And immediately, a dizzying sensation spread.
‘Ah!’
Vertigo hit me.
Being devoured.
No, I was clearly being devoured.
A flood of rough power struck me.
‘Ugh! This is too strong!’
Just from skin contact, the fierce energy that had been tearing the surroundings penetrated me.
“Wait, wait!”
At the same time, the Esper’s energy circling my entire body roughly took something away from within me.
Determined to capture every last bit of energy, it roughly scraped away.
It was greedily sucking and pulling at the overflowing guiding energy with obvious delight.
I was shaken randomly.
I felt like I would become a dried squid at this rate.
‘Aaack!’
For a moment, my legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the bed where the emperor was lying.
Even then, I couldn’t come to my senses.
My whole body trembled.
“Please, the speed, a bit.”
I had only grabbed his forearm through clothes, but how hungry must he be to react like this?
It was different from the energy that moved according to my guiding instructions when someone had taken medicine and completely lost their reason.
It was thirsty and rough.
Even I, who was confident in making Espers’ energy flow, was helplessly tossed around.
“Huh! W-wait. I’m not going to run away!”
“No, don’t.”
What do you mean, don’t!
I desperately shouted, forgetting that the emperor was not in a state to understand words properly.
“No, I think I’m going to collapse at this rate!”
I waved my hand and pushed against his chest. It didn’t move. Even when I desperately squeezed and pushed the hard muscles, he didn’t budge.
Instead, it came back as oppression.
He grabbed my hand that was holding his arm, thinking I was trying to break free.
“You.”
And the distance suddenly closed.
My body, which had been sprawled beside Kaisis, was lightly lifted and placed on top of him.
Ack! A scream burst inside me.
‘No matter what, this position is too close!’
Even as I struggled to back away, his face was right in front of mine.
“Th-that, I mean.”
“You, are.”
“Do you… recognize me by any chance?”
You shouldn’t recognize me. Absolutely not.
My spilled hair blocked the moonlight for a moment before letting it through.
It was also the first time seeing his eyes looking so hazily relaxed.
I knew that clear ice with a blue tint was his main power.
The cover of Part 2 of “The Mad Emperor” clearly showed the male lead wielding ice and water, so it must be certain.
And his eyes resembled that power perfectly.
In that close position, I unconsciously admired.
‘What a pretty color, like ice.’
Instead of the knife-like upturned eyes that always seemed threatening, his relaxed eyes had a charm that drew attention like artifacts displayed in a museum.
So I didn’t notice one of his hands climbing up snake-like and firmly grabbing my waist, or his breath, pressed close, gradually becoming rougher when sensing my presence.
At some point, something touched my cheek.
“Huh?”
“My match.”
Surprised, I blinked, and suddenly realized it was Kaisis’s hand.
It was such a gentle touch that it was hard to believe it was the usually unpleasant emperor.
“You, are you my match?”
As I unconsciously stiffened, that hand, which had brushed up my hair, covered my cheek largely.
“It hurt. It kept hurting. But.”
Befitting a top-tier Esper who recovers even when broken, despite going through battles every time, his hand was soft and hot.
“You, feel good……”
As the contact area increased, the amount of energy being absorbed also increased.
“Ugh.”
The blue eyes, hazily relaxed, fully captured me as my breathing quickened.
I naturally felt ashamed at the unfamiliar contact and guiding method.
Yes, it was like this then, too.
When touched by gentle and affectionate hands, I thought there are such kind Espers too.
There are those who want my power. I want to give more power. I want to make it not hurt. I want to help.
That’s how my thoughts had flowed.
“Who are you?”
“Well.”
“How are you enduring?”
Feeling the Awakened One’s wavelength climbing up my nape, I hunched my shoulders.
