Chapter 15
“Your Highness! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Was that the last one?”
Nike pulled his sword out of the monster’s neck and shook off the blood as he asked.
“Yes! The hunt is complete!”
Despite Nike fighting half of the monsters alone, his deputy was proud to see the young prince standing tall without a scratch.
“This victory is all thanks to you, Your Highness!”
Nike gave a bitter smile. Everyone praised his sword skills, but it wasn’t his skill that saved them.
It was his special power—to turn back time. He had erased countless deadly moments by rewinding and trying again.
“The wounded are being treated in the tents.”
Nike and the deputy walked out of the forest. But Nike’s steps slowed.
There were always casualties after a battle.
Some were injured, some lost limbs, and some died.
That’s why he dreaded the moment when he would hear the reports after the battle.
“All monsters inside the forest are dead! We’ve won!”
“Hurrah!”
When the tents came into view, the deputy raised his sword and shouted. The soldiers cheered loudly.
Nike quickly looked over the wounded.
Some were bleeding, some had broken limbs, and others lay still with their eyes closed.
His heart pounded.
He prayed none of them had died.
“Your Highness!”
A familiar voice called out.
It was Reiner, a loyal knight from the royal guard and Nike’s old friend. His face was pale, and Nike felt dread rise in his chest.
“You should go see Anton… now.”
“What?”
Nike immediately understood what that meant and ran as fast as he could toward where Reiner pointed.
“Anton!”
“Your… High…”
Nike froze.
Anton’s stomach was torn open, and blood poured out non-stop.
“There’s nothing we can do,” the healer said quietly. “The wound is too deep, and he’s lost too much blood.”
“When did this happen?!”
Nike shouted in panic.
“If you’re asking when he was injured… it was right at the start of the battle.”
Right at the beginning.
That meant the wound was already over three hours old.
“No…”
Nike clenched his fists, shaking with frustration.
His power, Time Rewind, could only go back 30 minutes.
He could rewind further, but he would lose his memories—he wouldn’t even remember he used his ability.
Three hours ago…
If he rewound that far, he would forget that Anton had been wounded, and be unable to help him anyway.
“Anton…”
Also, once Nike used his power, he had to wait for the same amount of time to pass again before using it again. So he couldn’t rewind twice in a row.
Then… What if he did go back three hours?
Anton might survive, but Nike would forget everything, including what needed to be prevented.
It would be pointless.
“I’m okay… cough…”
Anton smiled weakly.
Nike, Anton, and Reiner.
They were childhood friends who had trained with wooden swords at the palace.
They were friends.
Comrades.
Precious people.
“He’s been holding on just to say goodbye to you,” Reiner said quietly beside Nike. “Please… let him go with a smile.”
“Anton, I…”
Why was he so powerless?
Nike gently touched Anton’s cheek.
Then—
“Agh, seriously!”
A sharp voice rang out from behind.
Nike turned around.
A woman was stepping out of a golden carriage, clearly unhappy.
“I told you how many times I hate coming to dirty places like this!”
Her hair was neatly pinned up, and she wore expensive clothes and jewelry, as if she were going to a ball.
“Watch your step, Lady!”
“Oh no, our Lady must be hot!”
Two maids rushed to shade her with umbrellas and fan her.
“Welcome, my Lady! I’m sorry. We have too many wounded to move, and if we waited to send them to the estate, some might have died.”
The commander of the soldiers bowed and smiled at her.
‘No way…’
Watching the scene, Nike’s heart beat faster with hope.
He recognized the woman in the fancy dress.
The third daughter of the Bassenberg family.
A healer with a powerful ability.
Lady Diana Bassenberg.
“Did you gather them?”
“Of course, my Lady! I put them all in just these three tents so you don’t have to be bothered.”
The commander coldly pointed to just three tents—only for Bassenberg’s soldiers.
Even though the army included royal guards and soldiers from many regions.
“Tsk. How pathetic.”
Diana walked over to her family’s injured soldiers.
And then—
Healing Light
A bright glow fell over them.
People who had been close to death stood up, fully healed, checking their bodies in disbelief.
“Wow, our Lady is the best!”
“Thank you so much!”
Bones were mended, skin returned, and wounds were gone. Only their damaged armor remained.
Soldiers from other families watched with envy.
Their only help came from regular healers with bandages, herbs, and painkillers.
“My Lady!”
Nike rushed over and stopped Diana, who was about to leave.
“And who are you?”
She tilted her head.
“I am Nike Valencie, the Third Prince of the Valencie Empire.”
“Oh my, really?”
Diana looked surprised.
“I think I saw you when you were small. You’ve grown up well, Your Highness.”
“There’s a man whose wounds can’t be healed by normal means. Please help him, just once.”
“What? You’re asking me?”
She scoffed.
“While holding your head so high?”
“….”
Nike paused, then bowed deeply.
“I’m begging you.”
A prince bowing to a noblewoman.
It was humiliating.
“Girls, don’t you think that bow is a bit too high?”
“He’s royalty. He probably thinks kneeling is too much.”
Diana and her maids mocked him.
“So heavy to kneel, huh?”
At that moment, Nike realized what she wanted.
What was he hesitating for?
His friend’s life was on the line.
Tap.
Nike knelt before her and said,
“Please. Help him.”
“Haha!”
Diana laughed out loud. Her maids and even the soldiers laughed too.
It was cruel and insulting.
But no one stopped them.
The royal guards just clenched their teeth in anger.
“Wow. I made a prince kneel.”
Diana pressed her sharp-heeled shoe against Nike’s thigh.
“Not bad.”
“Time is running out. Please…”
“Your Highness, you know my brother, Elliott?”
Elliott Bassenberg, her second brother.
He was involved in many illegal businesses across the empire.
“Three months ago, he’s been whining to me nonstop. He said you made trade ship inspections too strict.”
Nike closed his eyes.
Elliott had started importing drugs—highly addictive ones.
Illegal narcotics.
“My brother’s ship—just let it through. Okay?”
She was asking a prince to allow illegal drugs into the empire.
“I… I don’t have that authority.”
“That so? Too bad.”
Diana lifted her shoe off his leg.
“Your kneeling just wasn’t worth the deal.”
“Please…”
“Your Highness.”
A voice interrupted.
It was the deputy.
“Enough.”
Nike turned to look.
Anton was lying in the distance—his eyes now empty and lifeless.
“Oh, he’s dead? So impatient.”
Diana clicked her tongue.
“That poor man probably died thinking, ‘Guess my life was worth less than a ship inspection.’”
“….”
“Too bad. I can’t bring back the dead.”
With one last cruel remark, Diana walked away.
Nike stood still in silence.
After a long pause, he finally walked slowly to Anton’s body and knelt down.
There was nothing he could do.
“…I’m sorry.”
He gently closed his friend’s eyes, giving the only goodbye he could manage.
Ooof…
Truly evil 😢