Extra S*ave Saves the Crown Prince

Months have passed since then. It was a rainy night and I was unable to sleep despite my exhaustion. I knocked on the chapel’s door again.

“Priest. This place is really going to explode.”

“Yeah, you never know with people.”

He might as well have laughed at me like everyone else, it’s more like I’m talking to a wall everytime he does this.

“You need to call for help, at the temple or wherever.”

“Seth. If anything happens here, I’m ready to call for help anywhere.”

“But it’s going to explode soon.”

“Let’s pray to the gods then. Shall we pray together?”

“I really do know the future, Father. You must trust me.”

“Seth. I always believe in you.”

“Then why don’t you believe me now?”

“Believe me I do.”

‘Oh, God.’

He’s really a priest with the extraordinary ability to make me really look for God. I am speechless. It’s like I can’t communicate with him at all.

He was a good man, gentle and faithful, with a soft spot for me. But when it comes to the explosion, he only shrugs it off, and probably thinks I was being silly.

‘In the end, it was the only way…’

I counted the days until I could finally meet him again.

⚘

-Whoosh, swoosh.

Waves crashed against the sheer cliffs. The sea churned under the yellow moonlight. The sound of rowing melted into the stillness of the windless night.

There was a sailboat following the waves toward the cliffs. Everytime it seemed to veer off course, an oar came out to steer it straight. There was no sound from the boat as it headed recklessly straight for the cliff.

There were four men on board, two rowing on either side, one standing still and facing forward. And the other one was lying sprawled out on the boat.

-Splash, Splash.

The sailboat which looked like it was about to crash into the cliffs, disappeared as if it was sucked in. It turns out there was a gap in the cliffs, and the waves rode into it. The gap was narrow enough for the sailboat to pass through, but the interior was spacious.

As they entered the cave-like area, the water dropped rapidly. The sound of the ship’s bottom hitting the floor echoed through the interior.

-Splash, splash, Splash.

The rower jumped out of the boat, grabbed hold of it, and pulled it forward. There were wooden pillars where you could tie the boat to, and he seemed to be quite familiar with the way he held it together. It seemed like he had been here so many times before.

“We’re here.”

When the boat was finally secured, the man in front finally bowed deeply. There was no reply from the boat. Then suddenly two tall men in black hoods pulled down low, approached and stood at either ends of the man sprawling on the boat. They both carried the stretcher where he was lying on to then quickly carried him off it.

They grunted.

While the stretcher was being lowered, the other man lit some torches. There were already torch stands set up inside the cave, so he only had to lit them up everytime he passed.

The dark cave was soon illuminated by light. The man lying on the stretcher was stretched out like he was dead.

A sticky liquid periodically dripped down the stretcher with a dull thud.

“Ugh..”

A groan echoed from deep within his throat. They paused for a moment, then moved forward into the cave. They came to another cavern, this one was heavily carved with weird inscriptions.

“Your Highness.”

The stretcher was carefully placed on the floor, and the three hooded figures dropped to one knee. Their shadows, casted by the torchlight, flickered against the walls.

The pressure of this space was palpable to their senses. There was a moment of silence, and then their master opened his narrow eyes.

When those deep golden eyes were exposed to them, they bowed their heads even further.

“…Tie it up.”

The voice was sharp as if it was made of steel. The hooded figures squeezed their eyes shut, then opened them. But they all knew there was no time to waste.

Their master would soon unleash his power. Which is something beyond his control.

Before that happened, they had to close the door to this place and take cover.

“Yes. Your Highness.”

Chains were already prepared on the inner walls to bind him. Judging by the thickness of the chains, it seemed too much just to hang a single person.

When they lifted his upper body to tie him up, a gurgling, dark blood trickled down slowly from him.

Though he was covered with wounds for now, and it seemed like it would take a while to heal, their master’s dragon blood still enabled him to heal immediately once the power rampage was over.

They bound their master tightly in chains reverently, as if they were performing a sacred ritual.

The inscriptions carved into the walls of the cave were the only ones watching the whole ordeal under the illumination of the torchlight.

⚘

A year finally passed and the day of his arrival finally came.

This time, I was fully prepared.

I made a container out of twisted leaves, filled it with water, and ground up more herbs in advance.

“Whoa, whoa…”

My heart was beating fast, probably because I had been waiting for this day for a long time. I had to take several deep breaths as I prepared to move to his location.

‘I’m the only one who can stop this explosion.’

If the salt island remained intact, the Male Lead would have nothing to lose. He wouldn’t be captured by the prince, and he wouldn’t lose the space where he can let his powers run amok. Of course, I’d live a little longer, too.

The only question is, if the explosion is prevented, how will the main protagonists meet?

‘Ah, I have to live and see first.’

They are the main characters, and they will find a way to meet somehow. I closed my eyes and imagined the details of the surroundings where that rocky cave was located. Heat radiated from my toes and ran through my body. When I opened my eyes again, I was already inside the rocky cave, alone where I can finally relieve my pain.

I slowly made my way down, stepping on the boulders, and it felt even desolate than before. The torchlight was still weak, and the shadows seemed deeper. The inscription reminded me of that nauseatingly frightening sense of power. A chill immediately ran down my spine. But there was nowhere to retreat. I took one cautious step at a time, stepping over my fears. Then a familiar scent rushed into my nostrils.

‘There he was.’

I hoped it wasn’t him, but it was, and he was full of scars all over his body. He was still chained and unconscious.

‘How long had he been enduring this alone?’

He was ten years old when he was thrown into battle with a demon. He hadn’t even held a sword properly, so he was pretty much sent to his death.

With a stroke of luck he seemed to have survived, one day at a time, and now, He is a hero of the Empire. But the day he was born, he spent it alone and in pain.

‘I’ll never read any of that waste again.’

It was only thrilling in the novel, but it was hard to face it when it came to reality. He was hanging there, with his battle wounds untouched, untreated, and I couldn’t bear to look at them.

I didn’t bother to check the wetness on the floor. I can guess what it was without even looking. Even if his wound healed itself after the rampage, it was still too much.

He’s the crown prince, and they didn’t even bother to treat him. They would even let him wait for the rampage alone. It was obvious that everyone around him had backed away out of fear for their life.

“….This is too much.”

Unable to do anything about the deep wounds all over his body, I held the herbs that I had already ground up near his face. With careful hands, I placed them on his shoulder wound, then on the neck wound, then everywhere, hoping that he’d at least feel better. The fragrant aroma of the herbs spread immediately.

He must be thirsty, too, so I carefully lifted his face with one hand to give him some water from the container of leaves. He’d grown taller in the past year, so I had to lift him up on his heels a bit more.

“Well..”

The face, barely covered in blood, was very attractive. It came straight to my defenseless heart and pierced it. It was an awe-inspiring look that made anyone who saw it know it was the face of a Male Lead.

I forgot that I was supposed to give him some water and admired his attractive appearance for a while. Even though he was hanging in chains, he exuded a sense of nobility, as if once he opened his eyes he would immediately go to an elegant party.

Even those blood-soaked eyelashes seemed to be directed to highlight its decadence.

‘How can anyone look at him and say he’s a monster?’

Was he too handsome to be intimidating? Did it mean he was a monster who used his appearance as a weapon? Nonsensical thoughts raced through my mind, such was his ability to confuse people.

“Ah, water.”

I lost my mind for a moment and suddenly realized what I wanted to do. ‘This is crazy.’

I carefully slid the water over his lips. I felt sorry for the water as it slid past his lips and down his chin. I wish I could retrieve it back so it can help moisten down his throat.

He gulped.

As if on cue, his throat began to move. ‘Good boy. Keep going.’ 

I poured all the water I’ve collected in the leaf for him.

“… Seth?”

I stared at the stalk and froze for a moment. His actual voice was deep and low, but it couldn’t have been louder. I quietly removed my hand from his face, my fingertips still hot from the heat transferred from him.

Then I cautiously met his eyes. There was me captured inside those golden pupils. It had been a year since we met.

“Are you… okay?”

I said without thinking. There was no way he could be okay. In fact, I was embarrassed that he remembered my name and my mouth just spouted some random nonsense to hide it.

He gave me a nod.

But then he moved his head slightly. As if saying what’s the point of being okay when you’re bleeding out of a wound?

I bit my lip hard. The look in his eyes when I asked him if he was okay made me cringe in embarrassment. I don’t know what the hell is going on with my brain circuit at the moment.

His body temperature is high, and his golden gaze is very hot. His face, which was attractive even before he opened his eyes, is now even more pronounced with those golden eyes. It’s definitely not something a frail heart can take.

‘Why is he looking at me like that?’

My two selves conversed in my head immediately.

‘Maybe he wants to kill you.’

‘You’re the only slave who knows that the crown prince was on this island. He probably wants to get rid of the evidence.’

‘No. Maybe he does, but he hasn’t sent anyone here in a year, even though he knows my name. And that stare isn’t showing any killing intent. On the contrary. It was… quite the opposite.’

“Actually, there’s something I need to tell you.”

My lips went dry and my heart sank as I stared into those golden eyes. I felt a surge of compassion for him. I don’t know why I thought he was okay when he clearly wasn’t. So I swallowed hard and spoke up.

“I can see a little bit into the future, and I think this salt island is about to explode. I know it sounds crazy, but I was wondering if you could heed me for once and believe me. If you could abandon even a small boat, I think we could somehow survive. I know it sounds crazy, but-.”

“…Yes.”

“I’m asking you from the bottom of my heart…okay?”

What? It took a moment for his words to finally sink in. It was like my brain had stopped working.

“Y-You’re actually… You believe me?”

“…I’ll pick you up, I’ll come.”