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Chapter 767: I Harbor Romantic Feelings for You
The person who walked into the Room was also startled upon seeing Hayato, then calmly nodded at Hayato in greeting. "Hayato Kobayashi, you've woken up."
"Heh heh, that's all thanks to Priest Seto's care for me, Priest Aknadin." Seeing the other party walk straight towards them and pass through their bodies as if not seeing Joey Wheeler and Tristan, Hayato casually responded, while focusing his attention on Aknadin's single eye.
"Priest Aknadin, are you also here to visit the Pharaoh?"
"After all, the Pharaoh is the most important existence in our country. As a Priest under the Pharaoh, although I was in a comatose state due to the thieves' attack before, the first thing to do after waking up is naturally to confirm the Pharaoh's safety."
Although Aknadin's gaze was clear and Hayato could not tell any other thoughts within it, Hayato always felt that the other party coming here to "visit" Dark Yugi didn't harbor good intentions.
This wasn't yet the time to use something like "Duelist's Intuition". Hayato, who knew the plot direction, had an information advantage that others couldn't compare to. Although Bakura had said before that he snatched the Stone Tablet Monster from Aknadin, Hayato had just encountered Seto who was bringing Kisara to find a Physician. Because of this, Hayato had ninety percent confidence that the Aknadin before his eyes was already a game piece on Bakura's side.
The remaining ten percent was the possibility that Bakura truly hadn't lied and hadn't tampered with Aknadin, but the possibility of that happening was not much greater than winning 2 billion US dollars on the lottery tomorrow; it was almost impossible.
Speaking of Aknadin, he was actually a very complex person. Having caused a massacre in order to create the Millennium Items, he was undoubtedly not a good person. But his original intention when creating the Millennium Items did not contain the slightest selfish desire; it was merely for his beloved homeland.
As far as Hayato knew, if others fell into darkness, not to mention grand goals like conquering the world or world destruction, they would at least satisfy their own selfish desire and do as they pleased. But even after Aknadin fell, the ultimate goal of everything he did was surprisingly still not for himself, but to fulfill his son's wish and let him reach a higher position.
It was simply like a certain good neighbor in New York who started dancing on the street after falling into darkness.
But no matter what, the fact that Aknadin would stand on the opposite side after falling into darkness was an undeniable fact. Therefore, Hayato was very vigilant towards Aknadin, but on the surface, he remained calm. "Then, Priest Aknadin, would you like to carefully check the Pharaoh's physical condition?"
Hayato wasn't worried about Aknadin taking the opportunity to kill the defenseless Dark Yugi, because even openly, although there were only Hayato, Aknadin, and Dark Yugi, this was absolutely not a good location for a murder, as too many people knew that Aknadin was coming here.
If Aknadin killed Dark Yugi here, even if he framed Hayato and said he did it, the death of a Pharaoh was not something that could be easily glossed over. As a Priest, Aknadin failing to protect the Pharaoh would still make him difficult to escape blame.
Although Hayato didn't know much about Ancient Egypt history, he did know one thing: where there are people, there are factional disputes. Since the time of the Previous Pharaoh, King Aknamkanon, he had led a Religious Reform. Currently, within the Royal Palace, the Priests' status was below the Pharaoh but above ten thousand people, but those Nobles who once held high positions were constantly waiting for them to make mistakes so they could pull them down.
Aknadin himself might not care about his current status, but his ultimate goal was to let Seto become the Pharaoh. In that case, there would inevitably be a process to prove that Seto had the qualification to become Pharaoh. This process not only needed to prove that Seto had sufficient ability, but also to prove Seto's lineage.
Aknadin's true identity was the younger brother of the Previous Pharaoh, and he was a Royal Family member worthy of the name. And Seto, as his son, naturally also had the qualification to succeed the Pharaoh when the Current Pharaoh passed away. But if Aknadin was tagged with the suspicion of being 'possibly related to the death of the Previous Pharaoh', then it would inevitably have a great influence on Seto ascending the throne of the Pharaoh.
Therefore, even if Aknadin had the intention, he would absolutely not choose to act here, especially since actually, besides Hayato, Joey Wheeler, Tristan, Téa, and Yugi, those four who could not be observed by the people of this era, were all watching Aknadin's actions in this room.
Aknadin indeed had no plan to kill Dark Yugi. His purpose in coming here was actually more to confirm whether the Pharaoh had truly fallen into a comatose state and was unable to wake up. Looking at Dark Yugi lying on the bed, Aknadin seemed to not notice Hayato's subtle vigilance towards him and shook his head.
"No need. Although the Pharaoh hasn't woken up yet, I believe that as the agent of the deity in the world, the Pharaoh will surely wake up safely. I won't continue disturbing you."
Aknadin wore a smile on his face. This face was Aknadin's normal state. No matter what kind of target, from the Pharaoh down to Commoners, and even slaves and Criminals, he could harbor a benevolent heart. Precisely because of this, combined with his many years of achievements, Aknadin enjoyed a good reputation inside and outside the Royal City.
While speaking, Aknadin glanced at the sleeping Dark Yugi, retreated to outside the room, and after peacefully greeting the Soldiers at the doorway, Aknadin's figure disappeared around the corner.
And after he left everyone's line of sight, walking on the Corridor, Aknadin's smile slowly turned cold, the corners of his mouth gradually flattening. The rising scorching sun cast light onto the Ground, shining through the pillars beside the Corridor onto the Ground, but also due to the cover of the Corridor's roof, only half of Aknadin's body was bathed in light, while the other half was covered by shadow.
"Aha, good news, isn't it? The Pharaoh is still comatose." A voice sounded in Aknadin's ear, lightly mocking the Pharaoh's current situation. "The Kingdom cannot be without a leader, mm-hmm, it seems we must quickly find someone with the qualification to ascend the throne. So who could it be, who could it be?"
Aknadin somewhat irritably covered his mouth, and the voice stopped abruptly. The voice just now was surprisingly coming from Aknadin's own mouth. After the voice quieted down for a little while, Aknadin only then continued speaking, "Be quiet."
"Alright, alright, my dear Aknadin, but before that, I must finally give you a compliment. Your acting just now was simply great." On the half of Aknadin's face illuminated by the light, there was an expressionless calmness, but the half of his face hidden in the shadow revealed a smile.
Unlike the amiable smile he had just shown towards Hayato and the Guards, the smile on Aknadin's face at this moment was full of ferocity and cunning. "Clearly, your heart was full of killing intent towards the Pharaoh just now, yet you actually refused Hayato Kobayashi and didn't approach the Pharaoh. I'm very curious, oh, what kind of mood were you in at that time?"
"You don't need to ask me, you yourself should know." Aknadin calmly answered his own question.
"Of course, of course, after all, I am you."
He paused for a moment, then continued speaking, "So next, now that the Pharaoh's situation has been confirmed, it means we can start our plan without worries, right?"
Aknadin heard this, stopped walking, and the half of his face illuminated by the light revealed visible hesitation. "But, to cooperate with someone like Bakura..."
"Heh heh, Aknadin, what are you thinking? Are you hesitating?"
"You couldn't have forgotten what Seto needs, right? It's just cooperating with a guy who can be killed after being utilized, and you can fulfill Seto's wish and let him walk onto a higher position. Isn't that good? Seriously, if you have any psychological hang-ups, then just hand over your body to me, I'll do this matter for you---"
"Hmph, I won't hand over my body to you." Hearing this, Aknadin impatiently interrupted his own words, hesitated repeatedly, and finally sighed. It seems he weighed the pros and cons in his heart and made a compromise. "This is a necessary sacrifice done for Seto."
Turning his head, Aknadin's right eye, which wasn't wearing the Millennium Eye, glanced at the clear sky outside, only feeling the sunshine was too dazzling. He moved two steps into the shadow, letting himself stand more in the darkness, and the other voice also finally closed its mouth after Aknadin made the decision. Aknadin walked through the Corridor alone in silence.
And after Aknadin left, a head appeared from around the Corner behind him. "Huh? Only Priest Aknadin alone? But I just now clearly heard it seemed like two people were talking?"
"Hmm, maybe I heard wrong." The young girl who appeared in the Corridor playfully patted her head, turned around, and tiptoed towards the Room where Dark Yugi was located. While walking, she quietly muttered something, waved the short staff in her hand, and cast one magic after another on herself.
And accompanying the casting of magic, the young girl's steps became much faster when moving, while at the same time, the sound of her steps on the Ground disappeared. At the same time, a faint purple radiance glowed around her eyes. Even if she was still separated by the wall, she saw the Guards arranged in various places in the Room where Dark Yugi was located.
Besides the two obvious Guards standing at the doorway, even the two Guards hiding outside the window, which seemingly was just for ventilation and light, were immediately discovered by her. And after confirming the target, the young girl waved her staff again, and a spell formula was completed in an instant. In an instant, the several Guards arranged around the Room's surroundings lost consciousness at the same time.
"Heh heh, Mana-san's great victory! Compared to the last time I cast this magic, Mana has improved a lot!" Proudly waving her small fist, the young girl using magic—Court Magician Mana—was a little happy. But as soon as she thought of the last time she used this magic was to sneak into the Royal Palace, she couldn't help but feel a little sad. "It's just that Master, he can't see my progress anymore."
"No, it's not like that. Master, he didn't soul return to the Underworld. The Prince said that Master Mahad's soul fused into one with the **Magician of Black Chaos**. Mana, you must work harder to improve your magical skills! You must see Master soon and let him know you've become stronger, mm!"
Cheering herself on, Mana openly walked to the side of the two Guards at the doorway. In front of them, who were in a spaced-out state, she entered the Room where Dark Yugi was located, and after entering, she waved her staff. Unlike the time she ran into the Royal Palace before and couldn't dispel the magic for a long time, she smoothly dispelled the control on the Guards.
Recovering consciousness, the Guards recovered their senses in a daze, blinked their eyes, and didn't notice that they had been spaced out just now, nor did they know that another person had just entered the Pharaoh's Room. They continued standing at the doorway, trying to 'not let any suspicious person enter the Room.'
Having done another bad thing, Mana walked into the Room. Walking with her head lowered, she thought there should only be Dark Yugi alone in the Room, and she didn't raise her head.
The Current Pharaoh's childhood playmate, the disciple of the deceased Priest Mahad, a member of the Court Magicians, Mana's status wasn't low, but it wasn't very high either. If judged by the rules, Mana actually shouldn't have known the message that the Pharaoh had encountered danger and fallen comatose.
However, if the Pharaoh were to marry a Royal Consort one day, the first choice would absolutely be Mana. The relationship between Dark Yugi and Mana was obvious to anyone who wasn't blind, even an Orichalcos-level straight man like Seto could tell. In addition, his long-standing competitive relationship with Mahad, who was both an enemy and a friend, also caused Seto to take care of Mana after Mahad passed away. When bringing Dark Yugi back from Outside the City, Seto did reveal the message of Dark Yugi's comatose state to Mana.
Mana, who was full of worry for the Prince, knew that what she was doing was wrong, but she still resolutely came here. While brewing emotion in her heart, Mana raised her head, planning to look at Dark Yugi's situation. Taking advantage of Dark Yugi being comatose this time, Mana also wanted to take advantage of the fact that no one knew what happened here and say some inner thoughts to Dark Yugi alone.
She actually also knew that Dark Yugi had just taken office and had to face the challenge launched by Bakura against the Kingdom. He carried immense pressure on his shoulder. The Prince, now the Pharaoh, temporarily didn't have spare time for romance. And Mana, although mischievous, was not willful. Being understanding, she also wouldn't reveal her feelings to Dark Yugi at this time.
So Dark Yugi being comatose, although it made Mana very worried and concerned, it was indeed the best time.
"Even if I'm alone, saying it out loud is really quite embarrassing." While looking up, the somewhat shy Mana said, "Prince, all this time, I have harbored romantic feelings for you. I—"
"Huh?"
Mana's line of sight met Téa, who was sitting by the comatose Dark Yugi's bedside, holding a towel and wiping his face for him.
"Dark... Dark Magician Girl!?" "Where did you woman pop out from!?"
The two women's actions were unusually synchronized as they pointed at each other and said in surprise.
End of Chapter
The person who walked into the Room was also startled upon seeing Hayato, then calmly nodded at Hayato in greeting. "Hayato Kobayashi, you've woken up."
"Heh heh, that's all thanks to Priest Seto's care for me, Priest Aknadin." Seeing the other party walk straight towards them and pass through their bodies as if not seeing Joey Wheeler and Tristan, Hayato casually responded, while focusing his attention on Aknadin's single eye.
"Priest Aknadin, are you also here to visit the Pharaoh?"
"After all, the Pharaoh is the most important existence in our country. As a Priest under the Pharaoh, although I was in a comatose state due to the thieves' attack before, the first thing to do after waking up is naturally to confirm the Pharaoh's safety."
Although Aknadin's gaze was clear and Hayato could not tell any other thoughts within it, Hayato always felt that the other party coming here to "visit" Dark Yugi didn't harbor good intentions.
This wasn't yet the time to use something like "Duelist's Intuition". Hayato, who knew the plot direction, had an information advantage that others couldn't compare to. Although Bakura had said before that he snatched the Stone Tablet Monster from Aknadin, Hayato had just encountered Seto who was bringing Kisara to find a Physician. Because of this, Hayato had ninety percent confidence that the Aknadin before his eyes was already a game piece on Bakura's side.
The remaining ten percent was the possibility that Bakura truly hadn't lied and hadn't tampered with Aknadin, but the possibility of that happening was not much greater than winning 2 billion US dollars on the lottery tomorrow; it was almost impossible.
Speaking of Aknadin, he was actually a very complex person. Having caused a massacre in order to create the Millennium Items, he was undoubtedly not a good person. But his original intention when creating the Millennium Items did not contain the slightest selfish desire; it was merely for his beloved homeland.
As far as Hayato knew, if others fell into darkness, not to mention grand goals like conquering the world or world destruction, they would at least satisfy their own selfish desire and do as they pleased. But even after Aknadin fell, the ultimate goal of everything he did was surprisingly still not for himself, but to fulfill his son's wish and let him reach a higher position.
It was simply like a certain good neighbor in New York who started dancing on the street after falling into darkness.
But no matter what, the fact that Aknadin would stand on the opposite side after falling into darkness was an undeniable fact. Therefore, Hayato was very vigilant towards Aknadin, but on the surface, he remained calm. "Then, Priest Aknadin, would you like to carefully check the Pharaoh's physical condition?"
Hayato wasn't worried about Aknadin taking the opportunity to kill the defenseless Dark Yugi, because even openly, although there were only Hayato, Aknadin, and Dark Yugi, this was absolutely not a good location for a murder, as too many people knew that Aknadin was coming here.
If Aknadin killed Dark Yugi here, even if he framed Hayato and said he did it, the death of a Pharaoh was not something that could be easily glossed over. As a Priest, Aknadin failing to protect the Pharaoh would still make him difficult to escape blame.
Although Hayato didn't know much about Ancient Egypt history, he did know one thing: where there are people, there are factional disputes. Since the time of the Previous Pharaoh, King Aknamkanon, he had led a Religious Reform. Currently, within the Royal Palace, the Priests' status was below the Pharaoh but above ten thousand people, but those Nobles who once held high positions were constantly waiting for them to make mistakes so they could pull them down.
Aknadin himself might not care about his current status, but his ultimate goal was to let Seto become the Pharaoh. In that case, there would inevitably be a process to prove that Seto had the qualification to become Pharaoh. This process not only needed to prove that Seto had sufficient ability, but also to prove Seto's lineage.
Aknadin's true identity was the younger brother of the Previous Pharaoh, and he was a Royal Family member worthy of the name. And Seto, as his son, naturally also had the qualification to succeed the Pharaoh when the Current Pharaoh passed away. But if Aknadin was tagged with the suspicion of being 'possibly related to the death of the Previous Pharaoh', then it would inevitably have a great influence on Seto ascending the throne of the Pharaoh.
Therefore, even if Aknadin had the intention, he would absolutely not choose to act here, especially since actually, besides Hayato, Joey Wheeler, Tristan, Téa, and Yugi, those four who could not be observed by the people of this era, were all watching Aknadin's actions in this room.
Aknadin indeed had no plan to kill Dark Yugi. His purpose in coming here was actually more to confirm whether the Pharaoh had truly fallen into a comatose state and was unable to wake up. Looking at Dark Yugi lying on the bed, Aknadin seemed to not notice Hayato's subtle vigilance towards him and shook his head.
"No need. Although the Pharaoh hasn't woken up yet, I believe that as the agent of the deity in the world, the Pharaoh will surely wake up safely. I won't continue disturbing you."
Aknadin wore a smile on his face. This face was Aknadin's normal state. No matter what kind of target, from the Pharaoh down to Commoners, and even slaves and Criminals, he could harbor a benevolent heart. Precisely because of this, combined with his many years of achievements, Aknadin enjoyed a good reputation inside and outside the Royal City.
While speaking, Aknadin glanced at the sleeping Dark Yugi, retreated to outside the room, and after peacefully greeting the Soldiers at the doorway, Aknadin's figure disappeared around the corner.
And after he left everyone's line of sight, walking on the Corridor, Aknadin's smile slowly turned cold, the corners of his mouth gradually flattening. The rising scorching sun cast light onto the Ground, shining through the pillars beside the Corridor onto the Ground, but also due to the cover of the Corridor's roof, only half of Aknadin's body was bathed in light, while the other half was covered by shadow.
"Aha, good news, isn't it? The Pharaoh is still comatose." A voice sounded in Aknadin's ear, lightly mocking the Pharaoh's current situation. "The Kingdom cannot be without a leader, mm-hmm, it seems we must quickly find someone with the qualification to ascend the throne. So who could it be, who could it be?"
Aknadin somewhat irritably covered his mouth, and the voice stopped abruptly. The voice just now was surprisingly coming from Aknadin's own mouth. After the voice quieted down for a little while, Aknadin only then continued speaking, "Be quiet."
"Alright, alright, my dear Aknadin, but before that, I must finally give you a compliment. Your acting just now was simply great." On the half of Aknadin's face illuminated by the light, there was an expressionless calmness, but the half of his face hidden in the shadow revealed a smile.
Unlike the amiable smile he had just shown towards Hayato and the Guards, the smile on Aknadin's face at this moment was full of ferocity and cunning. "Clearly, your heart was full of killing intent towards the Pharaoh just now, yet you actually refused Hayato Kobayashi and didn't approach the Pharaoh. I'm very curious, oh, what kind of mood were you in at that time?"
"You don't need to ask me, you yourself should know." Aknadin calmly answered his own question.
"Of course, of course, after all, I am you."
He paused for a moment, then continued speaking, "So next, now that the Pharaoh's situation has been confirmed, it means we can start our plan without worries, right?"
Aknadin heard this, stopped walking, and the half of his face illuminated by the light revealed visible hesitation. "But, to cooperate with someone like Bakura..."
"Heh heh, Aknadin, what are you thinking? Are you hesitating?"
"You couldn't have forgotten what Seto needs, right? It's just cooperating with a guy who can be killed after being utilized, and you can fulfill Seto's wish and let him walk onto a higher position. Isn't that good? Seriously, if you have any psychological hang-ups, then just hand over your body to me, I'll do this matter for you---"
"Hmph, I won't hand over my body to you." Hearing this, Aknadin impatiently interrupted his own words, hesitated repeatedly, and finally sighed. It seems he weighed the pros and cons in his heart and made a compromise. "This is a necessary sacrifice done for Seto."
Turning his head, Aknadin's right eye, which wasn't wearing the Millennium Eye, glanced at the clear sky outside, only feeling the sunshine was too dazzling. He moved two steps into the shadow, letting himself stand more in the darkness, and the other voice also finally closed its mouth after Aknadin made the decision. Aknadin walked through the Corridor alone in silence.
And after Aknadin left, a head appeared from around the Corner behind him. "Huh? Only Priest Aknadin alone? But I just now clearly heard it seemed like two people were talking?"
"Hmm, maybe I heard wrong." The young girl who appeared in the Corridor playfully patted her head, turned around, and tiptoed towards the Room where Dark Yugi was located. While walking, she quietly muttered something, waved the short staff in her hand, and cast one magic after another on herself.
And accompanying the casting of magic, the young girl's steps became much faster when moving, while at the same time, the sound of her steps on the Ground disappeared. At the same time, a faint purple radiance glowed around her eyes. Even if she was still separated by the wall, she saw the Guards arranged in various places in the Room where Dark Yugi was located.
Besides the two obvious Guards standing at the doorway, even the two Guards hiding outside the window, which seemingly was just for ventilation and light, were immediately discovered by her. And after confirming the target, the young girl waved her staff again, and a spell formula was completed in an instant. In an instant, the several Guards arranged around the Room's surroundings lost consciousness at the same time.
"Heh heh, Mana-san's great victory! Compared to the last time I cast this magic, Mana has improved a lot!" Proudly waving her small fist, the young girl using magic—Court Magician Mana—was a little happy. But as soon as she thought of the last time she used this magic was to sneak into the Royal Palace, she couldn't help but feel a little sad. "It's just that Master, he can't see my progress anymore."
"No, it's not like that. Master, he didn't soul return to the Underworld. The Prince said that Master Mahad's soul fused into one with the **Magician of Black Chaos**. Mana, you must work harder to improve your magical skills! You must see Master soon and let him know you've become stronger, mm!"
Cheering herself on, Mana openly walked to the side of the two Guards at the doorway. In front of them, who were in a spaced-out state, she entered the Room where Dark Yugi was located, and after entering, she waved her staff. Unlike the time she ran into the Royal Palace before and couldn't dispel the magic for a long time, she smoothly dispelled the control on the Guards.
Recovering consciousness, the Guards recovered their senses in a daze, blinked their eyes, and didn't notice that they had been spaced out just now, nor did they know that another person had just entered the Pharaoh's Room. They continued standing at the doorway, trying to 'not let any suspicious person enter the Room.'
Having done another bad thing, Mana walked into the Room. Walking with her head lowered, she thought there should only be Dark Yugi alone in the Room, and she didn't raise her head.
The Current Pharaoh's childhood playmate, the disciple of the deceased Priest Mahad, a member of the Court Magicians, Mana's status wasn't low, but it wasn't very high either. If judged by the rules, Mana actually shouldn't have known the message that the Pharaoh had encountered danger and fallen comatose.
However, if the Pharaoh were to marry a Royal Consort one day, the first choice would absolutely be Mana. The relationship between Dark Yugi and Mana was obvious to anyone who wasn't blind, even an Orichalcos-level straight man like Seto could tell. In addition, his long-standing competitive relationship with Mahad, who was both an enemy and a friend, also caused Seto to take care of Mana after Mahad passed away. When bringing Dark Yugi back from Outside the City, Seto did reveal the message of Dark Yugi's comatose state to Mana.
Mana, who was full of worry for the Prince, knew that what she was doing was wrong, but she still resolutely came here. While brewing emotion in her heart, Mana raised her head, planning to look at Dark Yugi's situation. Taking advantage of Dark Yugi being comatose this time, Mana also wanted to take advantage of the fact that no one knew what happened here and say some inner thoughts to Dark Yugi alone.
She actually also knew that Dark Yugi had just taken office and had to face the challenge launched by Bakura against the Kingdom. He carried immense pressure on his shoulder. The Prince, now the Pharaoh, temporarily didn't have spare time for romance. And Mana, although mischievous, was not willful. Being understanding, she also wouldn't reveal her feelings to Dark Yugi at this time.
So Dark Yugi being comatose, although it made Mana very worried and concerned, it was indeed the best time.
"Even if I'm alone, saying it out loud is really quite embarrassing." While looking up, the somewhat shy Mana said, "Prince, all this time, I have harbored romantic feelings for you. I—"
"Huh?"
Mana's line of sight met Téa, who was sitting by the comatose Dark Yugi's bedside, holding a towel and wiping his face for him.
"Dark... Dark Magician Girl!?" "Where did you woman pop out from!?"
The two women's actions were unusually synchronized as they pointed at each other and said in surprise.
End of Chapter
