Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 921: You Are Irreplaceable

[He still doesn’t seem to understand how grave his actions were.

I guess I truly need to be as detailed as possible, as Arabella said.]

Ferdinand was exasperated and decided it was time to make Alwin understand, no matter what it took.

"Alwin, did you understand what I just told you earlier?

You could have died from using the forbidden spell alone.

A mistake in using your mana cores could be instant death as well.

It was why Raymond and Zion healed you immediately when you returned.

Yet, you went and overused mana potions repeatedly despite being told to stop and rest.

Do you understand what I’m saying?

Such recklessness could lead to your death.

You will cease to exist.

If you had done it in enemy territory, they could have taken the chance to kill you.

Do you understand?

There are only how many elves left in this world despite their efforts for repopulation.

And for the royal elves, you are their only remaining prince.

You did help heal the Prudencians, and everyone is grateful for it.

However, the others could have healed them as well, though not as quickly or as efficiently as you could.

But they would have been healed regardless.

If there was someone they could not cure, they could have waited until you fully recovered and rested.

We indeed wanted to save as many as possible and return them to Prudencia.

However, if we must choose, to us, your life is so much more important than theirs.

Saving them is great and all for the Empire.

However, human lives are much shorter than yours.

It is a fact that you must accept as part of the long-lived races.

You will keep seeing a lot of them die, no matter how many you save.

Not because you could not save them, but simply because it’s the course of their lifespan.

I have also tried saving as many of them as I could in the past.

However, we cannot save everyone.

I understand saving someone who’s dying in front of you.

But in case it puts your life in danger, you must always prioritize yourself first.

You must not go to the point where you are the one who becomes vulnerable and at risk of dying.

I believe we have already told you about this a lot of times."

Ferdinand was so frustrated at Alwin’s responses that he spoke long enough for a speech.

This was the longest all of them had seen him speak in one go.

Alvis and Raymond kept nodding while Ferdinand spoke, since they understood why he was also getting angry. They rather shared the sentiment.

"..."

Alwin was astounded at receiving a very long scolding from Ferdinand.

Ferdinand had also lost his cool, so Alvis took over.

Alvis was ready to say his part as well after hearing Ferdinand lay it down.

"And that’s not all of it.

Alwin, you were on the battlefield with not even enough mana to return to safety.

You also did not have a recovery potion with you either.

Do you know what I thought when I felt your blood dripping to the ground?

I thought you were severely injured and at risk of dying.

I panicked in fear I might lose you as well.

It was why I headed there as fast as I could and even almost forgot to get approval from the Overseer.

Do you know how I felt when I thought I had lost you, like I did with everyone else?

I was so devastated.

I thought that I could not protect you once again.

All the skills, abilities, and magic I learned felt useless.

Only a few elves survived the Great War.

Did you know how all of us felt back then?

We would have rather died along with everyone else than remain as the only ones left to grieve for them.

All of us would have chosen to die right there and then.

However, we could not stand the idea of letting any more of us die.

So we survived despite all the pain and regret.

Simply, so that no one else would die.

We grieved you for years when we thought we had lost you.

So we were all overwhelmed with joy and relief when we learned you were alive.

Simply seeing you grow is an irreplaceable joy and gift to us.

What would we do if we lost you again?

How much longer do we have to grieve and regret again?

It’s so painful to live without everyone else.

And the death of all those who were younger than us had been the most painful.

We don’t ever want to see someone so young die before us again.

And I’d rather never hear of your death again.

I wish to live a long life.

I do not wish to see you or any of my children die before I myself pass away.

I know you are strong and talented beyond any of our imagination.

We loved seeing you grow even more powerful each day, reaching and beating everyone’s expectations.

But do you know why we liked it?

It’s not because we wanted you to be someone great.

It’s because it meant no one would be able to harm you.

You will stay safe and sound with the strength, knowledge, and power you possess.

So why are you here, throwing yourself into danger and putting yourself at risk?"

"...."

Alwin could not speak and simply listened to his Uncle.

"You are irreplaceable to us. To me.

Not just because you are our only prince, but because you are one of us.

And to me, you are my one and only nephew I reunited with after so long.

I’d love and praise every achievement you get, but I’d love you the same, even without them.

You don’t have to be someone great.

You don’t have to do anything.

I don’t care about anything else.

I just want you to live and be happy.

So why do you not treasure yourself?

Is it so difficult for you to value your life the way we cherish you?"

Alvis poured his heart out, desperate for Alwin to understand how he felt.