After leaving the bar and walking a little further, I found a quiet place. The moon was bright, but the day was cloudy. Moreover, it was late at night when the magic lantern was turned off. Because it was dark and there were no people in sight.
Only then did Calianâs steps stop. Those who were quietly following behind also stopped.
Calian turned back and looked at the two for a while, then untied the strings of the robe that had been hiding his appearance until now. Her black hair was flowing outward.
â Flap!
Kalianâs robe was wrapped around the shoulders of a girl named Hina.
Calian, who had tied the robe string with a calm hand without saying a word, looked at Kyrie this time. Kirie didnât look very good. He was wearing an old shirt covered in blood and sweat.
Calian made a tsk sound and took off his jacket and handed it to Kyrie.
After that, he looked at Hinaâs ears exposed through her long silver hair and asked in a passing tone.
âIt was cut, it was cut.â
There was a scar on the tip of Hinaâs ear that looked like it had been cut by something sharp. As if trying to hide something that was pointedly exposed.
It was something that Kyrie didnât have.
Even though the two were brother and sister, they looked different. I remembered the words Kirie muttered while drunk. I donât remember anything, but I heard that Kirie resembles her father and her sister resembles her mother.
The two were half-elves.
Hina shook her shoulder at Kalianâs words, and Kyrie came closer and stood between Hina and Kalian, as if blocking them. Itâs about protecting.
A wary voice came out.
âThank you for your help.â
Calian quickly lowered his head.
It was because Kyrieâs voice from that day, which had been fading away, came back to me, fluttering in my ears.
â Itâs just thisâ¦
I was happy and sad, grateful and sorry. There were many more things that couldnât be expressed with just that, which turned into tears.
âPhewâ¦â
Calian took a long breath to calm his mind, wiped his eyes and raised his head.
âBrother and sister half-elves. I heard about them from someone who was there earlier.â
I didnât hear it exactly, but I felt like I knew, so it wasnât a lie. Calian, who looked around appropriately, continued speaking.
âSo donât be on guard. I donât mean anything bad.â
With those words, the wind blew like a lie.
Clouds drifted in the wind and the moonlight shone. Red eyes were revealed.
Only then did Kyrie properly see Calian and quickly bowed. Hina, who was standing next to him, imitated Kirie without even knowing what was going on.
âIâm sorry, Prince. I didnât recognize you and dared to doubt you.â
Hina was startled by those words and bowed even further.
âI am Kirie and my sister is Hina. She is an orphan who lost her parents when she was young. So I donât remember her last name.â
Kyrie was someone who did not have to bow down to Calian. Calian said softly and grabbed the two by their shoulders and helped them up.
âSo. Did you cut your ear or was it cut off? If it was cut off, I will repay you for it.â
What was important to Kalian now was not the first greeting.
Hina shook her head and played with her ears. This probably means that he cut it himself.
It may have been to look like an ordinary human being. Although it is difficult to find in Kairisis, it was a time when elven slave trafficking was still taking place in local cities.
âDidnât you say it before? Or Iâll pay you back for that too.â
Hina smiled brightly. And then he shook his head. Since he was a prince, I thought he was someone as high as the sky, but I felt that he cared about me.
âI havenât been able to speak since I was born, prince.â
âAnything else. Is there anything you can repay?â
It was Kalianâs question that reminded him of Hinaâs clothes. Fortunately, Hinaâs head moved left and right again. Then he pointed to Kirie. This meant that thanks to Kirie, there had been no major problems yet.
âokay.â
â My sister chose to kill herself.
A half-elf girl who has nothing. It looks pretty too.
There was no need to ask about the reason for suicide. This was because I could tell everything from Kirieâs self-blaming expression.
After Hina committed suicide, Kirie killed all the people at the gambling establishment. He escaped that way and came to Secretia.
âthank god.â
Iâm really glad that something like that didnât happen again.
âI saw you in Astrisha yesterday.â
Kyrie looked surprised. People may remember Kalian, but it wonât be easy for Kalyan to remember people.
âI was watching the articles.â
Kyrie was surprised once again. Because it was just as Calian said.
âYes, thatâs right. I was there.â
A person named Master said he wanted to meet Kirie, so he went outside for a while. He only stood there for a moment and then went back, and during that time, Calian recognized Kyrie.
âDo you by any chance want to become a knight?â
Calian once asked Kyrie the same question.
â Kyrie. Do you want to become a knight?
Kirie, who had left Kairis with her wings broken and the loss of her only remaining blood relative due to the reality of not being able to learn how to use a sword, looked Bern straight in the eye and answered.
â Itâs a sword. I will be the sword.
I remembered the eyes that confidently said something embarrassing.
Seventeen-year-old Kirie, who had the same eyes, answered clearly.
âNo, prince. I want to be a sword, not a knight.â
It was still the same answer.
Calian asked again with a satisfied expression.
âYou guys. Do you know my name?â
âYes, Prince Calian, the third prince. I know.â
Kalian nodded slightly and handed Hina the five gold coins he had received back a moment ago. Hina, who had received a large amount of money inadvertently, opened her eyes wide.
Kalyan asked Hina.
âDo you know how to clean?â
Nodding Hina responded by nodding instead of speaking.
âGood. Now, for five days, sleep in a nice place, buy proper clothes, eat well, and have fun. Let Kirie get some treatment. If you run out of money, send it to a person named Alan Manasil of the Wizards Association. He will figure it out. I will pay.â
Hina nodded again.
The person who saved them at the gambling house was a prince, and Kirie looked dumbfounded when she found out that the prince even gave her money. However, Kalian did not come to give them money.
Calian continued.
âAnd come to the palace in five days. Come and find me. Donât get confused with other princes. Among the princes, thereâs a bad guy who drinks, so if you do something wrong, youâll be in big trouble.â
Hina laughed quietly, perhaps because the bad guyâs reputation as a drunkard had spread far beyond the palace. Then he looked at Calian with a surprised face. It seems that only then did he realize that he was being told to come to the palace.
âFor now, stay at the palace. Itâs difficult to make you comfortable. You have to work. Still, it will be better than here. Anyway, when you come to the palace, there will be a boy named Jan who looks a bit cute like a puppy. I just do what he tells me. Iâ¦. .. I might be a little busy at that time so I might not be able to meet you all right away.â
It was difficult to provide immediate help so that Hina, who could not speak, could live on her own without Kirie. I could have sent it to Alanâs house, but I thought Kyrie would be anxious. Anyway, doesnât Alan seem like a very lively guy? It would have been better to have her as a maid. If you donât like life in the palace, it wonât be too late to send it out.
âDo you understand everything?â
Nod.
âOkay. How long have I been a prince?â
Three fingers spread out.
âAre you saying you donât like working at the palace?â
Doridori.
âCome back in a few days?â
Five fingers wide open.
âOk, fine.â
Nod.
Kalian almost stroked Hinaâs head without realizing it as she nodded so hard that it made you wonder if her neck would hurt. Although she was shorter than Kalyan, I was glad to remember that Hina was two years older.
After finishing speaking to Hina, Kalian turned around.
I took out the sword prepared for Kyrie from Ravenâs saddle. And handed it to Kirie.
âreceive.â
Kirie suddenly took the sword. It felt like it had just the right weight to swing. Calian, seeing this, smiled in satisfaction.
yes. Kirieji needs to pick up the sword.
âYou canât become a knight right away. You have to act as my shield first. If you still want to learn how to use a sword, come see me.â
Kyrie drew the sword in her hand and looked at Calian.
âI will make you the best sword.â
A sword that follows the prince.
Kirie is now in a position she could not even dream of.
I couldnât believe it.
âWhy⦠are you giving us something this big?â
âI need a good sword.â
Calian simply answered briefly.
It didnât take long for Kirie to make up her mind. A person who recognizes you appears, so what should you worry about?
Kyrie fell down in front of Calian. A desperate voice continued.
âI will go. If you allow me, I will become the princeâs sword.â
âYes. I came here to get that sword.â
Calian smiled and helped Kyrie stand up again.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
and.
This is my repayment.
* * *
Fortunately, Kalian was able to enter Teinansha Street before the sun rose, but the conditions were not that good. He came here almost lying on Ravenâs back.
Some people wearing wizard robes were walking around the streets, as if they had woken up early or had not yet fallen asleep. Those who saw the person lying limply on the black horse were startled and hurriedly retreated.
Every time that happened, the sound of Ravenâs hooves got louder.
Calian, who was still lying on his back, seemed to be thinking about what had been focused on during the procession, and spoke in a weak voice.
âRaven. Weâre not in such a great state right now. Donât like it because itâs embarrassing.â
After finishing everything, I felt relaxed and my body ached again.
Due to a heart problem, he was unable to manage it properly, so he was forced to manifest his Aura by barely depleting his magical power, so no matter how much medicine he took, he reached his limit. Thanks to this, I had to use Ravenâs back as a bed.
Still, I was lucky that Raven was smart. If it werenât for the guy who came all the way to the capital on his own, I wouldnât have been able to come back on time.
It wasnât long before we arrived at the Wizardâs Association that Alan had told us about. As he hurriedly entered the building, the wizards welcomed Calian very warmly. The head of the wizard association named Euria came out and guided Calian to a room.
It was a small study/parlor, and all kinds of magic books were crammed into bookshelves on the four walls. And the decorative knife on the desk caught my eye. This is because it was a knife that looked very similar to the one Calian had.
âMaster.â
Alan was sitting on the sofa.
I was waiting for Kalyan without sleeping. Calian was so happy to see Alan that he could barely hold back tears.
Alan gaped at Calianâs haggard appearance.
âDid you fight? Where did you sell all your clothes?â
Calian burst out laughing.
âThere was no fight. The clothes just happened to happen a bit.â
Even at the gambling place, I only tried to scare him and show off, but I didnât fight him, so this isnât a lie either.
Alan, who was slightly wrinkled his nose as if the unpleasant smell of the gambling house had hit him, snapped his fingers. Then, the cool air seemed to surround Kalian and he felt refreshed. Calian, who realized that it was clean magic, liked it.
âthank you.â
After saying that, Calian sat down across from Alan. Alan asked, folding the book in his hand.
âAre you done with all your business?â
âYes, for now. I think Iâll have to come back in a month.â
Alan nodded at those words. It meant that they would bring it back a month later.
Soon, Alan put down the book he was holding in the air. Then, miraculously, the book fluttered as if it had become a bird and landed on the bookshelf. As Calian looked at the figure as if fascinated, Alan explained.
âItâs a spell that hangs throughout this building and allows you to put whatever you want where you want it. Because wizards donât really like to move.â
âHow amazing.â
âIt would have been more troublesome to cast a spell on the building, but since thatâs what wizards do, you just do it.â
Calian laughed. Then, looking at the item that particularly caught my eye, I asked.
âBut there is also an item that is not wizard-like. A knife.â
At those words, Alan stared at Calianâs gaze for a long time. A strange tone flowed from his mouth.
âYes. There is a knife. It shouldnât be there.â
Alan smiled bitterly. Calian looked at Alan with an expression as if he was wondering what was going on.
It was lying there as if it were nothing, but it was a treasure that Association President Euria treasured more than her life. This is because Sispanian made it himself. It was also a magic item used as a kind of warning, showing the weapon hidden in the other personâs arms in the form of an ornament.
So, saying that there was a decorative knife on the desk was equivalent to saying that Calian now had a knife.
Alanâs eyes calmed down.
âAs people get older, things change, but curiosity rarely goes away.â
Questions appeared on Calianâs face once again. Alan didnât say anything more about it, but used Mana and said something else.
âAs I said, the objects in this room move according to their will. All you have to do is know how to convey your will, so there is nothing difficult about moving them at will.â
Calian, who was about to say that he should get some sleep because he couldnât understand why he said this, fell silent.
âIt would be great if we could freely move and reveal peopleâs inner thoughts.â
This is because I saw the decorative knife that was lying on the bookshelf quietly floating away.
âI canât do that on my own.â
âMaster.â
The knife slowly turned towards Calian.
Calianâs eyes frowned slightly when he saw a blade that was rather sharp for decoration being pointed at him.
â⦠I was thinking of opening it like this.â
I thought it was a joke. But Alan didnât stop.
-Ssam!
The knife flew towards Calianâs neck at lightning speed. Calianâs hands, sensing danger, moved according to instinct.
â Kaang!
The sound of blades colliding sounded like they were being torn apart.
And then complete silence came.
Alan.
Before I knew it, the knife was pulled out and held in Calianâs hand, and another knife bounced off it and flew into the wall, where it stuck. And then I looked into Calianâs eyes, which were sharp as the blade of a sword.
Calian was looking at Allen without saying a word, and Alan silently watched Calianâs eyes.
Alanâs voice broke through the suffocating silence.
âPlease explain.â
Calian closed his eyes for a moment.