Kalianâs fine eyebrows frowned nicely.
âolder brother.â
âwhy.â
A voice and a gaze were directed at Calian.
To be precise, the low voice and dark purple gaze returned to Calian. Calian, realizing the problem, spoke again.
âBrothers.â
âwhat.â
âTalk to me.â
âIsnât that a bit too much?â
âwhat.â
âDid we do something wrong?â
This time, Kalianâs pretty eyes became narrow.
wow.
Itâs us.
Wow, you are very friendly. When did you become so close? I guess the wine was really delicious back then. Anyone who sees them will think they are brothers. Since you both have gray hair, it would be perfect if you two just left me out and called me brother and sister.
â⦠You really say so much.â
lonely.
A savory soup made with ground peanuts and oats, white bread that is moist on the inside and crispy on the outside, and an omelet filled with plenty of olive oil, milk, and cheese.
Thick veal steak grilled in truffle oil. Chicken breast grilled with just salt and pepper and topped with stewed peanut sauce. Crunchy grilled asparagus and stir-fried pure white mushrooms. And a salad without green peppers. Plus, the wine that Chase likes so much.
A dish that was sure to be delicious was well-prepared in front of the âtwo white brothers.â
Of course, there was something in front of Calian as well.
There was a glass of top-quality water pumped from the mountains in the clearest part of Secretia, famous for its refreshing, clear taste that would chill your bones.
okay. It is very expensive plain water.
So lonely.
Calianâs eyes fell on Plants as he looked back and forth between the well-set table and the water in front of him. I felt like I knew very well whose meaningful thoughts helped create this place.
Thereâs no way Chase would do something like this.
âIâm sorry. Today is the day of the meeting with the nobles of the northwest. I couldnât eat and I didnât have enough time, so I had to attend this event.â
It was Chase.
I prepared the best meat dinner for my younger brother, who had woken up after sleeping for nearly five days and had not been able to eat anything before, and was now barely able to drink a glass of water.
I didnât know Kalyan couldnât eat anything yet.
However, I couldnât ask them to eat the table that had been carefully prepared, so I ate the plantains and rice with a feeling of regret. With Kalian, a top-class beast, fluttering in front of me.
âSo. Does it taste good?â
âdelicious.â
They are bad people.
He is more indifferent than Arnaizel and less considerate than Danu.
âYes. Please eat a lot.â
âokay.â
Worse than Randel. Randel served food he didnât like, but he didnât eat what he liked by himself.
âThen why did you come here so injured? You didnât take care of yourself.â
Because of him.
Because of the other older brother sitting in front of you. Itâs because of that guy over there who looks a lot like grass and likes to eat meat only on days like this. The day after I was submerged in sea water, I got injured while digging up a tree root. Thereâs no way that plant-friendly guy over there doesnât know why I got hurt like this. But I donât know how you eat so generously.
Thatâs really special.
âI see. Why did I do that?â
Itâs a sin to get hurt.
Anyway, there is nothing wrong with what our Hina said. I should have found another way. Itâs just giving me a hard time and Iâm not even getting any food.
Calian felt even sadder because he remembered the day when he was kicked out of the palace with only a few pocket money, so he drank another sip of the delicious water.
These two guys have no way of understanding such feelings. The conversation between the two supreme brothers continued.
âSo, have you talked to Serjane again?â
âWe met briefly two days ago.â
âIs it okay if I wonder what the conversation was about?â
If itâs a problem related to Tensil and Xeon, shouldnât Chase also be aware of it? Therefore, Plantz nodded and answered as if it didnât matter.
âI said I would talk to Your Majesty so that I can visit Kairis during your birthday celebration.â
âIf you wish so much, you will meet Prince Randel.â
âHis Majesty the King of Secretia⦠Did you also say that?â
âThatâs right. I said I would take Prince Randel and put him on the throne. It seemed like he thought there was no one in Tensil who could be king right now.â
âIn that case, wouldnât it be better to just go up there yourself? Either go up as Serjane or go up yourself. Itâs a country that has no roots anyway, so I donât understand why they want to take Brother Randel with them.â
The last words were Calianâs.
Chase, who laughed briefly at hearing the same thing Arianne said again, opened his mouth.
âThere is nothing good about ascending to the throne, so what is the point of ascending to the throne yourself? Since you have lived as a knight, the option of ascending to the throne yourself would not have been in your mind from the beginning. However, you may want to think about it now.â
âThe reason why Serzane said he would come to Kairis may have changed a bit. Originally, I was thinking of persuading Brother Randel to raise him to the crown prince of Tensil, but now I will compare whether Brother Randel or myself would be better.â
Plantz nodded slightly.
Calian asked while looking at Planz.
âBy the way, you say you donât know anything about Xeon in detail.â
âokay.â
âIs that true about Adelia as well?â
âokay.â
âThen how did you meet Adelia?â
He spoke as if he already knew what Plantz, who met Serzane alone while Calian was asleep, would ask. Plantz, who was no longer impressed by such an appearance, gave a calm answer as if there was nothing surprising.
âIt just so happened.â
ââ¦Brother, why do you speak briefly only to me?â
âIt just so happened.â
âyes.â
I guess so.
Calian, who was trying hard to suppress his desire to become lonely again, opened his mouth.
âSo youâre saying we met by chance that day? Or are you saying itâs difficult to tell in detail?â
âBy chance. I heard he came to visit you that morning.â
âIf you tell me what a pebble is made of, I will tell you the location of the mother tree.â
âokay.â
While Calian was pounding on the table and thinking for a moment, he heard Chase say something.
âIt would mean that Adelia knew what Serjane wanted.â
âYes. I guess so. Itâs probably Zeon or itâs connected to the noble force that attacked Crown Prince Tensil. Itâs most likely one of the two.â
Planz, who thought about the crazy people in the Balkans for a moment, said something sincere.
âI guess Iâm curious.â
âYes. I also thought that rather than forming an alliance with Zeon, Adelia was joining together because of the magiciansâ curiosity. Looking at Adeliaâs tendencies, she would not give them one-sided help, nor would she make a serious deal. â
âOn the Rivern side.â
âMaster went to Rivern again a while ago to meet the remaining 7th Circle wizards. They say he refused to meet them for some reason. They said he left a sign so that Master would know if the wizard left the magic tower, so Iâm worried about him sneaking out. Itâs okay if you donât do it.â
âokay.â
Chase, who soon finished eating, looked at Calian and asked.
âIâm worried whether you plan to meet the elder of the elves again.â
âBefore your Royal Highnessâs birthday festival begins, I have to check the situation at the palace and also check on Brother Randel. I donât think we can meet right away. I went to the forest first, so we can meet after the festival is over and Serzane returns. During the festival. If he comes to the palace, I might be able to meet him.â
âI guess so.â
âYes. Besides, I have a promise, so I have to meet Siona to tell her what I learned here and to have a chat.â
Chase nodded and drank his wine as if it wasnât that important.
Only Calian noticed that his gaze towards the wine glass touched and fell on Plantz for a split second. Shiona is concerned because not only Kirie and Hina, but also Kalian and Plantz are all involved in the facts about Brisen that Shiona knows.
âThen⦠when are you planning to go back?â
âI think Master will probably come to visit within a day or two. Since I canât contact you because Adelia broke her bracelet, I think he will come himself. However, my situation is not very good for me to move right away. According to Hina, even if Master comes, âI said it would be better to leave in about five days.â
Five days.
A return schedule has been set.
Chase took another sip of wine with a nonchalant expression.
We stayed in Secretia until the middle of winter passed and spring passed. And there is still a little more time left. Plus, now that I have a modified version, I can see his face as much as I want even after I return to Kairis. In addition, it is possible to come to Secretia with Alan at any time.
Nevertheless, I have to go back eventually.
Therefore, Calian once again noticed that Chaseâs face, which was unable to hide his regret, was covered by the wine glass.
âWhy donât we call Mother and Arianne and have one more meal together?â
âYes, thatâs fine. Any time.â
So Calian answered with a nonchalant expression.
He knew very well that he was not sad because he wanted Calian to stay, but because he thought it was natural for him to go back.
* * *
Chase was a sweet but busy king.
As if preparing a meal and conversation together wasnât a waste of time, Chase went straight back to his office after finishing dinner. It was because I had to finish unfinished business while meeting nobles.
It is fortunate that I have memories of the âpastâ. If he hadnât had the memory of leading the country well for several years after ascending to the throne, no matter how much Chase he was, he wouldnât have been able to stabilize the country so quickly.
âJust because you have memories doesnât necessarily mean itâs a bad thing.â
After mentioning that, Kalian pointed to his shirt sleeve with a smile on his face. Even in the dark, cuffs decorated with diamonds and rubies can be seen sparkling.
They say theyâre making a lot of money because they know whatâs going to happen.
Thanks to saving the talented merchant lord Melfir, wasnât he able to have a very large stake in the Kairis Magic School and the Polun Merchant Marine? Of course, without the assets gathered through the Whitlin territory, even if Melfir had been around, he would not have been as wealthy as he is now, but it was also an undeniable fact that Melfir was of great help in all of this.
âYou also saw a handsome face.â
âI didnât see it.â
âYou said you would see me later. Donât you think you should know that Iâm handsome so you can recognize me?â
âEven if not.â
Even if you donât know the face, you can recognize it.
Why did the guy who used the sword have so long hair? Thatâs why you wonât be able to recognize it.
Plantz, who was about to say something pointless, just started talking about something else.
âHe told me not to dream.â
âYes. I thought it would be better not to have a dream and not have any memories at all.â
âhowever.â
The road leading to an empty training center.
Aside from not being able to eat, Kalian, who was âcompletely betterâ, was someone who would lie quietly in bed. Even though I was low on energy and couldnât swing the sword, I could take a look at the planz swordsmanship that I had put off for five days, so we went out together. Plantz, who already knew that he couldnât break his younger brotherâs stubbornness, just quietly followed him. Then the story came out.
âBut Hina said that. He said he lived his life as best he could. Since I lived like that, no matter what the past was, I will continue to live as Hina⦠When I heard that, I thought a lot too.â
Plantzâs answer was not heard.
Calian, who remembered Hinaâs always straight eyes, opened his mouth. I closed and opened it several times.
âI saw you before I died.â Me.â
Planzâs steps continued without disruption.
Instead, the sound of his footsteps, which always sounded like there was nothing to worry about, quieted down a little.
âI couldnât talk to my brother back then. It was just because I couldnât even come to my senses. That bastard is the bastard who speaks terribly. âI only heard such a light sentiment.â
â⦠Itâs not light.â
âIsnât that light?â
Calian said playfully after finishing what he didnât know whether it was revenge for the dinner or the dirty short letter. He said with his face,
âThen Lord Hertz came to visit. So I only knew that far. The day I met Danu in the elven city and brought him my brotherâs sword, I learned something I didnât know before.â
Calian looked down at Planzâs sword and continued walking with a sad expression on his face.
âSinasta. You gave it to me. My brother to me. Actually, I wanted it so I went all the way to Kairis, but it was taken away by my brother. Maybe he saw me when I went to the auction house, but I didnât see him. I think so, but Iâm not sure. Anyway, I thought I wouldnât be able to use that sword even if I lived twice, but in the end, I got it once.â Once
I put it on top of Bern.
Once I threw it to Calian.
âThe one you didnât see. . He closed his eyes and covered his ears right there and tried not to see. Thatâs it. He placed his sword on the man who was blocking the gate of the country he had invaded.â He
didnât know what was going to happen, so he didnât look. He closed his eyes, covered his ears, and crouched down and didnât look.
âThat was it. Of course, I donât know what happened after that, so you did a good job of not watching or listening. That was really good. However, I wanted to let you know that what the âbrotherâ who passed by you at that moment was not crazy.â
That was just the way Plantz handed the sword to Bern that day. That was all.
âIt was foolish. âI did.â
It was foolish, but that was all.
âIt might not be as terrible as you imagine. It may be worse than you imagine. No matter what, I thought it would be disrespectful to the people who lived at that time to tell them not to see what happened and to avoid it at all costs. I tried my best to stop it, but you did your best to attack me.â â
⦠I didnât know you had the talent for eloquently spouting sophistry.â âIf you
know it, it might not be a big deal, so Iâm so scared of this incident. Iâm telling you not to eat it. Because Danu did something bad, I almost ended up seeing things I didnât need to see, but thatâs not what happened before that. âI still want you to not dream as much as possible, and if you do dream, I still want you to do it as late as possible.â The reason is a
little different from how Hina said that, but anyway. Just like Hina, Plants at that time was also living. Because heâs a human. Just like Bern clearly lived.
âI hope you donât feel scared by my brother back then. No matter what happened, I wonât let the same thing happen again. âI
said it again as a pledge, a promise I had already made many times.
And there was no need to get scared and bite my toes at the glimpse of myself. Donât feel terrible or deny it as if that was all that Plants had in the past. Just like that. âAnyway ,
the last time I saw him, he looked like a crazy bastard, but he didnât seem like an answerless bastard.â
Plantz laughed.
âIf thatâs possible.â
âYes. âIf possible.â
Plantz did not answer that he would understand or that he would do so. He said he would learn the story told by Calian, but he should not overdo it and create something like this again. That was something he learned this time as well. This time, he chose carefully and learned well
. While Calian was smiling brightly while looking at the smart pea, Planz stopped for a moment and asked,
âIf you say it because you won the bet.â
Less than three seconds passed since I thought it was amazing that he didnât try to follow me unconditionally and would only walk as far as he could. But then he says something absurd again. He says that if he won the hunting bet, he will just do as he was taught.
âNo,â
Calian frowned and answered immediately. He then pointed to the pocket of Plantzâs jacket and said,
âOpen that quickly . Take a look. I will say that as a favor for winning the bet.â
Originally, I was going to ask for something else, but
I changed my mind.
âIsnât this a letter from His Highness?â
â⦠Thatâs right.â
Lemain was an indifferent and busy king.
He may have been a reasonably good king, but he was never a good father.
âItâs okay not to be afraid.â
The only person who ever heard Lemain call him âmy son.â The only person who didnât shy away from Lemain. But the only one was Lemain. A person who is not Mainâs son.
Hearing the words of that person, Calian, Lemainâs son took a deep breath. As if he was choking.
âAh. If you are keeping your letter because you donât want to see it. If itâs just a wish, should I change it to something else?â
To Plantz, just as Landel was like Renieri, if Lemain was like him, it was a wish, and he had no intention of forcing him to open it. âNo.â
Plantz
, who only hesitated, shook his head. Then, Kirie took out a letter that had been delivered during the day but had not yet been opened.
Since it did not say who had sent it, Kirie inspected it. As a result, there were traces of having opened it once on the outer envelope. Thanks to that, the envelope was opened without much effort. Plantz opened the door and looked inside.
A letter sealed with Lemainâs seal was visible.
Thenâ¦
something
fell on Plantzâs hand.
A necklace with a round locket the size of two fingers. Opened the lid. It was an object designed to check what was inside.
Kalian, who saw it, bowed to Plantz.
âIâm hungry so I canât help you practice. Iâll go in first, so please come slowly.â
One day, the crazy king looks at Calian without answering. Calian, who left behind his older brother who was just a pea in a storm, moved towards the palace without hesitation. How to distinguish between what can be seen together and what should not be seen together. Because we already know this much.
Plantz, who caught a glimpse of Calianâs back, opened the letter first without being able to open the locket without knowing what was inside. Then, he wrote a handwriting that was surprisingly similar to Plantzâs. I looked at the written content for a long time.
I looked at the short content that I could already memorize even if I only glanced at it. After a long time, I opened the rocket. â
Click.
The lid opens with a small sound.
A picture as small as the rocket.
A child. There was a portrait of a child.
A young child with light emerald colored hair tied back. A young child looking forward with light green eyes. A young boy. It
was a portrait depicting Plantzâs childhood.
â⦠âHa.â
The smart Planz knew well.
He had never painted any portraits during that period.
â I wonder how much he would have grown while I was not around. I am waiting for the day you come back. I
read the short letter again.
â I miss you. .Planz.
I read it endlessly.