Chapter 153, Not a Difficult Task (4)

Translator: Lizzz

Editor: Hedge

 

Very fragrant, slightly sweet, and moderately bitter.

 

The taste of the cake, which combined bergamot-scented black tea leaves and grapefruit with both sweetness and bitterness, was like that. It was very fragrant, then slightly sweet, then moderately bitter.

 

That mixture seemed somehow quite fitting for Randel, yet also somehow completely unfitting, Kalian thought. Randel was that complex a person, after all.

 

The room, which contained nothing but furniture and books, was quiet. It seemed both perfectly suited for someone with eyes that held the deep sea, and yet also completely unsuitable.

 

A person whose exterior was as splendid as a rose garden and perfect without the slightest deviation, but whose interior was empty like this room. A person who had many things tangled together, yet was also completely hollow on one side.

 

[The cake, and also this room, are exactly like older brother Randel.]

 

Kalian thought so.

 

Sunlight filtering through the thick red curtains illuminated golden hair.

 

“It’s a first.”

 

Randel, who had swallowed the slightly more bitter and slightly more fragrant black tea with his mouth that was simultaneously tasting the fragrant, sweet, and bitter cake, said this.

 

It was the first time Kalian had asked Randel for his time first, the first time he had visited Randel’s room, and the first time these brothers had sat facing each other drinking tea.

 

Moreover, Randel and Plants thought and spoke in completely different ways. Therefore, even Kalian, who seemed to create a situation where he almost read minds while conversing with Plants, could not easily guess what Randel meant by ‘first’.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

So Kalian simply asked like this.

 

He was looking at the tea water that seemed brown or red, instead of those blue eyes.

 

“Not being wary of me.”

 

Randel made Kalian lose his words with this answer.

 

Until now, it had been Randel who had not looked at Kalian from the same eye level as himself. Randel had not even been looking at Kalian at all until a year ago. That Randel was saying this. That Kalian had been wary of him.

 

[And whose fault was that?]

 

Kalian, who had kept his mouth tightly shut for a moment, looked at Randel. Then he answered with direct eyes where no trace of falsehood could be found.

 

“There has never been a single moment when I was not wary of Brother Randel. Even now.”

 

Both the old Kalian and the current Kalian.

 

Had not Randel always been an object of wariness?

 

“I see.”

 

Randel, who heard his youngest brother’s honest answer, did not change his expression or move his head. And he no longer looked away either.

 

“Tell me.”

 

Randel, who had been facing Kalian, gave him time to speak about the reason he had asked to meet. Kalian, whose mouth had become bitter for no reason, took another bite of the cake that was as complex as Randel’s personality, which was surely more complicated than his own.

 

That taste reminded him exactly of when he first encountered coffee. If it was going to be fragrant, it should just be fragrant, and if it was going to be bitter, it should just be bitter.

 

Kalian asked his eldest brother, whom he could neither avoid recklessly nor approach closely.

 

“Cyries or Tansyll?”

 

He did not speak in roundabout ways. That was better with Randel. And meeting Randel’s gaze as it came toward him, he added:

 

“The position you wish to have. Which throne you want?”

 

Randel, who had set down his teacup, did not answer for a long while.

 

To bring out thoughts that were accustomed to being always hidden and deeply buried would require that much time. Therefore, Kalian did not press him.

 

Though he might well ask why such a thing was being questioned, Randel asked something different.

 

“I’m curious how it looks in your eyes. Which side I appear to want.”

 

“I don’t know. At this point, I’m not even sure if you really want a position.”

 

He was not sure if the throne was what Randel wanted, but if it was, he could not tell whether it was Cyries’ or Tansyll’s.

 

Randel nodded slightly after hearing Kalian’s words.

 

That could not serve as an answer to the question. Therefore, Kalian waited until Randel brought out more content.

 

“I thought either side didn’t matter. It was just the feeling that a bigger piece might be better.”

 

Kalian briefly turned his head to look around Randel’s empty room.

 

Randel was a person who had no thought of possessing anything. The reason such a person would want the throne was ultimately one thing.

 

“You mean you need a position as a means, not as an end.”

 

[Like me. Like needing the throne for the sake of what you want to do.]

 

“Yes.”

 

“A means for what?”

 

At the end of these words, Kalian manifested Silent in a low voice. And he opened his mouth to ask again what he had not received an answer to last time.

 

“Whether you intend to raise your blade toward Beurisen and His Majesty, or if there’s another reason. I think I need to know this time. That would be a fact unrelated to the Seal of Oath.”

 

This time, he asked with the intention of not returning until he heard an answer, since Randel could not escape first either.

 

Randel’s eyes sank to a deep place.

 

And Kalian did not try to disturb Randel’s abyss further. He kept his mouth firmly shut as if urging him to bring it out and show it himself.

 

“Why have you become curious about that?”

 

Randel finally asked for the reason.

 

Why he wanted to know so much about him, why he tried to know what he wanted. Why he tried to shake things up in the opposite direction, when it was already not enough that things had escaped from his hands.

 

Kalian answered without even trying to erase the sharpness that had suddenly appeared in his eyes.

 

“Because I think I need to decide. Whether I should face older brother Randel. Whether I should show you my back. Whether I should raise my sword, or place older brother Randel behind my back and stand in front to block what’s ahead.”

 

Now he had to decide.

 

Because he had discovered something he had never expected.

 

“Please answer, older brother.”

 

* * *

 

That morning, before meeting Randel.

 

After Kalian had spent a night and half a day sleeping.

 

As his completely empty Aura returned to some degree, his fatigue disappeared along with it. His stamina and strength, which had dropped to the level that a boy of that age who had exercised a bit too much might have, recovered enough to wield a Sword Master’s blade again.

 

Actually, it would be more accurate to say he was strengthened again rather than recovered, but in any case, he had regained his usual state to some extent. Having keenly experienced how drastically different his physical condition was before and after storing Aura, he was determined never again to consume Aura to its limit.

 

After confirming his return to his familiar body, Kalian immediately went to find Allan. Allan had certainly said he would let him know once he confirmed what had been discovered at Heisia Palace, but he simply could not sit and wait.

 

“Master!”

 

Kalian, who was about to enter Wilhelm Hall, encountered Allan, who was just coming out. Allan, who would normally have welcomed Kalian calling him, first brought out somewhat scolding words.

 

“You could have rested more before coming. Why did you come so early?”

 

“I was curious.”

 

“Anyway, you should just know that your stubbornness is tougher than my mouth, Your Highness.”

 

Kalian looked at Allan with a grinning face.

 

Allan, who could never win even while knowing that this face was now deliberately made to ease his heart, let out a short sigh.

 

“Let’s go together. I was heading that way anyway.”

 

Thus, Master and Disciple left Wilhelm Hall side by side and headed toward Heisia Palace. Along the way, Allan continued with a brief explanation.

 

“I’ve already spoken to His Majesty. To confirm whether he knew there was an underground area of the palace.”

 

It was natural.

 

Since it was something that had happened at the Queen’s residence, not anywhere else, Rmain naturally had to know about it. Therefore, Kalian nodded and asked:

 

“What did His Majesty say?”

 

“He said he didn’t know Heisia Palace had an underground area. Regarding the objects that came out, he said he would decide after seeing the confirmed results first.”

 

“Then objects came out from a space even His Majesty didn’t know about.”

 

“That’s right. And coincidentally, when I met Count Seiren a few days ago, I heard an interesting story.”

 

Looking around, he noticed a thin barrier had been erected.

 

Confirming this, Kalian made a somewhat tense face. If Euria and Allan had met, and if it was important enough to manifest Silent and bring up the story, it would be significant.

 

“The black pebble Your Highness possesses might possibly be an artificial Divine Artifact.”

 

As soon as he heard those words, Kalian’s eyes became quietly locked.

 

“By artificial Divine Artifact, do you mean a man-made Divine Artifact?”

 

“Whether it’s possible, whether the result is indeed that stone, nothing has been confirmed, but Count Seiren found similar content. I stopped her from investigating further.”

 

Without slowing his walking pace, Kalian briefly lowered his eyes. Until they completely left the Wilhelm Hall area and reached Heisia Palace, Kalian did not open his mouth. And Allan did not disturb Kalian’s thoughts.

 

“… Man-made Divine Artifacts. Isn’t that already beyond the scope of Divine Artifacts? Divine Artifacts are supposed to mean objects blessed by Gods, but for humans to have created them is already contradictory.”

 

To Kalian’s words, which were ambiguous as to whether they were a question or not, Allan just nodded and conveyed what Euria had discovered to Kalian. Actually, there was not much to convey. Everything was just speculation, with no precisely confirmed content.

 

Kalian, who had listened to all of Allan’s words with quiet eyes, opened his mouth after a brief silence.

 

“Was there nothing else discovered?”

 

“There was no content about the black pebble. Let’s check what was newly discovered once we arrive. Whether the two are related or not will need a bit more examination.”

 

Deep worry was mixed in Allan’s voice as he said this. Kalian, wondering what had been discovered to make him like this, quickened his walking pace.

 

The entrance to Heisia Palace was blocked by six Mages standing guard. Kalian walked past them, noting that they were all wearing serious expressions, expressions he had not seen since the founding ceremony. Mage Nidlen approached him and bowed.

 

Kalian, recognizing Nidlen as the Mage who had written a reflection paper titled ‘Why Did We Break the Store?’ after causing trouble at the tavern, and who was second to Arsene in combat power, lightly moved his head to accept the bow.

 

“Please come this way, Your Highness.”

 

Nidlen, who had said this, guided Kalian to where Mage Order were surrounding the area.

 

There were stairs leading down somewhere. Stairs leading to somewhere underground that had been revealed due to the disappearance of Heisia Palace. A faint light was seeping from inside.

 

“I’ll go ahead, so please follow behind.”

 

Allan, who said this, surrounded Kalian with a shield glowing with red light. It was to protect Kalian from any potential danger.

 

Instead of saying this was overprotection, Kalian obediently followed behind Allan.

 

Allan, who seemed to have gone down the stairs several times already, descended the somewhat dark stairs that were only lit by faint light with familiarity. Kalian also possessed eyesight sharp enough to clearly distinguish objects in darkness, so he followed behind Allan without much difficulty.

 

*Step step step…*

 

Because the stairs were circular, it was difficult to gauge how far they had descended. Both Allan and Kalian descended downward without saying anything else.

 

When they had descended to what seemed like three or four floors deep, a stone door came into view. Seeing it, Kalian opened his mouth with a bitter smile.

 

“… Syspanian?”

 

On the stone door was a drawing of a Black Dragon.

 

If a pentagram and several other patterns were added above it, it would become Cyries’ emblem, but on the wall was only a drawing depicting a dragon with a jet-black body, long wings and tail, and red eyes.

 

“That’s right. The entrance to this place itself seems to have been blocked by Heisia Palace. There would have been a secret passage, but it’s difficult to confirm now.”

 

At Allan’s answer, which echoed slightly off the stone walls, Kalian smiled slightly.

 

It was a barbed comment meaning how they couldn’t confirm where the passage had been connected because his lovely Disciple had blown up the palace.

 

Kalian examined the stone door once more.

 

“This space is certainly over 500 years old, but the stone stairs, stone walls, and even the drawings of Syspanian are undamaged.”

 

“That’s because it’s a place touched by Syspanian’s power. However, it’s not a treasure vault, so don’t expect to strike it rich.”

 

Allan said this as he brought his hand to the stone door. He seemed to have noticed Kalian’s tension.

 

A treasure vault.

 

If she had collected such things, those treasures would be somewhere in the rocky mountain behind the Siegfried Mansion, not in this palace’s underground.

 

There would be no safer place on this continent than that place guarded by Siegfried’s Shield.

 

“How disappointing.”

 

Still, Kalian responded to Allan’s joke with these empty words. It was to show that he was not nervous. Allan nodded once, then opened the door.

 

*Grrrr…*

 

The heavy-looking stone door disappeared into the stone wall with a very small sound. It just opened as if there had been no locking mechanism at all.

 

A door without even a proper locking mechanism.

 

Allan’s words that it wasn’t a treasure vault were true.

 

Along with that, bright light seeped out.

 

After briefly closing and opening his eyes to get used to the brightened surroundings, a spacious dome-shaped space was revealed.

 

There were precise carvings on the stone walls. It seemed something was drawn there, but Kalian did not pay attention to it. Or rather, it would be correct to say he could not pay attention to it.

 

It was because of the object illuminating this place in the center of the circular space.

 

“I brought you here directly, thinking Your Highness might be able to recognize it.”

 

Letting Allan’s voice flow in one ear as he said this, Kalian walked forward step by step.

 

A large circular ring.

 

One golden ring densely carved with unknown characters.

 

A quiet voice barely flowed from Kalian’s mouth.

 

“How could I not recognize…”

 

How could he not recognize it?

 

“How could I not recognize it?”

 

That golden ring was layered several times. He still remembered. He could not forget. So how could he not recognize it?

 

He had spent a year following the golden circular rings layered in several layers, rotating differently from each other, with a large hourglass inside them. How could he forget?

 

The fingertips of Kalian, who had the remnants of what should have disappeared before his eyes, grew cold.

 

“…The Arcus Tempus.”

 

That was exactly a fragmented piece of the Arcus Tempus.