Chapter 154, Not a Difficult Task (5)

Translator: Lizzz

Editor: Hedge

 

[It should have just disappeared. It would have been better if it had. It should have vanished and never appeared before my eyes again!]

 

[So suddenly like this. So suddenly like this… Why so suddenly like this!? Why on earth!?]

 

* * *

 

Just like Bern.

 

It was something that should not exist, yet it had appeared in a time when it could not have existed and in a place where it should not be in.

 

In a fragmented, incomplete state.

 

Yes, just like Bern.

 

It would have been better not to see it.

 

Not knowing would have been a hundred, a thousand times better.

 

He wanted to know why Arcus Tempus had moved, who had moved it and for what purpose. He pursued it. He never wanted to face Arcus Tempus again. He never imagined, not even in dreams, that he would see it again.

 

‘Just once, it turns back time.’

 

Those were Chase’s words.

 

A single line found in an old, very old book. That was the only information about Arcus Tempus. So, he took it as a given fact. He thought it had disappeared because that one time had been used.

 

But now, he was seeing it again, like this.

 

No matter what words from this world he could gather and speak aloud, they would not be able to express Kalian’s current feelings.

 

Kalian’s mouth opened slightly as he looked at the golden ring floating alone in the void.

 

“Ha…”

 

A sigh, carrying words more certain than anything else in the world, slipped out. Seeing that he was exhaling, fortunately, it seemed that things were not terrible enough to give up on life. And so, at the tail end of that sigh, a hollow laugh escaped.

 

Kalian now understood why Allan had tried to lighten his mood by making jokes he did not usually make before entering this place. He must have been worried about what would happen to Kalian the moment he came in and saw that thing.

 

‘Don’t be surprised, don’t be shaken’ Allan probably could not even give such hints, so he just made a joke.

 

“How amusing. If only my older brother had eaten properly, I wouldn’t have suddenly encountered such a thing like this.”

 

Since a hollow laugh had come out anyway, Kalian made a joke too.

 

Directed at Allan who could only see the back of Kalian’s head, meaning it was fine so there was no need to worry. He mentioned someone innocent who had absolutely no connection to the discovery of the Arcus fragments.

 

“It’s fortunate. That it’s only a part, that a part is here.”

 

And he added this,

 

Saying it was fortunate that it was only a fragment.

 

“I don’t have to harbor expectations I shouldn’t have, and I don’t have to worry about the same thing repeating. That’s truly fortunate.”

 

How fortunate it was that since it was only a fragment, he did not need to harbor expectations he should not have.

 

“Since a part is here, no matter where the rest is, the same thing won’t repeat.”

 

How fortunate that was.

 

In the end, there was nothing truly fortunate for Kalian himself, yet he said it was fortunate like this. Just like the day he learned that Bern’s life had been completely erased and forgotten, he called it fortunate.

 

“…Don’t swallow it down like that. Your Highness’s insides will all burn up.”

 

This was Kalian who had forced down Sillike’s poison tea until his insides had melted. He had swallowed it all without frowning once in front of others. Though he was saying it was fortunate in a steady voice, would this time be any different?

 

More poison had entered his already damaged insides.

 

Kalian did not answer for a while. Allan forcibly suppressed his desire to immediately go to his side and check what Kalian’s face looked like.

 

Kalian spent a long time saying nothing.

 

Allan just watched Kalian silently without saying anything.

 

Worried that he might collapse.

 

“It’s fine. I have a strong heart.”

 

After a long time, an answer finally came from Kalian. It was a calm voice that didn’t waver at all.

 

Knowing that the feeling wasn’t terrible enough to die from was sufficient. He understood that there was no way to do anything even if he saw this.

 

“What would change now just because this exists? Even if by some chance I could get my hands on the complete Arcus Tempus and move time again, how could I reverse what has already gone so wrong?”

 

What would he do if someone other than Bern was forgotten again?

 

What would he do if someone other than Kalian lost their name again?

 

So, there was nothing to do but close his eyes.

 

“… What do you intend to do with it?”

 

Though Allan did not believe Kalian’s words that he was fine, he only asked this. He thought it would be better to direct his thoughts elsewhere.

 

“That once is enough. No more.”

 

Kalian gave this answer that was both an answer and not an answer as he approached the golden ring.

 

For now, he planned to examine it a bit more and then destroy it. Whether Arcus Tempus was a Divine Artifacts or not, it was to prevent it from ever appearing in the world again.

 

It did not matter what power was contained in that thing or what amazing abilities it had. The terrible act of turning back time must never happen again. That was most important.

 

*Step!*

 

However, he stopped before taking even three steps.

 

His feet stopped just before the ring; more precisely, it was as though something barred him from stepping closer.

 

An invisible wall stretched between Arcus Tempus and Kalian, an unseen force guarding the fragments.

 

*Uwoong…*

 

Noticing this, Kalian drew his sword without hesitation.

 

When the sword filled with dark red Aura made a deep resonating sound, Allan, guessing what Kalian was thinking now, withdrew his protective barrier that had been surrounding Kalian.

 

Along with that, Kalian swung his sword.

 

*Kaang!*

 

A sharp sound filled Syspanian’s space.

 

Kalian’s sword, which seemed to drip tragic light, was still blocked by the invisible ‘wall’ and stopped in mid-air. He tried swinging the sword again, but all attacks were blocked by the wall.

 

Allan, who had been watching what Kalian was doing for a while, spoke quietly.

 

“Put away the sword. I couldn’t enter either.”

 

Kalian bit the inside of his mouth.

 

It was not for nothing that there was no security device. If Allan could not approach, who could touch this?

 

Eventually Kalian dispersed the Mana and Aura that formed his sword. Dark red clusters of light resembling Kalian scattered here and there before disappearing.

 

Kalian, who had been quietly watching that sight, opened his mouth.

 

“Syspanian…”

 

A barrier created by a power that even Allan couldn’t handle. There was only one being who would set up such a device in this place. It was definitely the owner of this space, Sigmund Khan Syspanian.

 

“It must be her doing.”

 

[If not, it would be Serenty.]

 

However, Kalian did not mention anything about Serenty and only said this. He was not short-sighted enough to carelessly speak of Divine Intervention in an uncertain situation.

 

“Master. You saw Arcus Tempus in Secritia, didn’t you?”

 

“Yes. I saw it once.”

 

When Chase tried to learn about Arcus Tempus, he called Allan to Secritia. At that time, Allan also saw this.

 

“Then at that time it had been safely in Secritia, but when I opened my eyes it had disappeared, and at some unknown time, a fragment came to this place.”

 

Kalian kept his head in the same position but lowered his gaze. Quick thoughts and words continued simultaneously.

 

“Whether directly or not, Syspanian seems to be connected. It seems like Syspanian directly hid the fragments. Though I don’t know if it was before or after she met me.”

 

Syspanian’s Empty Lair in Siegfried Territory was a known place. This place was unknown to anyone. If she had wanted to hide something, and assuming there were circumstances that required hiding it somewhere other than ‘her own dimensional space,’ she might have considered this location the safest.

 

“Then it was exposed when the palace was destroyed.”

 

[Should we allow the erection of Arsene’s statue?]

 

At this sudden thought, Kalian let out a meaningless laugh and took out a black pebble from his pocket. It was the very black pebble that Allan had said might be an ‘artificial Divine Artifact.’

 

The common point between the fragment and the black pebble, which had characters that even Kalian could not read.

 

When he was Bern, he had never paid attention to the characters carved on Arcus Tempus, but now it was different. Since he could not enter the wall to examine it closely, he intended to compare the characters from here.

 

“I’ve already checked.”

 

Allan, who had noticed what Kalian was thinking, said.

 

Allan had thought the same thing. So he had already made the comparison using the characters that Euria had copied. That was why he had brought up the story about the stone on the way here.

 

“There were no identical characters. However, I confirmed that they are characters of a similar format.”

 

“You mean they’re different characters from the same writing system.”

 

“It’s possible.”

 

Hearing those words, Kalian was silent again for a while.

 

Allan, who was waiting for Kalian’s words, looked around. On the walls, the stories of the Eight Heros who led the War of the Two Gods to victory were carved.

 

Among them, only the face of the ‘Great Queen of Secritia’ was not depicted. The face of that Nameless Queen had only an outline. No eyes, nose, mouth; nothing was carved.

 

Thinking of this, Allan smiled bitterly. Though it might not be for the same reason as Bern, he thought that she too was someone whose face and name had been forgotten.

 

Soon, Kalian’s voice brought Allan back from his thoughts.

 

“Anyway, now I need to move a bit more urgently. Since I’ve discovered it even though I shouldn’t have, I think I need to ask directly.”

 

“Do you intend to meet Syspanian?”

 

Allan, who thought of someone Kalian could ask about this matter, asked this, and Kalian immediately nodded and answered.

 

“Yes. It doesn’t seem like I can eliminate the fragment from this place… I should probably meet her. Why Arcus Tempus, which fulfilled its purpose in the ‘past’ and disappeared in the ‘present,’ has only a part remaining here? Did the rest properly disappear? Among those who might know the reason, Syspanian is the only one I can meet.”

 

She might not be able to answer again, but he still had to meet her. He could not cross the Senu River saying he’d meet Serenty, the Main Goddess symbolizing life and death, directly.

 

“Will you go right away?”

 

“No. After finishing this matter. Regardless of the Teleportation Magic Circle, there are more urgent matters to handle immediately. I can’t trust what those two troublesome guys will do while I’m away.”

 

Allan smiled slightly, understanding who the ‘two troublesome guys’ were.

 

Didn’t Syspanian say to come when all preparations were complete anyway? The discovery of the fragment in this place and the preparations Kalian had to make were completely different matters.

 

“First, I need to meet older brother Randel again.”

 

The black pebble with characters carved on it that might be the same as those on Arcus Tempus. And the power used by some organization that the pebble had reacted to. The connection between them and Randel.

 

Resolving to meet one of the two troublesome guys, Kalian said this.

 

* * *

 

“Please answer, older brother. Whether I should consider you an enemy, or whether you too are someone I should embrace and take along. I’d like you to tell me that directly.”

 

He had said that.

 

“You don’t need to tell me right now how much is hidden in the Seal of Oath, so please just let me know that one thing.”

 

He had also said this.

 

“You continue to keep Beurisen and His Majesty together.”

 

Randel’s mouth opened quietly after looking at Kalian for a moment.

 

He realized that Kalian was equating Beurisen with Rmain. And not just Rmain; if Randel had set his sights on Beurisen, wasn’t it obvious there was a deliberate effort to intervene?

 

Kalian nodded as if there was nothing to hide.

 

“I decided not to place the Marquis and Count in the same position as Beurisen as a whole. I’ve abandoned the idea of making that entire Family an enemy. Just the Marquis and Count, and Viscount. I’ll eliminate only those three and let the Family survive. I have uses for them.”

 

“I’m curious whether that’s your arrogance or confidence. You can’t be unaware of how difficult it is to eliminate all the heads while maintaining the Beurisen, and how unlikely it is to properly utilize the Beurisen you’ve kept alive this way.”

 

“I have something to rely on. It should probably be fine.”

 

Saying that, Kalian continued speaking while tapping the edge of his teacup with his finger.

 

“If something escapes from the hands of what I rely on, I can just strike it down then. What would be difficult about that?”

 

The Beurisen force was needed but not precious. If guys who escaped Plants’s control and acted on their own appeared, he could just eliminate them. It was not a difficult task for him.

 

‘Pruning.’

 

Wasn’t this something he had already done too many times?

 

“You don’t doubt that child you believe in.”

 

Knowing that what Kalian relied on was Plants, Randel said this, and Kalian briefly made a laughing sound.

 

Randel was right.

 

That pea of a life he loved and hated. He had never doubted him.

 

Bern did not make his people great. Instead, he merely did not doubt those who entered his fold.

 

Betrayal was something of course he had experienced. So, he knew well how much it hurt. Nevertheless, he did not doubt his people.

 

“Because I trust myself more.”

 

It was not because he was foolishly fond of people;

 

It was because he trusted himself.

 

“I am not someone who would fall due to mere betrayal.”

 

Whether it was confidence or arrogance, anyway, the current Kalian was the same. So from the moment he decided to join hands with Plants, he might hate, but did not doubt.

 

“Yes. I understand.”

 

“Now, shouldn’t you answer me?”

 

Randel answered like this, and Kalian looked at Randel again.

 

After looking at Kalian for a moment, Randel opened his mouth.

 

“It’s something different. I’m not targeting His Majesty or Beurisen.”

 

“Can’t you tell me exactly what it is?”

 

“No.”

 

“Because of the Seal of Oath?”

 

“Yes.”

 

[This much is enough for now. For now…] Kalian, who had made his decision, nodded.

 

While protecting Rmain so his life would not be shortened, he had also protect Arcus Tempus from falling into others’ hands again until he could destroy it. While protecting that herbivore’s heart, he would also protect his eldest brother’s.

 

If he protected everything, it would work out.

 

Since he was doing it anyway, doing it all together would not be difficult.

 

“I understand.”

 

The cold tea no longer released the scent of bergamot.

 

Whether it was not rising, or whether the scent was still there but couldn’t be felt, he couldn’t tell. Anyway, now only bitter fragrance rose and it tasted bitter.

 

“I always end up showing my back to older brother Randel.”

 

What he could share face-to-face with Randel now was not friendship. If they faced each other, they would have no choice but to point swords at each other.

 

This time it was not to turn his back but to protect, a small difference, but in the end, all Kalian could show Randel was just his back. That was the current best option.

 

“Don’t step out of my shadow anymore.”

 

Kalian’s red eyes gazed into Randel’s abyss.

 

“You’ll die.”

 

Toward those suffocatingly constricting deep blue sea-colored eyes, he extended a hand that would be both the first and last.