Chapter 176, My People (4)

Translator: Hedge

Editor: Lizzz

 

Arsene did not trust people easily.

 

Therefore, he did not believe what Kalian and Plants had said about learning how to bandage wounds. In fact, no one in the world would believe it. Royalty who even required the assistance of attendants and maids to change their clothes were able to bandage wounds?

 

Even if he were to believe Plants’ words after making a hundred concessions, the doubts would not disappear. Learning something, being able to do it, and being skilled at it were entirely different matters.

 

“Is that so.”

 

That was why Arsene answered like this.

 

He understood that Plants telling such an absurdly shameless lie did not mean ‘believe my lie.’

 

Plants had merely given Arsene grounds to put aside his doubts on his own.

 

The message was that Kalian was hiding something and Plants knew what it was, but he should understand and move on to the extent of believing that lie.

 

“I understand.”

 

In truth, Arsene had felt for quite some time that Kalian was far from ordinary. Though he did not know the exact reason, if he was told to let it pass, he had no choice but to do so. He believed that when the time came to know, Kalian would tell him.

 

“Then may I ask just one more thing.”

 

“What now.”

 

There was no way he could not have understood what was said, yet he wanted to ask another question. Plants answered without hiding his annoyance. Despite his face looking as if he would fall asleep at any moment, or more precisely, as if he would collapse, Arsene’s mouth opened as if he had been waiting.

 

“That robe, why are you holding it, Deputy Commander?”

 

Arsene’s gaze as he spoke was pointing to the white robe in the Prince’s hands. It was because he had met Arsene after getting off the carriage but before returning it to Hina.

 

Plants, who had been looking at Arsene for a moment, spoke.

 

“Should I explain, Mage?”

 

“I was just curious, Deputy Commander.”

 

If he was injured to that extent, he should not be able to speak, yet he was chattering away so calmly.

 

This caused an irritated expression to appear on Plants’ face once more. He understood that the title ‘Deputy Commander’ had not come out with good intentions.

 

He did not want to waste his energy explaining such matters or pointing out that title. So, Plants simply went to the sofa beside him and sat down with his legs crossed.

 

He was trying to suppress thoughts about whether he might learn Magic like Silent or Clean or Sleep, whether he could do it if he learned.

 

He had also been told not to fight.

 

*Knock knock…*

 

Right on time, a small knocking sound came and Hina entered.

 

Plants, who had been watching Hina walk over and examine Arsene’s wound once more, turned his gaze to the robe on his knees.

 

It was an action without much thought.

 

Arsene’s shoulder was said to be fine, the bleeding had stopped, and he had nothing more to do in this place.

 

That was why.

 

He came to examine the white embroidery again; How many Larisium flowers there were, what the flowers looked like. And since the place where Plants was now in was brighter than the carriage.

 

That was why.

 

[Be… rn!?]

 

It caught his eye.

 

Among the white flowers that were said to be embroidered instead of a name, very small, extremely small letters caught his eye.

 

“Lord Bern. I’m sorry for making you come out at this hour. Your older brother must have been worried too.”

 

And like this, Arsene’s voice was heard.

 

Like the Mages of Valkan, Hina was the same. Having become a member of Valkan, she was called ‘Lady.’ Plants knew this too.

 

The problem was elsewhere.

 

“Come to think of it, both are Bern, so it’s hard to distinguish. When I meet your older brother someday, I should ask if I can call him by his name, Kyrie.”

 

Attendants and maids did not mention their surnames within the Royal Palace. Even their names were often not their real names.

 

Moreover, it was Allan and Arsene who had brought Hina into Valkan. Plants did not have the leisure to concern himself with such matters due to his business with the Knight Order.

 

Therefore, Plants did not know that his younger brother’s attendant and maid were siblings who used the same surname, or what their surname was. No one had told him, and there was no reason he needed to know.

 

‘Bern.’

 

While half-listening to Arsene’s words, Plants repeated Hina’s surname, embroidered in white letters, once more.

 

[It seems familiar.]

 

It was definitely familiar, but he could not remember why.

 

Whatever reason there may have been, the Plants of today could not be forgiven the one who bore that name.

 

The words Chase had spoken while asking him not to repay but to help.

 

Even though he had answered that he would take those words to heart.

 

* * *

 

As always.

 

“You came out?”

 

Kalian said only this without any other words. It was somewhat unexpected that Plants had come out to a place other than the Royal Palace, but it was not particularly surprising.

 

Allan and Euria had decided to check around the forest once more before returning. Since Kalian had left the Royal Palace on his own in the middle of the night, he could not be away from his post for too long, so he returned first.

 

Kalian had just arrived at the Teleportation Magic Circle and met Plants, who had finished stanching Arsene’s bleeding and was coming outside.

 

Plants merely nodded without any other words to Kalian’s brief greeting. No words of gratitude or any other words were exchanged. As always.

 

“Let’s return to the Royal Palace.”

 

Kalian, who had said this, walked ahead. Then, seeing the carriage parked outside the Teleportation Magic Circle, he burst into laughter.

 

A black mother-of-pearl carriage.

 

Wasn’t there only one black mother-of-pearl carriage in all of Cyries?

 

It was obviously Allan’s carriage, which Plants had taken out on his own since he naturally could not have received permission to borrow it in advance.

 

“You did well.”

 

Kalian, who had stopped laughing, looked at Plants and said this.

 

Plants also knew well that his own life was not safe. In a situation where he could neither bring escorts nor take a Royal carriage, was there anything safer than Allan’s carriage?

 

So taking Allan’s carriage was the most appropriate choice Plants could make.

 

Even after hearing Kalian’s praise, Plants still did not say anything particular. Kalian, who smiled wryly at such Plants, put Hina and Arsene in the carriage. Then he held out the reins of Arsene’s horse, which they had been riding until now, to Plants.

 

Since one horse remained, it meant he should ride the horse.

 

“If the carriage is more comfortable, you should take it.”

 

Since Arsene needed to continue receiving treatment anyway, there would be nothing good about Plants being in the carriage with him. Therefore, Plants accepted the horse reins that Kalian offered without refusal. Kalian briefly glanced at Hina’s robe still in his hands, but did not say anything else.

 

Arsene, seated on the extremely comfortable sofa in that magnificent carriage, immediately fell to sleep.

 

Whether his tension had been relieved upon seeing Kalian, he could not even manage other greetings or words.

 

So whether it was sleep or fainting was unclear, but instead of worrying about Arsene, Kalian only let out a short sigh. This was because Arsene was with Hina, and Plants mentioned there would be no issues with the treatment.

 

*Clop clop…*

 

Soon one carriage and two horses set off again toward the Royal Palace.

 

Even though they had stopped the bleeding and taken urgent measures, the treatment was not finished. They needed to return to the Royal Palace as quickly as possible, so this time too, the sound of horse hooves was not quiet.

 

While listening to this quietly, Kalian spoke to him.

 

“You didn’t need to come out. You must be tired.”

 

He said this while having accepted it as natural just a moment ago.

 

Plants made a briefly displeased face upon hearing ‘you must be tired.’ He understood that Kalian was thinking of him as some kind of tender greenhouse plant.

 

“Not tired.”

 

But he could not very well show irritation to his younger brother who had returned reeking of blood. So, he could only give an appropriate response.

 

“You.”

 

Soon Plants asked back like this.

 

Wasn’t it not Kalian who was tired?

 

This would be the first time Plants had asked after someone’s well-being.

 

Whether knowing this or not, Kalian just shrugged his shoulders and answered.

 

“I’m fine.”

 

“I see.”

 

That was all.

 

They were not in a position to ask what had happened or if there were any injuries. Having finished their brief inquiry about each other’s well-being, the two simply drove their horses silently, following behind the carriage.

 

Again, *clop clop…*

 

Only the peaceful sound of horse hooves echoed through Cyriesus’s wide Capital.

 

Then suddenly, Plants’ voice was heard.

 

“Were they siblings?”

 

“Do you mean Kyrie and Hina?”

 

Plants nodded.

 

“Yes. They are siblings.”

 

He knew that Hina and Kyrie had entered the Royal Palace together and that the two were close, but that murderous Kyrie and tender Hina were so different that he had not known.

 

Of course, Plants also knew that the scar on Hina’s ear and the power of healing Hina possessed were because she was a Half-Elf. That could not be hidden.

 

But Kyrie was not.

 

He had not noticed at all that he was a Half-Elf. Now, thinking back on the fact that they were siblings, it was strange that he had not wondered why Kyrie’s ears were so pale, yet he had not known.

 

When he thought of Kyrie, there was something that came to mind together, so perhaps he had tried not to delve too deeply into it.

 

It was an unknowable matter.

 

“So that’s why…”

 

Plants was about to say whether that was why Kalian cared so much about Hina, because she was Kyrie’s younger sister, but closed his mouth.

 

This was because he recalled the reason Kalian cherished Kyrie, the reason Kyrie was wary of Plants, stemmed from something that was by no means pleasant.

 

“Are they from Secritia?”

 

He asked this instead.

 

Kalian, who had been staring at Plants, asked.

 

“Are you curious?”

 

“I dislike just guessing and jumping to conclusions.”

 

Whether it was curiosity about Hina, curiosity about Kyrie, or curiosity about Kalian, neither Kalian nor Plants could know for certain.

 

The only thing that was certain was that, as before, he had asked about something he was curious about. Therefore, Kalian smiled.

 

“They are children who were born and raised in this place.”

 

Then he manifested Silent.

 

This was a story that not only Arsene but also Hina should not hear.

 

“There was an accident. Something I don’t know the details of either, something that should never have happened. So only Kyrie came to Secritia.”

 

Was this a story about Bern?

 

Or was it a story about Kalian?

 

Stories about Arcus Tempus, stories about war, stories about countless death…

 

Whether he thought it was not such a story, or whether he considered it unrelated to the war, Kalian was readily speaking of a story he had thought he would never tell since that rainy day.

 

“I taught him how to use the sword, and he learned quite well. Because we were very close, after opening my eyes again, I looked for Kyrie first. Hina was with him.”

 

A rambling story mixing past and present.

 

Because he had been making some guesses about Kyrie, Plants understood those rambling words well. He also understood why Kalian cherished Hina so much.

 

“…That’s fortunate.”

 

So he said the exact same thing as Kalian had once said.

 

It was indeed fortunate.

 

Since he had decided not to feel unnecessary guilt about matters related to Bern anymore. It was just fortunate that someone who could tell him about the existence of scentless flowers was still alive.

 

Of course, Kalian would never know the exact meaning, but he had spoken with that intent.

 

“Yes. It’s fortunate.”

 

And Kalian answered like this.

 

A name that should be forgotten.

 

A name that could no longer be passed on through another who remembered it.

 

He smiled while thinking of Hina, who had come to carry on that name anew.

 

Wasn’t Hina living in place of Bern?

 

So, could there be another life more precious than that?

 

Kalian smiled genuinely at the fact that one more person was telling him it was fortunate.