Chapter 85, Those Steps (5)

Translator: Hedge

Editor: Lizzz

 

[Why, why did I spare your life? If you die by such a blade, what becomes of my life? What a truly crazy bastard, you are Plants.]

 

* * *

 

The blue sword disappeared from Kalian’s hand.

 

At the same time, Plants collapsed to the floor, losing his strength.

 

Only after witnessing this did the event hall finally fall into chaos. They realized that Kalian manifesting the blue light was not the only thing to be shocked about.

 

The Queen had swung a knife at a Prince!

 

Rmain, who had to witness her son’s blood spill once again, staggered as he approached Plants.

 

“Plants!”

 

Allan, who supported Rmain, clicked his tongue while looking at Kalian. He was concerned because Kalian had revealed his power in front of everyone.

 

However, knowing what was more important at this moment, Allan turned to Rmain and said.

 

“Let us leave this place first. It could be dangerous.”

 

Without further delay, he escorted Rmain out while protecting her.

 

Along with him, the Caera Knights moved in perfect unison.

 

Some escorted Rmain with Allan, while others dragged out the apprehended Sillike. The rest controlled the surroundings, sending out all the Nobles as well.

 

Mages of Valkan stood guard to prevent anyone else from entering the Wilhelm Hall. This was to block any other attacks that might occur due to this charged atmosphere.

 

Kalian, at the center of this chaos, did not witness any of these events. It would be more accurate to say he had no opportunity to do so.

 

Kalian could not even think about having used his Aura in front of so many people. He postponed all worries about Rmain, Ian, Randel, and Evan having seen what he had been hiding.

 

Kalian bit his lip as he pressed down on Plants’ wound.

 

The curses that had been circling in his mind finally escaped his mouth.

 

“Crazy bastard.”

 

Plants had already lost consciousness.

 

Sillike’s dagger had left a merciless wound. The wound was both long and deep. Blood spurted with each heartbeat. Dark red blood gushed out constantly.

 

The power of the Syspanian’s Blessing alone was not enough.

 

If she had truly wanted her descendants to be special, the power of her blessing should have been stronger. But Syspanian had not left such a potent power behind.

 

[She is, truly, damnably thoughtful. Why did she leave us so weak? At this rate, he would really die.]

 

Looking at the unstoppable blood, Kalian opened his mouth urgently.

 

“I need a Healer, quickly!”

 

“Someone has already gone to call for one. I thought Hina would be quicker, so she already went to Chermil Palace.”

 

Kyrie, who had clearly heard Kalian’s voice amidst the commotion, approached and answered. Then, he began helping Kalian staunch Plants’ wound.

 

In the midst of this, Kalian’s head suddenly jerked up as he remembered something.

 

[Wait. Wasn’t there a healer right here!? Isn’t Randel here!?]

 

“Ran…”

 

As he raised his head to call Randel, Kalian’s mouth stopped and slowly closed.

 

Randel was still sitting in his place, continuing to look in Kalian’s direction. The gazes of Kalian, who had raised his head, and Randel, who remained seated, directly met.

 

This time, Kalian saw it.

 

The terribly cold and rational Randel.

 

Randel was different from Kalian.

 

He stood up and directly went outside.

 

He did not reveal what he had been hiding.

 

Seeing this, Kalian bitterly chuckled.

 

Instead of resenting Randel, Kalian pressed harder on the wound. Another curse escaped between his clenched teeth.

 

Before long, Hina could be seen rushing over.

 

* * *

 

Sillike, who had been sitting quietly, raised her head.

 

Footsteps that were neither slow nor fast echoed in the dark corridor. From the sound of those steps alone, she seemed to know who had come.

 

Soon the sound stopped, and silence fell for a moment.

 

The person who stood silently, watching Sillike through the iron bars, finally opened his mouth after a long time. It was a very deep voice.

 

“You’ve asked for me.”

 

Blood-stained clothes, bandages wrapped where her right hand should be, and a pale face. Sillike’s appearance had changed too much since this morning. Nevertheless, it remained the same. Still beautiful and still filled with hostility.

 

“I called you here because I wanted to ask something.”

 

As she spoke, Sillike slightly furrowed her brow.

 

Seeing her eyes go to her right hand, it seemed the severed part was painful. Kalian watched her with an expressionless face.

 

After pausing for a moment, Sillike opened her mouth.

 

“You.” After calling Kalian this way, Sillike’s eyes scanned him up and down. Kalian silently waited for her next words. “You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”

 

Kalian gave a hollow laugh.

 

It was not the question he had expected.

 

[Is that all? You called me here just to ask that? Why are you so curious about what I am hiding? Why ask such a question now of all times?]

 

However, Kalian gave a frank nod.

 

Feeling Sillike’s gaze changed at his response, Kalian added.

 

“Who doesn’t have something to hide?”

 

There was no reason, nor any intention, to reveal his secret to Sillike now.

 

Hearing this, Sillike opened her mouth again. But Kalian had no desire to speak more about it. So, he cut off her words and said:

 

“Since I’m here, let me ask one thing as well.”

 

Sillike did not answer, but Kalian took it as affirmation.

 

“The former Queen Aisha. Was it really you who killed her?”

 

He wanted to confirm whether Sillike was truly connected to the death of the former Queen, who was also Randel’s birth mother.

 

“Aisha…”

 

After saying this, Sillike pretended to search her memories for a while, then made an expression as if something had come to mind.

 

With a smile both innocent and cruel, like a child might show, Sillike looked straight up at Kalian and continued:

 

“How could I forget her? It was the first poison I administered with my own hands.”

 

She had killed Aisha too.

 

Kalian softly chuckled, at a loss for the words to say at the way she spoke of it. It was as if she was reminiscing about some fond memory.

 

[With her like that, it seems I should be thanking her for keeping Rmain alive until now.]

 

Sillike’s soft voice echoed through the corridor.

 

“I’ve been so honest with you. But you haven’t.”

 

After saying this, Sillike just looked in Kalian’s direction without saying anything more. She seemed to hope for some response, but Kalian had nothing more he wanted to share with her.

 

As he was about to turn and leave, Kalian stopped and looked at Sillike for a moment. Then, after quietly taking a deep breath, he spoke again.

 

It was a new question, not an answer to Sillike’s words.

 

“I thought you would ask as soon as you saw me. But you haven’t. Whether your son is dead or alive.”

 

Even after swinging a knife at her son with her own hand, Sillike had not asked a single thing about Plants.

 

At Kalian’s words, Sillike’s voice turned cold.

 

“…He interfered until the very end.”

 

A terribly cruel misunderstanding. And, avoidance.

 

Looking at the floor with slightly downcast eyes, Kalian opened his mouth.

 

“Like you, I don’t want to say more. But, similarly, I too am a bit angry.”

 

Kalian raised his hand to point at where his heart was.

 

“How such a serious wound could be caused by that clumsy, small knife of yours. I wish you would think about that.”

 

He slipped into informal speech again, but Sillike’s expression did not change. She only gripped the hem of her dress with her one remaining hand. Sillike’s eyes went to the red bloodstains on the dress. It was difficult to distinguish whose blood it was.

 

Seeing this, Kalian slowly bent down to meet Sillike’s eyes. And he continued speaking slowly.

 

“People usually rush to protect what they want to keep safe.”

 

Sillike did not answer.

 

She continued to look at the hem of her dress with the same expression.

 

Kalian, who had been quietly watching this, delivered his final words.

 

“So, for every step that you have taken. Couldn’t you have turned around just once?”

 

Having finished speaking, Kalian turned and walked away.

 

He did not even offer a farewell to mark the end. Silence once again fell upon that place where no one remained.

 

Soon, a thin sobbing spread through the corridor.

 

Whether it was belated regret, or disappointment at having missed a way to create a better path.

 

Or if it contained some other meaning.

 

No one cared about that now.

 

Not even Sillike herself.

 

* * *

 

The execution of Sillike was carried out quickly.

 

As Kalian had told Plants, they did not lay Renisita leaves in the plaza. However, a poison known to make one’s breath stop in a long and painful way was delivered. It was Rmain’s decision.

 

Whether she thought of Plants who showed no sign of waking, or considered it the same punishment for having poisoned so many people, only Rmain would know.

 

And on that day, on the Senu River.

 

Not a single petal floated away.

 

No one had prepared Arunesia for Sillike.

 

* * *

 

A week passed like the quiet Senu River.

 

As people wanted to quickly erase the unpleasant memories, those who spoke of Sillike soon disappeared. Instead, voices mentioning Kalian gradually grew louder.

 

Because there was another incident that had been overshadowed by Sillike that day.

 

The numerous Nobles and Knights present had seen it.

 

What Kalian had held in his hand was clearly Aura!

 

“His Highness is only fifteen right now. No one has ever become a Sword Master at that age!”

 

“You think that is all? They say he can use Magic as well.”

 

Opinions that it was time to announce something good after such an ominous event continued to be relayed to Rmain.

 

But Rmain was not giving any answer. Or rather, he could not find an appropriate response.

 

After all, should he not at least meet with Kalian before saying anything?

 

After his last meeting with Sillike that day, Kalian had immediately gone to Plants’ room. And for a week, he had not left that room.

 

He was constantly watching over Plants, who could not wake up, so even Rmain could not bring himself to forcibly summon him.

 

“So?”

 

Rmain, who had quietly opened his mouth, clutched his forehead.

 

His mind was noisy, and the Baby Elephant sitting in front of him kept saying strange things.

 

“You’re saying that Kalian learned self-defense from his guard and then managed to walk the path of the sword?”

 

Ian, who had spoken words that would make Sleiman, who had devoted his entire life to sword training, froth at the mouth and collapse. It was truly that serious. Moreover, Ian’s face showed that he was very proud of Kalian’s achievement, without a shred of doubt in his eyes.

 

With worry of Plants, who seemed to be in a deep sleep and would not wake up, already being overwhelming, Kalian’s situation was adding to Rmain’s troubles.

 

And Allan was absent at such a time.

 

After saying that he would not be of much help, and told Rmain to ask Ian, he had left and had not returned.

 

“Fine. I understand, you may go.”

 

In the end, Rmain sent Ian away without gaining anything.

 

Rmain’s sigh was deep and profound as he simply hoped that Plants would wake up soon and Kalian would come out.

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, at that time.

 

Chermil Palace, where the two Princes who had caused Rmain’s sighs were supposed to be, was buried in excessive silence, completely opposite to Rmain’s noisy mind.

 

Outside, people were already beginning to forget about Sillike, but Chermil could not.

 

Therefore, no one dared to speak freely, creating a stillness that made one wonder if this really was where the Princes lived.

 

The atmosphere of the 4th floor, where Plants stayed, was especially depressing. It was more so than anywhere else in the Royal Palace of Cyries. As a result, everyone hesitated to set foot on the 4th floor.

 

Because of this, no one knew.

 

“…So, why aren’t you leaving?”

 

No one knew that Cyries’ Second Prince had already awakened and was now uttering irritated words with a completely healthy body.

 

“I haven’t found an excuse yet.”

 

Also, no one knew that Kalian had been holed up here for a week because he could not find the words to explain how he had taken the path of the sword.

 

Thanks to this, Kalian, who had no idea what kind of hardship Rmain was going through after calling Ian out of frustration, opened his mouth with a completely shameless face.

 

“Don’t worry about me and rest. You must still be very dizzy.”

 

Plants closed his mouth.

 

A cat wearing a collar that said ‘I am Prince Kalian’s cat’ was meowing as it climbed onto the bed, next to it was a maid who was diligently moving her hands and conversing with the cat. Behind her an odd-eyed swordsman standing with eyes wide open without saying a word, and beside him a Seventh-Circle Mage continuously talking to the swordsman.

 

When he first opened his eyes two days ago and saw this scene, he had wondered if they were acting this way because they were worried he might be depressed because of Sillike.

 

But, were they that loving as brothers in the first place?

 

“…Get out.”

 

Plants could not help but question, [Is this really my brother?]

 

Looking at such a Plants, Kalian grinned.

 

Of course, that meant he did not want to leave.