Chapter 108: Behind the Abyss (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 108: Behind the Abyss (3)
Early dawn on the final day of the festival, Demirea stood by Calian’s side.
The birds chirped with exceptional vigor that morning.
And Calian, for some reason, had an exceptionally long dream.
He had never dreamed of his time as Bern before, but in this dream, Calian was Bern. Staring at the light purple eyes reflected in the mirror, he tied his long, bluish-silver hair into a single ponytail. Then, dressed in light, casual clothes, he went to see Chase, just as he did every day.
In the dream, Chase looked at Bern and smiled.
Bern said something, but only Chase’s voice could be heard. No other sound reached his ears.
Perhaps it was because he didn’t want to hear anything else.
—You look tired. Go get some more rest.
—I am your older brother. I should be the one worrying about you, not the other way around.
Hearing that voice again was so wonderful—so wonderful that he couldn’t focus on anything else. It was only after a long while that he finally realized.
In the dream, Chase’s hair was short.
That was right. Chase had never grown his hair long.
It was because their hair colors were identical. Since they both resembled Devlan, they had laughed about how boring it would be if they both had long hair. So Chase always kept his hair short. He had never once let it grow.
Why…
…had he not realized?
The Chase who had come to Kairis was, indeed…
…very much like Bern.
The sudden realization that he should have recognized it at first glance, yet had only noticed it now, finally snapped him awake.
“……Ha.”
For some, recalling forgotten memories is a fond reminiscence. For others, it is a memory that forces them to hold their breath just to endure.
On that morning, as the birds with folded wings sang softly, Calian sat up and buried his face in his hands.
“I need to pull myself together…”
His whispering voice flickered like a candle flame.
*
The puppy-faced servant who claimed to be looking for a cat didn’t seem to be searching for a cat at all. Whether he wanted an apology for the knife thrown at him earlier or had some other business, his expression was far too serious.
In short, the man stood there with the face of a seasoned general about to march into his hundredth battle.
“Prince Franz.”
“What.”
Having just sent out Relic, the servant who had announced Yan’s arrival, Franz replied in a voice half-filled with annoyance and half with irritation.
At that, Yan spoke with an expression that suggested the sky was about to fall.
“Your Highness, your eyes are red.”
“They’re always red.”
Decided to start barking first thing in the morning, just like your master?
As Franz glared at him with that thought, Yan spoke again.
“No. You look completely drained of energy lately, Your Highness.”
…Drained of energy, my foot.
Just as their conversation had ended yesterday, Kyrie had emerged from the training ground. Seeing him, Franz’s crazy younger brother had suggested a duel, and Franz had accepted. He had nearly died.
The wound on his neck, which had healed well overnight, still seemed to throb.
Yan, who had no way of knowing what words Franz was swallowing as he narrowed his eyes, spoke again with a face that practically screamed, Do you think I would have come here if it weren't serious?
“Because of that, right now—”
“You. Siegfried.”
Franz cut Yan off.
Yan’s face stiffened. Then, tilting his head a fraction, he spoke curtly.
“What is it?”
Since Franz had called him “Siegfried,” he was responding as the Duke’s son.
Seeing Yan’s demeanor change at a single title, Franz smirked. He walked over to the sofa, leaned back, and gestured to the seat opposite him. Since it was an invitation to speak with Shiroian, the Duke’s son, rather than Yan the servant, Yan did not decline and sat down.
At the same time, Franz spoke.
“Call the Young Duchess.”
Yan stared blankly at Franz’s face.
“Do you know what it means for Demirea to come here?”
“I know.”
“Has a situation arisen that requires our intervention?”
At Yan’s question, one corner of Franz’s mouth curled upward. There was no way Franz didn't know what kind of people they were, or what choice Suleiman had made when Lemain ascended the throne.
“You speak as if you would actually intervene if I asked.”
Siegfried was not a kingmaker.
Calian knew this as well. That was why, even when he needed the strength of knights, he had sought out Count Aizen Aprin instead of Suleiman.
“Tell her we don’t need a sword. Just bring a shield.”
If he had wanted intervention, he would have told him to bring Suleiman, not Demirea. Though, of course, they would have refused.
Franz murmured in his characteristically languid voice.
“My younger brother is not the type to ask for even that much.”
The hand Randel held was unusual. It wasn't a visible force like a knight order or a mage corps; its true nature was completely unknown. The fact that he had used such a power to threaten Calian meant he was prepared for an all-out war.
Therefore, they needed Siegfried—specifically, their name.
Alan Manasil and the Valkan alone could not keep both Tensil and Brissen in check. They needed another prominent force. A massive entity whose very name would pose a sufficient threat to both sides, preventing a situation where they had to face both at once and deterring them from even thinking of attacking.
Yan, who had been staring out the window in thought, finally replied.
“Since the Young Duchess is also in Kairis this year, it won’t be difficult to speak with her. But…”
Pausing, Yan looked into Franz’s eyes and asked, “I’m curious why you’re going to such lengths to help him. I only came because I wanted to know the reason.”
Hearing this, Franz let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
—Everything is ruined because of you, Brother, so please understand at least this much.
The reason things had turned out this way was Franz’s fault.
If Randel hadn't known Calian was strong, he would have targeted only Brissen and Franz first. Calian should have remained out of Randel’s sight. Randel would have left him alone, complacent in the belief that whether Calian drove Lennon away or founded the Valkan, he would never escape his grasp.
But Randel had discovered the power Calian had hidden.
On top of that, Calian had continuously joined hands with Franz, and this time, he had openly interfered with Randel. It was as if he had pointed his sword at Randel while both his knight order and the Valkan were still incomplete.
Thus, Randel’s next target would inevitably be Calian.
If he couldn’t use him, he would have to eliminate him to prevent further interference.
In the end, because Calian had saved Franz, things had reached this state. Such a situation could never have been part of Calian’s original plan.
However, Franz was not kind enough to explain all of this in detail, so he simply gave a brief reply.
“Because I’m in his debt.”
“If you are the one in debt, Prince Franz, why are you telling me to call Demirea?”
It was glaringly obvious that Calian was overexerting himself to avoid looking at Chase, keeping his guard fully raised against Randel and Brissen. He didn't have a single moment to rest. Franz was trying to repay his debt to Calian in this way. He felt it wouldn't do to have debts when he had nothing else to his name.
“I figured he could use the shade of an elephant to catch his breath.”
That was Franz’s thought.
*
Calian was taken aback.
The baby elephant who had gone to find the cat hadn’t returned for a long time, only to come back with another elephant.
“Where is the cat?”
“Sleeping. On the bed in the room upstairs. Fast asleep, with his belly up. It seems the room upstairs is more comfortable than yours, Your Highness.”
Calian chuckled.
“Maybe I really should change the cat’s name tag.”
In any case, after this brief inquiry, Calian greeted the small elephant standing blankly beside Yan.
“It’s been a while, Demirea.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Though she shared a face with Yan, her personality was completely different. Yan had said she resembled their mother, but Calian didn’t even know who Yan’s mother was.
After exchanging brief greetings, Calian tapped his knee for a moment, pondering the situation. Before long, he pointed toward the upper floor and asked, “Was this my brother’s idea?”
“Yes. Though I don’t know why he’s trying to repay his own debt with Siegfried.”
“Well, this is…”
Receiving help from Franz gave him a strange feeling.
Calian also understood that this was Franz’s way of telling him to ease his mind for a moment, as he would divert the attention of Brissen and Randel. Because he had been in a continuous state of high alert where he couldn't afford to lose focus for even a second, Calian had kept pushing Chase away, pretending not to know him out of fear that he might waver. Franz had just given him the breathing room to properly meet Chase.
“He said he wanted to live, yet here he is, trying to keep me alive.”
Calian smiled, having gained a moment to breathe thanks to the enemy-like bastard he had come to love and hate. He then spoke to Demirea.
“I won’t trouble you for long.”
“It doesn’t matter. I am different from my father.”
Those words were highly significant.
Perhaps the day will come when Siegfried crowns a king for the first time. With that thought, a pleased smile played on Calian’s lips.
*
It was magnificent.
As if prepared well in advance, Calian’s jacket was also a deep ash gray. Its silver buttons sparkled under the light of the chandelier. The edges of his deep blue cloak were trimmed with silver thread, and a diamond pendant swayed from its clasp.
The unchanging diamond.
That ornament, which he had changed for the first time, symbolized Siegfried, who had held fast to their convictions. What else could this be but a declaration of a complete alliance?
The nobles murmured amongst themselves. Hearing them, Kyrie smiled subtly.
“If you wear the same thing every time, you'll look cheap.”
So had said Merlin, who had taken full charge of Calian’s wardrobe.
Calian, whose treasury was in excellent condition, took her words to heart and simply purchased new items that wouldn’t look cheap. In truth, since the alliance had been finalized only a few hours ago, there hadn’t been time to prepare clothes and accessories with such calculations in mind.
Merlin, who had dressed Calian so handsomely, had also tried to add some extra adornments to Demirea when she returned in her gown. Of course, Demirea had declined.
Demirea made the extravagantly dressed Calian laugh by saying that a person’s dignity does not come from “such things.” After all, Calian had been equally appalled when he first saw the formal attire of this place.
At any rate, after going through such preparations, the two entered together and sat side by side throughout the ball. Since they had sparred multiple times and conversed extensively during their stay at Suleiman’s estate, Calian spoke and laughed with a remarkably comfortable expression.
“The two of them look quite good together, don’t they?”
“I didn’t expect the Young Duchess of Siegfried to come all the way out here.”
At Alan’s smiling remark as he watched them from afar, Lemain nodded in agreement.
Alan smiled again.
While looking at Marquis Evan Brissen, who sat opposite him.
The most shocked person in this room was undoubtedly Evan. With a thoroughly displeased face, he asked Suleiman, “Have you changed your diet?”
It was a jab asking why the elephant was meddling in the struggle for the throne.
Though the tone was quite aggressive, Suleiman replied with ease.
“Is it so strange for a swordsman’s heart to lean toward a prince who wields a sword well?”
He then showed Lemain the area near his own neck. A very faint but considerably long scar remained there. It was the mark of the wound inflicted by Calian’s sword.
“Look at this. Your Majesty’s son has such rough hands. I nearly met with a terrible disaster!”
While everyone else laughed, Evan alone could not bring himself to smile.
In the end, Evan decided to take his eyes off Calian for now. He changed his plan, deciding to drag Randel down first and then separate Calian and Siegfried.
He was completely oblivious that this entire situation was a stage set up by Franz to give his younger brother some rest, and he had no inkling of the consequences it would bring.