Chapter 164: If It Were Now (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 164: If It Were Now (4)
While a well-behaved cat slept soundly, the rain continued to pour. Calian—who was anything but well-behaved and had momentarily forgotten just how clever his older brother was—found himself being pressured to share his secrets. Meanwhile, the Wilhelm Pavilion was teeming with mages.
A young girl spoke to them.
"That's just a bruise. Come back when you're bleeding."
The one addressing the mages in such a manner was Veronica, who had been frequenting the Wilhelm Pavilion long before Hina joined Valkan.
Thanks to Alan’s presence there, Veronica knew every single mage. Her mother, Rachel, was supposed to be at the pavilion as well, but she was often away from Kairisis constructing teleportation magic circles.
In any case, having an extraordinary grandfather meant Veronica had grown up understanding that one should never judge a person by their appearance. Consequently, within a week of her first visit, she had introduced herself to every mage in Valkan and was speaking informally with all fifty of them.
Her reasoning—that they were friends now and should drop the formalities—was delivered with ninety percent charm and ten percent logic. Unable to resist, the mages had all nodded in agreement.
The only minor issue was that her cuteness had vanished the moment they agreed, but the deal was done.
"The bleeding has stopped. Just put some ointment on it."
Whether Alan knew it or not, Veronica was having the time of her life, like a fish in water. She was so thrilled that she was spending her time at the Wilhelm Pavilion when she should have been at the Magic Academy.
"If it's a cold, just drink lemon tea. Come back if you collapse from a fever. Then I'll give you medicine."
Having begun to earnestly assist Hina, Veronica’s most important duty was turning away every mage who came seeking treatment. It was painfully obvious that they were all faking their ailments.
Normally, divine healing performed by a priest with a sacred artifact negatively affected a mage's mana circles. Because of this, these mages had never experienced healing magic in their lives. Hina's healing, however, had no adverse effects on their circles whatsoever.
Naturally, that changed everything.
For the past two weeks, these insatiably curious mages had been making up every excuse under the sun to visit Hina. They were, after all, creatures who couldn't bear to leave any novelty unexplored.
And every single one of these fake patients was being ruthlessly chased away by Veronica.
I can heal… bruises too. You don't have to… turn them all away.
Having spent the last two weeks with little to do besides teaching Veronica sign language, Hina finally spoke up, unable to bear the boredom any longer. She had left the cat behind today because of the rain, and with her daily chore of feeding it gone, she was completely out of things to do.
Reading Hina's signs, Veronica shook her head.
"If you heal every little scratch, they'll get spoiled. Grandfather said a bad habit is hard to break once it forms."
Heaven only knew what Alan was teaching his young granddaughter, but Veronica spoke with absolute conviction.
Hina offered a gentle smile and signed again.
It isn't difficult for me… so don't be too hard on them.
Compared to the wounds she had healed for Calian or Franz, the mages' injuries were as light as a feather. There was no endlessly flowing blood, nor did she have to peer into deep, gaping gashes.
Veronica looked at Hina and shook her head again.
"You only say that because you don't know them yet. You'll understand why I'm doing this soon enough, Sister."
She was currently wondering how long it would take for Hina to realize that the mages gathered at the training ground were probably debating ideas like, 'What if we pick one representative, beat him forty-nine times, and then go see her?' or 'If we pick a fight with the knights in Prince Calian's name, wouldn't we get beat up enough to qualify for treatment?'
"Did the cat not come today?" Veronica asked, inquiring after the creature whose unofficial title was 'Prince Calian's cat who actually prefers Prince Franz.'
I left it behind… I was worried it might get sick in the rain.
"Is the Second Prince watching it?"
Hina didn't know why Franz—who should have been busy filling in for Arsen—hadn't arrived yet, but since he was still in his quarters, the cat would be there too. Picturing the cat purring softly as it napped in Franz's room, Hina signed her reply.
Probably.
The people-loving cat was also quite fond of Veronica. Thinking of the creature that behaved more like a puppy than a feline, Veronica spoke again.
"Sister, are you really not going to give the cat a name?"
In response, Hina repeated the explanation she had once given Demirea—the reason Calian refused to name the cat.
"No, it still needs a name," Veronica insisted after hearing the explanation. "Otherwise, that cat will just be 'the cat' for the rest of its life."
"It'll live its whole life as just a cat and then die. When you miss it after it's gone, what will you call out to? Without a name, it just vanishes. That isn't right."
Ah…
Hina's lips parted in a silent gasp.
She nodded gently and stroked Veronica's hair. Those who have experienced loss can't help but dwell on the aftermath of parting, and it pained Hina to see that this young girl had learned that lesson far too early.
Alright. I'll make sure… to ask him to name it.
Just as others went through the trouble of learning sign language to speak with her, she could endure the small discomfort of calling the cat by its name. It wasn't a difficult thing to do.
*
Pitter, patter.
Raindrops tapped against the windowpane.
How foolish.
Calian had made a blunder. Uncharacteristically, he had walked straight into Franz's trap.
The mages of Valkan had blocked the entrance to the palace. That meant there was something they needed to hide. On top of that, Calian had explicitly stated that it had nothing to do with Brissen or Silike.
And so, the answer had presented itself.
When Calian made no move to speak, Franz leaned back in his chair and spoke in a low voice.
"There must have been something hidden underground."
Had this happened while the debris was still scattered, one might suspect they were hiding an object found in the wreckage. But the mages had only moved after the ruins were completely cleared. Thus, Franz deduced that something hidden beneath the building—somewhere out of sight, like an underground chamber—had been exposed.
"And yet… Heisia Palace has no basement."
No matter how distant he had been from Silike, Franz had visited Heisia Palace before. He knew it well enough to be certain it lacked a basement. The palace had never been renovated, which meant whatever was hidden there had been placed during its initial construction.
"Furthermore, it is related to something significant enough for my dear younger brother to personally step in and block my path."
For Calian to mobilize the mages specifically to restrict his access, the matter had to be of grave importance—something Franz was absolutely not supposed to know.
Something like… 'a madman of unknown age who used to peel sour green tangerines in a kingdom ruled by a bird-loving king somehow ended up as my younger brother, barking constantly and occasionally biting.'
And who else but one person could be connected to such a bizarre secret while also possessing the means to hide something beneath Heisia Palace?
Sispanian.
"Which means Sispanian hid something there, and it was unearthed this time."
Calian did not reply. He knew Franz's personality all too well; once his brother set his mind on something, he would find a way to uncover it, no matter what. So, Calian simply stared at him in silence.
"Do you really have to hear it?" Calian finally asked.
Franz, who had already spoken quite a bit by his standards, tapped his fingers on the table, his expression showing he was too lazy to speak any further.
Calian knew his brother couldn't be swayed by a half-hearted excuse. If Franz learned what had been found, he would undoubtedly demand to know every single detail.
Calian had said it had nothing to do with Brissen or Silike to discourage him from digging, but he now realized that statement had practically handed Franz the answer on a silver platter. He let out a long, heavy sigh, his next words laced with genuine exasperation.
"It seems my dear brother received his blessing in his brain."
"Cut the barking. Speak."
At the blunt warning, Calian let out a dry chuckle.
It wasn't that he was reluctant to speak because he feared the pale man across from him would look like a sour, pickled cabbage again upon learning that his 'past' self had started a war to seize the Axis of Time.
The Axis of Time was different from Valkan. It wasn't like asking if Valkan had been strong and simply receiving confirmation. To Calian, the Axis of Time was Bern himself. It was Bern's entire life.
"Well, this is…"
Calian averted his gaze from Franz and looked out the window. The view was distorted and blurry, obscured by the rain-streaked glass. It was just like his memories of Bern.
If he opened the window to get a clearer look, the rain would blow inside and drench him once more. So, Calian had chosen to keep the window shut, leaving the view as a faint, hazy blur. Since he couldn't grasp it even if he saw it, he preferred to let it wash away and fade into oblivion.
Just like an erased name, he wanted to let it wear away.
He had kept it locked away like that, and yet…
"Why must my brother…"
Calian's crimson eyes drifted back to Franz, only to fall again a moment later. They dropped to the table, to the teacup, and to the depths of his mind beneath them.
Like the rain-blurred scenery outside, it was a memory he knew existed but chose to keep hidden. A place that held the final days of Bern, not the Calian of the present.
"…insist on prying open what has been so carefully shut away?"
He asked, wondering why Franz was so determined to know, even after learning he was no longer the same person he had once been.
"Whether you break it or open it… isn't it all the same?" Franz said.
He was staring blankly, recalling the image of the brilliantly shining Heisia Palace.
He was referring to Calian's unilateral, selfish salvation—the way Calian had shattered the shadow Silike had cast over him. Franz did not resent Calian for erasing every trace of his past misery and forcing him to live. He was simply pointing out that this situation was no different.
"If you leave it alone, it will only rot anyway."
Calian did not answer.
Franz, the one who had been forced to survive, spoke again.
"You said you lost your entire life."
Calian understood that Franz was referring to his own past confession.
He realized that Franz was now reaching out to him in the exact same way—a hand extended just as unilaterally and selfishly. Regardless of whether the rain blew in, whether they got drenched, whether it was cold, or whether it hurt, Franz was demanding to know what lay outside that window.
"So speak. I'll listen to your resentment, just this once."
Calian raised his gaze once more. He stared into the light green eyes that had been watching him for a long time.
They were completely different from the withered, lifeless eyes that had watched him from afar on that day.
A heavy silence stretched between them. Only after a long moment did Calian finally speak.
"You crazy bastard… Your memory is far too good."
Instead of venting his resentment, Calian chose to swear. Why resent someone who wasn't even the same person from his past? He might as well take this chance to curse him out. That was more than enough.
He grinned at Franz, who was staring back with the intense, probing gaze of a curious mage.
When Calian had met Sispanian, he had realized the massive scale of this game. That was why he didn't want Franz to learn the truth prematurely.
"I can't open it because it's too dangerous. My dear brother is still far too delicate and weak."
"I'm sure my younger brother will find a way to keep me alive."
After delivering yet another exasperating remark, one corner of Franz's mouth curled upward.
"If you're done venting, then fine. But I still need to know. If things get dangerous, I'm sure that incredibly strong younger brother of yours from back then will save me. The younger brother of the present has nothing to worry about. Speak."
Calian stared at Franz, his expression screaming, What on earth is wrong with this guy? before letting out a short sigh. Finally, accepting defeat, he spoke.
"Get up. I'll show you."
It looked like they were going to get drenched after all.
Having given his consent, Calian quietly raised a hand and covered his face for a moment.
What should I do?
Maybe I should have just killed him when I almost did so by mistake.