Chapter 28: No Ill Intent (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 28: No Ill Intent (7)
Misery washed over Calian.
He realized too late that the knife had stopped just shy of his throat—an attack he never needed to block. He had never imagined he would resent the sword in his hand so much.
The knife that had embedded itself in the wall wrenched free and flew back into Alan’s hand. A deep nick from Calian’s sword now marred its blade.
“You are remarkably fast. Especially with a body like that.”
Alan’s tone was matter-of-fact, and he didn’t look particularly surprised. His calm demeanor suggested he had fully expected Calian to block the attack. Seeing the prince at a loss for words, Alan spoke again, his voice even.
“I apologize for startling you.”
Calian shook his head, still silent. To coax him into speaking, Alan took the initiative.
“The day we first met, I knew you had been standing there, waiting for me for quite some time. I was curious, but I brushed it off as a coincidence. You were already in a dangerous situation, so it wasn't the right time to ask, and I was too busy to dwell on it.”
He had been caught from the very beginning.
A sigh escaped Calian’s lips.
How ridiculous he must have seemed, daring to speak of trust to a man who had helped him without a single doubt, despite all this.
“But then, the oddities kept piling up. Lemain told me you were terrified of horses, yet the nobles marvel at how you’ve become an entirely different person. And the mage who went to the theater claimed you were the one who prevented the accident.”
Calian’s grip on his sword tightened. He was shocked that Alan knew about the incident at the theater.
“Even so, I was willing to let those things slide. But then, there was something else that struck me as odd.”
A hollow laugh escaped Calian. Another thing? At this rate, he had to wonder why Yan hadn't suspected him yet.
“When I informed you of the poisoning, I saw killing intent in your eyes. Yet, you hid it in an instant. Those weren’t the eyes of a prince who’d never so much as killed a butterfly. Only someone who has stained their hands with a great deal of blood knows how to project such intent and rein it in at will. The threads of these mysteries were too tangled to unravel, so I spent the entire night pondering them. And then…”
Alan paused, slightly raising the knife in his hand.
“This was made by Sispanian. When you said you would show me your hidden weapon, I placed it down, and the flowerpot transformed into a knife. That meant you possessed a knife of your own, and since you are someone capable of projecting killing intent… I threw it, just in case.”
Calian let out an involuntary chuckle and retorted, “You threw it as if you intended to pierce my throat.”
Alan bowed his head once more in apology. “I trusted you with my life. If I remained in the dark about what my very first disciple was hiding so fiercely, doubts would inevitably take root. So, please, explain it to me now. I am listening.”
Calian nodded.
Since Alan was already certain he wasn’t the real Calian, there was no point in hiding it any longer.
“I will tell you.”
Calian didn’t hesitate over where to start or how much to reveal. He decided to lay everything bare. Closing his eyes, he began to speak slowly.
“Bern. That is my original name. Bern Secritia.”
Secritia.
Alan flinched. The name, uttered at this moment, brought something to mind.
Chase, and…
Calian continued, his eyes still closed, so he didn’t notice Alan’s reaction. To Alan, Calian’s next words felt like a demand: You asked for the truth, so you will hear all of it and bear this weight with me.
“I was the younger brother of Chase Dullahan Secritia—the current Crown Prince, who was the King in the time I came from. I was a knight. That is why I can ride horses, control my killing intent, and wield a sword.”
His calm voice continued.
He spoke of how Bern, a prince of Secritia, had become a knight to avoid becoming Crown Prince, allowing Chase to ascend the throne. He spoke of the war with Kairis that followed.
He described the final week, a massacre around the capital, Secreta. He spoke of the desperation that forced even the Royal Guard to abandon their king and march out of the castle. He explained how everyone died, and how even he, Bern, had ultimately met his end while standing alone to guard the castle gates. He laid bare the entire story that had now become his past.
Calian took a breath and spoke again.
“But… Secritia possessed something special. An object that also became the cause of the war.”
– Clack.
Alan set the knife down on the table. He felt he might drop it if he heard what came next.
“You might find it hard to believe, Master, but that object, called the Axis of Time…”
This time, Alan closed his eyes. Setting the knife down felt as though he had dropped his own heart instead. A look of confusion, the likes of which Calian had never seen on his face, washed over him.
“...is said to turn back time.”
Calian couldn’t believe his ears. Alan had finished his sentence.
It took him a moment to process the meaning of those words. After staring at Calian for a long while, Alan asked, “To when did you return?”
Calian gasped. He spoke as if he already knew everything.
He wanted an explanation immediately, but Alan’s expression demanded an answer first. Barely controlling the trembling in his fingertips, Calian replied in a dry voice.
“One month… one month ago. When I opened my eyes, my servant, Yan, was waking me. I had been sent back ten years.”
Alan leaned back against the sofa. Without a word, he raised a hand and massaged his temples.
Why hadn’t I thought of that?
Even after pondering it all night.
Since Alan looked like he needed time to think, Calian suppressed his impatience and waited.
By the time Alan finally spoke, sunlight had begun to filter through the windows.
“You must have already been poisoned. And you would have known how the original Prince Calian died. That’s why you were waiting for me. You knew I would come.”
Calian replied with a solemn expression. “Yes. The day I met you, Master… was no coincidence.”
All the bravado from their first meeting was gone, leaving only a vulnerable boy in its place. Gazing intently at Calian, Alan spoke.
“You sought me out to use me for your future plans anyway. It doesn’t matter whether you knew beforehand and waited or not. I won’t be disappointed by something like that, so don’t trouble yourself over it.”
Alan fell silent for a moment. Before explaining how he knew of the Axis of Time, there was something else he had to say.
“However, there is something you must know first.”
Calian nodded, ready to hear whatever it was.
“Currently, in Secritia, there is only Crown Prince Chase. Chase was an only child from the beginning; the Queen had no other children. I thought you might not be aware of this.”
Calian silently looked into Alan’s eyes. There was none of the emotional turmoil Alan had worried about.
“I had a faint inkling. Since I am here, Bern could not exist there as well. I didn’t know if it meant an early death or something else, so I was worried about how he might have disappeared. But it turns out he was never born at all.”
“Yes. It seems so.”
It was hard to fathom what it felt like to have one’s entire existence erased. Instead of offering clumsy comfort, Alan simply left it at that. Calian replied calmly.
“It is actually for the best.”
What could be done about it? That was all Calian could think. After all, hadn’t Bern already taken over another’s life?
“Then, is the original Prince Calian dead?” Alan asked, seeming to know exactly who Calian was thinking of. After all, at this very moment, the original Calian should have been alive.
Calian shook his head. He pointed to his head, then to his heart.
“I didn’t realize it at first, but he is still here. I believe he’ll depart when his destined day arrives.”
Memories surfaced as if in response to his words. He suddenly realized they weren’t just memories. The reason they only appeared when he mentally asked a question was because they were the original Calian’s answers.
“We can’t converse, but he’s definitely here. However, he doesn’t tell me what happened that caused me to enter this body. It’s possible the original Calian doesn’t know either.”
Alan nodded in understanding. Calian tapped his knee with his finger and asked, “The Axis of Time. How do you know of it?”
“It’s nothing so grand,” Alan replied with a slight shrug. “I visited Secritia last year. Chase summoned me secretly. He asked for my counsel, saying they had discovered something called the Axis of Time. I only met with Chase before returning, so you wouldn’t have known about it even if the same thing happened in your previous timeline.”
Calian’s voice was dry. “So my brother was looking into it on his own.”
“Lest you get your hopes up, I must tell you that, unfortunately, I didn’t discover anything else about it.”
“No, I expected as much. If you had discovered something, Master, I would have known about it too.”
Nodding, Alan spoke again. “Since the object known as the Axis of Time didn’t seem to be made by human hands, we did exchange opinions on whether it might be a sacred relic of Serenti.”
“Aren’t sacred relics used by priests? I thought they were merely a means to substitute for divine power, and that a relic itself has never possessed any other unique abilities.”
With the Evil God sealed during the War of the Two Gods, the Chief God Serenti had fallen into a deep slumber. Since then, priests had been unable to manifest divine power, instead performing healing by consuming the power remaining within Serenti’s sacred relics.
“Exactly. So in the end, we were left with only questions. Moreover, it is no longer possible to verify it now.”
As he spoke, Alan gestured toward Calian.
“A month ago, I received word that the Axis of Time had vanished. It seems it sent a kitten back in its place. At any rate, both Chase and you sought me out because of this matter. I suppose you really are brothers after all.”
Hearing this, Calian offered a pained smile.
Alan pretended not to notice. Instead, he stared quietly at the knife on the table and asked, “On the day we first met, you said that what you wanted was not the throne. In that case, may I ask again what it is you desire?”
There was no reason not to answer. Calian replied readily.
“I want to prevent the war.”
“But the Axis of Time, which was the cause of the war, is gone now, is it not? Then can’t we assume the war won’t happen?”
Calian replied, “We don’t know the root cause. We still don’t know why Franz wanted the Axis of Time. If the underlying reason remains, the tragedy will only repeat itself. I intend to find the cause and make sure.”
“Is that for Chase’s sake?”
Calian looked at Alan, trying to discern the intent behind the question. Sensing this, Alan elaborated.
“I was deeply impressed when I met Chase. His character, his scholarship, his ability—not a single thing was lacking. Even if you combined all three princes of Kairis, they wouldn’t measure up to Chase alone.”
He was absolutely right. No words could do Chase justice.
“You are correct. My brother became an incomparably magnificent monarch.”
“Therefore, the Third Prince of Kairis—whose own life hangs by a thread—need not worry himself over the magnificent Crown Prince of Secritia.”
“...You’re telling me not to be bound by the past.”
Calian nodded with a serene expression. “The very day I arrived, I abandoned any desire to live as Bern.”
Alan sat up straight. Pointing to the knife on the table, he said, “There is someone worth asking. Someone who knows far more than I do, whom neither Chase nor I can meet, but whom you will encounter before long.”
Following Alan’s hand, Calian shifted his gaze, then looked back up at him. It didn’t take him long to find the answer.
“Roselita.”
Alan nodded. A name that had now become all too familiar came to mind.
“There is Sispanian.”
Roselita, the coming-of-age ceremony for the princes of Kairis. It was a ritual where they visited Sispanian’s Empty Nest to declare they had become true royalty. And it is said that any prince who undertakes the Roselita will meet the will of Sispanian.
“So, deal with the poisoned tea as quickly as possible. The Siegfried territory, the land of elephants, is quite far. You need to prepare.”
Calian nodded slowly.