Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Siblings' Drinking Session
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Deia dragged me to one of the street stalls. The area around it was wide open, with only a simple table standing alone, reminding me of a Korean pojangmacha.
It was in a corner, so there weren't many people nearby, and the elderly owner greeted customers leisurely.
It felt less like he had opened the stall to make money and more like he was just enjoying the festival.
"Mister, we're back. The usual, please."
"Miss, I knew you'd come, so I prepared it. It's been a while, young master. You've become quite dashing."
The owner had an affable smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. Guessing they knew each other, I just raised a hand in greeting and sat down.
Deia, sitting across from me, glanced around cautiously before covering her mouth with her hand and whispering.
"He's a former head chef from our estate. He retired and has been resting in Northsweden, but he joined in for this festival."
"I see."
"Well, no need to worry about it much. Dayus was such a mess anyway, so we didn't talk much."
Deia shrugged and badmouthed her former brother. I let it slide naturally and asked.
"So why did you send that letter?"
The letter had dripped with annoyance rather than outright hostility, but it piqued my curiosity more than anything.
I wondered why Deia had sent me such a letter, but she glanced at me and let out a deep sigh before calling the owner.
"Bring us some beer here."
The owner replied affirmatively and promptly brought beer bottles. He poured them straight into glasses, placing one in front of me and one in front of himself.
Then he lifted his slightly, offering a toast.
I wasn't in the mood for alcohol.
"Come on, cheers."
At Deia's urging, I sighed and clinked glasses with her. As if she'd been waiting, she gulped down the beer straight into her throat.
Northsweden's beer, from a cold region, was on the stronger side to warm the body. It was almost too strong to call beer, but since they called it beer here, I just accepted it.
I took a sip and looked at Deia. She exhaled with a "puha" and asked.
"Have you told anyone else that you're not Dayus?"
"......"
The question was so out of left field that my mouth clamped shut involuntarily, delaying my response.
But Deia took that as an answer and pressed her hand to her forehead.
"Haa, are you really okay? Even so, is it fine to reveal it so easily?"
Deia poured more beer down. I tried to say something to her, but the owner's food arrived surprisingly quickly.
"I prepared your favorites from when you were kids. Enjoy."
The elderly owner smiled kindly as he set down the food and left. It was simple yet heartfelt fare.
Grilled meat, stew, and salad—a basic combination that didn't seem to fit a drinking spot, but the owner's special touch and sauces elevated the ordinary dishes.
The owner's presence kept me quiet for a moment, but in the meantime, Deia was chugging another bottle with it to her lips.
"......"
[Is this okay?]
The Black Necromancer, who had been by my side all along, finally spoke up. I sighed and beckoned to her.
"Go enjoy the festival."
[You don't want to show your little sister's ugly side, huh? Got it.]
The Black Necromancer flew off with a whoosh.
She already knew I wasn't Dayus but Kim Shin-woo from sticking with me, so it wouldn't matter if she overheard.
But as the Black Necromancer said, Deia was my sister now, so I didn't want others seeing her like this.
"What exactly is the problem?"
With the Black Necromancer gone, I asked Deia, who had already ordered another bottle.
Her eyes, which had held irritation moments ago, were now fully relaxed. Her face was flushed pink, and her body swayed slightly.
Yet her words came out surprisingly clearly.
"The princess and Aria came looking for me......"
"I saw Aria."
I hadn't expected Princess Elenoa to visit too. It was late into the night, so she was probably asleep.
"But both of them knew you're Kim Shin-woo?"
"......"
My eyes sharpened instantly. Luckily, Deia was getting drunk enough not to notice my emotional flicker.
"I thought... since we're family, it's okay to tell you. I thought I could trust you, so I told you."
It seemed like my identity as Kim Shin-woo was hugely significant to her.
That's why she was shocked and hurt that I'd shared such a truth so freely?
"But seeing some student I barely know and the princess already aware of it... it just bothers me. Somehow, it feels off. Is this not okay?"
"......"
I stared down at my beer glass for a moment. Lost in thought, more time passed than I realized.
The snacks had gone cold, and Deia was on her third bottle.
It was my first time grappling with this, so it took longer than expected, but I finally found an answer within myself.
"We're special to each other."
Deia, her face red from the alcohol and swaying, might not remember my words.
But for now, she nodded as if listening.
"I want you to think of me as Dayus, not Kim Shin-woo."
"......"
"And like you think of me, I see you and Darius as very special too."
I hadn't told Darius yet due to bad timing, but I planned to.
"It's true that Aria and Elenoa know I'm Kim Shin-woo, but that was unintentional."
Aria had known from the previous timeline, and Elenoa learned it when I entered her dream.
The Black Necromancer had pieced it together naturally from traveling with me.
In short.
"You're the only one I've intentionally told myself."
Thud.
Deia collapsed forward. Her head hit the table, and her disheveled hair cascaded down, covering her face.
The steady breathing told me she had fallen asleep.
I gazed at her neatly for a moment, then sighed at the untouched food.
"Owner, sorry, but could you pack this up for me?"
"Of course. Naturally."
The owner fetched an elegant lunchbox as if expecting it and packed the food.
I said I'd return the lunchbox later, but he refused, saying it was fine since he'd seen something good.
"Since the festival started, the miss has come to my stall often to drink."
"Did she like alcohol before?"
"No, not really. She seemed lonely somehow."
Surprised by the unexpected words, I looked down at her. Her body was adult, but she felt like a child still.
The owner smiled warmly, gazing at Deia just like me.
"Honestly, I was surprised. The miss talked about you a lot, young master. She used to hate even mentioning you before."
"......After all the karma piled up, that's natural."
The owner flinched at my words, then smiled kindly again.
"You've changed a lot, young master. I think I understand why she always called for you when she got drunk."
"......"
"The one lost sheep that returns is more precious than the nine that never strayed."
I could relate deeply to that.
It wasn't just about sheep—there were other factors—but for their family, the second son who might as well have been gone had come to his senses.
They must have been happy about it.
Yet she was disappointed that a family secret had been shared with outsiders.
"Thanks for the lunchbox. I'll enjoy it."
"Oh, I hope it suits your taste."
Holding the lunchbox, I looked at Deia and tensed my body.
My frail frame, wrecked by drugs, booze, and smokes, couldn't support her without mana reinforcement.
But with mana wrapped around me, carrying her piggyback seemed effortless.
So I naturally hoisted her onto my back.
The night was ending.
Moonlight still shone on Northsweden, but the night market was in the midst of cleanup.
Amid that different kind of bustle from our drinking session, I headed to the estate with Deia on my back.
"Really."
I paused at Deia's faint murmur, but she buried her face deeper into my back and wrapped her arms around my neck.
"What?"
Pretending not to hear her whisper, light as passing wind against my back.
I adjusted my posture and kept walking with her.
A little, slowly.
* * *
It was on purpose.
I drank a lot to pretend I wasn't in my right mind because I thought I'd said something unnecessary.
The buzz made me dizzy, but not enough to lose control, and I certainly didn't flop over the table.
My brothers might be different, but I never handled my body that carelessly.
Still.
"You're the only one I've intentionally told myself."
When I heard that, I had no choice but to slam my head on the table and hide my face with my hair, pretending to sleep.
I didn't want him to see my face, flushed beet red, eyes wide, mouth agape.
Why did those words embarrass me so much yet fill me with strange joy?
The owner chimed in with useless talk midway, so I considered pretending to wake up then.
In the end, though, Dayus carried me back to the estate on his back.
It was a novel feeling.
Vague memories of being carried like this only from when I was really little.
Time had passed, and my body had matured in various ways, but Dayus's back, once scrawny, wasn't as narrow as a child's anymore.
It was wide enough for my body to fit.
"Really."
Maybe that's why.
The word slipped out unbidden. Dayus paused briefly at the sound.
I buried my face in his back like drunken nonsense and wrapped my arms around him. He resumed walking as if it were nothing.
Did he not notice?
Yet his faint scent tickled my nose. A smell I once hated even in death.
Now, strangely, it calmed my body.
And at the same time.
—I want you to think of me as Dayus, not Kim Shin-woo.
Remembering what he'd said during the drinking session soured my mood.
Of course he was Dayus.
Yes, he was Dayus, not Kim Shin-woo.
My damn second brother.
Who'd had a trash personality but had reformed.
Contributing to the family as a Necromancer.
That's all.
"What?"
My voice spilled out like a grumble.
Did he not hear?
Or did he just think it was drunken rambling?
I didn't know.
I'd never felt sibling affection before, so I wondered if this was what it was like.
Did Dayus feel the same?
Or what if not?
More fear than worry surged in, snapping my hazy mind awake.
But his footsteps slowed, ever so slightly, deliberately.
Not from tired legs, but intentionally prolonging the walk to the estate.
Realizing that, a relieved smile curved my lips.
Right now, we were sharing the same feeling.