Chapter 161
Chapter 161
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Guardian Constellation (4)
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Hero Roera asked astrologer Yoan with a faint glimmer of hope.
"Does the Guardian Constellation perhaps... not only take on the appearance of a specific person from my memories, but also mimic their behavior?"
"It's not common. From what I know, there's no record of a Guardian Constellation ever doing such a thing. That said, if it's Lady Roera's exalted Guardian Constellation, then perhaps even that is possible—I can only speculate cautiously."
"..."
Roera gave Yoan a peculiar look.
Sudden extreme deference?
Yoan shot a meaningful glance toward the Guardian Constellation—no, toward Rishir.
Look at your brother over there.
Does he look like someone who wouldn't deserve utmost respect?
"What..."
And so, with all possibilities pointing to just one scenario, they began to feel genuine vertigo.
The horde of evil spirits that had vanished without a trace.
The comrades bowing their heads.
And—
Rishir, who had become the Guardian Constellation.
Not just any Guardian Constellation, either.
Roera didn't have deep knowledge of astrology, but thanks to her comrade Hamun, she had a rough understanding.
Which was why she could grasp it.
The caliber of Yoan as an astrologer.
The power of her Guardian Constellation.
And the level of that horde of evil spirits that had inflicted such utter despair on them, including her Guardian Constellation.
...Roera and Yoan—
Everyone present could assert it with certainty.
They never could have driven away that horde of evil spirits with their own power alone.
It was an out-of-spec existence.
Something no single person or small group could handle.
Horde of evil spirits. An army.
To confront it properly, they'd need something like an actual army.
And yet.
That horde of evil spirits had been annihilated with a mere gesture.
By a being that commanded the Four Calamities as kin.
...And that being was the hero Roera's brother.
"...Hold on."
At that moment, Roera's eyes flew wide open.
Her characteristically cool expression gradually paled to ashen.
Her lips, usually so forthright, now pronounced each syllable with painstaking care.
"Hamun... Yoan... I have one question. About this Guardian Constellation..."
"..."
Here it comes.
Yoan's fellow astrologers squeezed their eyes shut.
Yoan looked plainly troubled—
And the young beastkin girl wore an expression that looked ready to burst into tears.
Roera turned away from their overt reactions.
No.
It can't be.
Roera's pallid face twisted into a precarious smile.
A smile that seemed to mock a tasteless joke—
Or desperately hoped it was one—
It suited her, yet didn't.
Roera let her choked expression convey what her voice couldn't.
What in the world.
This Guardian Constellation thing.
It can be a living person?
"..."
"..."
Even without hearing her voice, they could tell from her face.
That fragile, trembling voice.
In truth, Roera's question was so basic that it didn't warrant a second thought from the two astrologers.
Even so, they decided to deliberate anyway.
Roera's expression left them no choice.
And so the deliberation began.
Could a being bound by flesh possess such an exalted level?
There were two main ways to attain such a level.
Earning great achievements in life.
Or being exalted for those achievements after death.
Yoan and Hamun turned to look at Rishir's face.
He was far too young.
Considering the level he possessed, that description fit perfectly.
Could someone his age have amassed such achievements and claimed such a level?
Impossible.
Unless they'd altered the fates of multiple lands, cities, and tens of thousands—it couldn't happen.
To grant legitimacy to this inscrutable Guardian Constellation, there was only one path.
His soul, having lost its body in some incident, had merged with the Four Calamities and claimed their level.
Of course, even that raised fundamental questions like 'Steal their level? How?'—
But no astrologer would dispute it as the most realistic possibility.
Thus, Yoan and Hamun fell into contemplation.
How to convey this lengthy, cruel truth to Roera.
"...No."
Coincidentally, it seemed their worries were unnecessary.
Just as Yoan and Hamun had read everything from Roera's expression—
Roera had read everything from theirs.
"No..."
Even so, Roera muttered again.
She denied the reality crashing down on her, over and over.
That guy—
Rishir—
'My brother is dead?'
After parting with that infuriatingly casual grin?
In that short time?
"Roera...?"
He'd tried to stay out of the serious discussion among her comrades.
But seeing that expression, he couldn't just stand by anymore.
The cynical hero wore a look so fragile it didn't suit her—like she might shatter at any moment.
Like the little girl from childhood who'd been turned away by her brother.
If her entire world collapsed, she'd probably make that face.
"What's wrong?"
Rishir approached slowly and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"..."
Roera squeezed her eyes shut.
Damn it.
She ground her teeth inwardly.
This sensation.
Why does it feel so real? And why is that face so nonchalant?
Roera opened her eyes again and looked at his face.
It wasn't the face of a man humbly accepting death while facing his kin.
It was just the face of a cheeky brother innocently trying to soothe his grumpy little sister.
The same as always.
The very Rishir from Roera's memories.
That made it hurt even more.
You idiot.
Why are you grinning like that? What happened to you?
She wanted to throw herself at him, wrap her arms around him, and pound his chest with all her might.
"Did I say something unnecessary just now?"
But—
How could she, looking at that face?
Right now, he seemed to see 'little sister's sulkiness' as the biggest problem facing the siblings.
Roera felt a flash of resentment toward him.
How can you be so nonchalant?
Without consulting her.
Without giving her a chance.
Going off to some unreachable place on his own whim, then acting like nothing happened.
How could he be so selfish?
"..."
But that resentful expression melted away quickly.
Rishir.
Considering his personality, what state of mind would lead to such behavior—it clicked.
You idiot...
Roera scolded herself.
Of course he's not nonchalant...
He might seem flippant and cheeky on the surface when dealing with her, but deep down, no one was more considerate.
For such a person, this situation—revealing his own death to his sister for the first time.
His top priority was set.
'Make sure she doesn't worry...'
This fool was even thinking, in the midst of his own death, 'What if my little sister stresses over it?'
"..."
Before she knew it, the little sister was in her brother's arms.
The little sister tried to repay his consideration by somehow putting on a nonchalant front.
The cool hero everyone admired.
The proud, dignified figure her brother would boast about.
"You idiot..."
But what escaped her lips was a voice thick with tears.
The little sister buried her face in his chest, clinging desperately so it wouldn't lift.
If he saw her childishly crumpled, tear-streaked face, he'd fret endlessly.
She didn't want to worry him anymore.
"..."
Rishir seemed briefly startled by her sudden behavior.
He quickly regained his composure and flashed his usual cheeky grin.
As he stroked her hair, he teased playfully.
"Missed your big brother that much?"
"Shut up, you idiot!"
The little sister, unable to hold back, pounded his chest.
Thud! A heavy impact rang out.
"Guhk!"
The brother laughed heartily.
"Our Roera... you've gotten even feistier, huh?"
"..."
A swell of emotion surged up in Roera once more, heavy and deep.
This was the reunion she'd longed for so desperately, the moment she'd dreamed of.
She'd planned to proudly recount her growth and exploits to her brother that day.
And then say confidently.
How about that.
I'm the better one now, right?
To draw out one specific reaction from him.
—Wow, I can't beat our Roera.
—I'm so proud I could burst.
She'd imagined it endlessly—
To the point where that imagined voice rang clearly in her ears.
The playful vibe felt on her skin.
She hated it.
This dream scenario unfolding in such a heartbreaking reunion.
But if not now, there'd be no chance.
"Hey."
Roera said in a voice stuffed up like a runny nose.
"Remember that time? Before we parted—"
"Of course I do. Our Roera. Back then too, you clung to your big bro like this—guheuk!"
A cute thump! to the chest.
Rishir laughed even harder, heartily.
"Not that, idiot... What I said..."
"That time? Oh. That when we meet again, you'd be even more amazing and make me regret not following you—?"
"You remember it that exactly? Gross."
Even as she spoke, joy shone clearly in the little sister's tone.
"Of course. I remember everything about Roera, one through ten."
"...Really? Then when's my birthday?"
"...Oops. That's eleven."
"Kidding! Kidding!"
As Roera reared back to pound him again, Rishir hastily added in a playful, urgent tone.
"Anyway."
Roera finally regained control of her expression.
She pulled away from his embrace.
And spoke.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"Check this out?"
Roera drew the holy sword from her waist.
A supreme treasure whose full power hadn't yet awakened from its long slumber, but whose might was beyond doubt.
"I got chosen by the holy sword? Y'know, the whole hero thing."
How about that.
Pretty impressive, right?
Roera showed off.
With a smug, cynical expression tinged somewhere with pathos.
She closed her eyes without realizing.
—Wow, impressive, little sis?
She'd imagined it so many times that his response already echoed in her ears.
The emotional torrent that would follow was too much to bear.
So Roera—
"Oh, Roera too?"
"...?"
Roera's ever-shifting expression froze at an ambiguous point.
"Roera 'too'?"