Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Bittersweet
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“Brother! Brother! Open your eyes! Brother!”
Something was shaking my body.
A warmth so familiar, so missed.
“What are you doing! Why isn’t the mage here yet! Get them! Now! Now!”
The voice was incredibly urgent.
*No, don’t…*
Don’t be anxious, kid.
I’m here.
For some reason, I wanted to pat her back.
Who I was.
Whose voice this was.
Even as my mind was hazy and exhausted,
and I lacked the strength to recall anything…
It just felt like what I had to do.
“Brother? Brother? Are you awake?”
A faint light seeped through the eyelids I forced, truly struggled, to push open. A young girl stood silhouetted against it.
Short, bobbed red hair.
A cute kid who pretended to be prickly.
Ah,
I remember now.
“Youngest. Don’t cry…”
My youngest.
Daisy.
***
A few days earlier,
“How can you all be like this?”
Daisy was thoroughly upset.
“Aren’t you worried? What if he comes back hurt again?!”
She kicked at the floor in frustration.
They were being truly awful.
Her sisters, her brothers, all of them!
‘The best way to help is to do our own jobs.’ That’s the kind of cold-blooded thing they’d said.
The cultist chapel in Kashu City.
Daisy guarded it alone.
Waiting for Lansen to return.
Balseon visited often, which was some comfort, but even that wasn’t enough for Daisy.
And that Baren character would just pop in once in a while, glance around without a word, and leave.
Of course, she knew they were all busy… but still!
“I’m not happy with any of them! Lansen… No, that old man is just as bad! How could he just leave without a single word?!”
Lansen.
A man like a desert, all sentiment dried up and dead.
How could he just leave?
She remembered how dumbfounded she’d been when she asked Sea one day, ‘Where’d the old man go?’ and got the reply, ‘He left. For 10,000 years ago.’
She had ridden her horse straight to the chapel in Kashu City and had been living there ever since.
“We’ll see if I ever call you ‘brother’ again. Just ‘old man.’ Look at what he does. He’s an old man.”
Grinding her teeth, Daisy went about her daily routine.
Inside the gloomy chapel, the sound of a blade slicing through the air repeated itself.
Just as Lansen had taught her, she never let the sword leave her hand, practicing precise cuts and thrusts, pushes and pulls, without wavering even a single millimeter.
Slowly at first, then faster and faster, and finally with all her might.
Even while concentrating on her training, if a gust of wind blew in from outside, *whoosh!* her ears would perk up.
When the paws of a cat that had entered through the open window padded across the chapel floor, *pitter-patter!* her ears would perk up.
Of course, it wasn’t like Daisy stayed inside the chapel 24/7.
She hated feeling cooped up.
She would take a walk once in the morning or afternoon.
“Ah, this is nice.”
Coming outside after being stuck in the dim chapel, she felt she could almost understand the thrill of a prisoner released from jail.
She would walk, savoring the sky and the city below, but as it got time to head back, her steps would quicken.
*What if Lansen’s back?*
Eventually, she would break into a full sprint. She’d dash back and throw the chapel doors wide open.
*Bang!*
“Eek!”
A soldier who had been guarding the chapel in her stead jumped in surprise at her explosive entrance.
Daisy’s eyes darted left and right.
“He’s not back?”
“N-no, he has not returned.”
“Alright. You can go.”
The soldiers only knew that Lansen was using a teleportation artifact to travel somewhere.
Watching the soldier scurry away, Daisy let out a deep sigh.
“Ugh, this is so frustrating. When is he coming back? Seriously, that Lan… no, that old man! Ugh!”
Her irritation only grew worse at night.
“Ugh! When that old man gets back, I’m gonna give him a good smack on the back.”
Daisy lay in a sleeping bag in the center of the chapel.
She wasn’t usually picky about where she slept, but this place was a little different.
The distorted statues of gods, faintly visible in the pitch-black darkness.
It felt like they were looking down on her, and it was just… creepy.
She had nightmares every time she slept.
“I’m seriously not letting him off the hook.”
On the fourth day after Lansen had left.
As Daisy was swinging her sword, fuming with irritation as usual, she heard something fall with a heavy *thud!*
Turning her head, seeing, and launching her body forward—all these movements happened in almost a single breath.
*Shwaaaack—!*
Just as Lansen was about to fall headfirst to the floor, Daisy caught him, sliding across the ground on her knees.
*Thud.*
Lansen’s hand dropped limply to the floor.
His face was pale, and his whole body was covered in blood…
“Brother!”
Daisy’s own face turned even paler than Lansen’s.
She frantically fed and applied the potions she had prepared in advance.
“Mage! Get a mage!”
***
*Blink.*
When light returned to my world that had been sinking into darkness,
I could see the welcome faces surrounding me.
“Are you okay, brother?”
“Hyung! Are you conscious?!”
“You told us to trust you… How could you tell us to trust you and come back so hurt…”
I looked at each of my siblings’ faces, one by one.
Ah, yes.
It’s right here.
The next page I had so desperately wanted to read.
“Hey, why aren’t you saying anything!?”
“Mage! Mage! Are you sure he’s okay?!”
“You told us to trust you, so I held it in… I held it in and just worked…”
They all looked so on edge that I quickly opened my parched lips.
“Everyone…”
“Huh? He spoke!”
“Everyone… thank you.”
“Thank you? All of a sudden?”
“Yeah. For being alive… for being here…”
I opened my arms wide.
The kids hesitated, flinching.
I just opened my arms wider and nodded.
They timidly approached and hugged me. They seemed incredibly awkward, having all grown up, but after embracing me, they seemed to let out sighs of relief.
But not everyone is the same.
Nineteen years old. Our Mika Seitus, still suffering from “15-year-old syndrome,” didn’t even come close and just scowled by herself.
“Ugh. So cringey. Anyway, I’ve seen you’re safe, brother. I’m leaving.”
Then she opened a book and started reading as she walked out the door. A quick glance at the cover told me it was a popular novel these days. Something about the courage and love of knights…
After hugging all my siblings (except Mika), one person was left.
A bear of a man, his eyes bloodshot from crying so much.
“What’s wrong, mister? I’m fine.”
When I asked, Balseon replied.
“Your Highness.”
“Uh, yeah?”
He’s calling me by that title?
Suddenly?
Of course, it was the correct title.
I was the only royal of Vanroah and the first in line for the throne. On top of that, I was now the ruler of three cities, so there was no issue with being called Your Highness, but…
Isn’t it a little awkward? This isn’t exactly a solemn moment…
But it seemed to be a solemn moment for Balseon.
“I… I despise myself.”
*Drip.*
A hot tear streamed down his cheek.
Hey, mister… why are you doing this? It breaks my heart.
“Hey, it’s not your fault that I got hurt…”
“I just… imagined it. What if something were to happen to Your Highness… I imagined such a disloyal future.”
Well, I could see that. Considering what happened before.
“And I realized. That I… can’t protect anything…”
Ah…
“This man is so… so powerless and pathetic…”
I had nothing to say.
Because I understood all too well. The despair Balseon was feeling now.
Because I had felt it too.
Because I had been there…
I just reached out and took Balseon’s thick hand.
But inside,
I had never once forgotten.
I had always searched and searched.
To bring Balseon the same miracle that had come to me.
***
“Mister Balseon. Try drinking this.”
After getting up and dusting ourselves off, we enjoyed a light picnic.
We all gathered in the most beautiful garden in Kashu City.
Being able to use a place like this freely… is this the taste of power?
We drank tea, had some alcohol, and ate snacks.
In the middle of it all, I casually took out a potion for Balseon.
“What’s this?”
As expected of an adult, I suppose.
Balseon, who had been weeping so sorrowfully just moments ago, now looked perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened.
But even if he looked fine on the outside, he was probably rotting on the inside.
“Just try it.”
The old man looked puzzled but didn’t ask any more questions. He gulped down the red liquid from the small bottle.
Without a shred of doubt.
And then,
“Ugh…!”
Balseon clutched his chest and collapsed forward.
“Huh? Mister!”
“Mister, what’s wrong!”
“Brother? What’s wrong with him? What’s happening!”
Katrina, who had been forcing Baren to play catch with her; Sea, who had been scribbling poetry by herself; and Mika, who had been reading a novel with a smirk—they all dropped what they were doing and rushed over.
“Shh.”
I waved the panicked kids away and placed a hand on Balseon’s back.
I channeled a faint amount of aura to check his condition.
*‘Thank goodness. It’s working.’*
What I had given him was one of the many magical items I had received from Lorraine.
‘A highest-grade recovery potion.’
When an aura core shatters, the body collapses from the inside out.
The aura that had been flowing throughout the body loses its path and becomes a poison, eating away at the internal organs.
The slightest exertion could cause blood vessels to burst, making one cough up blood.
This was the very reason I couldn’t teach Balseon ancient swordsmanship.
Even though ancient swordsmanship didn’t require aura, Balseon’s weakened body wouldn’t have been able to withstand it.
But not anymore.
*‘Though a single highest-grade potion won’t be enough to heal his core…’*
It would be more than enough to restore his tattered body.
“Ugh… Huh?”
Sure enough, Balseon, who had been in agony, pushed himself up.
“What?”
He swung his arms around, tilting his head.
“Huh?”
Amazement slowly spread across his face.
“How is it? Feel refreshing?”
“What in the world was that?”
“For now, make do with this. Let’s start over with ancient swordsmanship while you take this periodically.”
“…!”
Balseon couldn’t say a word.
As his eyes grew red and his head bowed, I quickly grabbed both his shoulders.
“You have to protect us, mister. So don’t think about anything else. Let’s just take it one step at a time.”
The old man bit his lip hard and nodded.
As if he were forcing himself not to speak, lest the tears spill out.
Good. That’s settled, then.
I turned around with a smile.
“Alright, everyone, line up!”
The siblings, who had gathered around to watch and whose eyes had also turned red, tilted their heads in confusion.
I took out handfuls of ancient snacks that were piled up in my dimensional necklace.
The ancient snacks Lorraine had gifted me in heaps every day. The time had finally come to share them with my siblings.
I gave the first handful to Mika Seitus, who was closest.
Our Mika, who, despite being 19, was still a terminal case of “15-year-old syndrome.”
“What is this?”
“Have some.”
At my words, she scoffed, “Ah, a snack? A luxury item unrelated to the sustenance of life… How amusing. Heh heh.” Then she tore open the wrapper and poured it into her mouth.
And I saw it.
The lightning storm that raged within her eyes.
“Th-this is…?!”
Right? This is an ancient snack, kid.
That one has a sweetness that melts in your mouth the moment it enters, leaving only a refreshing scent in your nose.
A sweetness made using mana itself.
“A snack?”
Katrina, who had been watching, tore open a whole handful of wrappers and shoved them all into her mouth at once.
Then she started chewing noisily.
“Mm! Delicious!”
Seeing this, Mika shot her a look of utter contempt.
“Barbarian!!! That’s not how you eat it!! It’s something to be savored one by one, and even that’s not enough…!”
“Barbarian?”
“Ahem! Ahem!”
But when Katrina’s eyes flashed, Mika immediately tucked her tail and feigned indifference.
Cute kids.
Yes. This is it.
Isn’t this why I travel to the ancient past?
“Everyone, line up!”
I gave each of them a handful of ancient snacks.
“Sweets won’t help build muscle…” muttered Saltsran.
“This will be good for when my head isn’t working,” was Sea’s one-line review.
“Wow! It’s delicious!” said Seklan, his eyes wide like a child’s.
“This… could be sold for a lot of money,” remarked Jia, who was covered in sparkling accessories.
“Mm! A taste that makes me want to swing my spear!” exclaimed Lookranser, a training fanatic whose stamina rivaled Katrina’s.
And the only one among us from a mage lineage.
The heir to the Krona County, the only mage family among Vanroah’s dukes, marquises, and counts. Asha Krona… demonstrated a feat of madness worthy of a mage.
“Uh…? This has… mana? Then if I do this…?”
*Boom!*
The soft, sweet snacks she threw exploded in mid-air, leaving behind colorful sparks.
“Ooh. I like it… Ooh…”
*Bang! Boo-oom!*
The dessert bombs kept exploding.
*‘Is she supposed to do that…?’*
It was bewildering, but,
oh well. All the kids liked it.
I was happy too.
“You seem to have brought a lot this time.”
As I watched them with a pleased expression, the quick-witted Sea asked.
Of course.
I brought a ton.
This trip through time had yielded the best results yet.
Ah, speaking of which, I almost forgot something important.
“Asha! You come here too.”
“Mmm…”
Asha, who seemed to have been enjoying her snack fireworks, approached with a slightly displeased look.
In front of Asha and Sea, I took out some tattered books, two cubic crystals, and two pairs of fingernail-sized beads.
These were the basic materials among the magic tomes and notes Kask had given me.
And the ‘reader’ and ‘buds’ that would allow them to learn it all via telepathy.
As they looked at me with expressions that said, ‘What is this?’, I asked casually.
“Either of you interested in learning ancient magic?”
“!!!”
Lightning struck in Asha’s eyes. Mana actually sparked, making her hair stand on end.
Sea, on the other hand, just stared up at me.
“I don’t have any talent for mana.”
Of course, I knew. Sea’s family, the Millans, was a sword-wielding family, after all, even if they were most famous for their strategic minds.
“The system of ancient magic is completely different, so it has nothing to do with mana aptitude. Still not interested?”
“!!!”
This time, lightning struck in Sea’s eyes.
As if worried someone would snatch them away, Asha and Sea quickly took the items from my hand.
They followed my instructions, inserting the buds into their ears and placing the readers on top of their respective books.
“Mmm…! This is ancient magic?!”
Asha exclaimed in awe, while…
“A completely new approach… It shares a context with ancient swordsmanship…”
Sea analyzed.
Their expressions weren’t what one would call normal, so others might not notice, but I knew.
Right now, they were both incredibly excited.
Seeing my siblings’ faces like this, it finally sank in that I had made it back alive.