Chapter 27. If it were now (4)
It was the time when calm cats were sleeping and Calian, who was not quiet at all and had even momentarily forgotten how smart his older brother was, was being urged to share secrets. Rain was still falling outside the window, and there were many wizards in Wilhelm’s coffin.
The young girl opened her mouth towards them.
“This is a bruise. Come when it bleeds.”
The person who was saying these words to the magicians was Veronica, who had been frequenting the Wilhelm Pavilion long before Hina came to Balkan.
Veronica knew all the wizards because Alan was here. Of course, Veronica’s mother, Rachel, should have been in Wilhelm, but she was often away from Kairisis in order to build a mobile magic circle.
In any case, because Veronica had a truly extraordinary grandfather, she grew up fully aware that a person’s age should not be judged by appearances. So, for exactly one week after I first came to Wilhelm, I became acquainted with all the wizards from Balkan and even spoke informally with all fifty wizards.
The reason was that now that we were friends, we could talk to each other, but the magicians who heard the argument, which was 90% cute and 100% persuasive, all nodded.
It was a minor problem that it was only cute up to that point, but it was what it was.
“The bleeding has stopped. Just apply the medicine.”
I don’t know if Alan knew, but Veronica was just as excited as a fish in water. Even though I should have been at the magic academy, I was so excited that I just stayed in Wilhelm.
“If you have a cold, just drink lemon tea. If you have a fever and pass out, come. I’ll give you medicine.”
The most important thing that Veronica was doing when she started helping Hina in earnest was to reject all the magicians who came to visit Hina. It was obvious that they were all faking it.
A priest’s healing using sacred items has a negative effect on the wizard’s circle. Because of this, these wizards have never received healing arts before. However, Hina’s healing technique had no effect on the circle.
Because that was it.
Curious people have been coming to Hina for two weeks, making excuses and excuses. Aren’t they people who can’t stand anything new unless they try it?
And all the fake patients who came like this were being chased away by Veronica.
– Bruises can also be treated. You don’t have to reject everything.
Thanks to this, Hina, who spent two weeks doing nothing but teaching Veronica sign language, eventually couldn’t hold back her boredom and said this. I left the cat because it looked like it was going to rain, but since even feeding the cat disappeared, there was nothing left to do.
Veronica looked at Hina’s words and shook her head.
“It’s also a habit to ask for healing for all wounds. My grandfather said that you can’t even give a bad habit to a dog.”
I don’t know what Alan taught his young granddaughter, but Veronica said this anyway. Hina smiled softly and spoke again.
– It’s not hard, so don’t be too harsh.
Compared to treating the wounds of Calian or Plantz, the wizards’ wounds were as light as cotton. There is no blood flowing endlessly, and there is no need to look through deep cuts and open skin.
Veronica, looking at Hina like that, shook her head.
“That’s because I don’t know yet. You will soon find out why I did that.”
The wizards gathered at the training ground are probably exchanging opinions such as, ‘How about we pick one person as a representative and give him 49 blows and then visit him?’ or ‘If we fight the knights in the name of Prince Calian, wouldn’t he be able to get treatment?’ While trying to estimate when Hina would find out.
“Didn’t the cat come today?”
And then he said, ‘I am Prince Calian’s cat who prefers Prince Planz.’ I asked how the cat was doing.
– I left it behind because I was afraid it would hurt if it rained.
“Is Prince 2 watching?”
I don’t know why Plantz, who was supposed to be busy on Arsene’s behalf, hasn’t come yet, but since Plantz hasn’t come yet, the cat must have been in Plantz’s room. That’s why Hina answered while thinking that she might be sleeping in Plants’ room right now.
– Probably so.
Veronica, a cat that likes people, tends to follow suit. Veronica, who was thinking about the guy who couldn’t tell whether it was a dog or a cat, opened her mouth again.
“Sister. Aren’t you going to keep naming the cat?”
In response to those words, Hina explained once more the explanation she had once given to Demirea. About why Calian doesn’t name his cat.
“No. But it has to have a name. Otherwise, the cat will just be a cat for the rest of its life.”
After hearing that, Veronica said this.
“I’m going to live my whole life as a cat and then die. If I miss that cat after that, I’m going to figure out how to call it. If it doesn’t have a name, it just disappears. You can’t do that.”
Ah.
Hina opened her mouth silently.
Then he nodded and patted Veronica’s head.
People who remember letting go always have no choice but to think about the time after letting go, but it seemed like they realized it too quickly.
– okay. I will definitely ask you to build it.
Just as other people can learn sign language and talk to Hina even if it is a little uncomfortable, all they have to do is call the cat’s name even if Hina is a little uncomfortable.
There was nothing difficult about it.
* * *
Tuk tuk tuk.
Rainwater hits the window.
‘Stupidly.’
Kalyan was wrong.
Unexpectedly, I just passed on Plantz’s leading questions.
Balkan wizards blocked the entrance to the palace.
It was said that there was something to hide. Moreover, Calian also said that it had nothing to do with Brisen or Silike.
So the answer came out.
When Calian didn’t think to open his mouth, Plantz, who buried his back in the chair, spoke in a low voice.
“There must have been something hidden underground.”
If such a thing had happened while there was still rubble, one would suspect that they would have tried to hide the items found in the rubble, but the wizards clearly moved after all the rubble had been removed. So, Plantz assumed that something hidden underground, hidden by a building, might have been revealed.
“……There is no underground in Heisia.”
Even though it wasn’t close to Silike, Planz also went to Heisia Palace. I have been there enough to know that there is no underground. And of course, Heysia has never been renovated. So it could be said that something was hidden when the building was built.
“It has something to do with something that my brother came forward to stop me.”
In addition, if Calian was going to move the wizards to control Plantz’s access, it would mean that Plantz was involved in something important that Plantz should not know about.
For example, ‘In a country ruled by a guy who liked birds, a crazy guy of unknown age who was picky about orange tangerines happened to be my younger brother and barked all the time and sometimes bit.’
Isn’t there only one person who could be involved in such a thing and hide something under the Heisia Palace?
Sispanian.
“They say Sispanian hid something and it was discovered this time.”
Calian did not answer right away.
Given Plantz’s personality, he knew full well that whatever he set out to find out would be found out somehow. So I just looked at Planz without saying anything else.
“…Do you really need to hear that?”
Plantz, who had said quite a bit in his own way, tapped the table with an expression that showed he was no longer bothered to open his mouth.
I know that I am not the kind of person who can be convinced by just talking around.
If you find out what was discovered there, you will want to know everything about what it is.
He said, ‘It has nothing to do with Briseen or Silike’ to tell people not to pay attention, but at that moment, Calian realized that he had already given the correct answer and let out a long sigh. At the end, many sincere words came out.
“I think my older brother received the blessing on his head…”
“Stop barking. Talk.”
Calian chuckled when he was told not to try to ignore it.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk because I was afraid that if the pale guy sitting across from me found out that my ‘past’ self had fought a war to take away the axis of time, he would look like pickled cabbage again.
The axis of time was different from the Balkans.
Ask if Balkan was strong and answer that it was strong. It was different from that. At least for Kalian, the axis of time was Bern itself. It was Bern’s life.
“… That’s right.”
Calian took his gaze away from Planz and looked out the window. Because the window is covered with rainwater, the view outside appears shimmering. It was exactly like my memory of Bern.
If I opened the window to look outside, it would rain and I would get wet again. So Kalyan kept the window closed just so he could see it at a glance. Even if you can see it, you can’t catch it, so it just flows away and is soon forgotten.
Let it just wear away like an erased name.
I had it that way.
“Why my brother?”
Calian’s red eyes turned again to Plantz on the other side. As it headed towards it, it soon fell down. To the table, to the teacup, to the bottom of Kalian, which is somewhere underneath.
Like the scenery outside the window that is obscured by rainwater, I know what is there, but I keep it slightly hidden so as not to reveal it.
To a place containing the last days of Bern, not the current Kalian.
“… Are you trying to open something that was kept closed?”
And I asked this:
Why are you trying to check like that? Now I know that you are not the same person as you were back then.
“It’s the same whether you break it or open it.”
Plantz said:
I was thinking of Heysia Palace, which was shining brightly.
They were talking about Calian’s one-sided and selfish salvation that shattered the shadow that Silike was in. I wasn’t blaming them for destroying the last trace of me and forcing me to survive. I’m just saying it’s the same as it was then.
“If you leave it as is, it will rot the same way.”
Calian did not answer.
Plantz, who is struggling to survive, opened his mouth again.
“They said they lost everything.”
Calian now understood that this was a story about his own words, ‘I lost my whole life.’
Now I understand that Plantz is extending his hand in the same way. I recognized that it was an equally one-sided and selfish hand extended. Whether it rains or not, whether it gets wet or not, whether it’s cold or not, whether it hurts or not. Please tell me what’s outside the window.
“So tell me. I will listen to your resentment at least once.”
Calian lifted his gaze again. For a long time, I looked at the light green eyes that were looking at me.
that day.
Eyes that are completely different from the already withered eyes that were watching from afar.
Some time passed with no one saying anything. Only then did Calian open his mouth.
“You crazy person… you have a good memory.”
I didn’t complain and just cursed.
We’re not even the same guy, so why hold a grudge? I really need to curse at this point.
This is enough.
Then he said with a grin at Plantz, who was looking at him like he was a wizard.
Didn’t Calian think that way when he met Sispanian? The board is big. So, I didn’t want to hastily let people know the truth just yet.
“I can’t open it because it’s dangerous. My older brother is still very delicate and weak.”
“I’m sure my brother will take care of it.”
Another corner of Plantz’s mouth curled up as he made noises like this.
“It’s okay if the resentment is over, but I still need to know what I’m curious about. If it gets dangerous, my really strong brother back then will save me, so don’t worry about my current brother. Tell me.”
Calian looked at Plantz with an expression that asked, “What is this guy?” and let out a short sigh. He then opened his mouth as if he had lost. “… Get up. I’ll show you.” In the end, he got caught in the
rain
. Calian ,
who gave permission, quietly raised his hand and covered his face for a moment.
What should I do?
I guess I should have just killed him when I almost killed him by mistake.
