Chapter 28. It won’t be peaceful at all (3)
When Kalian is lost in thought, he doesn’t look ahead.
When Planz is lost in thought, he loses track of time.
Therefore, it was inevitable that Calian, who came up the stairs, passed by without seeing Planz, who was still standing there.
No one will know how surprised Calian was when he realized that there was a familiar back of his head that smelled like grass in the spot he had just passed, and when he turned around and saw the pale guy still standing where he had left.
Still, Calian was a little different from Alan, so he knew why Planz was standing here right now. So, I stopped for a moment and asked Plantz vaguely.
“What are you thinking like that?”
If he had the common sense to apologize first for not seeing people and passing by, he wouldn’t have been able to use that blue wizard who seemed to use politeness as kindling to create a fireball. Therefore, Plantz gave up on such matters and just made an expression saying, ‘Is that what you want to say now?’
Calian, perhaps aware of Plantz’s feelings, smiled and spoke as if sighing briefly.
“Do you mind if we just go to Chermil instead of Dalian? I’m a little upset.”
Looking at his face, it seemed like he had met Sispanian and had a serious conversation.
“I’m hungry.”
…… That’s why I’m hungry.
My stomach is upset and I’m hungry.
Crazy guy.
What was going on in that guy’s head who said he was hungry after showing his hidden underbelly, telling a story that would crush his heart, and then meeting an ancient ancient dragon and having a not-so-light conversation?
okay. I must have felt hungry.
“under.”
“I have something to tell you.”
It’s not just about eating, there’s even something to say while eating.
Below article. If I had had the basic common sense to forget everything and get some rest since I was upset, I wouldn’t have turned Heisia Palace into such an empty wasteland.
“Go. Chermil.”
Because of this, Plantz, who seemed to have given up, answered and walked ahead. Calian, who was walking behind him, suddenly looked up at the sky as if he had forgotten for a moment and said.
“The rain has stopped.”
As he said, the rain stopped before we knew it.
The dark clouds were still there, but there was no more rain.
“Just before.”
Calian smiled slightly because it felt like another gift that Sispanian had left behind.
“You came in the form of a black butterfly.”
In fact, Planz is Planz, but Kalyan is also Calian. Isn’t it a dogin’ dog to say something that doesn’t make sense or makes no sense? Perhaps that was why, instead of asking what the barking was about, Planz answered quietly.
“Why death?”
Even though Planz couldn’t see him because he was walking in front, Calian nodded and answered as if he was thinking the same thing.
“You asked me if I wouldn’t welcome you. I couldn’t give you an answer.”
“…… okay.”
Plantz, who was silent for a moment, responded in a low voice.
Not to disappear and be forgotten, but to die.
To live and die.
Calian said his absence was scary, but Plantz knew that his disappearance did not mean simple death.
I know that I am afraid of disappearance, where even death is forgotten and even the absence of someone is forgotten.
Planz is an empty seat belonging to someone whose name I have not even heard. Isn’t it Calian who says he is afraid that such an empty position will arise again and that he will keep Plantz alive? I think the only person who can recognize the incongruity of the complete absence of one person and fill the empty space is Plantz, who is smart and quick-witted.
“I guess so if you were me.”
For Calian, who is preparing for forgetfulness that may suddenly come at any time, is there anything more desperate than complete death rather than disappearance?
So, it must have been a prayer, a blessing, and a consolation given by a considerate ancient dragon just for Calian. Please face a death that will not disappear at the end of this life.
Now that he understood the meaning, Kalian would never have been able to deny it. However, Kalian would not have been willing to accept it because he wanted to live even though he knew that such a death would be safer than his current life. Because I didn’t want immediate relief.
Of course, Sispanian would have understood the silent answer on his own. Plantz, who understood the same thing, continued walking without another word.
To eat.
* * *
The raindrops on the petals are still transparent.
Even though it retains the deep red color of a rose, the moment it falls, it embraces the green color of a rose branch, and when placed on the ground, it again embraces the brown color of wet soil. At the end, it sparkled for a moment with the light of the magic lantern that illuminated the garden, and then it flowed down and disappeared.
Are raindrops really transparent and completely capture everything around me, or do they feel transparent because they already contain all the colors in the world?
Is it empty because there is nothing in it, or is it empty because there is too much in it? Dark blue eyes that could not easily recognize it looked for a moment at a dark red water droplet that looked exactly like mine.
“I’ve only heard stories about it, but it’s a really nice place.”
Lemain opened his mouth like this towards Randel.
This was the route I came to as soon as I finished dinner. He came straight to Chermil Palace wearing a long, black cloak that was uncomfortable enough to be compared to the prince’s.
After that, I took Randel out of a large empty room, thinking about taking a walk for a while. It would have been nice to show at least a hint of dislike or annoyance, but Randel just followed behind silently.
“It’s amazing that you built a place like this.”
“thank you.”
Randel gave a short reply to the praise for the perfectly manicured rose garden.
I wasn’t saying that it was too much praise, that it wasn’t enough, or that I sympathized with what you said. In response to Lemain’s compliment, he completely excluded his own thoughts and only said thank you.
“okay.”
LeMaine has never thought wisely about how a father should treat his children, and has made mistakes throughout his life.
All I learned was that LeMaine was at fault, and even Alan didn’t teach me what kind of conversation a taciturn father should have with his even more taciturn son.
“There are only red roses here.”
So I just said whatever I could and asked whatever questions I could. I asked without thinking, as if I had just come to this place. In fact, there were so many things I wanted to know, but the only ones that came out of my mouth were useless and trivial questions, such as whether I can grow roses that are not red, when roses bloom and when they fall, and how to prune the branches.
“I’m trying to be careful not to get hurt by the thorns.”
Randel paused for a moment after hearing those words. It was because I remembered the purple eyes of a stranger I had once encountered here.
As the crown prince said, he was eventually pricked by thorns. So I set my sights on that rose. It suddenly felt unfamiliar to me to be hurt, so I decided to keep the rose full of thorns aside rather than throw it away.
So what the stranger was worried about.
Was it a hand that would get hurt or a rose that would hurt?
“I’m curious why you grow roses. Why you like them.”
Lemain, like a cow who had no idea what Landel was thinking of in his words, asked another question.
Even though I wouldn’t have a single question to ask the next time I came back, I just brought it all out and asked. Randel, who had put aside thoughts about Calian, who came to mind along with the crown prince of Secretia for a moment, answered quietly.
“I don’t remember.”
It was by no means a trivial answer to a trivial question. So Lemain fell silent, at a loss for words.
I knew that it was my fault that I had forgotten why I liked something and lived. I realized again that Randel was only eighteen now and that he would have been much younger any day other than today.
“Yes. If anything comes to mind, please let me know at any time.”
Randel, who was quietly staring at Lemain, opened his mouth.
“majesty.”
The words continued before Randel realized that he had called Lemain first.
“It’s already too late to turn back.”
Bringing back memories.
Getting this relationship back.
It was already too late to turn back everything else.
He didn’t come to restore it, but to build it up from the beginning, but Lemain couldn’t tell his true feelings. For Lemain, it might be creating a relationship that didn’t exist before, but for Randel, he knew that it was a relationship he had already built countless times on his own and eventually collapsed.
“Okay. It would be best not to try to take it back.”
It didn’t mean I was going to give up my heart. This meant that I would not force myself to walk towards Randel. No one told me it was the best way, but I knew. No matter what, he was the father.
I still couldn’t apologize, but last time we faced each other, and today we walked together, albeit a little. I knew that wanting more right now was not for Randel’s benefit.
So I quietly took a step back.
That’s all for today. Let’s just walk this far together and come back for the rest someday. With that thought in mind, I took a step back. Then he looked around and opened his mouth.
“Now that the rain has stopped, the wind is blowing.”
It was just as Lemain said. Before I knew it, the wind was blowing. LeMaine’s long cloak fluttered.
The hem of the cloak, blown by the wind, caught on a rose thorn.
Lemain, like a cow, didn’t even know that.
“I’d better just go in now.”
So after saying this, I turned around and took a step forward. By the time Randel noticed it, it was too late, and Lemain noticed it too late.
– Tduduk!
When the rain stopped, the wind blew. The wind is contained in the cloak. Roses have thorns. Lemain is like a cow.
So a few roses were randomly broken and lying around on the floor.
Randel’s blue eyes fell towards the fallen rose.
and.
I looked at Lemain like a cow.
I looked at Lemain like that for a long time without saying a word. I looked at Lemain without even being able to hide my clearly angry eyes.
“… I’m sorry, Your Highness. Can I go in first?”
Lemain, who clearly still didn’t fully understand what the situation was, looked at Randel and nodded.
Randel, who showed an example, hurriedly returned to Chermil Palace.
“Ah…”
Something in Randel had changed, but Lemain, who had no idea what had changed, opened his mouth with a look on his face saying he knew what he had done wrong and made an incomprehensible sound.
Red rose petals fluttered in the wind.
* * *
Calian, who stood up for a moment and looked out the window, laughed.
Unexpectedly, the cat that was rolling around in Planz’s room all day said, ‘I am Prince Calian’s cat who prefers Prince Planz.’ He was holding a cat in his arms.
Plantz, who was sitting across from the long table next to him and quietly closing his eyes, looked at Calian.
“No, just. I saw something caught on the cow’s back.”
If Plantz had understood this, Calian would have been surprised again today, but fortunately Plantz frowned.
Calian sat down with a still smiling face.
“Brother Randel got angry because of your careless steps. Maybe the next time we meet will be better than now. I guess it’s like the wind opened a door that you could never have opened with your hands.”
LeMaine did something and Randel got angry, and I think they’ll have a better conversation next time. Plantz understood and passed on this level. Then, I put several layers of thinly sliced beef fried and topped with a little raspberry sauce. Trying to ignore the faint scent of bell peppers in the fried meat.
Starting with that, a truly elegant meal between brothers followed.
The same white bread as always, grilled asparagus topped with light cheese, chicken stewed in tomato sauce, salad without onions, etc. Calian, who ate four times as much as Plantz ate, finished his meal a little later than Plantz.
I’m just curious how they can eat so well when their stomachs are upset.
“In the end, nothing was gained and only questions increased.”
The dishes were put away and hot black tea was placed.
Plantz gave these brief impressions to Calian, who waited for all the attendants to leave and relayed the entire conversation with Sispanian, whom he had met at Siegfried’s estate and Heisia Palace. In the end, nothing was gained.
Kalian took a sip of black tea with a faint fruity scent and looked at Plants.
“Sispanians have limited speech, so there’s not much they can talk about.”
Kalian, who said that, added with a slight smile.
“But people don’t necessarily have to talk. Oh, I’m not a person.”
The stone wall that Sispanian was looking at.
I thought of the stone wall where the last piece was engraved.
“When I met him, he was looking at one place in particular, so I went there after Sispanian left.”
King Secretia holding a dead knight.
The King’s appearance changed for a brief moment and then came back. Stand up and hold something in your hand.
“The piece looks a little different. It’s like you’re holding something in your hand like this.”
As Calian said that, he opened his arms slightly and appeared as if he was holding something round. A thing about the size of a ring that was placed in the middle of the Sispanian room.
“Looking at that, I couldn’t have turned back time in the last battle. Why did I fight the last battle with the axis of time? That’s what I thought.”
After saying that, Calian lowered his eyes as if thinking about something more. And after a while, he continued speaking.
“Sispanian said I had to take back the axis of time. So at first, I thought that it meant that I would have to turn back time or destroy it once I got it. Maybe that’s not the case.”
A black stone with the same language written on it.
The black stone that made the rose’s stopped time flow again when Randel’s power touched it came to mind.
If it was made by humans, if it was made with power imitating something. If that something is the axis of time.
“I thought maybe that could counteract the abnormal power that ‘they’ use.”
Perhaps the axis of time that Calian must reap contains other powers that Calian can possess.
said Calian with a smile.
