Chapter 72. Perhaps because he was disappointed (3),
Kalian’s eyes became narrow.
A cold voice echoes through the black room.
“say.”
No matter whether you use Clean 10 or 100 times, the smell of the dead person’s blood will not be erased. However, if you have a good sense of smell, your sense of smell will also improve, and if so, your appetite will also improve. I’m planning to visit a person who is so green that I can’t figure out why he has a good sense of smell and is particularly good at smelling blood.
So, after taking a quick shower and changing into other clothes, I came to Chermil to go to Wilhelm’s coffin.
“Merlin went to get the clothes ready. I’ll finish getting ready while you have tea. Are you going to take a shower too?”
“I will listen to what you say, so tell me.”
However, Jan, who could not make eye contact and kept his head down, left the room before I could say anything. After a while, he came back, put the car down, and tried to leave right away. I was just about to grab it.
eve. After I woke up and finally met Jan, I consoled him as much as I could and apologized. Before going to Secretia, he taught me how to play the harmonica, which I had not been able to do before. I have a place to go overnight with Alan. I got permission in advance. This morning, I had a meal and drank tea with Jan, and after talking about going to Siegfried, I went out and returned to the palace earlier than scheduled.
So it wasn’t like he was angry.
however.
“What kind of bastard”
“Don’t use harsh words.”
“Yeah. Sorry. I won’t use it.”
“yes.”
“Who said that? Did you fight with your brother? Did brother Randel come? What did the other servants say? It’s okay, so tell me, Jan.”
No, what the hell.
Where are my baby elephant’s eyes?
My shirt button hole is bigger than his eyes right now. The magical puppy eyes that made even that big guy look cute disappeared in just half a day. My face was so swollen that I left it next to the oven to bake, but forgot about it, and it ended up like black barley bread that didn’t cook and just swelled all night.
So, which baby is my baby elephant?…
“Prince.”
“me?”
“yes.”
“Again? Did I make you cry again?”
“…… yes.”
Calian, who was sitting in his seat and looking up at Jan, said with the corners of his eyes drooping.
“I need you to tell me. So tell me what I did. I’ll listen to everything.”
He grabbed Jan’s wrist and pulled him down to the chair next to him. It was because I wasn’t very comfortable raising my head as I was already disappointed at my reduced height. I thought we would have to have Jan sit down for a while to have a conversation.
Jan, who had sat down as Kalian had pulled him down, gave up half the time and raised his face, which looked like chestnuts soaked in water. Then he nodded. But he rarely opened his mouth.
Kalian, who had offered Yan a cup of tea with more honey than the tangerine that Yan had just taken a sip of earlier, quietly opened his mouth. A soft voice came out like Alan in front of Calian.
“Were you worried that I wouldn’t be able to come again?”
“…… yes.”
“So did you cry?”
“no.”
“Then why were you crying?”
Yan’s eyes became bright as he looked at the tangerine tea given to him by Kalian. Calian, who was startled and put the car back down, stretched out his hand. Then he covered Jan’s eyes with both palms. Just like Hina once did for Kalian, who had swollen eyes.
Soon, a small amount of magical energy appeared in Calian’s hands.
I cooled my hands with the cold.
What I summoned was clearly cold energy, but warmth spread between my palms. The moisture-soaked warmth pooled in my palm.
“Prince, you’ve never done anything like this before.”
Jan’s mouth opened.
I’m glad they covered my eyes, otherwise I would have seen my speechless face. Calian let out a silent sigh at that thought and answered.
“Yeah. I didn’t do that before.”
“I have never given you tea like the prince used to drink. I have never had you sit next to me and talk to me.”
“That’s right. It wasn’t like that before.”
“He never showed how to use magic, he couldn’t use a sword, he never jumped out of a window, and he was afraid of horses.”
“Yes. I know.”
“He didn’t like the smell of honey, couldn’t eat raw oysters, and didn’t like mint tea. He couldn’t even touch sour things.”
“Yeah. I remember.”
“You never apologized and you never said thank you.”
“Yeah… I did.”
“He didn’t say anything harsh. He couldn’t even say a word in front of the nobles or in front of His Majesty. He couldn’t even raise his head properly in front of Crown Prince Planz and Prince Randel.”
“Yeah. I know.”
“But he changed overnight.”
Calian just nodded without answering.
“A private car. That’s why you changed like this. I know everything.”
ah.
I’m so glad I covered my eyes.
Calian breathed another sigh of relief. What kind of expression did he make when he heard that he knew everything about Kalian had changed? I’m glad they didn’t show that. I’m really glad. That’s what I thought. And then he opened his mouth.
I tried to say yes. I didn’t want to lie.
“That car.”
But Jan spoke first.
“It’s true that the prince changed like this so that something like that wouldn’t happen again because I didn’t recognize that the tea was poisoned first. It’s true that he changed so much that everything he likes and dislikes has changed.”
“…… huh?”
Calian’s face became blank for a moment.
baby elephant.
I was thinking wildly again.
I was blaming myself for Kalian’s change. He said he almost died while trusting Jan, so he couldn’t rely on anyone else and ended up being alone.
It’s not that Bern noticed that he was in Kalian’s body, it’s just that Kalyan has become a new person. From start to finish, I felt completely different, like a different person. Because Jan couldn’t protect me. That’s what I was thinking.
In short, it means that you got it wrong.
“……Yan.”
okay.
Yan is Yan.
Calian’s voice sounded like foam filled in a warm bathtub.
“Are you upset that I’ve changed?”
“of course.”
“Why are you upset? Everyone likes you.”
“The prince didn’t change because he wanted to. It was because he was forced to do so. Whether he has changed or not, it is still difficult to find a comfortable day for him, so how can he like it?”
“Did you just not like it at all?”
Patter, patter.
Cry more.
What was dripping is falling down in a patter.
Calian, who was startled, spoke hurriedly.
“No. I’m sorry. Don’t cry. It’s okay to hate it.”
“How can I say I don’t like it? There’s nothing I don’t like.”
“… But why are you crying more?”
“If you say that now is better, what will happen to the prince’s past times? If you say that then was better, then what will happen to you now? I know everything about how you lived and how you are now, both then and now. Eating things you didn’t eat, doing things you didn’t do, and that’s it. “Just because something has changed, how do I choose whether it’s better now, better then, or better?”
Patter patter.
“Why are you asking such an upset question?”
“Okay. Sorry. I won’t ask.”
I am making all the apologies I will ever make for the rest of my life.
Calian, who had a face that made him want to cry, let out air with his palm. I’ve never comforted anyone before. Will it get better if my hands get cooler or if the wind blows? What should I do? I didn’t know what to do because I felt like everything leaking through the cracks in my palms would burn me. Not knowing what to do, I listened to Jan.
“Crown Prince Plants stopped by today. He gave me a bracelet that allows me to talk to the prince and told me to keep talking to him no matter where I go. He told me not to worry because if the prince disappears again, he will find it for me again.”
“… Ah… I see…”
Calian answered with an effort to keep his face calm.
Dragon skin that can only be processed using dragon bone fragments or teeth. A material that even Adelia can never damage. In addition, a precious communication item made with a piece of the dragon’s heart.
I didn’t make that face because it was a waste.
Kalyan also tried to give it to Jan. I’m not going to lie, I was going to give that to Jan. In just a few days, the baby elephant’s face looked like that of a grandfather elephant, so I thought that if I left it as is, it would grow older than Slayman, so I decided to give it to Jan. So it really wasn’t a waste of the bracelet. The problem lay elsewhere.
The one that Pea gave me in a nice way.
… It’s my bracelet.
I was trying to receive it and give it to him nicely. I had already thought about what to say and give it to him nicely. Pea took it away.
“So I asked you.”
“What did you ask?”
“In the past, I asked why I did that. A person who knew I was worried and knew how to say such things asked me why I did that. I got angry at my subordinate.”
Calian, who almost took his hand away from Yan’s eyes, lowered his eyes.
“Brother. Did you say you were sorry?”
Jan nodded.
Calian also nodded.
“okay.”
“That’s why I cried. Because you… knew that you were worried, and you were a person who knew how to say such things. If I had come forward earlier, I would have argued and fought instead of the prince. What would have happened if that had happened. If so. I wish you would have helped me too. “I wonder if he gave it to me. That’s what I thought.”
If so.
Some people would have been poisoned earlier, some would have collapsed again, and some would have been completely broken.
… Everyone must have been immersed in the scent of Reneeri.
“Is that why you cried so sadly?”
“yes.”
Calian took his cool hand away and looked at Yan.
“My baby elephant is very ugly.”
Trying not to burst out laughing as I looked at my messed up face, I used a cleanser to wipe my tears and snot.
“What’s disappointing is that Aila said she was pretty. I guess not all of them are pretty.”
A calm voice slowly flows out.
“Yes. I guess it’s sad. So some things are prettier. Some things are more sad. They’re sad because they’re pretty, and they’re pretty because they’re sad. And then they’re sad again. I guess that’s it.”
Calian smiled slightly and handed back the car he had put down. Yan, who was looking down at the lukewarm tea, looked at Calian.
“Take care of your bracelet. You can contact me at any time and say anything. I will listen to everything.”
“Yes…”
“Thank you for being sad. Thank you for saying that to my brother. Thank you for seeing me the same way because you don’t think things are better now than before because you don’t think things are better than before. Thank you for that.”
Jan nodded.
I don’t think you’ll ever know the full weight of gratitude.
“I didn’t change because of you. Don’t think like that. Then ‘I’ will be so upset.”
“…… yes.”
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t worry. I like worrying about you. I don’t like it at all. I’ve never disliked it. It’s always been good. Instead, I worry while I sleep and eat. I won’t worry about anything more than that. Just worry about that much.”
Yan, who couldn’t figure out what to say in response to the prince who smiled and said he would confide in him a little, let out a snickering sound and laughed.
“I’m fine now. I’m really fine.”
Jan nodded once again.
And I drank the cooled and sweet tea that Kalyan gave me. Even though it still tastes different every day and I don’t drink more than a sip of the flantz, Kalyan always enjoys it all.
It was tasteless.
It was delicious.
“What happened to you?”
“I thought it was Norton Ramirez, but it was a white repairman disguised as Norton.”
“White eagle… That bastard who attacked the prince before”
“Shiroian. You shouldn’t use harsh words.”
“Yeah. I won’t use it. Anyway, aren’t you one of those guys?”
“That’s right. I thought he was punished by His Majesty King Secretia at the time, but that wasn’t the case. I think he disguised himself as a completely different guy and ran away long ago. Then this time he disguised himself as Norton and came looking for me.”
“That’s surprising. Why did you do that?”
“I think you’ll find out the reason if you dig into Rashid. Was there any reason for the white suri to cut off his arm and turn into Norton? Why did he do that when he wasn’t that type of person? Or did he get his arm cut off for some other reason and turn into a similar Norton at the same time? That too.”
“Rashid Briesen? The guy who attacked the prince this time…?”
“That’s right.”
“Why are you digging up Rashid Briesen instead of asking that white eagle guy?”
“He’s dead.”
“The white eagle died? Our knights must have been there, so what happened?”
“I was going to ask more. I didn’t know what was really important, and I’m the type of person who never opens up about even the smallest of things. Plus, I was a little angry. I was afraid that if I held back, I’d end up hearing something I didn’t want to hear, so I couldn’t hold back.”
“Did the prince die because he was so angry? Did you really use a knife yourself? That’s why you said you’d change your clothes? Are you afraid you’ll smell blood?”
“…… huh.”
Jan stood up from his seat.
And he made Calian stand upright.
I’ve already forgotten that you shouldn’t touch the royal body without permission. I’m busy turning Kalian around and checking to see if there are any flaws. What can be seen in such shrunken eyes, with eyes like a puffer fish that has been touched with a finger? Anyway, I looked around intently.
“Why don’t you just tell me to worry a little bit? You should go to a place where there are a lot of knights, Leah, and even your mother, fight with your sword in hand, then come back, eat, sleep, and worry. Is that what you’re saying?”
“…Yan. Among them, I am the strongest.”
“What do you do if you’re the strongest? You say you’re the strongest, but you get hurt the most. And what’s the strongest?”
“That’s a bit unfair to me too. I’ve never fought with a proper head, so I’m the strongest.”
“I don’t know. Anyway, the prince, you’re like this so I can’t put my mind at ease.”
“Okay. I’m sorry.”
“Are you really okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Yeah. There’s really nothing. It’s really okay.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. Really.”
Calian laughed.
“Stop and sit back down. Give me the bracelet. I’ll teach you how to use it.”
“…… yes.”
anyway.
Jan is Jan.
* * *
‘You seem busy these days.’
‘I think you know. ‘I’ll go first.’
‘I even took His Majesty to the villa. Are you practicing bowing your head under the crown?’
‘Is this a question that needs an answer?’
‘If it’s a question, there should be an answer.’
‘If you answer yes, he will say that it is true of you, and if you answer no, he will say that you don’t know, but your brother will be right in the end. So, please let me know what you would like to hear. Yes or no, I will tell you whatever you want.’
– Palak.
I flipped through the documents at a speed that was almost perfect.
I looked at the letters inside with my eyes, and in my mind, I recalled a conversation I had with a brother I ran into by chance, and I left my signature, wrote down the reason for rejection, or added my opinion with my hand.
‘You speak as if you know me quite well.’
‘Not quite. I know very well. Because I am not your older brother. Even though I was reluctant and hated it, I never turned my eyes away.’
– Palak.
After that, we looked at the information on the hundred knights who entered the palace earlier than expected. Their names, places of origin, and their individual tendencies and swordsmanship characteristics were summarized and stored in my head.
Based on the information from existing articles stored in memory, we consider one by one the optimal positions and roles that new people can complement. Are the existing knights participants in this fight, are they injured, and when will they recover? Think about it together and decide where to place the new articles first.
Of course, I didn’t forget to think about what kind of training each of them should start with and how to change the arrangement when the recovering knights return.
I wrote down my decision on a blank piece of paper.
‘That’s unexpected. you.’
‘It was pointless.’
‘Have you ever hoped it wasn’t meaningless?’
‘A free question. ‘Your brother does it too.’
– Palak.
Even at that moment, the conversation with my brother continues to ring in my ears.
The conversation that took place, the eyes, gaze, and facial expressions. Nothing fades or fades but remains intact.
‘…… okay. ‘It was a gratuitous question.’
Golden garden shears in the servant’s hand.
The head, not forgetting to ask what it was, who gave it to him, what it meant for the brother to go out to the garden with it, faithfully provides the answer.
I ignored the answer and continued flipping through the documents.
In order not to feel relieved, sad, like, or dislike, we write new documents, review the submitted reports, and reject or accept them. Write your opinion and leave your signature.
– Palak.
– Palak Palak.
“No matter how smart you are, if you use it like that, you won’t be able to hold on to your head.”
-……Suddenly.
Plantz’s hand stopped.
The gaze that had not been directed elsewhere left the desk.
“Or, not only the left, but also the right arm would be dislocated. Because the person is very weak here and there.”
“You bark as soon as you arrive.”
“Don’t push me too hard like that. Even if you don’t prove it, I know you’re smart. After you took the black piece and lost, you took the white piece and still lost.”
Before I knew it, Calian, who knew better than anyone else except Plants where the content he was writing down on the document came from and how many things he had come up with at once and the answers he had obtained by intersecting them, had already arrived.
Plantz, who had not even noticed that he was standing behind the office and watching her work, let alone entering the office, frowned. This is because I knew that I didn’t kill him intentionally, but just didn’t realize that Calian was coming in.
The reason I knew that was simple.
Because I felt it the moment I heard Calian’s words.
“It’s no longer worth keeping my brother alive by pretending he’s dead.”
The smell of someone’s blood, clearly not old.
“Anyway, you’re so quick to notice.”
I can’t help but think about what it means that Calian, who went to the duke’s house, was covered in the smell of blood and whose blood he was told not to use his head. Calian frowned as if he did not like that and opened his mouth.
“However, I don’t know if the person I saved is alive or dead. This smells like a bird, not a person.”
“Bird. Who.”
“White suri. Do you know?”
Plantz nodded.
Calian closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them, telling them everything about his visit to the duke’s residence. If I didn’t tell him, I would think about it alone again, so I just told him.
“After all, it’s Rashid Briesen again.”
“In the end, it’s Xeon again.”
“okay.”
“You’re not going this far because of what Jan said. Did you at least meet brother Randel on the way back from Chermil to look for me?”
Who is telling whom to be quick-witted?
Thump.
Plantz put down the report he was reviewing and looked at Calian. The answer followed without any lengthy explanation.
“We met.”
“Did you fight?”
Kalian, who said this, raised his clenched hand and smiled. That fist was really spicy, and it contained a lot of meaning that no matter who he was fighting, he wouldn’t lose.
Plantz, who frowned as he looked at his younger brother who had learned to bark without opening his mouth, opened his mouth.
“We didn’t fight.”
“Then again, are you just getting pickled in Brother Randel’s words that are like salt water?”
“… We talked.”
maybe.
“Good job.”
Whether it’s a good opponent or an unpleasant opponent.
I heard they had a conversation.
“You did an amazing job, so let’s go cool off.”
“where.”
“I’m going to Shurinz. To pick you up.”
“okay.”
“Aren’t you asking for any details about when I’m going or who I’m going with? Brother, if you really leave the palace, it’s a scam. You got a mithril net, hid magic bullets, and planted magic lanterns here and there, but if the safe, which is already empty, is stolen, who will eat the cat’s food? Will you buy it for me?”
“You’re barking a lot today too.”
“Yes. It’s been a while and I’m excited.”
It barked even at dawn the day before.
It had the face of a large, growling animal, but it barked anyway. Therefore, after returning to the black cat and realizing that it had been a long time since he barked, Planz, who was speechless, asked with a short sigh.
“when.”
“I’m leaving in two days.”
“who.”
They said he was barking.
I learned what I was told very gently and asked.
Calian, suppressing laughter, answered.
“Me, my brother, and Kirie Aila. It’s like this. It may increase or decrease, but that’s what I think.”
“okay.”
“Ah. Brother Randel too.”
“you.”
“yo. this.”
“not.”
Is speaking informally a problem now?
Plantz, who couldn’t keep up with my younger brother’s crazy thoughts, frowned, even with his smart brain.
They say they will completely empty the palace.
no. There’s Vulcan and Allen, so there shouldn’t be a problem if it’s empty. Whether it’s emptying the palace, emptying the country, or emptying the concept, it will all have deep meaning. however.
An unbelievable companion came along. That’s the problem.
“no.”
An answer that could not be more decisive came out of Plantz’s mouth.
“After breaking the window on the 5th floor and going up, it seems like you stopped smelling Renieri’s scent while watching Brother Randel. I heard you even talked to him. Do you still hate it?”
“Still. I don’t like it.”
“yes.”
Calian nodded, showing a pretty smile.
Anyway, brother, you will go together.
It was a laugh with that kind of meaning.
“First, have dinner with me.”
“no.”
“Do you… do you hate the smell of blood?”
“no.”
“Then let’s eat together. I’m bored eating alone.”
“……okay.”
“yes.”
Smile.
I don’t know if Plants recognized it.
