Chapter 73. Wait a minute, brother (4)
Even if you throw it away, you can always pick it up again.
No matter what you give up or give in return, it is something you should never miss.
I looked into it.
Taking Rashid’s breath right now.
Let Planz breathe right now.
What would be more of a waste to miss out on? It was a question that didn’t need an answer, but I asked myself the question. What is more precious at this moment? What is more urgent?
At this point, I knew that the silence of the guy who should have been telling me to stop barking and stop biting by mentioning Calian’s name did not mean that it was okay to bark and bite. I knew that it wasn’t permission, it was just something I couldn’t stop.
‘What was Sir Hertz’s first greeting?’
Was it a horse? So who said what? Or was it an action or an expression? Was it another scent? To avoid having to answer such questions, I brought the scale to me. I just did the calculations and figured which way to lean further. I only thought about which was more important right now. I stopped my brain from spinning on its own and decided what to do now.
-Does a snake catch a snake? Snakes catch mice.
I’m afraid that instead of hunting, we’ll end up tangled together and die.
I’m afraid that if I find out what Rashid was doing that was suffocating Planz like Arsene’s first greeting to Bern, I would forget where I am, who is watching, and who I am. I’m afraid it will turn back and run at me just like that snake with its entire body adorned with fragrant venom. I’m afraid we’ll die together.
Knowing that this is what Rashid wants most at this moment, that this is what Plants wants most at this moment, and that this is the path he should never choose at this moment.
“Because it was a fence built to keep out animals. Now I know what the snake heard.”
I held back.
“So… I guess I’ll have to mend that fence now, even if it’s belated.”
I endured it.
“Ah. I guess I took too much of your time. As I said, I also had other things to do at the palace. If you allow me, I will leave now.”
“…… is it so.”
“Yes, my prince. I look forward to seeing you again in the future.”
“Me too, Baron Briesen.”
I endured it desperately.
“I hope you have a pleasant conversation with Brother Randel.”
Rashid looked at Kalyan.
Because I never said I came to see Randel.
Rashid is not the only person who can read the other person’s intentions and predict their actions. That’s why the advice is not to raise your head just yet. The person who needs to be the most cautious and sharp-edged is not Plants or Randel, but Kalian himself. I understood that it was a warning to keep in mind.
“…… thank you.”
Rashid smiled elegantly. I lowered my head and bowed my back. I did not forget and set an example. I turned back and moved my feet. It went away.
I watched.
Kalian held back.
however.
– Palak…!
A red cloak was visible.
Black shoes were visible.
I felt magical power gathering.
The person who had always tried to stop him from taking a step forward, without any hesitation, was seen to be unable to be more patient, and took a step towards the person who was walking away, passing by Kalian.
“older brother.”
That hand.
Hands turning pale.
The thing in my hand that turned pale.
“……Wait a moment, brother.”
I saw a dagger made of ice.
– Kwaaak!
Calian stretched out his arms. I grabbed the planz. I grabbed what was in my hand. Before the nobles could see it, the hand hidden by the cloak grabbed Planz before it was revealed to the wind.
I grabbed the blade in that hand with both hands.
I held it as if to hide it from anyone’s eyes.
I knew that Planz didn’t really mean to point a knife at Rashid. I knew that I had taken out the knife knowing that it would come back to me, not to Rashid.
“older brother.”
A deep and deep perfume.
No matter how far you escape, you cannot escape. In the end, it goes back in an instant like this. I miss you like I hate you, and in the end, I drown and die.
A vague sense of guilt that came back to life immersed in that nostalgia.
I realized that it was a knife that I took out because I couldn’t overcome it.
So I held on. I stood in the way.
“…… older brother.”
Plantz didn’t answer.
Calian moved his magic. A weak ice day that could do no harm to Rashid. Forgetting about putting on an aura, I grabbed the blade and used a clean sweep before the flowing water hit the floor. On and on and on.
“older brother.”
It seems like nothing can be heard in those ears, no matter how much I call, it seems like they don’t listen, and no matter what I do, I feel like I can’t stop them.
– Sigh!
The silent curtain was opened.
And then he opened his mouth.
“Planz.”
called.
“……Your younger brother is calling.”
informed.
Light green eyes finally see my younger brother. I looked at Calian without even being able to return my gaze, which looked exactly like the one I had faced in front of the castle gate.
Calian let out a long sigh and opened his mouth once more.
“are you okay.”
What I had said with my hands, I repeated with my mouth.
I comforted him.
Kalian does Planz.
* * *
– Please close your eyes.
– That’s right.
All it took was one word.
Rashid’s energy is moving away from Calian, who went to the Senyukan wearing the crown prince’s uniform, and Plantz, who handles water, is collecting ice. Calian’s magical power is moving, and he is using ‘Clean’ endlessly. Alan knew. I had a hunch that this was an extremely abnormal thing.
So there was no need to say anything more.
As soon as they finished answering, Alan appeared next to them. He came straight from Wilhelm’s office to Senyu’s office. And then I saw what happened. I immediately realized that I couldn’t move somewhere with Plantz.
“Your Majesty. I received a call from you. I came to see you suddenly here because you were looking for me.”
Since Calian had already taken off his uniform and the cloak he was wearing was placed on Plantz’s shoulder, he knew that thanks to Plantz, Calian’s terrible plan had been foiled. So, I came up with this clever excuse and stood between the two.
“Now that I think about it, it seems like it’s been a while since everyone.”
Alan greeted the nobles with a nonchalant expression. When Lemain returned, the meeting would be held again, so I told him to go back first and sent Reric, who was the last to come out of the meeting, to Chermil first. Rashid, who had already left, may or may not have seen the situation. It wasn’t a worry.
After clearing his surroundings, Alan turned around again.
– Saa…….
The handle of the short dagger in Plantz’s hand disappears.
The cold blade that penetrated Kalian’s flesh disappears.
As the blade blocking the gap was removed, the accumulated blood dripped down. Seeing Calian, who had erased even that with a clean sweep, and Planz quietly looking down at the sight, Allen massaged his temples for a moment.
“Please change your seat first.”
Since it was not an internal injury, there would be no problem in moving the body using magic. Calian nodded and Plantz did not look up. The archmage, who heard this as permission, embraced the two.
The light rises and the vision changes.
* * *
A spring afternoon.
The sunlight coming in through the long window creates a small door in the floor.
I remember carefully stepping up because I felt like I was stepping into another world. However, even if you try that, the only thing that changes is the window shadow. The sunlight that was shining on the floor only rose above my feet. There was a day when I had to retrace my steps due to some sort of disappointment.
A slightly crooked, gridded square window shadow appeared on the floor of the treatment room. The person who was looking across what looked like a door made of sunlight turned his head back. I quietly looked down at the words I had been writing on the paper on the small table placed on the bed and let out a low sigh.
– Knock knock.
There is a knock on the door, as if waiting for the sigh to end.
“Yes. Please come in.”
Needlen, who gave a reflexive answer, made a sad face. I thought I would put the paper away and then answer. I quickly put aside my late regrets and quickly began to clean up the table.
– Sweet.
However, someone who was allowed in moved a little faster. By the time I closed the ink bottle, placed the pen on the nightstand, and reached for the open paper, the guest who had visited the treatment room had already opened the door and stepped inside.
Needlen, who turned to the door, was startled and stood up.
– Palak…
The paper I had been writing down on fell to the floor in the wind, but I had no time to pay attention.
“Corporation commander, vice-corps commander, prince!”
The three guests who I couldn’t figure out why they came here were all really great people.
“Just stay. There’s no one here who can tell you to stand up on those legs.”
“yes yes.”
The Crown Prince and the Marquis, who declined to greet them on behalf of the Prince, looked around the hospital room for a moment.
“I heard this is the only empty treatment room. Is that right?”
“Vice Commander Hertz’s treatment room…”
“There was another hand there.”
“Oh, yes. Then that’s right. I was with another crew member, but I returned after treatment and it looks like another crew member will be here soon.”
“Ah. I didn’t get hurt anywhere else, only my neck was stepped on.”
“That’s right, Corps Commander.”
“Then stay with me for a while. I will take the prince and fix his hand and then come back.”
“Yes? Oh yes. I understand.”
Alan smiled softly and nodded. Then he sat Plantz on the chair next to Needlen’s bed. He left Plantz still without a word and went out, taking Calian with him.
– Master.
– I don’t know what we talked about, but it looks like Baron Briesen did the right thing.
– yes. you’re right.
– Just follow me. If something goes wrong, won’t the baby elephant go crazy again?
– no. That’s not it. I think it would be better to keep my brother in Chermil Palace or in the office.
– Pay attention to the cracked hands of the prince. It’s better to leave it like that for a while if you’re torn apart.
– Should I?
– You don’t like it?
– no. It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s that I don’t know what to do.
– Then just leave it alone. It wouldn’t be of any help if the prince were to remain in front of you with black hair and red eyes.
– …… yes.
– I tried to stop you. When you dressed up like that, it seemed like you were going to get angry. Anyway, don’t think about unnecessary things and think about hearing what I said once you’re fully healed. Both of you.
– Yes…
Of course, Calian was not taken away quietly, but Needlen could not have known.
– Sweet.
Soon the door closed and two of the three people who suddenly came by disappeared.
There was just that much breathtaking silence.
Needlen, who didn’t understand why, fidgeted in his seat and then opened his mouth.
“……Vice-corps commander.”
So, if this damn pea had just told me what happened with Rashid, this wouldn’t have happened. What should we do about this situation now? Just a little longer and all the nobles will see this, so how are we going to fix it? While thinking about that, Calian was unable to say anything else as he realized that it was I who chased away the memory and even broke the intact cup that was heavily soaked in Renier and didn’t ask any more questions.
So, thanks to Calian, who had been holding onto the blade and calling out Plantz’s name so much, Plantz, who had come back just long enough to recognize the voice calling me, turned his head.
Needlen stretched out his hand, unable to ask because his face was too clear to ask what was going on. After that, he took out the paper box that was placed under the nightstand, opened the lid, and placed it on the simple table.
“My brother sent it to me. It tastes good. Try it.”
Cookies made by Needlen’s twin sister, Scarlett.
This time, Planz shook his head as he looked at the cookies, which must still be delicious, since he made them to tell his sick sister to get well quickly. And then I looked down at my feet again.
The tips of the shoes are particularly shiny.
This is because the sun shines at the tips of Planz’s feet.
The light green gaze that was watching the scene moved along the sunlight. My gaze, which had been moving from the grid pattern on the floor to the shadow of the flower pot on the window, landed on a thin piece of paper lying on the floor.
Planz looked at it with his mouth still closed. I saw the letters written on paper shining bright white under the sunlight. I looked at it like that for a while.
-Sarak…….
He stretched out his hand.
I bent my back and lowered my head. I grazed the floor with my fingertips and picked up the paper.
Needlen, who only then noticed that the paper he was trying to put away had fallen, hurriedly held out his hand. However, he could not bear to take what was in the hands of the royal family and took it back. Instead, I opened my mouth to explain it.
“Oh, that’s it.”
“…… why.”
Needlen, who probably didn’t know how great it was to open his mouth, smiled awkwardly. Then, realizing that he had a story to tell to this taciturn crown prince, he began to speak.
“I don’t know if the Vice Commander knows. The other members were hit by Prince Calian’s sword and hands, but I was also beaten by the Prince with my words.”
– You’ll be so worried that you’ll forget you’re fighting. I don’t take care of my subordinates, I save the royal family. Then he forgets to lead the others and runs here until they all fall. Then what should I do?
Calian, who used honorifics as much as possible even in front of a single member, spoke.
– A bastard as big as a division commander.
In addition, he said even harsher words.
“I was cursed and scolded.”
Plantz looked up from the paper and at Needlen.
Looking at those eyes, I felt worried, so instead of asking her to tell me what was going on, Needlen continued talking.
Not taking care of articles that were exposed to risk. Calian, who was clearly an ‘enemy’, told me how he tried to save him first because he was a royal. I told Plantz the story that I had only secretly told to Veronica, who came to deliver the medicine and looked at the paper and asked why I was writing this down.
“But after hearing what Prince Calian said, my thoughts became very complicated. I saw a blank piece of paper and I thought I would write my resignation letter on it, so I just scribbled the nickname of the wizard I was sharing the room with so as not to write a resignation letter. He has already returned now, but he “There was a gray-haired wizard who couldn’t do addition correctly.”
A wizard who got better early after being stepped on by something other than Calian’s sword.
I’m good at magic calculations, but every time I post a report, my calculations are wrong, so Plantz called me that. Among the gray-haired wizards, he is the one who makes addition mistakes.
“Anyway, at first I wrote it down without much thought… Then the next guy came to mind, and the next guy came to mind, so I kept writing.”
Orange-haired wizard Kaine Tesman. A wizard who has yet to get a different nickname because there is no other wizard with the same hair color.
A pink-haired wizard who can’t drink milk. Unlike Needlen, who has light purple-pink hair, this wizard has real pink hair and gets colic when he drinks milk.
A brown-haired wizard who hates green peppers that Planz was secretly happy about. A brown-haired knight who yawns when he’s nervous. The yellow-haired wizard that Anne is afraid of. A brown-haired wizard who is good at whistling. A red-haired knight who can’t sleep when he drinks black tea.
“But as I was writing that down, I thought about who was who, what their speaking habits were, what they ate well and what they couldn’t eat, and what they were good at. Things like that came to mind. It wasn’t just the wizards or knights under me, but each person in my mind. The person I was responsible for was Scarlett. “I now realize that I knew there was something else, but I didn’t know.”
Plantz did not answer.
Needlen’s quiet voice continued. I don’t know what happened, but maybe these words will provide some consolation? With that thought in mind.
“Actually, I didn’t know why the Vice Commander called us that, but as I wrote it down, I felt like I knew a little bit. I thought maybe he did it because he already knew what I knew now.”
It wasn’t.
It was similar but a little different.
Because of Kalian, whose name was erased, and because of Vern, he did not want to remember someone by name only. It happened because Kalian was trying to remember everything in case he forgot again. It wasn’t for the reason Needlen thought.
“Of course, it may be for different reasons than mine, but I decided to just think of it that way. Because the correct answer is not important. Where in the world can there be a correct answer? So I decided to think freely and feel proud.”
Needlen said this and smiled awkwardly.
And I looked at the paper as if gently stroking it with my eyes.
“Anyway, I’m trying to remember and write down all the nicknames of the guys I need to take care of before I get better and go out. Once I write them all down, I’ll show them to the vice commander again.”
“… To me. Why.”
“I learned it thanks to the Vice Commander. As I reflect on this incident, I will write it as a reflection and show it to you.”
Plantz looked at the floor again.
I saw the figure beautifully engraved in the sunlight.
The shadow of the flower pot on the window, the shadow of the grid on the floor, the tips of black shoes. The gaze that had been moving like that moved up to the hand. I looked at the paper in my hand and saw the names written on it.
Perhaps Needlen’s reason for accepting it might have been more correct. But the answer is that I have already noticed all the unnecessary names one by one.
“Vice Commander, do you remember how you decided to overlook my mistake instead of giving me that perfume? I already told Vice Commander Hertz and was forgiven, so please scold me for this incident and move on. I won’t do something like that again.”
The sunlight shining on the floor suddenly became slightly slanted.
Even after stepping on it, you will no longer be disappointed that another world does not unfold, and you will feel relieved that you will not leave where you live. Now, it has become that much of a waste.
“You shouldn’t kick them out. I really like Vulcan, Vice Commander.”
The pink-haired wizard who ate things with salt grinned.
