Chapter 98
Chapter 19. Brother (6)
After a casual birthday greeting and a formal thank you, Lemain spoke first to his three sons. However, the content was different from the dinner we had together a long time ago.
“Calian. I heard that you left the palace yesterday even though it wasn’t your usual day to go out. Because I know you can protect yourself, I allowed you to go outside the palace, but it seems like it happens too often.”
He said this with the same facial expression as a typical father.
“And Planz. Lord Hertz is a man of outstanding ability. Should I even hear that you fight with someone like that every day?”
In addition, he also expressed concern to Plantz, who continued to fight with Arsene.
So, in short, LeMaine ended up doing something called nagging. It seemed that because he listened to Alan’s nagging so much, he started nagging himself.
Because of the strange feeling of seeing the king of a country nagging his sons, Calian forgot about Chase for a while and was having a hard time suppressing laughter.
Lemain opened his mouth again, whether he knew this or not. This time it was towards Randel.
“Let’s go for a walk together sometime soon. Lots of roses will be blooming soon.”
“I understand, Your Majesty.”
Of course, it’s about roses.
Randel answered in simple words without any special expression.
After the conversation ended, everyone stood up and was about to leave, but Lemain opened his mouth as if he suddenly remembered something.
“Planz, wait a moment. I forgot what I wanted to say.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Kalian and Randel got up first and went out, leaving Planz behind.
However, Kyrie’s expression, who had been waiting for Calian all this time, was not very good. So, as I was about to ask what happened, I heard a voice calling Calian from behind.
“Calian. Let’s go for a walk.”
It was Randel who told the same story as Lemain.
* * *
– I forgot something I shouldn’t have forgotten. I.
Something Chase shouldn’t have forgotten, but ended up forgetting.
It had taken two months to visit Alan, and it took another time to talk about him. Chase took another moment to choose his words.
“I don’t know if you believe this.”
It took so long for the subdued voice to come out again, and before I knew it, steam was no longer rising from the coffee cup.
“Still, I thought Lord Manasil would listen.”
“You tell me. I will listen.”
Alan nodded, having some idea of what was going to be said, and Chase, with his eyes on the coffee, opened his mouth and started talking.
“Do you remember what I said about the axis of time disappearing?”
As expected, the axis of time was mentioned.
“Yes. I remember.”
“I was there the day the axis disappeared last spring.”
It must have been referring to the very day when the dead Bern woke up with Calian’s body. Alan waited for his next words without answering.
Chase touched his head and opened his mouth.
“But a few months ago, unfamiliar memories started coming to me one by one, as if I was dreaming.”
I didn’t mention how horrifying I felt as memories of things I never experienced were engraved in my mind one by one.
“It was hard to believe, so at first I thought it was just a long dream. Then, after I felt the events in my memories repeating themselves, I started to doubt. Of course, there were a few times when I thought I was going crazy.”
It was a fairly harsh expression to come out of Chase’s mouth. Chase, who let out a weak laugh as if he remembered the time when he was alone and confused, continued.
“And then in the end, I had no choice but to believe that it wasn’t just an illusion or that I was going crazy. It was that I was already remembering what I had been through.”
As Alan well knew, Chase was a cautious man.
Even though he experienced changes after the axis of time disappeared before his eyes, it must have taken a long time for him to fully believe that his memories were not mere illusions.
“As if I had seen what was to come.”
Alan massaged his temples.
The phenomena that Verne and Chase said they experienced were different.
So Chase couldn’t have gone back in time on his own. I’m just remembering things that the axis of time erased.
I didn’t know if it was because I was in a place where the axis of time disappeared, or if there were other reasons. In any case, the important fact was that Chase recalled memories of things that had already disappeared.
“Do you remember from when to when and how much?”
Chase’s expression changed slightly at Alan’s question.
Alan wasn’t surprised when he heard Chase’s words. I didn’t even ask back what I heard. I was just asking about something that needed confirmation.
Chase laughed softly.
“You should have come a long time ago.”
Chase laughed like that for a moment, feeling relieved that he didn’t have to worry about it alone.
“As I said, the axis disappeared last spring. I started dreaming in the winter, and I remember almost everything from the past. Sometimes I remember things from the future, and sometimes I don’t.”
At those words, Alan barely swallowed a question that was sticking out of his throat. It was because I couldn’t bring myself to ask if I remembered Bern.
Chase saw that and opened his mouth.
“Because of that, I felt like I had to see it with my own eyes.”
One thing to celebrate.
And there is one person to meet.
That was Chase’s purpose in coming here.
“What are you saying you wanted to check?”
“Anyway…”
Chase’s words didn’t continue for a moment.
It seemed like he was recollecting a memory that he ‘shouldn’t forget,’ so Alan watched quietly.
Chase opened his mouth after a long time.
“I think my brother is here.”
Alan laughed out loud.
I laughed because I could neither confirm nor deny it.
How can we not know that the prince, who should have already died, lives on like that and is walking a path that is exceptionally different from what Chase remembered?
“Did you try to save your younger brother through the axis of time?”
Calian, who had heard the information from Sispanian, had already said that it was not the case, but it was a question he brought up to hear the answer directly.
“It was a war started to take it away, and a war I accepted to protect it. My brother died to prevent me from using the axis of time. My thoughts are not short enough to use the axis of time to save what I left.”
It was the same as what Cispanian had already answered.
“So I just kept it until the end. I didn’t touch it.”
If the situation is that bad, isn’t it worth giving it a try?
Alan barely swallowed those words from coming out.
Chase smiled softly at Alan’s face, which looked full of dissatisfaction and frustration. And then he changed the topic as if something suddenly occurred to him.
“Looking at your reaction when you saw me yesterday, I don’t think you should know that I remember. I don’t want you to tell me what I know.”
It was a story about Kalyan again.
“I confirmed that you are okay, so that is enough.”
Alan, who couldn’t find anything to say in response, just nodded after a while.
I was so embarrassed and surprised by Chase’s sudden story that I didn’t realize that I had forgotten two things.
I forgot the Silent that I always brought out when talking about these things with Calian, and I forgot that there was an attendant standing quietly outside the door.
So, this time too, Kirie heard everything.
* * *
Calian nodded when asked to go for a walk.
Kirie, who was standing in front, looked like she wanted to say something, but things with Randel came first.
Therefore, Calian calmly followed Randel.
Since time was running out until the next schedule, the two went to the back garden of Arpia Palace for a while.
Randel didn’t say anything for a long time.
Because of this, Kalian was seriously worried about whether something had been discovered this time. But no matter how much I thought about it, there was nothing else other than the ability that had already been exposed.
‘Or did you know that I didn’t turn my back on Plants?’
But even after that, Randel continued to remain silent.
So when I wondered if he really meant to just take a walk like this and then go back, Kalian couldn’t wait any longer and opened his mouth.
“Do you have something to say?”
It was a voice that clearly conveyed an uncomfortable feeling.
Not only did I not know what kind of plan he had, but it was difficult to treat Randel in a good manner unless I knew how he had regarded Calian.
“I have something to ask.”
“Please speak.”
“We want to find Lennon Brissen.”
Because they were walking side by side, Randel couldn’t see Calian’s expression. Therefore, Calian frowned calmly.
Following Thirty Priests and Gray, it is now Lennon Brissen.
There was so little correlation between the three that one wondered if they were all related to Randel.
“Why are you asking me about that person?”
“Didn’t I know how much profit the Whitlin estate made? I also don’t know how you got rid of Viscount Briesen. So didn’t I know his whereabouts?”
Even though they knew how much influence Calian had, they just kept watching.
“… If you knew that, why did you pretend not to know?”
“There’s nothing that can harm me.”
If you leave it alone, it will automatically eliminate Silike and reduce Briesen’s metallurgy, so Randel would have had a reason to stop Calian.
In any case, Randel already knew the whole situation, so he couldn’t just ask. If I did that, I would have to listen to Alan’s endless nagging again, asking if I had been caught again. Because of this, Kalian took a step back.
“I don’t know much about Lennon Brissen’s whereabouts.”
“There’s no need for you to be this alert. I don’t understand why you’re hiding it.”
Calian laughed at those words.
It was truly meaningless.
“There is no need to be on guard, but it is Brother Randel who made me sharpen my guard to this point.”
Calian turned his head and looked into Randel’s eyes.
And he said, recalling the day he climbed the stairs of Chermil Palace.
“Didn’t you think that I had crossed the line that you had set for me?”
Randel said without much denial about it.
“Viscount Briesen’s matter is my personal matter. I just have something to confirm and it has nothing to do with the fight for position, so don’t set me up like that.”
With Randel’s words, Calian’s feet stopped for a moment.
‘personal. ‘Not related to the fight for position.’
That’s because those words reminded me of one fact.
Randel called out Calian, who had made it clear that he would turn his back on him, and asked about Lennon’s whereabouts. Although it was not related to the fight for the crown prince, it was said to be very important to Randel.
It was still unknown why thirty priests were brought in.
But I had a feeling I knew what Landell wanted to check by calling Gray and Lennon.
Calian immediately started playing with his feet again. Because of this, Randel did not notice what he had just reminded Calian of.
‘no way. ‘I don’t think you’re trying to confirm the death of former Queen Aisha.’
Thinking of that, Calian bit his lip slightly.
If Randel finds out about this, a war with Tensil may begin.
Of course, that was something that had never happened in Bern’s past.