Chapter 104: Spoiler (2)
‘You should focus on fulfilling your duties. No matter what the results would be, you must continue ruling our territory, Yeriel.’
Yeriel rewatched the video recorded in the artifact Eunuch Jolang handed over.
—I’m certain of it. Her every move remains insignificant, yet she’s even added surveillance to her list of duties.
Deculein talked to Ganesha, whose red hair was visible in the corner of the room, about a mission with a wine gla.s.s in his hand.
What they were talking about was most likely…
—She doesn’t have a drop of Yukline blood in her.
Yeriel looked at the time amid the dark scenery.
—… Is this really alright?
The curtains fluttered as the winds flowed past the window frames, allowing elegant moonlight to shine upon Deculein’s apathetic expression.
As always, he revealed not even a little of what was going through in his mind.
—You were the one who requested for us, Professor, to find the biological distinction between you and your sister.
Yeriel’s heart, which had stopped beating for a moment, raced, her pulse coursing through her veins as if they were squeezing her entire body shut.
She slowly and painfully understood the meaning behind their conversation.
—…
Deculein remained silent.
It would’ve been better if he actually did say something. However, he just stood still, looking as if lost in thought.
“Ah…”
But Yeriel couldn’t be as calm as Deculein. As a result, the thoughts in her head didn’t flow smoothly. Rather, they kept stopping, seemingly broken into fragments.
Her legs shook, and pain began to permeate in her head.
—Didn’t you inform my subordinate about it three months ago?
Her vision blurred as unknown emotions raged in her heart, making her feel like she was being swallowed by a vortex she couldn’t escape from but refused to acknowledge nonetheless.
Everything about her childhood, including her mother’s face and her father’s voice, had been jumbled up inside it.
“Biological distinction…” Yeriel muttered blankly. Words that completely denied her past as a Yukline.
Confused and about to lose her mind, she instinctively used logic to rationalize her thoughts.
The reason why she couldn’t make dark energy work in her favor, why she still suffered from its side effects such as having a sore throat and burning lungs…
‘I’m not a Yukline.’
“…”
The world seemed to be moving further and further away from her.
Her ears no longer transferred any noise or sound into her mind, and her legs shook so much she felt as if she was standing amid an earthquake that could swallow her at any moment.
—… That’s right.
Deculein finally spoke.
Yeriel returned to reality at that moment, her eyes gazing upon him languidly as she tried to catch her breath.
—Even so….
Up until now, she was able to withstand Deculein.
In fact, despite his malice, she abandoned herself and prioritized her family, who supported her, in turn, to allow her to stand on her own.
—Yeriel is still Yeriel.
Deculein continued warmly, his voice carrying a faint quiver.
“Huh…?”
The echo of his words was more than enough to cause her heart to burst with emotions.
“That’s…”
The tremors in her body grew even stronger, making it harder to keep herself upright.
‘Yeriel is still Yeriel.’
His warm voice made her remember what he told her before.
‘Just like you’re still Yeriel… I’m still me.’
Deculein’s subconscious honestly conveyed his thoughts to her, stirring her up like a serene lake disrupted by a tornado.
As a result, certain memories of hers resurfaced from deep inside her mind, one of them being the day she accompanied him in the Dephalem Forest for the ‘Dark Energy Purification’ mission requested by the Church.
‘Why! Why couldn’t I come?!’
She recalled screaming at him as soon as they entered the car.
‘Be quiet.’
And Deculein reproached her coldly as usual.
‘You didn’t even go that far in! It wouldn’t have been dangerous!’
‘You would’ve only been a hindrance.’
Yeriel silently recalled the situation then, ruminating about their conversation.
‘I’m also a Yukline, you know? I’m stronger against demonic ent.i.ties!’
‘Don’t be stupid. The ones in charge don’t go to the frontlines.’
In response to her attempt to show her pride as a Yukline…
‘In the future, if you ever step into any warzone, I’ll a.s.sume our ‘promise’ doesn’t exist in the first place. You’ve been warned.’
Deculein threatened her instead.
‘How long do you plan to act like a child? Act according to your position.’
No, he didn’t threaten her.
‘Show the dignity our estate deserves.’
He was just trying to protect her from the Yukline blood.
Yeriel traveled through her memories once more as Deculein’s voice, coming from Jolang’s artifact, lingered around her ears.
— If she’s going to do something stupid… I’m certain you already know what to do even if I don’t say it.
The ‘foolish act’ she might do upon discovering she wasn’t biologically related to them…
Yeriel finally learned what he meant.
—If you insist…
She stood up vacantly and looked at the frame again upon hearing those words. Ganesha had already left before she knew it, and, for some reason, Deculein wore a sorrowful expression.
Staring at the wine gla.s.s, he spoke lowly.
—This truth doesn’t have to be known.
Clenching her teeth, she forcibly stopped her tears that were about to burst.
“… Why?” She muttered and leaned her head against the frame. “The truth doesn’t have to be known, but…”
‘Yeriel is still Yeriel.’
“Did he not care about lineage or bloodline at all right from the beginning?”
She lowered her head, her hair covering her face.
“Why…”
Why did someone like Deculein treat her, a person who didn’t share the same blood as him, like a little sister…
Stomp—
She immediately returned to her senses upon hearing a presence just outside the room.
Her brother had returned.
“…!”
Brrrrrrr!
Knowing full well that she shouldn’t have seen such memories, Yeriel hurriedly inserted the key into the frame and desperately twisted it, shutting down the entirety of it completely.
Stomp— stomp—
Shortly after, she made her way and stood tall in the middle of the corridor.
Stomp— stomp—
From the darkness in front of her, he appeared.
“Yeriel.”
He called her name, his voice endlessly chilly yet showing hints of anger.
“I’ll deal with you later for stealing my diary.”
She did something worth being reprimanded dozens and hundreds of times for.
But now that she knew how he felt, she was no longer afraid.
“First of all—?”
Thump—
When he came closer to her, she placed her forehead on his chest and slowly beat her head against him like a woodp.e.c.k.e.r.
Thump— thump— thump—
Deculein frowned.
“What are you doing?”
“…”
Yeriel raised her gaze slantingly, looking straight into his eyes. Perhaps misunderstanding her intentions, he replied sternly.
“Look down.”
“…”
She didn’t know what to say since he pretended not to know as usual.
Maybe he intended to keep it a secret for the rest of his life.
“…”
‘This truth doesn’t have to be known.’
She still didn’t know what was in his mind when he said that, and perhaps she never would.
Still…
There were moments when one’s heart was more important than the truth. For her, this instance was one of them.
Knowing it would be better to pretend she didn’t know, Yeriel managed to move her trembling lips.
“… I have to go look for the va.s.sals.”
“Take these.”
He handed over three notebooks as if he had been waiting. Each of them had the name of their villeins written on it.
“You’ll find them easily if you look at these.”
“… Okay.”
She distinguished their memories by reading the notes while walking down the hallway with Deculein trailing right behind her.
“Why are you following me around? Don’t you have secrets to hide?”
“You talk too much.”
“… Hmph.” She pouted.
Together, they looked for their va.s.sals.
Her heart ached so much she felt like it was about to burst, and she still hadn’t gotten her senses back due to the confusion that acted like a poisonous fog in her head, but still…
She looked at Deculein.
“…”
Walking side by side with him, at this moment, she was glad to have him by her side.
She was fully aware neither of them would be able to break down the walls between them and act affectionately towards each other immediately, but it didn’t matter.
She considered this as their new beginning.
There were still many things she needed to learn about and strive for. However, the way Deculein looked at her and made her feel like he had accepted her for who she was made her determination grow stronger.
‘I need to become someone worthy of that heart and be of help to him.’
“Hey,” Yeriel said.
“…”
He stopped abruptly, his eyes glaring at her with so much intensity she thought he was about to kill her.
“Deculein, older brother.”
Hearing her call him in such a peculiar way, however, his intensity turned into surprise.
“… Did you get hit by lightning?” Fl.u.s.tered, he replied.
“Pwahaha.”
Deculein shook his head as she forced a laugh.
“Let’s just hurry up and find them.”
“…”
Their conversation stopped nearly as soon as it began, an awkward yet familiar silence embracing the two.
In fact, this much was only natural.
Though they were siblings, they weren’t even close and didn’t have much to talk about.
Stomp— Stomp—
Tap tap—
Different footsteps in the corridor. Shoes and loafers.
Deculein and Yeriel.
Walking while maintaining an appropriate distance, they were still the same as before.
*****
77th floor, Imperial University Tower.
“…?”
I found a [Transfer Paper] on the desk left by Epherene.
—Please inform us if you’re in the middle of research. Otherwise, if you don’t return within three days, we’ll request for reinforcements. Moreover, just in case you’re not familiar with this paper, make sure you keep it.
———[Transfer Paper] ———
◆ Description: A regular paper imbued with a special delivery function by [Midas’ Hand].
◆ Category: Paper
◆ Special Effect: Intermediate transfer paper function.
[Midas’ Hand Level: 3]
If this were connected to another paper using mana, it would transcribe what was written on it to the other paper, hence the term [Transfer Paper].
“Did she really have to leave this on top of my desk?” I shook my head as I recalled Epherene’s silly face.
I put the diary in my inner pocket on my desk and went out of the office.
Ding—!
Just in time, the hallway elevator arrived.
“Oh? You’re back?”
Inside it was Epherene, who was slurping on a smoothie, along with Drent and Allen. All of them had their hands filled with food.
“Welcome back, Professor!”
“…”
“It isn’t time yet, is it, Professor?”
Epherene gazed, looked at the clock in the hallway, then looked back at me.
“I was going to contact you after about 20 hours. I already told Knight Julie that you’re focusing on research.”
“…”
She did what I asked as best as she could.
When I nodded, she hesitantly offered me a smoothie.
“… Would you like some? It’s made of milk, and it has an interesting taste.”
“Forget it.”
“I see~ then I’ll be on my way. I also have a lot of research to do.”
Sipping on her beverage, Epherene sluggishly went back to the [a.s.sistants’ Laboratory].
Slurp—
“Where have you been, though, Professor? The Course Opening Festival started today!”
“A lot of famous people came,” Drent added.
“Course Opening Festival?”
“Yes! There are so many things to see~”
I looked outside the window of the tower. Certainly, a festive event seemed to be in full swing. There was even a balloon hovering above the campus like an airship.
“Oh, I almost forgot!”
Allen took a doc.u.ment out of the folder in her arm while munching on a hotdog and handed it over to me.
“Hir shu zo.” (Here you go.)
A list of applicants for my cla.s.s.
“There are so many students that want to join your Advanced lecture!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes!”
I scanned through the special paper produced on the floating island. Like a tablet PC, this cutting-edge technology contained hundreds of sheets in one paper.
“… Hmm?”
Not long after, I frowned. I already knew Kreto, the Imperial Prince, would be partic.i.p.ating, but…
“There’s a cat here.”
I wasn’t kidding. A photo of a red-haired munchkin was in the doc.u.ment I was holding, accompanied by its age and background.
… Quite literally a resume of a cat.
“Oh, I also thought it was a little strange, but the Imperial Family asked for it. Can cats learn magic too?”
“… Like, actual cats?”
“Yes. Isn’t it interesting?”
“Uh…”
“…”
Allen and Drent’s comical talk flowed through one of my ears and out the other while I flipped through the list. A wizard selected by the Isle of Wizard’s Wealth, an affiliate of the tower, a magic professor, etc…
I put the doc.u.ment in the briefcase for now.
“Where is Julie?”
I was away for three days, so I was sure she was worried.
The two grinned.
“She’s probably watching the Great Knights War~”
“It’s currently underway in the Gifrein Hall of the university~”
*****
Great Knights War.
As the name already suggested, it was literally a fierce battle between knights, making it one of the most famous, promising, and trending sports not only in the Empire but across the entire continent. Among them, the ‘Empire Loither League,’ which was being held today in the Imperial University, was currently known as the greatest.
Naturally, each partic.i.p.ating knight for such a huge event was bound to be magnificent in their own right.
“Ohhh…”
Taking one of the seats reserved for knights, Julie waited patiently for it to start.
“Oh! Julie~ it has been a long time!”
“Ah, Goher. Nice to see you.”
Her fellow alumni arrived one by one. Warrior Goher, Knight Palaine, Archer Seymi, Senior Gwen… Most of them were still active as Imperial Knights or members of other Knight Orders in the Empire.
Gwen smiled slyly.
“You’re looking a lot healthier these days.”
“Really?”
“Is it because Deculein is focusing on research? I heard he hasn’t been coming home these days.”
“Well…”
As soon as Julie answered, a sharp voice reached their ears, causing them to follow it in surprise.
“You prefer my absence, is that it?”
Deculein.
Wearing a suit, he tilted his head and looked at the alumni. The knight next to Julie tactfully vacated his seat for him to take.
She quickly corrected what she just said.
“It’s not that I like you not being around. I just don’t have to focus on the escort mission during such times.”
“Forget it.”
“No—”
“Oho!”
A loud, majestic voice resonated throughout the hall. Not only the knights’ but also the common folk’s attention immediately turned toward its source.
“Deculein and Julie are sitting together?”
Zeit Von Brugang Freyden.
He was dressed in armor to partic.i.p.ate in today’s event.
—It’s Duke Zeit!
At that moment, almost all the knights jumped up and showed respect in the form of a unique curtsy where they put their hands on their chest with their heads bowed.
Smiling, he beckoned them all to sit down, and only then did they return to their seats.
That was but a glimpse of his high status.
“I didn’t know you were interested in the Great Knights War, Deculein…”
Zeit spoke as he loosened up his muscles.
Shoulders as wide as the sea, neck as thick as mountains, and a core as powerful as storms. His body, standing at 2m and 10cm tall, was well worth three adult men.
“Kuhahaha. Enjoy the show since you’re here.”
Zeit laughed heartily, but his smile was different from usual.
His eyes had a certain intensity and sharpness to them, and the flow of his vigor was heavy enough to overwhelm the entire s.p.a.ce around him, clearly depicting his excitement for the upcoming battle.
“Of course, you should pay more attention to me, your brother-in-law… And what kind of knight I am.”
A knight so powerful he was given the t.i.tle of ‘King’ and whose name had already made its mark in the history of the Empire.
He who stood above everyone else.
The King of Winter, Zeit.
“… Alright.”
I just came to look for Julie, but…
“I’ll watch closely.”
“Hahaha! Good! Look forward to it!”