Chapter 363

Chapter 64. Nest (5)

I remember the pure white flowers.

I remember flowers embroidered on warm white robes, like the long names written on cats’ leashes.

– It’s La Lyceum.

A flower without scent.

I remember the letters embroidered together between the flowers, which were said to resemble my name, which was inscribed as a name, as if they were as precious as the flowers.

‘Bern.’

Hinawa Kirie’s last name that I learned for the first time. Before, I didn’t even know they were brother and sister, so I didn’t know their last names either. I also remember the unfamiliar feeling I had when I saw it.

If I had seen it for the first time, I should not have thought it was a familiar word, and if I had already seen it, I should not have forgotten it, but even though it was familiar, I did not remember it. It wasn’t like I was intentionally burying it deep in my memory and trying not to bring it up, but I really couldn’t remember it.

So it was unfamiliar.

Because I’ve never experienced anything that seemed familiar but I couldn’t remember. Because I’ve never experienced anything like that.

– I wondered why I wasn’t curious, and the answer came.

I remember what happened that day.

I realized that the name of the king that Chase had told me had been erased from my mind. I knew that Serenti’s ‘arrangement’ had made it that way. I remember that and never forget it.

I wonder what it is that can hold on to that guy standing in front of me at this moment, and why he doesn’t answer when I call him.

– Don’t come. You can’t stand it.

The guy in front was not Calian.

After learning how to solve the problem, Plantz started a new idea to find the answer to the problem.

Things that were unfamiliar, things I learned, things I knew, memories of the past. His smart mind, which instantly filtered out things he didn’t understand, recalled them all at once. And organized. That’s how I found out.

Kalian, who must have had a hand in the matter, wondered why a brother and sister who lost their parents at such an early age that they didn’t even know their own names were recorded as coming from the younger brother’s territory. It was something that Kalian, who must have had a hand in, would give as a last name for the brother and sister he cherished so much. What exactly could it be? When I read Hina’s last name, I wondered why I thought it was familiar but I couldn’t remember it. Why didn’t I ask a bigger question due to such an unfamiliar feeling? What kind of trick did Serenti play on her head?

Why did you play such a prank to hide something?

I found out.

I couldn’t remember what I heard or recall events from the ‘past’, but I came to realize it.

“......Bern.”

I said the name I learned that way.

I feel Calian’s shoulder cooling down when I touch it with my fingertips. Even though he was covered with thick clothes, he could feel Calian’s body getting cold. I definitely felt that way.

Calian turned his head.

“that.”

I looked at Plants with a painful smile on my cold face.

I laughed as I looked at my older brother who called Vern and held Calian down.

I laughed silently as if I was screaming because the place where I was held was painful.

Bern, who decided to accept it all, decided not to blame the guy who made my name disappear, but only God, who watched my name disappear, but Bern understood everything and wondered if the guy he barely saved would be left alone and live forever. A name I shouldn’t have called at that moment when I was worried about such things.

“... Don’t find out.”

No matter how many times I called him, I couldn’t turn him back. Even if I went back to Bern a hundred times and a thousand times, it was already too late and there was no other way than to let go. I should have left that name alone, but I said it for the reason of calling Kalian. It didn’t work out.

Plantz didn’t know that.

However, Bern knew why Planz had called him. I realized that I was so anxious to stop it that I had no idea how it would be received by Bern.

So Kalyan decided not to rebuke his brother in any way. After putting away my life and my fear, I returned to Kalian like any other day and looked at Planz. He did so.

“If something goes wrong, what happens to you? Don’t find out.”

And added this:

I know why you stopped me from asking. I found out that Plantz had already figured out what I wanted to ask Serenti.

My wish that Plantz didn’t know about what could happen if time went back was not a lie, and it was also true that my heart felt cold when I found out that Plantz had already noticed Calian’s family.

“... I just live without knowing. Brother.”

So, because of the call that brought up Bern’s name, I covered up the words I had uttered without knowing it with other reprimands that were not mixed with lies. I added words to make it seem like I was reacting because I was aware of the worst situation that I didn’t need to know other than the name.

Thanks to this, Plantz learned why Calian laughed.

I found out that the conclusion I had come to was completely wrong.

Because Kalian was an adult and Plantz was quick-witted.

“I.”

That’s why Plantz opened his mouth.

To apologize for finding out. I would like to apologize for my hasty mistake.

– Whaaah!

But I couldn’t continue speaking.

The fire burned. Flames exploded from inside the Sispanian’s huge wings, as if threatening to sacrifice everything in the cavity. It wasn’t hot at all, but I couldn’t say a word of apology because I was wrapped in a fire that seemed to consume my entire body and I had to close my eyes.

Time passed, which at first glance felt like a moment, but at the same time felt like an eternity. Without being able to see anything or say anything.

“Don’t worry.”

Before I could feel the fire subside and open my eyes again, I heard these words. The voice seemed to know what Plantz would think of when he opened his eyes and saw the scene he saw. Only after hearing those words did Plantz open his eyes.

It had disappeared.

The flames, the transparent egg that created the flames, the red bird inside it, the black dragon that was so dark that the cavity felt cramped, and my younger brother who smiled with a face that couldn’t show how much it hurt no matter what words in the world he brought.

“Serenti can’t destroy anything. Your new brother will be back soon.”

A person who looked exactly like the queen in the portrait standing in front of Planz spoke in a voice like a butterfly endlessly waiting for spring.

Plantz, who was standing still and looking at Sispanian, opened his mouth.

“You then.”

Thanks to Sispanian’s words, I no longer felt anxious about Calian’s disappearance, so I asked the same question that Calian was probably also asking at this moment.

“What did you do on that day in the ‘past’?”

I asked him what he did on the day when something that shouldn’t have happened happened. I asked why they allowed their descendants to commit something that should not have been committed. The thoughtful person who even gave the blessing, worried that his offspring’s specialness would soon become superiority, asked why he did nothing.

“I heard there wasn’t one.”

Sispanian answered.

Plantz didn’t hear the answer.

* * *

Guess.

uncertainty. Something you can’t be sure about.

It’s all just speculation.

The fact that the axis of time that Bern had protected became necessary, the person who obtained it was Plantz, the fact that Alan and Slayman helped in that matter, and the fact that Plantz moved the axis of time, so time went back and it started moving again. That Plantz would be left alone when something happened, that there was an incident that made Plantz come forward, whether he knew it or not, and that Zeon would have been involved in it. It’s all just speculation.

Is it true that Plantz used the axis of time? If that’s true, then what made Plantz decide to do something like that? What on earth did Plantz know that made him use it to start a war?

No, more than that.

So, is it true that Bern lived? Was that life not an illusion of imagination? Is life real now?

“I don’t know everything.”

The smell of grass soaked in the rain that has just stopped.

Kalian, who was surrounded by the scent and looked around, said this.

“...... then.”

axis of time.

An object with so much power that it can forcibly turn back time. An object held by the Great King of Secretia when he appeared in front of the evil god.

Since he couldn’t tell directly how to use it differently, Sispanian only gave a hint this time. It reminded me that Arnaizel drew upon its power.

“Master, you might recognize me.”

The traces of Arnaizel’s magic left on the fragments when Arnaizel used it. Alan might be able to recognize it. It is possible to find out how Arnaizel’s magic power used the fragments.

“I didn’t know that sea dragon would be helpful.”

A prank by a forgetful sea dragon. Calian smiled slightly as he recalled the memory of almost drowning in the sea while watching the underwater world during Arnaizel’s momentary pause. Plantz, who was watching Calian without any expression, opened his mouth.

“and.”

“yes.”

Red eyes, which became more prominent thanks to the setting sun, turned to Plantz. Plantz, who was waiting for Calian because he had to convey something more important than the fragments of the axis, opened his mouth.

“It’s okay, I apologize.”

And thanks to Calian’s voice, I couldn’t speak.

“...... why.”

“You know that’s not what I called you.”

A name I never wanted to tell.

A name that looks like a barely visible scar and a wound that has just healed. A name that can no longer be healed no matter how much time passes. Now, no matter who hears it from anyone’s lips, it can never be the same as what it was called in the past. A name that only reminds us that this is a calling we will never hear again as Bern.

It was Vern who brought up that name, saying that he would hold on to Calian who had turned away, but he must not have known that calling the person standing in front of Serenti that way only ended up making him realize the reality. You probably didn’t know that it would only mean that you should stop acting like someone who doesn’t exist anymore and return to the name you should have here.

Isn’t Plantz still too young to understand why the current Chase doesn’t call Calian “Bern” instead of the past Chase?

“I know you called me to find out and comfort you so you could remember. It’s not something you should apologize for.”

“Sorry.”

Just because the intention was different or because you didn’t know about it doesn’t mean the hurt that has already occurred will go away. At least that’s what Plantz knew and apologized.

“...... yes.”

Calian Bern grinned after receiving the apology.

Soon Calian stuffed the axle fragment into his pocket. He then opened his mouth as he looked at Siegfried’s territory spread out below the mountain.

“Then, please buy me that meat. I’m hungry. I’ll worry about today’s work after I’m full.”

Is it meat that the duke wants to buy for him, or is it alcohol that he can enjoy to his heart’s content under the prestige of the crown prince who loves alcohol?

“okay.”

In any case, Plantz’s treasury was not empty, so no matter how much his younger brother drank, the Crown Prince nodded. He could buy that much.

“Lord Hertz, you worked hard, so it would be nice for Sir Hertz to go with you.”

“okay.”

“Please buy Lord Hertz’s share as well, then.”

“no.”

“... You look like a sword. Then, Sir Hertz, I will pay for your meal.”

“okay.”

“yes.”

Shouldn’t I just pay for the food that my co-worker, who worked hard to guard the door all day, refuses to pay? Calian, who went down with a cheerful smile as if there was no problem, called Arsene.

no.

I tried to call.

Although he could have heard the conversation between Calian and Plantz at the common entrance, Calian’s eyes narrowed as he was too busy thinking about why Arsene didn’t come and what kind of meat he should get after receiving Plantz’s apology, so he couldn’t question it.

The sound of Calian’s footsteps disappeared in an instant. Calian’s new form slipped into the shadows, leaving behind Planz, who was walking beside him. And almost at the same time, he appeared next to Arsene.

– ...... Kwasik!

The sound of something hard crunching followed.

Life seeps out of the cavity and blooms.

Anyway, deciding to live with the prince was the perfect decision of my life. Anyway, it was already boring to wait, but it worked out well. All you have to do is put it in your pocket and hide it before the prince comes.

For that reason, it was the sound of the ice sculpture that I had started making breaking.

“Lord Hertz.”

“...Yes, prince.”

“explanation.”

“It’s a water lily.”

“To me, it looked like a sculpture that resembled me.”

“No. It’s a training.”

“What kind of training?”

“It was created by incorporating three energies.”

“Detail explanation.”

“The prince’s appearance was made of ice, but I was worried because there was no way to show that the prince used both life and fire at the same time. I thought it would be good to express life as sand dust that blooms with fire. So I used magic of the three attributes. “I thought about how to shape and maintain it at the same time and implemented it this way.”

Meanwhile, Plantz, who came to the side and grasped the situation, let out a deep sigh.

The one who tried to create a black horse by pouring it into his aura, or the one who gathered all the energies of ice, fire, and earth and created a statue that resembled him. Anyway, I realized again that the only person around me with a proper mind was my fiancé.

“......Lord Hertz.”

The blue-haired crazy wizard, who now only had one thing left to do, looked at Calian. Calian, who was looking at the remains scattered on the floor and Arsene, lowered his head.

My shoulders trembled slightly.

A small sound of wind escaped.

It’s been a while since I burst out laughing.

For the first time in a long time, we laughed as loudly as we could, to the extent that the birds, who had returned to the nest and folded their wings, were unable to straighten their backs properly and took off noisily.

Calian, who had been laughing for a while, barely raised his head. And with a smile still on his face, he held out his hand and said.

“Give it to me. Now.”

“Are you talking about my life?”

“Not yet. Give me the spoon.”

Arsene’s face lit up.

“Ah. Are you breaking the spoon instead of me?”

“That’s right. I’ll break your spoon instead of you.”

“all right.”

Arsene responded quickly and held out the spoon he had carefully kept. And he smiled as if he were a great wizard who had won the whole world.

Watching the spoon break under a gentle hand that suppressed my desire to break it.

Two of them happened to be broken.

One was broken on purpose.

“That’s it now. Thank you, Prince.”

The collection is complete.