Chapter 114

“If you feel so sorry for me, why did you hate me from the beginning?”

Esadien asked calmly, his only intention to stall for time.

He had leaped and smashed through the palace roof and walls to get to Austin by the shortest route. But Austin was, as expected, not the kind of person who could be dealt with quickly, and Theodore, who had come with him, was busy with Prince Gunnar, leaving them separated.

‘At this rate, the guards will notice us soon.’

He needed one decisive blow.

While he was contemplating this, Austin’s casual reply to Esadien’s question, which had been asked without much thought, made him freeze for a moment.

“It’s fun.”

Fun? Did he say fun?

“It’s fun to trample on a pathetic guy.”

He had heard correctly. Esadien’s eyes twitched.

“Tearing off the limbs of some pathetic loser who can’t even think of fighting back. Having someone to take your anger out on… they all die without ever knowing how much fun it is.”

Austin looked down on all humans, not just Esadien. The ten years of bullying and humiliation flashed before Esadien’s eyes.

“Come to think of it, those guys were all pathetic bastards, too.”

Grind.

A grinding sound came from Esadien’s teeth. He knew he shouldn’t get stirred, but he couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger. However, he soon heard a sound and took a long breath to compose himself.

The faint clatter of weapons from far, far away.

Someone who could choose such a perfect time to attack the outside…

‘My sister, no… my brother?’

Esadien quickly regained his composure. Judging by Austin’s leisurely sneer, he seemed completely unconcerned about the situation outside.

“So, you’re going to play that cruel game with all of humanity?”

“Cruel? A weakling’s perspective.”

Suddenly, Austin’s eyes flashed. As if their struggle had just been a game, he pushed his sword forward and closed in on Esadien with a sneer.

“Just like you, who are waiting for support from outside.”

He knew.

As a chilling sensation ran down his spine, Austin’s hand plunged into Esadien’s side.

Thwump!

A gruesome sound of flesh being pierced was heard, but Esadien winced more from the strange sensation accompanying the pain.

‘It’s not a sword.’

At this distance, a dagger would be the obvious guess. But Esadien had already confirmed that Austin had no other weapons at his waist.

Just then.

“Your Highness!”

Theodore’s booming voice called out to Esadien as he kicked open the door.

Judging by his unstealthy entrance, as if he had traded discretion for a chicken skewer somewhere, it seemed he had dealt with anyone who got in his way.

“Ha.”

He sighed, but seeing his friend grit his teeth and charge forward gave him a new surge of strength. Esadien gripped Austin’s arm tightly as he tried to shake him off.

“You worm…”

“You’re a traitor, and you dare to talk nonsense!”

As Austin hesitated, Theodore charged forward.

“Tch!”

Taking advantage of the moment Austin was blocking Theodore, Esadien’s sword, as if seeking revenge, diagonally sliced into Austin’s side.

Crunch.

With a horrific sound, the sensation of piercing through to the heart was vividly felt in the hand holding the hilt.

At the same time.

Crack!

The feeling of something hard splitting apart, too.

‘That’s not where a bone should be.’

Esadien’s eyebrows twitched, and Austin’s mouth gushed with clumps of blood. Only then did Esadien slowly withdraw his sword, which he had been gripping so tightly his hands were shaking.

He twisted it out on purpose.

“Cough. You bastard…”

Thud!

Austin, who was about to say something, collapsed from the shock of the pain.

The objective was achieved, but Esadien was not in good shape either. A mixture of blood and sand, like mud, was dripping from the wound on his abdomen.

Austin wasn’t dead yet. He had to be restrained to prevent him from pulling any more tricks, but Esadien’s vision was blurring.

‘I promised not to get hurt.’

That thought flashed through Esadien’s mind as he knelt.

‘Minuelle…’

His consciousness began to fade as he collapsed on top of Austin, as if to shield him with his own body.

“Grandfather! His Highness…!”

The last thing he heard was Theodore’s urgent voice calling out to someone.

***

I meticulously compared the information about Cynthia’s younger sibling that Clidane had brought me with the description from the orphanage director’s file of the day I met Palos.

“It seems to be a match.”

I had thought so from the beginning. In most novels, blood relations are revealed by just hair or eye color, right? For example, our mother and my sisters, or my father and me. The royal family’s unique hair color is also a sign.

“Besides, the hair, eye color, and facial features are exactly the same, so there’s not much more to say.”

My hunch and the missing person’s description matched up, but I couldn’t arrange a reunion right away. The most important thing was the person’s own will.

With the information confirmed, there was no need to delay any further. I hurried to the magic school to meet Palos.

“…So, they want to meet you. What do you think, Palos?”

When I asked, Palos had a somewhat complicated expression.

“If the adults say I should meet them, then I will.”

“What? Palos, I don’t want to force you. Not at all.”

I was Palos’s sponsor, but I didn’t know what kind of thoughts had occupied his mind as he grew up.

To meet, or not to meet.

It might seem like a simple choice between two options. But considering the potential pain if it turned out to be a mistake, or the disappointment if the other person wasn’t what he expected, no one could call that choice simple.

“So, I think this is a decision you have to make entirely by yourself. It’s your life, and I think you’re a smart enough kid to make that judgment on your own.”

“…I’m not a kid.”

“Huh?”

“Noona, doesn’t my voice sound a bit different?”

Come to think of it.

Palos’s voice was a little lower, or perhaps a bit hoarse.

‘I thought he might have a cold because it’s winter… but it was puberty. My goodness.’

I almost hurt the child’s feelings.

I breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, then smiled brightly and congratulated him.

“Our Palos is becoming a man!”

“So I’m not a kid, right?”

He asked with sparkling eyes, but a playful mood came over me, and I chuckled, tapping his forehead.

“Six more years until you’re an adult. No, now it’s five years and a bit more.”

“Noona, that’s so mean.”

After grumbling for a moment, Palos’s face became calm again, and he said, “I’ll meet them.”

“You’ve already decided?”

“Yes. I’m curious what kind of people they are.”

And, Palos added, lowering his head slightly.

“They didn’t abandon me; they lost me…”

I didn’t say any unnecessary things like “that’s a good decision.”

‘If they’re people who have no conscience and just want to latch onto Palos, I’ll just cut them off so they can’t even get close.’

Thinking that, I ruffled Palos’s hair.

“Okay, I get it.”

“You’ll come with me to meet them, right?”

“Me, not the Archmage or the director?”

“Yes.”

Palos nodded firmly. Since the child asked, how could I say no? I cheerfully linked my pinky finger with his.

So, two days later.

The appointed day dawned. Clidane asked with a mix of worry and surprise if it wasn’t too soon, but I saw no reason to postpone it.

‘No, now is the only time.’

Yesterday, the Emperor returned to the imperial palace. My mother was already with the Emperor, and my sister Elga was busy with the capital’s defense forces, cooperating to arrest the remaining fugitives and restore order.

‘I’ll probably be busy myself within a few days.’

I might have to face the Emperor because of the power of fire, and above all, I had to send Gabbie back to where he belonged.

There had been no contact from Esadien yet, but I decided to wait patiently.

‘He promised not to get hurt.’

They say no news is good news, right?

“Minuelle, you’re going to break your nails.”

“Huh?”

Brought back to reality by Ramande’s gentle rebuke, Palos added, “Noona, you’ve been tapping the table the whole time.”

“Oh!”

I quickly placed my hands on my lap. I had tried to wait patiently, but a part of my mind must have been a little anxious.

Just then, someone knocked on the door of the drawing room where Ramande, Palos, and I were sitting.

“Miss, it’s Dane.”

“Have they arrived already? Come in.”

With permission given, the door opened, and Palos, who had been relaxed until now, turned his head with a hint of nervousness.

But the first one to enter was not Clidane or Palos’s family, but a silver-furred dog.

“…Puppy?”

Instead of being happy, I was puzzled and called the dog “Puppy,” but it didn’t even look at me. It trotted over to Palos and began to sniff him.

‘Is it because I don’t have any jerky?’

I was tilting my head in confusion when Palos asked me, his hands awkwardly raised, not daring to touch the dog.

“Uh… Noona, what do I do with this dog?”

“He’s a gentle dog, it’s okay. Slowly offer your hand.”

The dog, “Puppy,” sniffed Palos’s hand for a moment and then began to lick it vigorously, as if saying hello.

“Ah! That tickles!”

After a moment of surprise, Palos started to scratch the dog’s scruff.

‘He seems to like him.’

The nervousness had been completely washed away from his face, which was now full of laughter.

“I’m sorry, Miss! The rascal suddenly squeezed his way in…”

Clidane came in next, apologizing and lifting the dog.

“Jerky, you shouldn’t do that to a stranger.”

His scolding was mixed with an awkwardness, but his face clearly showed how much he adored the dog. Jerky, who was as perceptive as a human, licked Clidane’s face as if to say he understood but didn’t care.

Watching Palos, who looked subtly disappointed, I tilted my head at the unfamiliar name.

“Jerky?”

“Ah, well… I’m sorry, Miss. I actually gave him that name.”

As if that was something to be sorry about.

From the moment Jerky and the birds had first met Clidane and clung to him, I had thought the animals had chosen him as their owner.