novelraw Chapter 116 : Chapter 116
Chapter 116 : Chapter 116
Chapter 116: Asking the Black Sea, Four Questions (4)
Ernst recited.
A rumor about two brothers.
It was a rumor that was also close to a ghost story. Young boys had arrived at the empire's southern border, a place bordering the Demon Realm. Putting aside the uncertainty of whether it was a real anecdote, the very fact that the boys had crossed the Demon Realm was grotesque.
“They were identical twins. Those guys, I mean.”
The brothers were said to have been standing.
Beyond the indomitable fortress, the strict guard, and the countless spells.
The older brother with a smile, the younger brother with tears, holding hands tightly.
“The guard who interrogated the brothers testified.”
The two brothers spoke in the language of the Echrra Kingdom, but even so, complete communication was impossible. It was because the brothers' language skills were poor.
“The brothers said in unison.”
Echrra Kingdom, fall, prince, rescue.
They just repeated the four words like a spell.
“The older brother was said to have known a few more words.”
Brother, earth, joy, spirit.
The older brother whispered the four words to the younger brother, but the younger brother did not seem to know their meaning.
“The younger brother was also said to have known words the older brother did not.”
Brother, sky, sorrow, fairy.
The younger brother whispered the four words to the older brother, but the older brother seemed unable to understand until the end.
“Strange. The guard thought so.”
Yes. It was indeed a strange thing.
The guard interrogating the brothers fell into confusion. Was it a type of strange phenomenon that often occurred in the Demon Realm? He entertained that question for a moment, but the brothers were too powerless to be considered a threat. Their language proficiency was no better than that of an infant, and they soon fainted due to poor nutrition.
“In the end, the higher-ups began to investigate the brothers……”
Upon searching their bodies, a single letter was discovered.
The content of the letter was not long. But it was as strange as the existence of the brothers.
- These children's surname is Echrra.
They are the last bloodline of the Echrra royal family.
You must know about the end of the Echrra Kingdom. Was it not one of the small nations that fell as the Demon Realm expanded.
There was no one who did not know of the Echrra Kingdom.
It was a time when the Demon Realm was expanding rapidly. The small nations bordering it were being swallowed up by the Demon Realm. The Echrra Kingdom was no exception, and it was said that it took less than a month. For its entire territory to be trampled by monsters.
- Do as you please, whether you believe my words or not.
If you do come to believe them, I hope you will protect the two children. They will be of help to the empire someday. You must not keep only one of them alive. Please be sure to save both children. These children must not be separated yet.
The commander of the south, who had read the letter, was troubled.
To believe the content, or not to believe it. To save the brothers, or to abandon them. It wasn't because it was difficult to decide. The brothers' lives were too trivial to be considered a problem. The same was true even if he affirmed their status as princes of a fallen kingdom.
- If you cannot believe it, abandon the two children.
There is no need to feel guilty. These children will survive somehow. Such a history already exists. Watching a repeated story is also a kind of amusement. It's just that I…….
The writer of the letter was the problem.
Could he trust his message?
- I'm not the type to enjoy rereading.
Wouldn't it be boring to read what I've already read again?
In any case, I will compensate you. The Head Magic Tower Master of the five magic towers, the Great Sage of the Imperial Magician's Association, and I hold several other positions, but it's a hassle, so I'll omit them, and to tell you my name……,
Marchen Blackmore.
The commander paid attention to the sender's name.
The greatest magician in history, the one and only superior of the five magic tower masters, and the teacher of all magicians. A letter personally written by Marchen Blackmore.
“Marchen Blackmore is the most outstanding magician not only in the empire, but in all of Epezeria, but……”
He was also the worst magician in history.
He was also the one and only rival of the five magic tower masters, and the adversary of all magicians.
“They say he cooperates with enemy nations under the pretext of a just cause, while at the same time committing acts of destruction under the pretext of the future……”
A man who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
Marchen's position guaranteed his honor and at the same time served as a tribute. It was a way to somehow keep him under the empire's command. For if Marchen were to turn his back on the empire, a war would surely break out. In the first place, Marchen barely performed his duties, and he was just elusive, not staying in one place.
“That is why the commander was wary. After long deliberation, he made a decision.”
The story did not have one ending.
First, the commander released the brothers into the Demon Realm.
Second, he took the brothers as his adopted sons and raised them in secret.
Third, the brothers soon transformed into monsters, and the commander ended up killing them with his own hands.
Fourth, the commander did not kill the brothers, but the brothers are plotting to rebuild the Echrra Kingdom.
“There's no way a rumor would have a single conclusion. The public considers this story a ghost story. Because there are so many rumors about the vicinity of the Demon Realm. And if I were to state my opinion……”
* * *
“It was all real. Wasn't it, senior?”
Ernst asked in an indifferent tone.
Lizer was smiling. He looked as if he was listening to a folktale. Ernst's story was the undeniable truth, and it would be fine to affirm it. However, Lizer did not remember that time in detail. He had no choice but to ask back before answering.
“How did you know? It should be a fact known only to the top brass of the empire.”
“I secretly went through granny's journal.”
Ernst shrugged his shoulders.
While clearing away the fallen leaves that had accumulated in the middle of the trench.
“Marius Reinhardt. That is the name of the guard who interrogated your brothers. And Brunhilde von Tresckow. That is the name of the commander who handled Marchen Blackmore's letter. My grandmother protected your brothers.”
“So she did.”
Lizer nodded.
“She is a grateful person. Thanks to you, I've learned the name of my benefactor. How can I mourn her?”
“So, look here.”
Ernst looked back at Lizer.
He observed Lizer's expression with narrowed eyes.
At a glance, he looked like a cheerful young man. Though he had been thoroughly provoked, he was talking with Ernst without being flustered. That was why he felt even more grotesque.
A man who had crossed the Demon Realm at a young age, and was being backed by Marchen Blackmore. His background as the prince of a fallen kingdom felt ordinary in comparison. But there was something else. The decisive reason why Ernst was wary of Lizer.
“Senior, are you even human?”
It was because of instinct.
Because he didn't feel human at all.
If Lizer was sensing Ernst as a spirit, Ernst was intuiting as a human. The inhumanity that the otherworldly being named Lizer could not hide.
“The fact that you crossed the Demon Realm at a young age, I can accept that. Blackmore-nim must have helped you.”
“He didn't help. He doesn't have a good personality.”
“What a son of a bitch. Anyway, let's just say that. The way you go on about smelling things, tasting things, and all that crap, I'll count it as a hobby. But it's still strange?”
You, you don't seem human.
Ernst muttered so, and,
“──This is why I hate sharp-witted brats.”
Lizer's smile vanished in a flash.
Lizer aimed his magic wand at Ernst, and,
“You're right. I'm not human. But I won't let you speak of it. I want to keep it a secret for now. So promise me.”
That you won't care about me anymore.
Swear it. If not, I'll kill you, he said.
Lizer whispered in a coldly sunken voice, and,
“……is what you thought I'd say?”
He smiled brightly and swept back his hair.
“I'm just exceptionally talented in magic, I'm human. So don't be so suspicious, Ernst. I want to be friends with you.”
Ernst glaring silently at Lizer.
Lizer didn't care. He passed by Ernst and took a step. He gently brandished his magic wand to command the spirits and began to clear away the rocks that had covered the collapsed trench.
“It would be nice if a kid like you could become my brother's friend. My brother doesn't know how to be wary of others.”
Deudeuk, it went.
The rocks that had been cleared of old dirt flew through the air.
Rock was a material vulnerable to cannonballs. It was bound to cause damage from flying shrapnel. The fact that the walls of the trench were reinforced by defense meant that they had entered an area where there was no threat of cannonballs.
“And Ernst.”
Thus, it was revealed.
The entrance to the fortification, sealed by an iron door.
“I'm sorry for making you feel bad. Was I too much? I recited your inner thoughts so thoroughly.”
Ernst stared at the iron door.
The rusted iron door was barely holding on.
Lizer brandished his magic wand and opened the iron door,
“I can read people's minds. I can see them, taste them, and hear them. It's not a power I can control myself. Still, I'll try to suppress it in front of you.”
Ernst could not hear Lizer's words.
He just moved his feet. Ernst's green eyes, spread out behind his glasses, shook. As he entered the middle of the dim fortification, he just looked around blankly.
“……is what I said, but I couldn't help but read your mind again.”
It was familiar. So familiar.
A structure that did not consider comfort. A shabby bed prepared in one corner of a vast space. And in the center of the fortification, a huge table that seemed to have room for ten people to sit around.
“Too bad. You're very sad.”
Damn it, you old hag.
Ernst thought, clenching his fists.
The scenery of the fortification resembled his grandmother's chamber. It was so identical in structure that it gave him chills. Ernst's grandmother, Brunhilde von Tresckow, had retired from the front lines after the Mirror War, and the fortification Ernst had reached had a standardized form from the time of the Mirror War. Therefore, he wondered,
‘Did you have no choice but to stay here your whole life?’
Ernst bit his lower lip.
‘Were you unable to escape until you died?’
To the extent that you even decorated your own chamber like a fortification,
did you have no choice but to live your life bound by the war?
‘……Brunhilde von Tresckow, my grandmother.’
* * *
At the same time, the hill of Portsmouth.
In the middle of a vacant lot where junk was piled up like a mountain,
“Wow, there's so much useful stuff.”
“It's all useless.”
Abel and Roberta said at the same time.
They then stared at each other. A gust of wind pierced through the silence. Roberta's brow gradually furrowed. It was a sign to acknowledge the usefulness of the endlessly entangled junk. Abel shrugged and then paid attention to the shabby private house prepared on the other side of the pile of junk. The junk dealer must be staying there.
“It's all useful. You just don't know their true value, Professor.”
“They can be recycled. In this state, they're just trash.”
“Trash. That's too harsh!”
Roberta shouted, following behind Abel.
Abel stubbornly ignored her. Before knocking on the door of the private house, he scanned the building and saw that there were barnacles on the outer wall, while seaweed was growing in stalks. As if it had been submerged in seawater for a long time, despite being on high ground.
‘It seems to be cursed.’
It was like this everywhere.
Barnacles had spread on every building, and they were soaked in the smell of salt as if they had been drenched in seawater.
Even if the ecosystem was destroyed by monsters, it couldn't change civilization itself.
‘I should investigate as soon as I have some time.’
As he was thinking so and about to knock on the door,
“When a single die is rolled 5 times……”
The voice of an old woman from beyond the entrance.
“Find the number of cases where the greatest common divisor of the resulting numbers is 2 or 4.”
If you find the answer, I will open the door.
The old woman whispered so.
‘An elf.’
Abel's head tilting to the side.
‘Only elves would ask such a question.’
Abel thought with a blank expression.
That the owner of the junk shop was surely an elf.
‘Because elves are a race that is crazy about mathematics…….’