I Will Protect My Brother - Chapter 21

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 21
“What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said. The truth is, I don’t need your help—or anyone else’s, for that matter.”
I was a sorcerer of the Kirges family and simultaneously a knight of the Wynack family. I’d never in my life heard anyone call me weak.
I had always handled everything perfectly on my own. Even now, diminished as I was, that remained true.
Besides, it was strange to begin with that I should need protection from a mere fifteen-year-old boy. My shell might be twelve, but my core was already approaching thirty.
So my care for Kalian stemmed simply from affection. He was the first person to become something like family to me.
‘Is this what a mother’s heart feels like, then?’
I playfully tapped the soft bridge of his nose.
“Stop spouting nonsense. The point is, you need to find the Elixir as soon as possible. That way, I can finally put my mind at ease.”
“…All right, I understand.”
Kalian didn’t seem entirely satisfied with my answer. He nodded reluctantly.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Good boy, my little rabbit.”
“Rabbit….”
Kalian repeated the word with a peculiar expression, as though uncertain whether to like or dislike the nickname.
“Now then, it’s getting far too late. Don’t stay up and stunt your growth!”
I pulled the blanket up to just beneath his nose. It carried a pleasant fragrance, and the bed was wonderfully soft.
After spending the entire day with my nerves on edge, drowsiness began to overtake me as well. I soon found myself drifting between wakefulness and dreams, murmuring softly.
“Sleep well then, big brother. Sweet dreams….”
“You too, Rosy.”
I heard Kalian’s voice responding faintly.
It seemed he said something more….
“Then I suppose I need to continue being needed by you as well. …All right, I’ll do that.”
Do what, exactly?
Before I could even ponder the meaningful words Kalian had spoken, sleep consumed me entirely.
My hand remained firmly clasped in his throughout.
* * *
“Would it be acceptable to push that child into the Star Hall, Whezel?”
Regina Kirges’s complexion was nearly ashen, heavy with worry.
She had just returned to the Kirges Main House with Whezel to discuss what would unfold tomorrow.
Luize toyed with the black obsidian bracelet—his Elixir—as he replied.
“If the Wynack Guardian Star provides protection, there should be no mortal danger. Besides, that artifact in the Harem is a Wynack sacred relic to begin with. Of course, given its unstable state, there could be some risk. But we can manage that appropriately if it arises.”
“Is that so….”
Regina trailed off.
The red-haired girl with plump cheeks that she had seen yesterday was nowhere to be found; the child clinging closely to Kalian Wynack’s side today was unmistakably a young boy.
Only because she had learned that the child called Rosien possessed sorcerous power could she recognize them as the same person—had she not known, she would never have dared suspect they were identical.
Moreover, that child had not fallen for Alpien’s leading questions.
‘Indeed, she’s not the type to fall for such an obvious ploy.’
But precisely because of that, suspicion had been ignited.
An exceptional mind, a talent worthy of being called a genius a hundred times over….
And if he could wield language magic freely without even a planetarium, it surely meant that Kirges’s Guardian Star was showing favoritism toward that child.
How many humans like that could possibly exist!
Regina had offered prayers to the Guardian Star in the Star Hall at the Kirges Main House the night before.
“O Star of Kirges, the 「Omnilingual Spell Caster」. Is Lozietti Kirges truly alive?”
The Guardian Star, as always, did not respond.
Stars do not ordinarily answer directly to human calls. Even if they did, humans could not comprehend their language.
Because they were beings of a different order.
Yet that night, Regina received her answer.
Her disciples had excavated Lozietti Kirges’s grave in the graveyard behind the Main House throughout the dawn hours. It was an act unbecoming toward the dead, but it was unavoidable to dispel her suspicions.
Thus, the coffin of Lozietti Kirges, buried deep underground twelve years prior, resurfaced above ground once more.
The coffin was empty.
The corpse had vanished. Not decayed into dust or returned to earth, but gone as if it had never existed at all.
Moreover, the coffin bore unmistakable traces of having been forcibly pried open from the outside.
Someone had stolen Lozietti Kirges’s corpse.
Coincidentally, the Resurrection Crystal had disappeared during that same period.
And twelve years later, a young girl bearing an uncanny resemblance to Lozietti—Rosien—had appeared….
Regina’s suspicion was gradually transforming into certainty.
‘If those two truly are the same person. If Lozietti has been resurrected and is now receiving protection from Wynack’s Guardian Star?’
She swallowed hard.
“If that were the case… Lozietti would become the only human to have made contact with two sacred relics. We might succeed in suppressing the sacred relic of Wynack in the Harem.”
“Could a human body even withstand that?”
“If Kirges’s Guardian Star, the 「Omnilingual Spell Caster」, were to protect them, it would be possible. If that child is truly Lozietti, the Guardian Star would absolutely shield them.”
“Why are you so certain?”
Luize pointed out sharply. Regina clenched her fists tightly.
“The 「Omnilingual Spell Caster」shows particular favoritism toward that child. Don’t ask why. How could I possibly fathom the will of a star?”
“….”
“So I must bring Lozietti back to Kirges by any means necessary.”
“…I wonder if that’s truly possible.”
“Why do you think it’s impossible, Whezel?”
“The young Wynack doesn’t seem like the type to sit idle. Haven’t you seen Kirges? That beautiful and detestable mask of his.”
When Kalian Wynack became the topic of discussion, a brief silence fell between Luize and Regina.
“…In the end, he’s merely a boy of thirteen or so.”
“That may be true.”
Luize chose his words with some pessimism.
“But if the culprit who stole the crystal and resurrected Lozietti Kirges is the young Wynack, the situation becomes entirely different.”
“Whezel, that boy is now fifteen years old. Twelve years ago, he was only three. At that time, he was still a small child who couldn’t even speak properly.”
“Of course, that’s true. However….”
A deep furrow appeared between Luize’s brows.
‘There’s something unsettling about that boy. Something ominous.’
Whezel had possessed exceptional instinct across generations. Unlike Yeljewa, who could foresee the future, they specialized in piercing through the essence of things with a beast-like sense.
Their instincts had rarely led them astray.
Luize recalled the boy who melted like pure gold only before his younger sister—warm and malleable. Yet the moment her gaze shifted away from him, his face would freeze over like a glacier.
That gap only deepened his unease.
Kalian Wynack was no mere Transcendent who simply excelled beyond others.
‘There’s something more. Behind him, something far greater and more sinister….’
Luize pressed his lips firmly together and clenched his fists.
He would need to strengthen the Harem’s defenses. Just in case—truly, in the one-in-a-million chance that Kalian Wynack was after the Transcendent Families’ sacred relics, or if he bore any connection whatsoever to the one who stole the crystal.
He would surely reveal himself before that sacred relic in the Harem.
* * *
When I opened my eyes, morning had broken. I woke in Kalian’s embrace as he held me tightly, like clutching a stuffed bear.
And I shook him awake frantically.
“Kali, wake up!”
“Ugh, huh…?”
“Hide!”
Kalian, barely able to open his eyes in the early dawn, was swiftly lifted and placed inside the wardrobe. I tucked pillows and blankets around him for good measure.
After washing up and checking my appearance, someone knocked on the door almost immediately. It was the Harem Administrator who had brought me here yesterday.
“Are you ready, En?”
“Yes!”
Now try taking me anywhere! I nodded confidently, and the Administrator’s expression grew pitiful.
“So ignorant of what awaits. How pitiable….”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing. Shall we go?”
What do you mean I don’t know anything? Aren’t we going to see the sacred relic right now?
Surely he thought a child like me couldn’t possibly handle a sacred relic on the verge of going berserk.
‘If even the Administrator reacts that way, they actually tried to bring our rabbit here?’
How foolish of them.
I snorted inwardly and followed the Administrator.
My suspicions proved accurate.
This palace, designated as the Emperor’s Harem, had a structure where corridors and chambers spiraled around a central space.
With each step, the space seemed to bend unnaturally. It felt precisely like what I had experienced twelve years ago.
At the center of the Harem was undoubtedly the Star Hall.
Literally, a hall where stars dwell.
Indeed, the Emperor and the Family Heads of Kirges and Whezel were already waiting for me there.
I deliberately avoided Regina’s gaze.
‘I’m sorry, Family Head. Let’s have an honest conversation later.’
First, I would confirm the sacred relic’s existence with my own eyes.
After rapidly passing through every stage from the Wynack apprentice selection test to the formal initiation test, I had entered the Star Hall in Wynack Main Residence as the final procedure. There, my sword had received the blessing of Guardian Star.
I had never actually used that sword in combat since I hadn’t properly learned how to wield Wynack’s power yet. But the aura of Guardian Star would remain in my body, so if what lay within was truly a Wynack sacred relic, it would undoubtedly recognize me.
The Emperor, placing me at the very front, commanded the Attendant.
“Well then… let us open the door.”
Despite his imposing frame, the Emperor’s tension was plainly visible. Luize and Master Regina were equally on edge.
Soon, the Star Hall revealed itself before our eyes.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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