I Will Protect My Brother - Chapter 22

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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 22
The Holy Temple hidden within the Harem was smaller and quieter than I’d imagined. With sunlight blocked out, the interior lay shrouded in dimness, and as was always the case in places where the power of stars permeated, space warped of its own accord.
‘Hmm, but if it’s visible to the naked eye like this, that means it’s quite unstable, isn’t it…?’
“It’s rather calm today.”
Apparently, this was a better state than usual.
The Sacred Relic, sensing an unfamiliar presence, began to vibrate.
“Now, I never explained what I wanted to discuss with little, tiny Wynack, did I? Actually… no, listen here. Wynack?”
I ignored the Emperor’s words and moved forward without hesitation. There was no need for explanations. I already knew everything.
An altar stood at the center of the Holy Temple. It took the form of a pentagonal pillar, similar in shape to the podium where the Continental Conference table was placed.
Above it, the Sacred Relic floated in midair.
Exactly as I’d overheard from the Family Heads’ conversation twelve years ago.
A broken sword, its name: “Great Annihilation.”
An ancient blade with only the hilt and a portion of the blade remaining rotated slowly, scattering dazzling light.
The continental histories describe Sacred Relics thus:
When the transcendent beings who govern the entire universe—the “Stars,” divine entities from beyond our cosmos—first turned their attention to this planet named Rahnar, they manifested directly upon this land.
But the earth where humans dwelled, the very air, the sky itself could never accept the existence of Stars. It was inevitable, like trying to squeeze a brick into a glass cup—the cup shatters.
At that moment, this world, Rahnar, was destroyed once.
Yet for beings who transcend time and space, destroying and rebuilding a world was child’s play. The Stars effortlessly restored Rahnar.
And to avoid repeating the same mistake, instead of descending directly, they chose a more indirect method. They formed incarnation contracts with the humans of this world and possessed their bodies.
The Stars possessed the incarnate vessels, observed Rahnar, and departed. And in exchange for borrowing these shells, they forged eternal covenants with the incarnates’ families.
So long as the family did not perish, they would eternally become the Guardian Stars of those who bore their name.
Those five humans became the progenitors of the Five Transcendent Families, and the Sacred Relics were the very mediums through which the Stars manifested their power using their borrowed bodies.
Thus, Sacred Relics are weapons containing the purest power of the Stars. It is said that some Sacred Relics even contain fragments of consciousness that separated from the Stars themselves.
Because of this, countless sought after Sacred Relics. Even the Transcendent Families themselves frequently waged wars over them.
Three Sacred Relics were lost in the First Continental War that erupted as a result. It was only after that the Transcendent Families established rules they must follow with one another and began holding Continental Conferences.
What remained were Raylo’s Crystal of Resurrection and Yeljewa’s Eye of Foresight.
And now, centuries later, one of the lost Sacred Relics—Wynack’s sword—has revealed itself.
To an ordinary human, it would appear nothing more than a worthless relic…
But who.
What transcendent being could stand before this feast without drooling with desire?
I was no exception.
‘Just once.’
I wanted to grasp it, just once.
This was an irresistible temptation. My body moved of its own accord, drawn like opposite poles of a magnet.
The Sacred Relic was calling to me.
【You there.】
It wasn’t my imagination—it was real!
A strange telepathic message, genderless in nature, flowed from the Sacred Relic.
【Come here.】
“Child, if you approach carelessly…”
Regina opened her mouth urgently, but Luize Whezel cut her off.
“Wait. Let’s observe, Kirges.”
I approached the altar, leaving their voices behind. The closer I drew, the more the floor curved beneath me, and my feet began to slip.
“Ugh…!”
【Let me see your face.】
‘My face?’
I barely steadied myself and looked up at the altar.
【A human from Wynack? No, that’s not it.】
The Sacred Relic hummed with curiosity. If the consciousness of the star within it could manifest physically, it would surely be tilting its head in confusion.
【Kirges?】
‘Eek.’
That’s a secret!
I spun around hastily, anxiously checking whether the Emperor, Kirges, and the Whezel Family Head had heard that voice, but their expressions remained unchanged.
‘Thank goodness…’
Even as I exhaled in relief, the Sacred Relic continued to scrutinize me thoroughly.
【You’re quite pretty. But you’re a girl, aren’t you?】
“Is… is it not acceptable to be a girl?”
【I prefer handsome men who sparkle. Just looking at them warms my heart.】
With those words, an immense force flicked me away.
With a vacant expression, I traced a parabola through the air. I barely managed to suppress the spell that reflexively burst forth, but a scream tore from my throat instead.
“Ahhhhh…!”
Someone caught me as I plummeted downward. It was Luize.
“Hey, are you alright?”
“Y-yes, ugh.”
The aftershock of experiencing the star’s power in that instant was severe.
Was this what it felt like to be hurled naked into the cosmos? I couldn’t breathe, and my entire body felt compressed, as though I were being forced through an impossibly narrow rubber pipe.
I gasped, replaying the Sacred Relic’s absurd words. It preferred sparkling handsome men?
‘Then… the reason the Imperial Palace established a harem and gathered together the most beautiful men of the century…’
Surely not! The moment I caught my breath, I sprang to my feet.
And I charged toward the altar once more.
‘Just one more time, Sacred Relic!’
Guardian Star of Wynack, please allow me to speak with your relic just once more!
My desperate prayer seemed to reach the heavens. Brilliant starlight wrapped around my body. It was the blessing of the Guardian Star.
【Ah, borrowing the power of the “Judge of Darkness and Chaos” is cheating.】
The Sacred Relic grumbled petulantly. This was my moment, and I cried out.
“We have one at home, Sparkle!”
【Huh?】
“There’s a perfect successor for Wynack right now. Truly, extraordinarily beautiful. I personally guarantee the most stunning visage in the entire universe!”
I’d never heard of a Sacred Relic that brightened its master’s face, but what did it matter?
If the condition was transcendent beauty, then there was no one but Kalien who could be its master.
“You belong to our brother!”
In that instant, the crushing pressure that had been suffocating my chest vanished. I gasped for breath, clutching at the Altar.
The Sacred Relic’s telepathy kindled my interest immediately.
【Where is that Wynack right now?】
“I, phew, will bring them tonight. Not now. There are too many eyes watching….”
【Good.】
The Sacred Relic took the bait without hesitation. I felt relief mixed with exasperation.
‘Three hundred handsome youths were dragged here for this? As decoration?’
‘This is human sacrifice!’
Had the Sacred Relic read my inner thoughts? It giggled.
【Still, it was an enjoyable diversion. If that Wynack you’re bringing truly possesses such exceptional beauty, then perhaps it’s time to end my stay here. The current Family Head is far too bulky for my taste.】
‘Ah, so that’s why Owen never received a visit…?’
I recalled the Family Head, whose frame towered over two meters like a bear, and felt a moment of solemnity. Indeed, he was far removed from being a radiant beauty….
“Then, I’ll return at midnight tonight. Please remain docile until then.”
【I’m looking forward to it. Though if they’re not as beautiful as my expectations, there’s no point.】
“Don’t worry about that. Just prepare yourself to be swept away.”
I nodded emphatically. Kalien’s beauty was the element I took the most pride in regarding him.
Good, then it’s time to leave. I carefully stepped across the still-trembling floor, as I remained within the Sacred Relic’s Domain.
And as I turned to go, the Sacred Relic called me back.
【By the way, you…. I sense a faint scent of “Shattered Chaos”?】
Shattered Chaos? I tilted my head at the unfamiliar epithet.
Stars possess true names and epithets, but true names cannot be pronounced in human language, so they are usually called by their epithets.
The star of Wynack is called “The Judge of Darkness and Chaos,” the star of Kirges is called “The Linguistic Sorcerer of All Things,” and so forth.
But “Shattered Chaos”—I had never heard such a thing before.
However, before I could ask further, a massive jaguar tore through the warped space and lunged at me.
It seized my waist in its jaws and leaped upward.
“Ahhhhh!”
[What are you screaming about—are you out of your mind?!]
It was Luize again. In one fluid motion, he set me down outside the Sacred Relic’s sphere of influence and shifted into human form.
He glared at me furiously, examining me from head to toe.
“Have you no sense of self-preservation? What would you do if you threw yourself at an unstable Sacred Relic? Do you want to be torn to shreds twenty different ways, you fool?!”
“It’s fine. It wasn’t angry with me.”
Indeed, the Sacred Relic, having concluded our covert transaction, was gradually withdrawing its power.
The grotesquely distorted Holy Temple slowly reclaimed its original form. The sinister energy that had swirled chaotically in all directions, the oppressive weight that had crushed my lungs—all of it dissipated as if washed away.
An indescribable silence settled over everything.
“Oho.”
Clap, clap, clap. Someone began to applaud. It was the Emperor of Delpiam.
“At last, a savior has appeared in this Harem!”

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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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