I Will Protect My Brother - Chapter 42

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

Chapter 42
‘Stars above. I’ve completely become a bird, haven’t I?’
I’d suspected it from the moment I struck Alpien, but driving the wedge home made my feelings impossibly complicated.
I felt something like anger rising within me.
I drew a deep breath. If everyone already knew the truth anyway, why was I bothering to act like a real child?
‘Enough. I’m done with this.’
I erased the puppy-like smile that had been playing across my face.
I closed my wide-open eyes once, and when I opened them again, my original sharp gaze returned as if the deception had never existed. I released the tension from my spine—the rigid posture I’d maintained as befitted a Wynack—and sank back into the sofa. Finally, I withdrew the blessing of the stars that had been layered across my face like a mask. As I aged year by year, my true appearance emerged more prominently, so this had been a necessary measure.
Finally, I removed the blessing of the stars that had been layered over my face like a mask. It was a special measure I had taken because as I aged year after year, my original face kept showing through more and more.
“Sigh… honestly.”
Without even looking in a mirror, I could sense the aura surrounding me had completely transformed.
I spoke softly, with a hint of sarcasm.
“It’s really easy to make a fool out of someone, isn’t it?”
Luize, who had been frozen in place, barely managed to move his lips.
“Sister.”
Even though I’d anticipated it, hearing that title made my heart flutter.
Sister. I’d been calling myself that in my mind every time, but hearing it spoken aloud to my face felt strangely different. I reluctantly responded.
“I know this seems sudden, but Whezel. It’s been a long time. This is the first time I’ve met ‘Rosien’ since we were snot-nosed children, isn’t it?”
“…”
“You’ve grown well. I thought that from the moment I first saw you. I really wanted to tell you that.”
That small child had grown into an adult, surpassing my age from my previous life. Luize stood there with his lips slightly parted, unable to find words—just as he had on the day we first met.
A scoff escaped me.
“Why are you so shocked? You already knew everything. What, do you need time to adjust to my casual speech?”
“…It’s not that. I just didn’t expect you to reveal your true self so openly.”
After a long moment of bewilderment, Luize finally answered.
“What changed your mind?”
“It’s just… I’m a bit angry that you’ve been keeping your mouth shut all this time.”
I was about to ask when he’d recovered his memories, since I’d erased them four years ago, but I stopped myself. It was pointless.
“Fine then. Let whatever happens, happen. Whether it’s Railo, Yeljewa, or that red-eyed monster—let them come and try to take me if they dare.”
I crossed my arms in a sulk, and Luize hesitated. Then he let out a quiet sigh and shook his head.
“It would be better if you didn’t.”
“…”
“Just stay quiet as you have been. Don’t recklessly reveal your identity. Continue living as Rosien Wynack. I’m saying this for your sake.”
“So you want me to live not knowing who killed me and brought me back? Constantly anxious about when the next attack might come?”
I laughed incredulously.
“If you remember me, you should know perfectly well that I’m not the kind of person who could do that.”
“Then what can you accomplish in your current state?”
“…”
“The moment you announce that Rosien Kirges and Rosien Wynack are the same person, the balance of power across the entire Continent will shift. There’s a difference between implicitly keeping quiet and openly revealing it. Do you want to make enemies of all Five Transcendent Families?”
I hated to admit it, but he was right.
No matter how strong I am, I cannot face five stars simultaneously. I have no desire to become an international wanted criminal.
If I’m unlucky enough to be caught, I’ll find myself standing on the execution platform.
‘The execution platform….’
Suddenly, goosebumps erupted across my entire body.
As I trembled, Luize offered a remarkably clear solution.
“That’s why one of Rosien and Lozietti Kirges must be dead. No matter who calls your sister Rosien, you deny it to the end. Lozietti Kirges is dead, and I am Rosien Wynack.”
“So you’re saying there’s no definitive proof that I’m Lozietti Kirges?”
“Not until we catch the Sacred Relic thief. And not unless a Resurrection Crystal is discovered somewhere on your sister’s body. That’s why this precarious tightrope walk is actually better. Moving between Abuye and Delpiam, acting only within limits that don’t upset the balance of power on the Continent.”
“….”
“Besides, Wynack will protect your sister anyway, and I have no intention of exposing you either, so the current situation isn’t so bad.”
Luize might be right.
Turning a blind eye—isn’t that nice? Just hide behind the backs of strong Transcendents and live comfortably without a care in the world.
But I recalled those two crimson eyes that stared at me intently in the darkness.
And I objectively assessed the abilities I could currently wield.
“…All right.”
It didn’t take long to reach a decision.
I declared confidently.
“Then I’ll live as Lozietti Kirges.”
“What?”
Luize’s eyes widened in considerable surprise. I took the Planetarium necklace I’d hidden in my clothes and twirled it around my finger.
“Living as Rosien is happy too. Perfectly satisfying. But it feels like such a waste to possess this much power and live only under the protection of Wynack and Whiszel, doesn’t it?”
“….”
“Besides, if Wynack and Whiszel are on my side, what’s left are Kirges, Yeljewa, and Raylo….”
Even if I cannot face all five Transcendent Families at once, I can take them down one by one.
If I truly have the Resurrection Crystal within my body….
‘Theoretically speaking, I’m immortal, aren’t I?’
The Resurrection Crystal can be used once every ten years. If I possess it, even if I die right now, I can resurrect like before once time passes.
Wynack’s Sacred Relic, Kirges’s Guardian Castle’s blessing, and even Raylo’s Sacred Relic—they’re all mine.
‘Isn’t that a spec capable of conquering the world? So why should I cower in fear and hide?’
I opened my eyes coldly and brought my fingertips together.
“Just as you said, Rosien cannot have both Wynack and Kirges, so Rosien must die.”
“Right now… immediately?”
“No. That’s impossible right now. Seongyeol hasn’t manifested yet, and more importantly, Kalian Wynack hasn’t grown enough for me to feel secure. Besides, the identity of that red-eyed tentacle monster remains a mystery.”
Nineteen. I recalled the time limit I had set long ago. It felt like light suddenly pierced through my murky future plans.
At nineteen, I’ll fake an accident and disappear. Then I’ll return to Kirges as Lozietti Kirges.
‘Three years remain, enemies are Kirges, Yeljewa, Raylo, and the tentacle monster—four in total. Roughly one per year….’
As I organized my future plans in my mind, Luize asked in a strained voice.
“So sister, in three years you’re abandoning Wynack?”
“Wynack was never mine to begin with, so how can I abandon it? Wynack belongs to Kalian Wynack.”
“You’re saying you’ll erase ‘Rosien’ from the world. Leaving Wynack means abandoning Kalian Wynack as well.”
“Hmm…”
“Do you think he’ll let you go?”
It was a loaded question. I rested my chin on the back of my hand and seriously reflected on Kalian’s past actions.
Every single day without fail when I was in Delpiam, letters would arrive; the elixir I still hadn’t found; being treated like a cherished doll…
There was no need for deep contemplation. I nodded with confidence.
“Of course. Kalian gives me everything I ask for.”
“…What?”
Luize made a strange sound. I shrugged dismissively.
“He’s never once forced me to do something I disliked or genuinely opposed my wishes. He always tells me I’ll win.”
“…”
“Of course, there will come a day when I’m honest with Kalian about my secret. Once he knows the full circumstances, he’ll let me go. I’m not worried about that.”
I finished speaking confidently, but suddenly something began to nag at me.
Deep furrows had also formed between Luize’s brows.
“But the young Wynack, from what I can see, he…”
“Yeah… He wants to make me his elixir. Mutual, at that.”
It seemed like we’d been treading into dangerous territory for the past couple of years, but was it really okay to leave things as they were?
The other side had gone strangely quiet. The moment I looked up in confusion, I found Luize frozen in place.
He wore an expression of shock, as if he didn’t know where to even begin speaking.
Luize even began to stammer.
“Are you insane… Are you insane? Do you even know what it means to become each other’s elixir?”
“Well, yes. To intertwine each other’s fates as one…”
“That’s an act of sharing essence. It’s not some childish game—physical contact is fundamental…”
“Huh?”
“What?”
I stared blankly at him before it clicked. Physical contact.
“Right, well. That’s the easiest way to exchange the effects of an elixir.”
“Absolutely not!”
Luize suddenly shouted.
“Are you insane?! What are you thinking!”
“Huh? What did I do?”
“You seem to be forgetting—you’re not even an adult yet. You’ve never been an adult!”
“What? That’s a harsh thing to say…!”
I felt my pride take a scratch.
How petty, bringing up my age like that. The fact that I hadn’t even reached adulthood was quite a blow to my dignity.
My hurt feelings caused me to clamp my mouth shut, and Luize’s misunderstanding spiraled in an entirely different direction. He spoke urgently.
“Don’t even pretend to hear such absurd demands. You madman, you’ve only grown to seventeen at most, and this is just… your heart is pitch black, nothing but—”
“Our rabbit doesn’t know about such things.”
If I stayed silent, Kalian would be branded as utterly shameless.
I reluctantly refuted my brother to protect his image.
“Kalian just hasn’t found his elixir yet. I cast a few incantations to appease Seongyeol, and somehow he became dependent on them, so that’s all it is. It’ll be fine once we find him a new elixir!”
I defended Kalian earnestly, but Luize showed no sign of listening. With a helpless groan, Luize rose from his seat and bowed deeply before me.
His shadow fell across my head.
Luize gripped both my shoulders firmly. Then, as if soothing a child, he softened his tone.
“Rosien, he is dangerous.”
“…Luize.”
“I have certainly seen the darkness hidden behind his smile before. When our sister is absent, he doesn’t even bother to wear the mask. Rosien, you have never once witnessed his true nature.”
“….”
“How can you trust someone so two-faced?”

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