I Will Protect My Brother - Chapter 47

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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 47
“Rosien wants to be alone.”
“Ah, the attack on Kirges must have been quite a shock.”
Luize nodded in understanding.
Though Kirges had never been a family with particularly strong bonds among its members, the connection between Regina and Rosien Wynyak was remarkably close.
Regina’s affection for her successor was even famous among the Transcendent Families.
It made sense that she wouldn’t be in good spirits.
“Railo arrived yesterday and is treating Kirges now, so she should regain consciousness within a few days. Tell Rosien that. Ask her not to worry too much.”
“Worry?”
Kalian Wynack repeated the word as if it were unfamiliar to him.
He then set down his teacup with elegant grace.
“You, of all people, shouldn’t need to concern yourself with such things.”
“What do you mean?”
“Rosien has no reason to worry about Kirges. She’s from Winyak.”
Luize’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
Was he truly unaware of Rosien’s identity?
Or was he disgustingly pretending not to know despite knowing everything?
Until now, I had assumed he didn’t know. We had always kept matters concerning Rosien Wynyak secret from Winyak.
But Winyak was also a Transcendent Family in name, and their intelligence network was no inferior to any other house…
“That girl won’t be returning to Kirges, Whezel.”
There was no point in deliberating further. Luize clenched his teeth.
Damn it. He knows.
“Is this an agreement you’ve reached with her?”
“Agreement? There’s no need for such tedious procedures. The choice is hers to make.”
“So you’re confident she won’t choose Kirges. Why?”
“Would any fool willingly return to someone who tried to kill them?”
“…What?”
“At least our Rosien isn’t that stupid.”
Luize’s eyes widened.
“What are you talking about?”
“Exactly what I said. You didn’t know that Regina Kirges harbored the intention to kill her disciple?”
“That’s nonsense. Rosien Wynyak was Kirges’s successor. Regina Kirges cherished her so much…”
Luize stopped mid-sentence, realizing his mistake.
By speaking the name Rosien Wynyak aloud, there was no taking it back now.
Kalian Wynack spoke flatly.
“Sixteen years ago, Regina Kirges cast a curse on her during the Family Head succession battle.”
“What…?”
“With too many eyes watching, she couldn’t cast a direct killing curse. Instead, she placed a trigger curse—one that would double or triple the lethal force whenever Alpien Kirges used an offensive technique.”
“That means now…”
“She couldn’t tolerate a disciple surpassing her teacher, it seems. Even now, it’s a vicious scheme. And she even used another disciple to accomplish it.”
Unlike Luize, who was taken aback, Kalian Wynack remained composed throughout.
“Well, there could be other reasons, but on the surface, the revealed reason is simple. Petty jealousy.”
“Don’t slander Kirges.”
“Then why don’t you ask Regina Kirges herself when she wakes up?”
Though I wasn’t sure if she would wake up normally.
Kalian Wynack rose from his seat with that casual addition.
“I should go check on Rosien now. I barely managed to soothe her back to sleep until morning, but she might have already woken up.”
“….”
“And a warning, Whezel. Don’t poke at her for the next few days. …She’ll be confused enough as it is.”
Kalian Wynack left the Breakfast Hall with those final words.
Luize simply stared after his retreating figure before belatedly clutching his head.
“What on earth is going on?”
* * *
Knock, knock. A sound at the door.
I didn’t need to answer. The way of knocking and the faint presence lingering before the door were unmistakably Kalian’s.
Soon the door opened, and someone sat at the head of my bed.
I felt him gently stroking the ends of my hair that poked out from beneath the blanket.
“Rosien. Did you get some sleep?”
“…Oppa….”
I unwound myself from the blanket I’d been curled up in and nestled against Kalian Wynack.
I never thought there would come a day when I’d act spoiled toward Kalian Wynack, but this time was an exception.
After glimpsing all of Regina’s memories yesterday, I hadn’t slept a single moment.
Because it was absurd. Because I couldn’t believe it. Because I was sad, because I felt wronged.
All those emotions coalesced into a single name.
Betrayal.
“…Honestly, it’s not like I didn’t anticipate it at all.”
Looking back, there were always signs.
Was it when the number of sorceries I’d recorded in the Planetarium exceeded fifty?
A sorcerer’s strength is determined by the number of sorceries they can command. From the time I turned ten, I had already surpassed Regina.
Moreover, Kirges’s star, the Omniscient Word Sorcerer, had always been unusually generous toward me.
The very fact that I could use sorcery without the Planetarium was proof that the star loved me.
But the Omniscient Word Sorcerer’s favor was not something I had earned through effort. I was simply chosen by the star for reasons I didn’t understand.
That was likely the greatest factor that provoked the jealousy of my Master and the rest of Kirges, sparking their resistance.
I spent the night verifying all thirty years of memories.
The contents recorded in my Master Regina’s Planetarium were shocking.
“But still, you picked up a child from the Slums? Surely it wasn’t out of sympathy.”
“I felt the power of the stars. That child was surely being noticed by the Omniscient Word Sorcerer.”
“The Omniscient Word Sorcerer… you say? But there hasn’t even been any observation in recent years.”
“Yes, they deliberately hid their form from human eyes. So right now, that child is the only remaining trace of the star left to us.”
When I was just three years old, when you brought me to Kirges to raise me.
“Your Master was right. Lozietti is favored by the Stars themselves. Compared to Lozietti, Alpien Kirges is nothing. Among the disciples, there are already quite a few who worship Lozietti like a deity….”
“…As the heir to Kirges, you lack nothing. However, excessive superiority becomes poison. Ensure that child does not succumb to arrogance—discipline the disciples accordingly.”
Even when I inherited the Kirges name and began wielding the Power of Stars in earnest.
Even when my peers gradually began to distance themselves from me.
“Regina, your successor is quite remarkable. Where did you find such talent?”
“…So even you can see that child is exceptional, Leonin.”
“It’s obvious at a glance. The day when the disciple surpasses the master doesn’t seem far off. I’m looking forward to seeing what Kirges will become under that child’s leadership. So, would it be alright if I took them as my daughter-in-law later? Of course, Luize was only just born….”
“Don’t speak such nonsense, Whezel.”
Even when the Whezel Family Head seemed to take a particular liking to me.
“Of course, Lozietti will take the position of successor, right? Even if I died and came back to life, I could never reach Lozietti’s feet.”
“…I hear Lozietti has been neglecting sorcery lately and going around learning swordplay instead?”
“Ah, yes, that’s true. In fact, Lozietti has nothing left to learn….”
“Nothing left to learn? Alpien. Learning has no end by nature. If that child truly believes such a thing, it is the height of arrogance. I must give them a stern talking-to.”
Even until the very day before the successor determination tournament.
In Regina’s eyes, I shone brilliantly. So much so that I wondered if I was truly that exceptional.
In contrast, whenever Regina thought of me, her face twisted into something ugly and sorrowful.
“It’s suspicious. So very suspicious… Has the Stars ever shown such favoritism toward a single human before? Throughout the entire history of the Continent, not even the first Transcendents received such treatment….”
The image of Regina, unable to sleep until dawn, gnawing at her fingernails, would not leave my mind.
“That child must die. They cannot be allowed to live.”
Did she truly think of me that way?
A violent tide seemed to surge through my body.
‘If you had truly cherished me in your heart, you would have reached out to me first when you saw me in Winyak. Not pretended not to know me for nearly four years.’
A wave of anger, disappointment, and betrayal twisted my insides. My stomach churned violently.
“Calm yourself, Rosy.”
Kalian Wynack gently stroked my back with his hand.
Strangely, after a few such touches, my turbulent emotions grew considerably more composed.
“That’s why I told you, Rosien. Don’t give your heart to those who don’t love you.”
This familiar, languid sense of security. I felt Kalian Wynack’s lips brush against my cheek.
“At least Regina Kirges met such an end, didn’t she? Of course, there’s still a long way to go before she’s paid for threatening our princess.”
“….”
“Or do you still regret it? That she survived, albeit ambiguously?”
“…You’re saying strange things, Kalian.”
My mind, which had been growing hazy, gradually cleared.
I frowned and pushed Kalian Wynack away.
His crimson eyes blinked. Confusion was evident in his gaze.
“Rosy. You don’t seem to be in a good mood at all.”
“Of course I’m not.”
“Why?”
“Because nothing has actually been resolved.”
I only newly learned that Regina was the one who had killed me.
Why had the Family Head been attacked? What was the true identity of that crimson-eyed monstrosity? Was it truly the Broken Chaos?
Most of the answers remained shrouded in mystery.
“Ah. So that’s the problem.”
Upon hearing my explanation, Kalien nodded in understanding.
Then he naturally drew out a thoughtful hum, letting his words trail off.
“But Rosy, it’s possible that creature was trying to help you, isn’t it?”

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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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