I Will Protect My Brother - Chapter 85

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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 85
I spoke softly, yet with unmistakable resolve.
“I was wrong in my thinking. I wondered what you could possibly be if not human, so I ventured to find out. But you’re far too human—so overwhelmingly human that all my deliberation seems foolish.”
“….”
“You’re so beautiful now, and you were just as beautiful back then. There’s no way you could be anything but human.”
I drew closer to him and caressed his lips, rigid as plaster. I had known since ten years ago how to awaken him—frozen like a doll trapped within a glass exhibition hall.
“Whether you eat or sleep, whether your memories are fractured or your emotions dulled—you remain human. You speak, you think, you possess will. You are a person.”
“Surely you don’t believe that the me of then and the me of now are the same existence, Rosien?”
“They’re not different. You know that better than anyone.”
If my head suddenly transformed into that of a bird, I would not become a bird.
I would simply be a human with a bird’s head. Why? Because I perceive myself as human.
What matters is not the form that comprises the exterior, but the essence within.
The essence of Kalian Wynack.
I confirmed it in that filthy, foul-smelling place.
That face, that body, those hundreds and thousands of emotions swirling within those same crimson eyes as now—what could they be if not human?
“I didn’t find you repulsive, or grotesque, or revolting in the slightest.”
“Then?”
“I simply thought you must have suffered so much….”
I tried to maintain composure, but my throat suddenly tightened. I barely managed to continue.
“I was heartbroken thinking of how much, how long you must have endured pain. Of course I was angry too. I understand now why you didn’t want to come here, and also….”
“…Also?”
“Even so, I grieve that I still don’t comprehend even half of the suffering you’ve experienced. You should act like a fox if you are one. Why do you keep appearing like a lost child….”
Kalian merely blinked, his confusion plain across his features as he struggled to determine what expression to wear.
He hesitated, his lips trembling slightly.
“Does that mean you would accept me as anything? Even if there are things I haven’t yet shown you?”
“I’ve seen your true form. No matter what else I see, I won’t flee.”
If I abandoned him, who else could possibly protect him? But….
I added my condition in a nasal voice.
“In exchange, explain to me truthfully—why and how you became what you are now.”
“….”
“Then, whatever you are, I will cherish and love you. That alone is the truth and sincerity I can speak to you without a shred of falsehood. Kalian Wynack.”
Kalian, who had been gazing at me from a distance, finally broke into a radiant smile.
* * *
“I had the dream again! This time I saw the face clearly! It’s definitely the young Wynack!”
Chronos Yeljewa slammed both hands on the table with a thunderous crash. His complexion had turned ashen.
“Never before have such identical premonitions descended repeatedly like this. This must undoubtedly be a warning signal sent by the Prophetic Pupil!”
“I’ve been hearing this same refrain for the past fortnight. You can stop whimpering now.”
Owen rubbed his brow wearily.
“Be quiet, will you. It’s too distracting.”
Luize simply stared at the map in silence.
The continent map of Rahnar already bore checkmarks across nearly every region.
More than two weeks had passed since the Transcendent Family Head Party—composed of Owen Wynack, Luize Whezel, Chronos Yeljewa, Dorian Railo, and Alpien Kirges—began pursuing Kalian and Rosien.
The five of them had divided Rahnar into exactly five sections, combed through each meticulously, and reconvened at the designated meeting point. So far, they had found nothing.
Those two had vanished without leaving the slightest trace—almost unnaturally so.
“At this point, it’s safe to assume they’re not on the continent, Wynack.”
Owen remained silent.
In truth, Owen had already suspected where Kalian and Rosien had disappeared to.
The moment he heard from Yeljewa about the “ancient prophecy” shared only with him and Kirges, and realized that Rosien was the reincarnation of that dead Princess of Abuye, the answer became clear.
A place Karga would never go—but one Rozentia would.
And if they weren’t anywhere on the continent, where else could they be but beneath the sea?
‘Riltear Island, then.’
Yet Owen hesitated. Among all the Transcendents, he was the one who understood their original sin most deeply in his bones. That was why he had disguised Karga, who returned to Wynack, as his own son and hidden him away.
In exchange, he had agreed to spare Wynack when the Transcendent Families were to be annihilated.
But even setting aside that condition, Owen had secretly hoped that Karga would reclaim his original humanity.
Since Rosien had become an Elixir for him, Karga would likely have to learn emotions by force. Human Elixirs were easily swayed by their feelings, after all.
And once that happened, wouldn’t the thirst for vengeance that burned in his heart gradually fade?
He had harbored the hope that he might live ordinarily, blending in among humans.
‘But why now, of all times, does Yeljewa’s foresight descend upon us…?’
And worse—a prophecy stating that Karga would destroy Rahnar itself.
‘What in the world is about to happen in the near future? Will someone take Rosien from him?’
Should I find them or not? Owen clutched his massive, bear-like head in his hands, tearing at his hair.
It was then that something extraordinary occurred.
Lightning struck from a clear sky. The Transcendents all lifted their heads in unison.
“What… what is this?”
A bluish beam of light descended from the heavens in a straight line.
The light struck precisely at the sword hanging from Owen Wynack’s waist.
“Surely not…!”
All five Transcendents reached the same conclusion simultaneously.
“The Guardian Star…!”
Owen hastily drew his blade from its sheath. Along the arc of the draw, a crescent-shaped blue sword aura etched itself into the empty air.
“A… a covenant? Why now?”
“Step back, Yeljewa, Railo!”
Luize moved forward urgently, then froze. Light descending from the heavens was striking down upon both his hands as well.
They exchanged bewildered glances.
Until now, all covenants between the Guardian Stars and the Transcendent Families had been bound to the family names alone.
In 1,459 years, the Stars had made an individual covenant with a single human being exactly once.
The first Transcendents—the progenitors of the Transcendent Families who had lent their bodies to the Stars.
Before the eyes of all five, characters visible only to each appeared.
Luize stared at the translucent characters before him.
【”The Formless Messenger” proposes an ‘Incarnation Covenant’ with the Family Head of Whezel.
[Accept / Reject]
Time Limit: 5 seconds】
Numbers flickered beneath the options, counting down rapidly.
【5, 4, 3, 2, 1….】
Luize found himself murmuring without conscious thought.
“Accept…?”
【Contract Established】
The covenant was sealed with terrifying speed. Immediately, a dreadful force flooded through his entire body.
Before he could even comprehend what was happening, Luize’s consciousness was severed.
The same fate befell the other four Transcendents.
Their eyes, which had lost focus for a moment, soon blazed with crystalline clarity—an otherworldly luminescence that no human iris could naturally emit.
Then the will of The Stars began to seize control of the space, quietly and busily.
【Hmm, not bad at all. Quite sturdy.】
【This one feels a bit wobbly, though?】
【It’s been ages since I’ve worn a human body. This sensation of treading upon earth is quite exquisite… Oops. The floor is cracking.】
【Manyeon, this indirect system you created is quite effective. With such a method, we can establish a covenant without damaging the fragile human cerebral cortex, can’t we? How gentlemanly!】
【Hey, everyone be careful. If we accidentally shatter the planet and the Lost Soul escapes again… we’ll have to start from the beginning.】
【Of course we know. My, my. Has the Judge of Darkness and Chaos already left?】
【Go after him at once, Formless Messenger! You were supposed to go first, weren’t you?】
【Oh, very well. Then… shall we go?】
* * *
Kalian and I decided to remain on Riltear Island for a while longer. It was an unspoken agreement.
This deep-sea island had been remarkably well preserved in many respects.
For one, it was far larger than I’d initially thought. At first, I’d assumed the Court and the Prison comprised the entire island, but when I crossed over the hill, I discovered several more islands connected to it. It wasn’t a single island at all—it was an archipelago.
There could be no light in the deep sea. I suspended the Planetarium near the ceiling of the dome.
[ᛚᚢᛦ (Illuminate)!]
A tremendous burst of radiance erupted from the Planetarium. While it fell short of sunlight, it approximated moonlight.
“You can turn off the light, Rosy.”
“N-no, I won’t.”
Without the light, there would be absolute darkness. Only the faint bioluminescence of deep-sea creatures, their lantern-like organs glowing as they drifted slowly, would illuminate the seafloor.
I had no desire to be kissed by Kalian in such a dark and silent place.
I naturally leaned away from him as he pressed himself against me, retreating subtly.
“Tell me first how you came to meet Broken Chaos. Otherwise, I won’t let you touch me anymore.”
“It descended here to escape the eyes of The Stars.”
Kalian answered eagerly, immediately closing the distance I’d created.
He grinned widely with such delight, clinging to me without regard for his own size—like barely managing to hold a massive, affectionate dog.
“At that time, I made a covenant with the Lost Soul.”
“And?”
“It caused me to be reborn. In a form entirely different from before. I won’t show you that form again, so don’t be curious about it.”
“Then my hypothesis was correct after all. That Lost Soul has been with you all along, from the very beginning until now. That’s why The Stars told me to….”
“Don’t concern yourself with the Guardian Stars’ warnings either, Rosy.”
Kalian cut off my words with a tone that was gentle yet resolute.
“We made a promise, didn’t we? That I wouldn’t do anything you didn’t want. Rahnar will not fall to ruin.”
…Was that truly so?

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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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