I Will Protect My Brother - Chapter 91

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

Chapter 91
Rosien certainly didn’t dislike me.
She showed no reluctance toward what I called “treatment.” If she had truly found it distasteful or burdensome, she would have pushed me away long ago.
There were moments when she responded to me with surprising intensity, unaware of her own actions. Each time, I observed every reaction she displayed with meticulous care.
Her quickened breathing, her flushed cheeks. Her wandering gaze, uncertain and lost, and her heart racing beyond her control.
Those small, pale hands grasping me urgently, her body drawing closer with each trembling movement.
Seeing such things, I knew I was providing her with a certain kind of pleasure as well….
Then was the situation the problem? Perhaps it was.
Under what circumstances would Rosien come to crave my existence?
I deliberated fiercely. Then, in a sudden moment of clarity, a possibility emerged.
‘What if Rosien’s Seongyeol awakening were to arrive?’
More than a month had already passed since Rosien came of age.
No Transcendent could escape Seongyeol.
The living, breathing Crystal of Resurrection within her body was delaying the manifestation of Seongyeol as long as possible, but it likely wouldn’t hold out much longer.
I already understood how absolute the presence of someone at one’s side becomes during suffering.
Was I not living proof of that very truth?
Between strands of hair like golden silk flowing beneath my brow, my crimson eyes gleamed with an enigmatic light.
‘Yes, that’s it.’
I sprang to my feet. A satisfied smile played at the corners of my lips as the answer crystallized.
Why hadn’t I thought of this sooner?
‘Without me, Rosy cannot resolve her Seongyeol. She’s already been imprinting me as an Elixir for a long time now.’
The Planetarium alone would likely not be sufficient.
If I were to provide just the slightest stimulus—enough that she wouldn’t suffer—to induce the manifestation of Seongyeol….
‘Then naturally, she might seek me out first.’
Consumed by this newly conceived plan, I completely forgot the conversations I had shared with the Formless Messenger.
* * *
After fleeing from the villa.
My plan to read peacefully by the riverside, watching the flowing water, never came to fruition.
An uninvited guest appeared in less than thirty minutes.
“Sister?”
“…Luize?”
Luize froze upon discovering me.
Seeing several old books tucked under his arm, it seemed he too had come outside to read.
Now that I thought about it, since our reunion here, I had never spoken with him alone.
I exhaled deeply and patted the spot beside me.
“Come here and sit, little one.”
Luize’s thick brows twitched.
“I’m not ‘little one,’ Sister.”
“Yes, little one. Your reaction just now—that’s more like you. Sit here. Let’s talk for the first time in a while.”
Luize wore a displeased expression but didn’t refuse, approaching and settling into the seat beside me.
“Well then…”
“Good. Then I’ll take a moment to examine you.”
“…?”
I grasped Luize’s chin and turned his face toward me, examining him from side to side.
The irritating expression from days ago had vanished, replaced by his usual stoic demeanor.
“What’s this about all of a sudden, Sister?”
“Hmm. Whether a malevolent spirit has possessed you or not…”
“What?”
Luize’s pupils trembled faintly as they held my gaze from close range. I gently brushed my thumb beneath his eyes.
“You seemed possessed by something. Your eyes have been gleaming strangely these past few days.”
“…”
“Your eyes look fine now. Listen, you need to eat properly. If your vitality weakens, spirits will possess you.”
“Y-yes. Alright…”
Luize’s gaze wandered, unable to meet mine, and his earlobes flushed red despite doing nothing in particular.
Only after confirming this did I finally relax. This boy truly suited being flustered like a simpleton.
“I…I’ve been sorry these past few days, Sister.”
Luize mumbled sheepishly.
“I spoke rudely. I was the one who was mad.”
“It’s fortunate you realize you were mad. I tolerated it because it’s you—if it were anyone else, I would’ve slapped you three times and then some.”
“But Sister, I was sincere when I said you shouldn’t give your heart to him. Do you know how shocked I was when I read that letter? What was he thinking…? Only hold his leash. Don’t place your own leash in his hands, Sister.”
“Ah, that familiar nagging. My Luize has returned.”
I covered both ears with my palms in a show of not wanting to hear it. As I playfully winked, Luize let out an exasperated sigh.
I chuckled softly and tapped his shoulder.
“You’re unbearable. Stop sighing and tell me your story. Were these past few days your Seongyeol manifestation period?”
“…Something like that.”
“I knew something was strange.”
If it wasn’t possession by a malevolent spirit, then Seongyeol was the most likely reason Luize had suddenly become a different person.
“So you become sensitive during that period too. Are you an expulsive type?”
“Yes. What about you, Sister?”
“I was an implosive type. Though I’m not sure anymore.”
“You haven’t manifested yet? You’re an adult now.”
“I know. It is rather late.”
I’d been wondering about this myself recently.
I simultaneously receive the blessings of the Judge of Darkness and Chaos and the Omniscient Word Sorcerer.
Moreover, I have a Sacred Relic of the Creator of Beginning and End embedded in my body—what would happen if the Seongyeol of three stars overlapped?
I earnestly painted a hopeful future in my mind.
“Perhaps the Resurrection Crystal is already neutralizing everything.”
“That can’t be right. If that were the case, Railo wouldn’t have experienced Seongyeol.”
“Ah, you’re right. Damn it.”
My hopeful future crumbled to dust.
A sudden unease washed over me.
‘I didn’t bring the mana suppressant.’
Back in Lozietti, Seongyeol wasn’t this severe. I didn’t need to drain it into the Planetarium—taking a mana suppressant was sufficient.
I reached out desperately to caress the Planetarium hanging around my neck.
‘This should be enough, right? I won’t throw you away even if you’re broken. Just protect my sister.’
Luize, who had been watching me in silence, ventured a quiet question.
“Shall I do it?”
“Do what?”
“The Elixir.”
“Huh?”
For a moment, I thought I’d misheard. I laughed and asked again.
“What did you just say, Luize?”
Rather than answer immediately, Luize lowered his head to meet my eyes.
The distance between us had somehow narrowed to barely a hand’s breadth.
My face was reflected entirely in his transparent golden irises.
“I’ll make your Elixir for you.”
His voice seemed to pierce not through my ears, but directly into my mind and heart.
A moment of silence stretched between us.
‘What in the world is happening now…?’
After a long pause, I forced myself to clear my throat.
“…Look.”
I took another deep breath. Only then did I ask Luize very carefully.
“Is human Elixir some trendy new thing I don’t know about?”
“What?”
“Is it becoming popular among the Transcendents? Are the young ones doing that these days?”
Otherwise, why was everyone and their mother going on about Elixir?
“There’s no… way.”
Luize’s cheek twitched slightly.
“It’s not like that. There’s no way something like that could be a trend.”
“Then what? Did some research come out saying human Elixir is more effective than material Elixir? Can’t ignore psychological factors after all?”
“…”
“Oh! Could it be a paper on how to achieve Elixir effects without even making contact?”
If that were the case, I’d be thrilled! I felt tears welling up just imagining it.
I was confident I could study that paper word by word, licking every single character, for the sake of my lips, tongue, and various other body parts.
Luize, who had been staring at me blankly, sighed.
“You really are… just as I’ve heard. Lozietti.”
“What?”
“Truly remarkable.”
“Here you go again with strange talk. Never mind.”
My hope and interest evaporated in an instant.
If that weren’t the case, there would be no reason whatsoever for Luize to make such a proposal to me.
I turned my head away dismissively, then froze mid-motion.
The back of my hand was warm.
“…What does this mean, Luize?”
Luize, who had placed his hand over the back of mine, naturally closed his fingers around it.
“Rosien.”
“…Speak.”
“You really don’t understand why I’ve always been nagging you?”
“I don’t know—because you like me?”
“…You knew?”
“No, I was just throwing it out there. But the way you’re reacting so seriously makes it seem like it might actually be true….”
“….”
“Is it really true?”
A silence beyond words descended between us.
‘It… it seems to be true.’
This time, I was genuinely flustered. He likes me? Luize likes me?
Luize sighed and ran both hands over his face.
“It really is difficult to say. Now I understand why he was so confident…. That’s right—I like you, Rosien.”
“…Good heavens.”
“That’s why I’m always worried about you, and I’m anxious that you might give your heart to that Avatar of Lost Soul or something. No, it seems like you’ve already given half of it away, so I can’t just stand by and watch anymore.”
“Ah….”
“I want to become your Elixir. Please grant me at least that, Rosien.”
This was the second confession I had received in this lifetime.

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