Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 115
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
I bounced in place with the hopeful expectation that perhaps this time I might finally meet my end naturally. Then, just to be certain this wasn’t a dream, I performed a forward roll.
Forward rolling was a habit I’d developed whenever reality felt distant. When I first entered the book, I’d rolled around on the bed and somehow ended up as the sixteen-year-old Rosalite at 2 PM, so I’d desperately tried rolling forward, backward, and sideways, hoping to wake from the dream.
I’d tested them all thoroughly on that bed back then, but I never returned to reality, which was quite distressing. Now that I think about it, those are rather sad memories.
Anyway, having confirmed this wasn’t a dream, it was time to examine that ominous sword. Back then, I’d touched it thoughtlessly on impulse, but now I had the leisure to examine it carefully.
“….”
To be honest, simply looking at it wouldn’t reveal its nature. But come to think of it—didn’t it have multiple chains tangled around it before? Why is only one left now?
“Hmm….”
I have no idea! Perhaps I should try touching it!
It doesn’t seem to be in that rampage state anymore! If I speak with that sword I encountered back then one more time, maybe I’ll find a solution!
With that resolve, I reached my hand toward the sword. That’s when it happened.
“Rosalite! Wait!”
Kyaaaah! Who on earth is this in the middle of the night! How did they find their way here?!
Startled by the shout calling my name, I froze and turned around. Papa came bounding over the shattered door and quickly approached, grabbing me and pulling me away from the sword.
“Do you have any idea what that is before touching it so recklessly!”
“….”
But something’s off about this fellow. Or rather, I should say something’s not off about him….
“Sage.”
“What is it.”
See, I told you something was strange. His tone of speech is clearer than usual. And he doesn’t get angry when I call him Sage.
“Your memory. When did you return?”
“…What do you mean….”
“Why don’t you correct me to call you Papa?”
“That’s….”
“Why don’t you say ‘my daughter’?”
“….”
Listen here, old man, don’t avoid my gaze. Look at me directly.
“We have something to discuss from this moment on, don’t we?”
“That is, it’s not that I was trying to hide it….”
No, you’ve been hiding it all this time, and now you’re saying you weren’t trying to hide it. Just as I was about to point out this nonsensical claim, I heard someone else rushing down the basement stairs.
Really, what is everyone doing without sleeping?
“Hey, hey! Who’s using dark magic in my territory like——!”
Could this be none other than Ram Bart, our household’s all-purpose maid?
This unexpected visitor had dressed in her usual risqué lingerie and came rushing over with a wooden club gripped tightly in both hands, apparently ready to apprehend someone. So I flashed her a bright smile.
“Huh?”
“Eh? Rosalite, why are you here….”
“Did you mark your territory in our house?”
“Eh, how did you know?!”
Yes. That’s right. You come along too.
As I ascended with the two of them, I caught the scent of mana and Aster came bounding over. We all held hands and entered the Reception Room of the Annex Building together.
Ha, yes. A gathering of people with exceptional mana detection. What in the world is happening in the middle of the night.
After instructing the On-duty Maidservant to bring tea, I seated everyone and turned my attention to Aster first. I intended to ask why she had come here, thinking I needed to unravel things one by one, but I noticed she was chewing on something.
“What are you eating?”
“?”
You, there’s nothing here—what exactly are you chewing on? Spit it out!
Terrified that Aster had picked up something strange again, I urged her to spit it out, but she shook her head and refused to open her mouth.
“Spit it out! What did you eat?!”
This won’t do. I’ll force her mouth open if necessary. Worried she might have eaten one of the On-duty Maidservant’s pets or plants, I fearfully grabbed Aster’s mouth and pried it open. When I pulled out what she was chewing with my hand, the scent of fruit spread across my palm.
What is this? A quince? Is it a quince?
“Young Lady, I’m sorry! It was on the table, and no one was eating it, so I ate it…!”
“Why would you eat a room freshener, you fool!”
Now that I thought about it, quince season was upon us. I’d seen the servants place one in each room because of its pleasant fragrance.
“I’m sorry. I thought you’d eaten someone else’s pet again…”
When I brought up Jack’s incident and apologized, Aster’s face crumpled as she said that ever since I’d told her not to eat other people’s animals, she’d been following orders perfectly.
Why does she cry over such things? Stop it. Don’t cry.
“Tomorrow you can eat my share of snacks too, so cheer up.”
“Yes.”
You were after this all along, weren’t you?
The moment I mentioned snacks, Aster stopped crying instantly and resumed chewing the quince in her mouth. It probably doesn’t even taste that good. Why are you eating it anyway? You had a hearty late-night snack earlier.
“Well then, Miss Aster, what brings you here?”
“I smelled something strange and came out, and there was that fluffy one, so I came to hit her if she was doing anything suspicious.”
When Aster pointed, Lam flinched with a small yelp. Yes, I figured it would be something like that.
“Then, Miss Ram Bart, why did you mark your territory in someone else’s house?”
“Well, but, Dark Mages always mark their territory in their own areas…”
Hmm… yes. So that’s why you were wandering around this mansion all over the place. I thought it was because you were incredibly scatterbrained. Though I suppose there’s some truth to that as well.
“I sincerely apologize for marking territory in someone else’s house. I’ll write a reflection statement. In my own handwriting.”
“In… in your own handwriting?!”
Of course, since it’s a reflection statement. I found a pen and paper and handed them to Lam, who began writing with a miserable expression. I’d have to stay by her side until she finished—if I left her alone, she might try to cheat.
Now it was time to interrogate Sage.
Since he was the most important person, I’d saved him for last and was about to carefully question him about his memories, but the Security Chief beat me to it and opened his mouth first.
“She’s a Dark Mage?!”
Ah, yes, I understand your scholarly passion is quite intense, but would you please sit still for a moment?
“If you force Lam to do anything, I’ll call the True Magic Tower Master.”
“That’s not a threat. You don’t even know where that damned woman lives.”
“Alein Kingdom, western desert region, beyond the seventh peak of the Kato Mountain Range. The password is: the greatest Serena Kim in the world.”
“I won’t lay a finger on that woman.”
Yes. It’s so nice when you behave so obediently.
I nagged Lam to write her letters clearly and drank the tea the maidservant had brought in one gulp. Calm down. If I just keep my mind straight, I can get everything that happened to Sage out of him. Sage is an easy man. An incredibly easy man. I just need to keep myself centered.
“When did your memories return? Why did you hide the fact that they returned? How did you find your way to the Annex Basement? What do you know about the sword?”
“One at a time. Ask one at a time. You’re giving me a headache.”
“If I ask one at a time, will you answer?”
“No. That’s classified information.”
Hmm, I see. I didn’t really expect to learn everything at once anyway. Sage needs to put up at least some token resistance, or it wouldn’t be in character.
I was trying to figure out how to coerce Sage when I decided to open up my bundle of stories about Kim Serena, the True Magic Tower Master—someone Sage absolutely despises.
“Kim Serena’s monocle was definitely something you made for her, wasn’t it?”
“Wait, how did you—!”
“Kim Serena has, um, what was it, some ability that’s severely lacking, and if she doesn’t keep secrets, um, um! What was it again!”
“Those cunning Rocksburg bastards! There’s nothing you don’t know!”
In truth, this was information even Rocksburg’s communication network couldn’t access, but Sage doesn’t need to know the details. Even if I claimed I learned it during my twelfth loop while rolling around the True Magic Tower and bonding with the Tower Master, they wouldn’t believe me anyway.
Kim Serena, the master of the True Magic Tower, was actually terribly lacking in spatial awareness. Unable to judge distances or depth perception even roughly, she frequently caused her magic to misfire and turn random places into infernos. That’s why Sage created a spatial coordinate calculator for her.
She wears the monocle as if it were just for show, but it’s actually not. Without the glasses, the True Magic Tower Master becomes nearly useless at delicate work. This is such a fatal weakness for her that few know about it.
I learned about it during my twelfth loop when the Tower Master and I made a drinking bet. We brought out strong liquor and passed it back and forth, and Kim Serena got drunk first, spilled everything—said and unsaid—and collapsed.
Because she lacks the ability to understand objects three-dimensionally, she’s also a terrible navigator. As a result, she almost never leaves the True Magic Tower alone. If she does, she gets lost and can’t find her way back home.
“….”
Wait, now that I think about it, did the Tower Master activate the coordinate measurer when dealing with Asterion? She must have stumbled out half-asleep and fought in a daze, right?
Even if he was an intruder, she wouldn’t have unleashed an attack meant to kill outright….
“….”
Never mind. If I think about this any further, I’ll feel incredibly wronged.
More importantly, it’s classified. I need to hear what Sage means by that classified information.
“So, when will you tell me this classified information?”
“Ugh… I really shouldn’t be saying this.”
As Sage tore at their hair insisting it was truly forbidden, I continued to bring up Kim Serena. When I got to the word “coordinates,” the man glanced back and forth between Aster and Lam, then leaned in close and whispered in my ear.
“You’re the only one who can know about this.”
“Yes.”
“We found out from the Alein Magic Tower Branch that time doesn’t seem to be flowing on this star.”
“…!”
I already know that, you fool!
I was shocked, but not for the reason Sage was speculating. Wait, how did the Magic Tower find that out?!
The memories after regression were supposed to be mine alone. Is someone else aware of this situation? And what do they mean by “star”? This planet?
“By star, you mean….”
“Well, we have someone at our tower whose hobby is astronomical observation….”
I know that senior. Isn’t that the person who set up a telescope on the rooftop of their tower’s compound and peers through it whenever they’re bored?
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————