Chapter 71

071.

“Make sure to meet me at the banquet, Kalen.”

“Yes, my lady Eliana.”

Eliana Lakatus.

“I trust you, Kalen. See you at the banquet.”

“Yes, my lady Serasie.”

Serasie Hiart.

Though the two of them clung to Kalen as if they didn’t want to part with him, there is always a limit.

After the gathering of Ecclesia had ended, the two young ladies urged Kalen to definitely meet them at the banquet.

Daphnis also wanted to say her final farewells, but was stopped by Licheisa. Ultimately, the Ecclesia application, which took longer than expected, came to an end.

“Tough, isn’t it?”

“Really. They have no consideration. Don’t you think so, Kal?”

“Shina.”

“Tch… Fine.”

Inside the carriage returning to Mulrand City, Shina sat close to Kalen.

It wasn’t this intense when they came.

When Kalen seemed puzzled, Shina shrugged.

“Tired. Can I lean on you a bit?”

“Alright.”

“Heh. Thanks.”

If Shina gets upset, there’s little one can do. It’s simply better to let her lean on your shoulder for a while.

Inside the swaying carriage, Kalen gently held Shina’s forehead to keep her head from dropping.

Shina, appreciating his thoughtfulness, smiled softly.

Without Kalen noticing, Shina asked:

“Lakatus and Hiart young ladies… do you know them well?”

“Hmm… something happened, so…”

“More than saving me?”

“What are you talking about since just now? All three were life-threatening situations. How do you rank those?”

“Alright…”

Indeed.

Even when tending to Eliana’s mysterious illness in the isolated carriage on the plateau.

When persistently guarding Serasie, who was trembling with fear while trapped in Hiart Mountain.

And when saving Shina, who had been abducted as a sacrifice by the traitor of the spirit world.

All were situations where losing their lives wouldn’t have been surprising.

But Kalen overcame all these scenarios and saved all three young ladies. This was an undeniable fact.

Though Shina couldn’t be completely privy to all the details, Kalen’s words told otherwise.

He is a man far from playful jokes or falsehoods. Whatever happened with the two young ladies probably equaled his efforts to save Shina herself.

But human emotions work in such ways. They hope to be cherished more than others. Moreover, to Shina, Kalen is more than just a savior who saved her life.

She simply doesn’t like the thought of him being close with other young ladies.

“So what about Lady Daphnis and Lady Licheisa?”

At the previous occasion, Shina had asked Kalen to attend the ball that would follow the banquet.

Shina, who had been ready to vie with Eliana and Serasie, was confident that securing Kalen’s affection would be easy if only she did well, despite Drannus not being fully restored.

Unexpectedly though, two other young ladies—Daphnis and Licheisa—interjected themselves, whose connection to Kalen Shina hadn’t known about.

Unaware of these interactions, Shina’s inquiry about the two was framed casually but carried hidden caution.

Naturally perplexed, Kalen couldn’t help but be flustered since it sounded like she knew that Daphnis and Licheisa had spoken to him privately.

“…How do you know about those two and what they said to me, Shina?”

“Huh? Oh…”

Shina realized she had slipped. Yes, she was aware of what Daphnis and Licheisa had said to Kalen, but she couldn’t disclose the matter concerning the ball. It was an agreement among the young ladies, and she wasn’t thrilled about revealing it.

However, to justify her previous statement, Shina would have to bring up the ball, which she had verified wasn’t known to Kalen until it was time to choose a dance partner for the banquet.

“Aah, it’s nothing! The weather is so pleasant! Heh…”

Startled, Shina hastily lifted her head from his shoulder and awkwardly shifted her gaze to the window.

Then, subtly tilting her head back, she realized Kalen hadn’t said anything. She quietly rested her head back on his shoulder.

“… Huh.”

One must take all that one desires. That is who Shina is—the young girl bearing the responsibility of the Drannus family.

Kalen, well aware of this, remained silent, simply offering his shoulder for her to lean on while gazing outside.

“Kal.”

“What?”

“Let’s go somewhere.”

“…Aren’t we going home?”

After a while, just as Shina was starting to feel a bit bored, she asked in a subtle voice.

“Sure, let’s go home.”

“Huh… Kal.”

“But not to a cottage. Let’s go somewhere else.”

Shina’s voice tinged with both excitement and seriousness. When she was making a joke, her tone was completely playful. Now, Shina was genuinely happy.

Realizing this, Kalen kept silent, giving her the space to speak. He was being considerate, allowing Shina to express herself.

“Do you know where I used to live?”

“No.”

“Pfft, silly Kal.”

“…”

“Umm… I think even the cottage is nice, but my old house feels good too.”

Shina’s words lacked any coherent flow. It was as if she was vomiting out everything as it came to her mind.

This meant Shina was still immersed in her current feelings and freely expressing those happy emotions.

The cottage and her old house. The Drannus family and Shina. Kalen dimly imagined the connections between them, but then decided to stop.

It was foolish to make assumptions about someone else’s story.

He simply listened. Shina’s expectations, happiness, and vagueness were tangled up and flowing. It was something Kalen had been doing well all along and what he was most confident in doing.

“Actually, it’s a bit scary. I feel like my parents and older brother might appear in my dreams and ask, ‘Why are you the only one who survived?’ What if they show up in my dreams?”

“That won’t happen.”

“True. My mom and dad and brother wouldn’t do that. But if they actually did, Kalen would protect me, right?”

“I will.”

“Heh. Then it feels good. Grandfather said most people didn’t leave. He said they’ll return too, now that I’m back.”

To those who remembered Shina’s past. Although she hadn’t yet undergone the coming-of-age ceremony, referring to her “past” probably only meant when she was little.

Kalen became curious about Shina’s childhood, knowing he would likely have Blamia’s support, she probably wasn’t neglected.

“When we get home, I’ll give you the room next to mine. We can play together until late at night.”

“You need to study late to take over the head position.”

“…”

“That’s unfair… I need to play with Kal…”

Her honorific reverted to “Kal”, a sign that she was back to feeling comfortable.

Kalen let out a quiet sigh of relief and responded.

“If you can’t sleep after classes are done, we can play.”

“Are you trying to turn me into someone who sleeps late?”

“Maybe. You can always choose not to play.”

Such trivial conversations, just simple talk about the future.

The future that Shina could no longer dream of was carried on by a young boy. Through Kalen’s voice, she could dream again.

More clearly than ever.

Through Kalen who would always be there to save her, regardless of what might happen.

“The cottage was cozy, but this would be… totally different…”

“Are you remembering something from long ago?”

“A little… the memory… comes back…”

Shina was referring to her old home, not the cottage.

Perhaps she was talking about the Drannus mansion.

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Kalen, noticing the fading tone in her voice, quietly lowered his voice.

Thus, the carriage moved forward through Mulrand City, towards a not-so-distant past when the Drannus mansion shone brilliantly, a pillar of the empire.

Until the sight of a mansion resembling a grand castle emerged.

***

“Good work, kid.”

The place where the Drannus mansion was located resembled a castle more than a mansion. The vast estate surrounding it was naturally immense, and one might question if Shina could manage all of it.

The first to greet Kalen and Shina was Blamia, the old master of the Drannus family and an imperial archmage. Now, this elder was there to help Shina with the family business for a while.

“Wow, it’s huge.”

“Not even worth comparing to the cottage.”

“Master, are you alright?”

Kalen, knowing Blamia carried wounds that couldn’t be openly spoken about, had once even thought of leaving Shina and Blamia to themselves when he understood Blamia’s pain.

But that was in the past. Since the day Kalen saved Shina from the spirit world, Blamia’s wounds found their way to healing.

And with Kalen beside Shina, one could feel at ease.

Blamia grinned wickedly.

“That’s not for a little kid to be worried about. I’m fine now.”

“Oh, that’s a relief.”

“By the way, where’s my granddaughter? Why isn’t she even greeting me?”

Looking over the carriage, Kalen replied plainly.

“She’s sleeping. Shall I wake her?”

“Asleep? Phooey. Tsk. Do you know how many people are waiting for her?”

“I’ll wake her.”

“No need. Just carry her in, kid.”

“…Carry her in?”

“Sure, why? Is it embarrassing?”

Even though it was her old home they were returning to, meeting people they hadn’t seen in a long time should be done properly, shouldn’t it?

Isn’t it better to not wake up and arrive in the arms of an outsider?

Though Kalen couldn’t possibly understand, it was Blamia’s command. The word of an old master is absolute to a young boy, a truth that hasn’t changed.

Kalen hesitantly nodded, then gently picked up the sleeping Shina as if she were a princess and followed Blamia.

“Seems like she’s comfortable, huh? Come on, kid. There are piles of people I want to introduce you to.”

“Yes.”

Holding Shina like a princess in his arms, Kalen trailed behind Blamia.

Unfortunately, he didn’t notice the mischievous glint in the old man’s eyes, as if scheming to accept him as a son-in-law.