The Guardian Knight of Affection-Starved Young Ladies

48 – Dranus (01)

049.

The Archmage.

It is a term used to refer to those who are now known to exist only three in the world.

These beings are extremely rare just by their existence, but among them, there are always those who are famous to the general public.

The fallen, once-great noble, Blamia, who dreams of revival, is that very person.

However, even if they are famous, people only know the name ‘Archmage’.

Few people know the name, appearance, etc., of Blamia Dranus.

As a living Archmage.

He was the only one who took an interest in worldly affairs and was active.

Among the two people other than Blamia, one is secluded somewhere, only researching magic.

The whereabouts of the other are not even clear.

These are the beings known as Archmages in the world today.

Despite the presence of such great beings, the reason the imperial family and the four great families can reign is because of them.

But is there no such thing as absolute?

The world is made up of people,

At the same time, the world keeps trying to hide something from people.

“Troublesome.”

One of the Archmages, whose whereabouts are unclear, Austio Tide, is that very something.

When Kallen and Sinat shared unforgettable memories in their hearts.

If you remember the person who somehow held onto Kallen’s heart, which had turned black.

When the three Archmages were in their prime.

Even those who knew them then have now forgotten.

Austio Tide, who was called the master of manufacturing attribute magic, shook his head as if troubled.

“Old man. Why do you cause such trouble when it’s time to go? Can’t you just leave quietly?”

Austio, who was looking at the silhouette of the girl lying on the bed, scolded the old man behind him.

The old man with a long, white beard, Blamia, had eyes that were utterly sunken.

Perhaps because of that, there was no response.

Blamia only had the silhouette of the girl in his eyes.

He had no room in his head for other words or thoughts.

Austio, looking at those empty eyes, clicked his tongue again.

“Tsk. It feels like I become incompetent whenever I get involved in your matters. I miss the days when I was praised for bringing the dead back to life.”

Though his tone was full of displeasure,

the look in his eyes as he gazed down at the girl was not much different from Blamia’s.

Why wouldn’t it be?

After all, he was the one who knew best how much Blamia cherished the girl lying there, his granddaughter, Sinat.

Several hours of various examinations and treatments had already passed.

Yet, Sinat showed no sign of waking up.

No, it would be more accurate to say she couldn’t.

“Kid.”

“…Yes.”

“Since your master seems to be out of his mind, you need to listen.”

Eustio was writing something on the scrolls he had spread out.

“I can’t fix it.”

Those words, like a sentence.

Kallen almost lost his strength and nearly collapsed.

These were the words of the person Blamia trusted most, the one considered the best in the world at curing diseases.

Moreover, Kallen had been receiving medicine from Eustio regularly, which helped reduce the severe pain in his heart.

There was no reason not to believe Eustio’s words.

“It’s the same as when I fixed your heart. This is beyond what humans can handle.”

Kallen changed his thoughts.

The word “disease” was misleading.

Originally, a “disease”…

Eliana.

At least, it should be limited to the level of mana overheating that Eliana suffered from.

Of course, even that is too severe to be called a disease.

But compared to the symptoms that appeared in Sinat, it was much more understandable.

Kallen silently turned his eyes to Sinat, who was lying on the bed.

Sss- Sss-

The sound of her labored breathing, as if even breathing was difficult, seemed to tear at his eardrums.

It couldn’t be helped.

The ‘danger’ foretold by the spirit of Sinat.

I never dreamed it would come in this form, but in any case, I couldn’t stop it even though I knew in advance.

Sinat’s entire body was covered with patterns that looked like chains.

The chain, which seemed to start from the wrist, extended to the left arm.

Beyond the left arm, it spread to the whole body.

Even the lower body and face, little by little.

With each sunrise and sunset, the range expanded little by little.

Sinat’s condition naturally worsened.

Compared to when I first found him collapsed on the floor, the difference was extreme.

The guilt of not being able to stop it even though I knew in advance.

It constricted my whole body and made my head dizzy.

In fact, Kallen might have felt some resentment.

Although the danger was foretold, he didn’t hear it properly.

He reached the point where he wondered if it had something to do with the monster from the spirit world he saw back then, all by himself.

He only thought the monster would come back.

No one could have prevented it from coming in such an unexpected, unprecedented form.

Yet Kallen felt guilty.

The emotion that constricted his whole body reached the conclusion that Sinat was in pain.

“…I don’t know if it will be effective, but I’ll give you a medicine similar to yours. Make sure he takes it every day.”

“Yes…”

“I’ll stay here for a while and monitor his condition.”

“Thank you, elder.”

Eustio left the room, waving his arms as if to dispel the sorrowful emotions emanating from his old friend Blamia and the painful atmosphere Kallen was trying to hide.

In the room filled with silence.

“…Kid.”

Kallen, who was choosing words to comfort Blamia, was a little surprised.

He didn’t expect Blamia to speak first.

“Is it because of me?”

Kallen hesitated to answer.

He realized that the question was not directed at him.

Blamia’s endlessly sunken eyes did not leave Sinat, who lay on the bed as if in agony.

Kallen, who chose his words once more for a different reason, carefully opened his mouth.

“No, Master.”

Whether one should unconditionally offer comfort to someone in sorrow is something worth considering.

Especially if the person in sorrow is close to oneself.

If the relationship is intimate, could it be different?

A single word can,

Push a person off a cliff.

Or pull them up.

“Sinat wouldn’t have ended up like this from overexertion.”

To Kallen, Blamia was more than just a benefactor.

A family who taught him how to live and the warmth of the world.

Now that Kallen knew this well, he had no words to offer other than comfort.

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Also, Kallen believed that his words were not a lie.

It was clear that Sinat had been overexerting himself.

The spirit’s warning came in the midst of that.

If Sinat’s overexertion had caused this situation,

There would have been no reason for the spirit to directly warn him.

The one who had accompanied Sinat in his challenge to the third rank was none other than Kallong, Sinat’s spirit.

If he had wanted to prevent the danger, he would have stopped the efforts for the third rank from the beginning.

Kallen made his decision that way.

It was partly to comfort Blamia, who was leaving the room powerlessly.

But Kallen himself had to believe it.

Otherwise, he would be terrified of the strange phenomenon that nullified all of Blamia’s efforts until Austio arrived.

Eventually, only Kallen and Sinat remained in the room.

Kallen looked at the setting sun.

It was a memory of that time.

The sunset glow of the ridge that Sinat loved the most.

Having seen such a smile.

How could one forget?

Kallen slowly approached the bed where Sinat lay and knelt down.

He grasped the right arm, trembling pitifully beyond the blanket, the one not yet marked by the patterns consuming Sinat’s body.

If only Sinat’s spirit could manifest.

That one thing was a bit regrettable.

Kallen swore, holding Sinat’s right hand tightly.

To someone who had nothing, you filled so much.

Even if it means emptying all that was filled, I will save you.

The boy’s heart for the girl who took him in as family when he was abandoned on the streets with nothing.

“Sniffle…!”

That sound…

Chilling.

A sound that felt like it was scratching somewhere in the brain.

Such a cry echoed through the space.

In a space so dark it could be called pitch-black,

A girl was trembling, bound by chains of a similar color.

Perhaps because she had overexerted herself, she momentarily blacked out and collapsed.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself bound here.

The girl liked dark colors.

Because it was the color that suited the boy she held in her heart the most.

But even so, she refused such pitch-blackness.

Even darkness should have its limits.

This had crossed far beyond those limits.

Being bound in such a dreadful space, it was a relief she hadn’t gone mad.

The girl, Sinat, bound by chains, couldn’t even guess how long she had been trapped here.

The pitch-black darkness had even taken away her sense of time,

So it was no wonder she trembled in fear.

Even when she slightly opened her eyes, a terrifying monster was glaring at her.

That monster.

The monster that made Kallen firmly take root in his heart.

Just crying.

It does nothing but stare at him.

But that alone is enough to be terrifying.

What has kept him going until now,

Is solely the existence of one boy.

“Kallen…”

Sinat turned his eyes away from the monster with effort, whispering the boy’s name that came to his mind desperately.

The monster’s laughter grew louder, as if mocking Sinat’s desperation.