Episode 122. Grounded Faith (2)
Brenu, southern city of Usif Empire.
As it is the city closest to Ruwen, where the Royal Academy is located, it was also a transit point for travelers wanting to go to Ruwen.
A woman passing through the street wearing a black cloak.
Everyone who passed by looked back once in a while, as if they had made an appointment.
Her beauty, which could not be hidden even with a cloak, stimulated people’s hearts and naturally aroused curiosity about the woman.
Some also recalled the eldest daughter of a family who was known to the world as a child of God.
“… … .”
The eyes of the woman who was walking quietly turned towards the back.
He was conscious of the suspicious gaze following him.
I soon turned towards a corner alley, and a man followed right behind me as if he had been waiting.
Although she didn’t feel any particular threat or threat, she asked without letting go of her guard.
“Do you have any business for me?”
“I would like to apologize in advance for following up without saying anything.”
The man politely bowed his head and apologized for following him without permission.
Then he took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to her.
The woman received the letter with a somewhat confused reaction.
“… … !”
After checking the contents, she looked at the man again with surprised rabbit eyes and asked.
“President Kundel is here?”
* * *
Ellis entered the room and couldn’t help but be embarrassed.
“Why are you so surprised? “You must have already heard everything from the front, right?”
“Well, I didn’t think that the president would have come personally… … .”
That’s why President Kundel was famous for his strictness in staying away from the academy, not even leaving the academy during vacations, let alone vacations.
To think that he would come forward with his own hands for just one former graduate.
Ellis couldn’t help but be embarrassed.
“I heard that you quit the knighthood.”
It was a somewhat sensitive question, but Ellis asked without showing it.
“Did the president know that something like this would happen to me?”
“I didn’t know from the beginning.”
Kundel took out the documents he had prepared and handed them to her.
After receiving the document, Ellis calmly checked the contents.
Although I frowned at times because of the unbelievable content, I still read it calmly and without much surprise.
“I got that from your youngest brother.”
Until I heard the last word.
“when… … “You mean?”
“It’s been about two months.”
Ellis, who was momentarily dazed, could not say anything.
Some members of the Knights of Light are connected to the imperial family,
They are plotting some kind of plan by provoking the demonic beasts in the frontline area.
At that time, the imperial family was touring the front lines.
These were all things that had happened before her eyes not long ago.
Have you read a prophetic book that foretells the future?
What was certain was that it was definitely not information that a thirteen-year-old boy attending the academy could know.
At the end of the document, the true identity of Cecilia’s Lien, who was once his knight, was written.
The Royal Guard directly under the imperial family.
It is a separate unit and secret organization from the Royal Guard that protects the Imperial Family within the Imperial Castle.
These are knights who mainly infiltrate powerful families in the empire and carry out operational activities and secret missions. From the beginning, she was a member of the imperial family, not the Duke of Berthe.
After learning the truth, Ellis let out a small sigh in frustration.
“The look in your eyes is exactly what it was three years ago.”
Kundel said while looking at Ellis.
“What do you mean?”
“That’s literally it. To put it in a good way, I would say that it is eyes that are about to start a new beginning, but in a bad way, I would say that it is eyes that are wandering, not knowing what to do.”
Ellis, who had hit the nail on the head, fell silent again.
Kundel didn’t say anything, but patiently waited for her to open her mouth.
“The president asked me before, right? Do you think you know everything about my younger brother? … .”
“It did.”
“What’s interesting is that I heard something similar from my father. “My little brother might be even more amazing than I thought.”
Kundel didn’t really question it.
“Then let me ask you a question too. President, how well do you know about Xi’an?”
“I bet with my decades of experience at the academy, if I didn’t know more than you, I wouldn’t know much.”
There was a faint suspicion in Ellis’ eyes.
“Did you know that Xian took a short leave of absence?”
“… … !”
“When I asked him why, he simply said it was for you.”
It was Ellis with an easy-going smile, as if a piece of the puzzle of suspicion had finally been put together.
“That’s what it was.”
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Kundel looked at Ellis with pity.
Since he was my favorite student, whom I had always seen as bold and confident, I couldn’t help but feel even more heartbroken.
“I feel skeptical. “I feel like I’ve finally realized that what I’ve been pursuing so far was wrong.”
“There’s nothing to worry about. Because I was like that too.”
“… … “What do you mean?”
“He asked me when he saw me when we first met. “Do I want the prosperity of the empire, or do I want honor for my family?”
Kundel’s eyes sank somewhat bitterly.
“After Diana died, I gave up everything about my family and focused solely on the academy. “As I collide with students within the huge framework of unity, my body and mind may have naturally become complacent.”
The president, who was always serious and cool-headed, revealed his true feelings for the first time.
“I really wanted to say this to Ruinel someday when he becomes emperor. Do not hate your other brothers, but embrace them all, for that is the virtue of a true monarch.”
It was something he could naturally say as the emperor’s father-in-law and the prince’s grandfather.
That feeling has not changed until now.
“So, I will go to the imperial castle this way.”
“yes?!”
“No matter how much I step down from my position, I can’t stand by and watch while the family is in shambles. I will go and make everything right. Of course, I will also see His Majesty the Emperor.”
In Kundel’s eyes, there was both determination and venom.
“So, I ask you this, not as the president of the Academy, but as an old man who wishes you well. Ellis.”
Ellis nodded with an aloof expression.
“Forget everything that has happened so far and leave the empire for the time being. And don’t tell anyone, including your family. “Not only to me and your father, but also to your brother.”
Ellis couldn’t immediately answer that he would.
“You must have made up your mind to some extent when you quit the knighthood. There is no longer any need to sacrifice yourself for your family. It’s gone round and round, but it’s okay to start over now. Now is the time to find your way. Ellis.”
Not as a child of God who was praised in the public eye, but as a woman named Elise Bert.
To become an extremely ordinary person who lives for himself, not for the world.
That was the only thing Kundel wanted from Ellis.
“That’s right… … .”
After a short silence, she opened her mouth.
“Only then will I be able to be confident in myself.”
A life just for yourself, not for others.
That life started with Sian, and now it was her turn to continue it herself.
After making up her mind, Ellis immediately stood up.
“Are you planning on meeting him?”
“I was going to do that, but on second thought, I think it would be better not to.”
Ellis approached the door, looked back at Kundel and said with a faint smile.
“Please say hello to Sian.”
* * *
A woman wearing a cloak came out of the corner and passed by.
“… … !”
Brian, feeling a familiar energy, stopped in his tracks and suddenly turned his head.
“what are you doing? Brian?”
Emily asked after seeing that.
“Oh, no. It’s nothing special, I thought I saw someone who looked like Ellis… … .”
“Does that make sense? Why would someone so busy as a knight of light be in a place like this? “Besides, there’s someone pretty enough to look like Ellis, so it makes no sense that such a person exists in the first place!”
Brian scratched his head in embarrassment.
“Go quickly! “It’s time for that little boy to wake up!”
“Yep!”
I looked back one more time just in case, but she was already gone.
As Emily said, there was no way that Ellis, who had been appointed as the Knight of Light, would be here.
‘Yes, Ellis can’t be here.’
Brian gave up his thoughts and took another step.
“cadet! It was better to be in Beliath! “What am I doing, coming all the way to a foreign place like this?”
It’s already been a week since I stayed in Brenu, a city near Ruwen.
Emily complained about all sorts of things and lamented her situation.
“If you have work to do, you can go and return alone. Why bother taking us somewhere else?”
Even for Brian, it was surprising.
Xian was away. It happened often, but this was the first time he had moved his people to a different place like this.
As always, I didn’t ask why.
However, seeing that Xian seemed to be more wary of someone than usual recently, I was speculating that they might have evacuated to solve something serious.
As I have always been told by Sian, ‘If you can’t help, then don’t get in the way.’
Brian had no doubt that just staying quiet and doing nothing would be of great help to Sian.
This is where they arrived.
It looked like an ordinary house suitable for three people to live in, but there was an invisible barrier installed here.
In other words, it is a kind of crime prevention device that only authorized people can enter, and it was made for emergency situations before Xian left.
The only time I go out like this is to buy groceries.
I was refraining from going for walks or seeing the city as much as possible.
The time was around evening when the sun had just begun to set.
Nana, who was taking a nap, should have woken up by now.
“We came. “Little one.”
“… … .”
Emily, who opened the door first and entered, tilted her head.
“what? Are you still sleeping?”
Nana, who usually welcomes me and welcomes me, is quiet today.
First of all, it was not visible in the living room.
“… … !”
At this, Brian suddenly felt a chill running down his spine.
It’s not that it’s not, it’s that the only people who feel popular in this house right now are me and Emily.
Rather, the emptiness created by the disappearance of what was there was slowly blooming.
Soon sweat began to pour down from Brian’s face.
“uh? It’s not even in this kid’s room? “Why is the window open again?”
Like an angry bull stomping away, Brian quickly ran to Nana’s room.
A neatly folded blanket, invisible shoes, and even an open window.
“I guess he left? No, where did you go alone without saying a word?”
Brian thought to himself.
‘I’m in big trouble…’ … .’
(Continued in the next part)
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