Part 2 Chapter 17
[Idiot little brother.]
The man’s footsteps paused for a moment.
But it was only a brief hesitation.
His steps, which had crossed the passage, continued from end to end again.
[Idiot brother.]
[Idiot.]
[Idiot.]
The moment he thought ‘Should I pluck out all its feathers to silence it?’ an elegant shadow flew silently over his head.
The owner of the shadow folded its wings and landed on a man’s arm. It was only after a piece of raw meat hung from the annoying beak that had been repeating ‘idiot brother’ and ‘idiot’ that a welcome calm returned to the space.
“Using it directly in the field. As expected, what a smart thing. Isn’t it, Gavroche?”
Was that really what he was asking him now?
The man, Bernard, who was proudly watching his hawk, approached Gavroche. In the meantime, the gray hawk, having gulped down the snack, was staring at Gavroche with sharp golden eyes.
A hawk with the unpleasant name Ash.
He’d thought it was already quite large last year, but in less than a year, it had grown to a size bigger than an adult man’s upper body. More astonishing was that it continued to grow non-stop for years.
But the most absurd thing was:
“Did this beast learn human language?”
“Language? Ah… to be precise, it has become able to communicate a bit more delicately through this translator.”
Walking side by side, Verdandi gestured with his eyes to a small sphere the size of a thumbnail hanging around Ash’s neck.
“This is an artifact left by Dian Cecht. It took me a long time to fix. I quite literally spent all my time restoring the magic output, the size of the spring inside, and the dozens of half-erased magic circles inside.”
To think Dian Cecht left a translator to communicate with beasts. It seemed like even a demigod had nothing better to do.
“So ‘idiot brother’ and such nonsense are also part of Dian Cecht’s relic?”
Bernard glanced back at him with an amused smile as if he was interesting.
“Are you upset? That was purely your sister’s educational guidelines, so don’t blame me.”
Gavorche’s expression hardened at once.
“…Has she woken up?”
“No.”
With a firm denial, his briefly hardened brows twisted roughly.
“Then why was I called here?”
“Sorry if you were expecting a reunion with your sister. The reason isn’t grand, but I belatedly found a letter with your name on it among Daisy’s belongings.”
Crossing the long passage, the two entered a spacious area with a view of the sky and walked familiarly to the innermost part.
Gavroche glanced at the unnaturally large bed that seemed big enough for five adults to lie on, then approached Bernard who was standing in front of a table.
[Idiot little brother.]
Ash, who had flown into the air, settled down beside the bed.
“Here. It looks like she prepared it before falling asleep. I haven’t opened it, so I don’t know what it’s about.”
Gavorche’s eyes, looking down at the crumpled letter paper, were filled with doubt and distrust.
‘A letter?’
She wasn’t the type to send something like this. Without hesitation, he unfolded the letter.
Could she have anticipated the current situation…
<To Andert,
What are you up to?>
Gavroche’s eyes grew cold as he glared at the paper.
Was he summoned here for this piece of trash?
Bernard, who was sneaking a peek from the side, scanned the paper with an incredulous look before promptly turning his head as if he didn’t know anything.
“Haha. It seems like an unfinished letter. Sure, that’s possible. Haha.”
[Idiot brother.]
“Well… Do you want to take a look at other things? These are the things Daisy had while staying in the Kingdom of Banahel.”
Gavroche, who was about to tear up the letter, turned his gaze to the table instead.
Inside an old-looking box were various trinkets. A sphere similar in shape to Ash’s translator, worn-out books…
He opened the newest-looking notebook.
<Hungry.
Sick.
Sleepy.
Happy.
Bored.
Rue has come.
Daisy is the best.
Idiot little brother.
….>
Idiot brother.
“Ah… that’s your sister’s educational guideline. She seemed to have left words to teach Ash, so I preemptively educated it. That guy’s absurdly smart, so it was fun teaching it.”
Gavroche put the notebook down as if throwing it away and walked over to the bed.
In the middle of the pristine white bedding, there was a face that was asleep as usual. Even though she’d been lying in the same position for years, she hadn’t developed a single bed sore, evidence of the remarkable state she’d achieved.
Looking at her innocent and youthful face as if she had just fallen asleep, his mood began to sour.
Gavroche found out about Daisy’s condition two years after she disappeared.
One day, Malcolm suddenly came to him and said:
“This is a message from Lord Urd. He is curious about your achievements and asks you to come to the holy land of Calepa. A flying ship heading to Astrosa will arrive at the airfield in a week. If you have time, go see Calepa.”
It was a time of chaos.
Before the scars left by Mephisto on this land could be healed, turbulent winds began to blow again.
The world formed a new allied force comparable to the Magic Alliance. The close cooperation between Penrotta and the Contaninos Republic, which led this new alliance, was the main force that kept the damage to a minimum.
Gavroche’s role in this was not insignificant.
“Gavroche, this war will be the final test of your leadership.”
“…”
“Unless some unexpected mishap happens, Berkeley Gratten will be yours within five years. So show the world all your abilities – so long as you don’t close your eyes for good in vain.”
Looking into the eyes of the Swordmaster, the man who was his mentor and adoptive father, Gavroche swallowed dryly.
“…Isn’t it too soon?”
“With Jean being the last, all your competitors have been defeated. What do you mean by ‘too soon?”
“With Your Excellency in such good health, how can I dare to be called the Emperor’s Sword? I am not ready yet. Please give me more time.”
“You are acting uncharacteristically childish.”
“…This is not childishness.”
The Swordmaster ;ooked down at him with the same young, strong, and serene eyes as always.
“Gavroche. All preparations end with death. There will never a thing such as being fully prepared to become the Emperor’s Sword for you. Can you deny my words?”
“…”
“True preparation begins the moment you become the Emperor’s Sword. Believe me, because I speak from experience. Let’s end this conversation here.”
To choose to go to Calepa even at the risk of overexerting himself during such a critical time… Yes, he admitted it. It was for Daisy.
He never expected to receive such a trashy note because of it, though.
Was the sight of him quietly reminiscing about the past misleading? Bernard, watching from the side, tapped Gavroche on the shoulder.
“Don’t worry, little brother. Your sister’s condition is excellent right now. She’ll probably wake up soon.”
[Idiot.]
“Don’t talk nonsense. I’m not worried or anything.”
“Oh? Is that so? That’s quite the trust you have. Yes, siblings should trust each other. You really know what’s important. You’re truly the disciple of that unlucky Urd.”
[Idiot little brother.]
“Shut up. Who said I’m that bastard’s disciple?”
“Splendid indeed. I’ll be sure to relay those words to Urd. I can practically already see his displeased face.”
[Idiot Daisy.]
At that moment.
The eyes of the idiot, which had been closed, snapped open.
LMAOO the sibling beef never ends
will be going with blooming, then! thank you for your comments, btw! seeing them made me happy hehe
Thank you for the new chapter!
OK, maybe Daisy went to Dead Lands because earth energy there is compatible with her, unlike in Calepa? It would be scary if she woke up ’cause of insult but… it’s catch-these-hands Daisy, option is on the table.