Chapter Text
[Processing ….]
Everyone who was busy with their own affairs finally stopped after the word appeared on the screen. They began to straighten their bodies and prepare themselves for the memories that were about to be presented to them.
“It feels disgusting,” Penelope thought. No one would want their suffering to be told to others without their consent. Did ‘Cale’ know that his suffering was freely spread? Did he know that his entire tragic life was just for ‘entertainment’ as the person behind the screen said?
If she were in Cale’s position, she would hate it. Absolutely hate it. Penelope felt like closing her eyes when the screen started showing something.
Even so….
[Miss Eckart, please open your eyes and watch the video in front of you.]
“...”
Penelope slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes sharpened slightly as she stared at the cinema screen. In addition, she was aware of the worried gazes of the others.
“Miss Eckart, are you okay?” Libertia asked. Penelope just nodded with a smile. After that she looked back at the screen.
Although still worried, Libertia looked back at the screen and prepared herself mentally.
[Processing memory 2.]
[CTARR!]
The sound of thunder rumbling shocked all the individuals in the room.
“My heart almost came out, damn it,” Melissa muttered grumblingly while rubbing her chest.
[A man was staring out the window with a blank stare. The drops of water never stopped until the ground couldn’t contain them and the thunder rumbled without getting tired of singing. Was it going to flood soon?
“It’s a shame that the weather is so unfriendly today, Count Henituse,” said the blond man as he sipped his tea, also looking out the window.
“Your Majesty, please don’t call me Count. I don’t have any territory anymore,” the man replied.
“Cale.” The king corrected his address.]
“Is that Cale?” Athanasia asked with a surprised face.
Cale looked older and more mature on the screen. His hair was also longer and tied up. His eyes looked tired and firm. It was a bit surprising to see him like this.
“I have to admit that he’s still handsome,” Cayena praised.
“His genetics must be very strong…”
Athanasia looked away for a moment before thinking, “Is this the charm of a mature man? No wonder so many people like Claude!”
[The king then continued, “At least call me by my name if you want it like that.”
Cale rolled his eyes and finally looked at the man sitting on the sofa. “Alver, what business do you have?”]
“Pfft!”
“Well … he asked for it himself,” Cayena said. Meanwhile, Athanasia looked a little sweaty. “Will Cale be okay? Isn’t this a treason against royalty?” she asked.
“Calm down, Your Highness,” Eris interrupted. “Looking at Cale’s reaction, I’m sure this is already a habit.”
“Is this Alver his brother or something?” Melissa asked, holding back a laugh.
[Alver felt his brows twitch at the impolite tone that came out of the red-haired man’s mouth. He took a deep breath, muttering how impolite this man was in front of a king. Then, out of nowhere, the man suddenly lay down on the long sofa.
“Hey, get off my sofa.”
“This is palace property, Cale. Me giving you this room doesn’t mean it’s yours.”]
“I guess he is.”
[Cale took a deep breath before sitting down on the sofa, facing Alver. He took a sip of his tea before finally speaking.
“The last battle didn’t end well, as you heard. Half of our troops died and around 400 soldiers were seriously injured as a result,” he reported.]
Everyone fell silent. Until they heard Libertia whisper in a trembling voice. “How terrible .…”
[Hearing that, Alver covered his eyes with his arm. “Continue,” he ordered.
“Arm is producing dead mana.”
“What?” Alver immediately sat up, staring at Cale. His face became even more serious. Staring at Cale’s serious face made him feel uncomfortable.
“It’s not a small amount, Alver,” Cale said sharply. “Even that dog, Choi Han, was almost tainted,” he continued.
“Is that why he came back looking like that?”]
“What is Arm?” Athanasia asked in confusion. Melissa replied, “Maybe an organization?”
“They could be the cause of this war,” Eris continued.
“What about dead mana?” Libertia asked.
[Permission to answer. Dead mana is a substance made from dead individuals. Individuals exposed to dead mana will slowly die from poisoning.]
“You mean, Arm made this poison by killing people!?”
[Memory continues.]
[“Yeah, that’s it.”
Cale looked blank as he stared at his teacup. He also gritted his teeth, imagining how many innocent people were sacrificed to make that much dead mana.
“They were made by the Mogoru Empire?”
“From the Bell Tower, I’m sure. The golems they made were filled with it,” Cale replied. “When we destroyed them … the dead mana inside them exploded, that’s why …”]
“Those bastards …,” Melissa muttered angrily.
[Alver nodded in understanding. This war was something he could never have imagined. Ten years had passed and none of the battles with Arm had been won. Much blood had been shed. Hundreds of lives were lost every day.
As the king of his kingdom, Alver felt quite hopeless. Even when they formed alliances with other kingdoms, it was never enough. Arm was terrifying. An organization that big could hide all this time without being discovered? What a formidable enemy.
Alver wasn’t even sure they could win against them.]
“Is Arm that strong?” Libertia asked uncertainty. Hearing her, Athanasia also became afraid.
“Will Cale be okay?” she asked. However, neither Eris, Melissa, nor Cayena could answer. Even Penelope had been silent the whole time.
[“I’ll go first,” Cale said suddenly. He walked towards the door before stopping in front of it. He turned to Alver.
“Where’s Han?” Cale asked. Alver blinked for a moment before answering, “At the training ground.”
“Good,” Cale said, thanking him before finally leaving the room.
Alver paused for a moment before laughing a little. He finished his tea before standing up. He stared out the window.
“Maybe there’s a little hope?” he muttered.
Cale, somehow, would always survive the battle together with the heroes. It was as if he was a cockroach that was very difficult to catch. And, at one point, he was the one who always had a sudden plan to turn the tables during the fight.
Alver hoped he would always survive, until the end.]
“He has to!” Libertia and Melissa exclaimed.
[Memory 2 is complete.]
“It’s over,” Libertia muttered.
“Besides, the war that lasted for ten years was quite long, and it’s not over yet,” Cayena replied with a serious face.
They all tensed up. What memory would they be shown next? Cale’s misery? People’s deaths? Or even Cale’s death?
“Cale can’t possibly die, right?” Athanasia asked. Everyone fell silent.
“Didn’t you hear what Alver said?” Melissa replied. “That guy will definitely survive!” she continued with a wide smile.
Hearing that, almost everyone let out a sigh of relief. Eris was the only one who was still skeptical.
[Processing… bonus.]
“...? What?”
[“Hehehe.” A small child chuckled while sitting on a branch tree.]
“Wow!” Libertia exclaimed. “Is that Cale when he was little? So tiny!”
Everyone felt more at ease seeing little Cale’s innocent face. The child looked like he was holding back laughter as he looked down the tree. Covering his mouth while shaking his legs. Seeing him brought a smile to their beautiful faces.
[“Ohh, Cale! Where is my cute darling~?”
A beautiful red-haired woman was seen wandering around the tree where Cale was hiding. A sweet yet mischievous smile was etched on her face. Looking here and there before finally looking up at the tree.
“There he is!!” the woman exclaimed cheerfully. Cale laughed in amusement when his mother found him. “Mom!”
“Oh, my cutie. So naughty!” said the mother while chuckling. She opened her arms. “Come on, jump! If your father sees this, that idiot will definitely faint.”
Cale chuckled and immediately jumped down without any fear. Forget Deruth, anyone who saw this would definitely have a heart attack. What if the young master got hurt later!?]
“Ah, that was quite dangerous,” said Cayena. Melissa quite agreed with her. It was a wonder how a child like Cale could climb that tree.
Luckily Cale was safe in his mother’s arms!
[“Hap! You got caught!” The mother nuzzled her face into her son’s hair. This made Cale laugh happily.
“Mommy’s ticklish! Heheheheh!”
“Let mommy attack Cale with mommy’s love!”
“Ehehehhe! Ahahahha!”
The mother kissed her son’s face lovingly. The servants who passed by were also enlightened by the adorable interaction between the Countess and their Young Master. Smiles bloomed on their faces and they felt grateful to be able to see this beautiful sight.]
“Awww.”
“My heart is healed.”
[“Mom! Put Cale down!” Cale shouted. His mother complied and put him down. Cale then immediately ran behind the tree.
Seeing that, the mother was curious and immediately followed Cale. However, before she could take a step, Cale had already appeared first.
The boy immediately ran towards his mother with both hands behind his body. “Mom! Come on, bow down!”
The mother again followed her son’s request. Not long after, Cale placed a flower crown on the woman’s head. “That’s it! Mom is beautiful!”
The mother smiled lovingly. “Is this a gift for Mom? Hm? Oh, my son is so adorable!” the woman exclaimed while hugging her son who laughed melodiously again.
“Isn’t there a gift for your father?”
“Dad is stupid, always working! There are no gifts for stupid adults!” Cale replied while puffing out his cheeks. The woman laughed at her son’s answer.
“Right, right. Your father is very stupid, huh.”
“Yes!”
The woman chuckled. She hugged her son tightly again. The two sat hugging each other in the middle of the grass covered with flowers. The wind blew, seemingly happy to see the family's lovely interaction. The atmosphere looked very peaceful.
"Cale, mommy's smart boy," the mother suddenly called.
"Mhm?"
"Cale." The woman looked at Cale. She combed her son's hair who was sitting on her lap. Her dress might be dirty now, but it didn't matter.
"Cale, you are a strong child, remember that."
The woman kissed her son's head while whispering, "Hopefully you won't always be alone in your future."
"Hm? What are you talking about, Mom?" Cale asked in confusion. The woman just smiled mysteriously. "Mom just asked Cale, let's steal cookies in the kitchen!"
Hearing that, Cale's eyes immediately sparkled. He immediately freed himself from his mother's embrace and ran towards the kitchen. "Let's steal Vicross Hyung's cookies!!"
"Oh my, my son is so naughty." The woman laughed while shaking her head.]
[Bonus completed.]
“That’s so sweet!” Libertia exclaimed in exasperation.
Eris thought it was a shame that Cale’s mother died when Cale was young. She seemed so kind and loving. She was very beautiful, you can tell where Cale gets his good looks from.
“I feel calmer,” Athanasia said with a slightly brighter face.
This change in mood was quite effective in easing the tension they had felt earlier. However, it seemed like they would feel uncomfortable again after the break was over.
They hoped that at least the next memory wouldn’t be too bad.