Episode 60 – Camellia’s Room

At the bottom of my memories, where even the colors are now fading, my childhood was nothing but a sight that could only be described as happy. My night elf father, who was a bit blunt and self-righteous, but possessed excellent swordsmanship and was just, my mother who restrained such a father, and my younger brother who was just like me.

My father, once a famous swordsman, taught us swordsmanship, and my mother, once a famous wizard, taught us magic. Even though he didn’t understand magic well, swordsmanship was fun and his skills improved faster than anyone else. Even my father highly valued my talent, so he taught me not only swordsmanship for self-defense but also proper brushing.

It was a repeat of the sight of learning swordsmanship every day and scolding my father for not teaching my mother things like weed. I was never wealthy, but I was happy every day.

That is until a small dispute breaks out in a war, and the village we live in is devastated, and my mother dies from an arrow while trying to evacuate the villagers.

My father became a little less talkative, but he still took care of our sisters with utmost sincerity. The villagers my mother tried to save also tried to keep the same.

Until the villagers, tired of the poverty brought on by the war, tried to sell my sister into slavery. Night elves were all valuable slaves. However, my father was too strong, so he tried to sell even our half sisters to get food. Enraged, the father killed all the villagers, both adults and children, and then took us into the woods.

At least my father, me, and three younger siblings seemed to be able to live happily. But God was cruel, and the gangsters who took the name of the Black Round Table raided our house. I barely escaped, but I was separated from my family.

He spent his whole life searching for his father and brother. When I ran out of money in the middle, I made money as a mercenary, and in the process, my swordsmanship skills became widely known. Because of that skill, he also participated in the journey for his great work. All of those who participated in the task were definitely transcendental strongmen, even if they were slightly inferior to their father. Except for one Werner.

At first I thought he was just a kid begging for a piece of bread. Exhausted, we were a little intrigued by the boy’s remark that he would perform a fun trick for just a piece of bread. The Heavenly Demon came forward as the magic opponent, and we guessed that at best they would perform magic that makes coins disappear. But what the boy saw…

“Thunderbolt, fall.”

It was a huge lightning strike that struck the crown of the Heavenly Demon. The Heavenly Demon, who saw the boy’s talent, wanted to take him to his job. At first, taking the young boy was reluctant, but he couldn’t help it because the boy himself desperately wanted it.

The boy with blue eyes, like me, my father and my brother, was called Werner. The members fought fiercely with rock-paper-scissors to decide whose last name to give to Werner, and I, like myself, tried to pass on my mother’s last name to Werner. But in the end, he couldn’t beat the thief in that kind of bet.

Werner Alton, that was decided as the boy’s full name. We cherished Werner like family and the boy grew stronger day by day.

After completing the task, Werner followed the leader and Mediah, and I went out again to find my father and younger brother. But I still couldn’t find any of them. Disappointed by that fact, when he returned to his comrades, Werner was a completely different person. He had eyes that hated everything in the world, and frowned as if everything in the world was annoying.

Even when I asked the other colleagues why, if they really didn’t know, if they knew but pretended not to know, or if they weren’t there, they would just get angry and tell them to leave. I had no choice but to watch Werner become helpless.

But the Werner before he changed was in front of me.

“…sister?”

“I’m sorry, I forgot I was talking to you because I was thinking about something else for a while.”

Without a doubt, he was the Werner of those days. Werner in the days when he clung to his older sister and was eager to be praised by us.

As was his childhood habit, Werner was biting his nails.

“I still haven’t gotten over my nail-biting habit.”

“Ah, habitually, without knowing it…”

I hate being drenched in the nostalgia of the past, but it made me feel a little better because the memories of the past came up without me knowing. Would you have changed that much if I had been by your side instead of on a journey where even finding a piece was impossible?

“So what’s the matter?”

“But I’m not surprised to see you now, sister.”

“I was a little surprised. I just don’t show it because I don’t have to show it.”

It was definitely teasing me a little. However, since it was for treatment, I didn’t feel the need to point it out. Werner scratched his head and talked about the original business.

“I’m going back to the capital.”

“Do you have something to do in the capital?”

The only comrade remaining in the capital is the knight commander. If it’s good, he’s like a machine full of loyalty, and if you put it badly, he’s an unlucky child.

“… I’m going to reinstate myself as an imperial mage.”

The thread of reason was about to break. With Werner running away, the only thing I was relieved about was that the imperial mage was also beaten. A dirty and dangerous job. Only obey the orders given by the imperial family, and if the imperial family orders it, you have to participate in war or massacre. Apparently he was disillusioned with the job, so he thought he had run away.

“Why? Why do you want to step into that dangerous place again?”

“Your sister doesn’t seem to like it.”

“Of course. Not me, but anyone else will stop you.”

The Heavenly Demon, the phantom thief, the knight commander, no matter who your colleagues are, they will have to stop you. If you allow the youngest to be involved in that beggarly business, I will personally go and negotiate.

“What if my sister says I’ll go even if she says so?”

“At that time… I have no choice but to stop you with force.”

I know from my father how foolish it is to try to bind people by force or violence. But even so, I cannot condone my precious person stepping into danger on her own feet.

“But sister…”

Werner had a somewhat bitter expression on his face. He was making a face he had never shown me before.

“I have to go. That’s the only option.”

“But Werner…”

“I’ll confess to you, sister.”

Werner suddenly took off his top, revealing his upper body. It was a little embarrassing, but it was not the time to look at someone with a sexual gaze.

And Werner pointed to the red scar on his side.

“I can’t use great magic anymore.”

“what…?”

“Because I was stabbed by a demonic sword or something, and my magic circuit was destroyed.”

“Since when…”

“…while my sister was on her journey, a lot of things happened.”

That’s why other colleagues were so worried about Werner. Everyone felt pity for the maknae who had lost his confidence. Like an idiot, I didn’t even know that

And suddenly I remembered what I said. In the past, Werner had lightly teased him with the great magic spell he used. He had lost something he loved so much… I mocked it. Only then did I understand why he had sprinted through the door. He must have desperately covered his crying face.

I didn’t even know that and mocked it. My heart was wrapped in invisible chains, and those chains tried to pull me back to hell. Am I really the right person to interfere with Werner?

I don’t even know why he changed, and I didn’t know that, and I even dug up the wound.

“Werner… I…”

“I know what your sister is worried about.”

Werner patted me on the shoulder. The warmth of that day when Werner came up to me and patted me on the back as I was wondering if I could find my childhood family.

“I’m fine now. Now… I’m really fine.”

Werner added the word ‘now’. Even if it’s okay now, it must mean that it wasn’t okay in the past. It was even more painful because I was an age who knew the feeling of losing something precious better than anyone else.

“Yes… I’ll go if you want.”

I don’t have the right to stop you from me who couldn’t even be by your side when you were in the most pain.

“So, sister…”

“What’s going on?”

“Would you like to go up to the capital with me?”

There was no reason to refuse. Because I thought that a second chance had come to me who couldn’t protect my precious brother.

“…If you want.”

“I’m grateful for this, so I’ll have to buy some rice for my sister next time hahahaha.”

Werner woke up with the pure smile of his childhood.

“Oh right, since it’s been a while since I’ve looked like this, shall we do it like the old days?”

“What…?”

“Thank you ‘sister’.”

My heart started pounding at the word ‘sister’, which is no different from the old days. It’s a fact that I finally realized, but Werner was a man who somehow reminded me of my father.