The Strongest Brother Lost His Memory-Chapter 118

The vine plant gently lowered me to the ground as if I were flying through the sky. The place I landed was in front of a small fountain in the secluded rear garden of the Imperial Palace.

And before me stood the Duke of Orgon, holding the rabbit-shaped Divine Beast, Liri.

“You’ve returned, Rosie.”

The Duke of Orgon was an old man with a head full of white hair, barely standing upright with the help of a cane.

“Did you finish everything you wanted to do?”

She smiled faintly without her mask. Gentle wrinkles spread around her eyes.

The reason such a feeble old man had come all the way to the Imperial Palace ball was because I had asked him.

Liri had to come to the palace in order to use his power, but I couldn’t bring him myself because of how it would look.

And Yuta, who had to stay far from me, couldn’t come either.

“Yes. Thank you very much for granting my request.”

I bowed politely, and the Duke of Orgon chuckled softly.

“Liri probably enjoyed using his power after such a long time. To be honest, there aren’t many chances for Divine Beasts to actually use their strength.”

There was an unfathomable depth in the Duke’s eyes.

“They say you’re Yuta’s younger sister. Thank you for saving Yuta.”

The Duke of Orgon bent at the waist and bowed to me.

“We don’t share blood, but I’ve always considered Yuta truly like my own son. When he said he would die for you, it was such an old resolution that there was no way to stop him, and that made me very sad.”

The person truly related to Yuta by blood was the High Priest.

But rather than a father who saw him only as a tool, the Duke of Orgon was far more like real family to Yuta.

“To save Yuta, you’re going to the Magic Tower, aren’t you? For an indefinite amount of time.”

The Duke of Orgon took my hand as he spoke.

“It’s shameless of me, but thank you for saving my son.”

Yuta’s life and my disappearance.

Truthfully, the weight of the two couldn’t even be compared.

I was about to wave my hand, saying there was no need to thank me, that Yuta was my brother too, when—

“I, Mariaz Orgon of the Grass Duke House, swear before the Primordial God.”

The old man, with Liri perched on his shoulder, knelt down on one knee.

Startled, I took a step back.

This was something entirely different from simply becoming the master of a Divine Beast.

A ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) vow? And not just any vow—but one sworn before the Primordial God?

The Primordial God had divided Their power between the first High Priest and the four Ducal Houses. It was meant to bring prosperity to the Empire and create a warm society filled with understanding, compassion, mercy, and love.

The Temple and the Divine Beasts were not granted all of the power so that no single force could monopolize it.

Historically, there were rare moments when a ducal house would swear loyalty to a High Priest. Vows made in the name of the Primordial God, just like now.

But I wasn’t even a High Priest!

“I, Mariaz Orgon, pledge to protect and serve Lady Rosie Noart and to follow her will.”

“Duke! I-I’m not a High Priest—!”

Whether I was flustered or not, the Duke of Orgon looked at me and smiled calmly.

“I don’t know how much life remains in this old body, but I will give it to the new master of the Temple.”

The new master of the Temple.

A chill ran lightly down my spine.

"You and your father... in the end, it means you cannot live under the same sky."

Either the High Priest dies—or I do.

Was that what he meant by calling me the new master of the Temple?

Or did he truly believe I could become the master of the Grass Divine Beast?

After placing a brief kiss on the back of my hand, he continued.

“By the time you return, many people who love you will have already paved a path for you.”

The depth in the old man’s eyes was so profound, it felt as if he were predicting a distant future.

“Then, shall we go? It must be time.”

The Duke of Orgon smiled kindly as he held my hand tightly.

“It was a pleasure to act alongside you before I die, Lady Rosie.”

“Sniff... Please, let’s meet again.”

A strange emotion surged up in me, and I hugged the Duke of Orgon tightly.

“Thank you, truly. I won’t be able to say goodbye in person, but please give Ray my thanks as well.”

Before coming to the imperial banquet, I had also asked Ray for help. Since we were going to use water power, I told him to bring Athena.

Right now, Ray was probably with the Emperor. Pretending to have discovered this incident by chance and taking action.

“Understood. Leave the rest to us. You are not alone.”

The Duke of Orgon gently patted my back as he said this.

“If Ray and I say that we noticed something strange and responded quickly, it will be fine. Even the Temple can’t treat us Divine Beast masters carelessly.”

“Thank you...”

“It looks like it’s about to pour. You should hurry.”

“Yes, Duke.”

After hugging him tightly for a while, I left a final farewell, then patted Liri once. I whispered softly:

“Please take good care of Yuta oppa.”

Then Liri sniffled and slowly replied.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

<You take care of yourself...>

...This rabbit, for all his sacrifices, really had a hidden spicy side.

“But seriously, you really don’t know how I became your master?”

<I don’t.>

“I’m really curious. Even if I try really hard, it’s impossible?”

<It’s impossible.>

This rabbit is absolutely brutal.

Hmph. I gave the rabbit a cold laugh and turned around.

It really was time to leave.

If I headed to the stables now, Ethan would have the horse ready. Once I rode that horse and slipped away into the night, I’d head for the Magic Tower.

In a way, it was practically running away from the colossal figure that was the High Priest.

I ran—tap, tap, tap—toward the stables, leaving behind the still noisy and glittering Imperial Palace in the pitch-black night.

“Rosie!”

From far off, Ethan, cloaked in a black robe, waved his hand.

“Over here!”

Ethan was already waiting in the garden in front of the stables.

According to masquerade rules, masks couldn’t be removed until leaving the palace. So Ethan, too, was wearing a plain black mask.

With Ethan’s help, I leapt up onto the horse.

“Oh no, it’s raining hard. You should wear this at least.”

Ethan draped a black robe over my shoulders.

Back when I was at the clocktower, the rain had only been falling drop by drop, but now it had become a steady downpour.

“Did everything go well?”

“Yeah. Everything went well.”

“Then we’ll depart. Why is it suddenly raining so much?”

Just as Ethan firmly gripped the reins—

“Wait!”

Someone came running from the distance.

I blinked in surprise. The person who had run all the way here on foot, without Fire, was Zahid.

He stood in front of our horse, gasping for breath, soaked with rain. Water dripped from his black hair. freewebnσvel.cøm

“...Zahid?”

Ethan muttered blankly.

Zahid took a few deep breaths, then removed the mask he had been wearing. Rain began to stream down his face as well.

Those purple eyes quietly locked onto me in the darkness.

The moment our eyes met through the pouring rain, it felt as if time stopped.

I hadn’t thought I’d get to see him again before heading to the Magic Tower.

In the rain, he softly called my name.

“Rosie.”

And as if he couldn’t see Ethan sitting behind me, he looked only at me and said:

“You said I had something to say.”

...Did I?

Maybe I did. I’d been doing all the talking, and never really listened to Zahid’s side.

As I just blinked silently, unable to speak, he looked at me straight on and said:

“I like you, Rosie.”

From behind me came Ethan’s shocked gasp: “Huh!”

Ignoring that sound effect, Zahid spoke firmly:

“Like you said the day we first met—I ended up liking you.”

“...What?”

“Actually, earlier... I was going to say that we should just coast through life like this and get married as soon as we come of age. That I like you too.”

Zahid’s eyes were unwavering.

For some reason, I felt like that gaze could pierce straight through me.

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