The Strongest Brother Lost His Memory-Chapter 123: Side Story

Rosie was taking lessons in the annex.

Julian, holding an armful of presents, cautiously peeked in through the window.

“No, no, Lady Rosie....... This is Antata, and this is Theol.”

A young woman was diligently explaining something in front of Rosie. She was the tutor Julian had hired.

“Is it the curve like this that’s confusing you? Should we try writing it a few more times?”

“Ugh... Teacher, honestly, it’s all confusing....... I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Lady Rosie. We’ll just work harder together.”

“Okay......”

Rosie clutched her pencil tightly with an uncertain look on her face. Her small hand was trembling, likely from the mental pressure.

“Hmm, then let’s have you write it ten more times by tomorrow? For today, we’ll stop here... AAAAAAH!”

Just as the teacher was wrapping up, she screamed in surprise. She had spotted Julian, dressed like a clown, through the window.

“Eh?”

Rosie was also startled by the sight and sprang to her feet. Then she flung the door open.

Julian came running, put the presents down on the floor, and scooped Rosie up in his arms.

“RosieRosieeeeeee! I missed you! Ohhh, my RosieRosie, were you doing well? Hm? How’s your brother? Is our RosieRosie feeling better? Hm? The moment I saw this outfit at the boutique, I just knew it was the one!”

“Oppa, don’t do that from now on. My teacher’s ocular health is suffering.”

Then Rosie said calmly.

“She’s been staring at my dreadful handwriting for a whole hour. The least I can do is let her look at your handsome face for some relief. But if even you show up like this, her working conditions are just too cruel.”

At that, the tutor stood politely and spoke.

“Not at all, Lady Rosie. His handsome face proved its worth even in a clown outfit. It was a valuable life experience. Thank you. I hope for many more such experiences in the future.”

The tutor gave a respectful bow and left.

“RosieRosieeee!”

And Julian spun Rosie around in his arms as he spoke.

“Your oppa bought clothes for our RosieRosie. They’ll arrive in a few days.”

“I already have a lot of clothes... and I don’t really have anywhere to wear them to.”

Rosie pouted slightly.

“And a dumb girl like me who can’t even read properly doesn’t deserve nice clothes......”

“What are you talking about!”

Julian was startled, sat Rosie on his knee, and raised his eyebrows.

“What do you mean by ‘deserve’!”

“At the Temple, they said if you didn’t clean properly, you didn’t deserve to eat.”

Rosie mumbled weakly, then quickly added while glancing at Julian.

“Of course, I was really good at cleaning, so I always deserved to eat every day. Don’t worry!”

“The Temple......”

Julian ground his teeth and laughed bitterly.

“They made our RosieRosie clean with these tiny baby hands? Oppa is gonna blow up the Temple for sure!”

“No, Oppa.”

Rosie shook her head.

“If you keep bluffing like that, it’ll become a habit. Look at me. I never say I’ll learn all the letters someday......”

“Ohhh, RosieRosie. Don’t worry. It’s okay if you can’t read. Your oppa will always be by your side to read everything for you.”

At those words, Rosie gazed at Julian silently.

Julian grinned wide, then softened his expression slightly and said,

“RosieRosie, you know...”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Oppa has to go somewhere again for a few days.”

“Ah, really? Did Grandpa make you do something again?”

Rosie wasn’t very surprised. It had happened quite a few times already.

“Yeah. This time it’s a bit farther away, so I might be gone a while. Will you be okay?”

“It’s okay. Making a living is hard. Especially since you’re also responsible for a kid like me, you need to earn a lot......”

“Y-yeah. That’s right...... Mm, but our RosieRosie will still be able to wait well, right? Stay healthy while I’m gone.”

“Mm-hm. You too, Oppa. Don’t push yourself just because you’re young. It only takes one moment to burn out, you know. Everything has its time.”

“Aww, why is our RosieRosie so smart?”

Julian sprang up again, scooping up a flustered Rosie and spinning her around in circles.

That night.

Before bed, Rosie clasped her hands and prayed.

“Lady Rosie?”

Heidi, who had come to prepare Rosie’s bed, tilted her head and asked.

“What are you praying so earnestly for?”

“Mm... Oppa has this habit of bluffing, so I prayed that he’d fix that.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“P-pardon? L-Lord Julian... b-bluffing?”

“Yeah.”

Rosie replied with her eyes tightly closed, wearing the most serious expression in the world.

“He said he’d blow up the Temple, no matter what.”

At that, Heidi smiled softly and patted Rosie’s shoulder.

“Hahaha... Well, if it’s Lord Julian, maybe he actually could. You might not know, Lady Rosie, but Lord Julian is truly strong. If he says he’s strong, that’s not a bluff.”

“Nope. It’s totally bluffing. And it’s on a huge scale too. Want to hear it?”

“Yes. I’d like to hear Lord Julian’s bluff too.”

“He said he’d read everything for me for the rest of my life.”

Rosie smiled bitterly as she lay down on the bed.

“Even though he won’t be around starting tomorrow......”

Heidi’s eyes widened. She gently stroked Rosie’s hair and spoke with sympathy.

“You were sad, weren’t you, Lady Rosie? You should’ve let him know. Then he probably would’ve said something like, ‘Is our RosieRosie upset? Then Oppa won’t go, ever!’”

Rosie shook her head slowly and murmured,

“Ugh, no. I’m already a burden to him. I can’t act all clingy too.”

“Lady Rosie, that’s not...”

“If I can’t be helpful, I should at least grow up to be a brave and independent child.”

But that night, Rosie regretted it deeply, thinking, ‘I should’ve whined and begged him not to go.’ Because Julian got into a terrible accident right after that.

* * *

In truth, Julian had taken extreme care to hide his identity. Running a double operation to avoid the Temple’s eyes was only natural.

But when delivering Rosie’s clothes from the boutique Forotten, a new delivery person mistakenly sent them to the main residence.

And when Felide and Monica discovered Rosie’s winter clothes, they immediately reported it to the Temple.

Their report was nothing more than, “Julian, who always insists Rosie’s clothes be the latest and best fit, has now ordered winter clothes too. Seems like he’s starting a long-term project.”

But even with just that seemingly trivial information, the Temple was able to deduce Julian’s real destination.

That’s how Julian was nearly killed in the Sacred Land of Arhard.

Ah.

As his breath faltered, an old memory flashed through Julian’s mind.

Our RosieRosie...

He remembered clearly the first time he snuck into the Temple and met Rosie.

A tiny girl in ragged clothes and worn-out shoes was wiping a statue in the back garden with a dry rag.

When she saw him, dressed in fancy clothes, she quickly bowed deeply.

“I greet the esteemed guest. I am Rosie Trian.”

When he said he was her brother and asked her to come with him, Rosie’s eyes wavered in hesitation.

He learned later it was because she couldn’t believe someone so impressive would want a nobody like her to follow.

Even so, when he picked her up, her round eyes shimmered with joy.

When Rosie carefully nestled into his arms, it was the first time Julian ever thought, I want to make a real family.

Something he had never had, and something this child had never had either.

“Why is she so small and light? Didn’t they say she’s eleven? Are eleven-year-olds supposed to be this tiny? Should we go eat something tasty first? Is there anything you want to eat? Tell me anything.”

“Potatoes, carrots, corn, apples, pears, soup, bread, beans, grapes, peaches, cherries, stew, tomatoes, cheese, and also milk and pudding......”

“You really are saying anything, huh... That’s a good trait.”

Your Majesty... Please protect our RosieRosie... She eats well, so please give her lots of delicious things...

Even in that moment, he prayed desperately.

Forgive me... for disobeying your order to return...

And then—

Someone slapped his cheek, hard. Repeatedly. With real effort behind each strike.

“Wake up. Drink this, and you’ll feel a bit better. Get a grip. You’re not allowed to die here.”

At the same time, something trickled into his mouth.

Julian barely opened his eyes. A glimmer of gold shimmered in his blurry vision.

“Make it back to the Count’s estate no matter what. You must survive. Think of the little sister who’s waiting only for you.”

And who /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ knows how much time passed.

Strength slowly returned to his arms and legs.

RosieRosie...

Julian began crawling desperately through the darkness. And as soon as he reached the subordinates waiting outside the sacred land, he lost consciousness.

When he finally woke up at the Count’s estate, Julian (the strongest, age 24) was gone.

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