Chapter 11.12

“Miss Brienne!”

At the same time.

Brienne and Herace boarded the Marquis Bartshire family’s carriage sent to pick them up. Only Lusell was inside. Brienne asked,

“Where’s Zen?”

“He’ll be here soon. He remembered something urgent as he was leaving and told us to go ahead.”

“I see. You could’ve waited and come together.”

Lusell shook his head immediately.

“I’m someone who takes punctuality very seriously. Even being late by one minute is absolutely unacceptable! It’s disrespectful to others, don’t you think? Time is given equally to everyone, so it’s both fair and precious. I’ve never seen His Highness arrive on time! How does he make being late seem so normal…”

“…Goodness.”

Brienne covered her mouth, startled by Lusell’s rapid, angry rant.

Yet Lusell showed no sign of stopping.

“Does His Highness just assume people will wait for him? The world seems to revolve around him, doesn’t it!”

Herace watched Lusell silently, but the way he nodded seriously suggested he felt the same.

Brienne felt slightly dizzy.

‘If Herace reacts like that, I’d better be careful too.’

‘Never, ever be late.’

After muttering for a while, Lusell finally sighed, his face flushed.

“Haa… Sorry. I lost my composure for a moment. Miss Brienne, you must have something important to say, right? You suddenly sent a letter asking for a tour of Roeta, which didn’t seem like you.”

It was only after quite some time in the carriage that Brienne got to the point.

“Yes, that’s right. I have something important to say, but I was worried someone might intercept the letter. Since I’m an exchange student, it seemed most natural to ask a friend for a tour.”

“As expected of you, Miss Brienne…”

When Brienne smiled faintly, Lusell turned to Herace.

“But Sir Herace, are you sure it’s okay to go to the Temple? You said yes, but I’m a little worried…”

It was only natural for Lusell to worry, since most mages feel uncomfortable about temples.

But as Lusellion of the Marquis Bartshire family, the Temple was the safest place—protected by strict entry restrictions, it would be safe from both Hamartia and Prince Perian.

“I’ll be fine.”

Fortunately, Herace smiled at Lusell.

In truth, it was Brienne who felt uneasy about going to the Temple.

Ever since the Academy entrance ceremony, her image of the Temple had hit rock bottom.

‘That too…’

She felt oddly uneasy.

Brienne tapped the center of her chest, where a strange emotion had been pressing since morning.

She’d always ignored it, thinking it was nothing, but after visiting the Temple with Garzen, she’d begun to feel this strange sensation more often.

On such days, she always dreamed hazy dreams related to the Myth of Roeta.

In those dreams, Brienne was always Riela.

She didn’t know why—it was just so strange.

Even though she couldn’t remember the dreams clearly upon waking, she always felt as though she’d lost something important.

A sense of loneliness, a faint ache in her heart.

Brienne pressed her lips together, suppressing that unknown emotion. Herace looked at her with concern.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“…Ah, it’s nothing. I’m fine.”

Brienne forced a smile, trying to shake off the strange feeling.

‘Nothing would happen.’

She muttered that to herself and took Herace’s hand.

Without knowing what awaited at Demekia Temple.

* * *

“Miss!”

It wasn’t long before Garzen appeared before Brienne’s group.

Garzen strode up to Brienne as soon as she stepped out of the carriage, stopping right in front of her.

“Sorry I’m late. You suddenly asked for a tour of Roeta—what’s going on?”

Brienne glanced around and shook her head with an awkward smile.

“Shall we talk somewhere quiet?”

There were quite a few Holy Knights and believers at the temple entrance.

Brienne glanced toward the inner part of the Temple and led the way. Once Garzen’s identity was confirmed by the Holy Knights, they were allowed in, and a wide view opened up.

The midday Temple had a very different atmosphere from nighttime.

Under the warm sunlight, the beautiful statues sparkled even more, and the grounds were as spacious as the royal palace they’d visited not long ago.

Brienne looked around in wonder, and Herace, walking beside her, tilted his head.

“Is this your first time here?”

Brienne looked at Herace, hesitated, then shook her head.

“No, I’ve been here before.”

“Before?”

As Herace asked in surprise, a large hand landed on his shoulder. Garzen had approached and patted his shoulder twice.

“The great mage doesn’t need to know.”

Garzen’s face was playful as he drew a line.

“That’s a memory I want to keep just between Miss Brienne and me.”

“…….”

<That’s a memory I want to keep just between Brienne and me.>

Garzen repeated exactly what Herace had once said, shrugging proudly.

A chill briefly crossed Herace’s face, but he quickly erased it and gently took Brienne’s hand.

“What do you think?”

“Huh?”

“That memory the Prince is talking about—do you want to keep it just between you two?”

What kind of question was this?

Brienne looked at Herace in confusion. His deep gray eyes held a genuinely hurt look.

She was speechless.

“No… Why are you acting like this?”

Both Garzen, who seemed to have taken Herace’s words to heart, and Herace, who was unusually sulky—

She didn’t understand why they were arguing as soon as they met.

Garzen protested,

“Why are you looking at me like that? The mage started it. You know that!”

“I can’t believe you remembered that one line for so long. What a petty prince you are.”

“Petty? Me? What about you?”

“As you know, at least with Brienne, I…”

“You’re not even engaged yet! Love is always messy and petty, Mage.”

“…Ha.”

Herace let out a cold laugh.

“B-but, Zen! What’s that?”

Brienne hurriedly pointed to Garzen’s hand, hoping to end this pointless argument.

“Oh, this?”

But Garzen only smirked and hid his palm.

“If you’re curious, why not answer my question? Then I’ll tell you.”

“…What?”

“Be honest, Miss. Me, or this flashy mage?”

Brienne felt dizzy.

She couldn’t believe they were asking her to choose between the two, right in front of each other.

But Herace seemed serious too.

“Which is it?”

His tone was polite, but his gaze was fixed on Brienne.

Garzen was always eccentric, but why was Herace joining in?

How could two people she wasn’t even close to act so similarly?

“Do I… have to answer?”

Brienne asked blankly.

“Just one word is enough. Forget all the feelings—just choose who you’re closer to.”

“It’s not hard, Brienne. Unlike that childish prince, I’ll gladly accept whatever answer you give.”

“…….”

Just what was so special about that object?

Brienne stared at the shining light in Garzen’s hand, briefly considering refusing to let him reveal it. She had only tried to change the subject; in truth, she wasn’t very curious about it.

But not answering would not improve the tense relationship between Herace and Garzen, who had started bickering from the beginning.

Brienne looked back and forth between the two men and sighed.

“All right, if you insist…….”

Her pale green eyes lingered on Herace’s face for a moment.

“The day you left for Rontiano, Herace, I came here with Zen. We climbed over the wall and up that tower to see the temple’s night view.”

“Are you saying…….”

“Wasn’t that called Miragium?”

Brienne gave an awkward smile, seeking Garzen’s agreement.

But he seemed so shocked his lips parted in silence. Seeing this, Brienne felt a bit uneasy but continued.

“Prince Garzen told me about the Myth of Roeta and Miragium that night. I signed the witness document he requested.”

She felt a bit sorry, but the answer had already been decided.

She just hadn’t had the chance to mention it, and she didn’t want Herace to misunderstand her feelings again.

“…….”

“That’s all that happened that night.”

Brienne lifted her head slightly, putting strength into her voice.

“It was just a tour.”

It was then her gaze met Herace’s deep gray eyes, which stared at her intently.

Brienne couldn’t bear to look directly into Herace’s eyes and gently tugged at his arm.

Then, in a very small voice,

“This answer is enough for you, isn’t it, Herace?”

She whispered cautiously and quietly let go of his hand.

At that moment, Herace felt as if his heart had dropped. His emotions were mixed, and he seemed a bit flustered—unlike his usual self.

He had been tense before hearing Brienne’s answer.

Prince Garzen, compared to himself, was clearly superior in status.

The way Brienne spoke to him so comfortably, even calling him by a nickname, had always bothered Herace.

He wondered if the Prince was closer to fulfilling Brienne’s dreams than he ever could.

That was why he had acted childishly, falling for the clueless Prince’s provocations.

Even after hearing Brienne say they were becoming lovers, he couldn’t help but be wary of Garzen.

But in the end—

“Huh? Herace.”

Brienne chose him.

Herace covered the smile escaping his lips and turned his gaze toward the inner part of the temple.

“……It’s more than enough.”

In the silence, Herace’s low voice echoed.

Brienne finally sighed in relief and snatched the object from Garzen’s hand.

“Now, show us what this is.”

With Brienne’s quick move, Garzen surrendered the item without resistance.

Brienne asked Garzen, who looked flustered,

“What is this……?”

“It looks like a magical tool.”

Herace approached and looked down at the necklace from the side.

The transparent jewel in the center of the pendant caught the sunlight and shone beautifully.

To Herace’s eyes, only the strong magical power accumulated in the complex mana circuit was visible.

It was then that Lusell, who had been quietly watching, suddenly spoke up in surprise.

“No way, why is this here……?”

Lusell glanced at Garzen, asking in a tiny voice,

“Your Highness, did you arrive late because you stopped by Miss Diashi’s laboratory?”

“Well…….”

Garzen avoided Lusell’s sharp gaze and nodded awkwardly.

It was a rather unconvincing reaction.

Lusell sighed and rubbed his face.

“I knew there was something odd about you being late today! Did you get permission from her? Please, don’t surprise me any further…….”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know, Your Highness? And this is still a prototype!”

Lusell raised his voice, and Garzen hurriedly covered his mouth, startled.

“I just borrowed it for a moment! Of course I’ll pay her back. I was in a hurry, and the mage wasn’t in her lab, what could I do?”

“Mmph, but Your Highness, that’s clearly theft…….”

“Lusell, please, shh.”

Garzen whispered urgently, glancing at Brienne with a near-teary expression.

After rolling his eyes for a moment, Lusell reluctantly nodded and finally escaped Garzen’s grip.

Brienne asked them,

“Lusell, Zen, what are you two doing over there?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Garzen replied with a cheeky smile, approaching Brienne.

Brienne, who had been examining the necklace with Herace, returned it to Garzen.

“If this is a magical tool, it’s really fascinating. The one I saw in the underground prison looked just like a necklace too, so you wouldn’t know it was a magical tool just by looking at it.”

“It’s expensive.”

“What?”

Garzen, holding the necklace, came up behind Brienne.

“Only nobles can afford something this pricey, so they make them as necklaces or rings. Do you think nobles, who decorate themselves with all sorts of beautiful things, would buy a plain, ugly magical tool?”

“That’s true. It’s easier to carry, too.”

“Anyway, you should wear this, Miss. The temple is huge, so you might get lost. And you never know what might happen.”

Just as Garzen reached for Brienne’s neck,

“For safety—”

Herace, who had been standing guard by Brienne’s side, firmly stopped Garzen’s hand.

“Brienne will be with me at all times, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Ha, what…….”

Garzen looked down at Herace’s hand and smirked, then his face hardened.

“Hey, Mage. You don’t really think your kind of magic will work freely inside the temple, do you?”

“That sounds as if you’re saying the temple is a dangerous place.”

Unlike Brienne, who was focused on the necklace, Herace had been watching Garzen closely.

Of course, he had heard all of Lusell and Garzen’s conversation.

If they needed to wear a prototype magical tool because it was so dangerous, wouldn’t it be better to move elsewhere?

Something was suspicious.