CBOM 54

chapter 54

“I–I’ll tell Grace only! It’s a secret just for her!”
“Really?”
“Of course. Come here.”

Feeling bad for bringing up the story about Bulet first, Essie tried desperately to make up for it.
Rivanu, being perceptive, could tell that Grace didn’t really want to talk about her family — her attitude so far had made that obvious.

She had never once mentioned them, not even by accident.

Someday, she’ll tell us.

It was a little disappointing, but perhaps it was just something hard to talk about right now.
He could wait.

“Essie, did you really tell her?”
Rivanu smiled brightly as he spoke casually to Essie and Grace, who were whispering to each other in secret.

That day, during playtime, they tried a new game — “The Mugunghwa Flower Has Bloomed.”
Everyone played with boundless excitement.

Maybe it was because they’d had so much fun, but by the end of it, they were completely exhausted.

Especially Leto, who was still weak for his age, ended up collapsing in a heap and couldn’t move for the rest of the afternoon.

The only ones who didn’t seem tired at all were Grace and Ahin.

It made sense that Ahin, who had been training in swordsmanship, would have good stamina — but Grace didn’t show any sign of exhaustion, which even made Ahin stick out his tongue in disbelief.

Eventually, Grace noticed how awkward it felt and pretended to be tired just to fit in.

“Now I’m feeling a bit tired too.”
“You don’t look tired at all.”
“This is just my normal expression.”
“…If you say so. Anyway, you seem pretty strong, Grace — ever thought about learning swordsmanship?”

In the end, Ahin even tried to scout her.

But Grace, knowing how hopeless her mana was, declined immediately.

“I think serving Young Master suits me best.”
“Anyway, Leto looks like he overdid it today. Let’s stop here and head back.”
“Sure.”
“I’ll carry Leto.”

Leto was so limp he didn’t even have the strength to protest as Ahin hoisted him onto his back.

Still, judging by his dreamy mumbling, he had clearly enjoyed himself.

“Let’s… play this again… tomorrow…”

He fell asleep mid-sentence, but everyone smiled faintly at his words.

Each day, they were growing closer — you could see it.

It had once felt like a distant dream, but as the days piled up, it didn’t seem so far anymore.

“Brooother…”
“Hm?”

While they were playing, Leto suddenly called Rivanu brother — a word that had been taboo for quite some time.

Everyone nearby quietly celebrated in their hearts.

More than anything, it was because Rivanu accepted it naturally, without surprise.

“Would you… be on my team today?”
“Ah… on the same team?”

Rivanu usually preferred teaming up with Grace.
Unless something forced them apart, they were practically inseparable.

How should he answer?

“…Sorry.”

It seemed that, in Rivanu’s heart, no one could yet replace Grace.

“A-ah, no. It was a silly request anyway.”

Leto couldn’t hide his disappointment, his expression openly sulky.
Rivanu looked a little guilty but didn’t take his words back — he couldn’t let go of Grace so easily.

But Grace then declared herself the “odd one out.”

Since there were five people, one had to sit out anyway.

“Heh.”

When Grace stepped out, Rivanu finally agreed to be Leto’s teammate.

Even though it was second-best, Leto grinned from ear to ear.

And since Rivanu didn’t actually dislike Leto — only preferred Grace — he smiled gently and ruffled the boy’s hair affectionately.

The two of them had fun together, laughing more than usual and growing closer.

And from that day on, Leto had no hesitation calling him “brother.”

“Brother.”
“Yeah?”
“Brotheeer.”

Actually, it became a habit — he started calling him that for no reason at all.

Yet Rivanu never looked annoyed. He answered every time.

Maybe that’s why Leto started saying it even more — because it felt nice to be answered.

“Can I train in swordsmanship with you?”

Finally, it seemed Leto had made up his mind about something.

“Of course.”

Rivanu nodded with his usual calm expression. Leto brightened a little.

“Then… I’ll do it with you.”
“When do you want to start?”
“Anytime works for me…”
“Then let’s start this afternoon.”
“Um… even if I’m terrible, is that okay…?”
“Of course.”

Even though his speech was still stiff and formal — not at all like a seven-year-old — Rivanu had gotten used to it. In fact, he found it kind of charming.

It had been two weeks and five days since they started spending time together, eating, and playing — and now, a small but meaningful change had taken root.

Leto had become completely glued to Rivanu.

At first, he had followed Grace around with soft admiration in his eyes, but now it seemed like Grace didn’t even exist to him.

Rivanu, who noticed this subtle shift, was quietly pleased.

So now that he follows me, he doesn’t care about Grace anymore?

Good.

Grace was someone Rivanu didn’t want to share with anyone.
He liked it this way.

“Leto.”
“Yes?”
“Who do you like more — me or Grace?”
“I like you more, brother. Though… Grace is nice too…”

It was a ridiculously childish question, but hearing that he was preferred made Rivanu happy nonetheless.

Honestly, he did feel a bit sorry for Leto and wanted to treat him well.

But he didn’t really know how to show it, so he just acted neutrally. Still, the fact that Leto had come to like him made him feel oddly proud.

“Why do you like me?”

He wasn’t even that nice-looking — still rough around the edges and not exactly kind.

“You’re kind to me.”
“Me? Isn’t Grace kinder?”

The truth was, if not for Grace, Rivanu probably never would’ve paid Leto any attention.

Most of whatever kindness he showed had been learned through Grace’s example.

Grace often said Rivanu was gentle, but deep down, he knew that wasn’t true.
Without Grace, that side of him wouldn’t have surfaced at all.

Rivanu didn’t avoid people because he was gentle — he avoided them because dealing with people was exhausting.

He’d been hurt too many times before, and he simply didn’t want to open himself up again.

But he could feel how much better he was now.
He no longer built walls like before.

“I know you pretend not to care, but I can tell you’re thoughtful. I just… feel that way. There’s no real reason. Grace is kind too, of course.”

Even if he didn’t quite understand why Leto liked him, there was no reason to dislike it.

“Uh, brother?”
“Yeah?”
“Do I… ever bother you?”
“No.”
“Oh, that’s a relief. I was worried you might think that.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about that.”
“Yes. Then… can I keep being like this?”
“Yeah.”

Still, the fact that Leto compared himself to Grace showed he clearly still liked Grace too.

Rivanu ruffled his hair again and thought to himself —

If I treat him even better, maybe he’ll stop caring about Grace altogether.

Ahin spent each day cheerfully, always smiling and laughing — except during sword training.

During those sessions, he became completely serious.

It was impossible not to, when watching Rivanu.

The boy’s intense sword swings showed exactly how poisonous overflowing mana could be to a human body.

“Lord Rivanu.”
“Yeah?”
“How much do you know about Infinitio Danio?”
“I only know about it because Grace told me it exists.”

He didn’t know how Grace had learned of Infinitio Danio — most people didn’t even know such an illness existed.

But from the look of it, Grace didn’t know much detail either.

“Why do you ask?”

Ahin hesitated, unsure if he should say it.

Most people assumed being born with vast mana and prodigious talent was a blessing — but Infinitio Danio came with one fatal flaw.

“…There’s something, isn’t there?”

Seeing Ahin’s expression, Rivanu frowned.

“So it’s not all good after all.”

This young master was far too sharp for his age.

“To be honest… yes.”
“What is it?”
“Those with Infinitio Danio are fated to live their entire lives fighting. They have to use a certain amount of mana every single day.”
“…Their entire lives?”
“You use mana when we spar, but you never really feel completely drained, right?”
“That’s true…”
“No matter how explosively you use it, there’s a limit. The mana in your body will keep accumulating. You could say your body is blessed with mana’s love — but that love is a curse. Unlike ordinary people, your mana replenishes at an impossible speed.”

Most people didn’t even have as much mana as an Infinitio Danio.
For normal knights or mages, it took a predictable amount of time to recover mana after use.

A Sword Master, for example — someone who had mastered their art — could eventually recover mana freely.
But a Sword Master was born only once in a century.

Yet an Infinitio Danio was born with no such limits, even without any training.

“So in other words… you have to burn through a ridiculous amount of mana every day. The only thing that could satisfy that might be… a war.”
“Yes.”
“And if I don’t live that way?”
“Then you’ll live your whole life in pain.”