IBML 22

Chapter 22

“[Awaken.]”

The moment I whispered that, the surroundings began to tremble, and soon an echo started reverberating.

Awaken… awaken… awaken…

I jumped in shock and covered my ears.

But covering my ears didn’t stop the echo from reaching me.

Liventa flapped her wings frantically, sending gusts of wind toward the echo.

Gradually, the echo subsided and finally disappeared.

Pat, pat, pat-

It seemed that people had been affected by the power and were waking up.

I also heard footsteps running from the backyard, so I had no choice but to hurry upstairs to my room.

Why does it feel like I’m running away even though I’m just going to my room?

Once I reached my room, I sank to the floor, gasping for breath.

Sneakily, I lifted my head and looked out the window, seeing people whose hair was still tousled as if they had just woken up.

As my breathing calmed, Liventa spoke.

[Using the oral power right off the bat! You really are an impressive contractor.]
Did I do well?
[Of course! It’s extremely rare to succeed in using the oral power on the first try.]

Hearing the praise lifted my mood a little.

I draped an arm over the bed and smiled. Liventa’s tone was also cheerful.

However, Arhana and Shuivan looked quite sullen.

[Unfortunately, you couldn’t activate the defensive power.]
[Same here.]

Arhana and Shuivan glanced at each other.

Or rather, they glared at each other. Seeing a mackerel and a Lop-ear rabbit confront each other like that would be a scene no comedy could capture.

Sorry.
[No need to apologize. We can try again tomorrow.]
Right, then.

I extended my index finger toward Arhana, and she tapped it with her snout—a sort of greeting.

By the way, did you hear what I said?
[I did. You clearly said, “Awaken.”]

I sighed at Liventa’s amused voice.

Why did I have to unconsciously whisper something like that?

Is this why they warn people to be careful with their subconscious?

I washed up and changed clothes. Perhaps because I had used my power for the first time, my body felt completely drained.

The spirits comforted me, saying it was normal.

I muttered the words I had unconsciously shouted.

Awaken. Awaken… There’s so much implied in that.

The tail of my thoughts was devoured by the strong current of magic.

The last regular meeting before actually meeting the Emperor was scheduled for the day after tomorrow.

Kalian smiled brightly as he watched Lasha approaching him.

He was fully aware of the effect his appearance had and knew how to use it to his advantage.

He observed the subtle changes in Lasha’s expression as she got closer.

Her expression changed with every step—joy, anticipation, delight…

Seeing her faint smile up close, Kalian felt his heart swell.

Once aware, his feelings flowed freely without hesitation.

Kalian fiddled with the back of his left hand.

The painful fever he had endured was, in fact, preliminary work for the mark of the deputy.

No one could have imagined that he was destined to become a deputy.

The image of a deputy, in Kalian’s mind and in the eyes of others, was someone noble.

Someone righteous and strong who could wield the divine power, compassionate, caring for the poor and sick as if they were their own body, a philanthropist loving all living things.

A radiant saint of the stars, performing miracles with holy power.

Kalian thought he could never be that person.

He had never been that kind or considerate.

Looking back at his upbringing, there was no way he could survive with such a soft, tender nature.

His parents had abandoned him in front of an orphanage. Being smaller than his peers, he was bullied by boys there.

For ridiculous reasons like “he’s like a girl” or “he gets along with the girls too well.”

Fortunately, he found hobbies like growing plants and cooking, which helped him cultivate his inner self and gradually ignore the bullying.

Before becoming an adult, he left the orphanage and drifted through various jobs.

As a young and talented man, earning money for food and gaining experience was a joy.

He even got a small rented room and steadily saved money in his bank account.

But trouble struck just as he became an adult.

His father, who had abandoned him, appeared, claiming that his mother had died during childbirth, and dumped twins on him, saying he didn’t want to see them.

The father stayed at Kalian’s house, drinking and gambling with Kalian’s money, and eventually died somewhere.

Kalian was left with an overdue rent room, a nearly empty bank account, and two breastfeeding siblings.

How did things get so bad?

Kalian sighed deeply at the life that had suddenly collapsed.

But he couldn’t just give up.

He placed the children in the orphanage and took on any profitable work he could find.

Though physically exhausting, he avoided doing anything that would betray his conscience.

Then another problem arose: the orphanage notified him that they could no longer care for the twins.

The reason was that the twins had trouble adapting and caused disturbances.

As infants, it seemed absurd to call it “disturbance,” but the real reason was probably the difficulty of meticulous care.

Deciding it would be better to raise them himself, Kalian brought the twins home.

He then sought a job that paid well with lighter hours and became a baron’s gardener.

But the result ended in scandal, and afterward, he had to drift between day jobs and temporary work, barely scraping by.

The siblings kept him going.

A glance or a small gesture from someone could be a tremendous support.

Through spring chills, summer heat, chilly autumn, and winters without sunlight, it gave him strength.

At first, Kalian honestly saw the twins as a burden.

But watching children like him squirm and grow turned out to be enjoyable.

Perhaps understanding their situation, the twins were unusually mature and calm for their age.

Though he regretted not feeding them enough at times, the twins genuinely liked Kalian, and he loved them back.

After some years had passed, he met Lasha.

He got a stable job as the duke’s gardener.

Despite the long commute, he could live with the twins in a good room.

He remembered a conversation from one night:

“Brother, Dad… no, that man was completely awful, right? I don’t like people like that either. All I have is Paul and you.”
“Same here. I’ll make it right someday.”
“No need. You just have to grow up well.”

If faced with a trolley problem where he had to choose between family or the world, Kalian would ultimately choose family.

So when Lasha mentioned the deputy, he had been flustered and hesitant.

Kalian summarized his struggles and shared them with Lasha.

Even though it was just venting, he hoped for a good response.

Lasha didn’t disappoint.

“Even thinking like that is a sign of goodness. True evil doesn’t reflect on what they’ve done and just lives comfortably.”
“…”
“Moreover, you’ve lived so hard and still raised two children without going astray. Not everyone could do that. I truly respect you! I couldn’t even do it myself.”

The one who praised him like that was even more admirable.

Seeing Lasha’s eyes softly close and her smile revealing a hint of teeth, Kalian held her hand tightly.

She flinched slightly but didn’t pull away, looking at herself reflected in the clear lake of Kalian’s gaze.

“Please call me Kalian.”
“Pardon?”
“I think it would be nice. If I become a deputy, you won’t call me by my name either—you’ll use a formal title.”

Kalian deliberately brought up an imagined future as reasoning.

Lasha seemed to think for a moment and nodded.

Kalian’s lips lifted gently in joy. He was immensely happy.

“…Kalian.”
“One more time.”
“Kalian.”

He would now hear that sweet voice every day.

“Let’s go.”

The day of the regular meeting arrived.

I boarded a soft carriage following Rekalin. His thin glasses briefly glinted in the sunlight.

“Advisor.”
“Yes?”
“The echo in the backyard the day before yesterday… was that you?”
“Yes… that’s right. I accidentally did it while practicing.”
“Patrols were stopped yesterday. Let’s discuss it during research.”

I nodded at Rekalin’s words and leaned back against the seat.

It was only my second time on a carriage, but it felt as comfortable as lying in my own bed.

I organized the scattered documents when the rough sound of hooves indicated the carriage had started moving, and I noticed something strange.

Why am I so good at riding a carriage?

Before, I had been in a carriage accident, crushed under wheels and hooves.

If I miraculously survived, surely I would have developed some fear of horses and carriages, yet I had none. Even if my brain blurred the memory as a defense mechanism, it was still odd.

Even when I took a carriage to meet Kalian shortly after surviving, I hadn’t felt fear.

I clenched the meticulously organized documents with a serious expression. The spirits had all said the same thing: there was a contradiction within me.

They said I didn’t show the usual clinginess of people living in this world.

Does that mean I haven’t fully accepted this world?

Is that why I don’t experience carriage-related trauma?

But then, how am I supposed to truly adapt to this world?

I’ve already inherited all of Lasha’s memories. I’m not completely unfamiliar with the customs and institutions, though not fully accustomed either.

“Advisor, what are you thinking? It’s time to disembark.”
“Oh, nothing… I’ll get off.”

But arriving at the palace prevented me from continuing my thoughts.

This was a problem I would need to revisit.

Even though I already had so much to do, tasks kept piling up.