The Strongest Brother Lost His Memory Chapter 1: Prologue

Deep underground, within a temple’s prison so secluded that even the guards had abandoned it.

“Woof! Woof woof woof!”

The divine wolf beast imprisoned with whimpered pitifully.

I couldn’t comfort it. I was sobbing just as desperately.

“Zahid... Zahid, open your eyes... Zahid...”

Outside the iron bars, a man lay collapsed in a pool of blood.

His na was Zahid Dyfenril.

The Duke of Dyfenril and the master of the divine wolf beast imprisoned with .

And the only precious friend I had left in this world.

“Please, please don’t die... okay?”

I had been locked away in this temple’s underground prison since I was twelve years old, subjected to countless experints for ten years.

In that ti, my brother died, and my family was ruined.

It was all the temple’s doing.

It was truly a ti as hellish as any could be. But I had endured, because sotis Zahid would risk his life to sneak in and see .

And now, the temple had taken another precious person from .

“Zahid, please... wake up...”

No matter how much I wept, I could no longer hear his breath.

The iron bars separating us wouldn’t even let brush away his black hair.

“Rosie...”

Staggering in his final monts, he had dragged himself to my cell. Then, with a weak push, he slipped sothing through the bars.

“...Take it. It’s a relic.”

“What?”

“The treasure of the temple, the one said to turn back ti. I stole it.”

The small relic, no bigger than a pebble, was soaked in Zahid’s blood.

“I don’t have divine power, so I can’t use it. But you... you have a little. At least try.”

I knew nothing about relics—only that they responded to imnse divine power.

People said that only a High Priest could activate one.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise... to destroy the temple and set you free.”

Zahid had truly wanted to save from this place.

Even knowing he was fighting to bring the temple down, I had remained trapped here, powerless.

That alone was unbearable, and now, I was just as powerless before his death.

I hated myself for it. The pain was suffocating.

Through my blurred vision, I saw the relic lying on the prison floor.

The last thing Zahid had left .

I crawled forward and grabbed it.

****

I have had three nas in my life.

At the orphanage, I was simply Rosie, without a surna.

At five years old, I showed a faint trace of divine power. The orphanage sent to the temple, where I lived until I was eleven as Rosie Trian.

‘Trian’ was a surna given to the lowest-ranked apprentices with barely any divine power.

There were countless others like , and we spent our days doing nial chores for the temple.

And then—

“Hello. My na is Julian Noart. I’m sorry I ca so late... I only just found out you existed.”

One spring day, when I was eleven, a brother I never knew ca looking for .

We shared the sa mother but had different fathers.

“Rosie, co with . Our mother was the daughter of Count Noart. From today on, you are Rosie Noart.”

I never imagined taking on the surna of Noart—one of the wealthiest noble families in the empire.

Especially since Noart was openly at odds with the temple.

But none of that mattered to as a child.

What mattered was that I finally had a family that loved .

“My precious little sister... I won’t let you suffer as I did. You don’t have to worry about anything here. Just eat well, play well, study well, and grow up happy—just like any other eleven-year-old should.”

In the cold and ruthless Noart estate, Julian cherished like the most fragile treasure.

Our grandfather, Count Noart, was always busy, so we, who had no parents, were each other’s only family.

We didn’t interact much with our other relatives in the estate, but still, those days were the happiest I had ever known.

Julian was so talented that he surpassed all his relatives to beco the heir to the Noart family.

I heard that among ordinary people—not counting priests or mages—he was considered the strongest.

And as his beloved little sister, I received endless protection and privileges.

But that happiness lasted only fourteen months.

Fourteen months later, Julian had an accident. When he woke up, he had lost his mories—

And he no longer recognized .

“What? This little brat? You’re joking. This kid is my sister? Ha...”

For the first ti in my life, I saw Julian looking at with irritation.

With a face that said I was a nuisance.

I had always felt like I wasn’t worthy of being Julian’s sister. I lacked confidence.

And now, seeing his confusion, I thought—

I must not beco a burden to him.

And so, I left the Noart estate and returned to the temple.

I thought I could simply resu my apprentice life there.

But that was my worst mistake.

“What? The apprentice from Noart ca back? Oh! We needed a new test subject, didn’t we? Throw her in the lab—now!”

The mont I returned, the temple locked away and began their experints.

And so, I had been imprisoned for ten years since the age of twelve.

If Zahid hadn’t found in this underground prison while sneaking into the temple and beco my friend, I wouldn’t have survived.

But now, even Zahid was dead.

Leaving behind a relic that could turn back ti...

‘Is returning really possible?’

Would this so-called legendary relic actually respond to the weak divine power of a re apprentice?

‘But... but I want to turn back ti more than anything.’

I clutched the bloodstained relic Zahid had given .

‘Please... please let return. Please.’

Tears stread down my face.

I didn’t even think to wipe them away as I desperately prayed.

‘Standing powerless before the death of soone precious is unbearable.’

I forced every bit of my ager divine power into the relic.

‘I’ve been powerless my whole life.’

I squeezed the relic so tightly that my nails dug into my palm, drawing blood.

‘If I get another chance, I will never live like this again.’

I thought of my brother, the one who had cherished the most in this world.

I thought of Zahid, who had co all these years to visit in this deep underground prison.

The people I could do nothing for, the ones who had already left this world... the ones I wanted to protect, if only I could turn back ti...

‘If I can change everything... If I can return to the past...’

Grinding my teeth, I clenched the relic even harder.

‘I will protect everyone, and I will destroy the temple.’

...Ah, wait. Hold on.

Saying I’d destroy the temple in front of a sacred relic—wasn’t that a bad idea? Wouldn’t that make it refuse my prayer?

Just as I panicked at the thought—

My vision slowly began to blur.

“Woof! Woof woof!”

The last thing I heard was the divine wolf beast’s cries.

Then, I lost consciousness completely.

****

And then...

“Is this real? Is this really real?”

I stared blankly into the mirror.

Silky, neatly trimd silver hair. Bright green eyes that shimred.

Soft, chubby cheeks.

And a body so small that I looked no older than nine.

‘I’m back.’

It had been ten minutes since my miraculous regression.

Slowly, I was coming to terms with the reality that I had beco a child again.

Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I scanned my surroundings.

‘I really ca back...’

A lavishly decorated ceiling. A large, cozy bed.

Shelves overflowing with toys any young girl would adore.

‘This is really the Noart estate’s annex.’

The 14 months I spent here were the happiest in my life.

Was that why the relic had sent back to this mont?

I slowly walked toward the table by the window.

In the Noart estate, it was customary to receive a newspaper with breakfast. Sure enough, there was a neatly folded newspaper on the table.

I quickly checked the date.

“...Ah.”

The date on the paper was exactly ten years ago.

Which ant—

I was twelve years old again.