"Ah, for heaven’s sake."
Linna muttered with a trembling voice.
"He’s finally here... my master..."
The person who reacted instantly to those words was Julian.
"...You’re saying RosieRosie is on her way here?"
Unexpectedly, Julian didn’t even glance toward the direction Rosie was coming from. Instead, he muttered in a rushed tone,
"Better wrap up the ssy stuff quickly."
With an icy expression, he grabbed Payton by the collar and dragged him out from the wreckage of the cart.
Then, without hesitation, he drove his foot into Payton’s face.
"Kegh—!"
Payton, coming to, spat out several bloodied teeth.
Before he could even get up, Julian kicked him hard in the stomach again.
"Urghk, gah!"
It was ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) only one kick. But Payton’s large body was sent flying, slamming into a pillar.
It must’ve hit a vital point and broken bone, because despite his efforts, Payton couldn’t get back up.
Julian, still expressionless, struck the other side of his face once more.
Ethan, still infusing the tower with mana, dropped his jaw.
"H-Holy crap..."
He muttered blankly.
"J-Julian... did he just, g-get his mories back?"
Ethan had been so busy since falling from the sky that this was the first ti he’d actually seen Julian.
Still, like everyone else, he instantly grasped the situation from Julian’s movents alone.
"I didn’t get a chance to explain earlier since I had to modify the artifact right after landing. But yes, he has regained his mory."
Even amidst the chaos, Theo spoke up from where he was still digging through the wreckage.
"But... it’s a bit mixed. He hasn’t completely gone back to how he was."
Yuta instantly understood what that “bit mixed” ant.
A lot of things were the sa as before, but the important thing was—Julian still ca to save him.
"Here."
Julian, having turned Payton into a bloodied ss with just three blows, asked without even looking back at Yuta,
"Would you say that’s equivalent to what you went through?"
Yuta involuntarily swallowed dryly.
So that earlier stare, scanning him from head to toe, was to make sure Payton suffered the sa?
Yeah... it was mixed, alright.
Just like before—cold, ruthless, rciless—but...
"Ah..."
Yuta muttered blankly, staring at his chilly profile.
"That’s not quite right..."
"What now?"
Julian looked at him with glacial eyes.
"Say it fast, before RosieRosie shows up. Whatever it is."
Yuta blinked and replied,
"...The order’s different."
"..."
"I got hit in the stomach first."
Julian’s brow twitched.
Theo covered his face and shook his head.
"I’ve said this before... Senior, you really don’t need to say unnecessary things."
"Yeah, Theo..."
Yuta slowly nodded, glancing at the bruises covering his body.
"I got in this state ‘cause I didn’t bring that up in front of Payton either, you know..."
"I figured as much."
"I should’ve listened to the heartless, emotionally vacant junior who values a broken artifact over his bloodied senior..."
"..."
Julian completely ignored Yuta’s words and suddenly swung his sword toward Theo’s cloak.
"Aaagh! What the hell?!"
Theo’s cloak was neatly slashed.
Julian took a piece of the torn cloak and covered Payton with it.
"We can’t show sothing like this to our RosieRosie's pretty eyes."
Then, he casually rubbed his sword clean on Ethan’s black robe as he continued infusing mana into the tower.
"Ugh, I really hate this..."
"We can’t show her blood. Imagine how shocked she’d be."
Julian moved swiftly, glancing sideways at Fire climbing up from below.
He kicked the unconscious priests and holy knights he had taken down earlier toward the entrance, cleaning up the scene.
Then he grabbed the collar of one priest who was struggling to climb up.
Thanks to Julian’s towering height and iron grip, the priest dangled helplessly in midair.
Julian didn’t even look at Ethan as he spoke.
"Hey, pause the mana for a second."
"What? Are you seriously ordering a Grand Mage around right now?"
Ethan glared.
Julian ignored even that reaction with ease.
Still gripping the dangling priest, he yanked him forward and shoved him under Yuta’s chin.
Then, in a chilling tone, he commanded,
"Heal him. Now."
"W-Why should I—Guh!"
"Doesn’t look like your mouth’s necessary for healing. Say one more word and I’ll slice off your tongue instead of your legs."
Ethan imdiately paused the mana infusion at the chilling voice.
The priest, whose legs had been shattered, began trembling as he poured divine power into Yuta and began healing him.
Yuta’s bruised and battered body gradually recovered. Julian then tossed the priest down below like trash.
"Haha... I’m so obedient..."
Ethan quietly resud infusing mana into the tower. And the mont the priest hit the ground, a wave of heat surged upward.
Ray, Zahid, and Rosie—riding Fire—had broken through the swarm of holy knights and arrived at the top.
"Lord Yuta!"
Ray hurriedly dismounted and shouted.
"Whoa... You’re in better shape than I thought? I was really worried..."
Watching that, Yuta thought to himself, ‘That bastard definitely healed just so Rosie wouldn’t get upset.’
"Fire, lt those chains first."
Zahid ordered, and Fire carefully released a precise stream of fla.
anwhile, Rosie, looking worried, dismounted from Fire as well.
"Oppa, what happened? Why did you get here so late? And how co Ethan-oppa, Theo-oppa, and even Linna are here too...?"
Then her eyes t Julian’s—and her expression froze.
"...Oppa?"
Just from looking at Julian’s face, she realized what had happened to him.
* * *
I stepped forward with shaking legs.
“J-just a second. RosieRosie, hold on.”
Julian, who had been watching , jumped forward in a panic.
“What is this, huh? Ugh, you’ve got filthy dog fur all over you!”
“Woof woof woof!”
Julian frantically brushed the strands of Fire’s fur from my clothes, making a huge fuss.
“Ugh, you didn’t even have a proper saddle... Are you hurt anywhere? Was it too hot? Did you get airsick on the way up? Huh? Just look at those sleeves! That’s not even properly tailored!”
“Woof woof woof!”
It was a reaction that would make anyone recoil—but I couldn’t say a word.
“Hi. I’m Julian Noart.”
One warm spring day, he appeared in my life like a miracle—my very first blood relative.
Just like in so worn-out fairy tale, he turned , an orphan, into a cherished noble lady in an instant.
“Sorry for finding you late. I only just learned you existed.”
Since then, I’ve t many truly good people—and learned to love even more of them.
“You just need to eat well, play well, study well, and grow up well. Like any ordinary eleven-year-old, without a single worry.”
He was my first family. My protector.
Whenever I had a chance to pray, I’d ask—please, please let Oppa get his mories back.
Now that it had finally co true, I couldn’t say anything at all.
“Can you hear that?”
Ethan, who’d had his hand on the floor of the tower all this ti, muttered to Zahid with a smirk.
“That’s the sound of your engagent going to hell.”
At that sa mont, clink—the chain holding Yuta fell free. Fire had carefully lted through it.
To avoid burns, he hadn’t released them completely, but had broken the chain suspending Yuta.
So now, with cuffs still hanging from both wrists like bracelets, Yuta gave an awkward smile.
“Rosie, you’re safe.”
“Yuta-oppa!”
I turned to him, my voice trembling.
“I’m so glad... you’re in better shape than I thought... I was so worried...”
“I only started looking okay just now, honestly... hmm.”
Yuta averted his gaze and scratched his head sheepishly.
“But shouldn’t we... postpone the emotional reunion for now?”
“...Huh?”
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