The Strongest Brother Lost His Memory-Chapter 46

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That afternoon.

“So let me get this straight.”

Julian crossed his legs and shot Zahid a piercing glare.

“You’re the brat from the Dyfenril family?”

“Julian.”

“I’m telling you nicely—call off the engagement with our little one. What kind of eleven-year-old gets engaged, huh?”

Zahid didn’t even reach Julian’s chest, yet Julian was fuming all by himself. I slammed the table and declared,

“Julian, I blackmailed him into this engagement, barely pulled it off. The plan is to keep him around and slide into marriage. If you mess that up, I won’t let it slide.”

“Rosie, you’re twelve. And what? You’re gonna marry this cat-faced brat?”

“What, were you expecting me to say I’m gonna marry you when I grow up?”

“......”

“Julian, I’m twelve. Even five-year-olds don’t say that kind of thing these days.”

“......”

“A proper sibling relationship is one where you wish the other a happy marriage. Keep that in mind.”

Julian took a heavy blow from my cold logic and sat there trembling with frustration.

Watching him in exasperation, Zahid let out a long sigh and asked me,

“Then... can we start?”

“Yes.”

I nodded firmly. Zahid pulled a small silver mirror from his coat.

“This is...”

“A magical item that protects against black magic. It reflects black magic back at the caster instantly. It’s been out of production for a while—took a lot of effort to get it.”

It was an incredibly expensive item developed by the Magic Tower, discontinued after the Temple made treating black magic easy.

Zahid continued calmly.

“After my parents died from black magic, I always carry this with me.”

I was mesmerized, gently brushing my fingers across the silver mirror. Zahid added bitterly,

“...I can’t trust the Temple, and I have to survive.”

“Ruff ruff ruff! Ruff ruff!”

<So pitiful.>

Fire rubbed his head against Zahid’s feet.

“Anyway.”

Zahid stroked Fire’s head as he spoke.

“It’s single-use. But in other words, it’s also proof that the target used black magic. The magic gets reflected, and traces are left behind.”

“Wow.”

“Black magic has to be cast while looking the person directly in the eyes... so they’ll definitely try to make contact tonight.”

Cecil was currently confined in a rather remote area, but her freedom hadn’t been completely restricted.

“Which means we can set a trap.”

Julian and I both nodded.

The idea was that when Cecil tried to use black magic, Julian would activate the mirror and catch her in the act.

Good thing we confined her to Meida. Since she can’t move herself, she’ll definitely try to lure someone in.

According to Imperial law, black magic use led to immediate arrest.

“Alright. Let’s wait, then.”

Julian waved his arms excitedly.

“I don’t really get it, but someone’s trying to kill me with black magic, right? Let’s make them seriously regret that.”

“Julian, please. Refrain from swearing in front of children.”

I didn’t tell him that the target was Cecil.

After all, I didn’t want to make him suspicious of a woman claiming to carry his child.

But Cecil will definitely summon Julian. He’s supposedly the father—perfect excuse to call him over.

The more I thought about it, the more likely black magic seemed.

She’d pretend to be pregnant just long enough to approach, then harm Julian and disappear.

Then she could hide again within the Temple, and no one would be able to find her.

“Well, this is easy. Let’s just wait till—wait, hang on.”

Julian, who had been joking around, suddenly furrowed his brow.

“Brat, what’s wrong with you?”

I looked over at Zahid in alarm—he’d been quietly stroking the silver mirror.

“Zahid!”

Beads of cold sweat were forming on his forehead.

“...I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

“You... you look sick.”

“I said I’m fine.”

Well, now that I thought about it, it had been strange.

Even just yesterday, Zahid could barely sit upright from the pain.

Yet today, he rode in a carriage and even had tea like nothing was wrong. I’d assumed he was just having a good day—distracted by Julian and Cecil.

Zahid wiped his sweat and sulked.

“I really am fine. Can’t you see?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“You don’t look fine. That’s exactly what I see.”

Julian even joined in as we yanked back the blankets and fussed around him.

“Hey, brat. Lie down. Your arm’s even shaking.”

He didn’t look as tortured as when I first saw him, but he definitely didn’t seem okay.

Who knows how long he’d been holding it in—he must’ve been enduring this for quite a while without saying a word.

Right. Zahid’s been sick all along. He hasn’t had any tranquilizers yet... I didn’t realize until now.

I suddenly became terribly worried. But someone like me, with such weak divine power, couldn’t help.

As I looked at him with concern, a flicker of desire flashed in Zahid’s eyes.

Then, as if hypnotized, he reached a hand out toward me.

“Zahid?”

I asked, confused, and he flinched.

“N-no. Not yet... I still can’t trust you.”

He stiffened, eyes full of tension, and quickly pulled both hands behind his back.

“Huh? What are you saying? Why the sudden heartfelt confession in this situation?”

Before I could even question it further, Julian burst out yelling at the top of his lungs.

“Hey! Lie down! I said lie down! You’re not listening to the patient! I’m still a patient! See my foot? Can you see it? You dare ignore the patient’s words?”

He even wiggled his still-bandaged right foot, though what that had to do with anything was beyond me.

“Damn it, now you’re looking all weak and frail too? Disqualified as my little one’s partner! You’re just plain disqualified!”

Julian, now fuming, half-lifted Zahid and shoved him into his bed, even tucking him under the blankets.

“And now you’re so pretty-faced that looking all pale and pitiful just makes people feel sorry for you? Even more disqualified! My little one won’t even be able to stay mad at you while nursing you!”

And yet, Julian still placed a wet cloth gently on Zahid’s forehead.

It was completely chaotic.

“You! Just sleep, alright?! We won’t make a sound!”

Finally, Julian sat down beside Zahid’s bed with a huff and pulled out a ball of yarn and needles.

Then he started knitting at lightning speed.

“Julian, what’s that?”

“A scarf.”

“Why are you knitting a scarf?”

I asked, and Julian let out a deep sigh.

He glanced at Zahid, then lowered his voice.

“...It’s hard to love that kid. Honestly, even if she really is pregnant, I’m not happy about it. Maybe it’s because I don’t like her.”

“......”

I stayed quiet.

Julian kept moving the needles as he muttered,

“But I can’t be like that. That’s why I’m knitting. Doing something like this... it eases the guilt a little.”

“......”

“You told me, right? If your heart feels empty, deal with it on your own. This is how I’m doing that.”

I didn’t interrupt his knitting.

Julian’s knitting speed was absolutely insane—his hands practically disappeared in motion.

Eventually, Zahid, still sweating, drifted off into sleep.

While Julian knitted, I practiced my writing beside him.

I could read fluently now, but I was still clumsy when it came to writing. My letters were crooked and awkward.

“I don’t even count apprentices as real ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ people. I don’t get why they bother feeding and housing all those useless things.”

In the silence, Cecil’s voice occasionally echoed in my mind.

“They should just use them all for experiments, or treat them like slaves...”

Cecil, who acted like a princess in the Temple, had hated me intensely.

“Caliban Noart was a slave. Watching him strut around like a Count disgusts me—and now an apprentice granddaughter too? Makes me sick...”

Whenever she said those things, I remembered the things Julian used to tell me.

You’re precious. I love you. I care about you...

Which meant I wasn’t filthy. I wasn’t shameless.

If Julian ever found out I’d heard those things... he’d be devastated.

To be able to say “I’m okay” to him in that moment—I needed to protect my heart.

If I hadn’t held on to that resolution, I would’ve lost myself completely.

The repeated experiments and verbal abuse might’ve broken my mind completely.

I survived because of Julian. I held on because of Julian.

Which is why I could never let Cecil hurt him. Not ever.