Chapter 126
In the Aslan Empire, there once existed a count house called ‘Typhus’
It was a prestigious family known for producing exceptional mages across generations. Count Typhus, the ancestor, was considered a rival to the first Lampas—a great mage of his time.
The family had many accomplishments and amassed significant wealth. However, the lineage disappeared long ago due to a congenital disease unique to their bloodline.
Whether born with exceptional talent or not, every child in that family died far too young. It was rare for anyone to reach adulthood, and even if they did, they were often so frail that they could not fulfill their potential.
In later generations, it was discovered that the repeated inbreeding in an effort to preserve the bloodline had caused genetic disorders, but no one knew the cause at the time. The family was believed to be cursed, and people avoided them. It was a common human tendency to reject anything unusual.
“Doesn’t it bother you?”
So when I received this question, I didn’t have to think long.
“Yes, it does bother me a bit.”
“Oh…”
“I had high expectations. I thought Clonnes were more advanced compared to humans. But the more I learn, the more I see there’s not much difference.”
“… Huh?”
“If there were no discrimination, there wouldn’t be any hierarchy. I must have misinterpreted everyone’s welcoming attitude towards orphans as something special.”
“Uh?”
Deciding not to dwell on it anymore, I answered with a sense of relief. Talis and Irei, blinking in bewilderment, smiled wryly. Talis, in particular, looked deep in thought. He hurriedly rubbed his eyes, but he couldn’t hide the redness around them.
“… Why do you have to be so kind-hearted? Don’t be. It makes me thankful you weren’t born here.”
“Hmm, I’ve heard something similar before.”
“What? No matter how true it is, who says that in front of a kid? Don’t they understand the importance of emotional education?”
“Is that a confession? Take care of yourself first.”
Irei sighed and smacked Talis on the back of his head. Talis looked aggrieved but said nothing under Irei’s stern gaze.
“Anyway, thanks for taking it so well, Sei. This guy’s been sinking into a pit of worst-case scenarios.”
“There’s no need to thank me for that.”
“Well, for us, it’s not a common occurrence. It turns out behaving sensibly is rarer than you’d think.”
With a bitter smile, Irei suddenly stood up, realizing his oversight.
“Now that I think about it, we have a guest, and I didn’t even offer tea. Give me a moment to fetch some water.”
“No, there’s no need to go to that trouble.”
“It’s no trouble. It’ll just take a minute. You guys continue your conversation.”
“I’ll do it, Irei.”
“No, you stay put. It’s no big deal.”
Ignoring Talis’s attempt to stand, Irei gently pushed him back down and walked out of the cave alone. Talis, now awkwardly seated, clicked his tongue softly and rubbed his neck when our eyes met.
“He’s a good guy, always taking care of people.”
“Yes, he seems to be. How long have you two been friends?”
“Hmm, since we were about six or seven. We met by chance and started playing together. Irei was the one who played with me.”
Even without knowing their exact ages, being close since six or seven meant they’d been friends for a very long time. Despite reminiscing, Talis’s expression darkened.
“He was the first to treat me without prejudice after learning about my situation. … But I shouldn’t have relied on him so much. Even now, he’s enduring hardships he doesn’t need to.”
His words trailed off into a soft sigh. When I looked at him, Talis dropped his gaze to the ground.
“Honestly, I owe him a lot. I was born like this, but Irei lost everything because of me.”
Irei, who had always stood for justice even as a child, couldn’t bear to watch Talis face discrimination and scorn. Not only did he actively support him, but he eventually abandoned his family and familiar ties to leave their homeland with Talis. He chose to share in the burden rather than live a peaceful life he could have otherwise enjoyed. Knowing this made Talis’s strong attachment to him more understandable.
“When Irei gets married and has kids, I’ll raise them myself. I’ll make sure no one can treat them badly, and they’ll grow up surrounded by love.”
“… Wouldn’t you need to help him find a bride first?”
“Huh? Why? Oh, you mean because I stick to him too much?”
“And the way you address him…”
“Ah, calling him ‘love’? That started as a joke and then just stuck…”
After a brief, awkward laugh, Talis’s expression turned serious.
“But honestly, I think I care about Irei more than anyone in this world. Whoever wins him over should be someone so broad-minded that they don’t mind me calling him that.”
“…”
This isn’t going to work.
It seemed Irei’s romantic future was far from certain. Whoever wanted to marry him would indeed face quite a challenge…
‘Well, they’ll figure it out.’
Since it wasn’t my concern, I decided not to worry about it.
“So, how exactly did you find this place? I doubt anyone told you about me.”
I answered his cautious question honestly. I had spied on Kalph and the Elders’ Council’s conversation. Talis seemed momentarily taken aback, then muttered in amazement.
“Wow, everyone thinks about it but no one actually tries it, and you went and did it…”
“…”
“Though, it’s probably because it was you that the plants showed it. If anyone else had asked, they’d have refused, saying it was too difficult.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, they’re slaves to the hierarchy. They strictly favor the strong.”
“…”
That’s something I hadn’t known. Perhaps it’s more pronounced in the wild? While I pondered this, Talis spoke again.
“Can I ask why my name came up?”
“Ah, I’m not entirely sure, but it was probably about contacting Semeion.”
“… I see.”
A trace of cynicism crossed his downcast eyes. He seemed to have a good idea of how the discussion went.
“Our dear Lord Kalph must have been up in arms again. His stomach must be in knots. Although, you’d think he could be a bit more accommodating.”
“Is communication ability that rare?”
“It’s not common. Especially Erika’s ability—there’s no distance limitation. Granted, it’s only for people I’ve seen even once.”
The most advanced communication tool known so far is the magical communication orb. Even that has limitations: it only works with someone who possesses a corresponding orb, and there are still distance constraints to some extent. Talis’s ability was indeed impressive in comparison. As I admired this, Talis gave me a strange look. When I met his gaze, he smiled awkwardly.
“I thought you might ask me to contact Lord Semeion.”
“…? I’m not that tactless. Asking for such a favor now would dilute the purpose of my visit.”
“… Then, why did you come to see us?”
“I was just concerned about your well-being. Isn’t it okay to visit without a specific agenda?”
“No, it’s fine.”
Talis replied quickly, fidgeting with his fingers. After a moment of hesitation, he glanced at me.
“Should I try contacting Lord Semeion?”
“If you’re doing it for me, then it’s fine.”
“No, I’m curious too. He refused when I contacted him last time, so I don’t know if he’ll respond now either.”
It was around then that we started hearing a commotion outside. The noise of a loud argument resonated, and Talis stood up abruptly with a hardened face.
“Wait here for a moment.”
He quickly rushed out, almost running. The noise seemed to get louder. Epethes, who had been reclining in a relaxed manner, whistled lightly.
“It seems we have unexpected guests.”
“…”
It wasn’t hard to understand what he meant. Those strange ropes and papers hung around the cave were likely the work of these visitors. As I stood up, Epethes, who had also risen, handed me the hat he had set aside. I put it on and headed outside, where the voices became more distinct.
“We’re just doing this with good intentions!”
“Good intentions? How is it ‘good’ when the person affected doesn’t want it?”
“Irei, you’re the one making him miss out on treatment!”
“Yeah, if you really cared about him, wouldn’t you be helping him get treatment instead of opposing it?”
At the entrance, I found Irei and Talis confronting several people—about five in total.
“That’s nonsense. What kind of treatment involves purifying evil spirits through some superstitious ritual? Stop pretending to care when you’re just harassing him. It’s disgusting.”
“Did you say everything you wanted?”
“No, not yet. If you’ve got a problem, come at me. Oh, but of course, you’re too cowardly for that. So you resort to sneaky backdoor tactics instead.”
“Calm down, Irei…”
“Shut up, Talis.”
“Uh… okay…”
It seems Irei has a bit of a personality shift when he’s angry. Even Talis couldn’t stop him and stepped back quietly (though why he even went outside if he wasn’t going to intervene is beyond me). I stepped between the two groups. Their eyes widened in shock as they seemed ready to draw their weapons at the sudden appearance of an unexpected guest.