* * *

Calliona froze for a long time after checking Aietar’s short letter.

In the meantime, soft fur fluttered out from between the folded paper. It was rabbit fur—evidence of Liri.

Which also meant that Yuta really had been captured.

Calliona’s hand trembled.

“...He found out.”

She muttered in a daze.

“Yuta Orgon’s betrayal of Aietar has been found out!”

Otherwise, there would’ve been no reason to designate Julian as the recipient.

Noticing the relationship between Yuta and Julian meant Aietar had figured out everything in the end.

“W-what do we do? Huh?”

Julian was still sitting on the bed, silently staring at the note with an unreadable expression.

In that moment, Calliona felt he was a stranger again.

Surely, he would’ve already shouted, ‘We have to go, Your Majesty! No matter what, we can’t let Yuta suffer alone! We’re going, no matter what!’ and run off...

But Julian, still looking at the note, spoke slowly.

“It’s a trap.”

“Julian?”

“They’re holding Yuta to lure me in.”

His tone was chillingly calm.

Calliona involuntarily stepped back.

Was Julian really planning not to go?

Was he going to leave Yuta in Arhad and just head in the opposite direction to beg Rosie?

Suddenly, a deep sadness overtook Calliona.

‘Ah.’

She thought with a sorrowful face.

‘I... I don’t think I can love the Julian Noart of now anymore.’

Even though he had once been a man she loved from the bottom of her heart, she couldn’t accept the person in front of her now.

‘For the past nine years... I gave my heart to a different Julian Noart.’

The more humane, more open-hearted, less twisted Julian—the one Julian himself had so desperately tried to erase—“Julian the Butcher’s Bastard.”

“Julian.”

Calliona asked slowly.

“Is that... all you have to say after reading this letter?”

Her voice trembled with betrayal. Though she hated the idea of Julian being in danger, she couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

“If it were the Julian from before regaining his memories... he would’ve already left for Arhad...”

“That idiot would’ve run there without a second thought. But I’m not him.”

Julian spoke in a composed tone.

“First, there are a few more things we can deduce from this letter.”

Julian, who had been silently deep in thought, lifted his head.

“The fact that he sent me this letter claiming to know ‘everything’ means he’s figured out RosieRosie’s identity.”

His gaze sharpened coldly.

“He said he searched for children who couldn’t read and write—even if he’s not completely certain, he’s at the stage of suspicion. And more importantly...”

“There’s something more important than that?”

“...There’s no mention of the brat.”

Calliona, who had been trembling with betrayal, looked momentarily confused.

The “brat” was what the memory-less Julian used to call Zahid.

It sounded like he was just belittling a kid, but in truth, it was a nickname laced with clear affection.

That’s why even after becoming an adult, Zahid had no objections to Julian constantly calling him “brat,” “brat.”

Julian continued slowly.

“Aietar isn’t a fool. If Yuta’s been captured, then the brat surely has too...”

His green eyes gleamed sharply.

“Your Majesty.”

His face, busy combining thoughts and information, began to show signs of urgency.

“Because I’ve regained my memory, I can make this deduction. Like I said—I'm not the idiot who just rushed in without thinking.”

Calliona stared at Julian blankly.

‘So has his personality returned or not? I can’t tell...’

Julian stood up abruptly, unable to hide his urgency.

“It seems the one in more immediate danger is the brat.”

“...Huh?”

* * *

Before the 24-year-old Julian left for Arhad.

He ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) had discovered two things about the Duke of Dyfenril’s map.

First, that in the cave lake shown on the map, a Divine Beast and its master could become one and awaken—drawing out explosive power.

But that an unknown price would have to be paid.

Second, that the place was saturated with immense divine power.

“The land of Arhad is steeped in divine power. That’s suspicious in itself.”

At age 24, Julian discovered something interesting in the imperial palace records room.

There was a record of the price of “Divine Beast Awakening.”

One was left in the Sinesse estate written in the ancient language, and the other in the temple library in Arhad.

“Even if the place shown on the map isn’t Arhad, that place is full of old records.”

And so, Julian left for Arhad at that time.

He hadn’t even considered going to the Sinesse estate, where relations with the Noarts were bad. Besides, he obviously couldn’t read the ancient language anyway.

And in Arhad’s archives, he confirmed it clearly.

The cost of “Divine Beast Awakening”... was life itself.

“Your Majesty.”

Julian began calmly piecing the information together.

“Yuta’s life isn’t in immediate danger. Since we’ve received a threatening letter, he’ll be kept alive until I arrive. So we need to think.”

“Uh, right... I need to pull myself together too.”

Calliona slapped herself on the cheek.

“If we assume Yuta’s been captured in Arhad, and that Aietar has figured out Rosie’s identity... and that Aietar only needs to strengthen himself with the Relic of Strength now... then what will Zahid do?”

“Hmm...”

Calliona thought of the Zahid she’d recently seen and answered honestly.

“He’ll flip out thinking Rosie is in danger and go on a rampage saying he’ll kill Aietar no matter what.”

“Exactly. If it’s the brat, he’s definitely trying to awaken somehow. Assuming the cave on this map is in Arhad.”

Julian clenched the note from Aietar tightly.

“But the fact that Aietar didn’t mention Zahid at all means he’s not in Arhad...”

“Th-then!”

Calliona widened her eyes.

“You mean Zahid found the exact location of that cave and set out to awaken?”

“That’s likely. And that place probably isn’t Arhad.”

Julian murmured as he bit down on his lower lip.

“If the brat awakens, he could face off against Aietar’s power... but he’ll die in the end.”

Calliona swallowed dryly.

She had heard what Julian had done nine years ago in a similar situation.

Wasn’t it Julian who had pressured Yuta to “just die for RosieRosie”?

Saying he’d die himself if he could, but that it was something only Yuta could do.

‘No way...’

Calliona was seized by unease.

‘Don’t tell me he’s going to tell Zahid to just die for RosieRosie, thinking it’s the best option?’

The situation was exactly the same as back then.

Julian was someone who could sacrifice his life for Rosie, but Divine Beast Awakening could only be done by the master of the beast.

And they didn’t even know where Zahid had gone.

Which meant they couldn’t chase him down and stop him.

“...RosieRosie must be at the Duchess of Idra’s villa now... completely unaware, far from both Arhad and the capital...”

Julian murmured, deep in thought.

“Julian, you...”

“What’s the closest city to that villa, Your Majesty?”

Then Julian lifted his green eyes and said,

“We need to inform RosieRosie of the situation.”

“...Huh?”

“She might know where the brat went... She’s a girl who knows far more than you’d expect.”

Julian let out a deep sigh in a low voice.

“...Of course RosieRosie is precious, but so is the brat’s life...”

“Julian.”

“If I lose the brat because I didn’t inform RosieRosie and missed even a tiny possibility... I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive myself.”

Julian smiled bitterly.

“As Your Majesty said, RosieRosie is an adult... and...”

“You...”

“For the past nine years, I’ve lived having human interactions with people other than RosieRosie.”

Calliona shut her eyes tightly.

He had returned to the cold and calculating Julian of the past—but in the end, those nine years of human memories had restored his humanity.