“Shorty, what is your name?”

Sezh furrowed her forehead. She already introduced herself before but he called her by his own wishes. And by all the names it’s Shorty! Honestly shorty is a word that match with her. But for some reasons it wounded her pride.

Sezh with her utmost energized voice replied

“Call me Sezh, Uncle.”

Not a long after she said that

“Uncle you said? Are you just addressing me by ‘Uncle’ now?”

“Yes.”

Truthfully the man looks more like a brother rather than an uncle. Look at his face now. Sezh laughed.

“How old do I look?”

“Around your fifties.”

“I’m quite shocked…”

The man touched his face and pretended to be hurt by Sezh. He looked overwhelmed. Sezh drowned in her chuckles to see it.

“It’s a joke you know.”

“Then just call me big brother. If you want to make it simple, just call me bro.”

“By the way, what is big brother’s name?”

“Oh, that’s right. Name.”

The man looks like he finally remembered something and nodded his head off.

“What is today’s popular name?”

“Huh?”

“The most likely a handsome person will have. Name that sounds like on their thirty. Tell me one.”

“Can you just tell me your own name? Why are you asking me for something like that…”

“I just want that. I lost it”

What is this absurd thing that he is spitting? Didn’t want his illogical words to get extended Sezh just nodded lazily.

“I can’t help it then if you don’t really want to help. Oh, what is it then… Got it, Eton.”

“Eton?”

“Call me Eton.”

“So your real name is Eton?”

“It’s my nickname.”

“What is your real name?”

“I told you, I lost it.”

“What….Yes. Alright.”

It’s not Sezh’s business to think about after all. However Eton kept staring at her… and his gaze was so uncomfortable to feel.

‘The eye that looks like Brother Raytan’s keep looking at me’

That’s the thought that running in Sezh’s head. For some reasons, it felt so cold so Sezh bowed her head down.

“You, interesting.”

“What?”

“Indeed. There must be a reason. The fact that you can reach this place.”

“I don’t catch the meaning of anything you said.”

“Yes, you must be. But it’s alright.”

Listening to more absurd things that Eton uttered, Sezh felt her throat getting sore. She gulped the milk with her lips. After that, she glanced at Eton in front of her.

“Well. What kind of people are you? Why are you here?”

“Well. Is that important?”

“Of course, it is. This place is the most guarded palace in the Imperial Palace. There are so many people here in order to protect this place. It will be a huge problem if they know there is a suspicious person live here.

“Do I look like I’m a suspicious person?”

“If so, you are not?”

“So you are quite bold.”

Ugh, how irritating. Sezh took her glance at Eton again.

“You know. Originally there is a temple in the deepest area of the Imperial Palace. I’m gonna tell you that it’s inside the Palace.”

“…”

“And it exists in every Empire. It’s because the temple has a huge meaning for the Empire. When the war happens, people will come to the temple. They have so many wishes to be granted. They pray with all of their hearts.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Denhelder is also the same.”

“Yes?”

“Originally there’s a temple in this place. It’s really here a long time ago.”

Eton laughed. The laugh that she didn’t understand what kind of emotion he has behind it.

“Once a temple is built. It will be forever be the God’s possession. That essence doesn’t change. No matter how the exterior part has changed.”

“…”

“You seem like in a similar situation. Am I right?”

Eton’s red eyes were staring at her sharply. Sezh felt her spine tingled. For some reasons, it seems like Eton knows what’s Sezh actually is.

“So, it’s all that.”

Eton soon changed his expression to normal again while shrugging his shoulders

“I’m definitely not a suspicious person. Don’t worry about that. I don’t have any intention to do any harm to you.”

That’s surely not a believable material word. For everyone who still has a healthy sane mind of course they would think he is a suspicious person but Sezh decided not to express it further.

“By the way, are you coming to this palace everyday?”

“Yes. I’m learning Kazaki language with my brother in this palace’s library.”

“But I think it’s too early for studying.”

“Ah, that… we have some issues. It’ll be better if there’s no one noticing. I come early and will wait for some moments.”

“Then, after this just keep coming here.”

“Yes?”

“Will you come here again tomorrow? There will be a delicious tea.”

“But.. “

“And keep this as a secret from anyone.”

This man is definitely a suspicious person. Her instinct kept alerting her. There’s no good thing to be entangled up with this man.

“Is it not an interesting offer for you?”

“Honestly, yes”

“Then let’s just do this. You want to learn Kazaki, right? I know it very well. I will teach you better than your brother”

“I don’t want it.”

“What?”

“I like studying with my brother.”

Eton’s eyebrows twitched

“If so, do you want to study about other things? Anything is fine, I can do any language. I can even teach you swordsmanship and magic.”

“That is something that the Imperial Palace mages only can do. Don’t say it like you really can use magic you know.”

There are some mages in Denhelder. But compared to another countries, it has much smaller amount of it. They are all working under affiliation with the Imperial Palace. The Imperial supervised them somehow really tight. Then, this unknown man suddenly claimed that he can use magic? She really can’t believe it.

“Shorty, you’re not cute.”

Eton chuckled. Suddenly he opened his hands

“Huh?!”

It was a blooming flame that made her squealed.

“I can.”

Sezh’s eyes bulged. Manifest a fire is magic that is prominent that people who can do it are only the top mages. Beside that in the meantime she never heard a mage who is powerful enough to do that.

“Now you still don’t believe me?”

“But, but I don’t have any basic ability to do it… a person who can use a magic is someone who is chosen”

“It was like that in the past. But now it’s possible for you too. If I teach you, you even could be proficient at magic.”

“I…that…”

“I think it’s not about having no interest hm.”

Eton grinned. Right after that, he turned his head towards the closed door like seeing something.

“There’s someone who is searching for you.”

“Yes? Who?”

“I think it’s your brother.”

Sezh tried to sharpened her ears but she couldn’t hear any sound there.

“I think it’s enough for today, you can go.”

“But I don’t even know where we are… I only entered this room by accident.”

“Just open the door and leave.”

Then I don’t have to close it after?! Sezh felt a little dejected but still chose to nodded her head. When Sezh started to move her hand to open the door, Eton opened his mouth.

“See you tomorrow, Sezh. Don’t worry about meeting someone when you come here. Only you who can come to this place.”

“Huh?”

“And that. It will be better if you always keep this secret. Goodbye.”

What kind of silly things he spout again. While taking a deep breath she opened the door.

“What…?”

Surprised Sezh peering her gaze at her surroundings. It’s not a path where she’s wandering a little while ago. It’s the library right in front of her now.

How can everything be like this? When she turned her head to look at Eton’s room door behind her, there was nothing. It felt like she was just meeting a ghost.

“Where have you been, huh?”

“B-brother.”

Is he really searching for her? Raytan ran from the opposite side of the hallway. There is even sweat streaming down his forehead and nose.

‘There’s someone who is searching for you. I think he’s your brother.’

Words that are Eton just said running freely through her head

“Do you know what time is it? You stupid kid really.”

“W-w-what?”

“What.”

“Why am I here? This is weird, certainly weird… “

Raytan stared at her like she was a crazy person. Sezh who’s still lost at her own sudden experience didn’t understand the meaning of his stare. Why does brother keep looking at me? Am I weird? But what just happened was really weird?