I didn't make any impressions, so why did I feel so uncomfortable?
Asroth, who was fiddling with the buttons on his clothes, looked up after a while.
Lord Sheerkan had moved to the left wing and was talking to the high priest.
Asroth narrowed his eyes at the serious-looking atmosphere.
He couldn't make out his expression because he was turning his back, but he could see that the old priest's neck was full of blood.
He heaved his shoulders and shouted something, and a chill came across Lord Sheerkhan's face.
It didn't seem like they were friendly at first glance. Asroth's eyes sparkled with interest.
'What are we talking about?'
The priests were staunch supporters of the Crown Prince, as was the next Grand Duke of Sheerkhan.
Hr wondered why two people in the same sphere of influence were in conflict.
Curious, Asroth crept out of the shrine. He hid behind a pillar at the intersection and tried to eavesdrop on their conversation, but someone grabbed him by the back of the head.
Asroth raised his head and spotted Berens' stern face, his eyebrows drooping.
He looked down at him with a gloomy face and scolded him in a low voice.
"They are His Highness's political enemies. Don't get close."
"What kind of silence is silence? I don't have that."
He pouted his lips and tried to retort, but the man didn't move.
Asroth, who had a dissatisfied expression, rolled his eyes and looked at them again.
Before he knew it, Lord Sheerkhan had finished his conversation with the high priest and was walking toward the crossroads.
Asroth hurriedly hid behind Berens' legs.
Lord Sheerkhan glanced at him indifferently and soon crossed the colonnade with a graceful gait.
Asroth, who had been hiding behind Berens and staring at his back, asked under his breath.
"What do you think the High Priest said to Lord Sheerkan?"
"It seems that he rebuked him for this incident."
"Why? Lord Sheerkan and the Grand Crusade are in a working relationship. Even if Lord Sheerkhan does something wrong, shouldn't he be covered?"
A faint smile flashed across Berens' eyes.
"The world is not that simple."
Berens scolded and turned his head toward the altar where the funeral rites were taking place.
"Many priests have an antipathy toward the Khan people. In particular, the fundamentalist priests' dislike for the Sheerkhan clan is deep-rooted."
Asroth was about to ask why, but he was silent. The things he learned in history class came to his mind.
In the past, it was the Khan people who fought to the end against the movement for the unification of the nations led by Darian Roem Guirta.
They even mortally wounded Uighur, a knight who was said to have been chosen by the gods in the "Final Battle" in the north.
After the war, the Easterners were also incorporated into the Roem Empire, but to this day, the Khan people have not fully integrated into the Western world, and the Imperial people's hostility toward them has not completely disappeared.
Asroth, who was reflecting on these facts, suddenly snorted.
"It's stupid. It was the same for other people who fought bitterly. Isn't it too nasty to reject you for not giving in to the very end?"
Berens looked down at Asroth in surprise for a moment, and then pulled the corners of his mouth slightly.
"Not necessarily. It's more like the Sheerkhan clan is wary because they have so much power."
"Mighty power?"
He tilted his head and asked, and Berens, who had been silent for a moment, slowly spoke.
"Records show that a certain percentage of the Sheerkhan clan were born with uncanny abilities, such as seeing into the future, seeing into people's minds, and wielding all kinds of beasts at will. Because of such uncanny powers, they were once feared."
Asroth's eyes sparkled at the interesting story.
"Does Lord Sheerkan have any special abilities?"
"It's unlikely. The priests did a thorough examination, but they found nothing different."
Berens stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Perhaps because of the dilution of blood over generations, his abilities have faded. Since the birth of a powerful mind-reader eighty years ago, there has never been a primordial magician in the Sheerkan family."
After making it clear, he stroked his chin as if something had flashed through his mind.
"Speaking of which. I've heard rumors that the former Empress had foresight..."
"Your mother?"
Asroth asked in surprise.
Berens took a moment to think about something, then shook his head.
"It is probably just a rumor created by those who want to deify her. The Crown Prince and the First Princess are also ordinary."
Then he added with a gentle smile.
"Perhaps, the Khan's power has completely disappeared."
The reassuring tone made Asroth feel a little bad.
Why should I be relieved that the Khan people have lost their abilities for generations?
He had no intention of confronting his brother. Therefore, the Sheerkhans were not his enemies either.
However, when he talked about it, he was sure that it would be dismissed as a child's complaint, so he kept his mouth shut.
"It looks like the ceremony is almost over. You'd better go home now."
Berens saw the people at the table slip out of the colonnade one by one, and gently placed a hand on his back.
Asroth immediately followed him out of the chapel. He also did not want to face his half-brothers, who regarded him as a thorn in their side.
They avoided the crowded main gate and went out to support the mourners. However, in the backyard, a group of nobles sat and chatted.
Asroth, who found Gareth's fierce followers in the midst of it, wrinkled his brows.
They wouldn't dare to harm him, but there was no reason for him to face unpleasant faces.
He grabbed Berens hand and made his way to a narrow, heavily shaded path.
At that moment, a familiar name came to his ears.
"What do you think are the chances of Thalia Roem Guirta's recovery?"
"I don't know. She was found almost half-dead, and even the elves would not be able to cure her."
His eyes widened, and he looked up at Berens.
"Is that true?"
Berens took a moment to think about something, then nodded slowly.
Asroth's face became very serious.
He had heard that his sister was not feeling well, but he didn't expect her to be so seriously injured that there were rumors about it.
He asked questioningly.
"Why didn't anyone tell me that she was injured?"
"Your Highness doesn't need to know about it."
"She's my sister! Of course, you should tell me about it."
As he raised his voice, the noisy garden fell silent as if cold water had been poured on it.
Asroth turned his head and frowned at the nobles who were scrambling to find him.
He didn't want to deal with them, so he walked out of the garden with the widest stride he could, and Berens, who had been following silently, sighed.
"Your Highness, she hates you. You won't be rewarded for your attention."
Asroth stopped and glared at him.
"In your head, you knew you weren't wrong. Thalia Roem Gurta hates you. Didn't she say that with her own mouth?"
But he didn't want to admit it.
"Maybe, maybe she regrets saying that to me. That day was just... Maybe she was grumpy and talked badly. People are like that sometimes."
"..."
"If I visit her, won't she say sorry to me?"
It was an impulsive statement, but it sounded quite plausible.
Asroth didn't listen to Berens' answer and immediately walked back to the palace.
On the way, she picked a bunch of the prettiest flowers in the garden and prepared a gift for visiting the hospital.
You'll be surprised if I visit you, right?
Perhaps, he would feel like making such a good brother a little prettier.
Asroth walked nonstop across the vast grounds full of anticipation.
Eventually, a crude, gray-colored building appeared through the garden covered with flowers and grasses.
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