# 103
“Cough!”
Sirius spat out blood again.
Deyarin used her finger instead of a pen to catch the blood he spit out.
She didn't expect to have to use that directly without any prior training. Fortunately, the spell, although dangerous, was simpler than she expected. It was not difficult to execute, allowing Djarin to modify and add text to the spell on the fly. After this attempt, you may even be able to use it without needing a written spell.
“Wait a minute, Master Sirius... just a moment...”
Dearyn was completely immersed in writing the spell.
The goal wasn't to erase the memories, but to recover them, and not just one or two, but all of his memories over the entire past decade.
Unlike Marianne, who only omitted one word, this spell covered a wide range, so much so that it was not only limited to Sirius' body, but extended to the Earth as well.
“Oh…”
Although the stone floor was clean, it was not free of cracks. While she was writing in a hurry, her nails got stuck between the cracks, causing them to break. Her fingertips were also torn due to the sharp edges.
Deyarin sighed in faint pain but did not stop.
The blood that Sirius had spat mixed with the blood that had dripped from her fingers to complete the spell.
"I finished."
Dearyn placed Sirius's head on her knees.
Before closing her eyes, she looked at the old woman who was staring at them with a pale face, and advised her one thing:
“If I lose consciousness too, come out and get help.”
“Ah... ah...”
It seemed that she had never been out of the Crown Prince's First Pavilion before, but there was no one else Deyaren could rely on.
This was her first time trying this spell, and she wasn't sure if it would work or if she would survive it.
“No choice but to try.”
Dearyn closed her eyes and began to gather her sacred powers.
“Master Sirius.”
“Ah... ah...”
“It will be difficult, but try to focus on my voice.”
When erasing memories, you should focus on that moment only.
It made sense to restore it the same way.
But in Sirius' case, the problem wasn't just separate memories, it was all his memories locked together in one block. Therefore, it was important to target the point where his memory lane was interrupted.
“Can you try to recall your oldest memory?”
“Oh…”
Despite his dire condition, Sirius tried to recall his memories as Dearyn had asked him to.
Memories... memories...
The smell of blood on the battlefield.
The sharp sound of weapons clashing.
Cruel calm.
Wind.
The smell of blood lingering on the walls of the training arena, the dark stains that cannot be erased.
The blows he received all over his body.
Strange faces.
Unfamiliar streets.
Knock, knock.
Horse-drawn carriage vibrations.
"Hah! Ahh!"
Knock, knock.
“Wouldn’t it be better to search for his parents and demand a ransom?”
"No, if he had caring parents, they wouldn't have left him wandering around alone like this. Also, his clothes are shabby."
“Maybe, but his features are very noble.”
"If he's not from a strong enough family to send men to look for him, selling him as a slave would be more profitable. His face is beautiful, so there are plenty of places he could be sold to."
Knock, knock.
“Then why don't we send him straight to the front?”
“Front?”
“I heard they started recruiting kids on the front lines. They say they pay well.”
"Really? Do they accept slaves too?"
“Of course, in the end, they will just use them as human shields and then get rid of them.”
“Even better, we can wipe his entire memory and turn him into an idiot before selling him. He will die quickly then.”
“So, even if his parents come back to look for him later, there won’t be any problems.”
Knock, knock.
“This is the dose, right?”
“Yes, just be sure of the dosage. If you give him too much, he might die before we can sell him.”
“Damn… If he had stayed home like an obedient child, he wouldn’t have ended up like this, noble boy.”
He knocked.
"Yes!"
He felt like his head was on fire.
Everything in the world was mixed together, becoming a distorted mass of chaos.
Sirius suddenly opened his eyes, gasping breathlessly as if it were the first breath taken by a newborn baby.
"Sirius! Are you okay?!"
The ghost of a person looms before his eyes.
He blinked a few times, unable to adjust his gaze, but was soon swept back into the vortex of the swaying world around him.
“Dyaren...”
The only shelter he could lean on.
A stable base that will not be shaken.
The flame that will never be extinguished.
Two homes.
As he uttered her name with a desperate plea, he felt a soft, warm touch on his hand.
Sirius gripped her with all his strength.
—
“Ah… ah… Dyaren…”
“I'm here, don't worry.”
Even while unconscious, Sirius continued to chant her name.
His seizures have stopped, but he is still panting with a fever that has not subsided yet.
He opened his eyes for a moment, but did not regain consciousness after that.
“Sirius.”
She called him, but he didn't answer.
But there was no need to worry about whether the spell worked or not.
You succeeded.
It is enough just for Dyaren to feel the way her sacred energy flows to realize this.
What Sirius is experiencing now is nothing but the pain resulting from restoring his memories to their correct places, as if a hair had been tied tightly for a long time and left a deep mark, or as if blood had returned to flow in arteries that had been restricted for a long time, causing a painful spasm.
What bound his memories was not a spell based on holy energy, but something primitive and crude, a dirty method probably used by back alley mercenaries.
Because of this, his restrictions were even more ferocious, randomly tearing his mind apart from the inside.
Dearyn wanted to ease his pain using her sacred energy, but she had drained so much of it that her body could barely take any more.
Although the spell was simple, removing something that had been entrenched for years took a lot of energy from her.
Her limbs are trembling.
She had rarely had an experience that left her so exhausted.
“Huh...”
She exhaled deeply, before lying on the ground next to Sirius.
She no longer even had the strength to stay sitting.
From afar, she saw the old woman watching them warily.
“Can you… get some water?”
“Water? Oh… of course!”
Although she was embarrassed to ask an elderly person for a favor, she had no other choice.
If she collapsed here, there would be no one to take care of Sirius.
Fortunately, the old woman did not ask any questions, but quickly left to fulfill the order.
Dearyn lay down again, resting her head on the ground.
“Aren… Dearyn… huh...”
Sirius shuddered violently, instinctively reaching for Dearyn's embrace.
Deyarin had no choice but to open her arms to contain him.
"It's okay, it's okay. It'll be better soon."
She patted his back gently.
Like a baby, Sirius nestled into her arms, clinging to her as if she were the only thing in this world.
Dearyn looked at him with a faint smile.
How long will it remain like this?
Now that his memory is restored, many things will come back to him.
Then, he wouldn't need her alone anymore, he would find other places he could rely on.
She felt a cold emptiness in her heart.
“Ah...Dyaren...”
“I'm here.”
But even now, despite his illness, he continues to search for her like a lost little puppy.
Gently, she brushed his sweaty strands of hair away from his forehead.
Her hair, on her fingertips, flows like soft, dark black silk threads.
“Ah…”
I suddenly remembered that there was one more spell left.
The coloring spell that changed the color of Sirius' hair and eyes, like the spell that erased his memories, was just the shoddy work of a black market wizard.
Removing this type of magic only required a very small amount of holy energy, as if it was just a human's breath.
Until now, she didn't dare to touch it because it was entangled with the spell linked to his memories.
But now that that spell was broken, she could handle this too.
“Let's try.”
It was difficult to move even a single finger, but she couldn't hold back her curiosity.
She slowly ran her hand through his hair, bathed in sacred energy.
As she recited the incantation in her mind, the transformation gradually began.
Like the night sky when the lights of dawn shine upon it, the black color began to fade from the ends of his locks.
The true color that was hidden underneath appeared, a color completely different from the blackness that covered it, a color similar to the golden straw that the old woman had previously held in her hands.
“…”
She was startled by the glowing beam that reflected off her fingertips, and she sat up suddenly.
His golden locks sparkled with bright rainbow reflections.
Its brilliance was brighter and clearer than anything she had ever seen before, brighter even than those of royal families.
Deyarin froze.
What you see now...
Its true meaning...
How was she supposed to think about this?
crash!
A sharp noise at the door woke her up, and she quickly turned around.
The old woman was standing there, dropping the bowl of water from her hand to the ground.
“Ah... this...”
Dayaren couldn't even think of a clear explanation, just muttered in amazement.
But the old woman shouted first, as if making a loud call:
“Your Highness the Prince!”
Yes, prince.
That name that Deyarin couldn't even allow herself to remember.
First Crown Prince.
It wasn't certain yet, and the truth had to be heard from Sirius himself, but all signs were pointing to it.
The most notable evidence was the sparkle of the rainbow, the hallmark of the imperial family.
Then there was the First Prince, who disappeared more than ten years ago.
Sirius, who was about the same age.
He had epileptic seizures whenever he regained part of his memories, from the moment he entered the Imperial Palace, especially in the private suite of the First Crown Prince.
And finally, the old woman's cry, who seemed to know the truth.
“Oh…”
At that moment, Sirius let out a low moan and moved slightly.
“Aren... Dearren...”
Ceres.
Mad dog of war.
Also, the Crown Prince of the Laklon I Empire, he was called Deyarin.
With trembling hands, Deyarin grabbed his hand, which she was desperately searching for, then asked him:
“What…is your name?”
Even as he groaned, Sirius answered unconsciously:
“My name is...C...Rendeas...Laclon...”
That was the name of the first crown prince who had been missing for many years.
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