ORPDRL Chapter 19

 Episode 19

The one who noticed some changes happening in Brunhardt was not only himself.

"Grandpa..."

Letty, who had been standing in the middle of the corridor after leaving the Hall of Frost, approached him hesitantly and spoke cautiously.

"Grandpa, are you okay?"

Before Brunhardt could answer, Letty checked his hand, which had been tainted by magic. Upon confirming that the darkened fingertips had slightly lightened, the child let out a small sigh of relief.

"It was you... You were the one who summoned Alicia."

Seeing this, Brunhardt realized that it was due to Letty's influence that he had been able to meet Alicia, and he stared blankly with his mouth slightly open.

"…You’ve found the Eternal Lantern. Something neither I nor anyone in Grizzly could find, you managed to discover."

In this world, there were various relics of divine beasts, each possessing unique abilities and exceptional powers. However, since the first emperor decided to worship Solaris, the deity of the sun, all relics were discarded. As a result, most people were unaware of their existence.

"The Eternal Lantern only appears in ancient records. How on earth did you manage to find it?"

When Brunhardt asked, Letty rolled her eyes nervously. She couldn’t exactly confess that the original Tierra had discovered the relic in a cave and retrieved it.

"Just happened to stumble upon it. I got lucky."

The relics of divine beasts activated through an engraving process similar to a contract with an ancient demon, granting powers to their discoverer. It felt slightly unfair that Letty had used Tierra's stroke of luck, but she didn’t regret it.

"Thank you. Because of you, I realized how foolish I had been."

For the first time, Brunhardt's face seemed truly at peace after meeting Alicia.

‘If Tierra later gets accused of being the culprit for not being able to use the Eternal Lantern, Letty should step in as a witness.’

Tierra had only been able to call forth the ghost of the victim to find the real killer because no one had seen the culprit at the scene of the crime.

Letty clenched her fists tightly, determined to revisit Grizzly on the day Tierra reached adulthood, the time when the incident occurred.

"It seems the prophecy wasn’t wrong in calling you the key to breaking Grizzly's curse."

Watching her determined demeanor, Brunhardt chuckled as he stroked the child’s chubby cheeks.

‘But Letty isn’t the real key.’

Her heart ached at his words, and at that moment, Letty curled her toes.

"Elder, why did you leave the meeting so suddenly?"

A young elder from the council emerged from the Hall of Frost to find Brunhardt. Hastily walking through the corridor, he grabbed Brunhardt and spoke urgently.

"We still haven’t decided who from Grizzly will participate in the upcoming war. Please return to the meeting."

The young elder, Sir Rolls, was likely to be chosen as Grizzly’s representative if Brunhardt did not step in. However, Sir Rolls, though titled 'Sir,' had neither undergone proper training nor possessed the courage for war. Even rumors of potential conflict would send him fleeing to the southern resorts.

"You can decide without me, can’t you?"

Brunhardt looked Sir Rolls up and down with a smirk. His smirk, reminiscent of his nephew Grisys, made him a handsome man with an air that could appear insufferable.

"I’ve already fulfilled my duties as a knight of Grizzly. It’s time for you younger folks to make decisions instead of this old man."

At Brunhardt's words, Sir Rolls’ neat face turned pale with panic. He had naturally assumed that the elder, Brunhardt, would once again take their place in the war.

"Excuse me... But, elder, if you don’t participate, one of us will have to go to war."

Sir Rolls had no desire to leave the isolated yet tranquil Grizzly territory. He was well aware of how other beastfolk avoided Grizzly, claiming it was cursed.

‘I heard that Elder Brunhardt was capable enough to become a commander, but he kept being sent to dangerous areas instead!’

If someone as skilled as Brunhardt had suffered that much, it was clear how things would turn out for someone like him, who was far less capable.

“If you don’t step up, elder, we’ll be in serious trouble. Surely, you understa—”

“Well, I don’t know about that. Anyway, I’ll be on my way.”

But Brunhardt, seemingly indifferent to Sir Rolls’ alarm, merely tapped his shoulder a couple of times before leaving without a second thought.

“Stop bothering Grandpa now!” 

Interrupting the stunned Sir Rolls, Letty firmly scolded him, clutching the now fully extinguished Eternal Lantern, and quickly followed Brunhardt.

✦ ✦ ✦

After ensuring that Brunhardt had returned to his chamber, Letty reflected on her encounter with Alicia, the first spirit she had summoned using the relic.

“Did you summon me? So I could talk to my father?”

Alicia, who appeared in front of her, was undeniably ghost-like with her translucent form. But Letty wasn’t afraid of her.

“Are you Grandpa’s daughter?”

Holding the Eternal Lantern, Letty blinked her eyes as she asked. Alicia, finding her adorable, let out a laugh as clear as tinkling beads.

“Yes. Thank you. I’ve been visiting my father in his dreams often because his behavior was so frustrating, but he never believes me. He thinks it’s just a nightmare or something.”

Criticizing her stubborn father, Alicia sighed softly. Brunhardt was not someone who dreamed often, and even when she did appear in his dreams, he refused to believe it was truly her.

“Oh well. Who could ever get through to that stubborn man?”

Recalling how Brunhardt had once woken up blaming himself, convinced that the daughter appearing in his dreams had forgiven him out of pity, Alicia shook her translucent form in exasperation.

“By the way, normally, even with the Eternal Lantern, only those who desperately wish to meet the dead can see them... But it seems you can see me.”

Finding this curious, Alicia examined Letty from head to toe with a fascinated look. Then, circling around her, she grinned widely.

She was a ghost who resembled her father, Brunhardt, with her bold laughter and bright demeanor.

“Alright! Since you summoned me to help my father, I’ll share a useful secret with you.”

Puffing out her chest proudly, Alicia gestured Letty closer as though she was about to divulge something monumental, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"From now on, you’ll be able to touch what others can’t, see what others can’t, and hear what others can’t. In other words, things like ghosts like me, emotions, memories, and even curses."

Alicia, who added that even spirits were just remnants left by human memories, lightly tapped Letty’s forehead as the latter tilted her head, not fully understanding the explanation.

"That’s your ability, Letty. It’s a power even stronger than any healing ability, so make good use of it."

Letty’s eyes widened at Alicia’s casual use of her name. How did Alicia, a ghost she had never met before, know her name?

"Do you know me?"

"Of course I do. You’re the child chosen by..."

By who?

Alicia’s voice, which had sounded no different from a human’s up to that point, suddenly trailed off into nothingness.

Letty wanted to ask who Alicia was talking about, but before she knew it, the ghost had disappeared without a trace.

“Oh no. If I call her back, Grandpa might not get to meet her again…”

In the end, Letty gave up on summoning Alicia again and hugged the lantern tightly.

‘Sister Alicia said Letty could touch things that others couldn’t.’

Things that normal people couldn’t touch. What could that be? Was she talking about something like cotton candy?

‘No, that can’t be. Cotton candy melts in water, and anyone can touch it if they’re careful.’

Recalling the time she had cried all the way home after trying to wash cotton candy she had dropped on the ground, Letty bit her lip to stop herself from tearing up again.

The child spent the entire day fretting over Alicia’s words, unable to figure out their meaning, and eventually fell asleep.

Little did she know that she would soon have an unexpected opportunity to understand Alicia’s message.

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