What awaited the me who had never stepped a foot outside the village was an astounding view.
When you exit the forest nearby the village and walk a bit, suddenly the ground disappears. In another words, a cliff.
Since that place was the summit of the vertical cliffs, we could see the grounds that extended faraway below us.
On the right, thick and dense forests. While on the left, a vast grassland.
Beyond that stood precipitous mountains, while further around the horizon was something glimmering like an ocean.
And looking at those sceneries, there was Onii-chan, standing there alone.
「Roguna」
When mother called him gently, Onii-chan’s shoulder shook a bit before timidly turning around.
That expression, it looked it had loneliness and guilt written over it and also a feeling of relief mixed together with them.
Onii-chan’s eyes were a bit bit swollen and he was hugging father’s book in his chest tightly.
「You made us worried, Roguna. Everyone in the village have been searching for you」
Mother said that while walking onto Onii-chan’s direction, then hugged him while still carrying me in her hands.
Looking at the tears that started to accumulate in Onii-chan eyes as he was being embraced, I was assaulted by guilt.
「Onii-chan, I am sorry.」
As I apologized while holding the hem of Onii-chan’s shirt, Onii-chan was surprised, his eyes wide.
「… No, the one who’s wrong, is me… Sorry.」
My head which was wrapped with a wet cloth was gently patted by Onii-chan.
And then, Onii-chan pushed the important book he hold onto my chest .
「Onii-chan?」
「If you become magician-sama , you absolutely have to go to war, don’t you understand?」[1]
To Onii-chan’s sudden question, I was a little taken aback until I tried thinking about it.
If I’m not mistaken, the Humans and Demons were in the middle of an all-out war.
Thus a magician capable of using magic will become a huge war resource for sure.
Especially since they even collected unworthy adult male enlistments, it’s unthinkable that the empire would let the magicians slip past them.
It’s inevitable, if you become a magician, you’ll be dragged into war. I think that Onii-chan wanted to tell me.
… But , even though that someone didn’t become magician, wouldn’t they still be hired anyway in the end.
「Because I’m a boy, I must join the war anyway.」
「That’s true, but it’s only when you reach 15 years old right?」
「Eh?」
「But, for magicians, even though he is still a child, he has to fight you know.」
Unable to understand with what Onii-chan said, I was bewildered .
Without minding me, Onii-chan muttered something with a distant look as if he was remembering something from the past.
「Tou-chan said this before going to war. He said that before we become adults, he will stop this war.」
Right beside me, I heard mother gasp.
Even mother didn’t know about it. Looks like this talk was only between Father and Onii-chan.
「So before Tou-chan comes back, I told Tou-chan that I will protect everybody… I, promised.」
Before we became adults. That means he’s gonna have to end this war in less than decade.
What you call a war is something that can end in several years or prolonged for several decades. Is decade long or short? It’s not something that can be easily decided.
But for a father who has little kids, he would absolutely want to avoid letting his own children go to a place of certain death.
For this reason, Onii-chan shown that resolution.
Even though I have never once seen father’s face …… but, knowing that my father’s this marvelous, it makes me happy .
At the same time, knowing that the usually unsociable Onii-chan was always thinking like that, it’s warming my soul.
In short, if father and his friend who are fighting right now can end this battle in less than a decade, then the recruitment for me and Onii-chan will be canceled.
But if I didn’t wait for a decade and then become a magician, there’s a possibility that I’ll get dragged into the war.
Onii-chan was not let gonna that happen, that was why he took father’s book from me… or something like that.
Mother who had heard Onii-chan’s confession, tightened her hug on Onii-chan.
「With papa, you made that kind of promise… Thank you so much, Roguna.」
「……Un.」
「But, you don’t have to bear it alone because we’re family… so from now on, let’s support each other, alright?」
In response to mother’s voice that was full of affection, Onii-chan without saying anything quietly nodded.
And then Onii-chan wrapped his hand around my back to hug me.
「If, you really become a magician… I’m gonna protect you, Sefi.」
「… Thank you, Onii-chan.」
Although I answered like that…. I’ll have to apologize, Onii-chan
Still, both Mother and Onii-chan, also father, and then all the villagers.
Everyone, I’m gonna protect you all.
[-](TLC: this one’s meaning was slightly off in the previous unchecked version.)