Chapter 243
He can’t give it to me?
It was an unexpected refusal. I thought he would return it if he understood the circumstances.
“May I know why?”
—Just as you are the heroes who saved our village, Pinus brother is also our hero. He sacrificed himself for over twenty years.
“…….”
—The symbolism of Pinus’s memento is actually greater. The memento commemorating him will be a great comfort to our other brethren.
“Such…….”
—If you had requested this as your reward, we would have given it to you. We promised to give you anything. But you already have a request, do you not?
He was talking about the Golden Branch of the World Tree.
An item I could receive in a few months, but one that could definitively fix my mana circuit and significantly increase Isaac’s affection.
Therefore, it was also something I couldn’t give up.
‘Isaac’s affection or Reno’s affection, huh.’
To be cold about it, the two weren’t even on the same playing field, let alone worth weighing against each other.
Obtaining the Golden Branch of the World Tree would solve a significant number of obstacles in this game.
‘Reno’s affection will increase more than it is now even if I leave it alone.’
But Isaac’s affection wouldn’t. As long as the guilt latent in his heart couldn’t be alleviated, there was no telling when it might plummet again.
A deep sense of unease, coupled with a desire not to return to how things were before, pushed me forward. How could I have come this far?
However, this wasn’t the only thing I craved. I wanted to return the pendant to Reno. He would surely be happy if I gave him the pendant.
While I was stuck, unable to decide, The Guardian asked again.
—What will you do, human? If you wish to change your reward, I will grant it.
“I…….”
“Your Highness.”
Killis, who had been silent, interrupted me.
“Do not give up what is yours for Lord Reno.”
“Huh? What…….”
“From what the elves said, it seems Your Highness already had a desired reward and made your request. Though I don’t know what it is.”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t told Killis, Reno, or Isaac about the reward I was to receive.
I had immediately sought out The Guardian to discuss the reward as soon as my body had recovered to some extent.
“The pendant will certainly be a meaningful item to Lord Reno. But I don’t think he’ll be pleased to receive it.”
“Still…….”
“Do not give up what is yours for something uncertain, Your Highness.”
His words were rational and logical. My mind knew it was the right thing to do, but a lingering regret prevented me from answering readily, so Killis looked at Isaac and asked.
“It’s not just me who feels this way; Lord Reno probably does too. Don’t you think so, Lord Isaac?”
“I simply follow Your Highness’s will.”
Isaac replied stoically. But it wasn’t very helpful.
There had been a disagreement with Killis earlier, and now again; honestly, it was amazing that my affection hadn’t dropped.
I just wanted to comfort Reno, but there were so many obstacles.
—It seems we can’t come to an agreement. I would like to give you time to think, but it seems difficult. As we are holding a memorial service tomorrow.
“Couldn’t you return it after the memorial service?”
—It would be difficult. While it would be accurate to see our memorial service, we seal mementos within Arbor, so they cannot be returned afterwards.
“Such…….”
As I parted my lips to speak, a thought suddenly struck me. If this also didn’t work, then…….
“You said the pendant couldn’t be given due to its symbolism, right?”
—That is correct.
“Does that include the portrait inside the pendant?”
—The portrait?
—There’s a portrait of a human woman inside the pendant. She’s probably talking about that.
“That’s right. It’s Lord Reno’s mother’s portrait. The pendant is closed anyway, so wouldn’t it be okay if the contents were empty?”
The Guardian was silent for a moment. Soon, an answer came back.
—Well. I agree with your statement that it would be fine if the contents were empty. If only the portrait could be separated.
“If I just take out the paper inside…….”
I stopped mid-sentence. I had realized what I was overlooking.
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