Pick Me Up – Chapter 292 – Han Israt (3)
“What did the prince say? Israt al Ragnar?”
It was a name I had never heard before.
I thought about it carefully, but shook my head.
I wasn't crazy enough to hear things.
The prince in front of my eyes had clearly called me ‘Israt al Ragnar’.
Al Ragnar.
That title was definitely an ancient surname passed down through the generations among the imperial royalty.
Unless you are part of the emperor’s bloodline, no one in Taonier can bear the surname ‘al Ragnar’.
‘So this means...’
What does this mean?
Was there some hidden background about ‘Han Israt’?
Calming myself, I recalled the information about Han Israt.
I couldn't help but laugh.
The strange scenes I saw during the promotion ceremony and the suspicious situations during the missions.
It all led to one conclusion.
‘Han Israt was royalty.’
I took a deep breath.
Although it surprised me a bit, I soon regained my composure.
Han Israt was just a temporary identity I used. There was no need to worry just because his true background was revealed.
‘Did our lives intertwine as I grew up as a hero?’
Well, according to Iselle, he was replaced during the prologue of Taonier.
Since I am from Earth, there was no special connection between him and me.
Regaining my calm, I looked at the prince again.
He was throwing crumbs to the fish in the lake.
Splash, splash! Dozens of carp were frantically splashing water.
“Israt.”
The prince murmured while watching the group of fish.
He directed a golden, clear gaze at me once more, pointing to the right exit of the garden.
“If you want, go and see for yourself. The truth is there.”
“…You.”
The prince couldn't see me.
He couldn't hear my voice either. It was natural since the time axes were out of sync.
Even so, he acted as if I were right in front of him.
“You're an annoying guy.”
The prince showed no reaction to my words.
He simply watched the fish gathering with a relaxed expression.
I spat once more and turned around.
Although it puzzled me a bit, it was already in the past.
‘No matter what Han Israt has, it has nothing to do with me.’
Anyway, once the promotion ceremony is over, I will be forcibly sent back to Earth.
I walked along the dirt path of the garden towards the right exit. It seemed like there was something more, so, since I had come this far, I decided to see everything to the end.
As I left the garden, a long open corridor appeared.
The corridor was decorated with marble columns and various statues.
I walked slowly along the hallway.
After about 10 minutes.
I arrived at a luxurious terrace adorned with silver.
Someone was sitting by the terrace.
[Illegitimate Son of the Empire]
[Han Israt Lv.???]
A young man with black hair dressed in ragged leather clothes.
At most, he was just over ten years old. The boy was looking at the sky with a distant gaze.
He had an expression that didn’t match his age.
‘That is…’
Han Israt.
He didn't make a special impression on me.
If he had bothered me in the past, I probably would have kicked him.
‘So he's a bastard.’
His title said it all.
Unlike the prince or Pria, Han Israt had an exotic appearance.
At first glance, he was mixed-race. He probably had blood from some nomadic tribe living in eastern Taonier.
It made sense to hide his existence. In an empire that worshipped golden blood, there was no place for a royal member with black hair.
“Your Highness, I apologize for keeping you waiting.”
I looked back.
A middle-aged woman dressed as a maid entered the terrace pushing a cart.
On the cart was a luxurious tea set, including a teapot and cups.
“We received an evacuation order, so I didn’t have much time. I apologize for the delay, Your Highness.”
The maid, with visible wrinkles, bowed to the young man.
The boy waved his hand with an uncomfortable expression. It seemed he was not used to the treatment he received.
“…”
“However, Your Highness is legitimate of imperial blood.”
The boy sighed deeply and opened his mouth.
Although his lips moved, no sound came out.
“…”
“The princess is already waiting for you in her room.”
I frowned.
I couldn't hear him. I could understand the maid’s words, but the boy’s voice seemed muted.
The two continued their conversation on either side of the table.
“…”
“It’s been a long time since you met the Princess. She is preparing accordingly.”
Clank.
The maid placed a teacup on the table.
“You have traveled far. Please have a cup of tea.”
“…”
“Yes, it is the finest tea prepared by the princess.”
I observed the maid’s right arm.
With the sleeve covering the cup, she poured a white powder into the tea.
‘A sleeping potion.’
The boy seemed unaware.
With an unsuspecting expression, he took the cup and drank it in one gulp.
It didn’t take even a minute before his body slumped over the table.
The woman lifted the small boy’s body and left the terrace.
I must follow her.
The ‘truth’ the prince spoke of must be there.
I left the terrace and…
“…”
I placed my hand on a column.
‘What is this unpleasant feeling?’
I felt discomfort in my stomach.
Reflecting, I remembered.
“That… isn’t me.”
I was born on Earth.
I was abandoned in an orphanage before I turned ten.
The only words my parents, those despicable ones, left me were: ‘We’ll come back for you’. I don’t remember their faces, but I can still clearly recall their voices before abandoning me.
Bang!
I hit the column with my fist.
‘None of this makes sense.’
A being from a lower dimension cannot go to a higher one.
Iselle and Yurnet mentioned it several times. Even if a passage between the two dimensions were created, the dimensional pressure would tear it apart in the process. The reason I had to become a seven-star hero was to withstand that dimensional pressure.
‘Don’t make me laugh.’
I walked quickly down the hallway.
From somewhere, a woman’s voice resonated.
“It’s not impossible.”
“Really?”
“Israt also inherited golden blood. He is a legitimate heir of the emperor.”
“It’s true. The emperor united the four separate dimensions into one. If that power still resides in his brother, then… it wouldn’t be a futile effort.”
The golden blood.
I remembered the explanation Halgion once gave me.
About the myth of the creation of Taonier. In ancient times, the emperor founded the empire by uniting the dimensions ruled by four transcendent beings…
‘And he was from Earth.’
If that blood continues.
‘No.’
I shook my head.
There are still many things that cannot be explained with just that.
I turned the corner of the hallway.
The whispering voices came from the end of the hallway.
“Your Highness, I must warn you…”
“I am aware that the odds are not high.”
“You may need to prepare for the worst.”
“It is better than staying here.”
I stopped.
Beyond the door with the royal emblem, I felt a familiar presence.
Clack!
Before I could take a step, the door opened and the middle-aged maid came out.
She bowed to the person inside the room and then left the hallway.
I entered the room.
“Han.”
A voice I had heard not long ago.
But that voice was not directed at me, but at another direction.
In the center of the red carpet.
A young man with black hair was lying down.
He was deeply asleep, not moving at all.
“…Pria.”
My murmur didn’t reach her.
Dressed in a silver dress, Pria looked at the boy with an affectionate expression.
Then, Pria caressed the boy’s cheek.
“I don’t know where you will wake up. But I know your life won’t be easy from now on.”
Pria’s voice resonated softly.
“I don’t ask you to forgive me. Resent me. Curse me, hate me if it gives you strength. Do it without hesitation.”
Pria caressed the boy’s nape.
“I just want to ask you one thing.”
“…”
“Please, live.”
Pria continued.
“Survive one more day and seek your happiness, the one you couldn’t have here. It’s okay if you forget everything, me and the memories of this place. If it helps you find happiness, do it.”
Pria placed her hand on her heart.
Closing her eyes tightly, she spoke as if reciting a poem.
“I will also make you a promise.”
“…”
“I will protect our home. So that when you return, we can create new memories from the beginning. It’s a promise. An unbreakable vow. I will fulfill it with my soul and my heart. Even if my body breaks, even if I die and am reborn several times… I won’t break this promise.”
Pria murmured an oath that the boy would never hear.
Then, her shoulders began to tremble slowly.
“I’m sorry…”
“…”
“Forgive me for letting you go like this… I’m sorry. What I said before was a lie. Forgive me. I don’t want to be forgotten by you. I don’t want you to hate me. But…”
I extended my hand.
But my hand uselessly passed through Pria’s shadow.
This place is the past.
「Han Israt.」
Pria spoke.
Her voice, filled with special power, enveloped the entire room.
「I promise you. When everything is over, I will come for you.」
Pria extended her right hand.
The space seemed to tremble, and a blinding light began to emanate from her fingers.
‘This is ridiculous.’
I couldn’t help but laugh.
This seemed like a melodramatic drama.
「Someday, when we meet again.」
The object Pria held in her right hand was something I had seen countless times.
It was the dimensional sword.
「Show me your smile.」
The golden blade cut through the air.
What was revealed inside was a bottomless abyss.
Uuung!
The boy’s body began to rise slowly.
‘There’s nothing more to see here.’
Everything was predictable anyway.
I opened the door and left.
The gray sky.
What looked like clouds in the distance were probably fragments.
At least tens of thousands.
“So that’s how it was.”
It was easy to imagine why the dimensional sword was in her hands.
It was the prince’s work. It was no wonder he showed me this place.
“…”
After being abandoned, I suffered a great fever.
I lost all my memories before the age of ten.
The only thing I remembered was that promise to come back for me.
Of course, I believed in that promise and waited, but no one came, and I had to survive alone.
A life without anyone’s protection. It was very hard. A bit more bad luck and I could have ended up in some dark alley.
“So…”
The damn bastard who abandoned me was right here.