Chapter 7 “I would not wish any companion in the world but you.”

The sun began to set, and the evening sky darkened. Streetlights were gradually turned on one by one by the guards. The atmosphere of the city, once silent, slowly transformed into a bustling scene as they approached the city square.

As if guiding us, the arrangement of white bricks on the city streets reflected the dim light for our horse-drawn carriage. Like dispelling the darkness of the night, magical, colorful lights and ear-piercing music continued to illuminate the festival area.

And before long, the awaited moment arrived. Albert promptly stopped his horse-drawn carriage and invited Kalina and the young man to disembark. The young man carefully watched his steps as he descended from the carriage. Before him now was a magnificent and unique festival.

Glowing birds flew around, small fairies continuously made bell-like sounds, and the townsfolk and children laughed joyfully throughout the festival area. The young man could only stand in awe, admiring the festival that seemed so unique and reminiscent of the fairy-tale lands he had read about in books.

“Wow, so this is the festival?” exclaimed the young man.

“Yup, this is it. Although it's just a small festival for now... Maybe one day, we can visit the grand version during our summer vacation,” said Kalina.

Then Kalina turned to the back, where Albert, a middle-aged carriage driver with a white beard, still sat hunched over on his carriage seat.

“Hey Albert, don't you want to join us?” Kalina asked Albert.

“No, I'll wait for all of you here. Hah...” Albert replied with a sigh.

“Are you sure?” Kalina asked again.

“Aaah... don't think about me. Right now, my head is pounding. Instead of taking you home, I ended up bringing you to this festival. Oh... what am I going to tell them...” Albert lamented.

Seeing Albert who was sad, the young man then looked at Kalina, who didn't seem to care one bit about Albert's feelings.

“Mmm... Hey Kalina, maybe we should just go home now, what do you think? I can't wait to meet our parents,” the young man suggested.

“Hah!? If I say we're going to have fun, then we're going to have fun! Come on, hurry up! Before all those shops run out of their food supplies!” Kalina exclaimed, pulling the young man's hand tightly and forcefully.

In just a few seconds, the two of them had disappeared from Albert's sight, who remained melancholic inside his horse-drawn carriage. And in just a few seconds, they both began to forget about Albert and joyfully played and shopped for food and drinks to their heart's content in the festival area.

At this moment, everything felt like being in paradise for the young man who once lived a life full of suffering in his previous world. In this new world, he was truly convinced that it was a gift from the gods for him.

Because in this world, he had everything he never had in his previous life. Abundant wealth, kind and respectful townspeople, and a caring sister.

It could be assured that this was indeed a real paradise for him.

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“That evening, time passed so quickly, it didn't feel like three hours had passed when the two of them had fun in the festival area. After being satisfied and tired, they both rested near a grassy hill adjacent to the festival area.

The young man sat and observed the residents rejoicing in the festival area. Even though it was getting late, the festival still showed no signs of dimming its lights. From the top of the hill, the young man could see children and their parents having fun, as well as some couples sitting intimately.

From this vantage point, the young man could see those couples appearing so romantic and affectionate. Some were feeding each other, some were hugging and caressing their partner's hair, and some were gazing at the sky and discussing their future.

Meanwhile, beside the young man, there was only a woman who kept rolling on the grass, laughing uncontrollably while holding her stomach.

“Hahaha! It's so silly! Do you still remember the play about the horned devil, Big Bro? Hahaha! That devil was so foolish, wasn't it?” Kalina exclaimed, continuing to laugh like a mad person.

“Yeah, yeah, very amusing,” the young man replied with a slightly disappointed tone, observing the beautiful woman who continued to laugh beside him.

The young man felt disappointed, wondering how a woman as beautiful and charming as her could have such an unpredictable nature. Imagine if she had a bit more dignified character; surely, she would look as graceful as a goddess descending from the heavens.

“Ok-ok, the laughter time is over. So, Big Bro, how do you feel about our activities? Do you like them?” Kalina asked, seemingly satisfied with her laughter-filled event.

“Mmm... Honestly, it feels like it's been a very long time since I've had this much fun,” the young man murmured.

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Hahaha, forget about it! Of course, I say this because I've lost all my memories now. Besides, I'm sure we used to have fun like this a lot back then, didn't we?” the young man asked, looking into Kalina's eyes.

“Uh-huh, unfortunately, Big Bro's guess is wrong. Even though we always live in the same house and go to school in the same place, as far as I remember, we've never played together like this,” Kalina replied softly, shifting her gaze toward the festival area in front of her.

Although Kalina had shifted her gaze from the young man, he could see that Kalina's expression had now turned melancholic and full of disappointment.

“Hah!? How could that be!? Aren't we siblings!?” the young man asked in astonishment.

“Normally, yes, but both of us are not from a normal family. Since our parents, who are descendants of the seven legendary knights who once saved this world, found out that my older brother possesses that legendary Blue Flame magic, all the inhabitants of this land were in uproar, claiming that the prophesied Hero had now been born.”

“The prophesied Hero?” the young man asked.

“Yes, a Hero who is said to come and vanquish the horned devil that was once only sealable by the seven legendary knights. Since Big Bro was dubbed the hero destined to save our world, every day I could only see Big Bro tirelessly training to become the Hero expected by everyone.”

“... Am I trying to become the Hero expected by everyone?”

“Yes. I'm sure there's no one in this land who doesn't recognize and admire Big Bro's power. But for me, who keeps seeing you forced to struggle like that... it hurts,” Kalina said, then lowered her gaze.

“I don't want to see Big Bro suffer like that, and I don't want to see Big Bro constantly pushed like that. So one day, I told our parents not to continuously force you to train like that. But both of them said, 'Won't you be ashamed if your Brother becomes weak and fails when trying to save our world? Instead of thinking about something that's not your concern, it's better if you just train to become as strong as your brother! Moreover, with the many malicious rumors about you, as your parents, we also don't know what to do with a strange child like you!'“ Kalina said.

“What!? Our parents called you strange!? No, wait a minute. I think I understand what they meant. Indeed, looking at your behavior, it's not surprising that some people would say you're strange,” the young man said.

“Hey, that's mean! They meant it not for my personality but for my appearance and magic!” Kalina protested.

“Hmm? What's wrong with your appearance and magic, anyway? From my perspective, you already look very beautiful. Well, the only downside is your unpredictable personality.”

“Hey-hey-hey, is Big Bro actually praising me or mocking me? I mean, look at my black hair. Maybe Big Bro doesn't remember, but our parents have blonde hair like Big Bro, and what's even worse is my magic...” Kalina said, raising her right hand forward.

Then, in just a few moments, a bright blue flame appeared on the palm of Kalina's right hand.

A legendary blue flame in this world, and whoever possesses it will automatically be considered a hero foretold in the prophecy.

“Kalina... Are you also a hero in that prophecy?” the young man asked.

“Mm-hmm, just look for a moment more, and I'm sure Big Bro will understand,” Kalina said with a touch of sadness.

And just a few seconds later, a small black flame appeared beneath the bright blue flame on Kalina's palm. Quickly, as if devouring its prey, the blue flame now burned and transformed into a blue flame enveloped in black fire.

“Wow, your magic is so cool!” the young man exclaimed.

“Hehehe, so according to Big Bro, my magic looks cool, huh? Hehehe, as long as Big Bro knows, back then you said my magic was disgusting... But forget about that and listen to my explanation first. As you can see, both of us have the same fire magic. Unfortunately, my blue fire has a more dominating black fire, to the point that Big Bro could say my magic has a black color. And that's why there are many rumors saying that my magic is just the remnants of Big Bro's magic, or a rumor saying that I envy Big Bro's magic and then perform a forbidden ritual to obtain this tainted blue fire. Or I should also have blue fire, but because my heart is not as pure as Big Bro's, my blue fire looks dirty like this,” explained Kalina.

“... I'm sorry. I didn't expect that you've been through something that difficult,” the young man apologized.

“Hehehe, But don't worry! Now I understand why someone like me, who is not a member of the legendary seventh knight like Big Bro, can have such strange magic!” said Kalina, who then stood up, swaying her black gown to rid it of dirt and grass stains. Kalina looked up at the sky, took a deep breath, and exhaled.

“It's because now I can protect Big Brother from anything!” Kalina said with a broad smile, looking at her brother who was still sitting beside her.

“Kalina...”

“Monsters are nothing; I'm sure with this magic, I can even defeat the knight friends of Big Bro! Let me show you the power of your super little sister! Hehehe...” Kalina said, laughing and smiling broadly.

Seeing Kalina back to her cheerful self, the young man stood up, patted Kalina's head, and stroked it. Then, they continued their journey, buying souvenirs along the way.

On the way back, the horse-drawn carriage seemed to run very fast. Albert, the carriage driver, appeared frightened, perhaps anticipating scolding from his employer.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Kalina continued to cheer and encourage the horse pulling their carriage.

“You're late.”

An angry-looking couple and a gentle maid were waiting in front of their residence. As Albert had warned earlier, tonight there would undoubtedly be a commotion in their home. It was certain that the three of them would face an endless barrage of scolding.

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