In silence, Fogham placed his right hand on the handle of a wooden door.

Its surface is delicately embossed, and some craftsmen whose names he never knew have made fine lines on it with silver, which makes it very peculiar to the touch.

“......”

Silence, silence, silence.

The Chemus closed his eyes, tilted his head, and took a deep breath.

He was wearing a lilac long-sleeved shirt, his long hair was tied up at the back of his head, his posture was very serious, and he was holding a black book in his arms.

Compared to his usual silk and off-the-shoulder robes, the dress did not look like his own.

Calm down, Fogream. You're just here to teach, you're just here to tell your brother what he has to know. So you don't need to worry, you don't need to be afraid......

He opened his eyes, then pushed the wooden door open.

Conrad Coetzes, dressed in his black robes, was sitting at a desk, quietly waiting.

"Good day, Mr. Foggrim." He greeted calmly. "Did you sleep well last night?"

“...... Conrad, you-"

As soon as he said that, Fogrem realized how weak his tone sounded now—he didn't come to class, but rather apologized.

Taking a deep breath, he quickly changed his stance. Vogrim had spent a long time studying acting, so he could be anyone he wanted to.

Calm quickly appeared, casting a calm shadow on his face. The Chemus raised his head, acting unfazed, and at the same time raised his right hand without a trace, and pretended to pat the right pocket of his jacket casually.

There's a pendant in there.

"—I slept well last night." Fogrem said calmly.

I didn't sleep at all.

"Really? That's good. ”

Conrad Coates nodded slightly, then stood up and made way for Vogrim - there was no such thing as a 'teaching room' on the Imperial Dream, and the decision was made suddenly, so the classroom was tentatively designated as Conrad Coetze's bedroom.

There is only one desk here.

Fogham narrowed his eyes, walked over without the slightest fear, and then sat down calmly. His back was straight, and his silver ponytail swayed at the back of his head.

"Today is the first day of your course." Said the Chemos. "Therefore, I will teach you some of the most basic things about the Empire."

He paused, turned his head to look at Conrad Coetzes, who was standing expressionlessly, and couldn't help but ask inquiringly, "Do you have a problem?" ”

"Nope."

"Good."

With a pout, Fogham placed the book in his arms on the table, it had no name, the cover was clearly handmade, and it was very old.

"I did it myself...... Induction and summarization. ”

The Chemus blinked.

"It has been with me for a long time, and sixty-six years ago I wrapped these soft papers with my own hands in the skin of a beast. Since then, I have been carrying them with me, adding new knowledge, new pages, new words, and new feelings. ”

He turned his head to look at Conrad Coetzes, "Now, I'm going to give it to you, Conrad. ”

“......”

"Conrad?"

“...... How long have you been thinking about those words? ”

Fogham was horrified.

"What?" He asked at a brisk pace. "What, for how long?"

"You're stretching out every end note as you say that."

Conrad Coetzes said with a blank face. "It doesn't sound like normal conversation, so, I guess, you've rehearsed it over and over again."

- What are you doing?!

Why is he so sharp?!

The Chemus pursed his lips in frustration, "No, Conrad. While it was true that I was inspired by that passage, I really didn't rehearse it many times as you said. ”

He paused for a moment, stared into a pair of dark eyes, and said sincerely, "It's not necessary, is it?" ”

“...... Perhaps. ”

Conrad Coetzes looked away, and he looked at the book, "Didn't you give it a name?" ”

“...... No. ”

"Why?"

"Because I don't—wait, Conrad, I'm here to teach you. Now, come and sit down, we're running out for time. ”

Fogrem coughed, "In two weeks, your legion will arrive in Nostramo." You're going to have to learn this before you do that. ”

"What if I don't want to learn?" Conrad Coetzes asked.

The Chemus turned his head stiffly.

From those dark eyes, he realized that Conrad Coetzes was probably asking the question seriously.

“...... Why wouldn't you want to learn? ”

"Because I haven't seen them at all."

The pale giant's brow furrowed. "I was suddenly told that I had a group of sons by blood...... But I don't know them at all, Mr. Fogham, how am I going to deal with them? ”

Slowly, the same depth appeared between Fogham's brows as his brother.

For a while, he didn't even speak.

“...... Remove the word "sir" from my first name, and I'll give you a little advice, how about it, Conrad? ”

“......”

Conrad Coetze turned his head and muttered quietly, "You're cheating." ”

Finally—Fogrem sneered blatantly.

"I'm cheating." He said unceremoniously. "Anyway, if you don't get rid of those two damn words, I won't tell you."

“...... Vogrim. The pale giant said reluctantly. Is that okay? ”

Ha.

One small step – an important first step!

Vogrim nodded excitedly, "Good! ”

After this, however, there was an abrupt silence.

He didn't know how to talk to his brother about that past.

Before he returned, his legion was known as the Third Legion. Fogrem met them on Terra, and unlike the concept of the Legion, there were only two hundred men left in the Third Legion.

Two hundred.

A painful sight came before his eyes, and the mere thought of it made Vogrim almost breathless. Two hundred, two hundred whom he had never met......

Two hundred.

Two hundred of his sons.

The Chemus lowered their heads, and the once operatic elegance of their voices now became muffled, like the lamentations of a funeral.

“...... Face it with a normal heart, Conrad. Fogham said in a low voice. Indeed, you have never met, yes, that is true. But you don't need to worry about it. ”

"Why?"

Because......

Fogrem looked up solemnly.

"Because you're their genetic proto."

"Every legion is waiting, my brother. They are given a number by their father, not a name, because the only person who is really qualified to give them a name is their own genetic protoplasm. ”

"They were selected, trained, transformed, transfused into our blood...... We have never met, but they are already connected to us by blood. This connection is pure, clear, and cannot be refused. ”

"As long as you see it with your own eyes, you will understand."

“...... But what if I'm not worthy? Conrad Coetzes asked softly.

His question made the Chemus look at him incredulously.

"I can't do anything." The pale giant said with his head bowed. "I didn't make Nostramo better, it's Carlil who has been doing it."

"I didn't save Carlil, if it wasn't... He, then, Carlil is dead. ”

"I didn't finish my first solo operation, I was chased for half a city, and then I was shot in the back with a hunting firearm and I collapsed in the alley like ...... Some kind of animal. ”

Fogham opened his mouth, only to find himself speechless.

Is this your past, Conrad?

“...... And, I also messed up last night's party. ”

Coetzes said in a low voice, frustration evident in his tone. "I didn't want to... I did that, but I didn't hold back, I shouldn't have thrown that pendant in front of you...... And Luo Jia, he ......"

"He deserved that beating." Fogrem said suddenly and coldly.

His words made Conrad Coetzes look up in surprise.

"He's talking about someone he doesn't know at all, even though it's out of love, out of a good heart. However, those who have done wrong should be punished. ”

Fogrem shook his head.

"And, Conrad. You are not as you say you are saying you are doing nothing. ”

Unconsciously, the pale giant nervously waited for Vogrim's next words, which he had told him countless times to ignore before the latter pushed the door open and entered, but he had not been able to do so.

He was also dressed in clothes gifted by Vogrim.

"You saved Karil Lohals." Fogrem said calmly. "If it weren't for you, he'd probably have burned himself to death with the kind of fire he kindled with his own hands."

The ghost stared blankly at him.

"You're an anchor."

Vogrim patiently explained. "He's obviously got a lot of secrets, right? His strength, his vast knowledge...... And his creed, which was very different and incompatible with the Nostramos. It's all pretty obvious, isn't it? ”

The ghost thought for a moment, then stared at him in shock and nodded.

"I don't know exactly who he is, but he's clearly a kind person. He's already hopeless about Nostramo's circumstances, and you're the only reason he's still able to stay normal and sane, Conrad. Otherwise why do you think he-"

Fogrem paused and said no more.

"What does he want?" The ghost asked urgently.

Luo Jia's insult, he turned a blind eye. provocation, he also did not hear it. Only when it comes to you, only when Luo Jia describes you as a child who knows nothing......

Fogrem shook his head calmly, and a picture appeared in his mind, two cold blue lights appeared.

and a giant who is so angry that his expression is twisted.

"Nothing, Conrad." The Chemus man said slowly.

"You can't do that!"

"Which one?"

"You can't—you can't, I, I'm going to hear the answer to that question!"

Vogrim smiled slightly, and touched the pendant in his pocket again, his eyes gentle.

"Let's get on with the lesson, shall we?" He asked softly. "I'll tell you the answer at the end of today's lesson."

Conrad Coetzes looked at him for a few moments, and finally quickly moved a second chair and sat down with him at the desk.