Chapter 105

Chapter 105
Chapter 105: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

Reflecting on the matter, Flame Herbs naturally called for essential nutrients as well.

Given that their inherent thermal energy was so intense, they undoubtedly demanded nourishment attuned to fire.

If Flame Herbs shared this trait, would not Evening Primrose, standing among the highest-tier ingredients, follow a similar rule?

‘Well, for example, since it’s connected to the moon, perhaps it requires lunar-tuned nourishment.’

While Flame Herbs with stems and roots already demanded nutrients upon entering a new territory, germinating seeds would certainly require an even greater amount.

‘It is a relief I held back from planting it immediately.’

I nearly compromised the growth of the Evening Primrose that my younger sibling had gone to such lengths to secure.

‘Yet, that diminutive stature…’

Lion raised his gaze to study Barg.

A Red Wolf… no, even if one considered him a beastman, his frame appeared remarkably slight and delicate.

‘A true beastman could never be built thus.’

Beastmen, despite their modest populations, are endowed with a natural hardiness designed to safeguard their own frames.

Werewolf beastmen boast formidable claws and agile movements.

Avian beastmen possess the capability to spread their wings and soar, while ursine beastmen… in essence, they can tear apart even ogres.

Though their specific traits vary, one fact remains absolute: they project a physical dominance entirely foreign to ordinary mortals.

Yet, this particular individual defied the rule.

A beastman might exhibit weakness for only two conceivable reasons.

‘Either they suffer from an incurable affliction, or they are destined to contract one very shortly.’

Beastmen possessing the strength to subdue two or three grown men, regardless of age, falter solely when stricken by a peculiar malady exclusive to their kind.

‘Among their folk, it is termed the ‘Eclipse Symptom’…’

Depending on their specific racial heritage, they manifest unnatural disturbances linked directly to the sun or the moon.

For instance, those attuned to solar essence lose the capacity to gaze directly upon the sun. Conversely, for individuals who generate lunar essence…

‘They become utterly unable to look upon the moon.’

Naturally, the volume of essence they could produce would dwindle, and they would simultaneously suffer severe harm from that very essence in return.

In time, their bodies would inevitably wane while their temperaments grew increasingly volatile.

To put the matter plainly, it is an affliction wherein they drift closer to feral beasts than humans, turning so ferocious that the slightest lapse in composure causes them to unsheathe their claws until they finally go berserk, slaughtering everything in the vicinity before perishing from sheer exhaustion.

‘He appears capable of moving about under the night sky, however…’

Observing how sparse his internal essence currently was, I suspected complications would arise before long.

Just as Lion prepared to re-examine the lunar essence within him.

“Ah, that is… I am deeply sorry!”

“…”

Barg leaped up from his resting place and pressed his forehead flat against the ground.

It could hardly be described as a proper greeting.

He prostrated himself entirely, acting as though submitting to a beast of vastly superior rank.

Flustered, Lion reached down to lift Barg up without even laying aside his skewer.

“What is the matter? Please, compose yourself.”

“Ah, well… I was simply so famished…”

“Famished? Ah, indeed. You are hungry, are you not?”

“Pardon? No, that is not—I was hungry, and thus the barley…”

“Ah, of course. Here, partake of this.”

Catching Barg before he could plunge into another prostration, Lion guided him down onto a seat and pressed two sausage skewers into his hands.

This should serve to settle his nerves.

“…”

Barg stared blankly at Lion, then shifted his gaze downward to fixate upon the sausage skewers resting in his palms.

They emitted a savory, oily fragrance, and warm juices leaked from the casings, moistening the spots where the wooden sticks pierced them.

They promised to be exceptionally palatable.

Moreover, they were newly grilled…

‘A-are dreams truly rendered with such vividness?’

Barg tilted his head in confusion before taking a tentative bite of the sausage.

*Crunch!*

His teeth severed the meat precisely between the scored lines, causing the taut skin to yield and release a spicy kick alongside the rich savor of pork from within.

“!”

Though he had tasted few sausages in his lifetime, this might well stand as the most delectable morsel he had ever encountered.

He lacked the refined vocabulary required to describe the precise flavor profile.

It was simply exquisite! The aroma alone was magnificent! The irregularly diced meat offered a delightful chewiness that elevated the entire experience of eating!

“Oh…!”

“Is it to your liking?”

“Yes!”

Before he could properly recall his intention to apologize, Barg abandoned all hesitation and devoured the skewers in his grip.

*Gulp!*

Having vanished two plump sausages in a matter of moments…

This time, un-scored sausages were laid directly upon the grill!

“These lack the cuts, meaning the texture will remain wonderfully firm.”

Lion continued the rhythmic task of grilling more sausages.

“Eat your fill.”

“Ah, yes!”

“Partake of more.”

“This is beyond words, so very delicious…!”

And Barg consumed without pause.

‘It remains fortunate, at the very least, that his appetite has not deserted him.’

When physical decline sets in due to the Eclipse Symptom, victims invariably reach a stage where they can neither ingest food nor retain water.

Their own systems begin a process of self-destruction, causing them to reject whatever they manage to swallow.

Consequently, as the condition advances, their health plummets precipitously toward a critical threshold.

Therefore, it was wiser to rebuild his strength while he retained the capacity to eat.

‘For the present moment, my priority must be to feed him well.’

As things stood, Lion possessed no remedy for Barg’s Eclipse Symptom.

After all, it was classified as an incurable disease.

Throughout the entirety of , only a single instance of conquering the affliction had ever been recorded.

That feat belonged exclusively to the playable character, the Druid.

Even then, the event was merely referenced in passing during the opening character introduction of the game… leaving the precise mechanism entirely unknown.

‘He retreated into the depths of a secluded forest to minimize casualties because he could not master the affliction on his own.’

Yet, he miraculously endured the ordeal, and concurrently the Eclipse Symptom vanished, awakening him to the path of a Druid.

It was nothing short of a miracle.

Hence, expecting the exact sequence to repeat itself twice was a foolish hope.

The realization tasted bitter, yet Lion was well aware he was no deity.

‘I shall nonetheless search for a viable path.’

No one could predict how long the search might require.

Thus, for now, his sole available course was to provide ample nourishment so the youth could regain his vigor.

*Munch munch.*

Oblivious to the thoughts swirling in Lion’s mind, Barg cheerfully consumed the sausages and began to chatter about various trivialities.

“Ah, first, I offer my sincere apologies! I ended up consuming all of the Young Master’s provisions simply because I could no longer endure the hunger.”

It constituted a proper apology, at the very least.

‘He offered repentance before even revealing his identity.’

He was an eccentric character indeed.

“I understand. By the way, what is your designation?”

“Goodness, my name is Barg!”

Barg replied hurriedly, as though only then realizing he had omitted his introduction, before resuming his rambling narrative.

He was currently undergoing the trials of the Knight Order’s initiation.

Through a twist of fortune, he had caught the attention of Knight Captain Rikson and was now sheltered within the order’s quarters.

There appeared to be a deeper context behind the arrangement, yet he chose to leave it unmentioned.

Perhaps the tale proved too painful to articulate aloud.

Sensing that underlying weight, Lion opted to let the matter pass without pressing.

‘Yet Rikson chose to bring him?’

Not merely anyone, but the esteemed Knight Captain of the Asteri Family.

It defied belief that such a man would remain ignorant of Barg’s true condition.

He must have brought the youth forward fully aware that he was a beastman…

‘Has he neglected to submit a report thus far?’

Or perhaps my grandfather, concluding that no viable cure existed, simply resolved to grant him a safe haven for the remainder of his days.

‘I shall inquire of him regarding the matter later.’

Meanwhile, Barg maintained his steady stream of chatter.

“…And thus, a few days past, I was officially admitted as a trainee knight.”

Contrary to the hesitant demeanor he had initially displayed, he proved remarkably talkative.

Such a change signaled that his guard had lowered, a development of which Lion did not disapprove.

…Or perhaps the youth remained convinced that the entire encounter was nothing more than a dream.

‘Hmm, that remains a distinct possibility.’

Otherwise, he would hardly be unburdening his entire life’s chronicle in this fashion, he reasoned.

Besides.

Before he had even noticed, his ears and tail had manifested, swaying softly in rhythm with his shifting emotions.

‘How curious.’

Astonically, the features created no sense of dissonance.

And surely there was no harm in simply letting him be for the moment?

Deciding against any interference, Lion figured that once the hour of awakening arrived, the youth would perceive the truth on his own accord.

“Here. This portion is for you.”

Instead, Lion toasted a diminutive sausage, roughly the size of a finger joint, and deposited it directly before Nature.

“Peep!”

Having waited quietly nearby, Nature pounced upon the offering with eager enthusiasm.

Striking the surface with her beak, she ruptured the casing and industriously worked at the meat inside, a sight that could only be described as endearing.

‘She appears to care little for the interior.’

Well, from Nature’s perspective, the texture likely proved overly chewy and troublesome to consume.

“On the next occasion, I shall prepare them without the outer skins.”

And while undertaking the task, dipping them into an egg batter to produce a dish akin to stir-fried meatballs sounded like a promising venture.

“Um, pardon me…”

Mid-sentence, Barg cast a curious glance toward Nature.

“Might that little bird happen to be a Spirit?”

“Peep!”

At the designation of “little bird,” Nature paused her meal to emit a sharp, indignant squawk.

Though the sound remained nothing more than a clear, miniature peep.

“Indeed. You are correct.”

Lion replied gently while stroking the crest of Nature’s head.

“As I suspected… Ah, I must apologize. It is my very first time beholding a Spirit with my own eyes.”

The first time?

‘If that holds true, it signifies the delegations from the Elf Country had not yet arrived when they previously visited.’

It would appear he truly entered the household of the Asteri Family at a relatively late date.

If so… the timeframe when I resided alongside the Byrdentis Family stands as the most probable period.

‘Yet, if he possesses the discernment to recognize Nature as a Spirit…’

It points undeniably to an exceptionally high Spirit Affinity.

Does that not bear a striking resemblance to the traits of a ‘Druid’?

Lion cast a silent, contemplative look at Barg seated across from him.

The distinct red hair characteristic of a Red Wolf beastman, paired with his pale greyish-white pupils.

When factoring in other subtle markers within his gaze…

‘Could he be of relation?’

Given that the beastman society operates as a deeply rooted clan system, the possibility held considerable weight.

“Ah, is there something amiss upon my face?”

Noticing Lion’s fixed stare, Barg instinctively scrubbed his lips with the back of his hand, sensing he had erred.

A glistening smear of grease now adorned not only his mouth but also his cheeks and the back of his wrist.

“We shall attend to the cleaning once you have finished your meal.”

Lion placed another properly toasted sausage onto the plate before Barg and offered his reply.

As the midnight sky slowly yielded to the approaching hues of dawn…

Barg finally brought his prolonged meal to a conclusion.

‘Remarkable.’

The quantity prepared had initially made him wonder whether such consumption was even permissible.

Should any surplus remain, his original plan had been to boil the leftovers for a later hour.

Yet that concern had dissolved entirely.

‘Perhaps this outcome is preferable?’

Consuming a hearty meal in this manner was undoubtedly superior to picking listlessly at one’s plate.

“…”

Barg reclined comfortably, mirroring a hound that had eaten its fill of treats… before a creeping sense of unease finally settled over his mind.

The situation defied all logic.

Could a mere dream possess such vivid clarity, carry such rich aromas, and leave one feeling so thoroughly satiated?

With deliberate caution, Barg reached out to retrieve one of the remaining skewers piled before him and poked his own cheek.

*Ouch!*

“Gasp.”

The action produced actual pain.

Such sensations had no place within the confines of a dream, did they?

Clutching his afflicted cheek, Barg blinked repeatedly as he sank into a daze of profound confusion.

“What troubles you?”

Retrieving the skewer from the youth’s slack grip, Lion proceeded to tidy the immediate area.

‘Ahhhhhh??’

Barg screamed inwardly at the maddeningly nonchalant attitude displayed by Lion.

Outwardly, however, he could do nothing more than open and close his mouth in stunned silence.

“This… was never a dream?”

Had the realization truly eluded him until this exact moment?

‘Good grief, this wolf possesses a truly dense skull.’

Not a single shred of wild ferocity remained visible in his bearing.

Instead…

‘He is simply a fool.’

Concluding thus, Lion delivered the final confirmation to shatter any lingering doubt.

“You surely did not imagine otherwise, did you?”

This reality was no illusion.