Chapter 125

Chapter 125
Chapter 125: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

The exact point where Lion, a person whom even the Archmage of the Asteri Family, his own grandfather Patrick Asteri, could not easily approach, crossed the threshold into the ‘Sanctuary’.

Within the Asteri Family grounds…

Whoooosh-!

A biting, freezing wind swept through the air.

“Ugh, why on earth is this icy wind blowing today?”

“Isn’t winter supposed to be over?”

The servants pulled their collars tight against the sudden, inexplicable chill and hurried to stoke the mansion’s fireplaces.

Part of the reason was the people dwelling inside, but more than that…

“We cannot let the house be cold when the First Young Master returns.”

It was all to prepare for the First Young Master’s homecoming, though no one even knew the exact moment he had departed!

Ever since he began venturing out, he seemed to have regained a considerable amount of vitality.

Yet, in the eyes of the domestic staff, he remained as delicate as a newborn fawn that might shatter if handled too roughly.

If the servants felt that way, how much greater must the anxiety of the Family Head or the Second Young Master be?

Even a single sneeze…

Ugh, they didn’t even dare to imagine such a disaster!

“Hurry up and bring more firewood!”

“The magical fuel stones here are completely spent, replenish those as well.”

“Yes, understood!”

Without exception, every servant scrambled into motion.

And was the First Young Master not a remarkably kind master who cared for the staff better than anyone else?

To be sure, he possessed a few peculiar quirks of his own, but those mattered little now.

“…….”

Meanwhile, a certain individual observed all this unfold.

Freya, a Half-Elf, stood rubbing her arms as she muttered under her breath.

“Are they truly oblivious, or merely pretending not to know?”

Did these servants genuinely fail to discern the cause behind the bizarre weather phenomenon gripping the mansion?

A shiver raced down Freya’s spine as she glanced furtively to the side.

And right over there…

A maid of breathtaking loveliness was carrying out her daily chores, calm as ever.

Yes, she was far too stunning to be called a mere maid—almost unnervingly so.

Elvia.

Recognized widely as Lion Asteri’s personal maid.

A ‘Witch’.

Even Freya, who had lived for a remarkably long time, had only recently discovered that the race of witches actually existed.

‘They say they are half-demon and half-human?’

She neither knew nor wished to understand how mere spirits of chaos and mortals could produce offspring, but regardless, the maid named Elvia was indeed a witch.

How else could her own memories have been forcefully pulled from her mind and exposed so carelessly…

‘Ugh, my stomach still turns when I recall that ordeal.’

At any rate, it was certainly no ordinary procedure.

It bore the unmistakable hallmarks of demonic magic.

Yet… the devotion behind her care for her master was undeniably genuine, was it not?

Freya’s thoughts drifted back to the time they had shared in the bath together.

Contrary to her initial panic, the hot spring experience had been surprisingly mundane.

Had Elvia not offered her a wealth of guidance?

For instance, how a long-lived race ought to part ways with a relatively short-lived one, or how to let go swiftly.

Along with lessons on living in the present moment and various other unexpected pearls of wisdom…

‘Ah, she acts just like a grandmother….’

A rather grumpy grandmother, at that, who would likely rap you on the head if you dared to talk back!

……Regardless! It hadn’t been a terrible experience, setting aside the fact that it drained her energy just as much as the hot spring water made her sweat.

It was also rather pleasant that Elvia used cooling magic to re-chill the Sikhye provided by her master.

Furthermore, there was a comforting sense that every syllable the maid uttered was entirely for her master’s benefit.

Even so.

“Even if that’s the case, this is going too far!”

As Freya let out a soft huff of frustration, the Salamander perched atop her shoulder mimicked its owner, puffing a tiny ring of fire from its snout.

‘It is fine for the master to step away from home occasionally. There is no need to conjure such a freezing gale just because of it!’

It was cold. Bitterly cold!

Could anyone fail to see that Elvia herself was the epicenter of this glacial draft?

Why was nobody else picking up on it?

“Honestly…”

Freya let out a heavy sigh and dragged her feet forward.

‘If you are that consumed with worry, you should simply ask the master’s younger sibling.’

It seemed baffling that she hadn’t done so, given that they all shared the same roof.

Or perhaps, having been born a powerful witch, the notion of seeking assistance from others simply never crossed her mind.

“I have no alternative.”

*Ahem.*

Pulling her hat down low to shadow her face, Freya stepped into the room.

She hadn’t resorted to this particular method since her master returned from the Baidantis Territory, but circumstances left her with no choice.

Reaching deep into her pouch, Freya drew out a black crystal sphere, channeled her magic into it, and spoke in a muted tone.

“I request information regarding the current whereabouts of… Lion Asteri.”

…….

As expected, the intelligence network of the underworld proved formidable!

Before long, a slip of parchment bearing Lion’s exact location fluttered in through the window on the breeze!

* Lion Asteri is presently located within the Temple situated in the Asteri Territory. Further particulars remain unverified.

“That wretched witch!”

Freya gripped the letter tightly, her hand curling into a fist.

Naturally. Being a witch, she could hardly waltz straight into a sacred Temple, could she?

‘What if she gets struck by purification?’

Given their fundamental opposition, a pleasant outcome was hardly likely.

Still, what about her master?

‘He is safe!’

Wasn’t all of Elvia’s anxiety rooted in her master’s well-being?

If so, simply relaying this discovery ought to appease her and finally put a stop to that oppressive, witchly frost.

Besides… wouldn’t radiating magic so recklessly take a heavy toll on a witch’s own constitution?

“……I am not doing this out of concern.”

*Ahem.* It was purely because the maid was favored by her master. It was simply what a dutiful disciple should do.

Fretting over someone as startlingly unconventional as that witch was the most pointless endeavor in existence.

Firmly clutching the dark missive, Freya marched off to find Elvia.

Yet, despite her bold outward stride…

“Umm, um… here.”

“Little one. When you address someone, you ought to speak clearly, shouldn’t you?”

It was neither ‘here’ nor ‘this.’

“Tch.”

Elvia snatched the crumpled parchment from Freya’s fingers, smoothed it out, and her customarily blank eyes widened by a fraction.

‘I was wondering what she had scampered off to do.’

Was she not attempting something rather commendable, far beyond what one might expect?

It appeared this Half-Elf child had jumped to the conclusion that Elvia had somehow lost track of her precious puppy.

‘I can easily guess what was running through her head.’

She must have assumed he had wandered off, suddenly gone off the grid, leaving Elvia deeply unsettled ever since.

In reality, unlike Freya’s fretful assumptions, Elvia was acutely aware of what her beloved puppy was up to.

Even so, ever since he stepped foot inside the Sanctuary, his presence had grown frustratingly faint, which she found profoundly irritating.

Judging by the fact that Patrick showed no outward alarm, the boy was undoubtedly fine, but…

‘It feels suspiciously like a maze.’

Did they share similar roots, even if their underlying natures differed?

Even Silvia could not quite pin it down.

At any rate, the recent incident had left her nerves somewhat frayed, and this little Half-Elf had noticed and taken matters into her own hands.

Elvia had assumed no one outside the Asteri Family could evoke such feelings in her, yet here was the Half-Elf tangled up with her puppy, proving her wrong.

“There are endless things to experience in this life.”

As Elvia let out a soft chuckle, the bone-chilling cold that had gripped the Asteri estate evaporated in an instant.

The heavy clouds had yet to part entirely, so the day remained overcast, but if the breeze picked up just a bit more, warm sunlight would surely break through soon.

“…!”

With the disappearance of the freezing draft, color rushed right back into Freya’s cheeks!

Though the girl had clearly misunderstood the situation entirely, she seemed thoroughly pleased with herself.

Even though she hadn’t accomplished anything of real substance, the mere feeling of having helped brought a quiet satisfaction.

Could this be the very ‘satisfaction’ her master often spoke of?

“Very well. Since you have performed a helpful deed, a reward is in order.”

Elvia murmured with a light laugh, stepping forward to lead the way.

Indeed. The Young Master would hardly wish for her to simply sit around idly.

Was he not the sort of person who wanted everyone around him to embrace their own lives to the fullest?

In that case…

‘While my puppy is away, I ought to clear away these bothersome obstacles all at once.’

For instance, driving him out of the Temple, or ensuring no one could easily approach him even if his identity came to light.

‘And how shall I deal with that particular heir.’

……First, I shall bake a batch of sweet cookies for this good-natured child, and then I can ponder the rest at my leisure.

—

Lion strolled at a measured pace toward the spring, which was barely managing to carve out a thin trickle of water.

The current was so sluggish that every single footstep seemed to send ripples outward, disrupting the feeble flow entirely.

“This is…?”

“Indeed. This serves as the foundation of the Sanctuary established by the Archbishop… though.”

Even Richt appeared taken aback by how weak the manifestation was, leaving him momentarily at a loss for words.

“I hesitate to voice this, but did the Archbishop fail to reach this place?”

“That is not the case. The mere existence of this pocket dimension stands as proof that the combined might of the Archbishop and his predecessor extended this far.”

Richt quickly offered an explanation.

They had forged an entirely new domain using divine energy right upon the barren temple grounds, cultivating an environment where flora could thrive.

Naturally, it remained a fragile ecosystem that could only sustain beings attuned to divine power, and without constant maintenance, the space itself would destabilize—yet the feat alone was staggering.

“Ah…”

“You may find many aspects baffling, but rest assured, the Archbishop performed to the utmost of his abilities.”

Lion offered an appropriate nod and scanned his surroundings.

‘So it constitutes a labyrinth of an entirely different breed, doesn’t it?’

Admittedly, it carried far more restrictions than the labyrinth tucked away within the Asteri Family estate, but temples were hardly rare or isolated phenomena.

“Of course, given that this falls under the Asteri Territory, infrastructural development took a lower priority here, which is precisely why the spring has dwindled to this extent…”

“Pardon? For what reason?”

“While the general public assumes it stems from poor relations between the Temple and the Asteri house…”

And yet?

“…In truth, both sides possess a tacit understanding, leaving matters in each other’s hands to a certain degree. Haha.”

Ah, so that was the reality behind it?

‘In that case, if I manage to resolve this Sanctuary dilemma…’

It meant securing a guaranteed work-life balance not only for Peter, but for his grandfather and younger sibling as well!

He had intended to fix the issue regardless, but this realization only served to steel his resolve further.

Though, before tackling that.

“I understand.”

“Quite so.”

A peculiar, lingering tension hung in the air between them.

Given the circumstances, a certain lingering question had gone unaddressed by both of them throughout the journey here.

Yet, before they could properly begin their work, that matter demanded clarification.

Specifically.

“Richt.”

“…Yes. Please go ahead.”

Bracing himself as though he had anticipated the inquiry, Richt obediently closed his eyes and braced for the query.

“Regarding this precognitive dream and the token that permits me treatment as an honored guest.”

Lion tapped the ‘Guest’s Token’ pinned to his tunic.

“What is the true significance behind an item that allows someone of entirely unverified identity to be granted entry into the Sanctuary?”