Chapter 135

Chapter 135
Chapter 135: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

Rikschel kept his gaze fixed on Lion in absolute silence.

“So you’ve dealt with something, I see.”

“But seeing as you’re not telling me, it must be…”

“He probably thinks it’s nothing significant again.”

Drawing from everything he had witnessed over the past few months, this sort of modesty was simply an inherent trait of his older brother.

Naturally, Rikschel viewed this humble streak as one of Lion’s greatest virtues.

After all, the various mindsets and perspectives rooted in true humility ultimately evolve into the genuine dignity expected of a noble.

Yet.

His perspective had shifted slightly.

“I think you can be a little more boastful. Older Brother.”

He deserved to take much greater pride in his own accomplishments!

Even if his older brother considered them trivial, every single milestone he had reached lately was nothing short of extraordinary.

Did these events not routinely astonish not only Rikschel himself, but the Family Head and Elvia as well?

“…He probably won’t show it, though.”

Rikschel held deep respect and admiration for that aspect of his character too.

Still.

Was there truly no reason to step forward and put an end to the gossip?

In the end, he decided to let it run its course.

Even if the public titles didn’t explicitly use his older brother’s name, didn’t everyone who mattered recognize the actual identity of the ‘Messenger of God’?

That being the case, amplifying that reputation could only work to their advantage.

Moreover, taking this path significantly increased the likelihood of receiving direct backing from the temple down the road.

In truth, securing that very cooperation from the temple was Rikschel’s primary objective.

Forging an alliance and securing support from the sanctuary.

It was a strategic choice that the original Rikschel would have dismissed out of hand.

After all, he was the designated heir of the Asteri Family.

He possessed wealth, prestige, and formidable talent.

He had always been certain of his ability to smoothly take over the Asteri lineage following the current Family Head.

If he already had everything at his fingertips, why bother courting external factions?

“…I used to think that way.”

Not anymore, however.

There came a day when the Family Head made a poignant remark.

Even a master of the arcane arts could never fully anticipate every single crisis that might arise.

If an individual ever emerged who claimed they could resolve every conceivable dilemma, that person would either be dangerously arrogant or entirely subhuman.

At the time, grasping the true depth of those words proved difficult.

To be precise, an innate resistance kept him from wanting to understand them.

The concept was simply too painful.

It felt akin to confronting the very failure of the esteemed Family Head… or rather, his grandfather.

Such thoughts stirred up a needless turmoil and twisted knots inside him.

Particularly.

“When I heard about my parents from grandfather.”

A profound, bottomless emptiness always settled across grandfather’s features whenever the topic arose.

It resembled gazing down into an infinite abyss.

Or perhaps, it sometimes seemed as though grandfather himself were perpetually falling through that endless void.

Family.

The haunting look of a man who had outlived his child in the prime of their life…

“I hated it.”

Because that sorrow inevitably reminded him of his own mother.

It made him feel fragile, like a solitary candle flame flickering against a gale.

He longed for them fiercely, despite retaining neither memories nor clear images of their faces.

Thus, the much younger Rikschel sought desperately to escape that suffocating ache.

He built walls, averted his gaze, and drew a rigid emotional boundary.

In his youthful judgment, the crushing despair of loss far outweighed the warmth and stability of familial bonds.

Fortunately, he hadn’t yet grown close to his older brother back then, so he initially believed things were proceeding according to his detached plan.

Reality, however, proved entirely different.

“Rather, I was the foolish one.”

He came to recognize that he was the very embodiment of the arrogance the Family Head had warned against.

Had he not stubbornly denied the fundamental truth that humanity was never meant to walk this world in isolation?

Now, the meaning was entirely clear to him.

It was an ineffable realization, one that transcended mere words and intellect.

His older brother was the catalyst who opened his eyes to this truth.

The debt of gratitude he owed to the one who had awakened him felt far too vast to ever fully express.

Consequently, he resolved to safeguard his older brother’s peace of mind by any means necessary.

…In any case, having an extra safety net in place for unforeseen emergencies was always the wiser course.

He had already solidified a firm alliance with the Marquis of Byedantis, meaning the temple was the logical next step.

Besides, he regarded that priest named Rihit as a genuinely decent fellow on a personal level.

Admittedly, the man still carried a certain greenness, but his knack for shaking up the temple hierarchy with mere rhetoric was quite impressive.

“Thanks to that, I can catch one not just one, but two birds with one stone.”

Securing the temple’s backing alongside his older brother’s growing legacy.

Older Brother.

The legendary exploits of Lion Asteri.

Even if his older brother would undoubtedly cringe at the attention, this served as an invaluable shield to neutralize potential threats before they could materialize.

“I don’t know when another unforeseen incident will occur due to underestimating my older brother.”

Therefore, he operated quietly behind the scenes to ensure that external forces would never dare overstep their boundaries and inconvenience his older brother again.

Such absurd incursions would never be permitted to happen twice.

Rikschel had certainly not forgotten the brazen assault orchestrated by the first prince’s faction against his older brother.

While the first prince’s antics were aggravating enough, the truly loathsome creatures were the sycophants hovering around him.

“It’s obvious they egged on the foolish first prince to cause trouble.”

The motive was transparent.

It was the hallmark of those parasitic nobles tethered to power: provoking anyone they perceived as an easy target.

Even if the target happened to be the eldest scion of the illustrious Asteri household, surely testing him once wouldn’t hurt?

After all, they assumed he lacked talent and boasted zero noteworthy achievements, right?

Why not probe his boundaries using the first prince as a pawn!

Even if the scheme backfired, it wouldn’t impact their own standing, so where’s the harm?

“Well, that’s probably their thinking.”

Rikschel made no effort to conceal his utter contempt.

Granted, those schemers would undoubtedly suffer a crushing humiliation this time around and remain cowering in the shadows for the foreseeable future.

Regardless, manufacturing glory for his older brother brought nothing but benefits.

Furthermore…

“Ahem, I also want to brag.”

If left entirely to his own impulses, he would gladly broadcast to the entire world just how magnificent his older brother truly was.

Yet, knowing how much his brother would detest such a spectacle, he settled for the compromise of simply not silencing the rumors.

With his internal monologue concluded, Rikschel slid a fresh handkerchief across the table toward his companion.

“Are you alright?”

“Cough, thank you.”

Lion hastily swallowed the remnants of his drink and pressed the fabric to his mouth.

He looked distinctly flustered.

“Pero if such rumors continue to spread, won’t the status of the Messenger of God become a bit too absurd?”

“That’s right. That’s precisely why these elaborate myths keep multiplying.”

“What?”

“Word is that whenever the Saint takes a step, fresh sprouts burst through the pavement, azure butterflies materialize out of thin air to scatter holy water everywhere, and luminous wings accompanied by a halo manifest behind him.”

“Wow…”

Wondering what kind of tall tales were being spun, he found himself listening to descriptions straight out of a fable.

Lacking any argument to counter the claims, he could only stand in silent awe.

Human imagination truly knew no bounds.

“I have no idea how you managed to sweet-talk the Archbishop, but Priest Rihit appears to have managed the fallout admirably.”

“I know.”

At any rate, the crisis had been averted, so leaving the matter buried in anonymity seemed like the best course of action.

Interfering further wouldn’t alter the outcome now.

More importantly, a burning curiosity occupied his mind.

“So, what ultimately happened to Peter?”

It concerned the boy’s immediate future.

虽然 The Archbishop had pledged to settle the affair amicably, true peace of mind wouldn’t arrive until concrete details reached his ears.

Rikschel offered his older brother a soft, reassuring smile.

“Yes. He was safely adopted.”

Delivering the answer to the question weighing heaviest on Lion’s heart first, Rikschel proceeded to recount the rest of the narrative at a leisurely pace.

“However, despite falling just shy of full official priesthood, his genuine aptitude for divine power led Peter to express his desire to walk the clerical path under his own volition.”

“Then…”

“Considering that Peter is still a child who requires the warmth of receiving divine grace rather than bearing the burden of dispensing it, the temple proposed a flexible arrangement allowing him to commute between his new home and the sanctuary.”

“Oh.”

Fears of yet another disaster collapsing through had nagged at him, but this compromise felt like an ideal resolution.

“On top of that, the Head of the Academy has elected to personally tutor him through this established connection.”

“I see.”

A massive stone finally lifted from Lion’s chest.

With Ann taking charge of his education, all remaining worries evaporated entirely.

Lion absorbed the remainder of the update with a deeply settled state of mind.

The administration had directly addressed the children left unadopted over the previous months, assuring them that holy vocations would never be forced upon anyone. Furthermore, should any child miss an adoption opportunity as a fallout from this recent scandal, the temple would fully underwrite their living expenses and guarantee stable employment once they reached adulthood.

“Not bad?”

It was a far more comprehensive remedy than he had anticipated.

Initial expectations pointed toward a lazy cover-up, yet this approach displayed genuine integrity.

“Oh, and we managed to track down the individual responsible for initiating that disastrous policy in the first place.”

“Ah.”

“Surprisingly, it was someone familiar: the senior priest who physically blocked my path when I first came searching for you, Older Brother.”

“What became of him?”

“He formally petitioned for his own dismissal, admitting that his blinding shortsightedness had triggered such catastrophic ripples.”

Moreover, the man pledged to personally drop to his knees in apology should the children desire it, or otherwise vanish into obscurity and live like a phantom, ensuring his face was never seen again.

“At least he retained a shred of conscience.”

Lion delivered a frigid verdict on the senior priest’s fate.

Naturally, that clergyman had likely operated under the belief that he was serving the best interests of the temple.

Even so, resorting to tactics that sacrificed the vulnerable was unforgivable.

Especially within the sacred walls of a sanctuary.

Wasn’t that a direct betrayal of public trust?

“Ah, and…”

Word had also arrived that Mr. Ferguson, Peter’s adoptive father, had contributed a donation large enough to stun even the wealthiest nobility, proclaiming that the cost was irrelevant now that this blessed child had finally entered their lives.

Lion’s jaw nearly hit the floor upon hearing the staggering sum.

“He possessed wealth on that scale?”

“Rumor has it he controls one of the premier merchant syndicates across the entire Empire. Coincidentally, he’s also tied into the luxury hotel venture I’m currently planning to fund.”

Nodding slowly, Lion used his fork to spear a piece of the dessert apple pie and guided it to his lips.

The tart apple reduction blended harmoniously with the warm notes of cinnamon, yielding a rich, sweet profile while the flaky pastry crust provided a satisfying crunch.

With his anxieties fully put to rest, the culinary experience was elevated to new heights.

“Well, the standard here was exceptional even before all this.”

Perhaps because the establishment catered perfectly to Rikschel’s discerning palate, the caliber of every single course remained breathtaking.

Additionally, the ambiance prioritized complete tranquility and luxury, relying primarily on private dining suites where sensitive matters could be discussed without disruption.

Lion continued scooping up bites of the warm pastry while posing another question.

“Is that venture the hot spring enterprise you brought up previously?”

“Precisely. Naturally, it won’t rival your private springs, Older Brother, but the underlying concept holds immense potential. And…”

Taking a delicate sip of the aromatic black tea, Rikschel continued in an offhand tone.

“The launch is approaching rapidly, and I would consider it a personal favor if you could drop by to inspect the establishment, Older Brother.”

“Me?”

“Indeed. Since the core inspiration originated from you, I’m keen to integrate your additional insights.”

Could there truly be such a thing as an additional perspective for a bathhouse?

In the end, it was merely a hot spring integrated into a luxury hotel—surely a spa facility was something nobles would naturally gravitate toward?

“Rikschel isn’t one to let his intellect slip, so he’s undoubtedly accounted for every conceivable amenity…”

Meanwhile.

Rikschel’s expression dipped into slight gloom as he observed his older brother’s contemplative silence.

“As expected, you’re hesitating.”

His older brother consistently exhibited an aversion to entangling himself in the family’s commercial ventures.

The underlying motive was likely a fierce dedication to solidifying his independent standing as the rightful heir.

“To be frank, I was hoping we could spend a quiet vacation together there, Older Brother. The hotel features top-tier suites and every conceivable luxury.”

“…Ah.”

Lion finally pieced the entire puzzle together.

He had misread the situation entirely!

Meaning…

Rikschel, you must be thoroughly exhausted!