Chapter 190

Chapter 190
Chapter 190: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

“The Young Master has fallen asleep.”

Elvia stepped out from the shadows where she had been maintaining watch, speaking to him in a low voice.

“I see.”

“It is rather a shame, seeing as it was such a warm atmosphere. Hooh.”

Petrick turned his head at Elvia’s light chuckle, offering a stiff, unprovoked defense.

“He is quite a bold youngster.”

“It appeared to me that you enjoyed the conversation quite thoroughly.”

“……”

Elvia gazed with deep affection at Petrick, who found himself unable to refute the claim.

Even to Elvia, observing from a distance, the scene had been profoundly comforting.

To Petrick, that sweet child Lara had been like an untamed sore spot.

It brought him pain and sorrow whenever it was grazed, yet she had already departed from this realm, and because their progeny remained, he could not easily speak her name aloud.

Above all else, the burden of his failure to protect his own child was colossal.

He could not even bring himself to offer apologies to his grandsons.

To voice an apology felt akin to casting that sorrow and guilt onto children who had not yet fully matured.

Yet, on this day.

Through the careless remark Petrick let slip while Lion was intoxicated, Petrick found his release.

‘Good.’

Elvia felt an authentic sense of joy.

In her perspective, Petrick was little more than a youth himself.

Though his outward vessel now resembled a massive, weathered ancient tree hardened by centuries of tempests, the old saying held true that a child remains a child.

While it was a mere fraction of time to a witch of her longevity, those years must have felt agonizing for him.

He had likely endured solely because his bloodline endured.

‘Even so, step by step…’

Elvia drifted past Petrick, who remained absorbed in his thoughts, and looked toward Lion, who lay fast asleep and thoroughly intoxicated.

“If you leave him in such a state, it might burden the Young Master’s physical form. Shall I handle his transport?”

“…No, I will take care of it.”

“Very well. I shall go ahead and prepare your sleeping quarters.”

Elvia dissolved from the dining hall like a fading mist.

Left alone and freed from his emotional turmoil, Petrick approached Lion and initiated a levitation spell.

“Lion.”

He then gently shook Lion by the shoulder.

Naturally, a gentle touch devoid of any forceful intent to awaken him failed to rouse Lion.

“Ahem, I suppose there is no alternative.”

Having already prepared the levitation magic, Petrick muttered as though he were terribly inconvenienced, then hoisted the unconscious Lion onto his back.

Feeling a familiar, substantial weight settle against him, Petrick let out a quiet chuckle.

‘How long has it been since I last carried someone?’

In truth, this might well have been the first instance he had properly carried another human being.

He would never have dreamed he would be carrying Lion at this stage of his life.

Such a feat would have remained impossible had he not attained mastery as a mage.

“There is no grandchild more unfilial than this one.”

Despite his words, Petrick’s tone radiated profound happiness.

He felt as though he were finally fulfilling a duty he had missed out on during the boy’s earlier years.

‘I must be feeling the effects of the drink as well.’

Making excuses to himself regarding his mild intoxication, Petrick paced slowly down the corridor with Lion, who had grown to match his own stature.

Under ordinary circumstances, the spectacle might have invited gossip.

A grown man being carried upon his grandfather’s back.

Yet, not a single servant remained in the hallway Petrick traversed.

And even if an onlooker had been present, they would have kept silent for the rest of their days.

By the time he arrived at the residential level housing Lion’s bedchamber.

“Umm…”

“It seems your senses are returning.”

Inconveniently, Lion began to stir.

“Huk. Did you carry me all this way?”

“Is there an issue with that?”

“……”

Lion found himself entirely at a loss for words.

Though he possessed a relatively lean build, Lion was nonetheless a fully grown adult.

He was not particularly short—at any rate, not to the degree where he should be hoisted upon his grandfather’s back.

“I… I can walk now.”

“That will quite suffice. Simply remain still.”

“……”

Fortunately, his grandfather’s stride remained remarkably steady, and his respiration was completely undisturbed.

He had likely utilized subtle magic to assist.

‘This is somewhat…’

While the smooth movement brought reassurance, an acute sense of awkwardness lingered.

After all, how many times in his entire existence had Lion been carried by someone else at his age?

Even when severely inebriated from workplace gatherings prior to his reincarnation, he had insisted on stumbling back on two legs, or crawling toward his rented apartment.

And during his earlier years…

‘No such memories exist.’

He retained zero recollection of ever being carried by another person.

Furthermore, his initial physical impression was that the posture proved surprisingly uncomfortable.

He had to drape himself awkwardly, and his limbs, dangling over his grandfather’s waist and arms, were pinched and sore.

Had he possessed a clear head, he undoubtedly would have insisted he was fine and asked to be set down.

Yet… it evoked a peculiar sentiment.

‘For some reason, I do not wish to ask him to stop.’

Perhaps because the alcohol had fogged his senses, a latent desire for comfort surfaced within him.

He lacked any natural instinct on how to behave in such a scenario.

Though his rational mind told him that simply staying put was adequate… it proved far from easy.

The comforting warmth and the scenery viewed from over his grandfather’s shoulder felt both foreign and wonderful.

He experienced an innate sense of security, realizing how steadfast and reliable his grandfather truly was.

He had previously relied upon and received affection from him, but this instance carried a deeper resonance.

Likely for that very reason, Lion’s next inquiry emerged as an entirely spontaneous impulse.

“Grandfather.”

“Speak.”

“Relate some tales of the past to me.”

“…Pardon?”

Petrick halted his steps and glanced backward.

The hair of his grandson filled his field of vision, though little else was visible.

Just as he prepared to question the motivation behind the query, Lion continued.

“Did you possess any close companions?”

“……”

Petrick released a heavy sigh in response.

The boy was evidently uttering whatever came to mind under the influence of alcohol.

Having reached that conclusion, Petrick resumed his walking pace.

‘Companions.’

Naturally, the answer was negative.

Had he not stated it before? Rikschel’s temperament mirrored Petrick’s own perfectly.

And Rikschel was an individual who felt zero necessity to form friendships.

By extension, would Petrick not be identical?

Even decades prior, he possessed no confidants with whom he could share his inner thoughts.

Not the elven folk, not the common pickpockets, nor even the revered saintess.

However…

If one were to stretch the definition of the simple term “companion.”

“There was an individual of a similar standing.”

“Indeed? Who might that have been?”

“The Hero.”

The man who stood at the vanguard of the conflict, refusing ever to yield, and wielding an astonishingly astute strategic mind.

Simultaneously, he remained benevolent and merciful.

A personality vastly distinct from Petrick’s own nature.

Despite those differences, he stood as the sole person Petrick held in genuine esteem.

“Whether he viewed me as a companion remains unknown to me.”

He was a figure equitable and kind toward all living souls.

To such an extent that Petrick occasionally viewed him as somewhat excessively naive.

“Would he not have regarded you as a friend?”

“Ah, well, he vanished abruptly, thus eliminating any chance to inquire.”

“…Did you make no attempt to locate him?”

“My efforts in that regard were considerable, however.”

Beginning from the aftermath of the Hero’s disappearance up until relatively recent times.

Petrick dedicated substantial energy toward tracking down the Hero’s whereabouts.

Ultimately, however, no traces could be found.

“I eventually desisted.”

It felt as though a silent message had been left instructing him not to search.

Reflecting upon it, the conclusion made sense.

Even an individual of such legendary stature was, in essence, merely human.

Moreover, unlike Petrick, he possessed a deeply compassionate spirit.

Carrying the immense burden of being the Hero could not have been a simple task for such a man.

“He likely desired an existence of his own choosing as well.”

Reaching the bedchamber, Petrick pushed the door open, approached the bed, and lowered Lion onto the mattress.

As Lion settled into the bedding, he looked up at Petrick, who was gently drawing a coverlet over him.

“Do you harbor no desire to cross paths with him once more?”

“……”

Only then did Petrick gaze directly into Lion’s face.

His expression appeared lucid, much as it always did, yet Petrick perceived the underlying truth.

That a profound depth lay hidden beneath the surface.

‘My assumption was that he merely rambled from drunkenness, yet that appears incorrect.’

Even so, it was acceptable.

This demeanor, too, belonged to his grandson Lion.

Petrick extended a hand and awkwardly patted Lion’s head.

“I harbor no such sentiments. Heroes, the Hero. They are entities who manifest when monumental perils threaten existence itself. Such a reality serves neither the world nor the Hero well…”

He maintained no doubt that the man was living comfortably somewhere.

In truth, he had to be.

He had shouldered far too much within a compressed span of years.

“Furthermore…”

Petrick began to elaborate, then abruptly sealed his lips.

Just in case, he silently prayed that his grandson would never be forced to bear that particular destiny.

If the preservation of the world could be achieved by one or two individuals, perhaps collapsing once was an acceptable price.

His thoughts did not stem from a belief that his grandson might become that very person.

He had simply come to understand the reality organically during the era he spent alongside the Hero.

“Never mind. The hour is late. Rest now.”

Withdrawing his hand, Petrick straightened his posture and walked deliberately toward the exit.

As he took a step, then a second step, drawing nearer to the doorway.

“Sleep well.”

Lion’s serene voice reached his ears.

It was a standard farewell, yet Petrick could not ignore its underlying weight.

The unspoken consideration that he was withholding further questions for his grandfather’s benefit.

“…Hoo.”

Petrick exhaled a profound sigh.

Had the boy thrown a tantrum and demanded answers, Petrick could have remained steadfastly resolute, but the reality was otherwise.

Naturally, this did not signify that the boy had abandoned the pursuit.

It implied that he intended to uncover the truth independently at a later date.

‘This proves genuinely troublesome.’

Petrick swallowed an internal sigh far larger than the one he had released outwardly.

Even should he conceal the matter for his own peace of mind, that child’s willpower and independence would eventually guide him directly toward the Hero.

‘Very well. If that is so…’

He possessed no right to obstruct a young soul forging a path toward a new horizon.

Following a prolonged pause, Petrick spoke in a muted tone.

“The Northern territories.”

“……”

“The final trace of the Hero I uncovered originated from the North.”

Before Lion could voice a reply, Petrick gripped the handle, pulled the door open, and stepped out of the chamber.

As Petrick traversed the deserted corridor in solitude, his gaze drifted into the distance.

Even as an Archmage, he could not guarantee the absolute correctness of this decision.

However.

Should Lion. Should his grandson walk the path to become the subsequent Hero.

He would not permit him to vanish like his predecessor.

He would ensure that his life as Lion Asteri continued uninterrupted.

Petrick solidified his resolve.

—

Several weeks had elapsed since the profound exchange between Petrick and Lion.

Throughout that duration, Lion’s daily routine experienced zero disruption.

Their relationship remained entirely natural, and Petrick treated Lion with his customary demeanor.

Rikschel had briefly pouted after missing a chance for petty retaliation against Lion, though his spirits soon recovered.

This swift recovery stemmed from his discovery of the Second Prince’s latest intrigue.

“After all, in the eyes of an Emperor, legitimacy reigns supreme as the paramount virtue, would you not agree?”

Aside from Lion intervening to stop him from uttering the sentiment with a menacing aura, no other incidents occurred.

An exceptionally tranquil period prevailed.

“The drying process proceeds splendidly today as well.”

Lion inspected the meju blocks, which were curing under optimal conditions, just as he did every day.

By applying accelerated maturation in measured increments, the fermentation outpaced standard methods significantly.

At the current rate, before long…

‘I will finally be able to craft the paste!’