Chapter 200

Chapter 200
Chapter 200: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

Perhaps because of the quiet and undisturbed landscape, Jack found himself unable to shake off a sudden line of thought. His imagination, usually kept tightly under wraps from a life spent constantly on the razor’s edge, began to drift on its own.

What if.

What if he and Kyle had been born in a place just like this, surrounded by endless luxury and comfort? What if there had been a powerful clan standing behind them, offering absolute faith and backing without condition? Surely their destinies would look completely different right now. Would his own palms be smooth, untouched by hardship and free of rough calluses? Could he have lived a life built on trust rather than constant suspicion? Would peace have been his reality then?

“……”

Jack silently moved his lips before hastily snapping back to his senses.

*…What on earth am I doing.*

What was going through his head? Thankfully, his daydream was cut short, yet Jack felt a deep sense of shock.

*I want to become that.*

He could swear he had never once harbored such a thought in all his years. He had envied other people’s comfortable existences plenty of times. How could anyone not covet a life lived in serenity, untouched by the grime of survival? Even so, he had never genuinely wished to cross over into that world. Life was simply unfair. Sitting around twiddling your thumbs while drowning in jealousy was far worse than taking action.

So he had made things happen. Lacking a real family, he treated Kyle and Grandfather like blood relatives. Lacking a home, he resolved to turn the underworld into his domain. Having no personal dreams of his own, he poured his efforts into realizing the ambitions of Kyle, who was like a younger brother to him. He fought tooth and nail to defend his own version of an ideal world.

That was the exact path Jack had walked up to this moment. And to a certain degree, he had climbed to a station where that dream was practically fulfilled. The nameless orphan boy had transformed into Jack, the absolute ruler of the underworld’s shadows, and Kyle was standing right on the precipice of his own ultimate goal, wasn’t he?

And Kyle as well……

*He must view me as family too.*

……Probably. If that was the case, wasn’t the setup quite literally perfect? Even when he scrutinized himself to mimic Lion Asteri’s analytical gaze, there was no logical reason to feel this stirred up. It ought to have felt like any normal interaction, reminiscent of the day he first stepped foot inside the Asteri Estate. After all, Lion was just a privileged aristocrat who had spent his life draped in comfort while Jack suffered through the mud.

So why.

“Are you feeling uneasy?”

“Me?”

Jack’s reaction was entirely instinctual. The quick retort managed to derail his spiraling thoughts, but a prickly wave of irritation and suspicion rose up in its place. Why would Lion suddenly drop a question like that when he hadn’t shown an ounce of curiosity just moments prior?

Suppressing his usual sharp personality, Jack forced a bright, breezy tone.

“What on earth are you talking about? Oh, wait, is this because of that friend of yours over there?”

Jack shifted his line of sight toward Barg.

“It’s my first time watching a beastman shift back into his primal form up close, but since the Young Master seems to have him completely under control, I hardly have any reason to feel anxious, do I?”

“No. Not that.”

Lion calmly folded the sketch he had just completed, offering a casual remark after a brief beat of reflection.

“You tend to rammer on when you’re nervous.”

“……”

“Just thought I’d let you know.”

Jack fell utterly silent. He couldn’t help it. This wasn’t how things normally went. He had never once lost control during a verbal spar. Even when caught in unfavorable circumstances during a brief confrontation, he always managed to seize the upper hand over the long run. That skill was one of his greatest assets alongside raw combat prowess.

Yet why did interacting with Lion Asteri feel like trying to break through a brick wall? Furthermore……

*Why can’t I come up with a counterargument?*

Uneasy.

About what, precisely? Was he genuinely terrified that his partnership with Lion Asteri was about to go up in flames? That would certainly be a painful setback, but it wasn’t a catastrophic disaster that could ruin everything he had built. Lion Asteri rarely initiated trouble unless deliberately provoked. Above all else, Lion was a man entirely devoid of ambition regarding power struggles or financial gain. If anything, he was simply an eccentric individual utterly obsessed with observing human nature.

If that was the case, there was zero logic behind feeling any anxiety over this situation. Jack knew that fact well. So then, why?

“Well, your anxiety actually works in my favor to an extent, though it might become a headache if outsiders catch wind of it.”

“……Haha. You possess a rather malicious hobby.”

“Everyone has their own little wicked quirks, don’t they? I happen to be quite the nosey spectator.”

Lion spoke with a playful shrug, as though trying to lighten the mood. Naturally, the atmosphere remained as heavy as lead.

*Oops. Look at those eyes.*

What was the point of forcing a grin when his gaze was sharp enough to cut glass? Lion had originally planned to maintain his aloof distance for a while longer, but his current expression…

He looked entirely ready to stir up trouble if left unattended. That precisely explained why Lion had deliberately poked and prodded Jack right then—because the current tension didn’t suit his plans.

*Since he’s entirely oblivious to it himself, this should keep him grounded for a bit.*

Of course, there was another hidden motive at play.

“Ah, in that case, shall we strike a bargain?”

“A bargain?”

“Jade wants another proper chat with me, and I happen to have a malicious hobby. So, how about we trade those two issues out?”

It presented a golden opportunity for Jack. Didn’t it essentially carve out an opening for negotiations right when all doors seemed shut?

However……

“So, what you’re saying is that the Young Master’s favorite pastime is sniffing out other people’s deep-seated anxieties?”

“Well. For the sake of this transaction, let’s go with that.”

Lion shrugged once more, offering an internal sigh.

*It really does sound terrible when he phrases it like that.*

To be completely honest, Lion had no twisted hobby of intentionally dissecting people’s insecurities. Again, he would state it for the record! He was merely dealing with a uniquely complicated personality on his own terms.

“Anyway, if you decide you’re interested in the trade, just let the household staff know whenever. See you later.”

Without waiting for a reply, Lion wrapped up the conversation and turned away. Lingering any longer might risk exposing his own faint amusement and ruining the setup.

“Pus, Barg. Let’s move.”

Jack watched Lion wave casually as he walked back toward the two beastmen, then closed his eyes and muttered a harsh, muffled curse under his breath.

“Anxiety.”

He had well and truly stumbled into a terribly annoying negotiation. But what choice did he have? He needed to track down the answer.

—

“Damn it all.”

Jack welcomed the morning light with a string of curses inside his guest quarters. He was never a heavy sleeper to begin with, but over the last few days, he hadn’t managed to catch a single wink of rest. The culprit was entirely the homework assignment Lion Asteri had dumped on him.

Just as predicted, Jack had spent every waking moment over the past few days completely incapacitated by the riddle of his own hidden stress. He hadn’t even bothered keeping tabs on Lion or monitoring underworld affairs.

“Have you still failed to find the solution?”

An attendant assigned to Jack’s room carefully approached, holding out his daily garments with a respectful query.

“Yeah.”

Growling menacingly, Jack furrowed his brows and suddenly clamped a heavy hand down on the shoulder of the attendant helping him dress.

“What’s your take on this?”

“What are you referring to……”

The attendant winced, desperately enduring the bone-crushing pressure as he choked out the words.

“I’m asking what you think my anxiety is supposed to be. Or better yet, what do you imagine Lion Asteri thinks my weakness is? You’d have some idea, wouldn’t you? After all, you tagged along to the Baidantis Territory.”

*Crack.*

The grip on his shoulder intensified. Brick, the veteran coachman and Jack’s trusted right-hand man, maintained a stoic expression despite the agony. It was rare, but not entirely unprecedented, for Jack to lose his composure like this. It wasn’t that he intended to vent his frustrations on subordinates, but rather that his physical strength occasionally slipped past his control.

Brick voiced his honest perspective in a calm tone.

“I wouldn’t know. It would be entirely presumptuous of me to attempt to psychoanalyze Jack’s inner thoughts.”

He also added truthfully that Lion Asteri had displayed no unusual behavior during their entire journey to and from the Baidantis Territory.

Even so, the hand digging into his shoulder refused to let up. Brick paused for a fraction of a second before offering a suggestion.

“Wouldn’t it be far more productive to ask someone intimately familiar with anxiety rather than myself?”

“Someone familiar with anxiety?”

The crushing grip on his shoulder finally eased away. Brick smoothly finished tending to his attire and took a respectful step back.

“……I see. You’re right.”

He hadn’t managed to stumble upon a single satisfying conclusion despite wracking his brain for days on end.

“I’m not some wandering sage chasing after cosmic truths.”

Why on earth should he subject himself to mental torment in search of sudden enlightenment? Such a complaint sounded wildly undignified coming from the scion of a renowned magical lineage, but Jack currently lacked the mental bandwidth to care about appearances.

“The individual inside this estate who radiated the most palpable tension……”

The answer surfaced in his mind instantly. The stubborn fellow who constantly tracked his movements, wore barely concealed hostility on his sleeve, and happened to be present at that exact scene.

That red-furred werewolf. His name was Barg, if he recalled correctly?

“Shall I have him dragged here in secret?”

“……There’s no need for that.”

Jack pivoted his head toward the heavy door of the guest suite. Faintly echoing from down the hall came the unmistakable sound of footsteps belonging to that very individual. Heavy like a beast’s paws upon wood, yet disciplined enough never to stomp recklessly.

And a moment later.

*Knock, knock.*

A measured rap sounded against the wood.

“Well, look at that. It appears he has business with me as well.”

Jack gave a sharp nod, prompting Brick to step forward and pull the door open. Standing in the doorway, just as anticipated, was Barg, completely by himself. He must have headed straight here the moment he woke up; he wore simple casual attire and carried no visible weapons.

*He’s remarkably bold.*

Or perhaps just extraordinarily foolish? Even for a beastman, walking into a potential trap entirely unarmed was a gamble. Furthermore, his gaze flickered with instability, suggesting that marching up to this door had required a massive internal struggle. He likely intended to do something reckless.

*Still, his eyes have grit.*

Despite the initial wavering, the expression deep within those pupils remained remarkably steady.

“I—I’ve come to strike a deal.”

“Hoh. A deal.”

Anyone could propose a transaction. He must have overheard the exchange back in the forest with Lion Asteri. While it conveniently aligned with Jack’s current dilemma, Jack had no intention of jumping at the offer straight away.

Instead, he gestured forward.

“Come inside.”

With a cordial smile, Jack personally guided Barg toward the table in the receiving parlor. Unlike Lion Asteri, Jack was not a man easily pushed around by just anyone.

Furthermore……

*Deals brought forward by rescued slaves usually follow a predictable script.*

Inquiries regarding the whereabouts of slave traders, whether they survived, or demands for vengeance. This fellow’s agenda likely fell into the exact same category.

Jack poured a cup of tea himself and pitched an inquiry.

“A proper transaction requires mutual benefit. Do you mind enlightening me on your terms before I give my answer?”

Barg kept his hands away from the teacup, nervously fidgeting with his sleeves for a moment before taking a deep breath and speaking.

“Please—please spar with me!”

“……”

Jack stared in silence.

*The foundational training regimen of the Asteri household really is something else……*

Are they all just born to deliberately torment people’s sanity?