Chapter 220

Chapter 220
Chapter 220: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

“……Are you actually serious right now?”

Buck stared at the young master with a thoroughly perplexed expression.

Even for the young master, the trip promised to be quite a lengthy undertaking.

Since a warp gate had not yet been established in his home village, they would first have to travel through the neighboring settlement.

Because of this logistical hurdle, he always had to hitch a ride on a passing carriage whenever he went back home.

‘Besides, we currently have guests from a prominent swordsmanship family staying at the mansion.’

“It’ll be fine.”

Lion offered a faint smile and pulled an object from his coat pocket.

At the sight of it, Buck’s eyes widened so fast they looked as though they might pop straight out of his head.

“Th-that’s a warp scroll!”

A genuine warp scroll!

It was a specialized magic artifact capable of instantly transporting the user to any desired location on the map.

Such treasures were common knowledge among the populace, yet remarkably few ever had the privilege of using them.

Even wealthy nobles hesitated to expend a warp scroll unless the situation was utterly critical.

Some scholars even whispered that centuries-old scrolls were passed down through aristocratic bloodlines as precious family heirlooms.

“Don’t tell me……”

Buck swallowed hard, his throat suddenly bone dry.

“Yes, exactly what you’re thinking.”

“No way!”

Buck threw out both arms, waving them frantically through the air in a sudden panic.

“Do you have any idea how much those things cost……”

“True. They certainly aren’t cheap.”

Lion nodded as though agreeing with a simple observation.

Even within the mechanics of the game ‘In the World’, warp scrolls were categorized as exceptionally costly commodities.

In this reality, they were equally rare treasures, with the magic tower managing to manufacture only a handful each year.

Nevertheless.

“Even so, it’s no problem at all. I have plenty.”

Lion’s private warehouse back at the estate held such a massive stockpile of warp scrolls that they could have practically paved the floor with them.

He suspected it was simply his grandfather’s way of giving him the freedom to travel wherever he wished for amusement, seeing as his magic had previously been sealed.

Naturally, Lion had been in no physical condition to go anywhere back then, barely mustering the strength to crawl as far as the library.

Consequently, he had accumulated a truly staggering mountain of untouched warp scrolls.

‘Well, I certainly don’t intend to squander them carelessly.’

In any case, Lion had plenty of time on his hands.

Besides, taking a leisurely ride in a carriage had its own distinct charms.

Even so, he couldn’t shake the sudden urge to use a warp scroll that would bypass the journey and drop him straight at his destination.

Furthermore.

‘……This way, I won’t have to choke down motion sickness medicine.’

While taking the preventative potion did stop the worst of the warp sickness, the lingering memory of the ordeal was far from pleasant.

‘It was an absolute nightmare.’

It felt precisely like being strung upside down and tossed into a small dinghy to weather a raging tempest on the open sea for an entire week, all at once.

Lion shuddered visibly at the mere recollection of that dreadful travel sickness.

Regardless, Marquis Byrdantis was currently visiting the estate, and once his affairs alongside Rikschel were settled, Lion would eventually need to make his way to the Imperial Palace.

That practical consideration was why he had finally grabbed a warp scroll from the dusty depths of his storage room.

“We can chat along the way.”

Stepping right up beside Buck, Lion tore the parchment scroll directly down the middle.

Instantly, an intricate, glowing magic circle materialized across the floor beneath their feet and hovered in the air right above their heads.

*Swish.*

The two figures vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye.

Buck, who had remained utterly frozen out of terror that he might somehow disrupt the precious magic item, screamed internally.

‘That’s teleportation, how on earth are we supposed to chat along the way!!’

—

*Swish!*

He squeezed his eyes shut, and the next moment he opened them to an entirely unfamiliar landscape.

“We’ve arrived.”

“I honestly can’t believe we actually used a warp scroll……”

Buck muttered in sheer disbelief as his gaze swept across the surroundings.

They stood at the quiet border of a rural village.

The gentle chirping of birds drifted through the air, and relatively short trees were scattered haphazardly about… this place was…

Without a doubt, it was Buck’s hometown.

‘……It’s been quite a while.’

Though his mind was still spinning from the sudden transit, the reality of being back made Buck feel instantly uneasy.

He never could have dreamed he would return here so abruptly without a word of warning, let alone accompanied by the young master he served.

Even though Lion treated him with casual familiarity, wasn’t the young man’s social standing far too lofty to look upon without trembling?

If any unforeseen trouble arose, the blame would unquestionably fall squarely on Buck’s shoulders.

He needed to keep his wits sharp.

……Even as he lectured himself internally.

‘Father…….’

His thoughts inevitably drifted to his father, who managed the local brewery all by himself.

“This is the village entrance. The brewery is a bit deeper inside, so I’ll lead the way.”

“Lead on, then.”

Pretending not to notice the whirlwind of emotions visible on Buck’s face, Lion stepped in behind him.

After walking just a short distance, a few villagers who recognized Buck caught sight of them and offered warm greetings.

“Well now, what brings you back to the village without any prior notice?”

“You’ve come to check in on your father, haven’t you?”

“Hahaha…… Hello, everyone.”

Buck returned their greetings with an awkward, stiff smile.

Shortly after, they turned down a narrow village alleyway.

As they strolled down the packed dirt path worn smooth by countless footsteps, the familiar storefront of the brewery came into view ahead.

Buck paused in his tracks for a brief second and spoke up.

“Um, Young Master?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for this.”

“Hm? Ah, I see.”

Lion immediately grasped the sentiment behind the gratitude.

Cutting off Buck before he could stammer out any further objections, Lion spoke first.

“I happened to need pomegranate wine right away, and I already had intelligence confirming that your father operates a brewery.”

“Even so, back at the manor’s kitchens……”

“I could have sourced some locally, true. But I require a rather substantial quantity.”

Even with the Asteri family’s vast resources and well-stocked cellars, they did not keep entire cases of pomegranate wine sitting around.

“Besides, you know the layout of this village much better than anyone. Our needs simply aligned at the right time.”

“……”

Having successfully completed his probationary period to become a full-fledged servant, Buck understood the underlying kindness in those words.

The young master had deliberately given him an excuse to ease any lingering awkwardness or burden Buck might feel as a mere attendant.

Even if their goals genuinely matched, an urgent task like this normally would have warranted Lion asking for directions and dispatching a faster, separate courier.

Even that alone would have made Buck feel a sense of pride.

He would have earned distinction simply for identifying the exact brewery the Asteri family was searching for.

‘……He is remarkably considerate.’

Yet Young Master Lion had gone a step beyond mere utility.

He had orchestrated this trip to grant Buck the chance to visit his father once more.

‘Indeed. I should accept this kindness with a grateful heart!’

And I will dedicate myself even more fiercely to serving the Asteri household.

Resolving himself, Buck picked up his pace.

As for Lion himself…

‘I honestly didn’t harbor any grand intentions.’

Just as he had mentioned aloud, Buck’s father was simply the first person who came to mind.

And the need for the ingredients was genuine, too.

‘Well, if it clears up any unnecessary misunderstandings, that’s all for the better.’

It would feel rather awkward to accept effusive gratitude for something that was ultimately a minor convenience, after all.

With those thoughts, Lion and Buck stepped through the doorway of the brewery.

“Ah, Father!”

Buck called out the moment he spotted an aging figure moving about in the distance.

A middle-aged man with a slightly stooped posture turned around at the sound of his name.

His eyes widened in shock, and he immediately broke into a run toward them.

“Goodness me, what on earth brings you back without sending a letter first!”

He threw his arms tightly around Buck, inspecting his frame anxiously from head to toe.

The deep paternal worry that something might have gone wrong was unmistakably clear.

“Whew! Nothing is wrong with me, I promise. I actually came here on business today.”

“Business?”

Only then did Buck’s father notice Lion standing quietly to the side.

After casting a few hesitant glances at the young guest…

“Is that young gentleman… him?”

He whispered quietly to his son.

“You mean him?”

“Yes. That’s him.”

Even though Lion muttered softly to himself, Buck calmly acknowledged the query, introducing Lion to his father with that exact pronoun.

“Oh my goodness, Young Master!”

Grasping the context instantly, Buck’s father offered a profound, respectful bow.

“Haha. There is truly no need for such formal airs.”

“As my boy’s letter indicated, you are a very gracious person. But what brings you all the way out here……”

His gaze shifted back to his son as if demanding an explanation, prompting Buck to quickly step in and fulfill his duty.

He laid out everything from the purpose of their sudden journey to the specific goods they required.

“……And that’s the gist of it.”

“I see.”

“That’s everything.”

“……”

Buck’s father tried valiantly to conceal his astonishment, but his expressive face betrayed every single thought.

‘He utilized a priceless warp scroll merely for this errand?’

To an ordinary person, such an action defied all logic.

‘……Ah, of course!’

A sudden memory flickered in the old man’s mind from a conversation he’d had when Buck last visited home on vacation.

He vividly recalled his son mentioning…

‘He said the first young master was rather eccentric.’

Though they resided within the Asteri territory, news and rumors tended to travel sluggishly in these remote farming districts.

Yet now, the exact same reputation was proving true.

The young master truly was eccentric!

‘I suppose that explains it.’

Buck’s father nodded slowly once he managed to process the situation.

To an outsider, the entire affair was marked by baffling choices.

‘To me, however, he is an absolute blessing.’

He had afforded the old man another chance to look upon his beloved son.

And above all else…

The visit breathed fresh life into a routine made lonely ever since Buck had moved away to the city.

“I cannot guarantee it will meet your exacting standards, Young Master, but the pomegranate wine is stored right over here.”

They reached a modest storage shed tucked away in a corner of the brewery.

As he slid a heavy key into the iron padlock, Buck’s father started chatting casually.

“I heard you gave my boy a few pointers recently regarding that fermented drink made from malt.”

“Ah, I did mention it. How did that turn out?”

“Truthfully, it was a deeply tempting recipe, but in the end, I decided against brewing it.”

“You chose not to make it?”

The brewmaster chuckled softly as he turned the key and pulled the heavy wooden door open.

Inside rested neat rows of bottled liquor he produced purely as a personal hobby rather than for commercial distribution.

Since the batches were relatively young, the small oak casks appeared clean and largely unweathered.

With a proud grin, the brewmaster tapped the side of an oak barrel with his knuckles.

“Instead, your words gave me the courage to experiment with something entirely different. These little creations right here.”

Items that offered zero profit margins, crafted simply because he had always wanted to try making them.

In his younger days, those ideas had remained vague fancies, set aside once he had a family to feed due to the financial risks.

“It’s rather amusing, really. I found the inspiration to pursue a hobby like this from a young master I had never even met, rather than someone close to home. When my own son suggested I try something new, I dismissed it entirely.”

He had figured there was no sense in an old man starting up new ventures at his stage in life.

He also worried that if things went wrong, he might end up becoming a burden to the son working so hard in the city.

I am his father, and it is my job to protect him, so I never wanted to live under my son’s shadow like a parasite.

Yet, a sudden realization had struck him.

Was he genuinely content continuing to show his son the exact same dreary scenery every time Buck returned home for a holiday?

A landscape completely devoid of change, filled only with decaying routines.

For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, that thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Am I simply acting like a foolish old man?”

“I think it’s wonderful. Buck, you have an exceptional father.”