Chapter 234

Chapter 234
Chapter 234: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing
Lion’s evaluation as he navigated the corridor and stepped inside the reception area went as follows.

“It’s ancient.”

In contrast to the grand facade, everything within was so decrepit that it defied belief as a dwelling for royalty… no, even for ordinary nobility.

Any outside observer would feel deep sympathy for the second prince’s plight.

How could he possibly survive with so few supporters in the Imperial Palace, unable to replace even a single worn furnishing?

It would hardly be surprising if gossip spread suggesting his ambitions to claim the throne were baseless.

Lion himself had entertained identical suspicions.

Hadn’t he even noticed a fresh scratch marking the man’s cheek?

Yet.

“Next time we meet, I shall escort you to more refined quarters.”

The second prince’s composed voice instantly convinced him that his concern had been entirely misplaced.

“He isn’t neglecting repairs intentionally…”

Wasn’t his true plan to abandon the second prince’s quarters shortly and relocate to the Crown Prince’s palace instead?

And that future Crown Prince’s domain would likely…

“Perhaps in three years or so?”

Regardless, within a five-year span at the absolute maximum, the second prince intended to seize the Imperial Palace.

“This current state suits my needs completely.”

“In that case, we merely need to transfer these items as they stand.”

“Hahaha. You possess a fine sense of humor.”

“I am entirely serious.”

“……”

Observing Lion maintain a blank expression, Kyle let out a dry laugh, the corners of his mouth curving upward.

Indeed. Whenever the man applied himself with such deadpan sincerity, he invariably triggered that troubled look.

He possessed a disposition that genuinely loathed becoming entangled in troublesome affairs.

Kyle respected this trait and actively restrained himself from exerting undue pressure…

“If I apply zero leverage, he will simply slip away entirely.”

He had no alternative but to tread that delicate boundary.

That is, assuming he wished to secure Lion Asteri as a dependable ally.

Kyle poured the tea he had personally brewed and handed the cup across the table.

“My gratitude.”

Lion gazed down at the ceramic vessel resting in his palm.

He immediately called to mind Rikschel’s solemn admonition.

He had been strictly warned to exercise extreme caution regarding food and drink within the confines of the Imperial Palace, and if consumption was unavoidable, to ingest only the most negligible quantity.

It was standard precaution against assassination by poison.

While an individual blessed with stellar poison resistance and immense reserves of mana might shrug off ordinary toxins, Lion fell into neither category.

“Naturally, I possess a certain amount of mana…”

Yet it remained a fact that his tolerance for poisons was nonexistent.

“Wait, does that imply my younger sibling inherited resistance?”

Building immunity to toxins followed only a single established path.

It required conditioning the physique through the deliberate ingestion of micro-doses of poison since early childhood.

…Truly, being a legitimate heir was a grueling destiny fit for no one.

Lion suppressed a mental sigh and emptied the cup in a single fluid motion without a moment’s hesitation.

Lacking innate toxin resistance and overwhelming mana, Lion possessed his own reliable asset, did he not?

This brew was merely an expensive, standard leaf infusion; it bore no trace of venom.

“Ah.”

On the contrary, Kyle was the one caught completely off guard.

Even with his own hands brewing the beverage, the Imperial Palace remained a treacherous domain where unforeseen disasters occurred daily.

Yet Lion Asteri inspected it for barely a heartbeat before swallowing it down.

“Did Rikschel Asteri genuinely omit the necessary warnings?”

“He provided them.”

“Then what compels you to behave with such recklessness?”

“Pardon me?”

“Goodness, truly…”

The second prince exhaled a heavy breath, sinking back against the weathered sofa while folding his arms tightly across his chest.

For a brief second, he appeared to deliberate over his next words.

His sharp aura persisted, yet he seemed noticeably more at ease now that the oppressive curse had been lifted.

“Suppose I had laced that tea with something lethal—why on earth would you consume it so carelessly?”

“Did you introduce something?”

“…Of course not.”

Kyle tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling tiles, silently fighting to master an unfamiliar emotion that rarely surfaced within him.

His original design had been to persuade and subtly coerce Lion Asteri, yet the entire exchange was careening off course in bizarre directions.

…Indeed.

He certainly had not anticipated finding himself in the position of lecturing others like a concerned guardian.

“I finally comprehend why Rikschel Asteri maintains such a state of perpetual anxiety.”

Through the second prince’s perspective, Lion Asteri suffered from an excess of misplaced trust in others.

Not content with merely trusting them, he actively went out of his way to offer assistance.

The incident at Easter followed the exact same pattern.

Despite wishing to remain uninvolved, perhaps stirred by the sight of Kyle’s distress, he had acted as a masked benefactor and successfully purged the curse.

Dismantling a curse of that caliber required extraordinary capabilities.

If the Temple ever caught wind of this feat, they would undoubtedly employ every available resource to drag Lion Asteri into their ranks.

“He managed a rather clever escape on the previous occasion.”

At that juncture, the truth had not yet surfaced, making their retreat the only logical outcome.

With that reality now clear, he held a distinct advantage in persuading Lion Asteri.

“How am I to manage this thoroughly eccentric individual…?”

Kyle desperately desired to draw Lion Asteri into his faction.

That objective remained absolute and unalterable.

The prestige of Imperial Tutor, the undisputed Master of the Empire.

While the young man’s unique abilities were staggering, he prized Lion’s tactical counsel far above the magic itself.

“Regrettably, he appears utterly oblivious to this fact himself.”

In any event, virtuous individuals naturally gravitated toward righteous acts, meaning having Lion stationed by his side upon the throne would prove invaluable on multiple fronts.

Even so, if he ultimately failed to secure him, he harbored zero intention of ceding him to a rival.

Thus, hoping to forge at least a semblance of closeness, he had extended an invitation to the inner palace and even sought to evoke sympathy…

“Yet he has disarmed me completely with a mere cup of tea.”

He had not even navigated the conversation to the critical matters.

Furthermore, rational logic was continually becoming clouded by personal sentiment.

His decisions were shifting away from self-interest and aligning entirely with Lion Asteri’s welfare.

This, too, constituted a thoroughly troublesome development.

While Kyle remained lost in these tangled deliberations…

“My thanks for the other day.”

Lion, having consumed half his beverage, remarked with detached indifference.

“You successfully concealed my blunder.”

A blunder?

Was he truly dismissing the arduous act of rendering aid—which had culminated in him coughing up blood—as a simple mistake?

Kyle massaged his throbbing temples with a single hand and responded.

“Because you clearly wished to avoid public exposure.”

Should those specific abilities come to light, the resulting scrutiny might easily escalate into suffocating overprotection.

The second prince swallowed the counterarguments rising in his throat and instead inquired directly.

“Are you in proper condition?”

“I am entirely well. There is no need for concern.”

It wasn’t as though he had genuinely suffered physical trauma as a direct toll for lifting the curse.

The strain simply stemmed from an overload within his system when processing items delivered directly from his protagonist.

Consequently, he had made a conscious effort lately to steer clear of anything associated with his primary character.

It signified that his body required further time to adapt.

Lion had voiced nothing but the literal truth as he perceived it, but…

“As anticipated, lingering side effects remain.”

Kyle privately resolved to take Lion’s reassurances with a heavy grain of salt.

Had Lion possessed direct insight into Kyle’s inner monologue, he undoubtedly would have felt deeply aggrieved by the misinterpretation.

“……”

Kyle relapsed into deep contemplation.

In truth, a multitude of questions and deductions burned to be addressed regarding Lion Asteri.

Why conceal the truth when sharing such an intimate familial bond?

That particular dynamic certainly fell short of generating overprotection.

Furthermore, he had claimed a distinct ‘purpose’ motivated his decision to clear Kyle’s curse, yet the underlying motive remained entirely obscured.

The same mystery surrounded the mysterious figure known as ‘Jack.’

Yet the opposing party exhibited zero inclination to volunteer such confidential data.

If his own flesh and blood failed to breach that formidable barrier, what hope had an outsider like himself?

Yet one definitive conclusion had crystallized.

The precise strategy required to transform Lion Asteri into a ‘dependable ally’ was now glaringly obvious.

“I shall offer my assistance.”

“Regarding what matter?”

“Anything you require.”

Lion Asteri possessed immense power yet showed no inclination to wield it for malicious ends.

First and foremost, his gift could erase ‘curses,’ alongside his proficiency in spirit arts.

Such disciplines rarely belonged to the arsenal of villains.

Above all else, his ultimate objectives were far too transparent to harbor dark designs.

Absolute tranquility and the preservation of an ordinary daily routine.

Though the precise mechanics of his grand design remained unclear, the fundamental goal left no room for skepticism.

He would simply anchor this individual firmly by his side, ensuring nothing disrupted that peaceful destination.

“Your expression suggests you wish to question my motives.”

“Indeed, I do.”

Lion could not suppress his mounting perplexity.

Did the second prince habitually operate with such unexpected benevolence?

He was notoriously a man of strict boundaries who maintained calculated goals while ruthlessly separating public ambition from private affairs.

Beyond feeling a baseline sense of gratitude, he naturally should have sought to exploit the leverage he held.

Something along the lines of, “I shall keep your anomalous abilities hidden, provided you render service on a few occasions.”

Lion had already formulated several strategies to deflect such demands.

Such scenarios arose with predictable frequency.

Yet…

“He intends to offer unconditioned aid?”

Without even probing for the underlying reasons?

“You undoubtedly find this approach entirely out of character for me.”

“To be completely candid, yes.”

“The rationale is quite straightforward. I am simply ambitious.”

The second prince framed his internal calculations with maximum rationality.

A myriad of justifications could readily be presented.

Foremost among them, naturally, was the prospect of cementing tighter ties with the Asteri household.

Additionally, with the Byrdantis family aligning themselves alongside them, the collective influence commanded by Lion Asteri vastly exceeded initial estimates.

Up to that benchmark, the logic remained sound.

“Well, I suppose that sums up the primary factors.”

Regardless, from the second prince’s perspective, it constituted a highly plausible deduction.

Then came the secondary motivation, which carried a degree of surprise.

“The recent maneuvers executed by the Temple appear rather erratic.”

The topic abruptly shifted toward the religious faction, bypassing both the Imperial Court and the Central nobility.

“I have caught wind of no rumors suggesting aberrant behavior originating from the Temple.”

Even though Lion deliberately distanced himself from court intrigue and maintained a serene lifestyle, he was far from insulated against intelligence dispatched from the Asteri domain.

He had received no reports indicating the Temple was operating under unusual parameters.

In reality, the Temple was merely initiating a reorganization phase following the long-awaited awakening of the Supreme Archbishop.

Even if a single Sanctuary reached completion, its geopolitical ripple effects should remain minimal… yet.

To be frank, a persistent unease lingered.

Specifically concerning the young man standing directly before him at this very moment.

“You occupy a position immediately prior to public exposure.”

“That assessment is accurate.”

There was zero statistical probability that the Temple remained ignorant of the profound curse afflicting the second prince.

Yet, for reasons unknown, they had consistently feigned absolute ignorance.

Likely because the higher echelons of the priesthood preferred to avoid entanglement in bitter succession struggles.

However, at this critical juncture, with the Archbishop resuming active duties, the complete removal of the second prince’s most severe affliction completely altered the geopolitical landscape.

They would inevitably initiate a thorough investigation.

And Kyle.

“I harbor zero intention of surrendering him into their custody.”

He offered a wry smile, broadcasting an unyielding resolve.

Naturally, Lion internally rejected the notion as well.

A lifestyle sustained solely through the relentless accumulation of virtuous deeds was hardly a walk in the park.

His current existence—moderately unburdened and materially abundant—remained the absolute apex.

“The reasoning holds a solid foundation.”

Besides, wouldn’t it prove far more advantageous for Lion to selectively align with the second prince’s faction rather than being elevated into a literal saint exceeding ordinary righteousness by the Temple?

Furthermore, the weighty influence wielded by the Asteri name here ensured he would avoid suffering from exhaustion.

Yet.

Two separate justifications proved insufficient to justify offering such a generous concession as ‘I will help.’

“And the third contributing factor is…”

Breaking from his previous unhesitating cadence, the second prince hesitated briefly before giving a slight shake of his head.

The final motivation boiled down to simple, unadulterated gratitude.

Although he had already settled the debt with a miraculous artifact capable of cheating death, the actual value of what the second prince had secured vastly surpassed it.

Yet verbalizing that sentiment carried an awkward weight.

“Very well, let us drop the subject for the present. I am demanding no immediate commitment; I merely wished to communicate my stance, so deliberate upon it at your leisure.”

Concluding his declaration with brisk efficiency, the second prince rose abruptly from his seat.

“I have a brief interval before our two companions arrive, so allow me to provide a proper tour of the Imperial Palace grounds.”

Casting a quizzical look toward the second prince, Lion let out a soft chuckle before pushing himself upright.

Both Jack and the second prince shared a fundamental flaw: they were remarkably inept at articulating their genuine emotions.

“First, however, let us address the injury on your cheek before we depart.”