Chapter 250

Chapter 250
Chapter 250: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

One day prior.

“Hyungnim.”

Rihschel finally returned to his private residence once his duties at the Imperial Palace concluded.

Lion welcomed his younger sibling, whom he had not seen for quite some time, with visible delight.

“Are you all right? How is your physique holding up?”

“I am well. You are the one who endured a grueling schedule.”

He had been forced to scramble around managing additional imperial birthday preparations triggered entirely because of him, after all.

Besides, this particular assignment involved investigating a sensitive incident within the Imperial Family.

‘I feel a pointless sense of guilt.’

I ought to bake him some comforting treats later once my schedule opens up.

Whipping up the apple pie I tried out a while ago sounds like a splendid idea.

‘Urheel seemed quite pleased with it, too.’

I handed him that previous batch of apple pie, minus the sleeping potion ingredients, and he devoured the whole thing.

He even dispatched a gracious note the following morning praising the flavor, acting as though he experienced no drowsiness whatsoever.

It appears his system handles massive sugar surges without any trouble.

“No. I did not do much. And…”

Rihschel dropped his voice to a murmur.

“The Archbishop dispatched Priest Rihit in this direction. Did anything untoward happen on that front?”

…I did compel him to fall asleep, true, but only for a fleeting instant, and Elvia managed to slip away on vacation safely during that window, so nothing truly went wrong.

“Indeed. Nothing occurred.”

Strictly speaking, a complication had arisen, but Lion wished to spare his hard-working younger sibling any unnecessary stress, leading him to fabricate a white lie.

『Penalties are imposed.』

『Remaining Penalties: 3 → 2』

What?

Lion quietly shifted his focus toward the penalty alert.

A brand-new notice had materialized within the penalty interface, which had remained entirely dormant until this moment.

Yet Lion felt completely normal.

Not even the tiniest physical shift occurred.

“Hyungnim?”

“Ah, Tiamatrak summoned me for a brief second.”

-What are you rambling about? I was simply sitting right here!

『Remaining Penalties: 2 → 1』

“I refer to that dragon soul.”

“…He possesses an agreeable disposition.”

-My personality is genuinely stellar, after all.

Lion broke out in an internal cold sweat as the remaining penalty count plummeted rapidly.

Could this mean…?

‘Is this thing tracking lies?’

If so, why hasn’t any consequence manifested yet?

Meanwhile.

“Hyungnim. Are you genuinely feeling alright?”

Rihschel, sharply attuned to Lion’s shifting moods, pressed the question again.

“Naturally. Ah, starvation is setting in. Have you dined yet? Shall we share a meal together?”

『Remaining Penalties: 1 → 0』

With the final alert, the penalty interface that had been hovering across Lion’s vision vanished in a flash.

Miraculously, without a single disaster occurring!

It felt like a stroke of luck, yet left an eerie aftertaste.

“Yes. I returned precisely to share dinner with Hyungnim.”

“Splendid. Home-cooked dishes remain unmatched. Let us proceed.”

Thus, the day concluded peacefully, and the following morning dawned.

-Hey! Human! Lion! Rouse yourself instantly!

Lion was yanked from his slumber by Tiamatrak’s frantic tones.

“Uuuugh…”

Sensing that his eyelids refused to part as widely as usual today, Lion burrowed further into the expansive mattress and plush covers.

The bed, oversized for his frame, felt doubly luxurious this morning…

‘…Wait.’

Something was amiss.

Lion tossed and turned once or twice across the mattress.

Regardless of how massive Lion’s bed happened to be, shouldn’t he reach the perimeter after rolling this far?

Instead…

Fumbling about blindly.

He still felt trapped near the exact center of the bed, let alone the borders.

-Wake up at once!

Something was seriously wrong!

Snapping his tightly sealed eyes open, Lion forced himself into a sitting position, only to…

Thump.

His head felt impossibly heavy, causing him to pitch forward.

‘Am I dizzy? No, that cannot be it.’

Could a fever be setting in?

Given his history of coughing up blood, perhaps the active penalty was triggering physiological complications.

Lion pressed his palms against his forehead and cheeks.

Mercifully, his temperature felt normal.

Yet his cheeks felt remarkably… soft?

“…Eeng?”

That was not the only anomaly!

The sound that had just slipped past his lips unintentionally sounded far younger than Lion’s actual voice.

Recognizing that a grave crisis was unfolding, Lion scrambled to sit upright, attempting to slide out of bed as per his usual routine, but stumbled once more.

The bed towered far too high!

Fortunately.

-Whoops. That tactic works as well.

Tiamatrak swiftly hurled a cushion underneath Lion’s trajectory, averting any disastrous impact.

Naturally, even if he had taken a harsh tumble, he would have bounced back instantly.

Lion sprinted straight toward the vanity mirror and planted himself before it.

Then came the realization.

“Haaaaa…!”

This is utterly ridiculous.

He released a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose with short, stubby fingers.

-You have reverted into a tiny child?

“Indeed.”

His age had indeed regressed.

Not by a mere year or two, but his physical form appeared to have shed roughly fifteen years.

Thankfully, only his body underwent the de-aging process while his baseline physical health remained intact.

However.

『Due to the active penalty, all abilities are temporarily locked.』

『Growth is permanently restricted.』

Perhaps this represented the true mechanism behind the ‘reversion’ penalty.

He had pushed his luck far too often due to stubbornness, translating into a temporary freeze on any developmental gains during that span.

『Remaining Time: 71 hours 59 minutes』

At least the system kindly displayed the exact expiration timeline for the affliction.

“Beeeep.”

“Nature. Pus.”

However, because the malevolent spirits and entities he had previously subdued fell outside this specific restriction category, they remained completely unaffected.

‘That is a profound relief.’

Otherwise, catastrophe surely would have followed.

What about mana, then?

Lion closed his eyes and attempted to probe the internal mana circles situated within his physique.

Although the active current had halted, the structural circles themselves remained intact.

If so, he could bypass the horrors of a mana backlash.

“Whew. It seems Elvia is not the only one enjoying an unexpected vacation.”

-Well, the exact cause eludes me, but you seem to have pieced it together?

-Still, you are quite a spectacle. How on earth did you shrink like this?

-Among mortals, do not many dream of achieving eternal youth?

Tiamatrak appeared to be bathing in a wave of sheer entertainment despite the chaotic circumstances.

Frankly, where else might someone witness such a bizarre sight?

‘Still, since this functions as a penalty, I suppose no further secondary anomalies will surface.’

The real headache involves surviving in this state for three solid days.

The trigger mechanism activating the penalty was likely the ‘lie’ he uttered the previous afternoon.

‘Does that imply lying is strictly forbidden throughout this entire penalty phase?’

This theory requires testing.

If accidental deceptions continuously extend the timer, the duration could stretch out infinitely.

After brief deliberation, Lion pronounced a single declarative sentence.

“I shall never cause trouble ever again.”

-Huh? Out of nowhere, you spout an absurdity that lacks all logic…

Ignoring Tiamatrak’s bewildered commentary, he checked the floating penalty status window…

『Remaining Time: 71 hours 58 minutes』

“……!”

It remained stable.

Fortunately, he did not need to obsess over every single word and gesture moving forward.

Naturally, avoiding dishonesty remains ideal, but do not ordinary people resort to harmless white lies on occasion?

Especially given Lion’s complicated circumstances.

If he revealed the unvarnished truth and dragged others into danger, how could he look them in the eye?

‘Furthermore, keeping this appearance hidden from prying eyes is the safest course.’

Misunderstandings would arise far too easily.

This is hardly a situation one can casually laugh off or gloss over.

Even if explanations were attempted, formulating a coherent story proved impossible.

‘Regardless of how I analyze it, sealing myself away inside the labyrinth is the wisest choice.’

Lion clenched his miniature fists… but.

If things proceeded that smoothly, it wouldn’t truly qualify as a penalty, would it?

Lion was discovered almost immediately.

In truth, evasion was a mathematical impossibility.

Even if he successfully avoided Rihschel’s direct gaze, eluding the sharp eyes of the estate’s domestic staff proved unfeasible.

Consequently, Lion found himself cornered.

“……”

“……Did you not assure me that nothing was amiss with your health, Hyungnim?”

He was hauled straight into Rihschel’s private quarters.

Lion was seated upon a chair custom-built for small children, forced to endure Rihschel’s unblinking scrutiny.

Just as he began calculating a way to sweet-talk his way out of the predicament.

“Lion!”

Rihschel’s door swung wide open as his grandfather barged into the room.

Considering he was supposed to be managing external estate affairs, how on earth did he arrive here so quickly?

“Good grief, this appearance…! Are you entirely unharmed?”

Unlike his usual composed demeanor, the patriarch looked visibly flustered as he inspected the small frame.

Flashbacks to the severe mana shocks of Lion’s early childhood must have resurfaced.

“Grandfather. I am perfectly fine.”

Lion plastered an even brighter grin across his face to soothe the elder’s anxiety.

“Tiamatrak confirmed that everything will normalize within three days.”

-Indeed. Exactly so! We agreed to stick to that exact narrative!

“Hooou… You claim the root cause remains unknown to you as well?”

“That is…”

Before Lion could stumble through a response, Rihschel chimed in to shield him.

“As long as Hyungnim remains safe, that is all that truly matters, is it not, Gaju-nim?”

“…Indeed. Rihschel speaks wisely.”

“Hahaha… Were you genuinely distressed?”

“How could a grandfather avoid distress?”

Petrick experienced a tangled web of emotions as he stared down at the shrunken Lion, who beamed back with innocent cheer.

For starters, the young Lion of the past never flashed such carefree smiles.

No, framing it accurately, he physically lacked the vitality to do so.

He was a child who spent far more days bedridden with illness than standing upright.

The crisis extended beyond mere mana shocks.

Beyond that, Lion’s entire constitution flickered like a dying candle, threatening to extinguish at any second.

‘If only he had smiled like this during his actual infancy.’

Petrick swallowed an unbidden wave of bitterness.

Though distinct from those melancholic sentiments.

“For the upcoming three days, you will remain stationed firmly by Rihschel’s side.”

“Pardon?”

“I shall look after Hyungnim meticulously, Gaju-nim.”

Without waiting for objections, Rihschel accepted the responsibility.

‘D-Do not tell me, my brother…?’

Even if his physical vessel scaled down, such dramatic pampering felt entirely unnecessary.

“Grandfather, I am truly not an infant…”

“Your present physical form argues otherwise.”

“No, my mental faculties remain fully adult…”

“If so, are you capable of scaling the bed unaided?”

“That might prove slightly challenging, but I am confident the feat is manageable.”

Lion fought desperately to defend his dignity.

“Nature or Tiamatrak can offer physical assistance, too.”

“Beep beep.”

At that moment, Nature, who had been quietly standing guard beside Lion, crossed its wings and emphatically shook its head in denial.

“Hyungnim, release your worries. I shall read literature aloud so you avoid boredom, feed you spoonful by spoonful, and we can even construct sandcastles together in the courtyard.”

“……”

I am attempting to inform you that I am not a child!

He opened his mouth to snap back, but promptly clamped his jaws shut.

Rihschel’s expression radiated eager, glowing anticipation.

‘…Very well.’

Lion surrendered to his fate as the recipient of Rihschel’s overwhelming affection, forcing his composure to steady.

At that age bracket, harboring a secret yearning for a younger sibling is entirely normal.

Yet because reality rendered it impossible, he likely never voiced those suppressed desires aloud.

‘Besides, without Rihschel running interference, managing this bizarre situation would require endless explanations.’

After all, experiencing a total chronological reversal of physical age constitutes a monumental crisis, penalty or no penalty.

Furthermore…

‘Strictly speaking, this phenomenon leans closer to demonic sorcery than divine blessing.’

Rumors concerning entities sacrificing human lives or bathing in youthful blood to achieve rejuvenation still circulated wildly throughout the continent.

“……What about Priest Rihit?”

Even though Lion rendered assistance to the sanctuary, would a zealous clergyman view this aberrant transformation neutrally?

“Concerning that specific priest, you may safely erase any concerns.”

“Hm?”

“Well… he likely cares very little what physical vessel Hyungnim happens to inhabit.”

“……”

“……?”

Rihschel, and even his grandfather, cast glances toward him as though he were missing something obvious.

“In his eyes, Hyungnim already holds the status of a living divine messenger.”

Hmm…

Perhaps avoiding encounters with him remains the wiser play on that front as well.

At least if he wishes to dodge being dragged off toward the temple grounds.