Chapter 253

Chapter 253
Chapter 253: Never Mind The Heir, I’ّل Focus On Healing

Lion brushed aside the hiccups that kept breaking through, feeling completely out of place in the tense atmosphere, and recounted everything that had transpired so far.

“Ah. Are you referring to the alchemy experiment?”

Naturally, I couldn’t share the entire truth.

If I had, even the well-meaning Rikschel surely would have hauled me straight to the temple.

‘No, my grandfather would have acted even faster…’

As if dealing with the story mode wasn’t enough, penalties on top of that?

Ugh, either way, it’s entirely impossible.

“Yes. That’s how it happened. Ha, haha…”

“According to your brother’s calculations, you should return to normal after three more nights.”

“……That is truly a relief. You’ve had a rough time.”

But why did you keep this a secret from me?

Rikschel swallowed the question he had prepared.

Or rather, it was more accurate to say he couldn’t voice it.

‘I would have done the exact same thing.’

With zero information about Lord Lion, I would have dragged him to the temple for an exhaustive investigation without a second thought.

In truth, letting him go still felt less appropriate than taking him to the sanctuary.

From the perspective of a ‘priest,’ that remained the case.

However, Rikschel chose to turn a blind eye, feigning total ignorance.

‘The Archbishop would never let this slide…’

Even if the Archbishop didn’t intervene, other priests would never leave Lord Lion alone.

Though I had managed to keep things tightly under wraps, whispers concerning the ‘Messenger of God’ had already begun trickling out to a select few senior clergy.

At the very least, those present in that meeting room had already formed their own tentative conclusions.

For now, the Archbishop remained silent, and the Asteri Family shielded Lord Lion fiercely enough to keep outsiders at bay, but…

‘If he were to step foot inside the temple…’

Hmm, it would undoubtedly trigger massive repercussions.

‘That simply won’t do.’

Above all else, Lord Lion’s own wishes came first.

This wasn’t a predicament that could be resolved through forced confinement.

Even if my foresight didn’t quite match the Archbishop’s, I could at least recognize that much.

Lost in these thoughts, Lion stroked Pus and asked.

“What was your reason for coming to see me, anyway?”

After all, showing up like this meant you had specific business with me, didn’t it?

“……Ah, that.”

Rikschel hesitated, unable to formulate an immediate reply.

“……”

It was the first time Rikschel had ever been so at a loss for words.

Even when faced with difficult problems, he rarely struggled like this, did he?

“Let’s—let’s just keep it hidden!”

“……Pardon?”

“Fortunately, I was the only one who discovered the true identity of the righteous person. We can easily sweep this under the rug.”

Didn’t I instantly make up my mind the moment my own identity was exposed in the sanctuary before?

‘Did the Archbishop give him a direct order?’

Is there any other reason the usually unshakeable Rikschel would be stumbling like this?

Just as Lion’s gaze began to narrow with suspicion.

“The truth is, I originally came because I was suspicious of Lord Rikschel.”

“My younger brother?”

Taken aback by the unexpected confession, Lion set Pus down and stepped in front of Rikschel as if to shield him.

“Yes. But given how things have unfolded, I realize it was entirely my misunderstanding.”

Rikschel wore an expression of deep remorse as he apologized to his younger brother.

“I am truly sorry. As soon as Lord Rikschel arrived, access was strictly limited, which led me to commit a grave error.”

“……”

Rikschel offered a silent, inward sneer as he watched the priest humble himself.

That man was still unmistakably wary of me.

More precisely, he harbored doubts about whether I was properly serving my brother.

‘How absurd.’

To them, I am nothing more than a symbolic figure, but to me, he is my only brother.

Frankly, it was deeply irritating.

And yet, it wasn’t entirely unpleasant either.

“It’s fine.”

This cleared things up nicely.

That priest wasn’t the type to bring harm to my brother.

‘I thought he might undergo a change after the Archbishop woke up, but I suppose not.’

Furthermore, another crucial fact had come to light.

‘It seems even he remains entirely in the dark regarding the Archbishop’s schemes.’

That settled it.

For the time being, the most important thing was that the priest had no intention of hurting my brother.

With his thoughts settled, Rikschel finally responded to the priest’s apology.

“I suppose it is natural that you would think that way.”

Lion tipped his head back, his eyes sparkling at the calm and mature reply.

‘Even after being unfairly suspected, he handles it with such grace…!’

Truly, his level of maturity was second to none.

“Even so, I doubt that was the only reason you came.”

“……Spot on. You are remarkably perceptive.”

“I want the full explanation. As his guardian, I need to know.”

Well said. Excellent job.

‘Even if you use me as a convenient shield, you still deserve answers.’

As Lion nodded in hearty agreement with Rikschel’s stance, Rikschel finally came clean.

“To be frank, it concerns a ‘dream’.”

“A dream? You mean a prophetic dream?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

“Could it be that you foresaw my brother in mortal danger?”

“That… I honestly cannot remember.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Rikschel furrowed his brows, failing to grasp the meaning.

“I simply can’t recall it.”

“……Can a priest really experience such a thing?”

Lion, who had been listening quietly until then, chimed in.

Unlike ordinary people, priests do not dream.

Yet, rare prophetic visions are supposed to be so vivid that they sear themselves into memory forever.

To completely forget one?

If the temple ever caught wind of this, it would be grounds for a severe ecclesiastical trial.

“That is precisely my dilemma……”

Rikschel’s face flushed red, deeply mortified by the flaw Lion had just exposed.

“That is why I grew desperate to speak with Lord Lion as an absolute last resort.”

“Me?”

“Yes. After all, of everyone in this estate, you share the deepest connection to ‘that person’.”

Perhaps an even stronger tie than the Archbishop himself.

Rikschel thought the words to himself, choosing to keep them unsaid.

“Hmm…… I see.”

Lion crossed his short arms and plunged into deep thought.

In reality, the situation was more troublesome than helpful.

‘While that’s generally true, right now…’

With Anyatras watching his every move, he certainly occupied the closest position to ‘God’ among all the magical lineages.

But wasn’t his current circumstance entirely different?

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

『 Growth has been restricted.』

He couldn’t even catch the attention of the divine, let alone tap into his own powers.

‘Actually, isn’t having the penalty a blessing in disguise?’

What if Rikschel had recovered his memory of the prophetic dream right here beside him?

Even if Rikschel felt kindly toward him, wouldn’t his eyes have gone wild with fanaticism?

‘I managed to wave off the alchemy incident as a fluke, but…’

There’s a limit to how many times you can sweep things under the rug.

“Given my present state, I’m not sure how much help I can be. If I were in my original body, I could have managed something.”

“Ah, that doesn’t matter. Recovering the vision is entirely my burden to bear.”

“In that case, perhaps you should return to the temple……”

As Rikschel gently attempted to steer him away.

“If you wouldn’t mind, could I remain by your side for a little while longer?”

“……”

So it had come to this.

In truth, the outcome had been sealed the moment Rikschel tracked him down.

“Provided you don’t annoy my brother, I suppose it’s an acceptable arrangement.”

To everyone’s surprise, it was Rikschel who first expressed willingness to allow it.

‘It’s true that this priest tends to ruffle my brother’s feathers.’

Besides, there remained a high probability that the priest would eventually uncover whatever secret his brother was keeping.

Even so.

‘Children fall ill easily.’

And his brother seemed to fall ill with astonishing frequency.

While the boy currently showed little connection to his past self, the unpredictable could always happen.

‘If someone with potent divine power is nearby, I can breathe a little easier.’

At the very least, it would buy them enough time for Hoffman to arrive from the Magic Tower.

‘To make that happen, though…’

First, he needed to convince his brother.

Just as that thought crossed his mind.

“Shall we do just that?”

Lion readily agreed without hesitation.

“……”

At that, Rikschel’s expression stiffened into a strange mask.

Granted, this was the exact outcome he wanted, but wasn’t he giving in a bit too easily?

‘No, Rikschel. When an opportunity presents itself, you must make the most of it.’

He had learned that lesson during his successor training.

Set aside personal pride and make only the choices that serve your brother’s best interests.

Above all else.

It would prove useful for what he needed to accomplish right now.

“Thank you. Ah, and speaking of which, we interrupted the task you were working on when I walked in.”

“It’s nothing. The work was only temporarily put on hold.”

“Work?”

“……”

At those words, Lion quickly averted his gaze.

“It’s nothing terribly grand, but I was simply preparing your bath, though you flatly refused.”

“I did no such thing……”

Lion instantly scrambled to put together an excuse.

The core of his rambling defense boiled down to this:

Just how old did they think he was? Where was his dignity? How could he possibly ask his younger brother to bathe him?

* Wow, you really talk a lot when you’re flustered.
* What does it matter! Your body is literally that of a toddler right now!

Quiet! This is a matter of utmost pride for me.

“Whew… I even went out of my way to prepare a rubber ducky that floats on the water.”

“Oh my.”

Rikschel caught on to the dynamic immediately and jumped right in.

“It seems my preparation was lacking.”

Lion puffed out his cheeks in a pout.

Do you know what the truly infuriating part is?

It’s the fact that I’m actually getting curious about that stupid rubber ducky floating in the water!

‘No, absolutely not! This cannot happen!’

Is a penalty really a penalty if it forces you to endure indignities like this?

No, this was the ultimate punishment.

“……”

Rikschel let out a soft, inward sigh as he took in Lion’s stubborn silence.

As expected, direct persuasion wouldn’t work.

In that case…

Nod.

Rikschel caught Rikschel’s eye and offered a subtle signal.

From this point on, whatever I say, you must back me up unconditionally.

“Brother, what about the hot springs in Mimir Forest?”

“A hot spring?”

Catching the cue instantly, Rikschel chimed in with feigned casualness.

It was a bit clumsy, but smooth enough to pass as natural conversation.

“Ah, are you unaware of it? There is a hot spring located within Mimir Forest that you built with your own hands.”

“Goodness gracious. You created it yourself?”

“Yes. Even when I suffered injuries, I would bathe in its waters and heal as though I had never been hurt at all.”

“Oh, wow. That sounds fascinating!”

As Rikschel praised the Mimir Forest springs with such theatrical enthusiasm, the corners of Lion’s mouth twitched involuntarily.

‘Did it work?’

Just as the two brothers thought they had succeeded.

“……Forgive me for interrupting such a delightful performance.”

The temperature in the room dropped sharply.

“You two don’t actually believe I’ve turned into a helpless infant, do you?”

“…”

I wanted to say, ‘Well, you kind of have,’ but Rikschel kept his mouth firmly shut.

He had learned a valuable lesson while quietly volunteering at the orphanage: even children will throw a proper tantrum if you cross a certain line.

And that wasn’t even the worst of it.

They would sulk for days.

“Hah.”

Lion let out a heavy sigh and planted both hands stubbornly on his hips.

“Just this once. And Rikschel, I’m letting your little stunt slide as well.”

A bath was non-negotiable, after all.

Besides, Rikschel looked like he had been rolling around in the dirt, judging by the grime smudged across his priestly robes.

It couldn’t be helped, seeing as it was all unintentional.

……And it was definitely, absolutely not because the praise for the hot spring had piqued his interest.

“I will keep that in mind, Brother. Shall we be on our way, then?”

Rikschel barely managed to swallow a triumphant grin, adopting a solemn expression as he led the way toward Mimir Forest with Lion.

‘……A hot spring with actual healing properties, though.’

Rikschel trailed a few paces behind them, tilting his head in quiet skepticism.

It didn’t sound like a bluff, but…

‘Doesn’t that just mean the water is essentially holy water?’