Chapter 254

Chapter 254
Chapter 254: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

Splash.

Lion stepped into the warm water, submerging his ankles.

‘Has shrinking made me this sensitive?’

The hot spring, which he had initially judged to be at a comfortable temperature, felt a bit too scalding now.

Even so, it wasn’t hot enough to turn him away, so Lion bravely waded deeper into the spring.

“Ah, this feels amazing.”

“I really should have visited sooner.”

Rikschel fought back a chuckle as he watched his tiny older brother melt into a state of relaxation, making sounds like an old man.

A short distance away, Rikschel stopped and his jaw went slack.

“…Are you telling me you built this yourself?”

Honestly, the scale of it was mind-boggling.

To construct a natural hot spring spacious enough for three people all by his lonesomeness!

‘And furthermore…’

Didn’t it possess healing properties for the physical body as well?

Rikschel dropped to a crouch and cupped a handful of the steaming water.

‘It’s the real deal.’

Slowly, but unmistakably, his physical condition was mending.

Though completely devoid of divine energy, it produced results comparable to holy water.

‘How on earth is this possible?’

His brain simply refused to process the logic behind it.

Yet, amid the confusion, one detail stood out crystal clear.

First off, the fact that he couldn’t recall his precognitive dream somehow lined up with Lion reverting to a child.

And point number two.

He needed to keep Lion’s extraordinary gift under wraps for as long as humanly possible.

The temple was already keeping a close eye on them following the sanctuary incident, but this was a whole different beast entirely.

‘If the temple got wind of this, they would undoubtedly…’

They would slap the label of a ‘fragment of a miracle’ onto the phenomenon.

‘I’m inclined to agree.’

A miracle.

While not directly tied to divine power, it fit the exact criteria priests used when every logical cause pointed back to the divine.

This hot spring easily fell under that umbrella.

Actually, even if science or alchemy were responsible, the temple would spin it as a holy miracle anyway.

Because it suited their agenda.

‘I cannot let word get out.’

Making this choice meant stepping away from the strict path expected of a priest.

However, this came down to loyalty and trust.

The fact that Lion had shown him this sanctuary so openly was proof of his trust, and…

Stabbing that trust in the back would be unforgivable.

At least, that was where Rikschel’s heart landed.

By the time he had sorted out his thoughts, Lion had already finished his soak and slipped into fresh garments.

“I imagine the water was a bit much for you, Brother.”

Rikschel used his palm to fan Lion’s cheeks, which were still glowing pink from the heat of the spring.

“I’m fine. That’s why I wrapped it up quickly.”

It certainly had been intense.

If my powers weren’t currently throttled, I would have asked Nature to send over a refreshing breeze…

‘Nothing to be done about it now.’

Still, splashing around in the hot water felt like a game, leaving his mind and body feeling wonderfully light.

“If you say so, I suppose I can breathe easy…”

Rikschel wore an expression of profound anxiety.

At that moment, Rikschel leaned in and lowered his voice to a whisper.

“…If you’re feeling uneasy, would you mind if I ran a quick examination?”

“You’d do that?”

“Yes. It’s no trouble at all for me.”

It was a golden opportunity.

“Let’s get to it.”

“Right.”

Relishing the lingering lethargy, Rikschel wrapped up their conversation, gently scooped Lion into his arms, and carried him back toward the estate.

“Yawn…”

Completely oblivious to their earlier exchange, Lion let out a lazy yawn and allowed himself to be lugged along docilely against Rikschel’s chest.

Had he been fully alert, he probably would have had an existential crisis over how convenient it was to be treated like a toddler, but frankly, after playing to his heart’s content, eating a good meal, and soaking in a hot bath, he was simply too drowsy to care.

—

“I’m totally fine, can’t I just go to sleep?”

“I worry about your health, Brother. Would you humor me just this once?”

“……”

Lion cracked open heavy, tired eyelids and gave a reluctant nod.

Realistically speaking, his family would have panicked if they saw him in this state.

Besides, the person asking was his younger brother, who had looked after him so attentively today.

Even bone-deep exhaustion wasn’t an excuse to turn him down.

And besides…

‘It’s not like the checkup will reveal anything anyway.’

Even though Lion’s physical vessel and powers were currently bugged, the pendant’s primary functions remained active.

Not only that, but it automatically adjusted its dimensions to fit the wearer’s current size.

Because of that, Lion wasn’t experiencing any real discomfort.

“I’ll finish the scan as swiftly as possible.”

Rikschel wore an apologetic look as he inched cautiously toward Lion.

“You really don’t need to look so guilty, Priest.”

“Hahaha…”

Rikschel forced a tight grin.

Truth be told, while genuine worry motivated him to check on Lion, a second, hidden objective played a part.

The precognitive dream.

No matter what, Rikschel had an obligation to recover those lost memories.

Therefore, using a health checkup as a pretext was essentially conducting a covert investigation.

That was the reality of it, which stirred up a heavy sense of guilt in his chest.

‘I can’t prove it, but the moment I lost the dream’s memory seems to match up with Lion’s regression.’

Perhaps…

‘This might hand me a lead.’

It would be a direct diagnostic scan utilizing divine energy.

He was bound to fish up at least a tiny scrap of a clue.

“I’ll need to hold your hand for the reading.”

“Go ahead.”

Without a second thought, Lion slid his small hand into Rikschel’s palm.

“Initiating scan.”

As those words left his lips, a soft emerald radiance bloomed across Rikschel’s skin.

The energy slithered up Lion’s hand, washed over his entire frame, and drained out through his other hand.

“Nothing out of the ordinary, right?”

Well, obviously.

I’m not actually hurt; I’ve just been turned into a kid!

Plus, I just took a healing bath, so what could possibly be wrong?

“If I were actually sick, I’d tell you straight.”

“…Right.”

Rikschel had plenty of arguments lined up for that statement.

Historically, even when his older brother was suffering or dragging trouble behind him, he preferred to bottle it up and hide it.

Still, seeing the priest remain this tight-lipped suggested that Lion was genuinely in good shape.

“So, Priest, how do I look?”

“You’re completely healthy, correct?”

Silence answered him.

“…Priest?”

Lion tilted his head sideways and slowly pulled his hand back.

Even so.

“…”

Rikschel’s posture didn’t shift an inch.

There was zero movement.

He looked for all the world like a man who had suddenly passed out.

“Hmm…”

Lion blinked wide eyes that kept threatening to drift shut, staring first at space and then up at his younger brother.

Realizing something was deeply wrong, Rikschel stepped closer and gave the other man’s shoulder a tentative shake.

Then…

Thud!

Rikschel’s entire weight collapsed, sending him crashing face-first onto the plush carpet with a heavy thud!

They both froze in shock for a second before the reality of the situation clicked.

This is…

“He’s crashed.”

“…You think so?”

“It doesn’t happen often, but I’ve heard tales of folks suddenly dropping off to sleep like this. Better leave him be for now; disturbing him might make it worse.”

“Like this?”

Right on the hard carpet floor?

After a moment of intense debate, Lion fished out one of Pus’s favorite blankets and draped it over Rikschel’s form.

It was a bit… well, quite tiny, but at least it would keep the chill off.

He also shoved a loose cushion over so it rested right beside Rikschel’s face.

Just in case he rolled around and banged his head later on…

‘Sorry about this, Priest.’

If he had the physical capability, he would have shared his own blanket, but a child-sized body had severe limitations.

Sure, he could try kicking a blanket over him, but he risked jolting the man awake.

And besides…

“Yawn…”

Though the initial shock had chased away some of his exhaustion, a tidal wave of sleepiness crashed back over him.

It was barely past 10 PM, yet his body demanded rest.

“Don’t you worry, Brother. If the Priest wakes up, I’ll look after him.”

“Mhm…”

Please do…

Before his brain could process the final thought, Lion plunged into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Watching one man sacked out on the floor and the other curled up on a bed that looked absurdly grand and oversized for a child, Rikschel let out a soft sigh and shook his head.

‘Nothing about this is simple.’

The precognitive dream.

Just as the priest claimed, this bizarre state was likely tied to divine interference.

‘Judging by his reaction, though, he has no intention of blowing the whistle on this.’

The way Lion carried himself toward his older brother made that abundantly clear.

‘And Brother seems none the worse for wear.’

If that was the case, wasn’t that enough for the time being?

Besides, should a crisis actually arise.

‘The Family Head is back.’

The thought lifted a weight off his chest.

Rikschel dragged his eyes away from the sleeping pair and glanced out the window.

It appeared the Family Head had returned to the estate.

Common courtesy dictated that he go greet him, but walking away while the two of them were knocked out cold felt entirely too risky, even if they were just sleeping.

Rikschel pulled up a chair to the side and kept watch over his sleeping older brother.

Without realizing it, Rikschel had unconsciously adopted a slice of Lion’s relaxed posture.

Given how tightly wound his personality normally was, this sudden streak of flexibility might actually be a healthy change.

—

“Urrgh…”

Rikschel blinked sluggishly as morning sunlight speared through the window.

The room still carried an unfamiliar air, but he quickly oriented himself and pushed upright.

“Oh, you’re up!”

“…Lord Lion?”

He whipped his head around at the familiar voice and locked eyes with Lord Lion, who had somehow reverted to his proper, adult frame.

And right at that exact instant.

“Ugh…”

A sharp spike of pain lanced through his temples.

He squeezed his eyes shut to ward off the throbbing agony.

‘…What is this?’

A memory forced its way to the surface of his mind.

No, rather than a standard memory, it felt more like a chilling pronouncement.

-…If that is your deepest desire, though mortal eyes are forbidden from gazing upon it, I shall unveil the future on the singular condition that it be stricken from your mind.

An unearthly voice, entirely stripped of age or gender markers.

Though the delivery remained flat, a strange undercurrent of pity and gentle sorrow lingered beneath the words.

Based on the context of the dialogue, the entity speaking was none other than…

‘Them.’

His patron deity, the god who commands the eternal flame.

Anyatras.

He had crossed paths with a god inside his own dreamscape.

And he had brazenly begged to witness a realm meant to remain hidden.

To what end?

Sadly, that particular piece of the puzzle remained blank.

However, one fundamental truth had surfaced.

“Priest? Is your headache giving you trouble?”

“…Ah, I’m quite alright. I must have overslept.”

Rikschel forced down the grimace threatening to warp his features and spoke with measured calm.

“When did Lord Lion manage to revert to his original form?”

“Let’s see, today marks the third day. I opened my eyes this morning and the transformation had worn off.”

“I see.”

Rikschel offered a slow nod, his gaze drifting out toward the sun-drenched courtyard.

The morning star had barely dipped from its peak.

It was still early morning.

Which meant there was virtually no lag time between Lion snapping back to adulthood and Rikschel waking from his trance.

‘…What a remarkable coincidence.’

The blank spot in his memory where the dream used to live, paired with the sudden recovery of those fragments.

Both phenomena were deeply tethered to Lion’s strange physical anomaly.

The theory he had toyed with before falling asleep solidified into absolute certainty.

Hell, it might even branch out into conclusions far more complex than he originally anticipated.

“May I pose a single question to you?”

“Go ahead. Though I’ll only answer if it’s something within my power to share.”

Rikschel drew in a steadying breath at Lion’s response and carefully launched his query.

“Pardon my bluntness, but is it true that your regression was triggered by a specialized potion?”

“…”

It was a dangerously sharp inquiry, sounding entirely too much like a man who had already pieced the puzzle together.