Chapter 258

Chapter 258
Chapter 258: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

Kyle observed the first prince with a leisurely demeanor.

The other man’s complexion was pale, and he made no effort to conceal the bloodstains visible on his fingers.

It was evident he had journeyed all this distance driven purely by the recent rumors.

‘How carefree.’

To imagine he would actually come dashing over like this.

Kyle propped his chin upon his hand, a silent wave of disgust washing over him inwardly.

“Since you have honored me with your presence all the way out here, please state your business.”

“This…!”

The first prince struggled to keep his rising temper in check.

Under normal circumstances, striking down such an insolent wretch would have been entirely appropriate, but the present conditions simply did not allow for it.

“F-first of all, I must apologize for arriving without seeking your permission beforehand.”

He forced out an apology—something he had never done once throughout the entirety of his life.

Naturally, because it was a life utterly devoid of apologies, his delivery retained an arrogant edge.

“Please go on.”

Kyle could sense it as well, yet he found himself growing genuinely curious about what this fellow might say.

Or perhaps the urge to witness just how far the man would debase himself was stronger.

“I am well aware that you harbor ill feelings toward me.”

“And?”

“I understand that it is only natural for you to suspect me given what transpired.”

“And?”

“However, this time, I had nothing to do with it!”

Terus bit down on his lower lip as he stared at the perpetually indifferent Kyle.

He realized this approach might fail.

Even so.

Must I truly endure further humiliation at this fellow’s hands?

His meager pride, stubborn as his base instincts, held him back.

‘…Very well. Let us address this first.’

Thus, before resorting to outright begging, Terus brought up a daring point.

“You realize this as well, do you not? The mastermind behind this affair is not myself, but my mother. Therefore, she is the one you ought to target, not me!”

Kyle let out a dry, hollow laugh.

He had pegged the fellow as a scoundrel from the very beginning.

Yet was he truly offering up his own mother as a shield in his place?

While Kyle held no fondness for the Empress, this wretch’s behavior crossed into the absurd.

“Older brother.”

“Y-yes! You understand now, do you not? I am attempting to assist you on this occasion.”

Terus, completely oblivious to Kyle’s shifting mood, continued to babble on.

“In any case, it is my mother, not me! And do not forget that I am the one who provided you with this fact!”

In essence, his words translated to a desperate plea: “Please spare me just this once.”

‘It would appear the Empress intends to cast aside the first prince.’

And that scoundrel’s innate survival instinct must have driven him straight to this doorstep.

In former times, even a transparent lie might have been viewed as progress, but…

“On what grounds should I agree to that?”

“…Pardon?”

Without altering his posture, Kyle moved his lips with an elegant, unhurried cadence.

“Even if I take no action whatsoever, everything will fall into my hands.”

“Is that not a direct threat to your position?”

“What harm is there if I, who have possessed nothing, were to obtain it all?”

There was no downside to seizing total control.

In truth, cutting ties with the first prince to negotiate directly with the Empress and her backer, Duke Lepidus, presented far greater advantages.

‘Furthermore, it might serve as a useful check against the Archbishop.’

Though the Archbishop had offered assistance this time…

‘He is no ally.’

Moreover, he likely cared very little for the petty squabbles of the Imperial Family.

His true desire almost certainly lay with Lion Asteri.

‘This fool…!’

To remain completely unfayed even when presented with such sweeping prospects?

Truly, one who claws their way up from the gutter thinks with such shallow limits!

Grinding his teeth internally, the first prince made one final pitch.

In reality, this constituted the most critical element of his plea.

“I-I shall even remove that curse for you.”

The removal of the curse.

There existed a logical rationale behind establishing this specific condition.

It stemmed entirely from his recent encounter with the Archbishop.

‘The fact that he sought me out first under these circumstances implies that this bastard child holds no favor with the Temple either.’

That likely explained why they had left the curse untouched.

Consequently, wouldn’t the second prince be liberated solely if he himself lifted the curse?

In a sense, they held each other’s lives hostage… yet.

Why was there still no reaction?

Just as confusion began to cloud Terus’s expression.

“…It is genuinely an impressive talent to beg for one’s life with such insolence.”

Terus failed to grasp the meaning of Kyle’s words, freezing in place.

“Hahaha.”

Kyle let out a dry chuckle.

It was true that traveling alongside Lion Asteri had accustomed him to various spectacles, but…

His disposition remained far from charitable.

“If you are truly that desperate, should you not at least crawl upon the earth?”

He slowly rose from his seat.

“I have endured my share of humiliations.”

He drew close, lightly pressing a hand down upon the first prince’s shoulder.

“Ugh…!”

Under the sheer weight of the force, the man’s knees buckled naturally.

Terus looked upward from a diminished vantage point.

An oppressive aura weighed heavily upon him.

Just as terror threatened to consume him beneath that overwhelming gaze, the hand resting on his shoulder lifted away.

“Still, making the journey here bearing vital intelligence is a commendable development, so I shall let it pass. However.”

On the next occasion, bring more precise information.

Solid evidence would prove even more advantageous.

“Should that fail, next time I shall receive you from over there.”

Seated in a chair, rather than upon the floor.

—

Having concluded his final meal alongside Elvia and exchanged his farewells, Lion once again set forth upon his journey.

“We will be arriving shortly.”

“That was remarkably swift.”

Now that the route was known, the pathway proved well-maintained, and the carriage itself had been enhanced with weight-reduction and acceleration magic.

Naturally, it jolted slightly due to the horses maintaining a pace pushing their limits…

‘Even so, it is far quieter than a standard carriage.’

At any rate, they reached their intended destination in comfort.

Lion gazed outward through the carriage window.

The atmosphere differed starkly from the previous day.

Unlike yesterday’s sunlight, heavy storm clouds gathered overhead, and the fierce howling of the exterior wind carried the chilling resonance of a funeral dirge.

Above all else…

‘There it is.’

The Great Barrier came into clear view.

It was composed of intricate magic circles interwoven with layers of divine power.

That colossal veil stretched across the horizon like an immense tapestry, sealing off an entire territory.

-Ooh…

-This is my first time observing it this close. Those humans must have poured a staggering amount of effort into this, eh?

-Though their sense of aesthetics leaves quite a bit to be desired!

At the very least, in terms of sheer scale and utility, it commanded an acreage acknowledged even by the dragon Tiamatrak.

Witnessing it directly enhanced its overwhelming majesty.

As Lion remained lost in contemplation, staring at the Great Barrier for a prolonged moment.

“Does it weigh heavily upon you?”

Petrik inquired quietly.

The question likely carried multiple layers of meaning.

It served as the sturdiest bulwark safeguarding humanity, yet stood equally as one of the most perilous frontiers where demonic entities manifested.

‘He is likely wondering what fate awaits me within.’

In truth, Lion could not formulate a definitive response either.

It was within this northern expanse that his grandfather had last tracked the lingering traces of the Hero.

The accounts indicated it lay in close proximity to the Great Barrier.

He was undeniably stepping into something far grander than his usual endeavors.

“I am quite well.”

Nevertheless, Lion offered a composed reply.

‘In honesty, I harbor considerable confidence.’

An Archmage, a Spirit King, alongside malevolent influences.

Coupled with a dragon’s soul, and the option to borrow the witch’s strength should the need arise.

Did that encompass everything?

‘I have likewise amassed quite an array of items.’

Lion flashed a grin as he mentally reviewed the neatly organized inventory stored within his grasp.

To speak plainly, he felt assured.

“Where precisely shall we lodge near the Great Barrier?”

To Lion’s understanding, permanent habitation near the Great Barrier was nonexistent.

With no surrounding settlements or established territories, inns would be entirely absent.

At Lion’s inquiry, Petrik let out a low chuckle.

Should he label him remarkably resilient and pragmatic, or simply mutter, “Did you truly believe I would allow you to starve?”

He had never endured a day of starvation throughout his life.

Regardless, despite being his own flesh and blood, the boy remained an exceptionally peculiar individual.

“We shall settle that matter upon our arrival yonder.”

Petrik extended a finger, pointing out the carriage window.

“Hm?”

Is something situated out there?

Lion pressed his face close to the glass, straining his vision in the direction indicated by his grandfather.

Visibility proved difficult due to the low-hanging gloom of the dark clouds combined with the residual energy radiating from the Great Barrier.

-Oh. There appears to be something stationed there.

No? I cannot perceive anything.

Surely nothing could reside in such a place.

-Pardon? It rests precisely where my sight just fell.

“…”

At that instant, Tiamatrak—having evidently spotted the landmark first—roughly grabbed Lion’s face, forcibly adjusting his field of view.

Only then did Lion’s eyes lock onto the structure he had previously overlooked.

Half-concealed amidst the dense banks of fog and cloud…

“Well met?”

“Indeed. It is an antiquated fortress which has long since been abandoned.”

“…In truth?”

Lion’s lips parted slightly before he fell silent.

‘Surely not—did they truly choose to reside there?’

The notion held a strange logic, as Lion possessed thorough familiarity with the location.

To be precise, it was more accurate to state he had witnessed the very progression of that fortress transforming into a ruin.

‘This circumstance likewise explains the absence of the Duke’s lineage.’

Within the world of the game itself, the master of that stronghold had indeed existed.

Duke Dragnas.

Furthermore, he held the esteemed title of the Grand Duke who guarded the frigid North.

Duke Dragnas featured prominently as a supreme ally throughout the narrative arc of the game.

He would materialize during moments of crisis, interposing himself as a shield or aiding escape routes.

His disposition was equally magnanimous, differing greatly from typical nobility, cementing his status as a fan-favorite among players.

…However, a severe twist awaited at this juncture.

‘It has all gone to ruin.’

The once-formidable house of Duke Dragnas had suffered total annihilation.

Wiped out, ironically, by Duke Dragnas himself.

The catalyst had been a massive demon incursion followed by systemic corruption stemming from injuries sustained in battle.

Consequently, Duke Dragnas, consumed entirely by demonic miasma, swung a colossal greatsword dripping with dark energy against his own household and the Hero’s party.

‘I experienced quite a shock back then as well.’

Even Lion, whose recollection of the plot remained fragmented, felt a chilling sensation ripple down his spine at that abrupt narrative shift.

It had even been implemented as an eight-player hard raid dungeon, inflicting considerable misery upon the player base.

…Though that was hardly the sole reason the memory lingered.

Regardless, from Lion’s perspective, the estate of Duke Dragnas constituted a terrifying raid zone rather than a suitable resting place.

“Does the prospect displease you?”

In response to Petrik’s query, Lion—snapped abruptly back to reality—offered a stiff, awkward smile.

“Hahaha… It is not that I harbor any displeasure. Merely that I am somewhat taken aback. That structure is indeed the old fortress, is it not? The very same place whispered to be haunted by spirits of various legends.”

The precise fate of the Duke Dragnas family remained shrouded in mystery to the general populace, yet every citizen of the Empire was aware that they had fallen overnight.

Naturally, fifty years later, it had largely devolved into a local ghost story.

“Dismiss such idle fears. No anomalous magical signatures have ever been detected there, and local priests routinely conduct memorial rites.”

Petrik added with total indifference.

“…Though, admittedly, one occasionally hears whispers regarding the phantom of Duke Dragnas wandering the halls of the ruin.

Given your unique ability to perceive dragon souls, an encounter is not entirely out of the question.”

“H-haha. That would surely fall under the category of special circumstances involving dragons, would it not?”

Lion attempted to brush the notion aside.

Yet less than five minutes later, reality forced him to accept the truth.

…Because a sight crossed his vision!