Chapter 259

Chapter 259
Chapter 259: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

Lion realized something was amiss the moment the carriage passed through the threshold of the ancient fortress.

Whoooooo-

Sob- sob sob-

“……”

At first, a weeping sound began to interweave with the whistling wind.

It carried such profound sorrow that he almost found himself listening involuntarily, yet Lion forced himself to push it away.

Owing to Tiamatrak, he had grown quite adept at shutting out bizarre occurrences.

-Ugh, why on earth is that individual wailing so loudly?

-Did they turn into a specter just recently? Mortals possess such fragile mental resolve.

……I did indeed ponder if the mental fortitude of a mortal transformed into a specter because of……was genuinely that weak.

Fortunately, a thick haze blanketed the outdoors.

Only the adjacent structures past which the carriage glided could be dimly perceived.

The rusted main entrance and the insignia of Dragonas stood as testaments to former glory.

Even those features remained half-shattered or marred as if cleaved by a broad blade.

“It is the stubbornness of the Imperial Household.”

Petrick answered before Lion had even voiced his query.

Lion gave a nod.

As anticipated, repairs had been neglected due to pressure from the Imperial Household.

It created an environment where one could easily become a target of hostility.

‘What was the Imperial Household doing while the Grand Duke endured such indignity? Matters of that sort.’

Had the Emperor possessed even a modest intellect, he would have leveraged this circumstance to benefit Imperial propaganda, yet…

Lion shook his head as he called to mind the reigning Emperor.

Well, should Kyle ascend the throne, the atmosphere here might finally undergo a transformation.

Sob sob sob- sob sob-

“……”

Had the weeping not grown rather close?

Lion cast a sidelong glance toward the pane.

And right then, he laid eyes upon it.

The pristine white impression of a palm upon the glass.

Before Lion could even feel startled.

-Ouch! Hey!

-Lion. I shall return shortly!

Tiamatrak’s patience appeared to have reached its limit, prompting the entity to slip straight through the carriage window and vanish off somewhere.

And a brief moment later…

-Phew!

Tiamatrak reappeared wearing a look of deep relief.

With that, the crying ceased.

So did the handprint.

“……”

Well handled.

Even so, the combination of weeping noises and sudden palm impressions proved rather alarming.

-It was excessively noisy, I thought I might perish!

Quite so. Residing in a tranquil lair for your entire existence only to be met with relentless wailing would prove deeply irritating.

Besides, dragons are hardly renowned for their mild dispositions.

Neither is Tiamatrak blessed with a particularly gentle temperament… No, let us cease that line of thought.

‘Still, a specter.’

Lion stared out the now silent window.

Initially, he felt disinclined due to the surrounding atmosphere and gloom, but the situation might not prove entirely disadvantageous after all.

‘It serves wonderfully for acquiring intelligence in secret from Grandfather.’

And with Tiamatrak present, I doubt any harm will befall me.

As these thoughts crossed his mind while gazing outward, the carriage gradually came to a halt.

Swoosh.

“It appears we have arrived.”

“We made good time. I expected a delay on account of the fog.”

The carriage reached the antiquated stronghold without any notable incidents.

Lion stepped down from the vehicle and surveyed his surroundings.

‘There is nothing here.’

He had genuinely anticipated the interior might swarm with phantoms upon hearing the lamentations outside the fortress walls, yet remarkably, nothing could be seen.

‘If legions of specters roamed about, the priests would have detected them first.’

Even if priests cannot perceive spirits directly, they invariably react to the residual energy of the undead.

‘Though a solitary one or two might slip past.’

Still, what could be done?

‘Nothing surpasses spirits when it comes to gathering information.’

He felt a distinct sense of disappointment at losing such a convenient resource.

Should he ask Tiamatrak to drag that weeping phantom back here?

“If you are finished observing, let us ascend.”

“Understood.”

Lion trailed behind his grandfather into the interior of the fortress.

Unlike the exterior, which resembled a desolate ruin, the inside felt surprisingly inhabited.

Preparations seemed to have been made to accommodate other visitors traveling to this destination.

‘It is not merely Grandfather who frequents this place.’

I was told the Magic Tower dispatches individuals on occasion, and the Temple appears to visit the Great Barrier as regularly as Grandfather.

Presently, however, only the two of them occupied the space due to whatever arrangements Grandfather had made.

“You may select whichever chamber you prefer.”

“Ah.”

“However, do not choose one situated too distant.”

With those words, Grandfather indicated the room he intended to occupy.

True to expectation, it appeared to be the former bedchamber of Grand Duke Dragonas.

‘Hmm…’

Lion fell silent in contemplation.

Selecting a chamber directly adjacent to his grandfather would hinder his ability to move about unobserved, whereas picking one too far away would likely displease his elder.

“In that case, I shall take this chamber.”

Lion gestured toward a doorway along the corridor.

Though weathered, the door featured rather refined carvings.

It lacked the grand ornamentation found on the Grand Duke’s quarters, however.

It likely served as a child’s bedchamber in the past.

And Lion’s deduction proved accurate.

“Is that the room belonging to the Grand Duke’s son? You certainly possess a discerning eye.”

“Hahaha. Whose grandson am I, after all?”

“For now, since the journey must have fatigued you, remain within your quarters to rest. Do not entertain thoughts of wandering outside.”

“Oh, naturally. I shall stay put and behave.”

“……”

He speaks nothing but falsehoods.

Petrick stared hard at his mischievous grandson, who had already slipped past the threshold into the room, and let out an inward sigh.

To be frank, he still struggled to steady his own thoughts.

Which was only natural.

What guardian would ever wish to dissuade their charge from embarking on a perilous undertaking?

That is the root cause, the vital future. None of my concern.

Did not the Elder Elf, who had walked the earth for nearly a thousand years, utter those very words?

Never subject them to sacrifice.

‘Sigh. And to think I was once a comrade to the Hero…’

Serving as a guardian proved immensely difficult, particularly as this was his first endeavor.

‘With any luck, he will refrain from creating trouble today.’

The hour was quite late, and this ancient stronghold towered far higher than he had anticipated.

Furthermore, the distance to the Great Barrier was substantial, meaning it would require a minimum of several days just to master the surrounding terrain.

Under ordinary circumstances, this environment would preclude him from causing disruptions until the business trip concluded and they departed.

Yet could his grandson truly be classed as an ordinary grandson?

Without a doubt, the boy would stir up some commotion within a few days.

Even so, it was unlikely to happen tonight.

“Sigh.”

As Petrick exhaled a weary breath, Nature, who had not yet retreated to his own room, fluttered over and circled around Petrick’s head.

The gesture seemed to convey, ‘You genuinely carry a heavy burden.’

—

The instant Lion clicked the door shut, he turned to Tiamatrak.

“So, what became of that phantom?”

-That crybaby? I warned him to cease his wailing and departed!

Tiamatrak boasted of the encounter, embellishing the tale with details that had not been requested.

In summary, he silenced the weeping spirit, and the phantom, encountering a creature like Tiamatrak for the first time, fled elsewhere in terror.

-Yet it struck me as peculiar. It is hardly common for one so young to linger as a disembodied soul.

-Even had it lingered, demonic energy would have corrupted it ages ago.

“It was young?”

-Indeed. Only slightly larger than you were in your childhood years.

“Hmm.”

Lion gave a nod and swept his gaze across the room.

A young soul haunting the residence of the Grand Duke.

He could not leap to hasty conclusions regarding its true identity.

It might have been a youthful servant who suffered an untimely demise and harbored sorrow, or perhaps an unrelated spirit drawn inward by the ambient demonic forces.

Nevertheless…

“Something about this nags at me.”

-What does?

Opting not to answer Tiamatrak, Lion began inspecting each piece of furniture within the chamber.

‘This looks to have been brought in quite recently.’

The fortress of Grand Duke Dragonas had already been repurposed into an observation post overlooking the Great Barrier.

That likely explained why the personal belongings of his household had been cleared out entirely.

Even the frames that once held portraits, let alone any items of luxury.

Those vacant spots had simply been filled with standard furnishings intended for visiting officials.

Wardrobes for hanging garments, along with beds.

Writing desks for reviewing documents.

Hardly any trace remained of the individuals who had once made their home here.

However.

“There is a way.”

Lion smiled, then proceeded to push and pull every piece of furniture positioned against the partition to inspect the gaps behind them.

Crouching low, he pressed close to the surface and began scanning the wall meticulously.

-…?

-He is engaging in peculiar behavior once more…

Even Tiamatrak could merely watch in bewilderment, incapable of discerning his intent.

Puss mirrored the action, though perhaps attempting to mimic its master, the small creature pressed its dark nose against the wallpaper and sniffed about.

After scouring the surface for a prolonged duration, Lion uncovered a faint mark.

“Found it.”

It resembled a scrawled tally roughly a hand’s span in width.

He figured that even if considerable time elapsed and the interior furnishings were entirely replaced, the mark would endure so long as the wallpaper itself remained intact.

“Does the height of the weeping phantom you encountered match this?”

Lion inquired, gesturing toward the uppermost line of the marking.

-Oh…!

Only then did Tiamatrak appear to comprehend what Lion had discovered, letting out a sharp exclamation.

-Indeed it does! Ah, so that was the reason it persisted!

-You mentioned earlier that the one named Dragonas or similar was the master of this domain, correct? And whispers circulated of a wandering soul.

-Then this crying specter must be…

“Precisely. Most likely his child.”

While the intricacies of Grand Duke Dragonas’s family affairs remained unknown to him, there had to be a reason why the son’s bedchamber was preserved with such cleanliness and care.

It implied the boy had been deeply cherished for some reason or another.

He had reasoned that markers measuring the child’s growth would surely be left behind.

Fortunately, Lion’s intuition proved correct.

‘Even if he is somewhat young…’

The Grand Duke’s son would know the layout of the stronghold better than anyone, and though the reasons for his lingering resentment remained unclear, assistance could perhaps be offered.

…Well, an encounter would be necessary to learn the specifics.

“In light of that.”

Swish. Lion pivoted his head toward Tiamatrak.

-Yes…

“Fetch him.”

-…Whom? That crybaby? But I chased him off!

-Must I track down his whereabouts?

-What if he flees the moment he sets eyes upon me?

Yet who else here possesses your level of utility? No, who else is a dragon?

Besides…

‘Hmm. No.’

This matter was not yet settled.

“Surely a magnificent dragon would not claim incapacity when it comes to locating a single tiny phantom?”

-Now see here… I am not fond of weeping children, nor do I hold any particular affection for youth…

“Come now, Tiamatrak, lend me your ear.”

Lion placed a hand upon Tiamatrak’s cool, translucent shoulder and adopted a persuasive tone.

“Might this not present a favorable opportunity for yourself as well? Where else exists such a unique domain as the Great Barrier?”

-Th-that is true, but.

“I am obliged to remain confined to this chamber for a spell; would you not grow weary?”

-…

Listening to the reasoning, it did hold a certain logic.

Tiamatrak, as though placed under a spell, began to yield to Lion’s persuasion.

‘On top of that, I shall be free to roam about independently.’

In the interim, he could survey the surroundings and take in the sights.

Tiamatrak’s thoughts began to churn.

Lion smiled inwardly as he watched the calculations clearly manifest across the entity’s expression.