Chapter 274

Chapter 274
Chapter 274: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

The transport had just left the premises.

Elvia was in the middle of a delicate trial inside the Asteri household’s designated guest residence.

Crash! Hiss!

A costly glass cylinder shattered into pieces, and the spilled fluid instantly ate away at the stone flooring.

“Tsk.”

Elvia made a sharp sound with her tongue and flicked her wrist.

Instantly, the hazardous liquid vanished from the room, and the gouge in the floor was smoothly mended.

The surrounding air felt heavy, dense, and fragile.

Elvia.

The ancient sorceress, a creature who had walked the earth for close to a millennium or perhaps even longer, was visibly on edge for the first time in an age.

“Another failure…?”

The root of her agitation was none other than her cherished young charge, the Eldest Grandson of the Asteri clan, Lion.

To be precise, it was the severe injury Lion had incurred at the Great Barrier that demanded her attention.

Normally.

When Lion managed to get himself into some scrape, she could easily brush it off with the thought that children will be children, but not this time.

The current crisis existed on an entirely unprecedented and perilous scale.

“Contamination, of all things.”

Elvia’s visage, naturally cold and unyielding, grew even more rigid.

Isn’t it a marvel that he remains breathing at all?

She could state this with absolute certainty.

‘Contamination of that magnitude cannot be halted even by a Saintess.’

In truth, anyone soaked in that much corruption would lose their mind entirely long before a Priest could intervene.

The prime example of such a fate was Great Duke Dragnas.

It felt nothing short of a miracle that Lion’s condition had not worsened further.

Or perhaps.

‘It could be the hand of the divine.’

Something akin to a sacred miracle granted solely to a Hero.

“Hah.”

As her emotions surged, Elvia clenched her fingers into a fist, forcing down the demonic aura leaking from her fingertips.

Her crimson gaze quickly regained its composure.

This was not the moment to lose her temper over such matters.

“…”

Under normal circumstances, she would have scoffed at the notion of a divine blessing, but somehow, the boy’s corruption had remained dormant.

Still, if some higher power chose to lend a hand just this once, she would not complain.

Naturally, she had no intention of handing Lion over to fate because of a single stroke of luck.

Therefore.

“I must throw myself into this research.”

She referred to the ‘Contamination Removal Research’ she had pioneered back when she was known simply as a witch.

She had abandoned the practice after swearing allegiance to the Asteri lineage, as it relied heavily on forbidden arts, including dark magic.

‘There was no reason to pursue it.’

Yet fate had intervened, and thanks to Petrick’s swift message, she had secured permission to retrieve her old archives and instruments from her former dwelling.

“Thankfully, it did not breach the terms of the contract.”

Her actions were deemed permissible since they served to protect her Master, Lion Asteri.

Consequently.

Drawing upon her past experiments, she calculated that partially extracting the contamination was indeed feasible.

In fact, this breakthrough had been inspired by Lion’s own recent actions.

‘That egg.’

She recalled the method he used to save the delicate egg struggling against an overabundance of divine energy.

‘Absorb solely the corruption and channel it into a secondary vessel.’

Naturally, divine power and demonic forces possessed opposing natures, meaning she could not replicate his exact steps.

Instead, Elvia blended various arcane components to forge an entirely new technique.

That approach involved.

Shifting the corruption directly onto another living host.

And the chosen recipient, of course, would be Elvia herself.

‘How fortunate.’

Since her own physical form had been saturated with contamination since birth, taking on an extra burden would hardly cause a fatal crisis.

“You intend to absorb the corruption directly? Even for a witch, that is madness. More importantly, my sister’s…”

“Then would you prefer I seize some random mortal and force the transfer? Coincidentally, there is a novice priest residing in the manor who would serve the purpose.”

“…”

“Even if the Head of the Family allowed it, my boy would object. Above all, bearing it myself is the safest course.”

…Despite a brief argument, Petrick found himself powerless to stop her.

Thus, the method and the host were secured.

The final component required was precisely…

‘A Demon’s Relic.’

More specifically, a sacred artifact directly tied to a high-ranking fiend.

It served as an unholy catalyst.

Because Elvia was a half-blood, wielding such a potent medium was essential to anchor the ritual safely.

“I never thought I would curse my own existence at this stage of my life… Tsk tsk.”

The burden and sorrow of belonging to no true world; it was a sentiment she thought she had long since buried in her reckless youth.

Indeed, existence is rarely simple.

Regardless, when she requested the item, Petrick had advised her that the timing must be exact, urging her to exercise patience.

He also instructed her to refine safety measures to protect them both.

Since Elvia had no desire to see her boy come to harm, she had agreed to the condition.

Ever since, she had dedicated herself entirely to stabilization work.

‘…It is hardly simple.’

While wrestling with the chaotic energies surging within her own veins, she had to maintain absolute precision over her mana using her mastery as a witch.

Even so, if such minor hardships could preserve her boy’s life, she would gladly bear them.

*Swish.*

Elvia summoned her shadow, swallowed the array of failed instruments, and replaced them with fresh apparatuses.

Just as she raised her hand to mark another failure on the wall covered in tally marks.

*Cawww!*

*Caw.*

The harsh croak of a crow echoed from the distance.

Her familiars had returned.

That likely signified that her boy had recovered a measure of his strength.

Before resuming her trials, Elvia unlatched the casement and welcomed the bird inside.

The trained messenger dropped a small letter and a basket onto the oaken desk before fluttering up to rest on the window frame.

“What has my boy sent this time?”

He must have been thoroughly flustered when she failed to answer his call immediately.

Besides…

‘I suppose I did vent a fair amount of frustration.’

The corners of Elvia’s lips twitched upward.

Still, to pull such a reckless stunt was going entirely too far.

That stubborn rascal.

Remaining completely oblivious to the fact that someone was worrying endlessly over him from afar.

Nevertheless, it was time to let go of her annoyance.

Before inspecting the basket, Elvia unfolded the letter.

“Oh my. My sweet boy…”

The message was remarkably brief.

And his handwriting remained truly atrocious.

Utterly crude, devoid of any flowery expressions.

Yet Elvia understood.

“He truly takes after them when it counts.”

It was a trait shared by all of the Asteri bloodline.

Awkward when it came to expressing genuine warmth to others.

Even Lion, who possessed a uniquely affectionate heart compared to the rest of his kin…

To Elvia.

I am sorry for causing you worry.

I will be more careful hereafter.

…P.S. Please send me some night-cookies. They are delicious.

“Hoo hoo hoo.”

He was undoubtedly hopeless at composing heartfelt letters.

Yet what did it matter?

Sincerity was easily felt without grand words.

The sharp, agitated mana within her settled smoothly.

“Now then, let us see what our boy has baked.”

Elvia opened the lid of the basket and chuckled softly at the sight of the charming, chestnut-shaped confections resting inside.

Among the neatly shaped treats, a single chestnut bore a crudely drawn face.

A tearful expression, as though begging for forgiveness.

Without hesitation, Elvia picked up the sweet pastry and took a light bite.

The crisp shell shattered, releasing a rich, nutty sweetness across her palate.

After a few chews, it melted down her throat.

Just like that, all her lingering irritation vanished.

“Really…”

Just as no parent can truly conquer their child, no grandmother can ever outlast her grandson.

What else could she do?

A troublemaker with a vast heart had been born into her care, meaning Elvia simply had to cultivate an even larger one.

So that her boy could always stand back up, even if he stumbled.

“Very well, I suppose I ought to return to work.”

With renewed calmness, Elvia turned her full attention back to the experiment.

—

Quite some time had passed since Elvia sent back word that the pastries were delicious.

Thankfully, her anger had completely dissolved.

However, a follow-up letter had arrived explaining that the Family Head had assigned her an urgent duty, preventing her from visiting in person.

When I questioned my grandfather during his next visit…

“Such circumstances arose.”

He offered nothing more than that single vague sentence.

‘They must be terrified I will pull another stunt.’

Given that I was the direct cause of the previous disaster, I dared not press the matter further.

Still, it was a comfort to know she was doing well.

And as for Lion…!

“At last, I am discharged!”

The medical staff finally cleared him, certifying that his physical recovery had reached a stable point—excluding the dormant corruption—granting him official release.

“Listen well, Lion. This is by no means a complete cure.”

“Yes, of course. I am well aware!”

“……”

Hoffman released a heavy sigh as he gazed at the thoroughly exuberant youth.

He was certainly an improvement over the child who used to tremble whenever our paths crossed, yet he had simply evolved into a different sort of menace.

‘To throw such a fit…’

The moment his physical strength returned, all he could think of was packing his bags to rest at home.

He had strongly protested the original timeline of being discharged merely a day before the Emperor’s Birthday.

Naturally, his body remained compromised, and no one could predict when the corruption might flare up once more, causing Hoffman to reject the demand outright.

However.

“Allow him to proceed as he wishes.”

“F-Family Head…?”

To his utter shock, the Family Head himself had overruled the doctors and granted Lion leave.

Hoffman remained completely baffled.

Why on earth would he permit such a risk when he understood the danger better than anyone?

So, when I quietly sought an explanation later…

“Perhaps this time, even that boy will find himself unable to intervene.”

“Why do you speak with such certainty?”

“……Rikschel is unaware.”

“Pardon? Rikschel does not know… Huh??”

Hoffman found himself dumbfounded for an entirely different reason.

Rikschel Asteri.

That excessively meticulous child adored his older brother to an almost frightening degree.

He monitored every detail concerning his sibling and worked tirelessly to eliminate any potential hazard.

Initially, Hoffman had considered it mere overprotectiveness.

He had even wondered if the boy was deliberately trying to sabotage the succession line.

Yet, after witnessing Lion trigger a series of massive crises, the reasoning became clear.

It was never mere obsession… he was simply doing everything in his power.

Regardless.

‘H-He kept someone like that completely in the dark…?’

If Lion’s worsening corruption ever came to light, it would trigger catastrophic consequences throughout the realm.

“Without that level of restraint, this troublemaker will only invite greater disasters.”

“……That is undeniably true.”

Hoffman was persuaded by those words alone.

And thus, Lion’s discharge was finalized.

“I will warn you beforehand; the moment anything feels amiss, return to the Magic Tower immediately. Is that understood?”

“Yes, absolutely! Do not worry! Thank you so much for all your care!”

His internal vow never to return to that hospital bed was absolute.

Hoffman stared at Lion for a long moment before turning his gaze away.

“Then take your leave safely.”

“Yes!”

Completely oblivious to the behind-the-scenes maneuvering, Lion beamed brightly and offered a respectful bow.

Without wasting a moment, he made his direct way toward the grand estate.

“Welcome home, Young Master.”

“It has been quite a while, everyone.”

To finally return after such a prolonged absence!

Lion felt an overwhelming wave of nostalgia. He had not realized how deeply he missed the manor!

Besides, there were numerous tasks awaiting him.

First, the alchemy cauldron required repairs…

“Welcome back, Older Brother. Has Elvia been well?”

…What else was on the list?

Yet, one fact remained indisputable.

Right now… those chores were entirely secondary.

Rikschel stepped forward to welcome him home, wearing an expression of complete innocence.

‘Oh, no…!’

Lion instinctively reached out to adjust the gloves concealing his hands.

…For now, the corruption remained well hidden!