Chapter 281

Chapter 281
Chapter 281: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

I never could have imagined becoming an adult who goes all out in a conflict against a child.

Lion sighed in self-deprecation, then collected himself and stepped closer to Rikschel.

“There, there. Let’s calm down now.”

“Peeeeeep!”

Lion scooped up Nature, whose fury had still not cooled.

At that moment.

Peck! Peck peck peck!

“Ow ow ow.”

Nature struck fiercely at his fingertips.

Naturally, it lacked the force to actually injure him, so he sustained no harm, yet Lion shifted Nature back and forth in his grasp, deftly dodging the strikes just in case it exacerbated the corruption.

“I truly appreciate you trying to shield me, but that was a bit excessive.”

“Hmph.”

“Yes, of course my younger brother initiated the hostilities, but how deeply could he have possibly provoked you?”

“……”

Nature’s violent pecking assaults died down.

It served as a silent acknowledgement that he understood.

“Regardless, thank you.”

Lion offered an awkward smile and tucked Nature back inside his bag.

For whatever reason, the creature had attempted to defend him, hadn’t it?

‘He struggles even when drawing upon his power.’

This marked the second occasion Nature had manifested its true form.

The initial instance occurred when Lion inspected the ancient bottle.

‘Back then, he could not maintain his strength and fell unconscious.’

At the very least, Lion’s current mana reserve and Spirit Arts proficiency had attained a certain threshold, allowing the creature to remain awake for the time being.

Glancing.

He peered into the pouch to discover that, contrasting sharply with his earlier rage, Nature had slumped over and drifted off to sleep.

‘Honestly. Completely overprotective.’

Yet if he were in Nature’s position, would he have acted any differently?

“Rest well.”

Lion draped a handkerchief over Nature to ensure a sound sleep and zipped the pouch closed.

That settled the matter of Nature.

“The real issue is Rikschel.”

Lion cast a heavy gaze toward his younger brother.

Rikschel, having lost consciousness from mana exhaustion or remaining paralyzed by the bitter taste of defeat, lay entirely motionless.

“Good grief, the gathering is right around the corner, and what is this situation?”

Certainly, Rikschel was in superior physical condition compared to Lion, yet he remained in a far more wretched state than usual.

Most notably!

“Oh dear.”

Lion inspected the injury on the cheek opposite his own and retrieved a potion vial.

He had originally brewed it strictly as an emergency first-aid measure, never dreaming he would have to utilize it under such circumstances.

‘Fortunately, it heals rapidly.’

There appeared to be no internal trauma.

If so, recovery required rest above all else…

“Hmm. Should I head inside first?”

He felt little inclination to step back into the devastated mountain residence, but returning to the estate in his current appearance would undoubtedly cause his grandfather to clutch his head in despair.

Besides…

‘Even though I emerged victorious, I owe him an explanation, don’t I?’

…Truthfully, my original intention was to lose or secure a draw, but what is done is done.

“Heave ho.”

Lion managed to hoist Rikschel onto his shoulders.

Even though his boots dragged along the ground, he somehow managed to transport him indoors.

He deposited Rikschel onto the cleanest mattress he could locate, and utilizing a fresh towel he brought along with purified water, he hastily washed away the visible grime, rendering him somewhat presentable.

“Sleep for a moment.”

Lion addressed his brother before rising to his feet.

He was not planning to depart, yet the draft whistling through the shattered wall troubled him.

‘I ought to secure at least a blanket.’

A heavy cover would be necessary to keep him from catching a chill.

Furthermore…

‘After all this, the defeat must sting quite deeply.’

Even Lion, the victor, felt completely bewildered, let alone how much greater Rikschel’s distress must be!

Especially given that he had borne the reputation of a prodigy since childhood.

‘What words should I offer first when he awakens?’

Above all, I must issue a proper apology.

Lion turned the knob and stepped toward an adjacent chamber, carefully sidestepping the rubble.

Fortunately, he managed to unearth a blanket—somewhat weathered, yet delightfully warm!

“Oh, this possesses quite respectable quality?”

Could it be attributed to the fact that the villa was originally acquired from Asteri, despite its age?

Lion instinctively scrutinized the blanket through an expert’s lens.

At that moment…

『Blanket of Memories (★)』

* A blanket imbued with the lingering scent of someone cherished.
* It appears to carry an even cozier fragrance steeped in the passage of time.

“Hmm?”

Someone cherished?

Had either Lion or Rikschel visited this place in the past?

Or perhaps this represented the sanctuary of memories where Grandfather frequented during his youth?

Numerous questions blossomed in his mind, but finding the answers immediately was unnecessary.

Lion gathered the blanket and retraced his steps to the chamber where Rikschel slumbered.

The door, unhinged slightly by the sparring match, groaned open.

“Aargh!”

He shrieked the instant his gaze locked onto Rikschel standing directly before the threshold.

Good grief! Damn it! You frightened me!

“I genuinely believed my older brother had passed away.”

That phrasing sounds rather peculiar, my younger brother.

Might you at least announce your return to the manor?

Yet this moment called for Lion to yield.

“You appeared so chilled, I merely stepped out to fetch a blanket. But… how are you holding up?”

“I am quite well. Aside from the minor detail that my mana reserves are entirely depleted.”

“That comes as a relief, my younger brother.”

“Isn’t this entirely thanks to my older brother extending mercy toward me?”

He clearly clung to a profound misunderstanding.

He had triumphed solely due to Nature’s fury, rather than through an overwhelming display of personal combat prowess.

“…Shall we step inside? You require rest.”

Lion attempted to steer the conversation elsewhere, half-guiding Rikschel—who stood frozen like a statue—toward the bed and draping the blanket over his shoulders.

“……”

Thereupon, an utterly piercing silence descended upon the room.

Whoooosh.

The gale sweeping in from the exterior emitted a chilling wail.

The atmosphere felt frostier than Grand Duke Dragnas’s fortress.

Eager to break the oppressive tension, Lion opened his mouth to speak when—

“I offer my deepest apologies. Older Brother.”

With that, he sank straight down onto both knees.

‘No, certainly, I was somewhat startled when he launched such a fierce assault at the outset.’

To be entirely honest, I even considered it excessive.

Yet I have cast those feelings aside.

Because… I secured the victory, regardless of whether it stemmed from my own volition.

Didn’t my younger brother collapse instead?

“Why persist with such heavy apologies?”

And to be entirely precise, Lion was the one who owed an apology.

Taking into account every secret he had concealed up to this juncture.

Rikschel, however, ignored Lion’s remark and merely muttered to himself.

He appeared utterly consumed by shock.

Lion opted to listen quietly rather than interrupt for the moment.

“It appears I have ultimately failed to live up to my older brother’s expectations.”

Rikschel was undeniably disoriented.

The shock of an unexpected defeat played a role, yet a far graver concern weighed upon him.

The realization that he could no longer stand by his older brother’s side.

Defeat.

Accompanied by a crushing, absolute defeat.

‘My training was woefully inadequate.’

Indeed. Under the guise of training for succession or safeguarding my older brother, had I not been displaying behavior more fitting for the heir of the Asteri Family than the master of a Magic Family?

Commerce. Politics. The Greater Good.

Such pursuits had prevented me from properly honing my blade.

There remains no one else to blame.

The Family Head endured all of these burdens while simultaneously saving the world.

And my older brother as well…

‘He must have committed himself to a single path.’

Thus, offering excuses constituted an unbearable luxury, and his sense of guilt magnified.

Because my own stubbornness had robbed my older brother of precious time.

“I should have exerted myself far more diligently, yet arrogance blinded me.”

“……”

“Consequently, I challenged him in an unready state and ultimately forfeited the privilege of standing at my older brother’s side.”

“……”

“Not only that, but I also squandered my older brother’s invaluable time; such a lapse cannot be resolved through mere words of remorse.”

Listening to Rikschel’s protracted confession, Lion pieced together several crucial facts.

Chief among them was discovering why Rikschel had undergone such an abrupt transformation.

‘He… he genuinely believed this entire ordeal constituted a test…!’

Lion mentally struck his forehead repeatedly.

Oh dear, my younger brother, who had maintained the lifestyle of a model scholar his entire life, naturally sought hidden layers of meaning in an encounter like this.

That misinterpretation snowballed, driving him to such harrowing conclusions.

‘And on top of that, I happened to win.’

Given that train of thought, the psychological blow must have been astronomical.

He could do nothing more than exhale a heavy sigh.

“I needlessly provoked my older brother and dragged myself all the way to this place…”

Lion raised a single hand to halt the continuous stream of self-reproach.

“Rikschel.”

“Yes. Older Brother.”

“Do you not intend to pose any questions to me?”

“That… I suppose I must.”

His tightly pursed lips trembled faintly.

Indeed. Even though his heart clearly wasn’t in it, he could no longer voice any protest.

‘Sigh. Such a fundamentally good soul.’

Fortunately, Rikschel remained so deeply dejected that the timing proved ideal for Lion to unveil fragments of his past secrets.

‘Once I confide in him, this misunderstanding will finally dissipate.’

Naturally, he would not escape a certain degree of reprimand regarding the corruption.

Still, that outcome vastly outweighed the alternative of him fleeing the estate like this.

Lion gazed down at his despondent younger brother and offered a leisurely smile.

“Is that so? Then you refuse to inquire about this matter either.”

He raised his right hand.

Before Rikschel could formulate a reply,

He stripped away his glove.

The hand, ravaged by corruption, stood fully exposed before Rikschel’s eyes.

The flesh mirrored within those purple irises appeared even darker than the pupils themselves.

Rikschel’s eyelids flew upward, his expression contorting in utter horror.

Before the shock could fully register, Lion supplied a calm clarification.

“It is not spreading further, so set your mind at ease. Grandfather appears to have uncovered a potential remedy as well.”

“……”

“I merely keep it concealed because the sight is somewhat unsightly, nothing more.”

Lion slid his glove back into place and gently patted Rikschel’s head.

“I shall explain everything to you.”

In a voice far more composed and steady than usual, Lion began to recount the narrative to Rikschel.

How his hand fell into this condition, and the events that unfolded at the great barrier.

Along with the reasons behind his actions during that crisis.

He even touched upon the hero’s tale.

‘Though I certainly could not reveal that it operated on Story Mode.’

That he possessed the ability to recognize the hero’s artifact, and the absolute necessity of gathering them.

And that the very hero who saved the world resided deep within the great barrier.

“……So that was the truth of it.”

Rikschel’s lips quivered violently under the weight of the revelation.

The reality far exceeded any ordinary circumstance he could have anticipated.

Shock was an entirely natural response.

Even Lion himself had required a considerable span of time to process those very truths.

“Honestly, I remain uncertain whether imparting this knowledge to you was wise. Not due to a lack of qualification on your part, but simply because you remain young.”

“……”

“Nevertheless, remaining silent bred a crisis, leading me to conclude that disclosure was the preferable course. I apologize for taking an excessive amount of time to reach this decision.”

“Ah, no.”

A tempest of complex emotions surfaced across his face.

Apprehension, relief, a subtle touch of lingering poutiness, and burgeoning joy—all coexisted simultaneously.

And through it all, a single truth crystallized.

He understood precisely what actions he needed to take from this moment onward.

“So that explains why you struck that agreement utilizing Jack as leverage.”

“Precisely. Though, well, things will somehow sort themselves out, correct?”

Lion shrugged nonchalantly.

Against the backdrop of the monumental revelations just shared, this registered as a mere triviality.

“……I understand. Older Brother.”

Fortuitously, his younger brother appeared to be absorbing the reality, difficult though it might be.

‘I certainly need to put him through rigorous training.’

Of course, Rikschel remained entirely unaware of that particular thought…!