Chapter 83

Chapter 83
## Chapter 83: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

Lion observed Clarentia with a gentle smile as she eagerly sipped the steaming beverage.

*‘As expected, she enjoys it.’*

Truthfully, wouldn’t it be quite a challenge not to?

『Body-Melting Hot Chocolate (★★)』

* A rich chocolate drink that instantly melts away fatigue in body and mind.
* On days when you’re too tired and exhausted, why not have a warm sip? It will comfort you.

Luxurious chocolate remains the premier choice for banishing exhaustion and reviving vitality.

Slurp!

As the thick, velvety liquid passed his lips, the distinct sweetness and subtle bitterness of cocoa rose gently through his sinuses.

In contemporary times, starches are often blended into hot chocolate to achieve this viscosity, but with top-tier chocolate and milk containing cream-rich fat content, such additives were completely unnecessary.

Simply combining and blending superior ingredients naturally yielded such an exquisite flavor.

*‘Still, I hadn’t anticipated she would drink it immediately.’*

In reality, there was no intention to coerce her had she declined.

What Clarentia Bydenntis, the Marquis, genuinely required was not merely sugar, but rather the acquisition of proper rest.

Not simply lying listlessly in bed to mimic ordinary slumber, but actively dedicating time to true self-care.

Discovering that specific method held paramount importance.

“It is equally delightful when paired with bread.”

Lion lifted a cover resting on the edge of the table.

Inside lay an assortment of churros.

“The head chef baked these fresh for you, my Lord Marquis. They make a wonderful accompaniment for dipping into the chocolate.”

“……”

Naturally, Clarentia did not make the first move.

Anticipating this hesitation, Lion did not waver; he picked up a churro with his bare hand, dipped it generously into the hot chocolate, and brought it to his lips.

Crunch!

Though it had cooled slightly and firmed up, immersing it in the warm chocolate softened the exterior to perfection.

Yet, its signature crispness remained completely intact…

“Hmm.”

It is truly delicious.

With a contented expression, Lion dipped another piece and placed it in his mouth.

The large sugar crystals crunching between his teeth provided a wonderfully engaging texture.

“……”

Clarentia quietly observed Lion relishing his solitary tea time, as though she were entirely absent.

Beneath them, a small pet bird pecked curiously at the breadcrumbs Lion had inadvertently scattered across the surface.

*‘Is it genuinely that exquisite?’*

To be frank, the hot chocolate had caught her completely by surprise.

The chocolate milk consumed in her past seemed far thinner by comparison…

Swish.

Before she registered the movement, Clarentia found a churro resting in her own hand.

Following Lion’s exact example, she submerged it into the rich chocolate and tasted it.

“……!!”

This time as well, the flavor was exceptional.

She could not even recall the last time she consumed something sweet simply for enjoyment rather than sheer survival.

One bite quickly followed another.

While Clarentia quietly nibbled away at the churros…

『Companion Spirit Discovers the Taste of New Food!』

『’Nature’ Likes Churros!』

『Caution: Giving too much human snacks can lead to bad habits.』

“……”

Lion glanced down at Nature upon seeing the notifications flash before his eyes.

*‘It consumes human nourishment as well?’*

Whether this constitutes proper development remains somewhat questionable…

Even so, given that it is a first, sharing a small portion should pose no issue.

Lion detached a corner of the churro he held and placed it directly in front of Nature.

“……!”

Forgetting even to let out its usual chirp, Nature seized the pastry with its delicate feet and eagerly devoured it!

As he watched Nature’s relentless eating habits, his cup emptied almost unnoticeably.

Clarentia, too, had finished her portion, feigning casual indifference.

The timing could not have been better.

“Did the beverage meet with your approval?”

“It was acceptable.”

“There is a smudge near your mouth.”

“……”

Clarentia cleared away the trace with lightning speed.

“I offer my apologies for entering your chambers uninvited, Marquis. My primary reason for coming is to deliver an item into your care.”

“You possess something for me? What might it be?”

Retrieving a small box from his satchel, Lion revealed it.

He had packed the container with utmost care, guarding against any potential damage during transit.

“……”

Accepting the box, Clarentia lifted the lid without hesitation.

And then,

For the very first time, a distinct fracture appeared across her otherwise impassive countenance.

Her widened eyes strained briefly before closing as if to shield her trembling pupils, and upon reopening, she had resumed her customary expressionless mask.

Even so, she silently cradled the necklace within her palm, tracing its surface as though handling a deeply sacred relic.

“Do you happen to recognize the nature of this necklace?”

“The specifics escape me. However, I did ascertain that it belongs to the Bydenntis lineage.”

“……I see.”

Clarentia posed no further inquiries.

She did not ask how he acquired it, how he deduced its connection to the Bydenntis household, or why he sought to return it to her.

The silence that followed stretched longer than anticipated.

Within the vast chamber, only the rhythmic ticking of the clock’s gears remained audible.

Only when the ambient noise faded into the background did Clarentia’s lips finally part.

“First, I wish to express my gratitude.”

Her gaze remained locked onto the ornament.

Her fingertips continued their tender caress along the metal.

After a brief moment of quiet reflection, Clarentia returned the necklace to the table.

“As you observed, this piece is indeed a familial heirloom. One might even term it a treasure. Yet, it possesses no extraordinary enchantments.”

“Understood.”

“……That is likely why it slipped entirely from my memory.”

As she spoke, Clarentia’s brow furrowed slightly with a hint of anguish.

“This was a treasure I once held very close to my heart. Furthermore, it served as a keepsake left by my mother.”

And yet, the thought of searching for it had never crossed her mind.

A dry, mirthless chuckle escaped her lips.

Lion offered no words, choosing instead to observe quietly.

No phrasing could adequately comfort her in the present moment.

Doubtless, she sought no empty platitudes.

She merely required someone willing to listen in silence, right beside her.

Not a subordinate bound to his protection, nor an acolyte following blindly.

Perhaps what she needed was simply an unfamiliar presence.

Someone with whom she could converse candidly without inhibition, fulfilling the role of an impartial companion.

Baek Yi-hyun had shared a similar disposition during his youth.

*‘Through such distance, one may speak freely without holding back burdens.’*

Someone sufficiently detached that she need not offload her overwhelming sorrows onto their shoulders.

“During her final moments, was my mother wearing this necklace?”

“That aligns with my recollection. I last witnessed my mother wearing this exact piece.”

Clarentia stared down at the artifact resting in her hand.

When she first encountered it as a child, it had appeared merely as an antiquated, unfashionable trinket.

At the same time, the gemstone was sufficiently large and brilliant to fill her small palm, prompting thoughts of eventually wearing it in secret.

“Presumably, my father, destined to succeed as the next Marquis, presented it to her as a token of affection.”

“……”

Based on Lion’s knowledge, the previous Marquis and his wife of Bydenntis had met identical, sudden demises on the exact same day.

“It was poison. Even my father, whose physical conditioning had reached its peak, proved unable to resist its potency.”

Lion slowly blinked his eyes.

If the toxin was capable of subduing a direct descendant steeped in martial lineage… then the mother, as the original bearer of the necklace, must have endured an even more agonizing fate.

“The funeral ceremonies commenced, and I could do nothing but weep ceaselessly throughout.”

“Ah, Clarentia.”

“The grief of losing both parents must have broken your heart entirely.”

“My brother offered words of comfort, yet nothing brought me solace.”

Ultimately, Clarentia collapsed before she could even endure the entirety of the mourning rites.

Only her grandfather, the reigning Family Head, remained steadfast at his post until the bitter end, witnessing the tragic end of his children’s lives entirely alone.

The necklace vanished around that exact period as well.

For reasons unknown, her grandfather never initiated a search for the missing heirloom.

Consequently, she had assumed it remained safely stored away within the estate.

Years drifted by in this manner, until her grandfather’s health deteriorated rapidly, culminating in his passing.

“Following the second funeral, as I stood blankly before the gravesite, my brother approached and whispered directly into my ear.”

“Ah, Clarentia.”

“You have truly lost everything now.”

“……”

Hearing those words delivered with a gentle smile brought sudden clarity.

“I realized then that all of these tragedies were engineered by my own brother.”

She had screamed as if coughing up blood, demanding to know the reason why.

“Are you not curious regarding the immense beauty and strength born from extinguishing the life of someone cherished?”

“He claimed to have acquired such power at the direct expense of their lives.”

“……”

The notion was absolute madness.

Lion furrowed his brow deeply.

The mastermind behind the entire catastrophe was none other than Clarentia Bydenntis’s own elder brother—currently the deceased eldest son of the house.

*‘To harvest power through the murder of one’s own family…’*

Such methods belonged to the realm of demons.

Practices strictly outlawed since the conclusion of the war against the demon race had somehow been resurrected and utilized.

Merely to satisfy a twisted sense of curiosity.

“Perhaps my brother spoke so unguardedly because he viewed me as utterly weak. I had never so much as touched a blade prior to that day.”

Yet that very arrogance ultimately sealed his doom.

*‘But how?’*

How did Clarentia, who had never wielded a sword in her life, emerge victorious in such a confrontation?

Sensing his unspoken question, Clarentia rose and walked toward the chamber wall.

“He overlooked a singular detail.”

Reaching out, Clarentia retrieved a sword mounted upon the wall and slid it cleanly from its scabbard.

Clang!

The sheer resonance alone proclaimed it to be a weapon of exceptional craftsmanship.

Should the blade be described as pure white, or perhaps translucent?

One fact remained undeniable: it possessed none of the tactile qualities associated with ordinary metal.

As Clarentia extended the weapon toward him, Lion instinctively brushed his fingers along the edge, causing him to halt abruptly.

『Bydenntis Holy Sword (Unmeasurable)』

* A sword forged to safeguard the Bydenntis lineage. It grants overwhelming might at the steep cost of the wielder’s emotions.
* It delivers a lethal judgment against demons, yet functions merely as a standard blade when turned toward humans.

“I struck down my brother using this very steel.”

“……”

That implied Clarentia’s brother… no, that wretched individual had crossed a threshold of no return.

Rather than merely forming a pact with a demon, he had chosen to transform into one entirely.

“You appear to recognize the true worth of this blade.”

Mechanically, Lion nodded in confirmation.

“It is a Holy Sword.”

“Indeed. A weapon crafted for the sole purpose of eradicating demons.”

Struggling to maintain his composure, Lion returned the weapon into her grasp.

The description detailing its capacity to annihilate demonic entities alongside its classification as a Holy Sword naturally suggested an artifact infused with divine essence.

Even so.

*‘Can this truly be categorized as a benevolent Holy Sword?’*

Do the secondary conditions not reek of malicious design?

The stipulation demanding the surrender of human emotion as collateral.

While some might argue that sacrificing sentiment is a fair exchange for absolute power, where does the ultimate culmination of absolute emotional detachment lie?

It leads inevitably to the self-destruction of the wielder and everyone surrounding them.

Observing how the blade had previously been hung upon the wall like a mere decorative ornament indicated that she no longer relied upon it…

*‘This specific point is where everything commenced.’*

Clarentia’s inner feelings had not simply withered away; her formidable combat prowess and her acute awareness of Elvia’s existence were both undoubtedly tied to the influence of this sword.

Naturally, possessing a legendary weapon alone could not instantly elevate someone to superhuman status.

Clarentia herself must have poured immense dedication into her training.

At the very least, her present capabilities are indisputably authentic, showcased through her remarkable valor even when wielding alternative arms.

Yet, looking back a few years, during that dark period… she must have routinely utilized this exact instrument.

*‘Wait, if that hypothesis holds true—’*

Lion reached down to lift the necklace once more from the tabletop.

“Marquis. Would you be willing to hold this necklace alongside me?”

—

### Follow-Up Question

Would you like to explore how Lion plans to use the necklace to help Clarentia recover her emotional balance, or should we examine the backstory of the Bydenntis family further?