Chapter 90

Chapter 90
## Chapter 90: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

Fortunately, they do not appear to suspect that I am the driving force behind everything just yet.

‘It’s only a matter of time.’

The First Prince’s faction, in particular, will be boiling with rage, their eyes burning as they attempt to track down the mastermind behind this whole ordeal.

They are hunting for the strategist who poured massive power directly into the Second Prince’s faction.

A dangerous figure capable of sweeping away all their hard-earned wealth and honor.

It makes complete sense, considering Lion’s actions were utterly unprecedented.

The Second Prince had been barely hanging on by a thread, propped up solely by the successor of the Asteri family.

Yet, because of Lion’s moves, that influence instantly surged.

Before the Second Prince even fully processed it!

While Lion acted purely out of good intentions, would individuals deeply entrenched in politics ever view it that way?

‘Impossible.’

Clarentia let out a dry, cynical snort.

‘Who on earth is this person audacious enough to pull off such a colossal feat right under our noses?’

‘We must crush whoever dares to seize our established fortune!’

They would undoubtedly think along those lines.

However, what if the true identity uncovered is not some towering giant, but Lion Asteri himself?

‘They will undoubtedly tremble and grow wary of the rise of yet another formidable player.’

Their greed is truly repulsive.

Even for a powerhouse like the Asteri family, they will never be able to endlessly cloak and protect him from the shadows.

“From what I can tell, he appeared to possess zero military might whatsoever.”

Clarentia mentally retraced Lion’s physical appearance.

His alabaster skin combined with fragile, delicate features.

Simply tall and slender, with hardly any muscle mass to speak of.

He looked miles away from any form of combat.

He could neither cast magic nor swing a blade.

While she knew he possessed remarkable talent in alchemy, surely that alone couldn’t shield his physical body from harm, could it?

Even a renowned magical household could never keep Lion Asteri perfectly guarded.

After all, they are not gods.

Clarentia gently rested a hand on the pendant hanging around her neck.

‘Therefore, I must step in to assist.’

Regardless of everything else, that individual is essentially a benefactor to me.

He restored my lost necklace, along with my buried emotions.

He even reminded me of the profound existence of family bonds, ties that run deeper than mere blood.

If magic cloaks Lion in secrecy, my sword will move directly to keep him safe.

‘It is about time for Byrdantis to make its move as well.’

She had initially intended to proceed with caution, but having received so much, she had no choice but to act.

Clarentia understood better than anyone else.

That in order to protect what is truly precious, one must be fully prepared to draw a sword and stain one’s hands with blood.

And thus, entirely unbeknownst to Lion, he had secured yet another powerful champion.

—

Lion stood directly in front of the active warp gate.

“This time, we are heading straight for the Asteri Territory, so you should feel considerably less burdened.”

Elvia, well aware that Lion suffered terribly from warp sickness, had altered their return itinerary.

The carriage and Andri would be dispatched toward the Lungen Territory warp gate as originally scheduled, while Lion and Elvia would make a direct jump home.

It was a practical approach that guaranteed both safety and comfort.

Unfortunately, it did nothing to cure the sickness itself.

“Right. I understand.”

Even so, Lion remained completely calm.

He hadn’t even bothered to brew the anti-sickness concoction he had vowed to create the moment that excruciating nausea had first hit him.

He possessed a hidden trump card, after all.

“Ppippi.”

Nature, tucked securely inside his arms, let out a cheerful chirp as if to say, *Just leave it to me.*

“That’s right. I trust you.”

Lion offered a soft smile, deliberately stroking Nature’s fur against the grain.

The gesture left Nature’s fur delightfully ruffled and its eyes curved into happy crescents, but Lion kept a perfectly straight face.

In any case, Lion had a foolproof method.

Leveraging the unique power of Nature.

Whenever Lion suffered the debilitating effects of warp sickness, remaining in close proximity to Nature drastically shortened the duration he remained bedridden.

While ordinary people were incapacitated by warp sickness for upwards of a week, he usually bounced back in a mere twenty-four hours, did he not?

‘Nature even volunteered the solution on its own.’

Lion fondly recalled Nature’s behavior from their room the day before.

The spirit had hilariously mimicked Lion collapsing from sudden nausea right after stepping out of a warp gate, shielding an imaginary form with its tiny wings and legs.

Then, as if declaring, *You don’t need to stress about that anymore!*, it had spread its wings wide, zipped around in a cheerful loop, and playfully pecked Lion squarely on the nose!

Status Ailment Immunity: Motion Sickness granted by Companion Spirit ‘Nature’.

Duration: 48 hours

Following that, it had puffed out its chest with immense pride, practically broadcasting, *Heh, consider this your reward for the ramen.*

Naturally, Lion felt an identical swell of pride.

‘My wonderful little companion!’

When did you grow up enough to start lifting my worries away?

Granted, its outward appearance remained unchanged, but Lion could distinctly sense the internal progress.

Nature was steadily maturing!

The growth was so utterly endearing that he had ended up handing the little creature an extra helping of snacks yesterday.

“Look at you, your belly is still round.”

“Tch.”

One has to wonder how a spirit even manages to produce a distinct sound like ‘tch’.

Regardless, a profoundly relieved Lion stepped forward onto the pulsing platform of the warp gate.

Just as during his previous trip, a disembodied voice instructed him to close his eyes, immediately followed by a flash of brilliant light.

Status Ailment: Motion Sickness Immunity Active.

Simultaneously, a notification confirming the successful resistance of the status ailment materialized in his mind, and Lion slowly fluttered his eyes open.

“…”

A familiar architectural style greeted him.

It was the genuine Asteri Territory that Lion knew so well.

“Hoo.”

Lion stepped cautiously off the warp gate platform.

True to Nature’s promise, the horrific wave of warp sickness completely failed to materialize.

Elvia observed the visible shift in Lion’s physical state and let out a visible breath of relief.

“I am so glad to see you are entirely free of motion sickness. Shall we make our way back to the main estate now?”

“Yes, let’s.”

While the chambers within the Baidantis Territory had been pleasant enough, home truly remained the best place of all.

Lion directed his steps toward the grand mansion with a lightened heart.

The journey had been quite lengthy, and he privately figured someone might have come out to welcome his arrival.

—

True to his expectations, someone was indeed waiting to greet him.

“You’ve returned quite a bit later than anticipated.”

It was none other than his grandfather, Patrick Asteri.

‘I genuinely thought Rikschel would be the one to show up.’

Rikschel historically made a point of greeting him on occasions like this.

Whether returning from the perilous depths of the Mimir Forest or simply wandering back from the outer village, Rikschel usually tracked Lion down around dusk.

His grandfather, on the other hand, was perpetually swamped with administrative burdens.

Seeing him here was thoroughly unexpected.

“Were you genuinely that worried about me?”

“Worried? Why on earth would I fret over a grown man?”

Elvia narrowed her eyes at Patrick’s predictably blunt retort.

In reality, he had been beside himself.

Extremely so.

He had constantly badgered her via communication magic to report on Lion’s exact activities.

Upon hearing news of the assassins, he had moved heaven and earth trying to prevent Lion from traveling directly into danger.

And let us not forget his reaction to the warp sickness.

“I will come down to retrieve you in person the moment you return!”

“My Lord. Please exercise some restraint.”

Even so, it was hardly fitting for the head of the house to personally utilize long-distance teleportation purely to welcome back a traveler.

Furthermore, long-distance teleportation spells inevitably drew unwanted attention due to their unique, lingering mana signatures.

Patrick was well aware of that fact, yet he simply could not contain his anxiety upon hearing that Lion was unwell.

And yet, here he stood, speaking with such unconvincing nonchalance in front of his eldest grandson.

‘Honestly.’

It isn’t as though I fail to understand his motives.

Patrick was perpetually clumsy when it came to expressing affection.

Naturally, their sharp-witted puppy of a grandson would never miss those subtle tells, yet Lion played along.

“…”

Elvia discreetly covered her mouth with a clenched fist to stifle a laugh, earning a sharp glare from Patrick.

“I have returned safely.”

True to form, Lion addressed the situation with casual ease, speaking as though he could read Patrick’s innermost feelings.

He recounted the places he had visited and the events that had transpired with various individuals.

And thus, grandfather and grandson, reunited after a prolonged absence, strolled toward the mansion while exchanging leisurely conversation.

However…

‘Rikschel is nowhere in sight?’

Even at this juncture, Rikschel was completely absent.

“By the way… where is Rikschel?”

“He is currently occupied in the training grounds.”

“The training grounds?”

Upon entering the estate gates, they had briefly skirted past the main training facility, but Rikschel had not been visible there either.

As Lion tilted his head in confusion, Patrick offered a slow clarification.

“He is utilizing my personal training ground.”

“…Grandfather’s personal training facility?”

Lion stared at Patrick in genuine astonishment.

His expression quickly darkened with deep concern.

It was an entirely rational reaction, seeing as Patrick’s private training ground was vastly different from standard facilities.

Ordinary retainers were entirely unaware of its existence, and even direct blood descendants of the household—not even Tower Master Hoffman—were permitted entry without explicit authorization.

Opening that heavy door instantaneously transported one to an entirely separate dimension fraught with lethal peril.

It was a harsh environment where a momentary lapse in magical control spelled instant death.

While ambient mana pooled there as densely as within a labyrinth, it remained wildly volatile, causing localized storms and razor-sharp ice showers driven by colliding energies to rain down from all directions.

Even within the context of the game *In the World*, wasn’t it widely recognized as a restricted domain meant exclusively for Archmages of a certain tier to push their limits?

Lion rapidly sifted through the lore data he had accumulated while playing *In the World*.

Surely… the minimum threshold required to step foot inside that personal training ground was the rank of a 4th Circle Master.

And Rikschel was presently hovering right on the precipice of reaching the 5th Circle.

Yet Rikschel was cooped up in a place precisely like that.

Honestly, his initial instinct was one of alarm: *Isn’t that far too dangerous?*

Regardless of how gifted he might be, Rikschel was still underage.

Worry was only natural.

On the other hand…

‘Knowing Rikschel, he definitely would have begged to be let inside.’

While labyrinths also boasted high concentrations of mana, Rikschel lacked the authority to train freely within them.

Even if entry was granted, regulating the internal mana flows of that domain was a privilege reserved solely for the master of the space—Lion himself.

“Hmm… will he truly be alright in there?”

“I simply lacked the grounds to refuse his request.”

Noticing Lion’s speech becoming uncharacteristically sparse, Patrick mumbled as if offering a flimsy excuse.

Whether knight or mage, those standing on the razor’s edge of a breakthrough always possessed a reckless streak.

*What does a minor ice storm matter anyway?*

*If I can just stretch my fingertips a fraction further, that elusive enlightenment will finally belong to me.*

‘True growth always demands risk. Stagnation is the inevitable reward of playing it safe.’

The brilliantly analytical Rikschel was acutely aware of that fundamental truth.

Lion nodded slowly, a complex expression settling over his features.

“If that is the case, when is Rikschel projected to finish his training?”

“Well…”

The abrupt question from the previously quiet Lion caught Patrick slightly off guard.

Breaking his usual composure, Patrick hesitated for a brief moment before answering readily.

“He swore an oath to conclude his session by the exact time of your return. Furthermore, he explicitly stated he would refuse to let delays push it back any further. Therefore, he should emerge by the end of this week at the absolute latest.”

“This week, you say.”

Lion muttered a quiet affirmation, a firm resolve settling in his eyes.

He had originally mapped out a leisurely schedule to tackle his future plans step-by-step, but it appeared he would need to accelerate his timeline.

“Grandfather.”

“Yes?”

“I believe I will also be spending some time residing within the Mimir Forest.”

“Very well… wait, what did you just say?”

—

### Follow-up Question

Would you like me to adjust the pacing or tone of any specific dialogue exchange in this paraphrased chapter?