TYHL 27

~Chapter 27~

Did Hazel tell me?

“The footsteps. The sound of the heel touching the floor was different. It seemed like you were dragging one leg a little…”

“……”

“And earlier, when we avoided the carriage in the village, you leaned to the right.”

Chop chop. Her hands wrapping the cloth were very skilled.

“So I thought maybe your leg hurt.”

Huh, Morris let out a sigh without realizing it.

“If you keep enduring it, it’ll hurt more.”

“……”

“Oh, your knee is really hot.”

The child frowned after lightly touching it with a finger.

Not satisfied with just fanning it with her hand, Rubian lowered herself close to the bed.

Then she pursed her lips and blew gently on Balok’s knee.

Like cooling down heat, the soft breath touched his wound.

Morris bit the inside of his cheek hard.

Even Balok’s frozen heart could melt from that small, gentle breath.

‘I can see your lips trembling, Your Excellency.’

He stared at Balok’s face moving slightly in the darkness.

In decades, he had only seen Balok cry twice.

Once when his wife passed away.

And once when his granddaughter was stillborn.

Both had left scars on everyone.

His son collapsed, his daughter-in-law lost her health. Then black magic beasts invaded. Balok had wanted to join the war in his son’s place, but his body wouldn’t move as he wished.

A useless body.

Balok’s habitual saying began then.

“Even though I made it really big, it’s still not enough…”

The cloth wasn’t quite enough to fully wrap Balok’s thick leg.

Rubian looked displeased, glancing between her small hands and Balok’s huge body. Soon, a small mutter slipped out.

“It would be nice if I could be this strong too.”

“……”

Unable to hold back anymore, Balok raised his head, opening his eyes slightly and looking at the back of the child’s head.

His gaze was calm and lingered for a long time.

A few days passed.

I had been spending fairly peaceful days.

‘Hmm, no one’s here, right?’

Checked inside the room, outside the door—everything clear.

I went to one side of the room and took out the purple magic stones. Inside the luxurious box, the magic stones were individually wrapped.

‘Good.’

I moved my mana and held a magic stone.

Light seeped into the purple stone, glowing brightly for a moment before fading.

The power of the barrier stone had been activated.

Now I just had to set it into the right tool…

Making a magic tool was more complicated than activating a magic stone.

‘I also need space to spread the magic circle.’

It would probably flash with light and blow wind everywhere, so it wasn’t something I could do in the bedroom.

‘I’ll think about that later.’

For now, the priority was processing the mountain of magic stones!

‘More importantly…’

Bang bang bang!

Heavy, angry footsteps approached.

Finally, a knock.

I let out a short sigh, quickly putting the magic stones away, and lined them neatly on the window sill.

This way, I’d just look like a magic stone enthusiast…

“At least he doesn’t break the door anymore.”

If that’s a relief, I guess it is.

“Eat!”

I stared blankly at the pile of snacks in front of me.

“What is this?”

Why was I sitting on the old master’s knee in the dining room?

“Can’t you tell? They’re all the things you like.”

Strawberry milk, strawberry cake, strawberry cream bread, strawberry pudding, strawberry candy, strawberries… strawberries…

I was about to have a strawberry overload. I looked up at the old master with a weary face. Somehow, a strawberry tart had already ended up in my hand.

Huh, when did I pick that up!

“Oh, you eat so well.”

When I took a bite as if under a spell, the old master smiled in satisfaction.

“Why… why are you doing this to me?”

“If you eat them all, will you look at my knee again?”

Ah, a bribe.

The corners of his eyes curved into a narrow smile.

“Will you blow on it again, like before?”

“Ack!”

I covered my ears.

Blow on it, seriously?!

Even when I dropped the tart and dirtied the floor at his feet, he just laughed heartily.

“Stop teasing me!”

“What a cute little booger you are!”

That night, I hadn’t realized the old master had been awake.

‘I was only trying to hide the fact I used healing magic!’

I had placed a finger lightly on his knee and breathed in a tiny bit of mana.

Just enough to take away the pain, without being obvious.

I’d blown on it to hide the feeling of mana seeping in.

“Oh dear, my knee hurts again. Will our genius little pharmacist take a look?”

“…Ugh!”

It felt like I’d only given him something to tease me about forever.

I pounded my fists on his shoulders in protest, but his rock-like body didn’t budge.

“Give me back my ointment patch!”

“That won’t do! Taking back what you’ve given is bad.”

“Then let me go! I don’t want to eat any more strawberries! I’m busy!”

“That’s even less possible!”

Grr. The old master rubbed his soft beard all over my cheek.

Ugh, annoying!

Honestly, I preferred it when he threatened to kick me out. Could that ointment really be that good? Enough to turn a stubborn old man into a doting grandpa?

“Ow, that stings, old master!”

“Old master? That’s too cold.”

“Huh?”

“Are you my subordinate? Just call me grandpa!”

Since when did we have that kind of bond?!

But I couldn’t endure the beard attack any longer.

“Fine, fine! Grandpa!”

“Hahaha!”

His loud laughter rang in my ears. His softened eyes looked at me.

“Come on, eat! If you want to grow strong like grandpa, you have to eat plenty!”

“Ugh…”

“What’s going on here?”

Uncle Leviathan stopped at the dining room entrance.

“Looks like it’s starting again, father. I’m busy, so I’ll eat separately today…”

Void quickly ran off with a disgusted look.

Yes, at some point, the old master—no, grandpa—had started joining meals often.

I reached out desperately toward uncle.

“Save me, save me…!”

Save me! I’m going to suffocate in the beard of this strawberry-crazy grandpa!

In the middle of the sea.

The mages’ kingdom, Arcadia.

“Ah, the seventh. My child.”

In a place lined endlessly with white pillars, a man in white priest robes let out a sorrowful cry.

Around the throne where he sat askew, others in white garments stood in rows.

“Your Majesty.”

“You’ve left my arms again… left again…”

His voice was soaked with grief.

After a short while of sobbing, the king—with long, snow-white hair tied back—stood up with effort.

A beautiful man with a sensitive air lifted his face, now dry as if he’d never cried.

“Still, isn’t it fortunate? This time, the child left with a body.”

“……”

“A body always leaves traces.”

Yes, yes indeed.

The king nodded to himself, a long smile on his smooth lips.

“It’s fine, I’ll find them soon. As long as they’re here… Children grow by rebelling sometimes, don’t they? Yes, yes.”

His dry fingers flicked.

From the floor, masked shadows rose.

“Send more tracking mages to the continent. Bring my child back without fail.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“To summon back the great black mage, I absolutely need that child’s power… absolutely…”

The king’s eyes shone coldly.

After a pause, he added:

“A clever child will hide everything. Don’t care about age or gender—search every corner of the continent like hunting rats.”

“Understood.”

The king once again called out for the child.

Ah, my dear child.

With hair like noble silver thread and eyes redder than blood… I long to see you again. The great mage who inherited the wisdom of Wigeria, the jewel I stole away, my seventh… find them, no matter what.