Chapter 252: ​Intertwining Intentions 13

​Even as Liliana sensed Azulite's magic, she also felt a wave of doubt. She had met him many times before, but this was the first time she had perceived his magic so clearly.

​She had no idea why she could suddenly recognize it now. If she had to guess, the only thing that had changed was her stepping foot into the palace dungeon.

​Nonetheless, Liliana kept her inner turmoil perfectly hidden behind a calm smile. She briefly explained the secret hidden in the shack Azulite had found.

​Listening in silence, Azulite nodded with a serious expression. 'Hm.'

​'Someone actually thought of such a bizarre thing?'

​"Bizarre, you say?"

​Researching how to fix a dead soul to a physical body was clearly forbidden sorcery. Liliana knew Azulite lived by concepts different from humans, but "bizarre" was an unexpected choice of words.

​At Liliana’s tilted head, Azulite gave what looked like a cynical smile. His eyes seemed to trace something as he looked over Liliana’s face and body, and after a moment, he spoke.

​'They intended to put multiple souls into a single body. A human body can only hold one soul. To cram multiple souls in just to obtain magic that a normal person couldn't reach—if that isn't bizarre, I don't know what is.'

​Liliana thought for a moment and then tilted her head again. When she directed an inquiring gaze at him, Azulite met her eyes meaningfully.

​'Even if you increase the number of souls, the amount and quality of magic a human can withstand is largely fixed. There are exceptions, it seems, but in most cases, it will have a negative effect.'

​"Quality?"

​It was an unexpected word. Magic certainly had quality. While there were individual differences, the magic she sensed from Azulite and the Demon King’s seal was alien compared to human magic. On the surface, Azulite’s magic was masked so it wasn't obvious, but what seeped out was clearly different from Liliana’s.

​And Liliana, deciding it was a good opportunity, voiced a question.

​"I’ve been wondering for a long time. You have lived for many years. Has the quality of human magic changed compared to before?"

​Azulite looked up at Liliana, his striking eyes of mixed purple and green shimmering.

​'No, it hasn't changed.'

​"—I see."

​Liliana nodded vaguely, lowering her eyes slightly. Azulite seemed to notice the minute change in her expression and leaned forward as if concerned.

​'What is it?'

​"No—I just thought it was an interesting story that the quality of magic hasn't changed even though magic theory has."

​Liliana gave a plausible reply. Azulite didn't seem to find it odd and was easily convinced.

​But Liliana was far from composed.

​Azulite had stated that human magic hadn't changed for a long time. This was the word of Azulite, who had lived far longer than any human. There was no doubt that since the founding of the Slibegrad Kingdom, the magic humans possessed hadn't changed significantly, despite minor variations.

​In other words, that fact solidified Liliana’s suspicion in one direction.

​The true magic Azulite possessed was similar to the magic leaking from the Demon King’s seal. No one knew where the magic leaking from the seal originated. But since Ben Draco had said it was "leaking from the array," Liliana had assumed it was the magic of the one who sealed the Demon King.

​Therefore, she had thought that Azulite, who possessed similar magic, must be connected to those who sealed the Demon King.

​But at the same time, the worst possibility was flickering in the back of her mind. And that concern had been confirmed by Azulite’s answer.

​Azulite is a being that belongs to the Demon King... isn't he?

​Legend says the Three Heroes sealed the Demon King. In some versions, a Saint joins them, but both the Three Heroes and the Saint are human. If the quality of human magic hasn't changed over the years, then the magic leaking from the seal wasn't human. By process of elimination, that magic belonged to the sealed Demon King.

​The legends say all beings belonging to the Demon King were sealed, but was Azulite not sealed? Or...

​Liliana gasped.

​The place and time she first met Azulite, the reality that he came to see her at every opportunity, and the changes happening within herself—along with the discovery of the forbidden research. These facts suddenly connected in a single line.

​'What is it?'

​Seeing Liliana suddenly go quiet, Azulite asked curiously. Liliana was pulled back to her senses. Her agitation vanished instantly, and she offered a bright smile.

​"It’s nothing. More importantly, has anything interesting happened lately?"

​At Liliana’s question, Azulite looked as if he were thinking for a moment. He then began to tell her some mundane stories of his travels.

​◇　◇　◇　◇

​Sorn Greed was in a foul mood that day. However, he didn't let it show on his face. For him, letting the person he was about to meet know his emotions was out of the question.

​"Now of all times, what could he possibly—"

​Sorn muttered a low curse, barely suppressing a click of his tongue.

​Taking a rare day off from his work, Sorn was being jolted in a hired carriage. He was dressed in his usual robe. While he knew he should dress like a noble, wearing noble attire in a hired carriage would make him stand out. His family were Earls. If it were known that the third son of the Greed family was heading to the capital residence from the Ministry of Magic in a hired carriage, his prideful and image-obsessed father and two brothers would undoubtedly give him an endless earful.

​Besides, by showing himself in his mage's robes, he felt a sense of petty revenge against his father and brothers, who had ignored him for so long.

​"They’ll probably complain about the robes anyway," Sorn muttered to himself with a self-mocking grin. His father looked down on the profession of a mage, but even before that, he had dismissed Sorn, the youngest, as someone insignificant. Just seeing Sorn would make him knit his brows in displeasure and treat him as if he weren't there.

​"—I guess I just wanted to be acknowledged."

​Sorn looked back calmly at his past self. But it wasn't something he could simply brush off.

​He hadn't seen his father for years. His two brothers went without saying. He had wanted his father’s acknowledgement, but he couldn't become a civil official or a warrior like his brothers. Since magic was the only thing he felt he was better at than his siblings, he had chosen the path of a mage, but that had only made his father look down on him even more. It was as if his father didn't even want to admit Sorn was the third son of the Earl Greed family. It was only natural that Sorn had come to avoid his family home.

​And his father and brothers had never tried to contact Sorn, who never came home. Despite that, there was a reason Sorn was heading to the Earl’s residence in the capital today.

​A few days ago, he had received a message from his father, specifying a date for him to return. The reason wasn't stated, but it was no small thing for the Earl to send a letter. Reluctantly, Sorn had forced his work to a close and snatched some time off.

​The family residence was in the center of the capital. For an Earl, the location was exceptionally good. He hadn't thought it strange when he was young, but now he realized his father must be a very capable lord. Of course, whether a good lord was a good father was another question entirely.

​Taking a deep breath to calm his frayed nerves, Sorn stood before the gate. After knocking and waiting a while, a butler poked his face out from inside. He looked much older than Sorn remembered, and Sorn was momentarily lost for words. The butler knit his brows suspiciously, but he seemed to realize it was Sorn almost immediately. With his unchanging, expressionless face, he opened the door and gave a graceful bow.

​"We have been expecting you, Young Master."

​"—I’m at an age where you should stop that."

​"As you wish. This way, please. The Master is waiting."

​Guided by the butler, Sorn walked through the house. The butler was heading towards the study. Nothing in the house's decor had changed since he was a child, and Sorn felt his face twitch with a pang of nostalgia.

​To be honest, he had no good memories of his home. His mother, who had died when he was young, had been a kind person, but perhaps because she was sickly, his memories of her were always of her smiling softly from her bed.

​"Master, Master Sorn has arrived."

​The two stood before the study door. After a moment, a short command to "Enter" came from inside. The butler opened the door, and Sorn walked in without a word. The butler closed the door behind him and seemed to have left without entering.

​Sorn stared at his father, who was sitting at a large desk. He had thought he would burst into a tirade the moment he saw him, but Sorn found himself surprisingly calm. Like the butler, his father looked older than he remembered. His frame seemed to have shrunk, though it might just be because Sorn had grown.

​Seeing Sorn standing there in silence, the Earl snorted with an exasperated expression.

​"You can't even manage a proper greeting. You're as much of a slow-witted fool as ever. Truly lamentable."

​"—It’s been a long time."

​Sorn couldn't bring himself to say "Father," so he stopped there. He knew that no matter what he said, his father would find it displeasing. As expected, the Earl frowned.

​"You haven't even come to pay your respects until now; you're a cold-hearted son. And what is that outfit? Have you forgotten the pride of being my son and sold your soul to the lowly profession of a mage?"

​Sorn instinctively tightened his lips. He wanted to ask what he was talking about now, after never having treated or called him a son. Besides, being a mage was what supported Sorn’s pride. But he didn't think his father would listen. Taking a deep breath, he managed to calm himself.

​The image of Belasta Draco, whom he had met at the magic tool shop, surfaced in his mind. The boy's eyes had sparkled with respect as he told Sorn, "If we meet again, teach me all sorts of things." It wasn't just him. Even at the Ministry of Magic, the young mages wanted to hear what Sorn Greed had to say. Only at those times did he feel that he was superior to the highly touted Ben Draco—no, that wasn't it. He felt that as a mage, he was needed.

​It would be troublesome to let his father take control of the conversation. He knew it would only drain his spirit. So Sorn ignored his father’s words and asked plainly.

​"What business do you have with me that you called me here?"

​The Earl knit his brows slightly and looked up at his son. In the past, Sorn would either hang his head in dejection or desperately try to find words to be forgiven whenever the Earl said anything. He might have sensed the dissonance between those memories and his son's current attitude. But it seemed the Earl hadn't realized those memories had stopped several years ago.

​He snorted and spoke in a displeased tone.

​"—Fine. I wondered what you were doing when you started that nonsense as a mage, but now, use that position of yours."

​"Huh—?"

​Sorn Greed knit his brows in confusion as he stared at his father. He had no idea what he was talking about. It hadn't been like this in the past. When he was in the house, he could still understand what his father was thinking, despite his father’s lack of words. But now, he couldn't read his father’s true intent at all.

​Annoyed by Sorn’s confused stare, the Earl’s face twisted with irritation.

​"You don't understand? Truly. You were always incompetent, and it seems you haven't changed."

​Those words accurately gouged the old wounds in Sorn’s heart, but Sorn didn't change his expression. He clenched both fists. They trembled slightly, but that was all.

​The Earl had always been like this. He was humble towards those of higher rank, but in the Earl’s residence, where he was king, he never considered others.

​Sorn had learned since starting at the Ministry of Magic that when talking to people, you have to gauge the other person's understanding or your intent won't be accurately conveyed. But the Earl never did that. Despite his extreme lack of words, he would conclude that the other person was slow if they couldn't grasp his intent. Furthermore, because he would scold them for it, servants didn't last long. Only the butler, who processed everything before being ordered, was favored as a capable man.

​When I think about it, Sorn thought to himself.

​His two brothers were also very capable of gauging their father’s feelings and thoughts. Sorn was the only one who was bad at it, often doing things that missed the mark and earning his father’s disdain. Sorn was the youngest, a child; it should have been natural that he couldn't read his father’s mind. But it was Sorn’s misfortune that his two capable brothers were by his side.

​Comparing him to his two capable brothers, the Earl judged his youngest son as dull and incompetent. But it was only natural that his brothers were more "capable" than Sorn. They were older than Sorn, so they had more experience and had spent more time with their father. It was wrong to expect a child who couldn't even speak properly to have the same abilities as his eldest brother, who had already begun learning swordsmanship.

​However, the Earl, completely unaware of his son’s state, let out a theatrical sigh. He spoke with an air of complete exasperation.

​"Ben Draco."

​"—Ben Draco?"

​At his father’s tone, which suggested Sorn should understand just from that name, Sorn felt a headache coming on. He wanted to say that he couldn't possibly understand from just that. In the first place, Sorn didn't know what his father was doing or what he was plotting.

​His heart ached at the attitude of his father, which brought back memories of the past, but at the same time, he noticed flaws in his father that he hadn't seen before.

​He had long thought his father was terrifying, but is this man actually a fool? Sorn began to mentally escape reality, but the Earl seemed irritated by his son's attitude. He slammed the desk hard. There was a loud noise, but at the Ministry of Magic research wing, unexpected explosions were a daily occurrence. Sorn, who would have tensed his body in fear as a child, now calmly watched his father.

​"Do you still not understand after I’ve said this much! What did you become Vice-Director of the Ministry of Magic for? It was to serve this Earl Greed family! How long do you plan to let that loathsome Ben Draco have his way?"

​There, finally, Sorn grasped his father’s intent. He widened his eyes slightly.

​"You mean—you want me to expel Ben Draco from the Ministry of Magic?"

​"Expel? As if such a lukewarm measure would be enough. Use that lackluster brain of yours and think a little."

​The Earl spat bitterly. His sharp gaze glared at Sorn, and cold sweat ran down Sorn’s back. This was a reflex drilled into him since he was young. Trying to moisten his parched mouth, he swallowed hard and took a small breath. Seeing Sorn like that, the Earl’s cheeks relaxed slightly. A satisfied smile flickered in his eyes.

​As a young child, Sorn would have been relieved by that expression. When he made that face, his father had finally forgiven him.

​"If you eliminate Ben Draco, everything will proceed smoothly."

​So, stain your hands for the Earl Greed family— Earl Greed smiled darkly.

—-

Toc

Chapter 253