Chapter 66
From the moment Aseph saw the child, he had asked about Bea.
He asked about what the Zephyr liked in hopes of making a good impression, but when he received no useful answer, he resolved not to be disliked and tried to find out even what she disliked.
Aseph himself, and Homun.
That was the answer the child gave back then.
Along with a devastating emotion that made his heart drop, he felt sorry for both the child and Bea.
He tried to make amends, and he thought he had seen the fruits of his efforts recently.
But now, to be in such a state.
In a place where only good memories should be made, incidents like this kept happening. Holding her captive through coercion was the first mistake, then trying to show off his wealth led to the harsh incident in the mine, and now this.
Already in poor health and needing recovery, the incident at the mine would have left her completely battered. And with the child’s life being at stake now, he couldn’t object as usual and instead prayed that it would end quickly.
All he could do was to care for Homun so he wouldn’t weaken further.
Since the problem arose from staying close to Aseph, he worried he might not even be able to provide care, but it was a relief when Bea said that much was okay.
“Once you’re healthy, let’s give you a new name. I’ve been somewhat negligent towards you.”
It was shameful that he hadn’t realized the child would become so ill while he was only trying to win Bea’s heart.
Aseph sighed heavily beside the child’s bedside. His hand, about to gently wipe the cold sweat, twitched.
‘What’s this?’
It was due to some animalistic sense, a message from the blood of Vilkanos.
Something is inside the mansion.
A sinister energy approaching the sickroom where Homun lay. Just before it reached, Aseph got up.
And immediately, someone burst in.
Bang!
The sound of the door was like thunder, as the rain that had started in the evening became increasingly intense.
“Who’s there?”
Aseph asked in a subdued voice.
“Hahaha…”
Instead of answering, the man laughed savagely, scanning the room with his snake-like, fierce golden eyes.
“Vilkanos. Vilkanos.”
It was a low and ominous voice. The voice itself seemed to bring a chill.
“One of those who hunted me down like a rat. No, not quite. The son, huh?”
“……”
He was a stranger.
But Aseph couldn’t possibly be unaware of this man’s identity.
The Vilkanos mansion might appear beautiful on the outside, but it was a place of stringent security. Not only the butler who had traversed battlefields with the previous guardian but also Ruslan, who came from a knightly family that served the Vilkanos for generations. The servants, both men and women, were trained above average in martial arts.
In such a place, for someone to boldly stroll inside the mansion and find its master, there could only be two reasons.
Either they had dealt with everyone on their way in or there was a reason that made them ignore it.
No, it was the latter.
The butler and Ruslan followed with tense faces. There must be a reason they didn’t handle it and had to follow him here.
Aseph scrutinized the man’s appearance. The flaming red hair that fell down to his waist. And those predatory eyes with serpent-like amber irises.
He knew who he was.
A name that had become increasingly impossible to ignore lately.
“Myron Devesis.”
The man laughed pleasantly.
“Ah, you know my name, I see. Guardian of Vilkanos, or is it Grand Duke now? Perhaps both? It matters not to me.”
“You were alive.”
“More accurately, I was not alive. I had been dead until my consciousness awakened again. Thanks to my dear disciple.”
Who his disciple was didn’t need to be spelled out.
It was Bea, who was now standing beside the man.
“Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now. It’s about that young master.”
His hand pointed towards the bed. To Homun, who was unconscious.
“I can fix that thing.”
How a man believed dead could brazenly walk through the mansion, his dismissive behavior, and referring to the Vilkanos bloodline as ‘that thing’—none of it mattered.
One phrase had caught his ear.
“…You can?”
“Yes. I’ve been curious about what made me drop my guard. The previous guardian killed me. That beastly son of a b***h who pretends to be human.”
Aseph stood up abruptly. ‘Beast pretending to be human’ was a derogatory term used by mages who do not bow to those unable to use magic, referring to those beyond the mountains, to Vilkanos.
Myron Devesis remained unbothered, even as Aseph visibly displayed his displeasure. He seemed to think that the card he held was valuable enough.
Aseph clenched his teeth. Indeed, it was.
“If you hand over that thing to me…”
“Watch your words.”
Ruslan growled a warning. Myron glanced at Ruslan and smirked.
“Ah, yes, yes. Esteemed Lord, hand the young master over to me. If you let me satisfy my personal curiosity, I’ll fix that deteriorating body.”
“…….”
Young master.
Aseph was shocked because the alchemist referred to Homun as a person, coming from a human who epitomized the prejudice that alchemists were devoid of blood and tears.
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