Chapter 297
Chapter 297
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 297
>Chapter Title: ……Perhaps Today
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Aster blankly took in the sight of Leodis.
Whiiing—
The sea wind clawed roughly through his hair.
Aster opened his mouth only after the briny, salty scent brushed past his nose.
“What do you mean by that…….”
The question had caught him so off guard that he faltered, but his silence didn’t last long. Plenty of time to feign composure.
Plus, being young worked in his favor as a fixed assumption.
But.
“Would it be easier if I called you Tower Lord?”
“…….”
At Leodis’s single remark, Aster’s eyelids twitched faintly.
Just…… how much did he know?
No, before that.
Aster couldn’t understand why he was so flustered.
The partnership with Henji, and his identity as Tower Lord.
It was shocking enough that the master of Blandoga had uncovered it, but there was no reason to panic as if he were a criminal.
Henji had hidden the Heavenly Origin Art research from the family to avoid it being shut down, but now that it was on track, there was no need to keep it secret.
At this point, continuing the research would benefit Blandoga too.
Aster knew this.
Yet, why…….
Aster’s expression hardened slightly at his own unclear emotional state.
Leodis’s voice brushed his ear right then.
“Are you flustered? Or…… are you angry?”
Leodis furrowed his brow and mimicked Aster’s expression, as if that was the only way to grasp his feelings.
Aster gathered his thoughts after watching the bizarre scene for a moment. He had regained his calm.
“Ah, so you’re not angry after all.”
Aster posed the question he’d been holding back as he watched Leodis nod in relief.
“May I ask how you found out?”
“I’d prefer an answer to my question first. It makes the conversation smoother that way.”
“Feel free to proceed however you like.”
“Hmm.”
Leodis tilted his head.
He looked like he was struggling to understand something incomprehensible, but his mouth opened soon after.
“Then the story might get a bit long. Is that alright?”
“Yes.”
“Very well, then first…… there’s something I’ve been wanting to say to Damian’s friend.”
Leodis ruffled Aster’s hair playfully and smiled.
“Thank you for getting along well with Damian. He seemed so lonely without friends. I’d love for you to keep being good friends with him.”
More like an ordinary father than the head of a noble house. But the main point was just beginning.
“However.”
“…….”
“If you died, would Damian be sad?”
Aster reflected in Leodis’s clear eyes.
Glass-like pupils devoid of malice or any emotion in that affable smile. Less human, more like a doll.
As Aster stared straight into those eyes, Leodis spoke as if it meant nothing.
“I’m not saying I’ll kill you right now. I’m just curious. You know Damian’s talent, right? That child…… it’s not just fatherly bias—he was born with monstrous talent. But…….”
Leodis trailed off for a moment before continuing.
“Honestly, I’m a bit disappointed. Damian’s thirteen this year. I thought he’d reach transcendence by twenty at the latest, but he’s shown no drive at all. He’s improved lately, but at this rate, his talent will rot away.”
For the first time, emotion flickered in those empty eyes. It was a father’s love, concern for his child, and regret.
Could a man this empty even feel emotions?
The doubt flickered briefly, but it wasn’t important now.
So, what was he getting at?
The gist was simple.
“He seems to need some new stimulus…… but I can’t find any.”
Thus.
“If you died, would that be the stimulus?”
* * *
“…….”
Aster fell silent.
Leodis’s affection was so profoundly twisted that “distorted” didn’t begin to cover it.
His love for Damian was genuine, but the way he expressed it was way off the mark.
So, what should he say in the face of such warped love?
After a brief moment of thought, Aster spoke calmly.
Honestly, without holding back.
“You’re insane.”
“I hear that often. So, what do you think?”
“Would you get an honest answer asking the person in question?”
“I can’t just kill you to find out. Blandoga’s magic can’t revive the dead, after all.”
Aster gazed at Leodis for a moment before turning his eyes to the sea.
Amid the churning black abyss, the fishing hook pulled from its depths hung empty.
Aster threaded a ragworm onto the hook and cast the line, just as Leodis had done earlier.
Leodis waited silently like a patient student, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.
He was genuinely curious.
What Aster would say.
And so.
Shoooo—Splash.
On the dock bathed in moonlight.
A boy’s father and the boy’s friend sat side by side, continuing their twisted conversation.
Aster spoke first this time.
“The how of the death matters.”
“How? You mean the method of dying?”
“More like the process.”
“……Process?”
Leodis tilted his head. But only briefly. His attention snapped to the violently tugging fishing rod.
“Reel it in steadily, or you’ll lose it. Give it some play.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Leodis pulled and released the rod repeatedly to land the fish that had taken the bait—a rare occurrence. Meanwhile, Aster continued.
“To me, what matters is this: who kills you, and how.”
“Keep going?”
Aster nodded at Leodis, who was wrestling with the fish.
“Magic is a means. Some pursue it as an end in itself, but generally, it’s a tool to achieve goals. Understand so far?”
“Yes, I agree with that. And?”
“Now we look at what goals require magic. Some seek wealth or fame, others to protect loved ones. So what about Damian?”
“Damian…… hmm.”
Leodis let out a thoughtful hum, as if realizing something.
On reflection, Damian lacked for nothing.
He’d been handed wealth and fame that ordinary people craved their whole lives, right from birth.
Nor did he have anyone he needed to protect. Even if he did, Damian rarely had to step up.
Blandoga.
This vast bulwark enveloped Damian and those around him.
No siblings to vie with for the patriarch’s seat, either.
And the magical prowess expected of a future head…… to Damian, it was just something he’d naturally acquire with time.
As Leodis pondered that far, Aster pressed on.
“For someone’s death to stimulate Damian, the victim must be someone Blandoga’s power can’t resolve. And in the process of that death, it should instill helplessness. That’d be ideal.”
In other words…… yes, like with Baharmut.
Back then, Damian had unleashed his talent and shown remarkable growth.
But this approach had issues.
No guarantee the target wouldn’t harm Damian.
No one lets an enemy burning with vengeance and killing intent go free. Especially not a child prodigy—they’d nip it in the bud.
Did Leodis realize that too?
As he threaded a ragworm onto his empty hook, Leodis muttered.
“……It’s tricky. Kids are really so difficult.”
“That’s parenting for you.”
“Then, how about this?”
Leodis cast his line and continued calmly.
“I kill you. Right in front of Damian. Oh, what if I kill that kid Chenbi too? And Eveline.”
“Not a bad idea.”
“Right? I won’t kill Damian, so he’s safe. And it’s beyond Blandoga’s power to stop.”
Leodis’s solution was himself.
But.
“Hmm. Though it doesn’t sit entirely right with me.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not thrilled about my son hating me. Bianca wouldn’t like it either. Separate from that…… if Damian blooms his talent and kills me, that’d be enjoyable, sure.”
Aster nodded in quiet agreement.
“Good thing. I don’t want to leave Damian fatherless either. Or be hated.”
“You too?”
“Yes, exactly.”
Aster replied evenly.
Now he understood.
Why he’d been so flustered by Leodis’s question.
Because…… he wanted to keep living this current life.
A fleeting dream destined to end someday, but he hoped not today.
……Of course, if Leodis decided otherwise, there was no helping it.
As that thought crossed his mind.
Leodis chuckled and spoke.
“You’re fun. It’s been ages since I talked so easily with someone.”
“So, what now?”
Leodis shrugged at Aster’s question.
“Who knows. I’ll have to think on it. Oh, by the way, Damian won’t end up fatherless. Well…… you killing me wouldn’t be bad for him, but it’s practically impossible. For now.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Aster nodded in agreement.
“Can I ask about this later? I have no one else to talk to about it.”
“Sure.”
It was tantamount to promising murder, yet neither Leodis nor Aster found the situation odd at all.
With that topic settled for now.
A faint silence settled between them again.
After a moment.
“You’re terrible at fishing.”
“…….”
Aster didn’t reply.
Another faint silence.
The two maintained their quiet amid the chill sea wind, until Leodis spoke soon after.
“Truth is, I don’t have much time. I don’t want Damian finding out. So, shall we get to the real point now? Alright?”
He asked as if being considerate, but it wasn’t.
Just a mechanical prelude to the conversation.
Naturally, Aster’s answer didn’t matter.
“Now, then. Time for words to Henji’s partner…… and the Tower’s master. Since you answered kindly, I’ll show a little consideration.”
Leodis paused there, gathering his thoughts.
It didn’t take long for his mouth to open.
“Come to Blandoga with Professor Parun. It’s not a bad offer. If you want…… yes, I’ll give you a suitable vassal family. Bind it with a marriage alliance, and with your realm and talent, taking it over won’t be hard.”
……This was a considerate proposal.
“What if I refuse?”
Aster asked, eyes on the black sea.
Leodis showed rare awkwardness at the question.
Not a learned expression, but genuine discomfort, before he replied.
“You’ll refuse? Then I’ve got no choice. I’d probably have to kill you. Henji’s bloodline, Parun’s a co-researcher, but you’re too dangerous. Even as Damian’s friend, no helping it.”
“…….”
“Ah, wait, this is tough. I decided not to kill you as Damian’s friend…… How about this? I shatter your core and cut out your tongue. Then Blandoga takes care of you. That work?”
“…….”
Aster stayed silent.
He didn’t ask why the core or the tongue.
He just thought.
……Perhaps today, Damian would lose one of them.
Whooooooo—!
A fierce wind whipped through the once-calm dock.