The Nanny's Recognition
Sage's Tear
“I cannot acknowledge you.”
After a long silence, those were the first words Elena spoke to Albert. There was a stubborn edge to her declaration of “cannot acknowledge.” Her sharp gaze pierced him.
“I am grateful that you saved me. However, I have no desire to offer any further repayment to an impostor.”
“Impostor? Me? No, I’m the real one.”
“I cannot believe you.”
“I’m telling you, it’s really me. Why? Should I tell you an old story? Back then, you……”
“I don’t remember anything from the past.”
Her voice was utterly cold. Ten years ago, she would have been around eight years old. She should remember most things clearly. She was only pretending not to remember because of her distrust toward him. Or perhaps—
‘With so much that’s happened, she might have simply forgotten the memories.’
The lovely amethyst eyes that once looked at him were now cold, regarding him as a complete stranger.
Affinity is in the negatives? It’s freezing cold.
If this were a dating sim, we’d have to restart from the beginning.
This is a lost cause.
‘I know that too. And don’t compare it to a dating sim. Something’s off here.’
“Then ask your parents. We can cross-verify……”
“……”
The moment he brought up her parents, sparks flew from her eyes. In that instant, a small ember of unease ignited in Albert’s chest. Elena’s reaction was like dry kindling, threatening to fan that ember into a blaze.
‘Surely not…… No, that can’t be. They were both in good health when I left. No matter what……’
‘What if the two of them……’
‘If that’s the case, then why? What reason could there be? Why……’
Albert!!
Get ahold of yourself!!!
“……”
Albert lifted his head at the System’s urgent call.
You must compose yourself. Did I not tell you that you must not be swept away by emotion?
If you lose your reason here and now, there will be no one to stop you!!
The System’s sharp advice continued. Whether the rebuke had struck home or not, Albert did his best to steady his heart. It was true. In the other world, there were people who could stop him even if he lost his reason and rampaged. But here, there was no one who could rein him in. Unless it was a dragon from legend.
“Haa……”
‘Thank you.’
This is my duty.
You should consume more iron.
I’ve thought this occasionally, but your temper is quite severe.
‘How would iron solve that?’
One must at least attempt it.
“Are you listening to me right now?”
“Huh? Ah, sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment.”
“Lost in thought? Now of all times…… Haa, never mind. In any case, I do not acknowledge you as my older brother. Until now……”
“No.”
It was then that the office door opened and an elderly woman entered. Her back was slightly hunched, as if her waist troubled her, and one eye was closed, perhaps from an old injury. Her white hair was deeply wrinkled.
“Nanny Illeia!!”
Elena cried out the woman’s name in surprise. The nanny had contracted an unknown illness two years ago that left her severely mobility-impaired. Normally bedridden all day, she had suddenly risen and come all this way.
The nanny looked slightly more lively than usual as she gazed at Albert with her remaining eye, a faint smile on her lips.
“He is indeed Lord Albert. Certainly…… Ah……”
Had she overexerted herself coming here? As she let out a ragged breath, the nanny’s body collapsed.
“Nanny!”
Elena cried out in shock and lunged forward to catch her. But before she could, Albert moved like a gust of wind, supporting the nanny gently before Elena could even take a step.
Looking at her, Albert wore a gentle smile filled with warmth and longing.
“Nanny, you’ve aged quite a bit. You used to be so healthy.”
“Ten years…… have passed. For a human, aging is only natural, Lord Albert.”
“Ten years……”
He had braced himself for it, but the time axis had twisted and he had missed the intended period.
This is the first time the dimensional transfer magic circle has been used.
The magic circle was perfect, but there was insufficient information.
“……I suppose so.”
Variables had already been anticipated. But a ten-year time discrepancy was a painful variable even for him.
“So much time has passed. I made you wait too long.”
“Hohoho…… Indeed. Still, I’m glad you returned before I entered the coffin.”
Deep longing and affection shone in her remaining eye. Nanny Illeia. She had cared for the siblings since long ago—a second mother, in a sense. She always cooked delicious meals, and when their mother scolded them, she would gently comfort them. If their parents were the pillars of the heart, she was the support holding up that weight from behind. Without her, Albert might not be standing here now.
‘In that incident, I might have harbored ill intentions.’
Frustration and despair. When he had been drowning in self-loathing, it was not his mother’s sharp scolding or his father’s steady guidance that helped him, but the nanny Illeia’s gentle direction.
“Still……”
The nanny cautiously reached out a hand filled with kindness and maternal love. As if welcoming home a son who had traveled far in their mother’s stead, her hand gently stroked him.
“I’m glad you’ve returned, young master.”
With those words, the nanny closed her eyes. She was not dead. She had simply exhausted her strength coming here.
This is a final burst of lucidity.
She is not dead yet, but the flame is flickering dangerously close to extinguishing.
“System, analyze.”
Command received.
Analyzing.
A large quantity of poison and traces of a curse have been detected in her body.
‘Poison and a curse?’
“Can you detoxify and dispel the curse?”
It is possible.
Shall I proceed?
“Do it immediately.”
Using the Dispel skill.
Using the Detoxify skill.
The System activated the skills Albert possessed. Along with a small light, the poison and curse that had tormented the nanny until now vanished.
The poison and curse have been completely detoxified and dispelled.
The level was fairly high, but Lord Albert’s skills were more than sufficient to remove them.
The nanny’s complexion improved slightly. But soon the System delivered grim news.
Her life force has been greatly depleted.
This is due to prolonged suffering from the poison and curse.
“Seems that way.”
Her breathing grew shallow.
“Nanny!! Wh-what are you doing right now! Let go of the nanny immediately……”
“Be quiet.”
“What do you mean!”
“Elena.”
His voice dropped heavily. In that moment, Elena flinched and involuntarily recalled her father, Rian Legrian. That imposing, mountain-like figure who was endlessly kind to her yet strict at times.
“We’ll talk after treating the nanny.”
Albert turned his head.
‘What do you think we should do?’
If her life force is insufficient, we simply need to replenish what is lacking.
There is something suitable in Lord Albert’s extradimensional space.
You should use the Sage’s Tear.
Albert immediately opened his extradimensional space. After rummaging inside a few times, he pulled out a single potion. Inside the ornate bottle was a crimson liquid resembling blood.
Sage’s Tear. A potion crafted from World Tree sap, dragon’s blood, and the blessing of spirits.
‘The highest-grade potion capable of healing any wound, curse, or poison—as long as it doesn’t result in death.’
Only five such potions had been made even in the other world. The cost to create just one exceeded several billion. Even with money, it could no longer be made now.
‘Because the materials are gone.’
If Min-seob or Yeseul saw this, they would be shocked.
When China demanded the Sage’s Tear, you refused even after going to war.
Sage’s Tear was a mass of life force. Using it replenished not only wounds but also lost life force. Though not to a great extent, it could even restore youth. That was why so many had coveted it, with China being the most persistent in demanding it. Of course, Albert had never given it to them, and when they escalated the matter to an international incident, he had annihilated several Chinese guilds. He had refused to hand it over even if it meant making an enemy of an entire nation.
For the nanny, he retrieved it without a moment’s hesitation.
“I never intended to use the Sage’s Tear for myself. When I returned…… I made it to give to my parents and the nanny.”
Albert administered the Sage’s Tear to the nanny. A red light seeped into her body. The deep wrinkles on her hands and face disappeared.
Life force replenishment confirmed.
The effect appears certain.
She appears to have become at least ten years younger.
She has been completely healed.
The nanny’s complexion looked remarkably better. Her rejuvenated appearance was unchanged from ten years ago. Seeing her peaceful sleeping face, Albert finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Haa…… It’s done.”
“……What have you done?”
“What do you mean? I treated her.”
Albert gently lifted the nanny into his arms.
“The nanny’s room is still the same, right?”
“Eh? Well, yes.”
Elena answered without thinking. Satisfied with her response, Albert smiled and carried the nanny out to find her room.
“Nothing’s changed.”
Opening the door and stepping inside, the interior was exactly as he remembered from childhood. Though the memory was 110 years old, it was a room he recalled vividly.
“The bed is…… Hmm, I’ll replace this later.”
After laying the nanny down, Albert gently took her evenly breathing hand.
“Nanny, I’ve returned, so you don’t have to worry anymore.”
* * *
“What do you think, Hans?”
“I’m not sure. As you know, miss, I only arrived here five years ago. So regarding the young master……”
Hans looked troubled. Albert had disappeared ten years ago. In contrast, Hans had only joined five years ago, so he knew nothing about him.
“……What about the nanny?”
“Ah! She’s fine.”
“Fine, you say?”
“Yes, I checked myself. Her complexion has improved greatly, and she looks peaceful. Moreover, her wrinkles have disappeared, as if she’s become younger.”
“Her condition is definitely all right, then?”
“I’m not a professional, so it’s difficult to say for certain, but outwardly she appears normal. Later, if we summon a physician to examine her again……”
“No, it’s fine.”
Elena had seen it with her own eyes—the nanny’s recovery. She didn’t know what he had used, but the nanny had clearly returned to normal. She was certain of it.
‘That potion…… I felt an unbelievable energy from it.’
The potion he had taken out had been a vivid crimson, almost like blood. At first, she had wondered if it was something sinister, but—
‘I felt a holy energy from that potion. Like the potions sold at the temple.’
No. She had sensed something far more powerful than temple potions emanating from it. It was unbelievable, but—
‘I was overwhelmed by it. By a mere potion.’
She would be laughed at if she told anyone she had been overwhelmed by a potion. But it was the truth. The immense energy radiating from the potion had been enough to crush her.
‘That kind of potion might not even be obtainable from the temple…… It’s top-grade…… No, something beyond that.’
“Why did he use that on the nanny? Surely he’s not really…… No, that can’t be.”
She forcibly suppressed the emotion rising in her chest. Too much had happened for her to simply believe. Even if she wanted to ask the nanny—
“When do you think the nanny will wake up?”
“That, I……”
The treatment had clearly succeeded, yet an hour had passed and she still hadn’t woken. Unable to wait any longer, Elena rose from her seat.
“I suppose I’ll have to check myself.”
“What do you intend to do?”
Hans asked, worried she might do something reckless. Elena’s face took on a slightly sorrowful expression.
“A method that’s worked quite well on impostors until now.”
“Surely not……”
“If I see his reaction to that, I’ll know for certain. Whether he’s an impostor who came for my wealth and me…… or the real thing……”
Through this method, she would be able to confirm two facts for certain. That he was her real older brother, and—
“Elena…… You’ve crossed a line that should never have been crossed.”
That when her brother was angry, he was terrifying and merciless.