Chapter 62

Chapter 62
## Chapter 62

Naturally, her prowess didn’t end there.

Felicia was a brilliant polymath, possessing everything from those supernatural pupils to a master’s grasp of energy regulation and a gift for instruction.

Still, having a perspective that functioned on an entirely different plane from the rest of the world provided a staggering head start.

‘At the very least, I feel as though I could topple a legion of knights of my own rank, even if they swarmed me simultaneously.’

*Whooooosh.*

Just as Lucian tightened his grip in a surge of triumph, the violent cyclone of mana began to quiet down. It appeared the potency of the Nectar was finally starting to ebb.

“Is everyone unhurt?”

*Fwoosh!*

“Gah! Third Young Master, remain silent for now!”

My mistake.

Lucian snapped his jaw shut as the mana, stirred by his brief speech, lunged toward Raymon. It was fortunate the strike landed on Raymon; had it struck Ian, the impact would have rendered him senseless instantly.

*Psssssssh.*

It took several more minutes for the mana to fully dissipate, fading out like the dying hiss of a doused fire. He felt a flicker of anxiety that his newly gifted sight might fade with the energy, but thankfully, it remained steady.

‘I must begin my swordsmanship drills the second I return.’

Lucian performed several checks to ensure no volatile mana remained before he dared to speak again.

“I was concerned after you were clipped by that energy earlier, but you seem unscathed. Truly a Black Lion.”

“That should be my question! What in the world just happened?! Where did that sudden flood of mana originate?!”

“What else? The concoction boosted my mana. The intensity is a bit extreme, but it is an effective medicine.”

“Extreme is an understatement! That volume of mana isn’t something a mortal frame should hold! A typical person would have detonated and perished on the spot…?”

Raymon cut his shouting short, peering at Lucian with an incredulous expression. Upon reflection, that concentration of power was something no human should endure. How had he survived it?

“My physical makeup is somewhat peculiar. I might fall to toxins, but I won’t perish simply because the mana volume is high.”

“No, what does that even signify? Are you concealing something else from me?”

“I shall explain it later. For now, I believe we must attend to that fellow first.”

Raymon shifted his gaze toward where Lucian was gesturing. There, Ian remained slumped on the floor, having sought refuge behind a collapsed bookcase.

“Ugh… uuuuh… eeee…”

Though the mana had settled, Ian was still lost in a daze, whimpering nonsense. It seemed the abrupt gravity of the pressure, paired with his delicate health, had triggered a state of shock.

“It would be a catastrophe if he expired like this. He is, after all, the prodigy of the age who will reshape the world.”

Raymon found no humor in Lucian’s comment. The youth had accomplished something that even the label ‘prodigy of the age’ couldn’t quite encompass.

‘It is an unthinkable level of mana multiplication. Consuming it raw would cause a body to burst, but if it were thinned to a dosage a human could tolerate…’

By the most modest calculations, it would be the equivalent of forty years of mana refinement. Moreover, with that degree of refinement, the volume generated through dilution would be immense.

If this could be manufactured reliably even once every few years, it was an artifact capable of tilting the geopolitical scales of the entire continent. The mere thought of the ripples it would cause sent a shiver down Raymon’s spine.

“Raymon.”

Snapped out of his trance, Raymon jerked his head up at the sound of his name. Lucian’s voice held a weight and gravity that was entirely foreign to his usual casual demeanor.

“To whom do you owe your allegiance?”

“….”

Raymon shut his eyes at the query, which was heavy with implication. Technically, his reigning lord was Grand Duke Sigmund. If he were to act as a dutiful knight, he was obligated to disclose everything he had witnessed today to the Grand Duke.

Yet, feeling the doubt gnawing at his heart, Raymon interrogated himself:

‘Is that truly the path to take?’

Moving past his devotion to the Grand Duke, this revelation was simply too massive. He questioned if even Grand Duke Sigmund could bear this burden without being undone by it. Most importantly, the House of Valdek was currently embroiled in a cutthroat struggle for the succession. They lacked the stability to reach for something that might shatter the continent if mismanaged.

‘If His Grace the Grand Duke knew, he would undoubtedly seize the formula and then bury it in the shadows. He is not one to court further chaos while internal strife rages. He wouldn’t touch this medicine seriously until the next patriarch is established.’

Factoring in the time required for consistent production, it would likely only be truly harnessed by the successor rather than the current Grand Duke. Essentially, the moment this news was delivered, one of the Grand Duke’s heirs would inherit the power to decide the world’s destiny.

As his logic reached its conclusion, Raymon felt a chill settle in his chest.

‘How terrifying.’

The firstborn, Tristan, was a rigid, petty noble; the second, Jordi, was a narcissist who would betray his most steadfast allies the moment they lost their utility. The fourth, Joshua, had shown no real merit, appearing unremarkable at best.

If they held the keys to changing the continent, would the future truly be brighter?

‘I cannot envision a future where things improve—only one where they decay.’

With a grimace, Raymon looked back at Lucian. The Third Young Master of the House of Valdek, a boy who still harbored endless enigmas. If the future had to be placed in the hands of the next generation, was there any prospect more fitting than Lucian?

‘When I think about it, it was the Third Young Master who initially brought word of this boy and the elixir.’

Raymon felt a sudden wave of calm. If the authority had already found its way to the right individual, there was no reason for him to suffer over the choice.

Having reached his verdict, Raymon dropped to one knee before Lucian.

“Ref Norsega, who pledged fealty to the Lion’s Blood, now desires to follow a new master according to the pulse of that very blood.”

The declaration that emerged alongside his long-abandoned birth name was a piece of an ancient oath. Reciting the weathered, old ceremony, Ref bowed his head low.

“Young Lion, I surrender my blade to you; employ it as you see fit.”

Lucian gave a wide grin at Ref’s commitment and rested a hand on the knight’s shoulder.

“From this moment forward, your blade shall find its home in my sheath, and we shall tread every field of battle as one.”

Lucian recited the ancient counter-vow and pulled Ref back to his feet. The murky dynamic between a father’s servant and a lord’s son had crystallized into a genuine bond of master and knight.

—

Even though his true identity had been voiced in the oath, Raymon still preferred his alias. He had been Raymon for so long, and he held no fond recollections of the years spent under his original name.

“Therefore, there is no requirement to use my birth name. You may keep calling me Raymon. That is the name everyone recognizes, anyway.”

“I suppose so. It would look quite odd if I suddenly changed how I addressed you after all these years.”

As long as the foundation was solid, names were flexible. Since aristocrats were occasionally bestowed new titles by their lords or the Emperor, there was no problem with using his common name.

“In any case, that boy isn’t coming to very quickly. The shock shouldn’t have been that severe.”

“He is likely frail because he’s spent his life shut away in a laboratory. He isn’t physically injured, so until he wakes…”

—Ian! Come out here, you pathetic orphan! How dare you steal from your master’s coin purse?!

Lucian and Raymon, who were sipping lukewarm tea, paused at the shouting echoing from the street. The diction was crude, unlike their previous encounter, but the voice was unmistakable.

A moment later, a shadow blocked the light at the entrance as the door was kicked wide and someone stormed in.

*BAM!*

“Show yourself this instant! Today, I’m going to break your legs…?”

Heide, who had been roaring at the top of his lungs, suddenly made eye contact with Lucian. Lucian gave a casual shrug and set his cup down.

“We meet once more. Have you been faring well?”

“A-Ah, no… Lord Lucian, why are you in this place?”

“I was searching for someone to consult regarding Moonlight Grass, and my investigation brought me here. This location had the highest purchase volume, after all.”

“Moonlight Grass!”

Heide’s features twisted in rage once more. He clearly remembered exactly where his funds had vanished.

“Ian, that treacherous brat…!”

“Calm yourself. What has occurred to provoke such fury?”

“It is a private affair, so you need not trouble yourself. If you are truly inquisitive, I shall explain later.”

“I would prefer to hear it now.”

*Thud.*

Heide flinched at the sound of the teacup being placed firmly on the table. His face signaled that he had realized a moment too late exactly who was standing in front of him. Faltering, Heide looked at Lucian before answering.

“It is because of my apprentice’s actions. A boy named Ian. He was a vagrant, and I personally rescued him and instructed him in the arts of alchemy.”

“I see. Now that you mention it, there was a youth who greeted us when we stopped by before.”

“That would be him. He is the one tasked with the house when I am away. But I have uncovered proof that he has been stealing my laboratory funds…”

A grinding noise came from Heide’s teeth. He seemed utterly bitter that his remaining gambling money had disappeared.

“I never envisioned such a disloyal wretch could exist. I took in a starving orphan, clothed him, sheltered him, and taught him a trade, and he dares to rob me!”

Watching Heide shake with simulated betrayal, Lucian felt a wave of internal disgust.

‘One would think he’d been betrayed by a beloved pupil. This is coming from the man who never even mentioned his apprentice’s name when claiming credit for the Nectar.’

Seeing Ian attempt a trial on himself earlier made it simple to deduce what had happened in the original timeline. Ian had likely tested the concoction on his own body without a second thought, just like today, and died from the toxicity. Heide must have been terrified to find his pupil dead, only to stumble upon the Nectar while cleaning up the mess. Since the notes were thorough, it wouldn’t have been hard to piece together the remaining data and replicate it.

‘Though I doubt he even produced it correctly. With that strength, the volume of diluted medicine should be massive, yet his orders were backed up for months.’

Since no one knew the reality, Heide had brazenly used his own reputation to market the Nectar. But while plundered data can buy a brief moment of fame, it cannot mask a vacuum of talent. After the Nectar, he failed to produce a single improvement or new invention and wasted his time in debauchery, which likely caused the facade to crumble quickly.

‘He might have even been eliminated by high-ranking members within the guild who were insulted. To them, they would have been played for fools by a talentless, miserable man.’

“The more I dwell on it, the more my blood boils. I nurtured him as if he were my own flesh and blood, yet he stole from his master! What a diseased sprout!”

Lucian clicked his tongue and stared at the blustering Heide.

“If you feel so aggrieved, I shall settle the debt your apprentice owes in his place.”

“It’s not merely about the gold… wait, what?”

“I said I will reimburse you for him. In exchange, hand your apprentice over to me.”

Unless they belonged to a recognized family, an orphan with no connections was essentially the property of their mentor. Setting aside the boy’s own desires, if his master, Heide, consented, no one could protest if Lucian took him.

Blinking at the sudden offer, Heide asked, “What do you intend to do with him?”

“He seems to possess a knack for Moonlight Grass, so I plan to employ him personally. As I mentioned, I have a deep fascination with that field.”

“Ahem, is that so?”

The edges of Heide’s mouth curled upward. After a brief show of being deep in thought, Heide rubbed his chin.

“But if Ian departs, it will be quite a hassle for me in many respects. Disloyal as he is, he is a capable fellow. To have the person who managed everything from laboratory work to cleaning disappear in a single day…”

“Is there a specific price you have in mind?”

“Just give me this much.”

Heide held up five fingers. Lucian tilted his head at the vague sign.

“Are you requesting five gold coins?”

“What are you suggesting? Five platinum coins.”

Lucian was so stunned he nearly stumbled back. Raymon, who had been observing in silence, also looked disgusted. They were prepared to pay a fair price, but this sum far exceeded any logical bound.

“Are you speaking in your right mind?”

“Certainly. Though he isn’t a certified alchemist, he is a member of the guild. You are attempting to remove talent from a body directly under His Majesty the Emperor, so this is a minor fee.”

Ah, so he was playing the Emperor card now? The man’s brain worked quickly enough. If the situation shifted from a private deal to a confrontation between the House of Valdek and the Crown, Lucian would be the one at a disadvantage. Heide must have weighed everything—from the family’s power struggle to Lucian’s precarious status as the third son.

If Lucian hadn’t played a role in crushing the recent uprising, he might not have had many cards to play. But today, this man had blundered—massively.

“I do not have five platinum coins, but I shall give you this instead.”

“What is that? Even if it is a physical item, if it doesn’t possess that much value…?!”

Heide, who had been scoffing, went wide-eyed at the bronze token Lucian presented. He clearly identified the crest of the Black Scale Knights, the personal guard of the First Prince.

“W-What is your connection to… His Highness the First Prince?”

“What is my connection?”

Lucian let out a sharp laugh and spoke with a biting edge.

“I am Lucian Valdek. I commanded a thousand warriors as the representative for my father, Grand Duke Sigmund, to end the insurrection in Krepelt. I stood as an equal with Marquis Bernhardt and exchanged favors with Duke Blasker.”

“…!”

“Furthermore, when His Highness the First Prince was in peril, I charged to his side with a thousand men alongside the Second Prince and drew my blade with Sir Jurgen. When we departed, I even had the privilege of speaking with His Majesty the Emperor. Do I need to elaborate further?”

The current patriarch of the House of Roglan, the master of the Flame School, the Emperor’s heirs, the leader of the Black Scale Knights, and even the Emperor himself. As the names of these titans were listed one by one, Heide’s complexion turned from pale to deathly white.

Lucian spoke with cold disdain toward the shivering Heide.

“Tell me once more, you lowborn peasant. What was that about His Majesty the Emperor?”