Chapter 297

Chapter 297 – …Maybe Today

Aster stared blankly at Leodis.

Whiiing—

The ocean breeze whipped sharply through his hair.

Aster spoke only after the sharp, briny scent of the sea hit his nose.

“What exactly do you mean by that…….”

The question had caught him so off guard that he stumbled slightly, but his hesitation was short-lived. He had more than enough time to put on a calm facade.

Furthermore, his youth served as a natural cover that worked in his favor.

However.

“Would it be simpler if I referred to you as the Tower Lord?”

“…….”

At Leodis’s solitary comment, Aster’s eyes gave a faint twitch.

Just…… how much did this man actually know?

No, prior to that question.

Aster couldn’t comprehend why he felt so unsettled.

The alliance with Henji, and his secret identity as the Tower Lord.

While it was startling that the ruler of Blandoga had unraveled it, there was no actual reason to panic as though he had committed a crime.

Henji had concealed the research regarding the Heavenly Origin Art from the family merely to prevent it from being halted, but now that it was progressing smoothly, there was no longer a need to keep it in the dark.

At this point, persisting with the research would ultimately benefit Blandoga as well.

Aster was well aware of this fact.

And yet, why did he feel this way…….

Aster’s features hardened slightly at his own ambiguous emotional response.

Right at that moment, Leodis’s voice drifted into his ear.

“Are you feeling unsettled? Or…… are you feeling angry?”

Leodis knitted his brows and replicated Aster’s expression, as if that were the sole method to truly comprehend what the boy was feeling.

Aster collected his thoughts after observing the strange display for a brief moment. He had successfully regained his composure.

“Ah, so you aren’t angry after all.”

Aster voiced the inquiry he had been holding back as he watched Leodis nod with a sense of relief.

“May I inquire as to how you discovered this?”

“I would prefer an answer to my own question beforehand. It allows the conversation to flow much more smoothly that way.”

“Please proceed in whatever manner you find suitable.”

“Hmm.”

Leodis tilted his head to the side.

He appeared to be grappling with something entirely incomprehensible, but he spoke up shortly after.

“In that case, the explanation might be rather lengthy. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent. Then to begin with…… there is something I have been meaning to convey to Damian’s companion.”

Leodis ruffled Aster’s hair in a teasing manner and offered a smile.

“Thank you for being such a good companion to Damian. He always seemed rather isolated without any friends. I would genuinely appreciate it if you remained close companions with him.”

He behaved more like an ordinary father than the patriarch of a prestigious noble lineage. But the core of the discussion was only just beginning.

“However.”

“…….”

“If you were to perish, would Damian feel sorrow?”

Aster saw his own reflection in Leodis’s clear eyes.

They were glass-like pupils entirely devoid of malice or any genuine feeling behind that pleasant smile. It felt less like a human and more like an artificial doll.

As Aster gazed straight into those eyes, Leodis carried on as if it were a trivial matter.

“I am not implying that I intend to take your life this very moment. I am merely intrigued. You are well aware of Damian’s capabilities, correct? That boy…… it is not just a father’s pride—he was truly gifted with a monstrous level of talent. But…….”

Leodis paused mid-sentence for a brief moment before carrying on.

“To be perfectly frank, I am somewhat underwhelmed. Damian is thirteen this year. I anticipated he would achieve transcendence by the age of twenty at the latest, but he has displayed absolutely no motivation whatsoever. He has shown some progress recently, but at this current pace, his innate talent will simply wither away.”

For the very first time, a spark of emotion flickered within those vacant eyes. It resembled a father’s affection, anxiety for his child, and a sense of regret.

Could an individual this hollow truly experience emotions?

The skepticism crossed Aster’s mind briefly, but it was irrelevant given the current circumstances.

So, what was the man ultimately driving at?

The core message was straightforward.

“He appears to require some sort of novel motivation…… but I am unable to uncover any.”

Therefore.

“If you were to pass away, would that serve as the necessary motivation?”

“…….”

Aster fell into silence.

The affection Leodis possessed was so deeply warped that the term “distorted” failed to fully capture it.

His devotion to Damian was entirely real, but the method through which he manifested it was completely skewed.

Faced with such a twisted form of love, what was the correct response?

After a brief interlude of contemplation, Aster spoke in a composed manner.

Frankly, without masking his thoughts.

“You are out of your mind.”

“I am told that quite frequently. So, what is your opinion on the matter?”

“Do you truly expect an unbiased reply when asking the target themselves?”

“I can hardly slay you just to discover the outcome. After all, the magic of Blandoga lacks the capability to restore life to the deceased.”

Aster looked at Leodis for a brief moment before shifting his gaze out toward the ocean.

Amidst the swirling, pitch-black abyss, the fishing hook that had been retrieved from the depths dangled completely bare.

Aster attached a ragworm onto the hook and flung the line out, mimicking the exact actions Leodis had performed moments prior.

Leodis waited in silence like an accommodating pupil, a gleam of inquisitiveness visible in his eyes.

He was genuinely eager to know.

Exactly what Aster would articulate.

And thus.

Shoooo—Splash.

Upon the pier drenched in the glow of the moon.

A young boy’s father and that same boy’s companion sat side by side, persisting in their unnatural dialogue.

Aster initiated the conversation this time around.

“The manner of the death is what truly matters.”

“The manner? Do you mean the specific method of dying?”

“It is more about the overarching process.”

“……The process?”

Leodis tilted his head. However, it was only for an instant. His focus was abruptly pulled toward the fishing rod, which was tugging violently.

“Reel it back in at a steady pace, or you will lose the catch. Give it a bit of slack.”

“Ah, my thanks.”

Leodis manipulated the rod back and forth repeatedly to successfully reel in the fish that had snatched the bait—a highly uncommon event. While he did so, Aster pressed onward.

“To my mind, the critical factor is this: who ends your life, and in what manner.”

“Please, continue.”

Aster gave a nod toward Leodis, who was currently occupied with reeling in the fish.

“Magic serves as a tool. While some pursue it as an end unto itself, generally speaking, it is an instrument used to realize specific objectives. Do you follow me so far?”

“Yes, I am in agreement with that sentiment. And then?”

“Next, we examine what sort of objectives necessitate the use of magic. Some chase after material wealth or renown, while others wish to safeguard the people they cherish. So, what is the case for Damian?”

“Damian…… let me see.”

Leodis hummed in contemplation, as though a sudden realization had struck him.

When looking back on it, Damian wanted for absolutely nothing.

He had been granted the wealth and fame that average individuals spent their entire lives yearning for, right from the moment of his birth.

Furthermore, he possessed no one he felt a pressing need to defend. Even if such a person existed, Damian rarely found himself in a position where he had to intervene.

Blandoga.

This colossal fortress completely shielded Damian and everyone within his circle.

He also had no siblings with whom he had to contend for the position of family patriarch.

And as for the magical capability anticipated from a future leader…… to Damian, it was merely an attribute he would inevitably develop as time moved forward.

As Leodis reached that point in his reflections, Aster drove the point home.

“In order for a person’s passing to serve as a driving force for Damian, the perpetrator must be an entity that the might of Blandoga cannot simply deal with. Furthermore, during the course of that demise, it must instill a profound sense of powerlessness within him. That would yield the best results.”

To put it differently…… indeed, just like what had transpired with Baharmut.

During that crisis, Damian had unlocked his latent capabilities and demonstrated incredible advancement.

However, this strategy carried inherent flaws.

There was absolutely no assurance that the assailant would leave Damian unharmed.

No rational actor would allow an adversary filled with deep-seated resentment and lethal intent to wander off freely. This was particularly true for a young prodigy—they would choose to eliminate the threat in its infancy.

Did Leodis comprehend that reality as well?

As he attached another ragworm to his bare hook, Leodis spoke in a low voice.

“……It is quite complicated. Raising children is truly a challenging endeavor.”

“That is simply the nature of parenting.”

“In that case, what do you think of this approach?”

Leodis cast his line once more and proceeded in a level tone.

“I will be the one to execute you. Right before Damian’s very eyes. Oh, what if I also eliminate that youngster Chenbi? As well as Eveline.”

“That is not a terrible concept.”

“Is it not? Since I will refrain from harming Damian, his safety is guaranteed. And it remains entirely beyond the capability of Blandoga to prevent.”

The remedy Leodis devised was to utilize himself.

However.

“Hmm. Yet, it does not sit entirely well with me.”

“For what reason?”

“I am not particularly fond of the idea of my own offspring loathing me. Bianca would certainly disapprove of it as well. Aside from that factor…… if Damian managed to blossom his potential and take my life as a consequence, that would admittedly be quite entertaining.”

Aster gave a quiet nod of concurrence.

“That is a relief. I have no desire to deprive Damian of his father either. Nor do I wish to be an object of his hatred.”

“You feel the same way?”

“Yes, precisely.”

Aster answered without any hesitation.

At last, he comprehended.

The reason why he had been so thrown off by Leodis’s initial inquiry.

Because…… he held a genuine desire to go on living this current existence.

It was a brief illusion bound to conclude eventually, but he desperately wished it wouldn’t happen on this day.

……Naturally, if Leodis determined a different outcome, there was very little he could do to alter it.

Just as that realization surfaced within his mind.

Leodis let out a soft laugh and made an observation.

“You are quite entertaining. It has been an incredibly long time since I have engaged in such an effortless conversation with another person.”

“So, what happens moving forward?”

Leodis offered a shrug in response to Aster’s inquiry.

“Who can say for sure. I shall have to deliberate on the matter. Oh, as a side note, Damian will not be losing his father. Well…… you executing me wouldn’t necessarily be an unfavorable outcome for him, but it remains a practical impossibility. At least for the time being.”

“Yes, naturally.”

Aster nodded his head in agreement.

“May I bring this topic up again in the future? I don’t possess anyone else with whom I can discuss such matters.”

“Certainly.”

The exchange was virtually equivalent to organizing a future homicide, yet neither Leodis nor Aster perceived the circumstance as bizarre in the slightest.

With that particular matter temporarily put to rest.

A light quietude settled between the pair once more.

After a short while.

“Your fishing skills are utterly dreadful.”

“…….”

Aster chose not to offer a response.

Another brief period of silence ensued.

The two individuals preserved their stillness amidst the biting ocean wind, until Leodis broke the silence shortly thereafter.

“The reality is, my remaining time is quite limited. I prefer that Damian remains unaware of this. Therefore, shall we transition to the actual matter at hand? Are you prepared?”

He posed the question as though he were displaying courtesy, but it was far from genuine.

It was merely a systematic introduction to the core dialogue.

Naturally, whatever Aster replied was of no consequence.

“Well then. It is time to deliver a message to Henji’s associate…… and the true master of the Tower. Given that you have responded so graciously, I shall offer a small token of leniency.”

Leodis stopped at that juncture, organizing his inner thoughts.

It required very little time before he spoke once more.

“Journey to Blandoga alongside Professor Parun. This is by no means an unfavorable proposition. Should you wish for it…… indeed, I will grant you control over a suitable subordinate household. We can secure it through a marital alliance, and given your current stage of cultivation and natural brilliance, seizing total control over it will not prove difficult for you.”

……This was, by all accounts, a highly lenient proposition.

“And what occurs should I decline?”

Aster inquired, keeping his gaze fixed upon the dark ocean waters.

Leodis displayed an uncharacteristic flash of awkwardness upon hearing the question.

It was not a practiced facial expression, but rather a display of genuine discomfort before he finally offered an answer.

“You intend to decline? In that case, my options are spent. I would most likely be forced to take your life. You carry Henji’s lineage, and Parun serves as your fellow researcher, which makes you far too hazardous to leave alive. Even taking into account your status as Damian’s companion, it cannot be helped.”

“…….”

“Ah, hold on, this presents a dilemma. I had previously resolved not to execute you out of consideration for Damian…… How about we try this instead? I will completely rupture your mana core and sever your tongue. Following that, Blandoga will take full responsibility for your care. Would that be an acceptable compromise?”

“…….”

Aster maintained his silence.

He refrained from asking why his mana core or his tongue had to be targeted.

He simply allowed a single thought to form.

……It was highly possible that on this very day, Damian would find himself deprived of one of them.

Whooooooo—!

A violent gust of wind tore through the pier that had been tranquil only moments before.