Chapter 302

Chapter 302

Alfredo’s sudden presence caused Leodis to tilt his head momentarily. Then, as if struggling to fully process the scene, he scanned the individuals gathered in the area one after the other. His gaze swept over Evelyn and Chenbi before finally settling on Alfredo. It was at that exact moment that Alfredo spoke.

“Please grant this old attorney a moment to speak.”

“Hmm. Proceed.”

Crackle, crackle—

Amidst the faint sputtering of magic manifesting and dissolving, blending with the popping of the campfire, Alfredo’s deep, quiet voice drifted through the air.

“I would never presume to dictate the Patriarch’s choices, but I humbly request that you listen to young Chenbi and Miss Evelyn. Once water is spilled, it cannot be gathered back; once a deed is done, it is permanent. Therefore…”

Listen to the youths?

“Yes.”

“Mmm.”

Leodis lapsed into silence, appearing to ponder the words. It was not that he was swayed by Chenbi, Evelyn, or even the underlying sentiments of Alfredo. Rather… indeed. It was that particular phrase about how, once set into motion, certain actions could never be undone. That was a concept that should not have been possible under ordinary conditions.

A lingering shred of paternal affection still remained within Leodis, and that affection flinched at the thought of his connection with his son crossing an uncrossable line. No, even more than that… his heart fractured slightly upon witnessing the expression deep within his son’s eyes.

“Shall we hear them out then?”

“Yes… that would be the proper choice. Examining varied perspectives might point toward a superior resolution. No, it undoubtedly will.”

As he spoke, Alfredo directed his gaze toward Chenbi and Evelyn. Chenbi’s complexion remained completely drained of color, leaving her unable to utter a single word. Consequently, it was Evelyn who picked up the thread of the conversation.

“Um, well… Patriarch.”

“Yes, Miss Evelyn.”

“This girl is far too foolish to comprehend what you desire. To truly converse, I must grasp that firsthand… Could you share it with me?”

Finishing her request, Evelyn watchfully scrutinized Leodis’s features. However, it was a fruitless effort. Not a single trace of sentiment manifested on Leodis’s face. Even so, the brief shift of his eyes toward Damian implied that this was something Damian was meant to remain ignorant of… Just as Evelyn pieced those clues together, Leodis spoke.

“You are a practitioner from the Tower, correct, Miss Evelyn?”

“Yes.”

Her heart tightened instantly, but she maintained an aura of tranquility and replied composedly. How Leodis discovered this, and the extent of his awareness, were now trivial concerns. Yet, Evelyn’s eyes darted toward Damian and Chenbi. Deep anxiety filled her. Completely indifferent to her inner tribulations, Leodis openly dragged into the light and interrogated the exact realities she had been desperately hiding.

“The Tower operates out of the Second Black and White Slums, does it not? And… you hold the rank of Duke? Am I correct?”

“…”

“My thanks for confirming it so readily. I was experiencing a bout of uncertainty. I had already deduced that Aster was the Tower Master, but linking it directly to the Second Black and White Slums was merely a strong intuition.”

Had he simply been fishing for answers? Evelyn realized her misstep too late, but what could she do now? The water had already been spilled. Instead, she chose to lock her focus entirely on the dialogue unfolding before them.

“May I inquire as to how you figured it out?”

“I have maintained surveillance on the Deculan family ever since the Needle Trials. Even prior to that event, the household was crawling with pests. Furthermore, there is Hazen, Parun in Hazen, and that wanderer extending propositions to the heads of subordinate houses to offer them security… Quite frankly, the breadcrumbs were abundant.”

Hazen? Parun? She possessed no knowledge of who Hazen was, but the familiar family name of Rayun sent Evelyn’s thoughts spinning once more.

“Ah, were you unaware?”

Evelyn held her tongue rather than offering a reply, striving to steady her turbulent thoughts. Professor Parun was hardly the vital matter at this juncture.

“So, you gathered the fragmented data and deduced the whole picture?”

“That is essentially precise.”

“How could…”

“Well, things simply fell into place smoothly.”

That stood as one of the benefits of his feelings fading away: the ability to analyze any given scenario with total objectivity. Naturally, this feat was only achievable due to the massive reservoir of intelligence he had kept hidden from Evelyn, though he saw no utility in detailing it to that degree. In any case, Leodis cast a brief look at Aster before resuming his speech.

“Your objective is to deliver Aster from this danger, correct, Miss Evelyn? Given your affiliation with the Tower.”

“That is…”

Evelyn faltered, unable to provide an immediate reply. The connotation of “delivering” did not quite fit the reality, and framing the situation as a rescue mission for Aster felt somewhat jarring. Yet, that discomfort proved short-lived.

“This is not exclusively about Aster. I wish to untangle this entire predicament. Damian, Chenbi… they are my companions. If anyone walks away safe, it will not be solely for Aster’s sake.”

“Hmm, I see. Companions… a pleasant term.”

Leodis offered a deliberate nod. It did not take long before Evelyn spoke once more.

“Then… if it is permissible to ask, what exactly do you seek to achieve, Patriarch?”

“Ah, I have yet to provide that answer. My objective is…”

He shifted his gaze back to Damian. But unlike his previous subtle movements, this time he declared it aloud.

“I require Damian to experience a bit of a jolt.”

“A jolt…?”

Responding to Evelyn’s confusion, Leodis calmly expanded upon his reasoning. It deviated very little from what he had communicated to Aster earlier. Damian’s innate talent, his total absence of drive to advance himself, the subsequent necessity for a harsh stimulus, and his strategy to utilize Aster, Chenbi, and Evelyn as the instruments to achieve it. When the entire narrative wound down… Evelyn stared blankly at Leodis, her lips pressed firmly together. She couldn’t be entirely certain she had processed the words accurately. No, she knew she had, but her mind rejected the reality of it.

How could someone possess such a warped perspective? Could a mindset like this truly be categorized as love?

“To be perfectly candid, I harbored doubts initially. Yet this strikes me as the correct methodology. Would you not agree?”

Leodis fixed his eyes on Damian while directing the question to Evelyn, but even that gesture escaped Evelyn’s comprehension. Perhaps that was the catalyst. A wave of profound dizziness caused Evelyn to waver for an instant. Balance deserted her as the surroundings seemed to spin wildly. To think he intended to use them as mere motivational catalysts for Damian.

‘This… this is completely wrong.’

She had harbored the hope that open communication might pave the way toward some form of middle ground. But no resolution was appearing on the horizon. Setting aside notions of morality, Leodis’s reasoning was flawlessly pragmatic, and judging by how Damian was responding, it was yielding results. Evelyn’s panicked eyes swept across the immediate surroundings. Alfredo, whom she had trusted to act as an ally, stood entirely detached behind the Patriarch with his chin resting low. Damian was straining with every ounce of his being just to spark his magic, utterly lacking the stamina to articulate words.

As for Chenbi…

…?

Evelyn narrowed her gaze, struck by an anomaly.

Chenbi was…

Weeping.

“That is…”

A choked voice emerged. Not only Evelyn’s focus, but Leodis’s attention as well, pivoted toward Chenbi.

“That is simply… far too miserable.”

Leodis inquired,

“Is this reaction a reflection of your personal circumstances?”

“Damian. Damian is far too miserable.”

…

Crash!

The shoreline lay bathed in moonlight. The radiance of the fire cast a vivid glow across the clearing, crackle, crackle… the echoes of fracturing magic repeating constantly. A chilly gust traveling from afar ruffled hair and chilled skin, yet the heavy quiet that had settled over them showed no indications of dissipating. Leodis tilted his head, lost in contemplation.

Miserable? Damian?

It was a viewpoint Leodis had never once entertained. He could not even grasp the logic behind it. For what conceivable reason would Damian deserve such pity?

“May I request an explanation as to why?”

In response to Leodis’s inquiry, Chenbi brushed her eyes with her sleeve and focused on Damian. Shards of frost blossomed in the open air only to dissolve repeatedly. Damian kept his eyes clamped shut. On that day, in that very place, Damian confronted an insurmountable adversary while harboring deep sorrow. He unleashed his outrage through his sorcery, sustained entirely by malice. That exact reality was why Chenbi perceived him as so entirely miserable.

If we perish… upon whom will Damian direct his blame? His companions would have perished right before his eyes. Damian was fully aware of the purpose. To provide him a jolt. But… the words branded in blood upon Damian’s soul would likely not read “companions,” would they? No, definitely not. More likely… father. Those six letters: father.

“Damian, condemned to detest his father for eternity… what will become of him then? What in the world is he supposed to do…?”

Chenbi had turned it over in her mind. An entire existence defined by perpetual malice toward one’s own sire. Affection intertwined with loathing, hating yet utterly incapable of erasing the love rooted deep within his heart. Her own chest throbbed painfully. As though a blade were actively carving through it. Yet Damian’s agony was bound to be greater. Yes, immensely greater. Every single time he looked into a mirror and caught a glimpse of his father’s traits in his own face, the occurrences of this day would flood back into his consciousness. Strands of hair and a face painted in crimson. As the years advanced and his resemblance to his sire deepened, he might grow to detest his very own image.

That was…

“It is far too sorrowful.”

Does ascending to a loftier tier of power guarantee joy? To what end does one master sorcery? Is it truly worth discarding Damian’s peace of mind? Is that what defines a noble lineage? Chenbi simply failed to comprehend.

“Do you not desire for Damian to experience happiness?”

Those translucent eyes, that facial expression that invariably turned rigid whenever they settled upon Damian—was it all a facade? To Chenbi’s eyes, Leodis did not appear to view Damian as a son at this moment, but rather as the future leader destined to command the lineage. From that clinical perspective… there was no room for “Damian.”

“This… amounts to violence.”

Chenbi declared.

“It is by no means love.”

How could this possibly be enacted for Damian’s benefit? If it truly were, it could never manifest in this fashion.

“Can you not… watch over him a bit longer? It may appear dreadfully sluggish and aggravating to you, Patriarch… but grant Damian the space to discover his own path. Can you not afford him a bit more time?”

Was such a concept strictly forbidden within a noble lineage? Chenbi had never once pitied Damian prior to this. In truth, there were moments she had actually coveted that lifestyle. Yet in this exact breath, her heart constricted with an unbearable weight. Damian was simply too miserable to look upon.

“Can you not… grant that?”

Chenbi pleaded. And Leodis offered no reply. No, he found himself unable to.

Thus, a freezing gust swept across the moonlit shoreline. And riding that gust, a solitary tear from Chenbi slipped free, dampening the earth beneath. Leodis’s gaze, tracking the descending droplet, returned to rest upon Chenbi once more. A brief period elapsed before he parted his lips to speak.

“Would everyone grant us a bit of distance?”

Leodis requested, before turning his attention directly to Damian.

“I wish to converse privately with my son for the first time in a very long while.”