Chapter 52
“Hey, don’t you think Aslan is gonna say something if you keep stealing food like this?”
During the era of the Sky Generation when Kraush was actively on the go, he stumbled upon Lirina, Aslan’s attendant, sneaking bread from a food basket that was supposed to be delivered to Aslan. He asked in disbelief.
Aslan was a powerhouse even among the Sky Generation. As the sole grandson of the Flame King, he was now the strongest flame magician, standing shoulder to shoulder with Abella, despite any past shortcomings.
Seeing Lirina with her half-closed eyes indulging in such antics, Kraush could only shake his head in disbelief.
“Yes, even if he knows, he doesn’t scold me.”
With that, she gulped down the bread and added, “Aslan doesn’t eat bread, so I’m just doing him a favor by eating it for him.”
For someone who claimed to be doing Aslan a favor, she seemed to be really enjoying her bread.
“You’ll end up gaining weight.”
“What do you mean? Do you have any idea how hard I’m working on keeping in shape? Want me to show you? It’s really frustrating!”
“Why does Aslan keep you as an attendant…”
Kraush and Lirina had developed a pretty good rapport due to their shared experiences. After all, both belonged to the Sky Generation. They often chatted and shared jokes, especially since Kraush frequently lent a hand whenever Aslan faced curses from the world erosion, resulting in the two of them spending time together.
“Well, I’m the only cute maid who takes care of Aslan. It’s all about looks, you see.”
“What’s wrong with Aslan picking attendants based on looks?”
“I mean, am I popular? I always have gentlemen asking me to grab tea when I’m just out for a stroll!”
Kraush could only stare at her blankly.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying you have a problem with that?”
“Nope.”
Since Lirina claimed that herself, Kraush didn’t press further.
“You’re always rude to me! Actually, are you interested in me, Kraush? That could be a problem. I’ll have to decline because I only have eyes for Aslan.”
“Thanks for that.”
With a cheeky smile, Lirina picked up the food basket.
“Even though you’re not exactly bright, thanks for talking to Aslan sometimes. He seems a bit more relaxed around you.”
“There’s no one else to have normal conversations with besides him.”
Lirina covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
“Let’s pretend that’s the case.”
With her eyes not smiling, it was unclear what she was really thinking.
“But someday, just like you help me sneak away curses, I believe you’ll help Aslan share his true feelings too.”
Despite being called the Flame Emperor, Aslan always wore an expression like he was indifferent to the world. Having seen that face multiple times, Kraush couldn’t help but click his tongue.
“…How many days are left for that guy?”
“291 days.”
After Lirina uttered that number, she lowered her head and went on her way. Kraush mulled over the number 291.
Because that number was essentially Aslan’s remaining lifespan.
And now, he was observing Lirina, who had just stuffed the last bit of bread in her mouth.
‘…Is that girl not going to age at all from this point onward?’
Kraush had never seen Lirina at this age. His acquaintance with Aslan began after entering the Sky Generation, and before that, Aslan had never even attended Rahelrn Academy. Yet strangely enough, Lirina appeared the same both then and now without any changes in her appearance.
At this point, it was becoming somewhat eerie.
Also, it brought back mixed feelings of nostalgia.
“Here’s your soup and the appetizer bread.”
Just then, the server brought out soup and bread. During that time, Lirina had finished her bread and was carrying the basket out.
Seeing that, Kraush gave a playful tap on the window next to their table.
Thump!
Instantly, the sound of flapping wings filled the air as something soared away outside.
‘They should be following her without issues.’
Kraush turned back to his soup and bread. Before long, he began to feel hungry himself.
‘First things first, let’s eat.’
After all, Lirina and Aslan weren’t going anywhere.
As Kraush thought this, he suddenly turned to Bianca.
“Bianca, don’t you think you should tie your hair up?”
Bianca paused, holding her spoon, then glanced at her hair. She then tried to adjust her hair in the back while holding the spoon in her mouth.
As Kraush had pointed out, her hair had certainly grown quite a lot since arriving at Green Pine Hall. She hadn’t trimmed it at all, letting it grow longer instead.
At this length, it was the perfect size to end up in her mouth.
In fact, Bianca had always tied up her hair before meals since her attendant, Ellie, would always do that for her.
But this time Ellie wasn’t here.
“Then could you tie it for me?”
With that, Bianca turned her body and handed Kraush a hair tie from her pocket.
Kraush was left astounded for a moment.
“The soup’s gonna get cold.”
Bianca turned slightly, urging him on, “You can’t eat hot things.”
Kraush couldn’t help but mumble as he accepted the hair tie, gathering her hair in the back. He made sure to gently pull her hair, not wanting to hurt her.
As he skillfully tied up her hair, Bianca was left with a somewhat surprised expression.
“You’re really good at this.”
“I learned it back in the day.”
Though it was a lesson learned through quite a bit of trouble.
Kraush momentarily glanced at the hand that had just tied Bianca’s hair up.
Now it felt like a distant memory.
Deciding to focus on their meal, he picked up the cutlery instead.
The meal turned out to be pretty satisfying.
The charm of this place was being able to eat abundantly for a low price.
Thus, the eatery was full of commoners. Thankfully, Bianca didn’t seem to mind whether it was commoner food or not, and she ate heartily.
Though she had preferences, she didn’t seem to have any aversions.
Once Kraush finished his meal, he and Bianca stepped outside.
Just in time, the sky was pleasantly dimming.
Of course, that made sense given they had just eaten dinner.
Flap!
At that moment, the sound of flapping wings reached Kraush’s ears. When he looked up, a crow was descending right at him.
It was none other than Crimson Garden.
“Kream.”
Bianca casually stroked the crow perched on Kraush’s shoulder, and to Kraush’s surprise, Kream seemed to be happily fluffing her feathers as it gazed at him.
“Did you follow them closely?”
[ Yeah, I did follow well. Just like you said. ]
In response to Kraush’s inquiry, Kream lifted her head. In the direction she was looking, there was a mansion towering above the colossal mage tower.
[ That mansion is in chaos right now. ]
Hearing that remark, Kraush couldn’t help but nod along.
“The chaos is for the usual reasons?”
[ Yep, the Flame King’s grandson attempted suicide again. Thanks to that, the mansion is turned upside down. ]
The latest suicide attempt had been made by someone who Kraush knew all too well.
The Flame Emperor, Aslan Ygritte.
＊＊＊
What is the most famous mansion in the magical city of Halgrem? Everyone would point in unison—the mansion where the Flame King resides, the Ygritte Mansion.
That very Ygritte Mansion was in a state of turmoil.
The reason? It had everything to do with the grandson of the Flame King.
“I heard he hanged himself this time.”
“I heard last week was poison! I really wonder what he’s planning to do this time.”
The whispers of the cleaning maids echoed all around.
Their main topic of discussion revolved around the suicide attempts of Aslan Ygritte.
Being the sole grandson of the Flame King, Aslan was the eldest son who would inherit the Ygritte name. Yet, due to being a natural Moon-Magic Bastard, he could not learn the flame magics that the Ygritte family had cultivated for generations.
But that didn’t mean he was a bad person or overly cruel.
Due to his Moon-Magic condition, he mainly slept during the day and was active at night. However, he had a good demeanor and often showed enthusiasm for magic studies.
Though he couldn’t wield the flame magic the Ygritte family prided themselves on, he had been diligently studying magic nonetheless. But one day, something flipped in him.
Rumor had it that he had gone mad after falling victim to the spells of the world eroder.
No one knew the exact circumstances.
“If you keep talking about Aslan behind his back, the head maid will scold you.”
Just then, the two women jumped at the sound of a voice coming from behind.
That voice belonged to Lirina, Aslan’s personal attendant.
“Lir, Lirina.”
“We weren’t saying anything!”
As the two girls took off running, Lirina clicked her tongue while holding the food basket.
With family attendants being so loose-lipped, it was a wonder no one had been reprimanded.
Lirina shook her head and continued walking.
Soon after, she reached a door.
Just before she opened it, a voice thundered from inside.
“Are you out of your mind?! How did I raise you?! Trying to commit suicide?! What on earth is wrong with you?!”
Lirina knew very well who owned that voice.
It was none other than Aslan’s mother and the property owner, Flame Lady Aegasa Ygritte.
Although the words coming through the door were muffled, it was clear that she was scolding someone.
But no matter how much she yelled at Aslan, no response came back from him.
Finally, the frustrated lady started marching toward the door.
Lirina quickly stepped back, dodging out of the way as the door swung open with a bang!
A middle-aged woman with flowing red hair walked out, shooting a quick glance at Lirina.
“Did you hear?”
Her piercing expression made even Lirina flinch.
“No, I didn’t hear anything.”
The best option was to deny hearing it even if she did.
After Lirina replied, the woman shot one last glare at her before turning and leaving.
Once she departed, Lirina hurried into the room.
Inside, the pungent smell of medicine greeted her along with the pitch-black curtains drawn tight.
Lirina strode in with the basket she was carrying.
At that moment, a man caught her eye.
He had a thin body with drooping, long red hair.
Dark shadows were prevalent under his eyes.
He was none other than Aslan Ygritte.
On his neck were red marks and loose bandages.
Those marks were a result of his attempted suicide.
“…Why didn’t you do this while I was around?”
As Lirina muttered to herself, Aslan’s eyelids slowly opened.
He gazed at Lirina weakly before breaking into a powerless smile.
He had clearly heard all of Aegasa’s scoldings but seemed remarkably indifferent to it.
“Lirina.”
“Yes, I’m Lirina, Aslan’s personal attendant. You must be hungry. Let me prepare something to eat.”
She said nothing about his neck and proceeded to set the food she had gathered on the table.
These were the very items she had picked up from the eatery just moments ago.
Thanks to the warming magic on the basket, the food remained hot.
Slowly rising, Aslan approached the table laden with food.
He pulled out a chair, sitting down and quietly staring at the offerings before him.
Then Lirina handed him a spoon, and he took a sip of the soup.
“…So it’s from that place.”
“Aslan, you refuse to eat anywhere else. Lirina runs over there every day without fail. So please make sure to finish it all.”
“I’ll try.”
However, despite his words, Aslan’s spoon was lacking in strength.
After a few minutes, only a few bites had been consumed, and Aslan finally set the spoon down.
Seeing that, Lirina rose to collect the remnants of the meal he had barely touched.
Aslan then returned to his bed and lay down again.
“Aslan, it’s not good for your health to eat and lie down right away.”
“I’m fine. Thanks for your concern. Now please leave me alone.”
With those words, Aslan buried himself under the blankets.
Watching that, Lirina cleanly gathered the leftover food and wiped the table before stepping back outside.
Her half-closed eyes lingered on the closed door of Aslan’s room.
Two months ago, the cheerful Aslan she had known was nowhere to be seen.
Now, the only thing left was him, wishing to die harder with each passing day.
Lirina clenched the basket she was carrying tightly.
What could she do to restore the young lord to his former self?
As the trusted attendant, she was the only one aware of why Aslan had changed so much.
‘Someone…’
Was there no one to bring him back?
Recognizing her own limitations, Lirina could only let out a long sigh.
As she turned, a crow perched on the window caught her eye.
The crow was staring intently at Lirina for some reason.
Seeing that, she tilted her head and approached the window.
To her surprise, when she opened it, the crow remained perched on the windowsill instead of flying away.
“What a curious little one.”
Lirina glanced back at her basket.
After all, she was going to throw away the food anyway.
As she pulled out a leftover piece of meat from the basket, the crow grabbed it in its beak and flew off.
Looks like it had come for the food after all.
“What a smart little guy.”
And thereafter, a peculiar bond began to form between her and the crow.
Strangely enough, from that day forward, the crow would show up every time Lirina cleaned up Aslan’s leftover meals.
Each time, the crow would carry off pieces of meat or leftover scraps of food.
When this happened repeatedly for a few days, it eventually became a part of Lirina’s daily routine.
Today, as she exited after clearing Aslan’s meal, she spotted the crow sitting at the window.
“Kami, hello! You’re here again today.”
She had taken to naming the crow at some point and smiled softly as she approached it.
Seeing that the crow no longer flew away even when she got close, Lirina felt a small sense of healing.
“It’s not me who needs healing.”
Perhaps if she showed Kami to Aslan, he might find a bit of joy, too.
Just then, Kami suddenly spread its wings and flew down to perch on the lower part of the window.
Lirina, puzzled, leaned out of the window.
“Kami? Aren’t you going to eat today?”
Glancing backward, Kami began to waddle away.
To Lirina, it felt as if she was being beckoned to follow.
Curiously, Lirina squeezed out of the window and followed after Kami.
Surprisingly, the crow didn’t fly but led her somewhere.
Before long, Lirina found herself in a park she recognized.
It was a park she often passed by in the past.
After wandering through the park for a while, Kami suddenly took to the air with a flap!
When Lirina looked up, she saw it perched on a person’s shoulder.
With black hair, blue eyes, and a still boyish-looking face accentuated by sharp features, the boy looked to be in his mid-teens, just stepping into his growth spurt.
That boy, with the crow on his shoulder, seemed to be very familiar with it.
“Who are you?”
The boy looked at her with a puzzled expression on his innocent face.
