Episode 312
"That's right." Assad nodded. "Luan Badniker. I heard that the picky one seems to get along with you. Can you try to persuade her?"
I considered Lise Ladygoth for a moment. Assad's claim that we got along was not entirely wrong, but it wasn't entirely right either. She still made me uneasy, and I had not yet figured out how to deal with her. Besides, Lise did not seem to have any goodwill toward the Badnikers. That was only natural. After all, they had trapped her underground.
"I'll give it a try. But what if Lise asks for some other reward in exchange for the healing?" I asked.
"Other reward?" Assad repeated, his brows drawing together.
"For example, she might want to leave the underground library," I explained.
"Absolutely not." Assad's tone became sharper. "First of all, even she can't guarantee that she can fully heal Delac. At best, I would put the odds at around half. If she asks for any reward just to attempt the treatment, do not agree. It is a snake's whisper."
"So she will never be allowed to leave the underground library?" I pressed.
The Archmage turned his solemn gaze toward me. "I can see how you feel about Lise Ladygoth. She is trapped in the underground library in the form of a child. You feel sorry for her and want to help her, don't you?"
"That..."
"It's understandable. I have no intention of denying or criticizing your feelings. However, you mustn't act on them. She's a monster wearing a girl's mask. She's an evil being who must never leave the underground. Honestly, if Delac hadn't been injured, I would never have asked her for help," he admitted.
Why did Assad hate Lise so much? The Archmage usually maintained a detached attitude toward everything, yet he revealed an oddly emotional side whenever Lise came up.
"I understand what you're saying," I said at last. "However, I can only judge based on what I have seen and heard myself."
"That's your right as well," Assad replied.
"I'll talk to Lise for now," I said.
"Please," he said with a small nod. "Are you going right away?"
"I'm going to stop by the kitchen first," I told him.
Assad frowned slightly. "Why the kitchen?"
"I have something to bring with me." I tilted my head and suddenly asked, "By the way, do we have a pastry chef here?"
***
The familiar scent of medicinal herbs, the mysterious water that flowed without wetting my skin or clothes, and the dimly lit library under soft light greeted me.
The mysterious Dark Fairy mage still sat atop a mountain of books, turning the pages with her hair.
"Hmm. It has been quite a while," she remarked flatly.
"I have been a bit busy. A lot has happened," I replied.
"Really? Did you clash with the Dark Church again?" she asked.
"Something like that," I said.
Lise seemed to be reading a book, but she kept casting me strange glances. It seemed she wanted something. She had said she could inspect all my belongings the moment I set foot in this place, so dragging things out would only weaken the bribe's effect.
"Here," I said, pulling out some cookies. They were not from De Marlin Refreshments, but the Badnikers' pastry chef was no less skilled. I had tried one myself, and it was quite good.
She raised a brow. "Oho... This snack looks a bit different from last time."
"They are madeleines, mille-feuilles, and mont blancs," I explained.
"The names carry a sense of dignity. I am sure they will delight my tongue this time as well," Lise said with a grin as she took the bag of snacks. She splashed her feet and said with a satisfied expression, "So what business brings you to me today? Do you need advice on black magic as usual? Or advice on demonology? Whatever it is, speak."
She was very generous. It proved that bribes worked better than expected. Now that I had laid the groundwork, I needed to choose my words carefully.
A subtle tone, coaxing words or vague metaphors... Several approaches came to mind, but in the end, I spoke bluntly. "In fact, the head of the family is currently in critical condition," I said.
"Delac?"
"Yes. Miasma is eroding his entire body. If this continues, he may die," I explained.
"Hoh. I see," Lise replied nonchalantly as she took out a cookie and started to chew.
"I heard you can remove the miasma within the family head. Is that true?" I asked.
"Yes. It's possible."
"If so, perhaps—" I began.
"I have no intention of listening to you. So? Is that all?" she cut in coolly.
The moment I heard her calm voice, I knew something had gone wrong. Lise's expressionless face as she chewed the cookie felt off. Water echoed softly as black snakes slithered from her hair, swimming beneath the surface and slowly surrounding me. It was just like Lise to show her displeasure through her hair rather than her expression.
"Then just disappear," she spat.
"Wait a moment. Just a bit more—"
"Did Assad send you?"
I was at a loss for words and shut my mouth.
Lise's mouth twisted coldly into a blatant sneer. "Right. If he had business, he should have come in person. Instead, he lacked the confidence and sent you. He's still a coward, even after decades."
"It's true that Assad sent me, but accepting this task was my own choice," I insisted.
"Really? Is it your will to encourage me to die?" she pressed.
"What now?"
Lise said with a smile, "Since you came to me, Delac's mind or heart must already be infected by miasma. If his mind is infected, even he is finished. That means the damage is most likely in his heart.
"If miasma deeply infects vital organs, purification becomes impossible, no matter how skilled the priest. It has to be extracted directly, and that process is extremely dangerous and difficult. It is like driving a carriage off a cliff at full speed with your eyes closed.
"Even if, by some miracle, the miasma is successfully extracted, that is not the end. What do you think happens to it then? It seeps into the body of the one who extracted it. In other words, asking me to heal him is no different from asking me to die in Delac's place. Little Badniker, did you know that?"
I fell silent, and Lise laughed. "Fine. Let's assume I agree. I risk my life to heal Delac and extract the miasma, and somehow I survive. Even then, I would be half crippled and barely clinging to life. Would you set me free from this hell? You wouldn't."
Lise Ladygoth's hair coiled around the bag of snacks. The sound of sweets crushing echoed through the underground library. She spat the shattered pieces onto the ground.
"Get out... Luan Badniker." Her voice was cold yet faintly trembling. "Don't... come here again."
***
The Small Iron Hall was on the east side of the Badnikers' main building, reserved for the future family head. It had been vacant for a long time, but now it bustled with activity. After the Iron-Blooded Lord appointed me to the position, he assigned additional staff and oversaw extensive repairs and redecorations.
I sat alone in my top-floor office, assessing the situation. Lise had issued an eviction order and reclaimed the key, severing my connection with the dark mage completely.
A voice came from outside the open window. "Did you fail?"
I looked up and saw a small sparrow perched on a nearby tree.
I replied, "Yes. It didn't work."
The sparrow, Assad, replied, "I knew it."
He wasn't in his human form, so I couldn't read his expression, but his tone carried no surprise. He had expected this outcome.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded.
"What? That Lise Ladygoth might die if she heals Delac?" Assad said with a faint smile. "Would anything have changed if I had?"
"It wouldn't have changed the outcome, but it wouldn't have made things worse," I reasoned.
"It seems your relationship has deteriorated. Good. For your own sake, you should keep your distance from Lise Ladygoth," he claimed.
Damn mages. This was why I hated them. These self-righteous beings treated their own judgment as absolute and never explained their reasoning. The more I spoke with them, the more frustrated I became.
Arguing further would be a waste of time, so I changed the topic. "Did you know it would turn out like this?"
"I was almost certain," Assad replied. "Lise Ladygoth would never do anything to help the Badnikers."
"What's her true identity?" I asked. "I don't know why she's locked up in the underground library."
Assad studied me momentarily before speaking. "Deputy Head Luan Badniker, it may be time you learn the truth."
His words confused me.
"Lise Ladygoth is a direct blood relative of Kuset, the Dark Fairy," he revealed.
"Direct blood relative? That means—"
"Simply put, she's his daughter," he finished.
The revelation surprised me, but when in retrospect, the clues were there. Lise often used the phrase Kuset's descendant when she addressed me. Each time she spoke his name, I sensed a strange emotion in her voice.
"So Lise is my grandmother?"
"If you go back dozens of generations. At this point, you are practically strangers," he replied. "I can't tell you everything. But to put your mind at ease, I will say this. She committed a horrific act against humanity in the past. Kuset witnessed it and imprisoned her in the underground library. That's the whole story."
"Is there no chance for forgiveness?" I pressed.
"What?"
"Isn't Kuset still alive?"
The sparrow's feathers trembled slightly. For some reason, his emotions came through more strongly in this form than when he appeared human.
"Did Delac tell you that? It seems he values you more than I thought," he muttered. "Yes, you're right. Kuset, the Dark Fairy and that legendary hero, is still alive. So where do you think he is?"
"I don't know. Is there a secret sixth-floor room hidden in the main building or something?" I guessed.
"I don't know either."
I blinked in surprise.
Assad explained, "We're certain that Kuset is alive. His influence runs through the Badnikers to the point that he holds more authority than Delac. However, no one in the family has seen him. Not me. Not even Delac."
One was an Archmage who had guarded the Badnikers for hundreds of years, and the other was the Iron-Blooded Lord, praised as an unparalleled hero. Yet even their energy-detection abilities couldn't spot Kuset. Not even a ghost would be so elusive.
"You aren't seriously thinking of finding Kuset when even Delac couldn't do so?" Assad probed.
"So there is no other way?" I asked back.
Assad sighed. "We still have some time, so we should try other methods."
"Can I see the head of the family?"
Assad studied me. "The other children do not deserve it, but you are different. However, not now."
"When can I see him?"
"Tomorrow evening," he said.
"I understand."
"Good." The sparrow flapped its wings. "Luan Badniker, I'm sorry to place this burden on you. If Delac dies, you'll succeed him. If things don't go well, I'll do everything I can to ensure you take the position of family head smoothly."
The declaration stunned me. Archmage Assad's words carried the same weight as the Iron-Blooded Lord's right-hand man pledging himself as my guardian. I had never heard of Assad involving himself in succession matters, which made this even more surprising. If word of this spread beyond the Badniker family to the empire, it would cause quite a stir.
"Ugh, what a headache." I felt a knot of tension tighten in my chest. I had no intention of becoming the family head.
The sparrow Assad left. I wondered why there were no quiet days as I looked around the overly spacious, empty office.
The Badnikers' main house could be called my home, yet it stirred no particular emotion when I returned. It felt more like a place of work than a place to live.
So why did I come back? Perhaps I should have cut ties with the Badniker family altogether. The death of the Iron-Blooded Lord could not be concealed, and there was no need for me to return to the main house to confirm it for myself.
Then what exactly am I doing here—
A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.
"Come in," I said.
The door opened, and Kayan entered. He was dressed more neatly than usual. He looked at me and asked, "Master Luan, are you done talking?"
"For now, yes. What's going on?"
"That..." Kayan hesitated, his expression awkward. "Actually, everyone has gathered except for you."
"What?"
"I mean the children."
I frowned. "Gathered? Everyone?"
"Yes. The seven sons and five daughters who carry the family head's blood have all assembled. By the way..." Kayan's expression turned more uneasy. "I heard the atmosphere is not very good."
"The atmosphere?" I echoed, perplexed.
"Yes." Kayan hesitated again and said no more, but I understood his meaning.
Certainly, the Badniker siblings weren't as close as other families. Among noble families, children often became rivals, even enemies, as they fought over power, status, and inheritance. In the Badniker family, the situation was worse. Most of them were half-siblings, and the tension among them ran deeper.
It was an ugly situation, so Kayan, as an employee, likely found it difficult to speak openly about it.
I stood. "Since they are all gathered, I should go as well. Where are my brothers and sisters?"
"They are in the meeting room on the first floor of the main building," he replied.
"I understand."
I walked on, lost in thought. Now that I think about it, this is the first time, in both my past and present lives, that all the children of the Iron-Blooded Lord, these unique individuals, have gathered together.