Chapter 34: Ch 34: Cardinal’s Plan
"Cardinal Flux, what are we going to do now? You are not going to leave the hero’s education to that brat, right?"
The Cardinal looked at the priest accompanying him. The man was currently kneeling down with his hands raised as punishment for his behaviour. But not a single shard of regret could be seen on the priest’s face.
Instead, determination filled the priest as he demanded answers from the Cardinal.
This priest had a lot of potential, so Cardinal Flux did not understand why he made such foolish decisions. But he did agree with one thing the priest said.
’I cannot allow that minion of the Tower to have full control over the hero. But since I gave my word that I will not interfere, I have no choice but to ask for help.’
It was humiliating for someone at his station to ask for help. But this was what he had to do in order to make sure the hero came back to his side.
The only problem was that Kael was far too powerful for them to assassinate by normal means. So they would have to be a little creative.
"Hmm, do you know when the next holy festival is being held?"
Cardinal Flux asked and the priest blinked in surprise at that question.
"You want to know when the next holy festival is? But aren’t the Cardinals obligated to attend? Hmm, from what I recall, there is one that is supposed to be held next week. I’ve heard that even some nobles will be in attendance."
This news made the Cardinal smile, but it was not a smile that brought comfort.
"I see. In a week, huh. I guess I will invite some guests this time as a sign of apology."
Cardinal Flux relaxed against his seat, a plan immediately forming in his mind. But the priest in front of him looked surprised.
"You want to invite that rude brat as a guest? Cardinal, think again! Why would you bestow such an honor on a bastard?"
The priest asked, not realizing that this was a trap being laid out by the Cardinal.
The Cardinal sighed as he looked at his aid. He once had huge expectations for this priest, but this priest turned out to be too stupid to carry them.
So it was time to find another aid.
And as for this one...he had one last purpose to serve, and that was as fertilizer for the Cardinal’s beloved pet.
__________
The next few days passed quickly. But they were not uneventful.
In fact, Kael felt like he was on a 24-hour shift while living with three emotionally unstable people.
Seraphina was slowly getting better about her self-worth, but Kael still had to reassure her at times that it was alright to do what she wanted (except when she was feeling too sick). She was good at listening to him, but getting her to speak her opinion was a task in itself.
Compared to her, Iris had too many opinions and was strong-headed. But she was blunt and often did not know what to say. She did not know how to channel her emotions properly and often mistook them for anger and aggression. Kael often had to sit her down and talk through her thoughts with her.
And then there was Leon. He was the easiest to deal with and also the hardest. He almost never rejected others’ ideas and simply went along with them. But the reason behind his acceptance was different from Seraphina’s. He also knew when to push for things when it was needed.
The problem with him was that he often seemed like two completely different people and there was no indication of when he switched.
Kael felt drained as he tried to keep up with them. It was like a full-time job he was not being paid for.
And speaking of pay...money was going to be an issue soon.
Kael’s main source of money was his research for the Magic Tower. He had been so absorbed in it in his past life that he never had an issue with payment before.
But this life was different.
He had all but stopped researching because he had no time to head to the lab. And even if he did have time, Kael knew himself well. He had become lazy, and his desire to achieve greatness had diminished.
’Is this a mid-life crisis for me? My body might be young, but I feel too lethargic to do anything. I guess the soul of a middle-aged person is hard to hide.’
Not that Kael ever got to middle age, even in his previous life. But modern society had been so soul-crushing that he felt like he was 80 as soon as he got a job.
"Anyway, I better sort out this money issue first. I might be able to get by alone, but raising three kids takes way too much money."
Kael was speaking from experience here. So first, he needed to do something about his money situation.
And the best way to do that would be to lock himself in his lab and experiment with new ideas. Since he had already been through it once, he was sure that the experiments would be easier this time around.
He explained his plan to the other three during dinner and saw their concerned faces.
"Are you sure it will be alright? Not that I doubt you or anything. But you seem like someone who will forget to even eat if we left you alone."
Iris pointed out without missing a beat. Her lack of confidence in him made Kael frown.
"Do you think I am irresponsible?"
Kael asked and Iris immediately backed down.
But Seraphina continued where Iris left off.
"It’s not that you’re an irresponsible teacher. It’s just...you give off the feeling that you are going to forget about everything else if you start your research. I don’t want you to get sick."
Kael was not going to get sick and he was not going to get stuck in his research either.
Also, it was only going to take a day or two at most, so there was no need to worry.
"I don’t think there’s anything we can say that will change Kael’s mind, so let’s let him do as he wants. I am sure there must be a reason he’s willing to go and do research now."
Leon pointed out and Kael looked at him with appreciation. Finally, someone who understood that he was doing this because it needed to be done.
