Chapter 35
Unable to hide his astonishment, Phillip looked at Logan after hearing his words.
A thief, you say? And even you couldnt catch them, Lord Logan?
Indeed. I couldnt lay a finger on them, nor sense their movements.
Hmm. That person must be at least a high-level Force User, if they can elude you. Its strange for someone like that to resort to thievery.
Phillips impression of Logans realm was simple, having only heard about it in stories.
But for Logan, it wasnt something to accept so lightly.
His senses were amplified several times over during meditation.
Even with his physical abilities and senses elevated by the Force Core, and the concentration brought through meditation, he barely felt a presence.
Thats not just high-level. Its at least top-tier Force User. No, even that doesnt suffice. It wasnt merely a sensation of a high level; it felt like a completely different class. Could it be?
Underestimating an enemy is a problem, just as overestimating can be.
Hence, Logan tried not to jump to premature conclusions, but his intuition was suggesting that this unprecedented guess might be accurate.
A Force User as a thief? Thats nonsense
The ridiculous thought made him snicker involuntarily.
Having obtained the power of Aura, capable of tearing through everything, which set them beyond the limitations of an ordinary Force Useran individual of such caliber could become a noble of a domain in an instant or even earn a title of earldom if they went to the empire.
And yet, such an Aura User resorted to mere thievery.
Phillip too scoffed with an incredulous expression.
Come now, Lord Logan. Dont go too far with such ludicrous talk. Just check if anything is missing, instead.
Not much is missing though.
Not much, you say?
Did we pack the Imporik correctly?
Of course. We were going to sell it to the nobles, so we checked it multiple times Eh? No way?
Two Imporik pills are missing from a box. Its an ambiguous detail thats quite bothersome, but thats all there is.
One would expect the entire box to be stolen.
Just opening the packaging to take only two pills was too bizarre.
Its possible we packed it wrongly, but
It seemed more likely that the thief had taken them out.
But connecting that inference with the previous guess only led to a more bizarre conclusion.
An Aura User stole precisely two aphrodisiacs.
For what purpose?
An Aura User, who reached the pinnacle of Force and harnessed the superior Aura powers, would typically have tremendous physical capabilities, even virility.
Hence, a typical Aura User often had numerous concubines and, in many cases, dozens of children.
But an Aura User needing an aphrodisiac?
No. Imporik isnt just an aphrodisiac. Though its advertised as a miracle elixir that could even heal physical impotence Could it be?
Once again, it was merely intuition, without concrete evidence.
Yet following that shining premonition, Logan spoke to Phillip.
Those records! Were there Aura Users in them?
Eh? Thats confidentialyou have to pay extra. You declined, Lord Logan, saying we didnt need it.
Ah, yes. Then
Didnt you say you knew everything already and it wasnt necessary?
What?
In the capital, theres precisely one Aura User without offspring.
Ah!
Logans memory was of distant recollections.
He hadnt paid attention to the absolute powerhouses since he believed there would be no connection for a while, but now it suddenly came back to him.
There were five Aura Users in the Grandia Kingdom, with only two residing in the capital.
Among them was certainly one such individual.
A typical Aura User with a powerful physique would boast abundant virility, yet there was one without any descendants.
* * * Giggles.
Catch me if you can!
Waaaah! Mommy!
Nurse! He hit me.
Waaaaah.
The frolicking children on the streets were lively.
Watching over them, even from afar, made for a heartwarming scene, but the face of a middle-aged man observing from a mansion window was tinged with bitterness.
Children
A life without regrets. One he could proudly declare.
Most people who knew him would say the same.
The only blemish on his triumphant life was the absence of children.
That was it.
Of course, he never showed that side to anyone.
Having merely one regret in life meant, inversely, how fortunate he was.
He wasnt greedy or insufficiently cultivated to not realize that.
But sometimes, like now, when he caught sight of such bright and lovable children, a pang of longing would jab his heart with the sharpness of a needle.
Despite his efforts to look away, all he could muster was a wry smile.
What are you looking at?
At that moment, a lovely, familiar voice made him hastily turn around.
Oh! My wife. Ha, I was just admiring the scenery outside for a bit. It seems I carelessly left the window open in this chilly breeze. Lets go inside.
He felt ridiculous calling the warm breeze of early summer chilly.
His wifes eyes were already holding the children outside in their gaze.
You, again
The pain that flickered in those large eyes stung his heart even more.
So before she could finish speaking, he hastily took the initiative.
No, I was simply enjoying the external view. Dont worry about it. Come, lets go inside.
The origin of the pain was his own doing; he was bringing it up again and disturbing it.
Hiding his darkened expression, he turned around quickly, but suddenly
Delicate arms wrapped around his chest from behind.
Honey. Im truly happy to have met you. You know that, right?
He momentarily raised his head and stared at the ceiling to suppress the welled-up emotions.
I feel the same
His response was a bit delayed, but it was filled with sincere truth.
Then dont be so pained. Were together, arent we?
It was such a precious sentiment, yet he couldnt face his wife.
He felt tears might fall once more, now that he had aged quite a bit.
So all he did was stroke the soft hands clinging to his chest and glare at the innocent ceiling.
Felix Esperanza.
The pain that lingered in the heart of the man known as the kingdoms greatest swordsman began with an injury in his youth.
During a battle for his country, he happened to damage his groina critical flaw for a man.
But in his younger days, he barely minded it.
He lived as he wished, suffered the injury doing what he wanted to do.
A knight got hurt during his duty. Its an honorable wound.
Though it wasnt a part of his body he could boast about, he wasnt embarrassed.
It was just a pity. That was what he thought.
But as time passed and he aged little by little, the regret etched deeply in his heart began to ache sharply.
I need to leave an offspring
It hit him in his fifties when he was recognized as the kingdoms strongest and his fame began to peak.
Whats the use of elevating a barons house to that of a duke and spreading your fame across the country if your lineage had no heir?
It all felt vain.
When he was younger, the regret even spurred him on to train more.
It was around this time that he began to perceive his longing as a real pain.
Then, he met his current wife.
At first, he thought it was simply out of pity.
He just wanted to restore light in the eyes of a prime-aged maiden who looked as if she was dying inside.
Felix didnt realize it was love.
But she was too grateful, and beyond that, she actively expressed her affection.
Even when embarrassed, he spoke candidly about his weaknesses.
How much did you suffer?
Seeing her weep more painfully than he did, he felt the regret, which he thought was just sorrow in his heart, washing away.
Only then did he truly understand love, and recognized his pain.
If youre okay with it, please allow me to serve by your side. Ill repay this kindness for a lifetime.
An exceptional person. An overwhelming love, he thought.
It even led to engagement, defying the objections of his retainers.
And so he had already spent more than a decade with his wife.
It was undoubtedly a happy time, but the ache in his heart had not completely vanished.
Actually, because everything was so perfect, he couldnt help but keep noticing that one shortfall.
Thats why he sometimes made such foolish mistakes like this one.
Cough, cough. Ill go take a look at work, my wife. I might be a bit late.
are you really okay?
Of course, who do you think I am! Dont worry.
Felix, nearly of septuagenarian age, boasted with all his might in front of his wife as if he were a young boypreventing himself from showing tears was a hundred times better.
* * *
That concludes the regular report.
Youve done well.
Though the periodic report on the domain had come to an end, the adjutant did not move, obviously having something more to say.
Luis. Speak up if you have something to say.
Your Excellency. Its just that its about that matter again
The adjutant hesitated to bring up the subject, causing Duke Felixs brows to furrow deeply.
The issue with adopting a son again?
The retainers urging has been quite persistent.
Do those people actually wish for my early demise?
That couldnt be. Theyre just concerned about the future of the house.
Hmph. I care not! How many times must I say this? When its my time to go, those bastards in the collateral branch might already be having grandchildren. And now theyre harrying me to decide on an heir?
He was nearing his seventies.
But the outward appearance of the duke, hailed as the strongest Aura User in the kingdom, didnt look a day over his forties.
So his bluff wasnt entirely false. Yet, no Aura User could stay forever young, not unless one became an Aura Master of legend. Typically, Aura Users age rapidly at some point in life and pass away.
The retainers who knew this couldnt help but feel insecure.
But obviously, Luis couldnt just say, Because we dont know when you might die. So the adjutant remained silent again.
Duke Felix understood the retainers position as well.
He was aware that he was pushing the issue.
But not yet, its not time yet.
Adopting a son felt like a declaration of surrender to the deeply rooted yearning in his heart.
Despite knowing there was no other way, he really did not want to.
Not yet, I want to wait a bit longer
No matter how foolish, no matter how silly it seemed.
Speaking of which, Your Excellency. I am hesitant to mention this, but
What now?
Recently, an efficacious drug gaining fame in the capital has emerged.
A drug?
It is called Imporik, an apparently potent medicine for men
The adjutant braced for his superiors reproach, but the reaction was unexpectedly calm.
Luis, emboldened, quickly followed up with the most crucial information he had.
People say its such a miracle drug that it can heal even physical wounds!
Ah
Of course, I know you dont believe it, but word has it that those whove used it are seeing great effects.
Hmph. Haha.
Watching the adjutant hang his head, Felix just let out an exasperated laugh.
How could he not understand that his adjutant spoke with sincerity?
But he was already familiar with those rumors. In fact
Ive already tried it.
A memory of the previous night crept up, heating his cheeks.
He saw his wife last evening, crying as she watched children play in the setting sun outside the window.
At that moment, his years of discipline crumbled.
Driven by emotion and allowing instinct to take over, he committed a theft he had never attempted in his life.
The two Imporik pills, obtained through that shameful act, were already inside him.
But
No miracle had occurred.
Luis. Filter out the rumors before you listen to them. If Aura cant fix it, how could some mere medicine?
That one foolish act of blind hope was enough.
My apologies.
The days work seemed to end with such a ludicrous event.
Your Excellency. A visitor from outside
That was until a knight brought in a disconcerting message.
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