How To Save A Time Limited Young Master - Chapter 40

Shortly after that day, Langbert Mansion was closed.

It was because Marquis Velks, who’d vacated Odelin Mansion in order to give it to Zenon, decided not to enter the Langbert mansion.

Although it was said to be closed, most of the servants would remain to take care of the mansion, and it would be extremely rare for a family of mages such as Lionerik to use that place unless the core of the seal that was planted in the mansion was removed.

“Zenon.”

At a corner of a bedroom within the capital’s Odelin Mansion.

Heloise sat beside Zenon, who was lying down with closed eyes, and spoke calmly.

“Are you awake?”

“……”

He seemed to be conscious, but he didn’t open his eyes or respond.

Heloise let out a sigh and asked reproachfully.

“You’d already discovered the seal’s core, and purposefully increased your mana, right? Why were you so reckless?”

She was so worried that she thought that she could give this small reprimand.

Does he know how surprised she was when he suddenly vomited blood while clutching his chest like that?

Then, Zenon opened his blue-gray eyes.

His half-opened eyes were still hazy and half-asleep, but it didn’t seem like they’d have any problems communicating.

As expected, Zenon opened his mouth with a gentle tone.

“I thought that if I didn’t do that, I wouldn’t have a chance to go to that room again.”

“Why not? It’s your house.”

“I’d already tried to leave twice, so Uncle must have increased his surveillance… And I was reluctant to enter that room.”

“Then why…?”

“But back then, you were with me.”

Zenon’s eyes curved gently along with those words.

Zenon’s fingers, which were quite close to Heloise’s, wriggled and tangled their fingers together.

“So I thought, ‘Ah, this is the only chance to leave this mansion’.”

“……Even so, trying to break the seal’s core was too much.”

At that, Zenon smiled and replied.

“I couldn’t get rid of it anyways, since it’s a mixture of my father’s magic, as well as the mana that was absorbed from me.”

“……”

“From the beginning, I’d never thought about breaking it. I just thought that in order to regain my freedom, I had to put my life on the line.”

Heloise couldn’t hide her sad expression.

While he wasn’t entirely out of Marquis Velks’ claws, at least he was out of Langbert Mansion.

Can she conclude based on this that it’s safer as Zenon has escaped the fate of being transformed into a magical tool?

But this was paid with the price of losing his health.

Now, even Heloise couldn’t predict the amount of time Zenon had left.

Even the approaching future.

If that was the case, she wanted Zenon to have more freedom.

She wanted him to live a little more like a proud successor, and hoped that he wouldn’t remain as the young lord that died by his lonesome as a young boy in others’ memories.

“Young Master.”

“Why are you calling me like that again?”

“Let’s stop being playmates.”

If Zenon was formally treated as the successor, she would follow him, not as a childish playmate, but someone with a heavy responsibility and status.

One day, Heloise had such a thought.

And even now, that thought hasn’t changed.

“What?”

“Now that the Young Master has left Langbert Mansion, let’s be mature from now onwards.”

“What will you be if you aren’t a playmate?”

“Well, just a friend?”

Then, he squeezed their tangled fingers tightly.

The pain made her frown unknowingly.

“Friends?”

“Why?”

Zenon stared into Heloise’s large light brown eyes.

Zenon realised that his reflected appearance was still inadequate for him to talk about any other relationship.

“……Fine, let’s do that for now.”

Zenon lifted himself up from the bed and slowly brushed his hair away.

It was Heloise that said to be mature first, but Zenon was the one that had an unfamiliar smile hanging on the corners of his lips.

“Let’s start with being friends.”

⋄────∘°❃°∘────⋄

Not long after, a short letter arrived from Andrea.

“Heloise, I’m finally meeting the priest that Julia Infanta introduced me to.”

When they separated on the day of the tea party, Andrea decided to use a fake address used by the Information Guild to maintain contact.

In the time they hadn’t met, Julia Infanta seems to have sent that address quite a number of letters.

“First of all, Langbert Mansion’s butler, Christopher Wants, is secretly working as a priest of Kashuaism. Let’s talk about the details in person.”

Heloise set everything else aside and headed to the Information Guild.

Andrea, who was once again dressed in an ordinary black skirt, greeted Heloise.

“You’d met him?”

Before she took her seat, Heloise questioned her abruptly, and Andrea nodded.

‘He seems like Langbert Mansion’s butler on the surface, and after digging deeper, he’s a priest of a cult…?’

When she heard the irrefutable and undeniable testimony, Heloise laughed bitterly.

“Yes. And their main source of income is something called sacred blood.”

“Sacred blood?”

“If money was donated, they’ll give something called sacred blood, which they’d guaranteed would improve ‘my younger brother’s’ condition greatly once consumed.”

Andrea showed her a small glass bottle that was about the length of a middle finger.

The top and bottom of the transparent bottle containing red liquid was pointed and beautifully crafted with jewels, making it look like a bottle that really contained something sacred.

“It’s this red in colour because it contains God’s blood.”

“They’re making it up.”

“What I don’t understand is, it’s secretly popular amongst the noblewomen.”

“This? Are there so many ill people around nowadays?”

“No, it’s famous due to its beautifying effects. If you drink this, you’d lose weight and your skin would turn fairer.”

“What…?”

Heloise frowned.

It’s not like it’s a panacea, but it’ll slim down your body, make your skin fairer, and even treat the younger brother that faints whenever he uses magic?”

Common sense would tell you that it’s nonsense.

Heloise received the holy water and opened the container’s lid.

The first thing she could detect was the faint scent of a flowering tree.

For some reason, this scent made her feel deja vu.

Where had she smelled this before?

She wasn’t too sure, but once she detected its scent, she felt familiar with this liquid.

“Should I try it once?”

“What?”

Whenever Kashuaism was involved, Andrea would act radically due to her grudge against it.

Heloise shook her head with a worried look.

How could she carelessly consume it when she didn’t even know the identity of this liquid.

“Don’t do that. For now… Andrea, please take this.”

Heloise took out the purse that she’d brought along and placed it onto the table.

With a thud, the purse’s string became loose and revealed the shiny gold coins through the opening.

“What’s this for? I’m a fairy. I have no need for money.”

Andrea pushed the purse back with a slightly grouchy tone.

Then, Heloise smiled and picked up a gold coin.

“You probably wouldn’t need it. I’d brought it because I thought that you were running out. Andrea may not need this, but ‘Andy’ does.”

In order to play the part of a ducal princess that’s rich enough to sail across the sea from another continent, she had to change her clothes and jewellery every time, so Heloise scraped up all the money she had.

In order for Andrea to appear like the appetising ‘Andy’, it was necessary for her to maintain the setting of a rich young lady.

“But this sum of money will be spent somewhere else.”

Jingle.

The gold coin that Heloise held between her thumb and index finger fell into the purse with a clear sound.

Uninterested in the goods used between humans, Andrea shook her head with an indifferent look.

“Is that so? This is too much, so take it back. And, I don’t intend to dress up as Andy anymore.”

“No, it’s all yours, Andrea, so you have to take it with you. There’s something I want you to do with this money.”

“What?”

As she pushed the purse that was being rejected back with both hands, Heloise spoke with a serious gaze.

“Please get me a lot of that sacred blood with this money. That’s what I’m requesting you to do.”

⋄────∘°❃°∘────⋄

As he looked at the sight of his daughter dancing with a decent aristocrat at an evening party, Marquis Velks smiled pleasantly.

The Marquis of Velks smiled pleasantly at the sight of a decent aristocrat and a dancing daughter at the evening party.

“Your daughter matches very well with Flo’s Grand Duke.”

“Is that so?”

“Whether it’s Tobb or the Duchy, both have a stable foundation in the Eastern Continent. Of course, it’s far less than Ballide’s Velks Marquisate.”

Those straightforward words seemed pleasing to his ears today.

This is because his daughter, who’d refused to make her debut without the name of Lionerik, had just made her debut in society a while back, and was adding lustre to the Velks Marquisate’s name.

Although his brother left behind an ominous and dangerous son that would become a stain on Lionerik’s name, his daughter was different.

She was the ducal princess that would truly succeed Lionerik.

His pride in that small child that grew up before he knew it and was currently raising the family’s reputation was endless.

“Such an important guest is present, but tonight’s evening party seems quite simple.”

Amongst the group, a lady spoke as she fanned.

In other words, it was nice that they were being frugal, but the truth was she was trying to slander the less extravagant surroundings.

Just then, a man that’s a relative of the host cut into the conversation.

“Please be understanding. It seems that there was a huge financial drain due to the purchase of the drugs that are popular these days.”

“Drug?”

Those were unpleasant words to hear on such a nice day.

As Marquis Velks intoned with a frown, the man hurriedly explained.

“I’ve made a mistake. I was briefly describing the beautifying potion that’s quite popular these days…”

⋄────∘°❃°∘────⋄