I Became the Teacher of the Imperial Family’s Bastard

098. Harvesting (1)

To briefly summarize what I saw before returning to the Heiron Citadel:

Aindel used some method to save the Grand Duke, and then closed his eyes on the spot.

After that, the Crown Prince brought a carriage and medics to transport us back, and so we returned.

We took care of the injuries and post-mortem matters and rested.

Of course, it wasn’t a complete end.

Naturally, none of my personal questions were answered and only amplified.

For that reason, I sought the snowy mountains alone once more.

But there was nothing more I could find out.

‘Not coming out.’

I sought the spirit.

The situation at the time was urgent, so I wanted to hear a more detailed explanation, but the spirit had vanished as if it was no longer there.

I tried to track it with my evolved clairvoyance, but the stronger the will I felt.

It doesn’t want to meet.

To be precise, even if we met, it seemed it wouldn’t tell me anything.

With that will on the other side, what more could I do?

From the beginning, the way to approach the truth a bit faster was already presented.

―Inherit. All that you rightfully should hold. Only then will the answer be revealed.

It is the succession of the family.

The elves, the Dea, and the spirit all emphasized it, and it was what the first Paros, who had arranged everything for me, wanted.

It was not far off.

Now, the end of the cold wave, in other words, the end of the year.

‘Soon.’

I will become an adult.

An official adult recognized by the Empire.

When that time comes, I will be acknowledged for the succession of Paros and gain the qualification for the succession ceremony.

So now, internal organization was more necessary than anything.

I closed my eyes.

‘Finally, I took the first step.’

I finally cleared away what was cast upon these damned generations.

From the Crown Prince to Beatrice, Verheim, Girgoor, and Shpert.

Nothing went as expected, but the results were encouraging.

Not only did we stop those humans’ despicable actions, but the weakening of the empire due to them was no longer an issue.

‘One year.’

It took about a year to get here.

Recalling that, I completely erased the future I originally knew from my mind.

‘Rather, it should be blocked.’

The fact that I knew the future before it changed now truly means nothing.

Just as we have changed, the enemy will also change according to this trend.

They will use more cunning and unexpected methods to strangle us.

The wind blew. It was less dreadful than before.

I gazed at the snowy mountains for a moment, then turned away.

The damned boyhood was heading towards its end like that.

* * *

Aindel Kronid’s funeral was held very quietly.

The only acquaintance who could oversee his funeral was the Grand Duke, and apart from that, it was just us… including me, humans didn’t know Aindel that well, did they?

Outwardly, he was a victim of the cold wave.

Thus, Aindel found rest in the temple under Historia’s supervision.

We dug a grave and buried him.

We covered the place with blessings so that fresh things would grow above.

The Grand Duke took in the entire process with his eyes.

His face was more haggard than before, but at least he didn’t look like he was about to collapse.

After the arrangements were finished, it was time for the Heiron Festival, which comes after the cold wave ends.

The current plan is for the Crown Prince to give a congratulatory speech and leave during that time.

Until then, what to do.

“Yuren, my body won’t move.”

“Yes, did you expect to be fine after using domination like that?”

“No, I’m not joking, I really can’t move.”

“So what?”

“So what?”

“What.”

It seems like taking care of the Crown Prince is my job.

But he tries to assert his authority periodically. I crossed my legs and answered while sitting in the chair.

“Do you find my informal speech annoying? Then be stronger than me.”

“……!”

The Crown Prince glared at me, but that was all.

It seems he is starting to realize that he can’t beat me.

Of course, he didn’t just crumble.

Ah, what kind of person is he?

“…Let’s see if you can still say that when you reach the master level.”

“And what am I supposed to do in the meantime?”

“…Once I can handle domination!”

“You’ll use domination and still get beaten. Your Highness, you’re just a small fry.”

The Crown Prince’s eyes turned bloodshot.

When stress builds up, there’s nothing more enjoyable than beating this guy.

Besides, it’s not like I said anything untrue.

‘Now it’s really worth trying.’

The growth of the Tongkwean made it possible to resist domination in ways I couldn’t in my previous life.

Even though it’s a minor copy version, I saw the potential in the battle with the foreign god.

Of course, we’ll have to see, but…

‘…At least I can get halfway there.’

So I have to win.

Even if it’s just to keep him on a leash.

‘Godslayer.’

This guy is more important than I thought.

He was always someone I had to protect somehow, but now, without him, the future looks bleak.

Imagine.

‘That guy dies a dog’s death. Fate remains. Her goal is the empire’s destruction.’

…It makes me dizzy.

I thought about raising him quickly by treating him harshly, but keeping him alive is the top priority for now.

Shaking off the unease, I stood up.

“Anyway, Your Highness. Take care of yourself, I’m leaving now.”

It was at that moment.

“Wait.”

“Hmm?”

“Make me a burger before you go.”

“What?”

“I’m hungry.”

“You said you couldn’t move.”

“I’m hungry.”

He erased his angry expression and spoke with a calm smile.

Does this man have two personalities?

“Hurry, make me a burger before you go.”

At his shamelessness, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

‘Is this guy really a godslayer…?’

Hmm…

* * *

I didn’t have any major crises or injuries, but it was different for others.

For instance, even Historia was groaning, having pushed her divine power to its limits, and Beatrice had locked herself in her room, saying she needed to repair her broken prosthetic arm.

The biggest problem was the Grand Duke.

‘He said he reached Master level.’

He reached Master level in this battle.

I was worried if he was handling the aftermath properly in such a dire situation.

When one reaches the level of Master, there is a transitional period they go through.

In the process of adapting to their changed body, they often end up breaking things, and if they try to suppress their power to prevent that, their body’s output gets restricted.

It’s better to break everything and adapt, as the latter case requires a lot of mental strength to regain that output.

I went to find the Grand Duke to tell him about this.

And then I discovered something.

“Beep!”

A homunculus.

It was the one I saw at Aindel’s house, number 1, I think. It seems the Grand Duke brought it after the funeral.

The creature was busily running down the corridor when it spotted me. It stumbled, tripped over its own feet, and rolled to a stop at my toes.

“?”

“Beep! Beep!”

The homunculus that had risen grabbed my pant leg and whined, trying to lead me somewhere.

I tilted my head, wondering why it was acting this way, and it tugged at me more urgently.

“Follow you?”

“Beep!!!”

The creature cried out loudly.

Having nothing else to do, I followed the homunculus.

We passed through the corridor for quite a while and headed to a separate room, where the Grand Duke was resting.

‘The Grand Duke is looking for me?’

That thought crossed my mind briefly.

But what I saw when I arrived was a different scene.

Crunch―!

“Ugh…!”

I stopped in my tracks.

My mouth hung open in shock.

“Get up. Don’t think about whining.”

“Ugh… ugh…!”

The Grand Duke and the Grand Duke’s son were together.

The Grand Duke, with veins bulging on his forehead, struck the Grand Duke’s son in the stomach with a clenched fist.

The Grand Duke’s son, gasping for breath, drooled and staggered to his feet.

Then the Grand Duke slapped the Grand Duke’s son across the face.

Crunch―!

Amazingly, the sound of the slap was a crunch.

The sound of the slap was a crunch.

That was enough force to crack a cheekbone.

Once again, the Grand Duke ordered him to get up, and the Grand Duke’s son, trembling, staggered to his feet.

“Beep! Beep!”

Ah, so this is what they wanted me to try somehow.

That’s why they called me.

Now I understand the situation.

But, it’s not like I have a solution either.

“Even I find that difficult.”

Regardless of the reason, he’s a current master.

If he were a fake master, I could handle him with skill, but if he’s a superhuman… that is, a master whose physical transformation is complete, then even if I were prepared to die, escaping would be the best I could do.

“Beep?!”

The homunculus froze in shock.

Even though I said that, I started to worry as I watched.

Honestly, I don’t like the grand duke, but this could really kill him.

“I’ve adjusted my strength. Get up.”

I’m certain.

The grand duke’s idea of adjusting his strength involves more force than he realizes, and he hasn’t noticed it himself.

‘Sigh.’

At that age, breaking things might be good, but I didn’t expect him to break his own son.

With that thought, I knocked on the wall.

“Are you there?”

“…Ah.”

This time, the grand duke, who was about to strike his waist, stopped.

He should be grateful to me.

If he hadn’t stopped now, the Heyron line would have ended.

“…You’ve come. I’m sorry to show you such an ugly sight. It’s a family matter, so you don’t need to worry.”

“No, I don’t want to worry, but…”

My gaze turned to the grand duke’s son.

The grand duke’s son was swaying unsteadily.

The light in his eyes had already gone out.

Considering he had been like that for a while, it was clear he was barely standing through sheer willpower while unconscious.

“He looks like he’s going to die.”

“What do you mean…”

“Fractured bones all over, slight internal organ rupture, muscle necrosis…”

As my eyes grew, this became possible.

The efficiency is terribly poor, so it won’t be used often, but as I explained the state of the Grand Duke, his expression began to turn pale.

His bewildered face added credibility to my speculation.

“I-I didn’t hit him that hard…”

“Uh, how should I put this…”

At that moment, the Grand Duke’s body, having reached its limit, collapsed.

“Beep beep?!”

The homunculus, startled, ran to the Grand Duke.

I explained the changes that occurred as I reached the master’s level.

The Grand Duke, with a soul-drained expression, picked up the Grand Duke and jumped out the window.

“Saintesssss―!”

His exit was quite spectacular.

* * *

To conclude, the Grand Duke managed to survive.

Historia had already somewhat healed him, and the life that Eindel had given him temporarily boosted his recovery.

Bones were mended, and organ functions were restored.

Muscles were reverted to their pre-necrosis state, but this is by no means a complete recovery.

“He’ll have to stay in bed for a few months. Just walking will take about two weeks…”

The Grand Duke, flustered by Historia’s diagnosis, kept expressing his gratitude.

It seems he genuinely intended to discipline him.

This time, it seemed like words wouldn’t suffice.

Moreover, the Grand Duke kept getting up without collapsing, leading to the misconception that he had controlled his strength.

In this light, the Grand Duke is quite a tough one.

Considering that an ordinary person would have already died from such injuries, it’s commendable that he kept getting up.

Anyway, the aftermath was settled, and the Grand Duke became sullen, while Historia left the room to eat.

I, unexpectedly tasked with nursing… or rather, surveillance, fed bits of cheeseburger to the homunculus while having a simple meal.

There was something curious; when I fed the homunculus a burger, its round, black head turned into the shape of a cheeseburger.

When I stopped feeding it, it returned to its original form, but the process was quite amusing.

I repeated this to pass the time.

“How do you do this?”

When I asked the homunculus, the answer came from elsewhere.

“…It’s because you can only think in one dimension. When you see something new in front of you and learn it, you express it with your body. The reason you revert back is because your low intelligence makes you forget what you just learned.”

When I quickly turned my head, the Grand Duke was opening his eyes.

He was staring at the homunculus.