Chapter 35

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.

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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.

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.