Chapter 49
“What do you mean by ‘our king has returned’?”
“Sylvius, your words are always so hard to understand. Even after becoming younger, that hasn’t changed. Hohoho.”
Hearing Sylvius’s vague and cryptic words after such a long time, the elderly couple looked puzzled.
Come to think of it, even during his adventuring days, Sylvius was often criticized for his habit of speaking in roundabout ways only he could understand.
‘Ugh, there he goes again. That old geezer, spouting nonsense like he always does.’
Of course, this wasn’t about his age but rather his personality, though it was common to blame age in such situations.
Back then, his party members would often respond this way as if it were the norm.
But now, with Aryen and Hadwin appearing much older, such a reaction felt misplaced.
Naturally, the couple hoped Sylvius would explain further, but instead, he simply smirked silently.
“Did you come all this way just to drink tea? It seems losing your hair wasn’t enough—you’ve also lost what little manners you had.”
Hadwin urged him again impatiently.
“Haha, it seems your patience has vanished along with your hair. Alright, I’ll explain soon. But first, let me ask you a question.”
Sylvius took a sip from his teacup, the slow and deliberate motion making the elderly couple restless.
‘For someone as lazy as him to come all this way just to talk, it must be something serious.’
Hadwin, who had been a popular instructor of tactics and martial arts during his university days for his hearty yet kind demeanor, began to feel his blood pressure rise as he watched Sylvius’s calm demeanor.
Although Aryen’s healing abilities were still impressive, even her skills wouldn’t help with managing blood pressure—especially when medical knowledge in Silbrenoa, or even the northern continent as a whole, didn’t yet comprehend what blood pressure was.
“What’s your question? If you have something to ask, do it quickly. Unlike you, we don’t have time to spare.”
“Exactly, Sylvius. The tables have turned. We’re nearing the end of our lives, and our patience is wearing thin.”
Sylvius chuckled softly.
“Hahaha, that’s amusing. Then why not become younger as well? Among us, two have regained their youth, one doesn’t need it, and one remains healthy. So, the only ones left to turn back time are you two.”
Despite claiming he had a question, Sylvius veered off into another cryptic tangent. Hadwin’s bald head turned red with frustration.
“What kind of nonsense is that? If we could simply become younger, don’t you think we would have already? And where is the question you said you wanted to ask?”
Although their bond was strong, built over years of shared struggles and their time supporting the young King Eldric after Solinor’s death, it didn’t mean they were immune to disagreements.
Though, to be fair, most of those disagreements involved Hadwin losing his temper.
Hadwin’s straightforward and blunt nature often clashed with Sylvius’s mischievous, playful personality.
It would have been stranger if they didn’t bicker.
Even Aryen, who usually played the mediator, seemed to have lost some of her patience in her old age.
“Sylvius, stop joking around and get to the point already. We cleared our schedules for you despite being busy enjoying our retirement.”
Aryen’s stern tone finally made Sylvius yield.
He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, though his face remained bright and cheerful, and his movements were as relaxed as ever.
Hadwin gritted his teeth at the sight, but he consoled himself with the thought that Sylvius would finally speak.
But the world wasn’t so kind to an impatient old man.
At least, the now-young Sylvius had no intention of making it easier for him.
“By the way, this tea is quite fragrant and lovely. Where did you get it?”
“…”
Come to think of it, Solinor must have received some special treatment.
Sylvius had delivered his message much more directly and with far fewer detours than usual.
Perhaps it was because they had both returned to life after death.
“Is that your question?”
Hadwin’s temple throbbed visibly.
Be careful, old man, or you’ll collapse from high blood pressure.
“Hmm? Of course not. If you don’t want to answer, just pack me some dried tea leaves for the road. Anyway, here’s the real question. Earlier, I said there were two who regained their youth. One is me. Who do you think the other one is?”
Sylvius’s question prompted a heavy sigh from the elderly couple.
“How would we know that? We’re sitting here to hear the story, and you’re throwing it back at us as a riddle? You’re still as mischievous as ever… Wait. Someone else who regained their youth… Hmm?”
“Dear, do you have an idea?”
Hadwin didn’t answer his wife’s question and instead sank into deep thought.
Sylvius might be mischievous, but he wasn’t someone who posed unsolvable riddles.
With enough thinking, Hadwin’s old and rigid brain felt he could arrive at the answer.
‘By “us,” he must mean the adventuring party from our days of old. It couldn’t mean anything else. If so… the one who doesn’t need to regain youth must be Aiorin. By the standards of the forest dwellers, she’s still not even considered an adult.’
Feeling like he was onto something, Hadwin’s eyes brightened.
Seeing her husband’s expression, Aryen also joined in contemplating the question.
‘The one who is still in good shape must be Corbin. Grimkin tend to live longer than humans, so at seventy, he’s far from frail. Ugh, I envy that. That leaves… And considering Sylvius said the king has returned at the start…’
Hadwin’s thoughts came to a sudden realization.
At the same moment, the couple’s eyes widened.
Their snow-white eyebrows rose high, pulling the wrinkles on their foreheads taut.
“Could it be that Solinor has regained his youth—or rather, been resurrected?”
“Are you saying Solinor has truly returned?”
Their expressions were filled with shock and joy.
Just moments ago, they had been annoyed by Sylvius’s relentless joking, but the overwhelming sense of anticipation quickly washed all irritation away.
Sylvius smiled broadly at their reaction.
***
Continental Year 761, March 18 (Thursday).
The Royal Palace remained noisy due to efforts to apprehend the sixth queen’s imposter, but the commotion didn’t reach Princess Muriela’s garden.
Solinor, as usual, was enjoying life inside Princess Muriela’s body while contemplating what lay ahead.
Originally, he had planned to deal with these matters after the Foundation Day festivities ended yesterday, but Aiorin’s sudden intrusion had disrupted those plans.
Moreover, explaining the shocking changes to the window to Bianca and Florina afterward had been mentally exhausting.
So today, with the warm spring sunlight pouring over the garden, it felt like the perfect time to reflect on things.
The gardener’s anger had subsided, and access to the garden was permitted once more.
Solinor could now roll around on the grass, lost in thought.
Of course, if the two maids saw him like this, they would surely ban him from entering the garden again.
Ah, the dress was already stained green from the grass.
It wasn’t as if he lay still, either.
He had been rolling left and right repeatedly, so it was no surprise.
‘Alright, the matter with Aiorin is resolved now.’
Initially, he had thought of using Aiorin to persuade Eldric or bring the kingdom back in order, but his thoughts had changed.
After gathering information about the current state of Silbrenoa from Professor Anton, Solinor concluded that Eldric wasn’t someone who could change his ways just because his mother had a few words to say.
In other words, improving the lives of the people would require someone who could directly replace him.
At first, Solinor thought of entrusting this role to Muriela, but if someone more suitable emerged, he was willing to support them instead.
‘Fixing the kingdom isn’t something that can happen overnight. This is a long-term goal. For now, let’s focus on the immediate tasks.’
What were they again? Solinor began to pull up important issues from his memory.
‘The most urgent matter was ensuring Katrina and Brandon’s safety. But I already asked Aiorin for help with that. It’s not certain, but there’s also a good chance Corbin has taken some measures.’
Though the two could be exasperating at times, Solinor’s heart still saw them as adorable grandchildren.
With their safety reasonably assured, he could set that worry aside for now.
‘Then next is… getting in touch with Sylvius and Corbin. When I sent Zephyr to Sylvius last time, I’m not sure if it reached him successfully. Should I send Zephyr directly to Corbin this time? But he’s a bit lacking… Hmm. With no prior experience, it’s hard to entrust such an important task to him.’
Zephyr, the rookie employee, was already losing the boss’s trust.
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