Primordial Sage: Plight of Immortality

During these thirty-six hours Illyan was soundly sleeping, unrest spread through the entire town.

The moment the expedition stopped, Brynjar and Varel dragged out the chained-up academics and demanded an answer from the Academic Institution.

They forced the academics that didn't have any backing to kneel down as blades were put to their necks in threat.

Gasps of surprise could be heard from the citizens who saw this, as they stared at what was happening.

The other academics on the expedition team who had some connections with nobles or the gangs bowed their heads in shame as they didn't have a way to help.

Of course, many crooked men could be seen among them as they sneered mockingly at their kneeling peers.

The quiet Academic Institution also stopped being inactive as people came out of the building to talk things over.

The Council Elders that led the Academic Institution were confused and outraged at the sight of the academics kneeling while waiting for execution.

Illyan wasn't even aware of them, as they rarely came out nowadays due to the institute's complete autonomy.

However, this time, the situation called for their assembly that day.

They started to argue with the gang members, and with their eloquent tongues, they were extremely annoying to deal with.

Unfortunately for them, they were just fragile scholars.

In front of raw power, they could only bow as the gangs denounced them and the academics that had banded together with acolytes to gain some ancient power within the ruins.

The mayor, whose messenger relayed everything to him, panicked as he also quickly came to the scene with his soldiers.

He came to smooth out the situation, but his only backing was already in the underworld, which he came to realize too late.

When he saw Brynjar and Varel on their high horse while Aziro was nowhere to be seen, his face turned pale as his heart dropped.

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do.

The moment he arrived, Brynjar dragged him into the mess with words of righteousness.

The mayor was very reluctant to jump into this storm, but when he heard about his injured son who had to be treated, his face turned black as a sour feeling arose inside of him.

The reason for that was Brynjar's look at him.

He was no fool. The underlying threat was palpable in the air.

His son had been hurt badly during the expedition because of the scheme of the 'academics,' and he would need extensive treatment that only acolytes could provide with their healing potions.

But they were gone.

So the only ones he could depend on were the people in front of him.

Even if he had the heart to sacrifice his own son, he was sure it would just cause his doom.

In the end, he bowed his head in defeat.

In truth, nothing changed for him. Before, he was just a pawn for Aziro. Now, his owner had just changed. Nothing more, nothing less.

In the end, it was decided, with the jurisdiction of the mayor, that the guilty academics and everyone else involved would be executed by hanging the next day at midday.

The elder council pleaded to wait for their Headmaster to return before conducting a proper investigation, but to no avail.

Over a hundred academics yelled in panic as they pleaded for their innocence, but they were quickly silenced.

And the very next day…

They were hanged in front of the entire town's populace…

……..

Hearing this being recounted by Vael, Illyan sighed as he took a sip from his teacup.

"For a second, I was afraid that you were one of those poor guys. Even my granddaughter was nowhere to be found that day, almost causing me to go bald," Vael sighed as he showed his frustration.

"Her father wouldn't do something like 'that,' right?" Illyan said, hinting that Brynjar wouldn't execute his only child.

"Hah, that bastard doesn't have the gall to do something like that! I reckon that would probably cause over half of the clan to rebel against him. Aurelia's mother was, after all, also part of the side branch," Vael said with spite on his face.

'Hm, wouldn't most of these rebellious men be someone loyal to you?' Illyan thought with amusement, as he already knew this man's background.

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Vael huffed and puffed as his anger became palpable.

After all, he was someone who lived in a way meant to save the most people.

However, his son was actually such a power-obsessed fool that he dared to sacrifice so many people for the sake of his goal…

When Illyan saw his anger, he wondered how much Vael knew. If he was from the Heart Bearer Gang, then he should be aware of the alchemist's inheritance.

He had probably met with Aurelia before arriving, too, so she had probably told him the gist of what happened.

'But how much?' If the information they gave differed, Vael would immediately know they were trying to pull the wool over his eyes.

Aurelia at least did.

"Well, making Aurelia the scapegoat would probably go against their initial goal anyway, since they want to force the blame for what happened solely on the institution. Aurelia's background would inevitably make people think that some factions within the gang were aware of it too," Illyan said with a remorseful sigh.

Sacrificing her wouldn't make any great change to the plan either.

To people, the individuals were lost in the crowd of criminals and became part of the statistics.

Because of that, some of the truly useful academics were 'found' innocent and managed to keep their lives.

Illyan would also be one of them if not for his even stronger connection with Korin and Vanda.

"Hmm, Kaoran, you are quite knowledgeable in these schemes…" Vael said with surprise as he took a sip of his tea.

"Most of it is just what Aurelia told me. I was in shock when this expedition turned out like this. I almost lost my life back then too."

Illyan shook his head in disbelief.

"What?! Aurelia didn't tell me about this. Quickly, tell me what happened." Vael's eyes opened wide as he pressed Illyan to tell him the details.

'So she told you.' After verifying that he had already met with Aurelia, Illyan visibly relaxed.

He knew that she wouldn't reveal much, but at the same time, he didn't need to explain these things to Vael.

After recounting in 'deep' detail what happened, Vael was even more shocked.

Of course, he only told half-truths that wouldn't compromise his and Aurelia's identities.

"Acolytes attacked you? Why would they… And now they were completely annihilated… Just what will happen to this town…" Vael muttered to himself as his tone grew more and more grim after each word.

It even caused him a fit of coughing, as his handkerchief became stained with blood.

Illyan, who saw this, pondered quietly, 'Is this truly only because of the tuberculosis or because of the destroyed foundation?'

After Illyan learned that Vael was part of the Heart Bearer Gang and had lost his foundation back in the day, he wondered if the disease actually existed.

There was no one who would check him, since he himself was the physician who knew his condition the best after all.

"It is already over. I don't know why they attacked me, but it was probably because of something I am not aware of. But since they were taken care of…" Illyan sighed with melancholy.

Vael nodded.

"You are right. Now that you are home, you will have time to recover. Both physically and mentally. Now that I think about it, Aurelia told me to check on your body. She took care of you the entire time, but she was still worried."

Vael smirked when he said this.

"..." Illyan looked blankly at him.

"Hoho, I told you to take care of my granddaughter, but I didn't expect that she was the one taking care of you. Not to mention that she did it for so long. That is not like her at all."

Hearing the highly amused tone of Vael, Illyan sighed.

'This old man…' Illyan shook his head in exasperation.

"Well, you told me to take care of her, so I spent some time with her. I taught her some unique medicinal methods that I learned, and she taught me her methods. We both profited during the expedition and broadened our horizons," Illyan said with a forced smile as he hid his face behind his cup while drinking from it.

"Of course, of course. I don't doubt you at all," Vael said with a smirk that irked Illyan.

"You will not get any younger, Kaoran. Have you thought about marrying anytime soon? Aurelia is a lonely child who doesn't have any friends except for her maid…"

Illyan felt mentally tired just from listening to Vael's first few words but grew interested when Vael spoke further.

Sighing, Vael shook his head in nostalgia.

"She would always read her books in bed when she was smaller, and when she had even a bit of energy, she would run around me to watch me practicing medicine. She never truly connected with anyone, despite meeting thousands of people during my time as a doctor."

Vael then looked up at Illyan with a gentle gaze.

"To be completely honest, I wanted to use you when I told you to take care of her. I know she is one to never falter. Yet I always hoped for her to live in a different way than how she does now. I didn't expect much, since I know how she is, but surprisingly, she seems to have taken a bit of a liking to you."

"How would you know?" Illyan asked, raising a brow.

"Family always knows," Vael laughed.

"She may be able to hide it in front of her stupid father by not showing her emotions, but around me, she is different."

Vael mentioned that she was more lively than ever. She didn't show it too explicitly, but it was also something easily spotted if she didn't hide it on purpose.

"Hah… You are truly something, sir Vael. It isn't anything like you think. Miss Aurelia is someone I deeply respect, and she even saved my life. It would be truly wonderful to learn more medicine from each other when there is time, but that is all. I have certain ambitions that I want to achieve, and getting a family would make it impossible. Aurelia definitely thinks the same way. So I must apologize, sir Vael, but your teasing is too much to bear for someone like me."

Illyan spoke slowly. He didn't expect Vael to think in this direction at all and had trouble getting these words out of his mouth.

Aurelia was definitely beautiful, but…

Thinking about her deadly disease, Illyan couldn't help but feel gloomy.

'In the first place, why would you want me to marry Aurelia when you should know about this?' Illyan thought with reproach.

'No, maybe it makes sense. After all, if she were a normal woman, then living a few years in a happy family would be better than living alone in misery. It would also leave a legacy after her in the form of her children. But unfortunately, you bet on the wrong man, sir Vael.'

"Haha, don't take it too seriously. It's not like I can force that lass. Nor do I want to. I just want her to be… happy," Vael said with a sad smile.

Seeing his sad face, Illyan truly felt pity for this man.

His son was someone who went completely against his ideology, while his granddaughter had to live with pain greater than others while being fated to live a short life.

Such misfortune was too cruel for someone who loved to help people.

However, Vael was still experienced in the ways of life, as he quickly changed his expression to a brighter one and spoke to Illyan with a smile.

"We derailed from our conversation too much! We can continue to talk about this once more if Aurelia comes by someday! Now, let's go to your laboratory. You should have the tools for the treatment there, right? I will check if you are ready to move around or if you should stay a few months in bed…"

Just as Vael guided—or rather, almost dragged—Illyan to the basement laboratory, several shadows that were surrounding the manor dispersed as they communicated with each other.

'There won't be a chance to sneak into the laboratory with Vael inside. That man was crippled, but there is still a chance he will notice.'

'Anyway, we already confirmed our master's doubts, so there is no need to remain any longer.'

And with those words, the shadows disappeared completely.

However, unbeknownst to them, Illyan walked down the stairs with a knowing smirk.