### Chapter Seventy: The Quiet Little Loft
Tick-tock.
The clock’s hands were turning, making a faint yet clear sound.
In the room, there was a faint whisper of Barry’s quietly tragic yet deliberately suppressed words: “The recurring chest pain and tightness have confirmed that there’s an issue with heart function…”
“They say it’s a chronic illness even the palace physicians can’t do much about. It’s an old person’s disease, and even those rich nobles throwing money around in the city—if they catch this illness, they can only… only… even the miracles of the church have very limited effects…”
“As it stands, the only way to prolong life is through medication and continuous treatment… The herbalist in the palace is quite impressive; the prescriptions do work well. At least after taking them, one looks pretty spirited… They contain ingredients that boost alertness, so as long as nothing triggers an episode, one appears quite normal…”
“However, the physician has also mentioned… that the medicine… treats only the symptoms, not the root cause, and… the efficacy will gradually diminish as the body gets used to it… Eventually, it may stop working altogether…”
“By that time, if an episode occurs… it’ll be hard to save her…”
“Little Shay…”
“This time you returned, we should’ve held a welcoming party for you at home… When I got your letter, I was already thinking about it…”
“They don’t understand, but I know about what you’ve been through out there…”
“I know it’s not easy for you to come back. I’ve heard from big brother Rect about the Valen Empire, and I’m genuinely happy for you… We should all be joyful… But… you don’t know, Grandma had another episode just a couple of days ago… She was so happy to know you were back, but she… she can’t have too much emotional fluctuation, not even happiness…”
“I really don’t know what to do anymore…”
“Little Shay, you’ve traveled a lot and know many people. You must have seen doctors who are better than the palace physicians, right? I want to ask you if there’s any good way…”
“To keep Grandma with us…”
“She hasn’t even met Lilith yet…”
…………
At lunchtime, the maids brought steaming dishes from another building, the former 2 Longdorr Street residence, and it was a feast of healthy food.
Grandma Claire came down from the second floor, and while I supported her down the stairs, she insisted I stop, saying she wasn’t that old yet and could walk fine.
And walk she did! Although her body had noticeably bent more than a few years ago, she looked frail enough that even a gust of wind could knock her over, her back long gone from being straight. Yet, her dexterity felt anything but that of a sickly old lady; aside from not being able to do heavy lifting, she could manage everything herself and munched her food down merrily.
Barry mentioned that all the meals the maids brought were tailored to Grandma’s taste—light yet appetizing. Surprisingly, this was quite similar to Viki’s eating habits. But Grandma is no vegetarian; she demolished the meat dishes on the table, probably more than anyone else, aside from me.
Though Grandma was getting thinner, her appetite was still as hearty as when she was out working, with her teeth devouring soft bread dipped in meat soup, swallowing mouthful after mouthful.
“How do you two feel about living here?”
“Pretty good…”
“It’s quiet, and not many people come to disturb us…”
“We can practice swordsmanship properly…”
“Yep.”
At the table, Barry, Ryan, and I were chatting back and forth. Grandma didn’t catch much of what we were saying—she kept smiling at us as if delighted by the scene.
Grandma’s spirit seemed quite high; perhaps it was the full belly. A bit of color even returned to her wrinkled face, making her look radiant. It was hard to believe she was a patient, unless Barry hadn’t clued me in on her real condition.
Barry, on the other hand, looked like he needed a wake-up call; his face occasionally twisted with concern.
Uncle Doug wasn’t dining with us; Ryan said he went to find one of the maids who brought the food, apparently for some urgent matter. Ryan’s mother was also out working and wouldn’t return until nightfall.
It’s been a while since I saw Ryan, the village king; he seemed much steadier now and didn’t say much. Whenever he asked about my recent years, he quickly dropped it when he saw I wasn’t keen to talk.
But I could tell the two young men had a lot to say. Whatever it was, they seemed to hold back, either because Grandma was present or for some other reason.
After lunch, I took Grandma Claire back to her room, but she insisted she wasn’t tired and wanted to chat some more, also wanting to quickly alter a dress while I was still around.
After much coaxing, I finally got her to lie down. I quietly slipped out, heading downstairs, where I found Barry diligently practicing swordsmanship in the garden. I waved, but the boy didn’t hear. He was too focused on his long sword, looking intensely serious.
In the courtyard, the guards who came with me quickly bowed. I waved my hand to dismiss the formality and called over the butler, Wetherlis: “When will Her Majesty have time?”
“I already notified the palace during your meal, Your Royal Highness. I believe Her Majesty will respond to you soon,” the butler said.
However, as dinner approached, I had still yet to hear from Viki.
There was no reason to worry about her; the current Queen Ethanbel was no longer that young girl who was once all alone and weak. Her power was solidified now; she made her moves with great preparation, stepping onto her own turf, and with her skills, dealing with the church wasn’t going to be a problem.
Most likely…
She was just too busy to come home?
After dinner, with nothing much to do, I accompanied Barry for some sword practice.
He held the long sword while I wielded a twig I casually snapped off. It wasn’t meant to insult him; the side building didn’t have a second sword, and I was too lazy to run back to borrow one from the guards. On a whim, I just wanted to see how he improved these past two years and throw in a few pointers, sneaking in some lessons on Old Man’s sword steps.
“Thrust higher…”
“Yes, just like that, put your all into it, stab at me… Excellent…”
In no time, the sounds of clashing swords mixed with the boy’s heavy breathing echoed before the entrance of the residence.
I had to say, Barry’s sword skills had already reached the level of a competent warrior. I didn’t know how Rect trained him, but the boy’s progress was nothing short of miraculous. His physical prowess was no longer in the same league as before; those seemingly slim arms swung the sword with speed and power that could take down an average person.
To me, it felt like watching a slow-motion scene in a movie.
I quickly spotted a few of his flaws, so I took the chance to launch a few light counterattacks that still made it hard for him to straighten up.
Before long, Ryan came down with Grandma Claire to watch. Grandma sat on the threshold while Ryan stood behind her, a sight that made Barry feel a bit shy, realizing he couldn’t hold a candle to me. So he tried to bait Ryan into joining him in practice, and Ryan took the bait, rolling up his sleeves and running over to join Barry in facing my training.
While we sparred, I sneaked another glance at Grandma, only to find her engrossed in our duel with a blissful daze in her expression. Her squinted eyes, illuminated by the firelight and night, seemed to glow with a weak yet bright light, gently pulsating with life.
