Ruth Ignis

"You have the same demeanor and patience as your mother, Leonard."

As Leo heard that, he turned to look at the lady in plain black robes. For the first time in his two lifetimes, he had seen her. She was apparently an old lady, but did not look old in the slightest. 

Her hair was gray, but it was lustrous and silky. Her skin was smooth and without any blemishes while her calm and icy demeanor made her seem like an ethereal beauty. 

Leo smiled when he saw her and waved his hand. "Hello, grandma."

This lady here who could give most super models a run for her money was Leo's grandmother—Ruth Ignis. She was his father's mother, and just like his relationship with his father, they were grandmother and grandson on paper, but reality was different. 

The two were so distant that they could be considered strangers to each other. 

In any case, meeting this lady was at the top of Leo's priority list, and he was successful in doing that so far. 

Leo's grandma, Ruth, while reading a book, acknowledged Leo's greeting by patting at the ground beside her, gesturing to him to come closer. 

Leo moved and sat one feet away from his grandmother. She hadn't shifted her gaze from her book and still seemed to be immersed in it. 

Flipping a page, Ruth softly asked, "How did you find me? My existence is known only to a few people, and all are under a confidentiality contract, your mother included."

Leo looked at the calm lake in front and said, "It's not too hard to connect the dots when you have a powerful constellation backing you."

[The constellation 'Ruler of Six Paths' states there being a penalty if their name was falsely used again.]

[The constellation 'Wings of Inquisition' finds the atmosphere serene.]

[10 coins have been sponsored.]

Taking their name led to them getting unmuted. Leo muted them again and focused on the conversation with his grandma. Currently, this was more important. 

Ruth flipped the page of her book and replied in a neutral tone, "I wonder how a constellation took interest in a dying old lady like me."

Leo shook his head and said, "No one's dying, grandma. And you aren't old. You just have two generations of successors."

Ruth paused her reading for a second after hearing this lame joke. She shook her head and turned to face Leo.

This time, Leo saw her face clearly. It was sickly pale and her cheeks were slightly sunken, as if she hadn't had any food for days. 

"Why are you here, Leonard?" Ruth got to the point. 

Leo placed his hand behind him and slightly leaned back. He looked at the sky through the canopy of trees and extending his hand out, as if trying to grab the sun, said, "I'm here to cure you, grandma."

A flicker of surprise flashed in Ruth's eyes as she heard that. She wanted to ask who told him she was sick, but then realized he could just answer it being his constellation. 

Many thoughts ran through Ruth's head and after a few seconds of silence, she said, "You do understand that you could get killed by me, right?"

There was a line that shouldn't be crossed. If Leo was joking, he was not going to get out of here in one piece. 

If he was lying or trying to deceive her, then he also was not going back home today. 

Ruth was quite serious about this matter and wouldn't let things slide so easily. It was her sore spot that should not be touched. 

Leo was well aware of it. 

Turning his head down, he looked directly at Ruth and said with utter seriousness, "I can heal you, grandma. But it would come at a cost. A huge cost that I don't think you'll be able to afford."

Ruth frowned at this and closed her book, getting completely serious. 

Leo plucked a few strands of grass and put them on his head. He then plucked a strand of his green hair and held it alongside the grass, showing it to Ruth. 

"I've had my fair share of trouble from the family, grandma. And so have my sisters and mother. It's a cold world filled with aristocrats and sects, and while I do understand that, the problem caused by the Ignis family members was not justified in the slightest."

Leo gently waved the grass strands and his hair strand that had camouflaged within it. 

"There's selfish reasons behind healing you, and I'm sure you must've guessed that by now. Nothing in the world is free and everything has a price."

Leo let go of the grass strands. The breeze carried them away and he stared at them fly away. 

"I will be killing many Ignis members as time passes. This will happen all the while you're leading the family after getting cured. I'm sure you understand what I mean from this."

Ruth frowned hard when she heard this. 

At first, she thought she would meet Anne's innocent child, but reality was far from that. The boy was scheming, cunning, and a devil hiding within a child's body. 

The boy had clearly told her that he was healing her because he needed someone to lead the Ignis family. With this, the family would continue to be the number two in the world and he would enjoy a lot of privileges that came with it. 

This would happen all the while he slowly killed the people within this family. 

He expected Ruth to turn a blind eye to this and just continue leading and pretending as if nothing had happened. 

Now that she recalled his words, indeed, it was a price that seemed like she couldn't afford. 

While Ruth contemplated, Leo kept quiet and watched tree leaves fall in the calm lake, causing slight ripples. 

A few minutes later, Ruth asked, "Who do you plan to kill?"

Leo picked small pebbles from the ground and began throwing them in the lake. While doing so, he said, "The ones who have wronged me and my family."

"Who has wronged you?"

"You'll know soon if you keep a close watch on your family members." 

Ruth began contemplating things once again. She had never been so tired due to a conversation before. This young boy knew what he was doing and had come to her with many cards up his sleeve. 

Constellations were a blessing and curse for everyone. They could find out about hidden illnesses and whatnot from realms away, and tell their incarnations about it. 

Ruth did not know whether this was a fortune or misfortune for her. What she knew was that she had to make a choice at this instant. If she did not, she would slowly rot in this place and wither away. Everything would go back to how it was before Leo appeared. 

In reality, no matter how one looked at it, Ruth never really had a choice or say in this matter due to being a sickly old woman. The weak devoured the strong, and that's exactly how this world worked. She could only blame herself for this. 

After another round of contemplation and silence, Ruth relented. She agreed to the terms given by her grandson and signed a soul contract with him. If either party breaks the clauses mentioned in the contract, their souls would explode and they would never be able to enter the reincarnation cycle again. 

The matter was quite serious, and Leo made Ruth sign such a contract because he didn't want any unnecessary troubles or variables arising. 

Once all the formalities were done, Leo held out a note in his hand and showed it to Ruth. 

"This is it. This is the potion recipe, the cure for your illness."

Ruth nodded lightly. 

Leo extended his hand and smiled softly while giving the note to her. 

"I hope you heal quickly, grandma. And I also hope that you don't get sick again."

Ruth slightly knitted her brows. "Why would I be sick again?

Leo continued to smile and said, "Because the first person that I would kill might be your son, Patrick."