Chapter- 17 The Lionheart Vault [2]

"feather fall" Edward vocalized in a somewhat enthusiastic voice. 

Foom!

Now twenty feet until my inevitable collision with the ground, I abruptly slowed my descent with "feather fall " a 5th circle spell. 

As I descended toward the ground, I conjured a delicate sheet of ice beneath my feet, gliding gracefully before finally touching down on the pristine, milky-white marble floor of the grand hall.

Upon reaching the floor I turned my gaze upwards then nonchalantly spoke.

"Salutations, I hope I didn't take too long"

Entering the vicinity outlandishly, the patriarch's expression while stoic held a certain astonishment as he gaped towards his son

Shaking his head and pinching the fringe of his nose Gilead spoke.

"Edward was that really necessary" Gilean spoke with a shaking head

"I was just excited, it's not every day you get to enter the Lionheart Vault" Edward mumbled before shifting the topic "Anywho, why is Eugene here?... Did he actually win?" Edward already knew this but had to pact the part of someone clueless 

"Correct, we will head to the Lionheart vault where both of you can choose one item."

****

Several minutes pass by. At first, we exited the Estate's main area before being led to a desolate area in the main estate's forest. 

The Patriarch led us to a small and decrepit wooden door which stood solo in the center of the vegetation. The door itself looked rotted and eroded moss stemmed from its sides and a greenish slime stained the front. 

Nodding his head Gilead retrieved a golden parchment before presenting it to them and tearing it into two. 

Both Eugene and I stared confused, while both simultaneously though

'What the hell's going on?'

'What's going on?' 

The door which stood with no remarkable feature but rather excluded an aura of repulsion now shone an ethereal light through the door's crevices. 

"Is it space magic?" Eugene asked this question 

Not responding to the inquiry made by Eugene, Gilead grasped the door handle turning the door open. 

What lay forward was a vacant hallway enriched with red wallpaper and wooden layered floors. 

Staring at the hallway from the door exterior, out of curiosity I walked behind the door which like its adjacent side showed the same hallway enriched in red wallpaper and a wooden floor. 

Smiling at the sight I thought 'This is rather interesting, and this is only the beginning?' 

The three of us entered the hallway. 

The hallway end couldn't be seen. 

Finally breaking the silence the Patriarch spoke. 

"don't worry we're almost there"

Several minutes passed in silence before we saw what could only be described as an endless grassland.

Each blade of grass held no essence of life but rather a mimic of the real deal.

Confused I scourged my view to find something until I noticed a small cylindrical shaped building resting in the center 

On a stone path towards the building we were met with a knight from the White Lion reserves 

Upon seeing the Patriarch the knights originally slacked demeanor shifted to one of absolute resolute motive. 

Observing the knight at a glance one would normally deduce he was weak… but that was naivety. If truly observed closer you would be able to detect a formidable aura encapsulated in in body

Ignoring mine and Eugene's presence 

The knight listening to Gilead, moved out of the way and opened the building entrance. 

Walking into the entrance 

The three of us decided to converse. 

Gilead thinking of the Lionheart heritage spoke trying to advise both children about what should choose 

"Although currently, the weapon associated with our Lionheart family is the sword... It was a different story for our ancestors. There was a reason for the Great Vermouth to be called the God of War and the Master-of-All," said Gilead. 

As for why their family had been tied to the sword in the first place, it was all because of the Holy Sword, which had received the most acclaim among Vermouth's many weapons. 

"It's a good thing that you both can use a variety of weapons, especially since you may find these weapons extremely enjoyable to use, consider it an innate gift." 

"Thank you for your guidance," said Eugene. 

Listening to this blatantly false information Edward cringed before rebutting. 

"Father, though I am flattered, I am merely a master of two weapons. The contrast between Great Vermonth and I is overwhelming." I responded brazenly 

"Edward you're still 15 you have time to gather skill, …. Vermonth was called by these titles, that doesn't mean he was capable of using various weapons."

"..."

"...I heard that Hamel was also able to wield several weapons," Eugene said after a brief pause. 

"That's right. Although Vermouth was called the God of War, his companion Hamel was also a master warrior, second only to Vermouth," Gilead readily agreed. 

"Hamel was an Idiot no doubt about it Father"

Eugene hearing this had to force his emotions from flaring. 

"... while yes in the fairy tale, I've read, he was called Stupid Hamel. Why do you think he was an idiot, sir Edward" Eugene spoke in the most polite tone he could muster to not seem disrespectful. 

"You can read, right? It's not a mystery as to why I alluded to this conclusion. He's clearly hotheaded and doesn't seem to think things… while saying these things Edwards thinks 'This sounded like me in the past does it not'

"Never mind while he may be an Idiot so am I, so how can I be a hypocrite" Edward spoke these words while his left hand subtly twitched an action which did not go unnoticed by Eugene.

GIlean not aware of the conversation just continued with his own thoughts 

"Haha! Well, that can't be helped. I've also read that fairy tale when I was young, but... I've realized that it wouldn't be a very interesting tale without Hamel constantly getting into trouble. What do you think about Hamel?

"He was interesting I guess" replied Edward with little to no care 

"I'm not quite sure what you're asking, sir." 

"I just want to hear your opinion. As for me... I've admired Hamel ever since I was young."

Observing the two of them chatter away as if they were long-time friends, completely disregarding Edward's presence, he simply remained silent and listened while practicing his mana cultivation. 

"Oh? Eugene quickly swallowed the unconscious exclamation he had almost made. 

"...May I ask why?" Eugene asked, unable to leave the matter alone. 

"Rather than the flawless Vermouth, I preferred Hamel's more humane character. Doesn't it often come up in fairy tales? Hamel often felt inferior to Vermouth, but he never once allowed himself to be frustrated." 

"But there were actually a lot of times I felt frustrated. 

"Instead, he spared no effort to overcome his own perceived shortcomings. And in the end, he didn't care about his own safety but instead chose to sacrifice himself for his comrades. Even now, I respect Hamel more than I do my own ancestor, Vermouth." 

'What is Father yapping about, is that something the Patriarch of the Lionheart family should be saying aloud?'

Hamel's portrayal was deliberately flanderized[1] in the fairy tale. It was because he was meant to serve as a simple lesson for young children: no matter how excellent the people around you are, don't be overly jealous of them. Rather than doing that, you should slowly try to improve yourself instead. 

"...I also admire Hamel," Eugene replied while having complex feelings about doing so. "But the reason I use multiple weapons, well... It isn't because I want to become like Hamel or Vermouth or anything like that." 

Upon hearing Eugene's reply, he became aware that his son was present as well, prompting him to pose the same question.

"Which hero did you favor from the hero's party, Edward?" Gilead spoke

"... me well uh the hero I favor the most–if I had to choose someone it would be the great Vermonth," Edward spoke stammering due to the unexpected question 

Eugene hearing this was not surprised by any means. It was normal for a descendant to look up to their forefathers. But he still wanted to ask why. 

" may I ask why you look up to the hero Vermont," Eugene asked feeling more comfortable. 

"Why? That would be because of his resolute attitude. While I may not see the appeal for ten wives, to each be their own. Continuing, the great Vermouth's attitude in the fairy tale brings a much-needed imperfection into it…"

"Imperfection, how so? From what I remember in the fairy tale, the great Vermonth was said to be perfect?" Eugene expressed 

"When I speak of imperfection I speak of humans. As we know perfection is merely a myth in which we gather upon thinking plausible. While we observe this wall which we can't traverse, the story illustrates the hero Vermonth being an exception to this rule.

"So in short Vermonth is your favorite, because of his impossible nature," Eugene asked, purposely in a childish manner. 

"Correct, I see him as someone I want to be but can never actually be"

'So he likes that bastard Vermonth because he thinks he's perfect. Now that I think about it, Vermonth would seem perfect from the fairy tale perspective.'

"Edward, haven't you always taken issue with our family's founder?" 

Gilead's frustration flared immediately upon hearing this. 

"Edward, you consistently express disdain for our founder and seem to relish every opportunity to argue with us when we respond," Gilead said through clenched teeth. 

"I only say that to provoke a reaction," Edward replied with a nonchalant shrug. 

With a sigh, Gilead resigned himself to his son's antics. 

As we continued our conversation, we fell into brief stretches of silence until eventually, 

"We've arrived," the patriarch announced. 

Before us stood a grand entrance adorned with gold and assorted jewels. In the center of the vault's door was a small post shaped like a lion's head, approximately 150 cm tall at first glance. 

Stepping forward, the patriarch pricked his thumb, allowing a trickle of crimson to flow from the laceration. With his blood-tipped fingers, Gilead reached for the doorknob. The doorknob had been sculpted in the shape of a lion's head with its mouth opened wide. The lion absorbed the drops of blood on Gilead's fingertips and closed its mouth, just as the engravings adorning the door began to wriggle. All of this was part of a rite to unlock the powerful barrier that had been set on the treasure vault using magic. Eugene took a few steps back and watched as the door began to move.