The Baby Who Regressed Refuses Childcare - Chapter 21

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

“Sister, did you hear? The position of International Mage Tower Master has changed.”

It was probably a few days before I died.

Those were the words Hiana said when she visited the research room.

“I was really surprised. You know about Viscount Dennis, right?”

Saying that, Hiana placed a freshly printed newspaper in front of me.

On the front page was a huge photo of the young master of House Dennis, Owen Dennis.

“This person… became the Mage Tower Master?”

“Yeah. Look there. The new formula he revealed this time seems to be incredibly amazing.”

Hiana’s words were true.

[Youngest Mage Tower Master. Asking Owen Dennis about ‘Magic Studies’]

“What’s even more incredible is that the newly announced formula was actually created 13 years ago. When the viscount was seventeen! Isn’t he a real genius?”

I quickly skimmed through the introduction of the formula published in the newspaper.

The youngest Mage Tower Master, they said.

Even at a glance, it was a dense and flawless formula.

To think he made this at my age, I nodded while thinking.

“…Yeah. It’s well made.”

“There are so many geniuses in the world, right? International Mage Tower Master at just thirty. So envious!”

“Yeah.”

“But the story behind it is quite sad. It was a formula he was developing to save his terminally ill brother, but it was completed only after his brother died.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said! The research was in its final stages, but he didn’t have money to obtain the reagent materials, so he couldn’t finish it in time. Meanwhile, his brother died.”

“…”

“Shocked by that, he wandered around for a while before returning to academia a few years ago. This person has white hair, right? They say his hair turned completely white from the grief of losing his brother. Originally he had black hair, haha. I really can’t imagine it.”

‘Right. Something like that definitely happened.’

I quickened my pace while recalling the conversation that remained clearly in my mind.

‘I need to hurry.’

There was only one reason I was moving so urgently.

If I hadn’t seen wrong, it seemed like that Owen Dennis, who was the youngest Mage Tower Master, was here right now.

Right in front of the Abner ducal house.

“Damn it all…”

The pharmaceutical proposal he had carefully written character by character crumpled in his hand.

Owen bit his lips until they nearly bled, watching flower petals falling in the spring breeze.

The Abner Estate, which he had reached after riding hard for three nights straight, was damn beautiful.

Flowers in full bloom everywhere, and grass sprouting green.

In the open space visible in the distance, four or five children were playing, throwing and catching toys with each other.

“Make an appointment? Easier said than done, damn it…”

Feeling like tears might come, Owen closed his eyes and leaned his back against the wall.

He didn’t know how many times this had been.

Noble, Owen Dennis.

He had inherited the position of Viscount Dennis, but it was truly a laughable title.

He had no estate to govern, and all he possessed was one crumbling manor.

Still, when his parents were alive, it was somewhat bearable.

Even with only one wet nurse as a servant, even when he had to farm himself because they lacked money for a month’s living, he was happy.

But now, now…

“What am I really supposed to do…”

Looking at the bright blue beautiful sky, his throat naturally trembled.

Three years ago.

His parents passed away one after another.

Neither had been particularly healthy, so perhaps it was a foreseeable event.

Nevertheless, Owen felt lost.

It would have been better if he had been alone in this world.

‘That kid Awin. Why did he have to inherit that of all things.’

His brother Awin, ten years younger, had inherited their parents’ frail constitution completely.

He had been sickly even as a baby, and the year before last, his condition became seriously worse.

His complexion grew paler by the day, and his coughing became more frequent.

Since last winter, he occasionally coughed up blood.

‘With that small body.’

Watching that small back coughing, his insides burned beyond just rotting.

He even thought about selling the manor and moving to the capital.

Maybe if he met a decent physician, his body might recover.

But…

‘In cases like this, treatment is difficult. It’s a congenital coughing disease, and current available medicines can’t cure it.’

The doctor he had difficulty summoning examined Awin briefly and said that.

‘First of all, your brother is too young. And his constitution is weak too. Even if there were usable medications, manufacturing them to suit such a constitution would be tremendously expensive.’

‘Then what am I supposed to do? Just watch until the kid’s corpse needs to be disposed of?’

‘…The fact that he’s lived this long is already a miracle.’

The feeling at that time was beyond outrageous, reaching a level of despair.

‘How can there be no medicine? In this vast continent, does it make sense that there’s no drug to save just one of you!’

He had shouted like that.

But Owen soon realized.

That there was nothing wrong with the doctor’s words.

There were truly almost no medicines that could be used for Awin.

Because Owen had studied pharmaceuticals for a long time, he could be even more certain of this.

Just once, he discovered the existence of a drug that might be effective, but couldn’t obtain it.

The price was tremendously expensive, and he would have to cross the strait to get it.

However, Owen didn’t despair.

‘Owen, our proud eldest son! You’ll surely become great. You look exactly like your great-great-grandfather. Don’t worry about the family’s circumstances and focus on your studies. Understood?’

Thinking of his parents who supported his studies to the end despite their poor circumstances, he absolutely had to create it.

A medicine that could save Awin.

However, however…

“If I make it, then what good will it do.”

After a very long time, he had completed the medicine with difficulty.

But thanks to Awin’s sensitive and frail constitution, the materials for the reagent became astronomically expensive.

Even after searching and searching and searching for substitutes, it would cost 1 billion tera per dose.

When he didn’t even have 1,000 tera in his possession right now.

‘Listen well, Awin. Your brother won’t give up on you. I can’t.’

drove another nail into the weakening Awin.

‘Just stay with the wet nurse for two months. I’ll somehow complete the healing potion and come back.’

Leaving behind his younger sibling who waved his thin arms in farewell, he wandered all over the Empire.

And was turned away every time.

‘Who? Viscount Dennis?’

Among the nobles who could lend 1 billion tera, not a single one recognized him.

‘The situation is unfortunate, but our master is away.’

Like today at the Abner family, cases where meeting the head of the house itself was difficult were frequent.

Owen bit his lips and pulled out a crumpled letter from his pocket.

It was a letter that Medea the wet nurse, who was caring for Awin, had sent through a coachman a few days ago.

Owen.

Awin’s condition has gotten much worse.

If it seems like it might take too long… just come back.

Awin misses you, very much. So very much.

I’m sorry, take care of yourself.

From Medea the Wet Nurse.

Owen immediately understood the meaning of the letter, which was stained in places as if she had cried while writing it.

Awin’s condition was seriously bad.

Perhaps his younger sibling might die soon.

So come back and at least see his face before he dies… that’s what it meant.

A sound that was part groan, part sob flowed out between his tightly pressed lips.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it all…”

The younger sibling he had practically raised after their parents died early.

His only remaining family.

His eyes throbbed.

His tightly clenched knuckles turned white.

Finally, when a single tear dropped from his wavering eyes.

“Ah, young miss!”

“Wait! Just over there, just over there!”

Noisy sounds came from beyond the wall he was leaning against.

Owen slowly raised his head.

“You cannot go outside the manor…!”

“I’m not going out! I really just want to look at what’s in front!”

Among the guards’ voices, a child’s voice with slightly lisping pronunciation.

“Ah, ah! The young miss is running away!”

“What are you doing! Hurry and stop her!”

Crash.

Along with hurried footsteps, the sound of guard shields clashing and something falling to the ground.

Owen blinked blankly and stared toward where the noise was getting closer.

At that moment.

“Found you!”

Someone poked their head out from the direction of the main gate.

Ivory-colored eyes that sparkled strangely in the sunlight.

Below them, disheveled silver hair swayed in the spring breeze.

“What… what.”

Owen’s eyes widened.

What appeared was a small girl even younger than his sibling Awin.

A child who, despite never having seen him before, wore a bright smile of joy on her small, pale face.

“Young miss!”

The guards came rushing from behind.

But the child, who glanced back, dodged their reaching hands and came running over.

Then she immediately embraced the crouching Owen.

“Uh oh…!”

The guards stopped restlessly in front of the two.

In front of the frozen Owen, the child raised her head.

Then, tugging at her own clothes, she spoke in an excited voice.

“Teacher Annellia~~!”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————