Epic Of The Demonic Sage

Viscountess Blackshield stared at the young man in front of her with a momentary look of surprise.

Not everyone approached the Viscountess because they were nervous of her and among those who did, not many would try to argue with her in regards to certain matters at all.

The fact that the Young Lord Asher would speak freely with her was something strange and yet it led to certain thoughts slip into Viscountess Blackshield's mind.

She nursed the drink in her hand and stared at Asher.

'My son would have been around the same age as Young Lord Asher if he were still alive right now. Would he have also been as straightforward and spoken freely like him? Or would he have been shy? More taciturn like me? Would he look like his father or…' Viscountess Blackshield became a little lost in her thoughts.

Lucius noticed that there was a small slip up in the Viscountess' cold expression, there was a look of conflict in her eyes and she had stiffened up slightly.

"Are you alright, Viscountess? Is everything fine…? Would you like me to fetch you another drink or something else?" Lucius asked.

Viscountess Blackshield immediately shook her head and tried her best to smile. It was a poor one, but Lucius didn't say anything.

"It is nothing, Young Lord Asher. What you have given to me is fine already," Viscountess Blackshield raised the glass to her lips and took a long and heavy sip. She nearly drained the Humble Blaze in one go with little to no reaction. "It is quite enjoyable. I will pay my respects later to Lady Alessa. She is the owner of Dionisya Brewery, is she not?"

"Yes, yes she is," Lucius nodded. "She is accompanied by her husband Lieutenant John and their child, baby Cia. You can see them over there. My parents have grown an interest in the couple due to their discoveries and the nature of the gift of their child as well."

"I see… what a lovely young child," Viscountess Blackshield murmured, almost to herself and then glanced at Asher's face once more. The same unease in her eyes was still there if you looked at it closely, but then she resumed drinking again.

"Your glass is empty, Viscountess." Lucius said.

"Is it?" Viscountess Blackshield chuckled to herself, and then waved at a servant to bring her another. "I think this alcohol is simply divine. I really need to speak with Lady Alessa and let her know that I am interested in buying some wholesale. Best to not go through the merchants if I can have the option of going directly to the brewery owner instead."

"That makes sense, Viscountess. I am sure that she will be happy to accommodate you. After all, alcohol is the perfect way to celebrate joyous occasions such as this one and among others."

"Joyous occasions, indeed. Perhaps in a lot of occasions, but of course, for joyous ones the most." Viscountess Blackshield stared at the now refilled glass of Humble Blaze, twirling the contents slightly inside. She didn't immediately drink and instead only smiled lightly. "You have spoken well, Young Lord Asher."

"Forgive me for saying something that does not encompass all aspects of one's life, Viscountess."

"You do not need to apologize. It is easy to be reminded that alcohol is for banquets and celebrations such as this one when you are in the midst of it happening," Viscountess Blackshield said. "Not only that, but it is also natural for most youth to speak what is on their mind without much afterthought, is it not?"

"Indeed…"

'I'm all too aware that my presence has triggered something within the Viscountess. Kiana has told me that she has lost her son due to assassination so she is reminded once again of her loss now that she has witnessed me interacting with her again and my choice of topics aren't exactly the most helpful either in steering her away from ruminations about the past. Now the question is whether do I allow these sentiments to linger and use them to my advantage or something else entirely?' Lucius mused to himself.

Even though Viscountess Blackshield tried her best to hold herself and remain steady, there was the ever-growing swirl of emotions that was growing within the back of her eyes.

Lucius cleared his throat. "May I perhaps say something else again, Viscountess?"

"What is it, Young Lord Asher?" Viscountess Blackshield asked.

"It is the notion that when one ignores a small thing, it can often turn into something big if left untouched. That is what I wish to say," Lucius said. He didn't need to mention it was because of what Viscountess Blackshield said earlier, because he was confident that the Viscountess understood it well.

'What matters most is whether she is actually receptive to such things or if she will deny them altogether. That is something I cannot control.'

"You do not mean to comment about how an individual can sometimes make Plow Worm mountains out of Bore Shrew mounds?" Viscountess Blackshield's expression flickered lightly into amusement.

"No, Viscountess." Lucius said. He raised a brow at the analogy, but decided to be more upfront. "I simply wish to say that speaking and sharing your problems when you can is something that can relieve the feelings behind them and perhaps even reveal a solution hidden in plain sight."

"Is that so?" the Viscountess asked.

"Yes, that is what I believe in," Lucius said. "As much as we would like to shoulder everything without any complaints, we all have our limitations."

Before the Viscountess's eyes, Lucius reached for the spare wine glasses on the table and stacked them together a bit unevenly to make something akin to a pyramid with the last part missing.

The structure was able to hold itself, but the foundation was unsteady.

"Right now, it seems like it can hold everything, but if you were to add another wine glass on top of it, it'll all come crashing down. That is an accumulative thing. The little things build up if you do not take care of them."