Lucius's question was met with silence.
Owen continued looking at him for another moment before the grin slowly disappeared from his face.
"There's something I want to ask you."
Lucius raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds ominous."
"Luke's mana core."
The change in Owen's expression was subtle, but Lucius noticed it immediately. His attention shifted towards Luke, who was still seated beneath the shade of the garden.
Owen proceeded to explain what had happened. He told Lucius about the attack, the condition of Luke's core and how his body had been deteriorating ever since. He left nothing important out, allowing his companion to listen without interruption.
Lucius remained quiet throughout the explanation.
His expression grew increasingly serious as Owen spoke. Once he had finished, Lucius glanced towards Luke, seemingly examining him for the first time.
Meanwhile, Luke was having an entirely different problem.
He was staring.
Not at Owen.
At the man standing beside him.
"...Wait."
His eyes widened slightly.
"You're Lucius Styrar?"
Lucius turned towards him.
"Yes?"
Luke looked between the two men.
"THE Lucius Styrar?"
Owen frowned.
"What's the fuss about?"
Luke slowly turned his head towards him.
"What's the fuss about?"
He repeated the question as though Owen had just asked something profoundly stupid.
"Your partner is Lucius Styrar. One of the strongest knights of our generation. He's one of the Big Four, and he's standing right in front of me."
Owen looked at Lucius.
Then back at Luke.
"...And?"
Lucius let out a quiet chuckle.
"It's not that big of a deal."
"Not that big of a deal?"
Luke was still struggling to process the situation.
Lucius casually adjusted his spectacles.
"Besides, there would've been five if you hadn't gotten caught up in that mess."
His gaze returned to Luke.
"Though, I suppose you're one to talk. There were only a handful of knights in our generation who could rival you."
Luke blinked.
He hadn't expected Lucius to remember him, let alone speak so highly of him.
But Lucius wasn't finished.
"Although, if we're talking about knights, there's someone standing right beside me who happens to be greater than I am."
Silence.
Luke slowly turned towards Owen.
"...What?"
Owen's expression remained unchanged.
Lucius, however, seemed perfectly comfortable with his statement.
"During the Squire Final Examination, I placed second in the kingdom. I was tied with a boy from Landergrey by the name of Cedric."
He paused briefly.
"Of course, there were two people above us. Harold of House Helstia, and the second son of Landergrey."
Lucius glanced towards Owen.
"Owen."
Luke stared at him.
Then he looked at Owen again.
The young man standing before him was the same boy who had once struggled to accept even the smallest bit of help. The same boy who had insisted that he could handle his own problems, even when he clearly couldn't.
And he had placed first.
Alongside Harold Helstia.
Luke didn't say a word.
Owen, on the other hand, looked thoroughly confused.
"Have you lost your mind?"
Lucius shrugged.
"Not that I'm aware of."
"Are you listening to yourself?"
"You didn't know, didn't you?"
Lucius sighed.
"Honestly, you're an idiot for not joining the Royal Guard."
He then turned towards Luke.
"As for your condition..."
His expression settled into something considerably more serious.
"My Divinity Affinity allows me to heal. Under the right circumstances, that includes damage to a mana core."
Luke's eyes narrowed.
"You're saying you can repair it?"
"Yes. Provided it hasn't been completely destroyed."
Lucius gestured towards Luke.
"From what Owen has told me, your core is shattered, not destroyed. In that case, it should be possible to restore it."
For the first time since the conversation began, Luke seemed unable to find an immediate response.
Owen, however, remained focused.
"What's the catch?"
Lucius glanced at him.
"There's always a catch."
He raised one hand, allowing a faint glow of divine mana to gather around his fingers before letting it disappear.
"Repairing a mana core is considerably more demanding than treating an ordinary injury. I'll have to direct a substantial amount of my mana into the damaged core and gradually restore its structure."
"And?"
"I'll have to use up most of my reserves."
Lucius lowered his hand.
"More importantly, I cannot be interrupted while performing the procedure. Not for even a moment. If the restoration is disrupted halfway through, the consequences could be fatal."
Luke's expression changed.
"Then we shouldn't do it."
Owen looked at him.
Luke continued before either of them could respond.
"And you shouldn't tell my father. Not him, not the butler, not anyone working in this manor. Nobody."
His voice had become noticeably firmer.
"Whatever you two are planning, keep it between yourselves."
The garden fell quiet.
Owen stared at him for a moment.
Then he exhaled.
A long, tired sigh escaped his lips.
"...I see."
He turned around and began walking towards the garden entrance.
Lucius watched him leave.
"Where are you going?"
"Somewhere."
"That's rather descriptive."
Owen didn't bother responding.
His footsteps gradually disappeared beyond the hedges, leaving Lucius and Luke alone.
For a few moments, neither spoke.
Then Lucius turned towards Luke.
"I haven't seen him this conflicted since Stonehaven."
Luke glanced at him.
"Stonehaven?"
Lucius nodded.
"He's usually rather good at hiding it. But there are moments when he simply can't."
He looked in the direction Owen had disappeared.
"You're quite an important person to him, aren't you?"
Luke lowered his gaze.
"Was."
"...He now looks like he has no reason to live."
Lucius paused.
Then he laughed.
Not particularly loudly, but enough to catch Luke off guard.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing. It's just..."
Lucius shook his head.
"He just found himself a reason to live."
Luke looked at him.
Lucius rested his back against the nearby pillar.
"And trust me, you haven't seen the truly broken version of him."
There was something peculiar about the way he said it.
It wasn't pity.
Nor was it an attempt to frighten Luke.
It sounded more like someone recalling a sight he would rather never witness again.
Luke remained quiet for a moment.
Then he spoke.
"If that's the case..."
His gaze shifted towards Lucius.
"Then the reason he hasn't returned to that state must be you."
Lucius raised an eyebrow.
Luke continued.
"Which means you're the reason he's alive right now."
The words caught Lucius slightly off guard.
He didn't immediately respond.
Instead, he let out a short laugh and tilted his head upwards, looking through the branches above them.
"...That's quite the interpretation."
But he didn't deny it.
Luke watched him for a moment before leaning back against his seat.
"By the way, what the hell happened in Stonehaven?"
Lucius looked down.
"It's all anyone seems to be talking about. The place is practically in ruins."
Luke narrowed his eyes.
"Don't tell me..."
He looked between the direction Owen had gone and Lucius.
"Are you two responsible for that?"
Lucius smiled.
It was a rather innocent smile.
The kind that answered a question without requiring a single word.
Luke stared at him.
"...You're serious."
Lucius simply continued smiling.
Luke leaned back and looked towards the sky.
"Unbelievable."
A few seconds passed before Lucius spoke again.
"Well, we did have our reasons."
"Somehow, I doubt that makes me feel any better."
Lucius chuckled.
But as the conversation gradually settled, his thoughts returned to something Luke had said.
The reason he hasn't returned to that state must be you.
Lucius looked towards the garden entrance.
Was that really how Owen saw him?
A reason to keep going?
Or was he simply another nuisance who had somehow managed to attach himself to Owen's life?
He couldn't quite tell.
Then again, knowing Owen, if he ever asked, the answer would probably be something along the lines of—
It doesn't matter.
Lucius sighed.
"...That idiot."
And somewhere beyond the garden, Owen continued walking, seemingly unaware that two people had just spent a considerable amount of time discussing him.