Return of the Mythic Bloodline-Chapter 346: Why was Aestra kept hidden?

"Master Robert, please explain why Mother is kept hidden here, declared dead to the outside world," I asked, sitting on one of the broken debris of the shattered chambers beside Mother and Ume.

Master Robert, who was seated on the floor in front of me, muttered while clenching his fist. "It is because I do not believe that the Thunderbanes fell while fighting mere demons, even if the Snow Princess confirmed it, since the five wardens, Lord Stormir, His Majesty, and Your Highness were fighting alongside them."

After a brief pause, he continued, "Seventeen years ago, the Snow Princess arrived at the peak where I lived, bringing with her the unconscious body of Her Majesty. She bowed before me, pleading that I protect Queen Aestra at all costs. She did not say it clearly, but her intentions were obvious. She feared that the Queen’s life would remain in constant danger if her whereabouts became known to the world. Since then, I ordered Lily to serve Queen Aestra here. The only people who knew she was alive were the Snow Princess, her family, Lily, and me."

"Nymeria again..." I murmured inwardly. "She stands at the center of everything once more, yet leaves me with even more unanswered questions."

"Your Highness," Master Robert called, his eyes narrowing. "Was the demonic army truly the reason for the fall of the Thunderbanes?"

I shook my head and revealed, "The empire betrayed us."

The moment he heard my words, a sudden Soulforce pressure erupted from his body in raw fury. His half-opened eyes grew moist as he muttered, "I... I had my doubts, b-but still... how could they... a-after everything the Thunderbanes did for them? I wanted to investigate the mystery behind the sudden massacre of the Thunderbanes, but the duty to train the younger generation and restore the sect did not leave me with any spare time."

He fell to his knees, striking his forehead hard against the ground as tears streamed down his wrinkled face. "Please forgive me, Your Highness. Not only did I dare to live longer than the next generation, I could not even avenge their deaths."

Rising from my seat, I sat before Master Robert, held his shoulders, lifted his head, and murmured, "You are the reason the Thunderbane Sect still stands. You owe me no apology. It is I who owe you the deepest gratitude for protecting my mother and the sect for all these years."

For the next few seconds, his tears did not stop. The depressed expression he had carried since the moment I returned finally vanished, replaced by one of immense relief and happiness, as if all the weight had been lifted from his aged shoulders.

"Forgive me, Master Robert," I said once he had calmed down. "I dared to suspect you and even pushed you to fight in such a condition."

"Please do not say that, Your Highness," Master Robert replied instantly. "Besides, these old bones are not so weak as to be defeated by a warrior two generations below me."

"Haha, I will say nothing to that," I chuckled, stepping back.

---

After speaking for another hour about the current condition of the Thunderbane Sect and the Hundred Sky Mountains, I ordered Master Robert to return to his abode and restore the Soulforce he had lost while fighting me.

Meanwhile, I stayed with Ume and Mother at the summit, moving to Mother’s Royal Chamber that remained unharmed thanks to the barrier Ume had deployed at the last moment.

---

"It is surprising that neither of you tried to stop me from fighting Master Robert," I said as I laid Mother onto her bed.

"I have known Master Robert for a hundred years," Mother replied. "I knew neither of you would cause irreversible harm to the other."

I turned to Ume to hear her reason, and she spoke calmly, "It was a beneficial battle for stabilizing your cultivation base, so I chose not to interrupt."

"Huh, aren’t you being too cruel?" I whined. "Look at my condition. My entire body hurts like hell."

I pointed at my bare upper body, covered in numerous injuries and burn marks.

"You can heal yourself using your Divine Soulforce," she replied, averting her eyes.

"Huhhhhh!" I gasped in exaggerated shock. "You have completely changed, Ume. You used to worry and get angry whenever I was injured, but now you have become so cold." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Ume said nothing and continued avoiding my gaze.

"Do not tease her, Taranis!" Mother scolded from the bed. "She remained on edge the entire time you were battling Master Robert. It must have been extremely difficult for her to hold herself back from intervening."

I already knew that. I only wanted to tease her a little, but with Mother present, it was no longer possible.

Turning to me, Ume murmured softly with lowered eyes, "I know your path ahead is dangerous and filled with life-threatening events. I am trying to prepare myself and grow accustomed to such situations."

Now I truly felt bad for teasing her. Moving closer, I gently kissed her forehead and whispered, "Do not worry, silly. I will not recklessly endanger my life as I cannot endure those worried expressions on your face."

"Wh-what are you doing in front of Mother Aestra, shameless man?" Ume hissed, her face turning red.

"I do not mind, Ume," Mother replied with a warm smile. "His father was just as shameless, teasing me in front of everyone. He must have inherited those bad habits from him."

Moving toward Mother, I drew dozens of Grade 3 High-Tier Soul Stones from my inventory and placed them beside her bed.

The moment I took out the stones, the entire room brightened with their radiant glow.

"H-high-Tier Soul Stones!" Mother gasped, her eyes widening. "D-do not tell me you robbed the sect’s treasury!"

"I did not, Mother," I replied with a sigh before continuing. "I want you to consume all of these stones within a week."

"B-but they are far too precious—"

"These mere stones are nowhere near as precious as you, Mother," I replied sharply, leaving her no room to protest.

"I understand," she sighed, finally giving up.

"Get some rest now," I said, covering her with a blanket. "I will visit you again tomorrow night."

As Ume and I were about to leave the room, Mother suddenly called out, "Wait!"

"Do you need anything, Mother?"

She shook her head, her gaze filled with curiosity as it shifted to Ume. Then she asked, "Are you not going to tell me who she really is?"