Chapter 86: Chapter 34. Rod Ileas
Lloyd Ileas was not the ordinary commoner that everyone thought he was.
In fact, once upon a time, this name remained quite famous in the aristocratic circles of Azeroth. Despite the fact that Ileas County was not distinguished by wealth or prestigious status in society, everyone respected it for its valuable ancestral history.
Ileas was an ancient clan of healers — whose members possessed a rare ability to heal. He was the complete opposite of another famous family of the Azeroth Empire. If the Cassians brought destruction and death, then the Ileases gave people peace.
Like the legend about the contract of the Cassians with the devil, there were also rumors about the patronage of the Ileas family of the goddess of creation. In ancient mythology, she was considered a fairy with emerald hair, who was sent to rid the world of troubles and suffering.
According to the tradition of this family, the head of the clan at a certain stage had to transfer his title and duties to his heir, and he himself went on a voluntary journey around the world to help people. This was the main purpose of the clan's existence — to «purify» the world with the power granted to them.
Gratuitously helping the weak and needy — this is the role Lloyd Ileas took on when he was only forty. The last day he was still a member of society was at his daughter's debut ball. Emilia was only seventeen, but she was already supposed to enter the status of countess.
After that, the man went on a journey across the continent, and a few years later became known as a famous healer. Meanwhile, he hoped that when the right period came, his daughter would also follow him. But…
He didn't know then that everything would turn out quite differently from what he expected.
When Emily got married, she suddenly sent a letter in which she said that she was not going to continue her father's business. Instead, she chose a quiet family life, and in the future she wanted to have a child free from all these responsibilities.
To say that Lloyd Ileas was very disappointed with her is to say nothing. The whole world literally collapsed for him in one second.
It was unbearable to realize that their own daughter had betrayed their clan for the sake of some man. The only thing Lloyd knew about this man was his last name — Ashford. And the fact that he had some very high status in Azeroth…
However, he didn't care who exactly Emily Ileas had traded their ancestral heritage for.
His daughter's act shocked him so much that he even lost faith to continue his current activities. In the end, isn't it all useless now.? With his death, all the covenants and the memory of the Ileas clan will still collapse into oblivion. So does it make sense to delay the inevitable…?
Besides, Emily was born quite capable. In the future, she might even surpass her father. But in the end, I simply refused such a chance…
After such a betrayal, Elder Ileas not only did not want to return to his native country, but also to meet with his daughter. Instead, he locked himself in a hut, intending to renounce the outside world forever. In other words, he fell into despondency and depression.
But to some extent, I still hoped that at least with his death, the negligent daughter would finally come to her senses and rethink her decision. But no. For the last seventeen years, this girl has never even appeared!
This was the last straw of his patience.
Lloyd Ileas decided to abandon the idea that he once had a daughter. Even if she comes later and begs for forgiveness, he will not even think of letting her on the threshold. It's her own fault.
It was such a mask of cold indifference that the old man had been building over the past years. And in the depths of his soul, he stubbornly pushed away the thought that he would like to know about her affairs.
Anyway, despite all the hatred, Lloyd was still a father. And I was hoping to get at least some news…
And then, after so much time, when some annoying visitors came to him once again, he heard the name of this person for the first time. Lloyd immediately ran out, believing it was his daughter, but…
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Immediately received the shocking news of her death.
This was reported to him by a girl who looked almost exactly like Emily. If she didn't look too young, he would have assumed it was her at all.
It took the healer some time to recover.
He looked at the girl again, and made sure that it was definitely a member of his clan. A distinctive external feature of the Ileas family was emerald hair, which was passed on to each subsequent descendant. This gene has always won, regardless of the second parent.
It definitely wasn't a mistake.
But…
Until that time, apart from his own daughter, Lloyd did not know any of his other relatives. Unless…
The elder was taken aback by his conclusion.
This girl… Couldn't she be…?!
And while the healer was staring at Leriana, the latter was more and more perplexed. And why is he so frozen? Did he really have a heart attack?
— Grandpa, are you all right? — Leriana immediately got rid of the formal treatment, and held his hand so that he would not fall.
«W-what…?»
«You don't look well,» she remarked, «you know, at your age you need to spend more time outdoors, and not stay locked up.»
Meanwhile, Maxie and Elsa, who also heard the noise, turned their attention in that direction. From the picture they saw, both experienced completely opposite emotions.
Maxie was overjoyed that the elder finally deigned to come out. The latter was disappointed.
«And why doesn't he lie in his coffin…!»
Maxie immediately quickly arrived and stood next to him.
— We apologize for the trouble! — she turned to the famous healer, — But could you examine our friend? It took us a very long time to get there before we met you.
The old man, who was slowly coming to his senses, was about to retort sharply that he had not provided such services for a long time.
But…
His opinion changed dramatically when Maxie pointed at Leriana. He froze in uncertainty.
On the one hand, as he managed to come to the conclusion, this girl was his own granddaughter. Perhaps the only one at all. And on the other… They met for the first time in seventeen years, and the healer had no idea how to react to it.
But Leriana was more determined.
Fearing that the old man would immediately throw them out, she immediately «occupied» the territory by entering the house. It is unlikely that such an elderly person will have the strength to cope with the three of them.
Despite the external abandonment, the hut turned out to be quite neat inside. Of course, not without oddities, in the form of boilers, appliances, and strange pieces hung everywhere. But you can say that it's even real to live here.
To add points in her favor, Leriana hastened to praise:
— You have here, uh… Such a peculiar atmosphere. Very cozy!
Maxie and Elsa didn't stand on the threshold either. Elder Ileas finally came to his senses only by the time the outsider young people had finally occupied his house. In his entire life, he had never had to meet with such insolence!
It seemed that these visitors had not heard at all about the banal appearance of respect for elders.
— Hey! — he wanted to be indignant, — But how do you…?!
— Understand correctly, but we have no other choice. You are the only one who can save her.
While Maxie was trying to solve the issue diplomatically, Elsa mentally figured out how to get rid of this old man unnoticed. Leriana, on the other hand, looked with great interest at the supplies stored here, and especially dried beetles in jars. It is immediately clear that the dwelling belonged to a special person!
— I told you to immediately…!
Before the elder shouted again, Maxie briefly described the situation to him. After learning that his alleged granddaughter was suffering from a serious illness, the anger subsided somewhat. The man looked at this girl again and sighed.
So be it, he will make an exception. But only this time!
«I'll do it, uh… just because you've been waiting at the door for so long!» Do you understand me?
Maxie was delighted.
— of course. Can you just tell me everything first thing after the inspection? — I asked for a small favor.
— what? — he was surprised.
— Now I am the guardian of this girl, and I… It's… you need to know everything in detail.
The old man looked at her somewhat incredulously, but did not argue. What can you do if the young now have their own quirks.
After Leriana found out that the healer agreed to check her out, she was no less inspired. When they all sat down at the table, she held out her hand to him.
The elder took her, and closing his eyes, was able to feel everything that was happening in her body. It took a few minutes.
During this process, the old man almost immediately discovered that there was no illness. Moreover, she turned out to have even more strength than an ordinary person. This is…!
In the end, in addition to a non-existent ailment, the man came to a disappointing conclusion. Not only that, his daughter had a completely ordinary child who had not even passed on the abilities of their clan. So she also got involved with very dubious personalities…!
After summing up the whole procedure, Elder Ileas let go of Leriana's hand, and was very disappointed. As originally agreed, he and Maxie were the first to step aside to discuss everything.
Leriana was impatiently waiting for her «verdict» at the table. Elsa squinted suspiciously, but couldn't come straight up to eavesdrop.
— Why did you deceive me?! — the first thing the old man hissed when they went outside, — She doesn't have any disease!
«I'm sorry,» Maxie said apologetically, «but I needed some reason for you to accept us.»
The man exhaled angrily.
— So the purpose of your visit is different?
— I suppose you have already guessed everything yourself… — the girl looked at him tensely.
— The mark of the Blood Camellia, right?
Maxie nodded. She was sure in advance that such a wise man had heard a lot about her.
«And what do you want me to do?» Lloyd Ileas said calmly.
— I…» she stammered, «could you take it off?»
— what? — he was very surprised.
— The Blood Camellia mark,» Maxie repeated softly, «I'd like Leriana to get rid of it.»
So his granddaughter's name is «Leriana»? The man sighed.
He had no idea what had been going on with Emily's daughter for all these seventeen years. What kind of lifestyle did she lead, since she managed to get mixed up with Cassia…?
Elder Ileas, to put it mildly, disliked the members of this family. After all, their very essence was the complete opposite of his worldview. They brought destruction to the human world, and the healer considered them no less vicious than the devil himself.
The last thing he wanted was for their families to be connected in some way. And even more so, in this way…!
The old man slapped his forehead. He met his new granddaughter only ten minutes ago, but he was already very disappointed with her.
— Are you saying that you want to remove this mark? — the healer clarified.
— yes.
«Then you shouldn't have come to me. There's nothing I can do.»
— B-but…! — Maxie was taken aback by such a sharp refusal, — How…!
«In this world, there are only two ways to get rid of the Blood Camellia contract,» the elder said, «the first is death. And the second… if the person who put the mark, himself refuses it.»