Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 334: Purposelessness

Lyra could be seen sitting in a lotus position within her personal training chamber, located deep inside the maid residential building. Ever since her charge, the Tenth Sun, Asher, had departed from the Wargrave Ducal Estate and headed toward the Star Academy, she had been left with nothing meaningful to occupy her time.

Her days, once structured around his every need, now stretched endlessly before her, so empty that she filled them with only one thing: training. Even now, she drew Astra energy from the air with steady discipline, strengthening her Astra veins as she steadily worked toward increasing her Life Rank.

’How long has it been since he left?’ Lyra wondered silently. Her black eyes opened as she completed the morning session of her training. ’Almost two months,’ she answered herself as she rose fluidly to her feet.

Her daily routine had settled into a rigid, predictable pattern: wake up, train in various forms, eat, bathe, walk around the estate for a short while, then sleep. Nothing more, nothing less. She no longer swept, dusted, or cleaned any place aside from her own private space.

Her sole duty was the Tenth Sun, and the Tenth Sun alone. Because of that, no work could be assigned to her unless it came from him personally, and since he was away, far beyond the borders of the estate, she existed in a strange limbo of purposelessness.

Despite having no responsibilities, she continued to wear her maid uniform within the Ducal Estate. She could have changed her outfit if she wished, yet she did not. She had worn this uniform for decades, only ever changing it twice, and both times were at the Tenth Sun’s explicit orders.

’I wonder when he will return,’ she thought, stepping out of her training chamber and into her room. Without hesitating, she removed her clothes as she stepped into the bathroom. Warm water began to run over her skin, cascading down her back as her black hair darkened and clung gently to her shoulders.

’Perhaps by the end of the year, when the Star Academy closes for the annual break. Or maybe halfway through the year, when they have their mid-year recess. At least that’s when the Ninth Sun usually returns,’ she mused quietly as the steam filled the room.

A few minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom, her elegant figure as poised and refined as ever. Although she was a mere maid by rank, her appearance and demeanor did nothing to diminish her natural beauty. She dried her body with practiced ease before slipping into a fresh set of maid attire.

’I hope he is eating well and not starving,’ she continued thinking, standing before the mirror. ’Though I am certain the Star Academy must have forced him to throw away the meals, dishes, and carefully prepared cuisine I packed for him, enough to last an entire year.’ A soft smile appeared on her lips as she remembered arranging each container meticulously.

Her mind refused to drift away from Asher, no matter how much time passed. A month without seeing him felt like a thousand year trapped in solitude. How could she forget him? She had held him as an infant, bathed him, dressed him, fed him, and watched over him every day for seventeen years.

She had been by his side when the world itself had collapsed around him. She had never once looked down on him, even when other maids whispered cruel words behind his back. She never joined in the rumors or insults the butlers spread. Through everything, the mockery, the tension, the hopeless predictions, she remained.

Well... even if she had wanted to leave before his awakening, it was not like she ever truly could.

It was impossible to forget a child she had cared for every single day for seventeen long years without missing a single moment. Even parents rarely spent that much cumulative time with their children.

And even when Asher finally awakened on his third attempt, any other maid or butler would have seized that moment to sever their ties, reclaim their freedom, and escape the ”cursed” role of serving the Tenth Sun. Yet she had not. She had stayed. She had remained steadfast.

Many of her peers called her foolish, some even told her directly that she was mad. Others advised her countless times to abandon a sinking ship. And some didn’t bother advising her at all, boldly stating that the Tenth Sun would die during the True Awakening event, so her efforts were wasted.

Sometimes, Lyra herself questioned the truth. Did she love Asher in the way a mother loved her child? Did she pity him? Or was she simply ultimately loyal? Even she did not know the full truth. But in the end, the reason didn’t matter. What mattered was her resolve: she would always be there for him.

Leaving her room, she walked calmly and gracefully through the building reserved for maids. This residence was entirely separate from the Wargrave castle. No maid, no servant, no matter how dedicated, was permitted to live in the same building as the Wargraves themselves. Only true Wargraves were allowed to reside within the main castle.

As she walked, a sudden, unified greeting rippled through the air. Her sharp senses caught it instantly.

”Tenth Sun!”

The moment she heard those words, her steps halted as though time itself had frozen around her. She stood motionless, breath caught in her throat. ’How?’ How could the maids be greeting the Tenth Sun if he was at the Star Academy? Her first thought was that she had been thinking about him too much, so much that she was now hallucinating.

Then a second voice reached her ears, one so familiar it pierced straight through to her soul:

”You may continue your work.”

Her entire being froze. She had listened to that exact voice for eighteen years. There was no possibility of mistaking it. Not even the heavens themselves could replicate that sound in her ears.

Instantly, she blurred toward the nearest window, her movements swift and silent. Her gaze snapped outward toward the source of the voice.

And there he was.

The familiar face. The unmistakable height. The calm demeanor that never shifted or guessed. The presence that felt like home. The purple hair that rested on his head like a crown of its own.

She knew, instantly, undeniably, that this was her charge. No illusion, hallucination, or transformation ability could fool her eyes when it came to the Tenth Sun.

She was about to leap out the window and rush toward him, but she stopped mid-motion as she noticed two boys standing beside him, young men around his age, smiling as they looked at him. She immediately understood: he had returned with friends. With that realization, she paused, steadying herself. It would be improper to rush out recklessly.

Her eyes shifted toward the Wargrave castle, and her destination changed in an instant. That was where she would meet him.

A smile rose on her lips, soft, relieved, and deeply genuine, as she turned and began walking toward her new destination.