Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 11

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Heir Doesn’t Matter; I Just Want to Heal — Episode 11

‘What’s he doing here?’

Lion was, in his own way, taken aback. He’d never imagined encountering Ricksher in the Mimir Forest, let alone anywhere outside the estate.

‘Did he come looking for me?’

Why would he?
True enough, Lion and Ricksher were blood brothers, but that didn’t make them the sort to seek each other out without reason, to play or joke around together.
Quite the opposite, in fact.

‘If I’m being honest—indifferent, really.’

Based on what Lion could piece together from memory.
Whether Lion suffered from Mana Shock or was treated as an oddity, Ricksher maintained an ice-cold demeanor, keeping himself at an emotional distance.
When they did meet, he afforded Lion the courtesy due an older brother—and nothing more.

‘Well, “Lion” accepted it as it was.’

The Lion of before had been chronically frail.
He’d exhausted himself trying to mend a body that couldn’t sense Mana, and apart from those efforts, he’d spent almost all his time bedridden—leaving no opportunity to grow close to his younger brother.
In short, they were brothers who’d never had time to become close.
While Lion calmly sorted through his thoughts this way.
Ricksher’s body stiffened the moment their eyes met.

‘How am I supposed to explain this?’

More precisely: how could he explain it without his brother misunderstanding?
Ricksher was well aware that he and his brother weren’t particularly close either.
Born into a Magic Noble House, his older brother lacked the Mana talent that was essential to possess.
And while it embarrassed him to say it himself, he’d been born with natural gifts and had often heard he was the family’s certain heir.
An unavoidable gap had inevitably opened between the two of them.
That said, he didn’t look down on his brother or dislike him.
He thought it remarkable how, facing a seemingly hopeless situation, his brother refused to give up and kept trying different approaches.

‘Even if each attempt ended in failure, it was only regrettable.’

He’d wanted to roll up his sleeves and help directly, but ultimately he was Lion’s younger brother.
If the junior moved first, there was a high chance this relationship would fracture, so he’d held back—until Silvia had finally opened the door, bringing him here.
But then!

‘Even so, to think he would actually eat something like that……’

Ricksher stared at the haphazardly scattered vines and the soil-filled depression. Within it lay what appeared to be a Famine Relief Crop.

“…First, I apologize for using magic without permission, brother. But you really shouldn’t eat something that’s still covered in dirt like that.”
“Hmm, I think there’s been a misunderstanding here.”
“A misunderstanding? Do you even know what that is?”
“……It’s a sweet potato, isn’t it?”
“A sweet potato… You mean one of those starchy root vegetables?”

Well, yes, technically it is.

‘But asking about it in that particular way—I’ve got nothing.’

Normally it was Lion who ran out of words, but Ricksher had managed it this time.
Lion glanced down at the mashed sweet potato on the ground.
To be honest, the skin was a bit unusual, but didn’t it look like a sweet potato to anyone’s eye?
Sweet potatoes.
Honestly, aren’t they an inexhaustible ingredient?
You can simply roast and eat them, or whip them into a silky mousse for salads, bake them into cakes.
You can even ferment them into liquor.
Isn’t it more accurate to call it food first, plant second?

‘Come to think of it.’

Retracing his memories, Lion realized that unless it was something elaborately prepared, he’d never actually roasted and eaten a sweet potato himself.
Which meant, surely…

“Ricksher, you haven’t eaten one?”

This delicious thing?

“I… beg your pardon?”

Ricksher’s expression shifted subtly.
That look in his eyes—the one that said, ‘Why would I eat that?’
Not the kind of dismissal you’d expect from a nobleman, but genuine bewilderment—’What? What even is that?’ written all over his face.

‘This won’t do.’

Lion’s mind was made.
No matter how indifferent they were to each other, letting this sweet taste pass him by would be a genuine loss.

“Come over here and sit down. Don’t just stand there.”
“Is it permissible for me to remain in your company?”
“Of course it is.”

Lion gestured toward the tree root where he’d laid his outer coat.

“Sit here and wait for me.”
“Thank you.”

The moment Lion confirmed that Ricksher had settled down, he turned back and resumed digging with the hoe.

“Why are you harvesting sweet potatoes, exactly?”
“Just wait a moment.”

As Lion worked the hoe through the soil, rich, moist earth tumbled outward in heaps.
At first it had looked like child’s play, but now it was clear there was a method to it.
He dug carefully, then extracted each sweet potato from the earth with gentle hands, taking care not to bruise it.
Especially when a large one came free, a strange satisfaction crossed his face, and a deep smile played at his lips.

“Say, if you know Fire Magic, could you build a small fire? I’ve already gathered some kindling.”
“…I shall do so.”

Starting a fire in kindling wasn’t a difficult request. Ricksher drew upon Fire Magic, igniting a small flame against the wood. Within moments it caught with a satisfying roar—Whoosh—burning with respectable vigor. His task complete, Ricksher found himself with nothing left to do but observe Lion.

And regardless of the claim that it was a farming tool, it had a blade on it.
One wrong move and he could cut himself badly.
And his elder wasn’t exactly what you’d call graceful. Really, he should suggest stopping before something went wrong.
He was just about to say so when—

Lion gathered an armful of sweet potatoes, brushed off the loose soil, and tossed them directly into the campfire.

“…….”
“Come on, let’s wait for them to cook.”
“But won’t they burn if you leave them like that?”
“It’s fine. The skin’s thick enough—the inside cooks through perfectly.”
“I see.”

Ricksher, who possessed little knowledge of sweet potatoes, accepted the explanation without argument.
Truth be told, he had plenty of questions, but since a little time would reveal the answers anyway, he chose to simply sit in silence.

Crackle—crackle.

And so Ricksher remained seated, watching the sweet potatoes wrapped in flames.
They hadn’t exchanged much conversation since tossing them in, yet oddly, the silence felt unforced.
Perhaps the campfire was filling the void of words for them.
Or perhaps he was simply mesmerized by the fire’s endless, restless dance.
When Ricksher glanced at Lion, he too seemed lost, staring blankly into the flames.
Then, slowly, Lion’s blank expression softened, and his mouth opened.

“Running is fine, but rest matters just as much.”
“…….”

Ricksher tilted his head, puzzled.
He couldn’t quite make out what Lion meant.
Why would he suddenly bring up the importance of rest?

‘Does he think I’m worn down?’

If anyone was struggling, it would be the lord of the house—or his brother, who was sick. They had it harder than he did.
He was sound in body and merely studied; there was no reason he should be exhausted.
Lion spoke again.

“Sometimes doing something different from your usual routine helps refresh the mind.”
“Mm…….”

Ricksher sat before the campfire, gazing quietly at the flames.
Certainly, sitting and watching the fire without purpose—doing nothing at all—was far from his routine.
Yet the way the firelight warmed his face was, in all honesty, quite pleasant.

“I think I understand what you mean.”
“It’s hard to actually do, though.”

He likely meant not thinking about work while taking a break.

‘Is he worried about me?’

It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.
As they sat in silence watching the fire, time passed, and the sweet potatoes began to release a pleasant, charred aroma.

“They should be done by now.”

Lion fished out the Banana Sweet Potatoes with a wooden branch to cool them, then placed one on Ricksher’s palm.

“Here.”
“Thank you.”

He’d have preferred not to receive something that had been on the ground, but out of consideration for Lion’s kindness, he accept—

‘Hmm?’

The condition was better than he’d expected.
The sweet potato was somewhat warm, but it wasn’t dirty or covered in dust.
If anything, it gleamed as though it had been carefully washed and roasted.

“See, this is how you peel it.”

When Lion peeled the Banana Sweet Potato and revealed the inside, that same sweet, soft fragrance spread through the air, and an appetite-stirring sweetness pricked his nose.
…Honestly, his hunger stirred at once.
Still, it felt a little awkward to eat.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Lion took the first bite himself.

“Mm. Delicious.”

The steaming flesh looked perfectly fluffy at a glance.
And watching him eat beside him made it look quite appetizing.
There was something that felt like a loss if he didn’t eat it now.

“I’ll try some too.”

Ricksher found himself carefully taking a bite without quite thinking.
Normally, he would have had to check whether it contained any substances harmful to the human body, then entrust it to a chef to eat at the table with fork and knife.

“…!”

The sweet potato in his mouth had considerable flavor.
Soft and sweet like cake, yet not overwhelmingly so as cake could be.
At the same time, a strange sense of liberation washed over him.
One prejudice shattered, and with it came a feeling of freedom.
Ricksher had lived a refined life.
He had to attend Heir lessons in Lion’s stead.
So there were neither particularly joyful nor sorrowful moments.
Even when Silvia, who had been with him since childhood, said she was leaving, it amounted to no more than regret.
His natural disposition, coupled with his nature as a mage, leaned toward the detached.
But now, perhaps slightly…
He might be experiencing joy.

‘Is this the kind of life you wanted to live, Lion?’

He understood that Lion had worked harder than anyone to simply survive.
No matter how much others called him eccentric, the family knew precisely how much Lion struggled—it ached to know.
And so it tasted sweeter, richer.
The flavor of living.
Lion had wanted him to understand that.

“…It’s delicious.”
“Isn’t it? It’s called a Banana Sweet Potato.”

Lion grinned at Ricksher’s response.
Just as he’d expected. He knew he’d eat it.

‘Moved, as one should be.’

Sweet potato was perfect for weather like this.
The Asteri Territory was relatively warm and had no true winter, but there were seasons when the air grew crisp.
The forest in particular was dark with plenty of wind, making it rather cold.
What else would one crave at such times?
Nothing but sweet potatoes and pastries like those.
Fish-shaped pastries couldn’t be made yet, but he had Banana Sweet Potatoes, which were far more delicious than ordinary sweet potatoes.
A naturally sweet and nutty combination!
Some people tire of eating too many, but it’s a dish that’s hard to find unpalatable on first taste.
And…….

‘No matter how composed you are, kids that age can really pack it away.’

Watching his younger brother now, chomping away at the sweet potato with abandon, brought back memories of school days.
Breakfast, then snacks, then lunch.
And that wasn’t enough—sneaking over the fence to buy bread and drinks.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
After classes, he’d be hungry again and end up cooking ramyeon to eat.

‘Of course it tastes good.’

As expected, Ricksher devoured one Banana Sweet Potato as if entranced, and Lion quickly pressed another into his younger brother’s hands.
And it wasn’t until he’d eaten more than three…….

‘Gasp!’

Ricksher stopped moving.

‘Did I really eat that much?’

He thought of dignity and propriety only after he’d thoroughly devoured the sweet potatoes.

“…….”
“Heh, that tasted good, didn’t it?”
“……Yes.”

There was no room for excuses.
Though embarrassed, he decided on an honest answer.
Lion handed him the water he’d brought along and settled naturally on the ground, leaning his back against a thick tree.

“You don’t mind things like this?”
“……No, not at all.”

Once he’d tasted joy, his honesty deepened from there.
Ricksher said nothing for a long while, feeding dried branches into the campfire.

“Thank you for treating me to the sweet potatoes.”
“Treating you? What, you think I wouldn’t do that much for my own brother?”
“…….”

Tap, tap. Lion’s hand patted Ricksher’s back.

“You’ve had it hard all this time.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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