Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 112

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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 Successor’s Unknown, So I’ll Just Heal Myself — Episode 112

Lion walked briskly toward the Mill.
By now his hair and eye color had shifted under the effect of Inconspicuous Me.

‘Come to think of it, this doesn’t have much left either.’

Because he’d used it so often in Bydentis Territory, the Hair Pin had far fewer uses remaining than he’d expected.

‘I’ll have to stop by that Magic Shop again.’

In any case, they had genuine treasures like repair kits, so it wasn’t a bad choice.
He could stock up more when he had a long journey ahead.
Lion pushed open the Mill door.

“Nicholas!”
“Ah, Young Master! It’s been ages. Have you been well?”

Nicholas, who had been making bread, greeted him with a broad smile.

“You’ve come alone today, then.”
“I’ve been too busy with my studies lately to visit.”
“Goodness, such a kind heart and diligent studies too. You’re truly remarkable.”

Nicholas, still unaware of their true identities, took the Basket from Lion’s arms.

“Have you come to have this ground?”
“Yes. I’m planning to make a drink from it—share some with family, and if it tastes good, distribute some to the Orphanage children as well.”
“A drink, you say?”

A drink… not spirits, surely…?
Nicholas swallowed the words rising in his throat.

‘No, surely not.’

From all he’d observed of the Young Master, he was an odd sort, yes, but not a bad one.
So perhaps he truly was creating something… yes, really was making a new beverage.

‘And what’s that bird?’

Nicholas gazed at the yellow bird perched on the Young Master’s shoulder.
It looked like a chick, nothing particularly rare about it….

‘Did he pick it up out of pity?’

It was entirely possible for such a kind-hearted Young Master.
Nicholas nodded to himself and poured the Malt into the mill grinder.

“I’m so grateful you always think of the Orphanage children. Oh, and I have some good news for you!”
“Good news?”

Lion’s question made Nicholas break into a bright smile.

“Yes! You know that child, Peter? Well, he’s been accepted for Adoption! And this time it sounds like they’re reliable people.”
“Is that so!”

Peter.
The boy who had withdrawn from others, wounded in his heart during that volunteer visit to the Orphanage.
Though he’d grown a bit closer to Lion, he still kept his distance from everyone else—or so he’d heard.

“That’s wonderful news, isn’t it?”
“Yes, the decision was made just days ago!”

It truly was cause for celebration.

“Then I should go as soon as possible—ah, but if the adoption preparations are underway, I suppose it’d be better not to go now.”

Adoption was never a simple affair to begin with.
Especially the Orphanage run by the Temple—he’d heard it required somewhat more elaborate procedures.
First, the prospective parents had to undergo a special ceremony at the Temple and swear before the goddess Anetras that they would never abandon the child and would be bound to him for life.
After that, they would bring the child to the Temple for a physical examination.
That process took roughly a month.
During that time, Peter—the adoptee—would spend those weeks in the Orphanage saying goodbye to the other children.
How must the boy be feeling in all of this?

‘Nervous, surely.’

Especially Peter. More than anyone.
A child who’d been returned from adoption multiple times, sent back to the Orphanage again and again.
For him, the Orphanage wasn’t just an institution—it was something like a home of the heart.
A sanctuary, one might say.

“I was planning to bring it over as soon as it was finished, but I think it’s better to wait a while.”
“…!”

Nicholas’s eyes grew misty at Lion’s thoughtfulness.

‘Such delicacy of feeling!’

He’d noticed it even while making the bread, but Lion was truly more considerate than he’d imagined.
Rather than being seduced by the lovely word “adoption,” he’d thought first of Peter’s position.
A smile bloomed across Nicholas’s face.

“Yes. Peter is likely quite confused right now. It would be best to let him spend at least a week with the other children.”

Lion nodded as he accepted the finely ground Malt.

“I should bring him a fine gift this month—something expensive enough to keep his spirits up.”

Lion smiled playfully.

“Ha! If it’s possible, I’d be most grateful if it were something truly expensive.”
“I’ll have to mention it to my brother as well.”
“It may well be our last farewell, after all.”

Nicholas’s eyes reddened once more.
It seemed his heart had grown quite attached to the children since volunteering there.

“Why are you crying? It’s good news. Besides, you might run into him somewhere down the road.”

Then they could simply greet each other warmly when the time came.

‘An adoption, truly a blessing.’

Lion, who had come to know and was coming to understand the joy of gaining family through House Asteri, held this thought.
He wished that boy to find happiness equal to all the wounds he’d endured.
Sincerely.

‘Today has been nothing but good.’

Lion waved to Nicholas and left the Mill with a warm heart.

* * *

The moment Lion returned home, he told Ricshel the news.

“That child?”

Ricshel’s face lit up at the welcome tidings, breaking through the weight of his duties.

‘How could his heart not be glad.’

It was Ricshel’s suggestion that had sent Lion to volunteer at the Orphanage in the first place.
One genuine indulgence had turned into orphanage service—thinking back on it now, Lion marveled at the boy’s goodness.
And now that loneliest of children would finally know a family!
Anyone would share such joy.

“So I’m thinking of visiting the Orphanage sometime this month. Once you’ve cleared your urgent matters, come with me.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Oh, and we’ll stop by that Magic Shop too.”
……!

Ricshel’s face grew brighter still.

“Does it please you?”
“It does. There are so many curious things there, but I didn’t want to go alone.”

Not that he couldn’t have gone by himself—he simply wanted to give this overworked man a chance to rest.
Without Lion there, Ricshel seemed to slip straight into workaholic mode.

“Understood. I’ll handle the pressing matters as quickly as possible.”
“Good. I’m counting on you.”

With that settled, Lion headed down to the Kitchen.
The joy of hearing Mudu’s news of reconnected family, and Peter’s news of gaining one—it kindled something bright in Lion’s own chest.

“This is perfect.”

Lion rolled up his sleeves and pushed the kitchen door wide open.
With determination like this, he’d make Sikhye so fine it would reach all the way to the Orphanage!

“Young Master!”

The moment Lion stepped inside, Alex greeted him warmly.
He gestured around the kitchen with satisfied pride.

“Everything’s ready.”
“Excellent!”

Lion’s eyes gleamed as he examined each ingredient arrayed before him.

[Premium Rice (★★)]
-When rice like this is cooked, how extraordinary the flavor! Anyone who tastes even a single grain will find themselves unable to stop.

[Fine Sugar (★★)]
-Refined sugar from white sugarcane, with delicate granules light and soft as silk. It’s a favorite among the nobility.

The rice and sugar were clearly excellent, as were the cloth and ginger besides!

“My, isn’t this perfect?”
“Ha ha. I prepared everything from the finest stock.”

Alex finished speaking and cast a sidelong glance at Lion.

‘I wonder what kind of dish he’s planning to make this time…….’

Looking at the ingredients alone, it seemed like it might lean toward a dessert, but that ambiguity made it impossible to say for certain.
It certainly felt like it would turn into something delicious…….

‘I’d love to see it!’

But the Young Master preferred to cook alone.
The pleasure of focusing on a single task was something Alex himself knew well enough that he could surely bear to wait…….

“Is there anything else I can help with?”

Just one more time. Only one.

“No. This is enough. I’ll take it from here.”
“Of course…….”

It was no use.
Alex hid his disappointment, bowed, and stepped back from the kitchen.

“For this one…….”

I’m planning to use a special ability.
Since it wasn’t Alchemy, I had no idea how to explain it if he saw.
Lion quickly wrapped the malt powder in cloth, squeezed out the liquid, and set the cloudy mixture aside.
Next came the rice…….

‘I need to soak it.’

Unlike ordinary cooked rice, Sikhye uses Parched Rice.
You could make Parched Rice in a rice cooker, but…….

‘The proper way is to soak it first and then steam it in a basket.’

That way, the moisture content becomes significantly lower than if you were to submerge it entirely in water.
The problem was that to do this, I’d need to soak the rice in advance.

‘And this is a perfect chance to test my ability.’

Maturation Acceleration.
It seemed like an ability that could only be used for ripening things, but Lion believed it could work on anything that required time.
Like soaking rice.
After all, maturation meant letting something sit in its natural state for a long period.
So Lion placed the rice in a pot and activated Maturation Acceleration.
But…… there was nothing distinctive about it.
No special glow. No notification that the ability was in use.

‘It’s working.’

He could tell instinctively. He was using the ability right now!
He could feel Mana draining away, ever so faintly.

‘Let’s try just thirty seconds. Nothing too long.’

Lion closed the pot lid, shut his eyes, and counted thirty seconds in his mind.
Meanwhile, a remarkable transformation was taking place inside the pot.
The rice, desiccated by the milling process that stripped away both outer husk and bran, absorbed moisture, and as the starch within the grains grew damp, they began to gleam with a supple sheen.

“Hmm. Is it working?”

Lion counted to thirty and lifted the pot’s lid.

‘This is…… actually working?’

Truth be told, the spectacular effects of Alchemy had obscured how Maturation Acceleration was being applied, but it proved to be a more impressive skill than he’d expected!
Lion poured out the water and lifted a few grains of rice to examine them closely.
They were definitely moist now—thoroughly soaked.
This was how rice soaked for roughly thirty minutes should look.

“Excellent.”

The care that goes into cooking, after all, encompasses even the time spent on fermentation and soaking.
It simply means time is required.

‘Of course, for the finest dishes it would be better to soak by hand.’

But there was hardly anything more convenient than this.

‘……Wait. Would that apply to cultivating Malt as well?’

Lion paused in thought, then shook his head.
There was no way he’d been given a skill that could touch upon the domain of biological growth at this stage.

‘Still, it might be worth experimenting with later.’

For instance, soybean paste blocks.
The miso, gochugaru paste, soy sauce made from them……

‘That would be delicious.’

As the rice steamed steadily away.
Lion dragged a chair over to the kitchen, sat down, and whiled away the time at leisure.
The fragrant aroma of cooking rice and the scent of rising steam. The flames of the stove working diligently.
And the quiet solitude of sitting alone in an empty space.
What did one call this?
……Cooking Meditation?
The term was a touch odd, but what did it matter.
Lion indulged in his Cooking Meditation for a while, and once the rice was evenly cooked and the sediment of the Malt had settled to the bottom, he rose.
Lion placed the Parched Rice in a pot, poured only the clear liquid from the Malt over it, and closed the lid.

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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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