Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 115

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

The Successor? I’ll Just Heal, Thanks Chapter 115

In an instant, excruciating pain seized him.
Worse than the day after he’d circled the Training Ground several times, hoisted heavy stones on his shoulders, and repeated the motion of sitting and standing hundreds of times.
Tears welled up frantically in Barg’s eyes.
There was no time for anything like gratitude—it just hurt with a bone-deep, filthy ache that was absolutely unbearable.
He would have cursed if he’d known any curses worth swearing.

“Aaaahhhhh! Aaaaaaahhhhh!”

All he could do was scream.
As tears streamed down his face without end, Rickson—apparently having misunderstood something entirely—muttered gloomily.

“How much you must have suffered… it’s all my carelessness.”
“Hhhhhhaaahhhhh……”
“Barg. It’s all right now!”

A thick, callused hand covered in scars and old wounds patted Barg’s back with solid thuds.

“Fortunately, no one was hurt. No one died.”

Lion, observing this scene, covered his mouth with his hand.

‘That has to hurt like hell.’

Barg looked as though he were on the verge of losing consciousness again.
No—as the Eclipse Symptoms eased, his mind had actually grown sharper; he couldn’t even faint if he tried.
At this rate, the boy would be done for.
Lion cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

“Ahem. I’m relieved you regained consciousness so quickly.”
“Ah…!”

Only then did Rickson realize that Lion was in the room and bolted upright.

Thud.

Barg’s body collapsed limply onto the bed.
He barely managed to extend his thumb—what was surely the most gratitude he could muster in his current state.

“Young Master. I don’t know how to repay this debt.”

Rickson dusted himself off as though nothing had happened moments before, then turned to Lion and offered a proper bow of respect.

“I did nothing of consequence. It was all possible because of Barg’s strong will.”

Of course, Lion had made the cure, but if Barg hadn’t endured even a little, he would have passed away as it was.
Rickson was deeply moved by Lion’s words.

‘To accomplish something so extraordinary and yet remain so humble!’

It must not have been an easy challenge for the Young Master either.
There had been no documented cases of anyone overcoming Eclipse Symptoms until now.
No matter whom he consulted, all the advice was the same: let the child pass peacefully.
Even the Lord of the House had thought so. As had the other beastfolk.
No one had believed this boy could overcome the Eclipse Symptoms.
Even the berserker state hadn’t come as quickly as everyone had feared it would.
When his sword shattered, they’d all thought it was the end.

‘From that point on, there was no suppressing it, no way to evade the situation.’

But then—like a comet streaking across the sky—the Young Master arrived.
……Though to be honest, he really did blaze in like one.

“I, Rickson, shall never forget the Young Master’s grace.”
“Ha ha, it was simply what needed to be done, that’s all.”

Lion waved a hand dismissively.
He knew well how tirelessly Knight Order Commander Rickson labored for House Asteri.

“Rather, I should be the grateful one. Haven’t you kept me safe from harm all this time?”
“That is——”

As Rickson began to respond, Lion gestured him quiet and offered the Sikhye he’d set aside nearby.

“In any case, I came only to give you this.”
“This is……?”
“It’s a beverage I made this time. It contains ingredients that Barg enjoys.”

At those words, Barg forgot his muscle soreness entirely and sprang upright.

“Could it be……?”
“That’s right. Made from barley.”

Barg’s face flushed crimson like a Salamander’s flame.

“It’s fine, so drink some.”
“I shall partake with gratitude.”
“Th-thank you, sir.”

The two of them accepted the bottles somewhat bewildered and drank deeply in unison.
Barg, who knew well of Lion’s culinary skill, drained his bottle in one breath, then smacked his lips repeatedly at the lingering sweetness followed by a warm, peppery aftertaste.

“Ah, it’s delicious……!”

The grains of rice he could chew in the drink suddenly brought back his memories.

‘This looks cooked, and the kind seems to be rice, but……’

The fullness he’d felt then, the bewilderment—the day he’d first met the Young Master—all of it came flooding back.
And now, he was grateful that he could recall that time anew.
Barg gripped the bottle tightly between both hands.

‘How do I repay a debt of life?’

Of course, the Young Master would tell him to harbor no such thoughts and focus on recovery, but Barg did not wish to do so.
He wanted to be useful somehow.
To become capable—and if possible, to guard the Young Master someday.

‘Though that distant future is far away for me.’

Still, if he kept striving, might he not one day become someone who could be of service to the Young Master?
But then again!
Separate from that, he wanted to give something right now.
Barg pondered all that he possessed, recalled something, and perked his ears up sharply!
Yes. That was it!

* * *

“How curious—and delicious, I must say. The fact that you’ve put rice in a beverage is quite unusual, and I suspect it must be excellent for restoring one’s strength.”

[Cooking Experience Points increased by 10 percent.]

“Ha. I’m glad it suits your taste.”

Lion forced a smile, recalling the sugar he’d added to the Sikhye.
He’d used less than in a typical batch, but there was still enough sweetness in it that someone aiming for muscle growth might find it excessive.

‘Pure carbohydrates.’

Still, drinking it occasionally couldn’t hurt, could it?
With that thought, Lion rose smoothly from his seat.

“Since I’ve confirmed that Barg is in good health, I should take my leave now.”
“Allow me to see you out.”
“No, no. There’s no need for that. I can find my own way, so please don’t trouble yourself.”
“But……”
“Your duties as Captain Rickson are to House Asteri, not to me. I helped out of genuine goodwill, so there’s no need to make a great matter of it.”
“Ah.”

Rickson was moved all over again!
So Young Master Lion’s words meant he should repay this kindness not to him personally, but by redoubling his loyalty to House Asteri itself!

‘Not even an heir, yet his heart runs so deep……!’

Of course, that wasn’t what Lion had meant at all.

“Anyway, Barg. I’ll visit again soon, so rest well.”

Lion offered his farewell and stepped out of the Hospital Room.

“How late it’s gotten already.”

The sky had darkened considerably. The servants had surely all gone home by now.

“I won’t manage to give it to him today.”

Lion gazed at the last bottle of Sikhye remaining in his possession.
He’d wanted to give him something freshly made, but showing up at the Dormitory for apprentice servants at this hour would cause nothing but trouble.
Better to wait until morning when daylight came.
As he walked forward with this resolve……

“Wait, please! Young Master!”

A timid voice called out behind him.

‘That voice.’

Lion turned around, bewildered.
Someone who shouldn’t have been outside was there.
It was Barg—the very same creature who, just moments ago, could barely move his own body.

‘Has he recovered already?’

Even with iron will, a body that didn’t cooperate couldn’t have managed that speed.

‘Wait, looking more carefully……’

When he’d been lying down, Lion hadn’t noticed, but now standing with his spine straightened, the creature’s height was…… noticeably taller!
Moreover, his scrawny frame had gained a certain thickness to it.
Could it be that because he hadn’t grown during the Eclipse Symptoms, his body had expanded all at once, making the muscle soreness even worse?

“Oof…….”

Barg approached, trembling like someone who’d just finished a brutal lower-body workout in hell itself.
His tail swayed gently back and forth, but judging by how he couldn’t bring himself to say he was fine, it seemed he’d merely pushed through on sheer determination.

“Is it really okay for you to come out like this?”
“Hehe. I, I came to give you this!”

Barg respectfully handed over what he’d been holding to Lion.

“Of course, I don’t think this repays my debt to you or anything! I, I just—it’s simply all I can offer you right now…….”

Of course, the essence from last time was the best I could give then too. I’m not hiding anything! he muttered in apology.
In short, he’d simply wanted to express his gratitude in whatever way he could…….
Lion gazed at the paper-wrapped package in his hand.
It was about the size of his palm, and not particularly heavy.
He could sense something inside, but the wrapping told him nothing of its identity.

“What is this?”
“Ah, well…….”
“Well?”
“I…… I’m not sure myself.”
“Hm?”
“It seemed important, so I always carried it with me…… but I thought it might be more useful to you, Young Master.”
“I see. Mind if I open it?”
“O, of course!”

Lion didn’t hesitate; he tore open the wrapping.

[Magical Beast Infant Food]
-It should be good to give to a Magical Beast after it hatches from an egg.
-Opening may cause nearby Magical Beasts to be drawn by the scent and seek you out!

Ah~ what in the world. So this was Magical Beast Infant Food…….

‘Wait. Magical Beast Infant Food, out of nowhere?’

Lion pulled out every scrap of information he had stored in his mind.
At the apex of Beast Taming existed two types of creatures.
Divine Beasts—sacred animals capable of wielding holy power—and Magical Beasts, the inverse concept.
Magical Beasts in particular had an instinctive command of magic, and rumors said that in terms of sheer combat power, they surpassed even legendary dragons.
Currently, both types had become creatures you couldn’t find in this world.
Divine Beasts had vanished, and Magical Beasts lived in the Demon Realm.

‘So they shouldn’t exist in this world at all?’

Yet this was food for raising and taming such creatures?

‘Now that I think about it, in the Ceiling Shop too…….’

When he’d browsed the entire product list sorted by lowest price, there had definitely been an item listed as Magical Beast Food.
Which meant…….

‘They exist here too, not just in the Demon Realm?’

Or was there perhaps a way to travel to and from the Demon Realm?

‘But how?’

The Demon Realm and this place were completely separated by the Great Barrier that grandfather and the Saint had created.
It was nearly impossible for a Magical Beast to exist here—but what if there were a possibility?
The former he could dismiss, but the latter would become rather troublesome.

‘One wrong move and we’d be looking at a second war breaking out.’

Lion stopped himself there and shook his head.
That was unnecessary worry, nothing more.
If anything had been wrong with the Great Barrier, grandfather would have sensed it first.
Besides, Demons seeping through small cracks aren’t much of a threat.
The real problem would be high-ranking Demons.

‘Right. A Magical Beast or two could certainly still exist somewhere in the world.’

There was Barg, descended from a Druid, after all.
Druids possessed the arts of Spirit Communion and Beast Taming.
So it wouldn’t have been particularly strange if Barg possessed these skills as well.
Besides—

‘He really has no idea what it is.’

Barg apparently had no knowledge whatsoever of its true nature.
Lion deliberated for a moment, then rewrapped the paper-covered package and tucked it into his robes.
It was partly because he found Barg’s heart admirable.

—When opened, nearby Magical Beasts may become charmed by the scent and seek you out!

He knew that even if Magical Beasts truly existed, they weren’t the vile creatures the public believed them to be.
They lived in the Demon Realm, so naturally they might seem like entities worthy of extermination.

‘They’re simply creatures well-adapted enough to live even in the Demon Realm.’

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