Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 131

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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 Is Unknown, So I’ll Just Heal 131

From the moment Ricshel appeared, the Temple found itself paralyzed.
Part of it was that he was the Noblewoman’s family, but more than that, they had lost the momentum first.

‘This—this won’t do!’

Fortunately, one senior priest managed to keep his composure.
He had to regain his wits.
One wrong word here, and they would have no choice but to return the Noblewoman to her family’s care.
To send back someone who might truly be a Messenger of God—without any verification at all!
It couldn’t happen.
So at the very least, until the Archbishop—or the successor candidate—heard this news and took action, he had to hold the line.

“I believe there’s been some misunderstanding. Please, let us first calm ourselves…….”
“Calm?”

The senior priest flinched under Ricshel’s gaze without meaning to.

‘……Did I just flinch?’

Regardless of how recently he’d been promoted to senior priest, there were few priests in the Temple who could wield Holy Power as he could.
Which meant his mental fortitude was far from that of an ordinary person.
And how many years of training had gone into becoming a senior priest?
Nothing in his spirit or skill had come cheaply.
And yet…… to be pushed back like that.

Gulp.

The senior priest’s throat moved of its own accord.
Because it meant this young man was stronger than he was.

‘……It must be a Disguise, surely.’

The Noblewoman had been wearing quite fine clothes from the moment she first visited the Temple.
Which meant she was at minimum the child of an exceptionally wealthy merchant, or a sufficiently prominent noble.
And the fact that she had connections to the Asteri Territory meant she could have ties to a magical family or even the Magic Tower itself.
That would mean she could employ and bring here a fifth-circle Mage, disguised as someone else.

‘That must be why no information surfaces.’

But the real problem was…… that the Temple had no way to prove this suspicion.
The man’s current identity was the Noblewoman’s family.
More specifically, her brother, who had come directly to rescue the Noblewoman, who was being held in the Temple against her will.
Whether they cast suspicion or applied pressure, the Temple’s position was weak.
Interfering with the Mage was problematic on its own…….

‘What if the Noblewoman becomes disillusioned?’

Just thinking about it made him dizzy.
In the end, whether the Noblewoman stayed with the Temple or returned to her family’s side depended entirely on her own heart.
But that wasn’t all.
Already, the news of the Sanctuary’s completion had reached the lay faithful beyond the Temple in a single day.
The Sanctuary’s completion was such an extraordinary achievement, such a symbolic one.
To put it perhaps with a touch of exaggeration, it was enough to solidify the next Archbishop’s standing.
A Saint chosen by the Messenger of God. Licht.
With overflowing Holy Power, seeking to make the world more blessed, he had completed the Sanctuary that had been unfinished even while serving in the official capacity of priest!
That alone was sufficient grounds for promoting the Temple.
But! If a Messenger of God were to leave the Temple in a situation like this?

“The one who completed the Sanctuary has left?”
“Why?”
“Could it be… the Temple’s corruption had become too severe?”

Such whispers were bound to surface.

‘No—it’s certain they will.’

Already, rumors were swirling throughout the Temple about children being ordained as priests in various sections.

‘The worst-case scenario must be prevented at all costs.’

Which is precisely why the Noblewoman had to be attended to more than ever.
Did the senior priest not witness it himself?
That night.
Life kindling in the pallid, withered Sanctuary left unfinished, all Holy Power gathering in one place, and an immense radiance of Holy Power blooming forth!
It was not only the Sanctuary.
From the statue of Anyatras, the God of Eternal Flame, installed within the Temple, and from the brazier honoring the flame, fierce fire erupted!
It was, quite literally, Divine Power itself.
Perhaps this time a true Messenger of God had returned.
The Temple could now enter a second Golden Age, following the Saint!

Gulp.

The senior priest swallowed hard.
So… however much he regretted it, he could not reveal the Noblewoman’s location to the boy standing before him.
If he did, everything would be lost.

‘Of all times, why must the Archbishop and the candidates be unreachable now…’

In any case, he had to stall for time. Even if it meant forcing the issue somewhat.
Of course, as a priest of the divine, this troubled his conscience—but after all, for the Greater Good, there were things one had to turn a blind eye to.
He considered this to be one of those moments.
…All the more so if the opponent were a mage!
Just as he was about to open his mouth with that thought—

“Hol-hol.”

A good-natured laugh scattered the taut atmosphere.
It was An, the Theological Seminary’s principal.

“You must have been quite worried to come all this way.”

The senior priest could only start at An’s voice.
The principal, by nature, had never wished to involve himself in disputes.

‘But he’s… stepping forward?’

Yes. Even a man as gentle as this would surely not guide such a serious matter in such a strange direction…

“I know the Noblewoman’s location.”
“Principal!”

The senior priest’s hopes shattered in an instant at An’s bombshell declaration.
An tapped his slightly hunched back and walked forward slowly, standing before Ricshel with a faint smile, then turned his body deliberately to face the priests.

“I see this old man’s choice to stand with the guest has surprised you all.”
“…….”

In truth, the expressions on the priests’ faces in the Conference Hall were quite worth observing.
Most looked bewildered, and a few seemed positively angered.

“You believe I have betrayed the greater good. I understand that as well.”

Ann surveyed the priests slowly, her smile still intact.

“Indeed…….”

Ann exhaled bitterly.
When had the priests begun chasing justifications for the greater good?
Since she had grown ambitious about training disciples and begun burying herself in the Theological Seminary?
Or was it because the Archbishop shouldered the heavy burdens, leaving the priests without any real trials to forge them?
Whatever the reason, this meeting had taught Ann something she felt in her bones.
That if they continued in silence and mere inaction, the very foundation of the Temple would crumble.
Was it truly the way of those who served God to cling to such justifications, to obstruct the simple gathering of an ordinary family, to sever the bonds as new family took root?
No. It was not.

“Tell me—what do you believe are the virtues of a priest?”

The quiet question brought another silence upon the room.

“Perhaps it is time to listen to the voice of your heart.”

As Ann posed this question, she revived the gentle smile that had momentarily faded.
And yet Ann harbored no dislike or malice toward them.
People were bound to err.
The difference lay only in whether one reflected and progressed, or hid and claimed innocence.
Still…….

‘They have not yet fallen beyond saving, it seems.’

The face of the senior priest who had spoken first flushed crimson.
Whatever the reason, the blood rushing to his face spoke of a shame so profound he could not hide it.
And that was far better than shamelessness would have been.

“…….”
“Mm.”

The other priests felt the weight of the moment equally.

‘Yes.’

This was enough for now.
At least they had bought time.

‘Could it be that the Noblewoman had foreseen even this?’

If so, the depth of her understanding would be beyond reckoning; yet even if not, the fact remained that she had guided them toward what was right.

‘She is no ordinary person. Like……that.’

Ann found herself reaching into the depths of memory.
Back to those distant days when war raged against the Demons.
She had glimpsed ‘that one’ from afar, and by chance had overheard a conversation between him and the Saint.
A sturdy young man who had been called the Hero.
Even as he spoke in what seemed ordinary discourse, there emanated from him a strange and formidable power.
So vivid was that sensation then that even now, an eternity later, she could recall it with perfect clarity.
And yet, thinking of it now, the Noblewoman carried much of that same quality about her.

‘It could be an old man’s delusion.’

She shook her head inwardly. Even if her instinct was correct, nothing would change.
Ann turned her body to look at Ricshel.
The boy, younger even than Licht, still regarded her with those cold eyes.
Yet beneath that gaze lay a glimmer of worry and restlessness.
Ordinary people would never notice such things, but there are truths visible only to the clouded eyes of the aged.

“May I show you the way?”
……

Ricshel was thoroughly displeased with this situation.

‘The Temple makes everything needlessly soft.’

In this very moment, he grasped why Priests and Mages were natural opposites.

‘Everything is unfolding according to no one’s will but circumstance’s.’

It was neither systematic nor logical.
Had the House Asteri conducted affairs in such a manner, he would have uprooted the problem long ago.
Had the Theological Seminary’s director not intervened just now, he might have had to endure this absurd bickering countless times over.

‘So this must be the ally Elder Brother wrote of in his letter.’

Ricshel recalled his brother’s letter once more.
Surely a conference would be held, and when it was, there would certainly be an ally to aid him in that very chamber—such was what the letter had promised.
And even a postscript, touched with concern: bring along a single escort, just in case, for though the Temple would resort to no violence, one could never be too cautious.
Ricshel exhaled quietly.

‘Elder Brother is far too kind.’

That he had chosen such a circuitous path was surely on account of that Priest called Licht.
Otherwise, slipping free on his own was something Elder Brother could have managed without hesitation.

‘Then I shall extract much from this Archbishop candidate.’

Was there not meaning in Elder Brother summoning him in the first place?

‘Do not worry, Elder Brother.’

Ricshel’s hands clenched softly into fists.
I shall repay in full what you have endured.
Barg flinched slightly at the sight of Ricshel’s rekindled resolve, but Ann, who had already moved ahead, did not see it.
Had she seen it, she might have regretted, ever so slightly, the choice she had just made.

“We have arrived.”
“……This place is……”

It lay within a section of the Temple that was quite deliberately concealed.
Likely due to the special status of the Archbishop candidate.

‘According to the original plan, I should have arrived here under the guidance of Holy Knights.’

But the Priests had interfered at every turn, delaying his arrival until now.
It was according to plan, and yet the satisfaction was wholly absent.

“Then this old woman shall keep watch here at the threshold.”

Having read Ricshel’s expression, Ann chuckled softly to herself and took it upon herself to drive away the other Priests.

“I—I should wait outside as well.”

Barg raised his hand hesitantly as he spoke.
He would have liked to see the Young Master too, but for now, guarding these two seemed more fitting as a way to repay their kindness.

“Understood.”

Ricshel didn’t press the matter further.
Not that he had any desire to—what he needed was to check on his brother’s condition first.
And beyond that…….
To follow the script his brother had prepared, he needed to go in now and cause a commotion, however late the hour.

‘That seminary director held them back for a moment, but the priests will come rushing here soon enough.’

The shock had bought them only a brief window; they would soon regain their senses and come here. That much was obvious.
So Licht was positioning herself to guard the door directly.
If anything, it worked in their favor.

“Then.”

Ricshel nodded lightly to Licht and stepped inside.

Click.

The door closed, and just as expected, priests came hurrying from down the corridor moments later.
They hesitated at the sight of Licht, but only for an instant.

“I have given this considerable thought. I now understand what the seminary director meant. However, I believe the gravity of this situation is on an entirely different scale.”
“Yes. At least until we hear directly from the Archbishop…….”

The priests were each offering their excuses when—

Crash!

A loud voice rang out from within the chamber, accompanied by the sound of something falling.

“What is the meaning of this! You say my brother has scarcely any days left to live!”
“…….”

A silence fell—one of a different quality than before.
The priest who had been speaking last brought both hands to his mouth.
They had just overheard something grave indeed.

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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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