Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 14

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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 Knows Nothing; I’ll Just Heal — Episode 14

“W-would that be alright? Our household is quite renowned for making delicious bread!”
“Rickselle, don’t you think it would feel even better if we helped with the work together?”
“……That’s a good idea.”

Rickselle grasped something important in Lion’s words.

‘I’ve been so caught up thinking only of him that I failed to truly understand the situation of the Orphanage children.’

And yet he—despite his ailing body—had thought of others first…….
I merely offered shallow, surface-level charity.
Come to think of it, wasn’t that just empty-looking patronage?

‘The Orphanage is struggling to make ends meet right now.’

How could they have abundant materials for bread-making?
They were probably economizing on everything—butter and milk were out of the question; they’d be rationing even salt and cheap oil.

‘He knew that all along, didn’t he.’

He really was remarkable.
The corner of Rickselle’s mouth lifted slightly.
He couldn’t fathom why the fact that Lion had already grasped what he himself had failed to notice now filled him with such joy and admiration.

‘That’s good.’

Of course, Lion hadn’t thought things through quite as deeply as Rickselle imagined.
Good bread came from fine ingredients, yes, but it also came from the baker’s skill—so with both working together, they ought to produce something decent.
And decent meant tasty, which meant the people eating it would be happy.
If they were going to be happy anyway, wasn’t it better for more of them to be happy together?

“Then I’ll prepare things at once.”

Nicholas hurried into the Kitchen before the two brothers could change their minds.
In the meantime, Lion and Rickselle checked what extras they’d received at the Shop earlier.

“There’s probably nothing much. It’s not a place that’s generous with freebies.”
“Let’s have a look anyway?”

Sure enough, the bag was full of miscellaneous odds and ends, but one item caught his eye.

‘This is…….’

[Artisan’s Repair Set]
-Capable of repairing anything: fallen badges, worn insoles, and more!
-The possession of a craftsman who has grasped the limits of his talent. Items of Artisan rank and below can be repaired, but Master rank items cannot.

‘Not bad at all.’

Needles with nicks and thread soiled with grime.
It looked worthless at first glance, but examined with an expert’s eye, it was quite a treasure.
By value, it was worth even more than the hairpin they’d paid full price for, but it had been tossed in as a freebie because its age had disguised its worth.

“Since I have no need for these things, I believe you should keep them all, brother.”
“Really? Something this good?”
“Yes. Though I confess I’m not certain you’d have much use for them either.”

Rickselle gazed at the Repair Set resting in Lion’s hands.
It was called a repair set, but it looked more like junk—he doubted it could manage even a single proper stitch.

‘There’s no way he’d actually use something like that.’

Eccentric as Lion might be, there was no earthly reason for him to mend anything by hand.

“Thank you. Since you’ve given it to me, I’ll treasure it and put it to good use.”

Lion answered swiftly and tucked the set into his bag.

“You’re not thinking of this as a coming-of-age gift, are you?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? Where else would you get the money for one?”
……
……

Well, he supposed he was born with a silver spoon.
Though the younger one had technically paid for that item just now.
In any case.
The awkwardness passed quickly, and Nicholas reappeared, this time with an apron tied around his waist.

“Please, come in.”

Inside, a clean kitchen lay before them.

Whole Wheat Flour.

The flour had already been there, and since this was where bread was normally baked, all the essential ingredients were in plenty.
Especially…
Lion’s eyes lingered on the bottle of pale green oil.

Premium Olive Oil.

A two-star quality olive oil.
With such a fragrant, rich oil on hand, the flavor was practically guaranteed.

“Today we’ll be making a basic, everyday bread. It’s simple to prepare, absolutely delicious, and the children at the Orphanage love it.”

Nicholas had clearly decided that neither young master had ever tried baking before, so he’d brought a straightforward recipe.

“First, let me demonstrate with a small batch.”

Nicholas showed them immediately.

‘Simple enough.’

Rickselle smiled easily at the uncomplicated recipe. A set amount of flour, salt and yeast and milk added in proper proportion, then kneaded, placed in an oil-brushed bowl, and left to proof. Once the dough rose and puffed up, you’d press it down firmly to release the air, add crushed sunflower seeds, and mix. It was really just a series of straightforward steps compared to magic work.

Magic made everything seem equally simple by contrast.

“…Ordinarily we’d proof it once more after this, but since time is short today, we’ll stop here.”

Nicholas turned on the oven and began preheating, then clapped his hands together.

“Now then—shall you give it a try?”

Rickselle set about it at once, following exactly what he’d seen.
He kneaded the dough, took it through the proofing stage, added the toppings.
Finally, he shaped it into the bread tin and he was done.
It had gone remarkably fast.
But then…….

‘Is he still working on it?’

Rickselle glanced at Lion.
He wore a serious expression, lost in thought.

‘It might be harder than I thought.’

Just as different people excelled at different things, this task might prove difficult for him too.

“I think I need a bit more time.”
“Of course. I understand. Then I’ll bake yours and mine first.”

The two of them placed their dough in the oven to bake.
After some time had passed, Lion seemed to have gotten the hang of it, and he began kneading his dough belatedly.
A tangy, earthy aroma mingled with an appetite-stirring, nutty fragrance filled the air.
Their bread was done first.

“Shall we see how well it turned out?”

Nicholas pulled the bread from the oven…….

“……Hm?”

The two loaves showed a stark difference.
The top of Rickselle’s bread had burned slightly.

“If you pack too much dough into the pan, it burns like this.”

Nicholas said it happened, then carefully trimmed away the scorched top with a bread knife.

“Now, shall we taste it?”

Yes. The taste should be fine.
Rickselle bit into the bread without showing any sign of dismay.
The whole wheat bread Nicholas had made wasn’t as good as what they’d eaten at the Estate, but it had its own charm.
The crust was chewy, while the inside was moist and soft.
The salt even brought out the umami so well that the bread was flavorful on its own.
His own, on the other hand…….

“Hmm. There’s…… certainly taste to it!”
“Well, I suppose there’s taste to it, but…….”

It was hard as a rock.
The texture was aggravating to chew.
That harshness hit first, pushing any appreciation of flavor to the background.
If there were nothing else to eat, he’d manage…….
But would he choose to? That kind of bread.

“How did this happen? I followed the recipe measurements correctly.”

Rickselle murmured in bewilderment, and Nicholas burst out laughing.

“Haha. It seems the yeast and salt got mixed together a bit too much during kneading.”

He added that when that happened, the bread itself became dense.

“It’s your first time, so it can’t be helped. But this is passable. Ah, it looks like your brother’s bread is done baking too. Let me see…… hmm? Oh, that’s quite well baked!”

Unlike Rickselle’s, Lion’s bread had baked quite well.
There were no burnt spots, and it was as golden-brown as the loaf Nicholas had made.

“Where…”

Nicholas too carefully sliced into the bread, his expression tinged with anticipation.

Slice, slice, slice.

The pleasant, crisp sound of well-baked bread filled the kitchen…

[Asterije Whole Wheat Bread (★)]
-A well-baked whole wheat loaf. The outside is crispy and chewy, while the inside is dense and soft.
-It would be lovely spread with jam, or made into a sandwich!
[Category – Food]
[☞To learn this recipe, you must reach Apprentice Level 3.]

[Cooking Proficiency has reached Apprentice Level 2.]

‘As expected.’

With quality ingredients at hand and careful attention to detail, the results came out well.
Nicholas had left two things unmentioned.
One was keeping the salt and yeast separated, and the other was filling the pan slightly below the rim with dough.
But Lion had added something else on top of that.
Before baking, he’d dusted the bread’s surface lightly with whole wheat flour and scored it with a knife.
This created a color contrast between the interior crumb and the crust, making it look even more appetizing.

“Food that looks good tastes better anyway, doesn’t it? So I thought I’d try it.”

Even if these were children living in the Orphanage and needed food urgently, why not make it beautiful while you’re at it?

[Budding Baker (1) Achievement – 1/100 until completion]

Little touches of detail had resulted in a one-star loaf.
And now an achievement had appeared because of it.
It seemed that baking ninety-nine more loaves like this would complete the achievement.

‘I should raid the Estate kitchen later too.’

Just as Lion was savoring his satisfaction…

“My word!”

Nicholas was taken aback.
Not only had this young master created a delicious loaf on his first try…
But his heart was so noble.
He’d seemed taciturn the whole time, as if he’d been dragged along reluctantly, but it appeared that wasn’t the case at all.

‘When he first suggested baking bread, I had my doubts…’

He’d wondered if perhaps the donation was merely a pretext, and this young master simply wanted to experience common folk life.
That suspicion had actually persisted right through the bread-making itself.
But then the young master had judged that accepting donations and feeding hungry children was more important.
And so he’d willingly participated in this shared “game” of bread-making.
And yet…

‘That consideration for those who would eat it…!’

Even Nicholas, caught up in observing the two of them, had overlooked that detail.
If the Lord were watching Nicholas at this very moment, he would surely be drowning in shame.
So he resolved to do his best to help, right now, however he could.

‘What’s the greatest kindness I can offer?’

That method had to be it, surely.
With his resolve hardened, Nicholas opened his mouth.

“Young masters, would you mind if I stepped away for a moment? There’s something I really must attend to.”
“Oh? Ah, of course. You must have your own matters to see to—we’ve kept you long enough.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll be back as quickly as I can!”

Nicholas spoke with solemn determination, then rushed off without even removing his apron.

“He seems in quite a hurry. Did I pressure him by asking about baking?”
“No, not at all.”

Rickselle, sensing some kinship with Nicholas, resumed kneading dough and murmured to himself.

“He looks like he means to come straight back, so we should keep working on the bread.”
“Very well. If you say so, then that’s how it is.”

At least now there was time to bake at a proper pace.

“I’ll keep improving myself too.”

Rickselle spoke with quiet resolve and threw himself into his work, kneading bread with focused intensity. While waiting for Nicholas to return, he mixed batch after batch of dough and loaded it into the oven again and again.

Nicholas returned.

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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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