Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 140

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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 to Me, But I’ll Just Heal — Chapter 140

‘It was the same when I spoke with Mudu earlier.’

It thrashed about inside the bag with wild urgency, as though demanding I hand myself over to the other party at once.

‘Still, it’s fortunate I knew beforehand.’

If I’d gone through with it while everyone was watching……
It might have turned into a disaster.

‘No. Better not to dwell on it.’

Lion shook his head.
Rather than worry needlessly, it was best to finish the work quickly before dawn broke and head back.
Lion unpacked the things he’d brought and retrieved one of the Snowfield Iron ingots he’d prepared beforehand at the Smithy.

[Snowfield Iron Ingot (★★★)]
— A piece of iron touched by a skilled blacksmith’s hands.
— It could even be used as a mirror!
[Use — Blacksmithing]
[☞Click to view recipe.]

The Refining had been done well; at a glance, the ingot was smooth and clean, unmarred by a single impurity.

“You can use anything in the Smithy as you like!”
“And what if I use it all up?”
“Ha! Use it all, you mad thing!”

As Lion gazed at the iron, a conversation he’d had with Mudu before clearing out the Smithy came back to him.

‘Remarkable.’

In truth, helping the Fire Spirit had been simply to make a Hoe.
It wasn’t born from any grand purpose or kindness of heart—and yet, ever since then, Mudu had seized every opportunity to give him something more.
And no doubt, this iron ingot was the same.

“I’m grateful.”

Without asking a single question, Mudu had entrusted him with the Smithy itself, holding it as dear as life.
More than that—anticipating that Lion might need them, Mudu had prepared everything else and departed.
Lion smiled faintly at the neatly arranged tools and the furnace blazing with eager flames.

“Chirp.”
“Right. Then I’d better make sure to clean up properly afterward.”

Lion took a Foam Mold from his Inventory.

‘First, I need to make the mold.’

The Foam Mold had one excellent feature to offset its single-use drawback.
It was that even a complete novice could shape the mold well.
For that reason, the method of use was not difficult at all.
Touch your hand to the Foam Mold and imagine the shape you want. That was it.
It was remarkably similar to the method he’d used with the Magic Seasoning B when eating instant noodles long ago.

‘Then…….’

A perfect form had just occurred to him.
Lion closed his eyes and imagined the long cylindrical shape that would fit in the palm of his hand.
It would have a lid he could twist off, and the stability to rest on its base without spilling.
Beyond that, it would possess the property of containing the witch’s Mana, preventing it from leaking outward.
It was, quite simply…….

‘A tumbler.’

After all, wasn’t there a shape perfect for exactly this purpose?

It fit the hand perfectly, kept contents warm beautifully—what more could one ask for?
Lion found himself remembering his old tumbler days.
Back when he’d worked at the office, he’d preferred his tumbler to disposable plastic cups in those coffee-scented cafes.
It wasn’t born of any grand principle.
A tumbler had arrived as a gift from somewhere, and using it meant he could save a little money—that was all.
When he’d first stepped into society, even five hundred won in savings felt like a windfall.
Why else would he have left an hour early and walked to work instead of taking public transport?
In that sense, the gifted tumbler had been a worthwhile companion.
But.

‘I used it well at first, but I had my struggles with it later.’

After prolonged use, a tumbler naturally develops odor, and grime accumulates between the lid and body—as his had.
His tumbler followed the same trajectory.
No matter how hard he scrubbed with a sponge, the dirt lodged in that thin gap simply wouldn’t come clean!
Had he lived at home, things might’ve been different, but as a newcomer, he’d practically lived at the office.
With mountains of work piling up, standing at the sink washing his tumbler all day while other employees rushed about felt like torture.

‘Looking back now, I wonder why I couldn’t leave early even as a newcomer.’

What did a newcomer know how to do anyway?
Well, it’s ancient history now, so I’m not angry about it, but thinking of it suddenly struck me as absurd.

‘So this tumbler… no, this Potion Bottle—I hope it cleans easily at least.’

Of course, it was uncertain whether such wishes would apply to a Foam Mold.
Still, the more specific the desired conditions, the better the item that emerges, doesn’t it?
Lion opened his eyes slowly, after adding various options within the bounds of what the mold could contain.
And then…….

“Oh.”

It seemed to have finished remarkably well?
Of course, he’d need to pour liquid into the mold to be sure, but to the naked eye it looked quite promising!

[Blacksmithing Experience Points have increased significantly through the use of a special item!]
[Blacksmithing Proficiency Level has become Apprentice Lv.3.]

Despite not having used it properly yet, his Experience Points had risen considerably.
It appeared that purchasing the item from the Sealing Shop had granted him a special bonus.

‘This is an incredible gain.’

Having leveled up two ranks, he found he could now perceive precisely how to use this Foam Mold to achieve satisfying results.
With the path made clear, his hands itched to begin.

“Breathe. Stay calm.”

Impatience in a smithy led to grave accidents.
With blades and searing heat alone already dangerous, Lion would need to work with Obsidian as well.
The first two posed only a risk to himself, but Obsidian—one slip could invite catastrophe.

‘That’s it. I just need to maintain this feeling.’

Lion clenched his fist once, then released it and picked up the Obsidian, dropping it into the Potion Bottle he’d been carrying.

Clink.

The deep black Obsidian fell into the transparent Potion Bottle.

“And…”

Dissolving Agent.
Lion uncapped the Dissolving Agent he’d received free with his purchase of the Foam Mold and poured it directly into the Potion Bottle in a steady stream.
Normally, any gemstone would lose its luster the instant it touched Dissolving Agent, turning to glass shards, but…

Ssshhhhh—

Elvia’s Obsidian was different.
The moment it touched the Dissolving Agent, the transparent liquid darkened as if ink were spreading through it.
A strange whisper echoed at the edges of his hearing as an eerie force began to churn and bubble, as though trying to evaporate the very liquid itself.
The black aura consumed all the Dissolving Agent and kept climbing, creeping up the walls of the Potion Bottle like something crawling upward on all fours.
Like smoke rising from an incense burner, Elvia’s Mana surged back out of the Potion Bottle and spilled across the floor.

Plop.
Thud.

It was no longer a liquid, yet it still made that wet, splashing sound as it hit the ground.
Lion didn’t cap the Potion Bottle. He simply left it alone.
As the empowered black aura spread across the floor up to his ankles, obscuring his vision and expanding its domain outward—

“Nature, could you keep the smoke from escaping outside the Smithy?”
“Chirp.”

Nature heard Lion’s request and began to use the wind’s power.
As a gentle breeze blew in from outside, blocking the aura from expanding further, his Mana drained away in a torrent.

‘That’s incredible.’

Just containing the aura was enough to do this—Elvia’s Mana truly was beyond imagination.
Yet he felt no dread, no fear.
Though it appeared violent and ominous on the surface…

‘It’s still Elvia’s Mana, after all.’

This power was indeed the peculiar Mana of the Demon Race.
Certainly, if anyone else made contact with it, something terrible would happen.
No—it definitely would. He wouldn’t deny that much.
But.

‘I’m fine.’

Elvia’s Mana showed no sign of ever intending to harm Lion; it gave no hostile response whatsoever.
The dark cloud that rose past his ankles to his calves was simply dark smoke—no threat at all.
Perhaps Elvia’s will was woven into it.
He could sense her care, her worry that he might be hurt.
That’s why Nature, too, descended calmly and perched on his shoulder.

“Thank you. Melting the iron will take quite a while, so please keep it from leaking outside.”

And now came the long-awaited task: melting the iron.
Lion placed the well-refined iron onto the casting furnace.
With Nature’s power, he could have melted the iron far more quickly, but Nature was currently occupied with the task of keeping the black smoke from escaping outside.
So then…….

“It’s been a while. I’m counting on you.”

[The Lesser Fire Spirit readily accepts your request.]
[The Lesser Fire Spirit glances nervously at the Ancient Spirit.]

“Hm?”

Lion glanced at Nature perched on his shoulder.
Could it be that Nature had deliberately settled there because……
……could it be jealousy?

“Chirp!”

Nature, as if reading Lion’s thoughts, began viciously tugging at his hair with her beak.

“Hahaha.”

Lion kept laughing even as strands of hair were pulled out.
I mean, an Ancient Spirit getting jealous of a Lesser Spirit—it was just too amusing.

“Come on. Of course it’s only you.”
“Hmph.”

From a scoff to a snort—quite the escalation.
Lion, unbothered, tilted his head toward where Nature sat and rubbed his face against her soft feathers, indulging himself shamelessly.
Of course, that cost him a few more strands of hair, but he considered such a reaction well worth the price.
Still, if he kept this up, she’d surely pout in earnest, so he’d better soothe her feelings.

“If you did everything yourself, you’d be exhausted. That’s why I asked her to help. Besides, if you were asleep when the egg hatched, that wouldn’t be ideal, right?”
“……Chirp!”

[The Familiar Spirit ‘Nature’ demands ‘an incredibly delicious snack’!]

Fortunately, it seemed she was willing to let it go.

“Alright, alright. I’ll make something for you when we get back.”
“Chirp.”

Nature, still displeased with the situation, spread her wings wide in a threat toward the Lesser Fire Spirit, then fluttered away to another corner of the smithy.

‘Honestly.’

She was adorable.

[The Lesser Fire Spirit’s discipline tightens considerably.]

In any case, thanks to Nature’s display, the Lesser Spirit had snapped to attention, so Lion really did owe her something delicious.
Lion placed the iron in the casting furnace while mulling over what snack would be best, and settled in to wait.

‘How long will this take?’

Normally, completely melting steel required a solid six hours.
And since what he was melting now was Snowfield Iron—tougher than ordinary steel—he was a bit concerned about the time.
Still, with the Lesser Spirit’s help here, he thought it might go a bit faster, though……

“Oh?”

Faster than expected—no, visibly faster than he could have imagined—the Snowfield Iron melted before his eyes!

‘Now that I think about it.’

Not much time had passed since he’d brought the Snowfield Iron to this place.
In that span, the lesser spirit seemed to have learned how to melt iron more efficiently.
And so, in the darkest hour before dawn broke—
A brilliant crimson sun bloomed not in the sky, but at the fingertip of Lion.

[Dissolved Snowfield Iron (★★★)]
-You’ve melted the sturdy Snowfield Iron to silken smoothness through flawless fire control.
-Not a trace of slag.
-Whatever you forge from this will yield a grade far superior to common iron!
[Use: Blacksmithing]
[☞Click here to view recipes.]

[Blacksmithing Proficiency has reached Apprentice Lv.4.]

The Snowfield Iron had melted far more quickly than anticipated.
And in the same moment—

Whooosh—

The black smoke that had pooled to his knees surged upward, swallowing the small sun.
An eclipse arrived in an instant.

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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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