Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 152

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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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Succession? Not my concern. Let me just heal. Episode 152

At some point, the Second Imperial Prince of the Empire—the one who now bore the name Kyle Sol Aionis—found himself navigating a thoroughly bewildering morning.

“What did you just say?”
“Well, that is…….”

The attendant delivering the report to the Second Prince darted his eyes about uncertainly before repeating what he’d just said moments before.

“Young Master Ricshel Asteri is asking to postpone the scheduled engagement…….”
“…….”

Heir to House Asteri or not, for an unranked young master to contact the Imperial Prince and request a postponement was undeniably impertinent.
Yet Kyle was not the sort to display displeasure over something as trivial as delaying a same-day appointment.
Clawing his way up from the bottom, he’d endured far worse humiliations countless times.
The capriciousness of nobles was hardly a new phenomenon—it had been going on for ages—and the higher the rank, the more volatile their whims became, boiling away like soup on a stove.
So ordinarily, he wouldn’t have been bewildered by mere rudeness of this caliber…….

“And his reason?”
“He said a personal matter has come up, Your Highness.”
“A personal matter.”
“……Yes, sir. That is correct, Your Highness.”

‘Ricshel Asteri? That Ricshel Asteri?’

That was the source of Kyle’s shock.
The person in question was Ricshel Asteri.
Set aside his rank and bloodline entirely—Ricshel Asteri was not the type to carelessly postpone an engagement over something as trivial as personal circumstances.
That man was, quite simply, the most inflexible person Kyle had ever encountered.
Everything according to principle and regulation.
Schedule adjustments executed with the same pristine precision.
If a meeting wasn’t pre-arranged, he drew the line clearly with anyone, without exception.
That strictness applied as thoroughly to Kyle, who now shared the same vessel with him, as it did to Ricshel Asteri himself.
Kyle had always thought it was both Ricshel’s greatest strength and his greatest weakness.
And yet!

“Ha.”

Kyle let out a hollow laugh.
That Ricshel Asteri had unilaterally postponed the engagement. With no warning whatsoever.
Had anyone other than Ricshel Asteri done this, Kyle would have suspected foul play immediately.
Was this man harboring a different intention?
Was he about to meet with the First Imperial Prince instead?
Or had something else gone awry?

‘No. That can’t be it.’

Behind Ricshel stood Marquis Patrick Asteri, solid as an ancient tree.
So nothing untoward could have befallen Ricshel.
And certainly that inflexible man would not suddenly overturn his own decisions now, flipping his hand like a coin.

‘Especially not this plan…….’

Though neither of them had put it into words explicitly, this was the crucial first step—the one that would secure Kyle’s ascension to Crown Prince.
The day his backing would confidently step into the light.

The Hot Spring development project in Ester, proposed by Ricshel Asteri.
Kyle had intended to use that venture to create a new identity for Jack from the Underworld.
The plan had no flaws, and the First Imperial Prince—the only one who could sabotage it—was currently under forced house arrest due to his own blunder.

“…….”

His petty malice had indeed reached Kyle, though it didn’t impede the work itself.
In the midst of such smooth progress, to take such an action…….

“Ah.”

A single memory flickered through his mind as he continued thinking.
Kyle seized that fleeting recollection and examined its contents.
Yes. It was certainly the day of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony for the eldest son of House Asteri.
Lion Asteri had disappeared for a brief time that day.
Of course, officially it was dismissed as “an inexplicable earthquake,” but hadn’t those present witnessed something more?
The Labyrinth had undergone a transformation.

‘At that time, Ricshel Asteri had wavered.’

The Second Prince had clearly seen that emotionless man’s eyes reddened as he fought back tears.

‘……I thought it was merely an act.’

The similar clothing, the deliberate deference shown toward his older brother.
He had assumed it all to be a sophisticated psychological ploy to discredit the imperial family.
Until now, the rumors of Lion Asteri had painted him as “a useless eccentric”—so why would Ricshel Asteri go out of his way to treat him as an older brother unless there was some calculation at work?
But then…….

‘What if it was genuine?’

The smile that had graced Kyle’s lips slowly faded.
For some reason, the thought unsettled him.
Was it that Ricshel Asteri, who seemed to have no weaknesses, had revealed one?
No, that wasn’t quite it.
It was something more fundamental—a discomfort he had never before experienced.
And so, a dangerous curiosity took hold of him.

‘What manner of person is Lion Asteri, after all?’

An enemy, or an ally?
Or was he someone as exceptional as Ricshel Asteri himself?
Rumor provided no answers.
In that case.

“Very well. I understand. Tell them to postpone the schedule.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”

The attendant bowed deeply and hurried from the room.
After the door closed softly behind him.
Kyle rose quietly from his chair.
A man who had been concealing himself in the shadows stepped forward, draping Kyle’s coat over his shoulders, and asked.

“Shall we prepare?”
“Yes. We depart immediately.”

A smile had returned to Kyle’s lips.
With the schedule rearranged and time now freed, how to use it was entirely within Kyle’s discretion.

* * *

So then, where should one even begin to explain this?
Barely ten minutes earlier, a massive deer with horns that glowed golden had appeared soundlessly at Lion’s side and settled in.
He’d been worried his younger brother might not get a proper look at the animal and that would be the end of it, so when this happened, he thought it was perfectly timed.
But the real problem came after that.
The moment Lion absentmindedly stroked the deer’s head and horns……

Whoosh.

The deer simply dropped down and presented its back!
As if to say, *climb on*.

‘This is……’

Lion recognized the phenomenon well.
In the World, Druids build foundational rapport with animals to effectively raise Beast Taming.
That rapport was called Empathic Communication.
Once achieved, a Druid could sense the emotions of various animals and identify their discomfort, preventing problems before they arose—which made it almost indispensable work.
However, for that to happen, the animals first had to show considerable affection toward the Druid.
In other words, unless the animals approached of their own accord and chose their partner, the work was nearly impossible.
That was why the Druid class was essentially exclusive to the Beast-kin Race—their animal affinity was borderline overpowered.
But……
This golden-horned deer had approached *him* first!

‘……This is perfect.’

Whatever the reason, Lion had no intention of letting this opportunity slip away.
He’d give his younger brother a chance to see an animal up close, milk the experience for content to post at Hotel Ester—
and in the bargain, lay the groundwork for Beast Taming.
There was no better gain than this.
Besides……

‘It’s incredible.’

It was like a scene from a dream.
Riding a massive deer with horns gleaming gold, stroking its fur, sharing Empathic Communication with it—
He wanted nothing more than to climb on right then, but……
Lion held the deer’s gaze and gently stroked its muzzle. “Are you really sure? I’m quite heavy, you know?”

Blink. Blink.

The deer blinked its clear, gentle eyes silently a couple of times.
Then it turned its head and looked toward Ricshel as well.
It seemed like it was saying his younger brother could ride too.

“I’m fine, thank you.”
“It’s a good opportunity, though.”
“Just watching is enough for me for now.”

His shy younger brother apparently had a bit of stranger anxiety even with animals.
Lion didn’t press further. He walked slowly and carefully climbed onto the deer’s back, and the animal rose with a slow, graceful motion.
And then……

Float.

Just slightly, but the deer’s body lifted into the air.

“Oh—!”

Ricshel’s jaw dropped at the sight.

‘So that’s why there were no traces.’

Even if the forest wasn’t frequented by people, beasts still lived here.
It was strange that he couldn’t see any footprints or signs of passage — until now he understood why.

‘And a deer that can use Levitation Magic…….’

He’d been puzzled while it still bore those golden horns, but now certainty crystallized.
This rare creature was undoubtedly a Luminous Deer — one of only a handful left in all the world.
He’d read in a book that it was an animal that fell just short of becoming a spirit.

‘I see. So that’s why…….’

Ricshel felt an unexpected flush of pride, his lips twitching upward.
Of course, the ability to commune directly with animals like this was entirely thanks to his brother’s talent, yet somehow it felt as though he’d accomplished something himself.
While thinking how grateful he was not to show this foolish expression, his brother bent low and seemed to be whispering something in conversation with the deer.

‘……Will you let me adopt you?’

If his brother loved animals this much, why shouldn’t House Asteri build a zoo instead of just an Easter egg hunt? The thought actually crossed his mind.
Ricshel followed thoughtfully behind the Luminous Deer as it walked through the air, lost in contemplation.

‘But where are we going?’

Fortunately, that puzzle didn’t linger long.
After a few minutes of being guided by Lion through the forest, the Luminous Deer gradually slowed its pace and descended gently to the ground.
And before them was…….

“Goodness! I never expected visitors would come all the way out here!”

A staff member rose from the underbrush, clapping his hands together.

“And you received guidance from a Luminous Deer no less! What a marvel…….”

The staff member marveled at how they’d managed to be guided by a creature that was rarely easy to encounter, then belatedly added to his words.

“Well, you’ve certainly experienced the Rare Animal Protection Ranch properly!”

The staff member spoke with great enthusiasm, pulling an oval-shaped coin from his pocket and handing it to Lion.

“Please do accept this!”
“Thanks.”

Lion accepted the Egg Coin and muttered inwardly.

‘It actually found it?’

A moment ago, on a whim, he’d asked the deer if it could find an Egg Coin for him.
He expected no answer, but when the deer floated into the air and headed somewhere, he decided to simply enjoy the moment and stayed quiet…….
Honestly, it was a situation even Lion himself couldn’t quite believe.
After all, he still hadn’t mastered Beast Taming as a technique.

A soft rustle.

Lion glanced into his bag.
Nature was only just waking from sleep, blinking drowsily with a half-awake expression.

‘So Nature’s help wasn’t involved at all…….’

Could it be?
Lion gently tapped the egg, wondering if his suspicion was true.
And then—
Shiver!
The egg trembled softly in his palm, as though laughing at his touch!

[The Beast Egg likes you!]

At the same moment, a notification appeared that had been invisible until now.
The notification itself faded away shortly after.

“…….”

Though there was no further information, Lion understood.
This absurd ability to commune with animals—it had to be the handiwork of the Beast Egg itself.
The reason, perhaps…….

‘Because I wanted to get closer to animals?’

It might have even read his heart.
Lion gazed at the egg quietly.
It was just a round egg like any other, and yet he could swear he felt a message emanating from it: ‘Didn’t I do well?’

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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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