Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 153

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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 Unknown, Healing Instead—Episode 153

“Hmm…….”

Lion tilted his head to one side.
He didn’t know why, but one thing was clear: the Beast Egg had played some definite role in all this.

‘But even so, it shouldn’t have boosted affinity on its own.’

Turning his gaze back to the Luminous Deer, he found the creature sitting peacefully, watching him intently.
And strangely enough, it seemed to show some genuine warmth toward him.

“It’s quite remarkable, really—that this one stays by your side alone. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

And sure enough, this was no ordinary occurrence.
The staff member continued to wear an expression of wonder, explaining that even she had taken years to grow close to the creature.

‘So it wasn’t forced by dominance hierarchy.’

Then some force must surely be at work on the Luminous Deer itself.
Lion decided not to let this puzzle slip past him.
By gathering clues like this one by one, wouldn’t he be able to provide more assured care once the Beast Egg hatched?

‘If I can develop skills before hatching, perhaps the newborn beast will live more peacefully.’

Since he had zero experience raising pets, he found himself worrying without quite meaning to.
What if he failed to raise it properly? That was the fear gnawing at him.
Unlike Nature, there was no guarantee the creature would express its condition clearly, and more than that…….

‘This one endures pain far too well.’

Yes. That was the detail troubling him most.
Lion had never personally raised a pet before.
But he had indirect experience—quite a bit of it, in fact.
During his time as Baek Ihyeon, he’d known quite a few people around him who kept pets.

“These are pictures of my dog—isn’t the way he sleeps just hilarious?”

The first memory that came to mind was of a newcomer who’d joined the company back when Lion was still a manager.
The boy was indecisive and timid by nature, and Lion had been wondering how to help him fit in at the company when, quite by chance, the topic of pets came up.
Suddenly the young man had become noticeably lively, launching into endless bragging about his own dog.
He’d shown pictures of it lying on its belly like a human, or sneaking around after causing trouble and looking sheepish—that sort of thing.
The dog came from a shelter, a mixed breed of unknown lineage, with black fur spreading around its nose as if it had buried its snout in black bean noodles while eating, which was why the boy had named it Jjajang.

‘I let it go at that.’

Fortunately, once the newcomer had used his dog as a starting point, he’d adjusted reasonably well to company life, and Lion had moved on thinking that settled the matter.
The occasional dog stories he heard afterward were pleasant enough.
Then one morning, during the usual morning shift, that same newcomer—now a regular employee—showed up late without any notice.
Unusual behavior for him, so Lion called thinking perhaps he was ill…….

“M-Manager. Today, I…… I won’t be able to come in…….”

The voice on the phone trembled despite the employee’s obvious effort to stay composed.

“Jjajang…… he’s very sick. At the hospital, but I didn’t notice it in time…… So, I’m so sorry, but could I take today as leave…….”

The frantic tone of his voice made clear how frightened the young employee was.
And in that moment, Baek Ihyeon understood something fundamental.
Ah, so companion animals can fall ill this suddenly.
And even when they’re suffering, they may not be able to tell their owner.
Until then, I’d never had time to think about it—had never paid it any mind.
And after this, I decided that no matter how lonely I might become, I would never keep a companion animal again until I was truly ready.
Because the pain of loss was sharper than any other ache.
So the newcomer ended up taking leave the next day, and the day after that.
It was a bitter ending.
But then.
Much later, years down the road, that person said something to me.

“What? Haha. But when the time comes, I’m going to bring Ssajang back. The love that he gave me was bigger than my sorrow.”
“Really?”
“Yes. And you know, there’s this saying—that among the things companion animals wish they could tell us, ‘I’m hurting’ is one of them. But I’m okay without hearing that. I just want to pay a little more attention.”

It had been quite a long time by then, and that person—now a deputy instead of a newcomer—said it with a smile.
……Just now, looking at the Beast Egg out of nowhere, an old memory came back to me.
That Ssajang, someone I’d only ever seen in photographs, had endured pain silently, and it ended up like that.

Stroke.

Lion traced the shell gently with his fingertips.
The creature inside was an expert at enduring pain.
Even buried under Holy Power so thick it could barely breathe, it showed no reaction—just suffered through it in silence.
It seemed that in the wild, probably because wounded animals are culled, it had learned to hide any sign of injury.

‘Then…….’

Before making this one say “I’m hurting” like my junior suggested, I want to find its injuries first.
Now I can truly understand.
Maybe this is what real responsibility actually feels like.

‘Of course! The best thing would be if it stayed healthy no matter what mischief it got into!’

Pat, pat.

Lion tapped the Beast Egg gently, making sure to praise it as well.
After all, it was thanks to this creature that I got an Egg Coin.
In any case, to prevent such worrying situations before they happened, I had to truly understand Beast Taming.
It was a matter that came before awakening any talent.
So Lion asked the caretaker a question, though it came a bit late.

“Do they usually not act so friendly?”
“Ah, you seem quite interested in animals!”

The caretaker cleared his throat and began his explanation, stroking the Luminous Deer’s antler.

“Most people don’t notice it, but animals have a special ability. It’s the ability to sense human sincerity. And the Luminous Deer is particularly good at it.”

That’s why they’re sometimes called animals that could have become spirits.

“So this friend probably sensed your true intentions well. I’m sure it felt your consideration.”
“The employee is correct, brother.”

Ricshel whispered softly, just loud enough for Lion to hear.
People who master this ability and apply it well can even reach the realm of Taming, he added.

“I see.”

No wonder the Druid class was exclusive to beastkin.
Beastkin could communicate with animals smoothly without such effort in the first place.

‘Wait, that means…’

If communication alone were possible, couldn’t tasks like this be accomplished without Beast Taming at all?
Of course, Lion couldn’t conduct proper communication himself.
He hadn’t even noticed the deer arriving in the first place.
But.

A glance.

Lion’s eyes dropped to the Beast Egg nestled in his bag.
What if this little creature had conveyed his feelings to that deer in his stead?
What if it had acted as a kind of amplifier?

‘…It’s possible.’

No matter how unhatched it remained, it would surely be capable of “broadcasting” a person’s true heart to others.
Not a mere animal, but a Beast.
Then why?

“Peep.”

In that instant, Nature—fully awake now—burst from the bag, snapped a twig from a nearby branch, and gently placed it in Lion’s palm.
At that familiar gesture, Lion let out a low exclamation. “Ah.”

“I wish you could come with us on this hotel trip too?”

That’s right. He had definitely said something like that.
What if the Beast Egg had been listening the whole time and had lent its strength to what they could do together?

‘…This tiny creature hasn’t even been born yet.’

But how endearing.

“Do you have any other questions? I’ve never seen a guest that the animals take to quite like this before…!”

The caretaker regarded Lion with a somewhat burdened expression.
He no longer seemed to be looking at him as merely a ‘guest’ or ‘a direct descendant of House Asteri.’
How to put it.
The gaze of a seasoned player who’d spotted a newcomer?
In any case, he seemed eager to help with whatever he could.

‘His heart’s in the right place, but…’

Lion suspected there was nothing more to learn from questioning the caretaker further.
And now it was certain.
The Beast Egg was directly enhancing his Beast Taming.
If it had a skill name, it might well have been ‘Empathic Communication Elevation’—a passive ability.
At the same time, Lion came to understand something crucial.
Beast Taming wasn’t something accomplished through a single Tamer’s effort alone; it required walking alongside various animals—or a companion beast.

“Then…!”

With sudden resolve, Lion fished the Beast Egg from his bag and held it aloft!
It gleamed so brilliantly that golden light reflected across the Beast Egg’s polished surface, making it sparkle.

“I’d like to show this little one the forest—would it be alright to take another look around?”
“Oh! We’re actually running short on time, but since you’ve earned an Egg Coin, I’d be happy to extend your visit!”

The caretaker startled briefly when the enormous egg suddenly appeared from the bag, but recovered with practiced ease.

‘After all, the Young Master of House Asteri would naturally have access to the best……!’

It made perfect sense that something extraordinary might appear.
Besides, hadn’t he already found an Egg Coin with the help of the Luminous Deer, no matter what anyone said?

“The Luminous Deer says it wants to come along with us!”
“Really? I’d appreciate that. Oh, Ricshel—why don’t you ride along this time too?”
“Pardon?”
“You saw how well it went, didn’t you?”
……

Ricshel’s mouth fell open at his brother’s sudden proposition.
Of course, there were times when his brother did behave in oddly spontaneous ways, but this was proving difficult to follow.
Though he did seem happy about it……

‘Brother……’

Ricshel squeezed his eyes shut inwardly.

‘Forgive me, but I must confess—I don’t particularly care for animals……!’

It wasn’t that he disliked them, exactly, but he had no wish to make direct contact with creatures that weren’t clean……

“You don’t like it?”
“No! I’ll ride!”

But with his brother so clearly delighted, refusal was simply not an option.
Ricshel climbed onto the Luminous Deer’s back with tears welling silently behind his eyes.
The unexpected forest tour continued until the evening fell.

* * *

And at that same moment.

“……You’ve already obtained an Egg Coin?”
“Yes.”
“From the ranch, of all places?”
“That’s correct!”
“How on earth did you manage that?”

Only Willie, receiving the report from his staff, could clutch his forehead in astonishment.

“Well, I suppose it’s possible.”

Willie, seasoned steward that he was, quickly gathered himself.
Certainly, the difficulty of finding an Egg Coin was considerable.
In fact, he’d calibrated it to such a brutal level of difficulty that even members of House Asteri wouldn’t find it easily.
That way, when it was found, the exhilaration and sense of reward would skyrocket!
Yet they’d found it in less than half a day!
Perhaps I’ve underestimated House Asteri.
Should I adjust the difficulty further?

‘……No.’

Willie shook his head almost at once.
He judged it more likely that finding the Egg Coin in the ranch had been pure chance.
Besides, even if it wasn’t chance, Lion Asteri might simply have a nature-loving disposition.

‘Actually, this works out well.’

The remaining Egg Coins are concentrated in the “Entertainment” section, so you won’t find them easily.

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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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