Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 170

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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, So I’ll Just Heal — Episode 170

Ricshel poured out a torrent of complaints to Lion.
For someone as taciturn as Ricshel, to have so many words tumble from his lips was quite the unusual sight.
To summarize roughly…….

“What on earth are you thinking, doing such a thing?”

Well, as everyone might have expected, it boiled down to this being rather dangerous.
What sort of person the Second Imperial Prince was, how dangerous he was, how ambitious he could be.
And how obsessively he lived in pursuit of those ambitions.
Lion nodded along continuously as he listened to Ricshel’s words.
He’d had some sense of how much his younger brother would worry.
That’s why he’d kept it hidden.
The one consolation was…….

“Come now, let’s talk while we eat a bit more.”

Lion was complaining away while eating the food he’d brought from the kitchen.
If he’d truly been angry or offended, he wouldn’t have eaten anything at all.

“……It’s delicious.”
“Eat plenty.”

Even amid all this, he was praising the food. He really was a good-hearted fellow at his core.

“Have you made food for the Second Imperial Prince as well?”
“……Yes.”
“Did he finish it all?”
“He ate it well.”
“Sigh.”

Without hearing the full situation, it was clear that the Second Imperial Prince had become utterly captivated by him.
Well, after a few conversations and tasting such cooking, it was only natural he’d fall for it.
Ricshel chewed and swallowed everything in his mouth, then dabbed his lips with a handkerchief before letting out a deep sigh.

“Phew… Knowing your nature, it’s my fault for not being more vigilant.”
“Hmm?”

Why had the conversation suddenly taken that turn? Brother, you didn’t do anything.
You have nothing to blame yourself for.

“And what about my nature?”
“You never can pass by someone in misfortune without reaching out to them.”
“Well, it’s not quite like that…….”

Lion’s charity was complex in its motivations.
The largest factor, naturally enough, came from issues surrounding his main character’s circumstances.
But he couldn’t possibly say that, so his words trailed off naturally.

“Naturally you’d have no choice but to help the Second Imperial Prince.”
“How did that follow?”
“Don’t you see?”

Ricshel replied, arranging side dishes neatly atop his rice with chopsticks he’d grown quite adept with.

“Because he’s the most wretched person in this hotel.”
“…….”
“It’s a place where everyone comes seeking happiness and joy. In such a place, when one person alone wears a corpse’s expression, naturally your eyes are drawn to them.”

Lion couldn’t suppress the smile spreading across his face.

“Why are you smiling?”
“You’re amusing.”
“Amusing in what way?”
“Well, if we’re measuring by those standards, aren’t you trying to make him emperor just like I’m doing? It seems we’re not so different.”
“That’s different. The Second Imperial Prince simply possesses superior individual abilities compared to the First Prince, and…….”

Ricshel stopped mid-sentence, his words failing him.
He had reasons aplenty to cite.
Superior martial cultivation, the absence of powerful maternal relatives, even the insight to draw talented people to his cause.
But.
His brother had posed a question from an entirely different angle.
Whether even a trace of emotion had truly entered his decision.
Whether his massive support stemmed from genuine desire to help the prince, or merely cold calculation of advantage.
If he was being honest…… yes. He couldn’t claim that private feeling had played no part in it, but——

“……This is hardly the moment for such a conversation!”

Ricshel barely collected himself and clawed his way back to reality.
He’d nearly fallen for his brother’s trap!

“Come to think of it, my premise was flawed. The problem lies with your temperament.”

No matter how angry one was, how could one speak so rudely?

“Forgive me, brother.”
“There’s no need to apologize…….”
“All of this is the fault of the Second Imperial Prince, who arrived at the hotel early despite my postponing our meeting.”

Ricshel spoke thus, covering his mouth with a clenched fist as he murmured.

“In fact, given his cunning nature, he may well have come deliberately to approach you.”

Of course, he was the future emperor Ricshel had chosen, but his cunning was nonetheless remarkable enough to give one pause.
Yet he had a keen eye for people, and it seemed certain that the prince had come intentionally to win him over.
Ricshel’s expression grew slightly colder.

‘It’s true that brother is great and exceptional.’

But the problem was his health.
Though he’d grown quite robust recently, he was inherently frail by nature and mustn’t be taxed in any way.
Given the Second Imperial Prince’s character, he would find his brother through any means necessary.
If he ever learned his true identity…….

‘He would cling to him.’

That couldn’t be allowed. It would only undermine his brother’s emotional and psychological stability.
Wasn’t peace of mind the foundation of bodily peace?
And…….

‘The family head wouldn’t want it either.’

His thoughts gradually crystallized toward one conclusion: he must keep his brother and the Second Imperial Prince apart.

“Ahem. Brother.”

Ricshel gave a brief cough and called to Lion in the softest, most gentle tone he could muster.

“…Huh?”

Lion paused, catching the shift in the air a moment too late.

‘Oh. This is… somewhat unusual.’

For the first time in ages, Lion’s instincts flared to life.
You know the feeling.
When someone who smiles every day suddenly turns serious—that’s terrifying.
But the inverse was no less so.
When someone who always speaks in clipped, formal tones abruptly softens—that was trouble.
Real trouble.

“I would never presume to interfere with your affairs, but rather… I wish to learn from your integrity. If I may, I have one question for you.”
“Y-yes. Go ahead.”
“Why do you intend to help that person?”

There it was.
Lion exhaled softly.
A simple answer—’my heart compelled me’ or ‘I pitied him’—wouldn’t satisfy him.
He’d spoken of integrity, but what Ricshel really wanted was something else.
A rational reason.
A reason that made sense.
Lion fell silent, turning it over in his mind.
The simplest path would be to tell him the truth.
About the Second Imperial Prince’s other Curse.

‘It seems Ricshel doesn’t know about it.’

In the lecture just now, the First Imperial Prince’s Curse had been mentioned, but nothing about the one he was born with.
Not hidden intentionally—he genuinely didn’t know.

‘But the Second Imperial Prince was desperate too.’

To tell him such a thing so abruptly.
Explaining that he could resolve the Second Imperial Prince’s inborn Curse through Alchemy would settle every doubt at once, but…

‘I can’t explain how I know.’

Specifically, why the Second Imperial Prince believes Lion is capable of breaking his Curse.
His best guess was the signal from what Anyatras showed him at the Temple—that the Archbishop takes notice of him.

“Hmm.”

After a moment’s thought, Lion spoke.

“First, you need to understand that I’m only helping the Second Imperial Prince this once. As you know, I have no desire to be drawn into that side of things.”
“Yes. I understand.”

Ricshel nodded gravely, listening intently.

“I deceived the Second Imperial Prince.”
“Is that so? I comprehend—”

Ricshel’s expression hardened slowly as the words sank in.

“Forgive me, but I believe I have misheard. Could you repeat that, please?”
“I deceived him.”
“The Second Imperial Prince.”
“Yes.”
“Brother.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“For my own benefit. But I can’t tell you what it is.”
“……Benefit, you say.”

Ricshel fell silent for quite some time.
Yet one thing became abundantly clear to him.
And that was.
That his brother had no intention of revealing this benefit to him.

“I understand.”
“Thank you for being so underst——”
“If you suffer significant losses because of this matter, I will no longer help the Second Imperial Prince.”
“Hm?”

If that was the case, he had to draw a clear line.
And Ricshel knew how.
The way to stop his brother was to pressure those around him.
Fortunately, Ricshel had a good card to play in this situation.
Namely, supporting the Second Imperial Prince as the heir to House Asteri.
That’s right. This was…….
A form of leverage.

‘That benefit must surely exist.’

His brother spoke only the truth, as a rule. Especially in matters like this.
And if he could hardly bring himself to speak of it at all.

‘Then it must be something even I cannot know.’

By his reckoning, it was likely the groundwork for some enormous gain that would come later.
But that was precisely why his brother should not step into a dangerous situation.
And so he had dared to threaten him with those words.
Once this matter was resolved, he would need to apologize a hundred times over—but involvement with the Second Imperial Prince was simply too costly.
It wasn’t only because of the excessive work he’d mentioned earlier.
His brother was meant to soar free as a bird—wasn’t he?
Gradually entangle him in this sort of affair, and constraints would naturally accumulate.
Nobles—especially the central aristocrats aligned with the First Imperial Prince—wielded power that was not physical.
It was their cunning, silver tongues.
His brother likely sensed this to some degree, but this was a form of harassment and pressure he had never confronted directly.

“I’m not speaking only of this matter.”

What came next was the real problem.
Suppose they helped the Second Imperial Prince this once.
He had even disguised himself, and his brother had taken his own precautions.
But the Second Imperial Prince…….
He was not someone who gave up.
He would pursue sympathy by any means, seeking to win favor and pity.
Hadn’t he asked such questions in that meeting just moments ago?
And once one person starts digging, they search everywhere else too.

“Of course, I intend to support you in every way going forward. That resolve will never change.”

Separate from that.

“But I……fear I may not be able to protect you.”

Ricshel finished speaking and looked away.
The warning masked as concern could sound like: I’m helping your brother, so watch your step.

“You worry about a lot of things.”

With a soft tap, Lion reached out and stroked Ricshel’s head.
Ricshel was the heir to House Asteri.
He’d likely witnessed countless acts of moral filth.
Lion understood it all — the hope that such corruption wouldn’t stain him, the sense of duty born from knowing he alone had to protect his family.

‘What can I do…’

Lion hesitated for a moment, then spoke slowly.

“The reason I can’t explain now is that I’m still only guessing at this point. It’s not that I’m hiding it from you.”
“…I understand.”
“Once I grasp what’s really happening, I’m certain I’ll need your help. So can you give me a little more time?”

This was sincere.
Lion’s path to the truth wouldn’t be so distant.
Information about Hidden Quests, about items.
And through conversations with the Archbishop, who possessed the deepest knowledge of Holy Power and Seals, Lion had been steadily gathering fragments of information about the Hero.

“Understood… Then I’ll head inside first.”

But Ricshel’s position could be quite different.
The person he trusted and relied on was keeping secrets from him.
At his age, betrayal would sting.

“Go on.”

Once Lion consented, Ricshel lowered his head and moved toward his room.
The door clicked shut behind him.
But what occupied Ricshel’s mind lay somewhat distant from the disappointment Lion imagined.

‘There’s definitely something.’

Ricshel stood alone in the darkness of his room, lost in thought.

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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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