Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 188

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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 Can Wait; I’d Rather Heal — Chapter 188

Elvia moved through the darkness and entered Patrick’s room.
Even the long-serving servants did not dare disturb Patrick’s quarters, so the room remained exactly as the two puppies had left it days before.
It wouldn’t catch the eye of most, but Patrick, with his keen eye for detail, would notice even the slightest disorder at once.
Of course, she could simply leave it as is…….
She’d decided to overlook their adorable little habit of sneaking peeks at grandfather’s diary.
The same went for Ricshel’s belated arrival.
She found it far more entertaining that way.
And…….

‘What a spirited little girl she was.’

Thanks to the two puppies’ antics, a cherished memory had surfaced.
Elvia erased all traces with magic, a faint smile playing across her lips.
Lara was a child whom Elvia found particularly dear, even after nearly a thousand years of life.
It was hard to believe she was the daughter of obstinate Patrick.
Yet the child had already departed this world, so Elvia carried that grief quietly in her heart.
Like so many others who had left her behind, unable to bear the weight of the years.
But this was the first time she had found herself reminiscing about the dead in such a way.
And strangely enough…… it didn’t feel unpleasant.
Rather, it was as though she’d awoken from a pleasant dream.

‘Though this time, he’s running quite late.’

After tidying the space around her, Elvia gazed at Patrick’s empty chair, fingers thoughtfully pressed to her chin.
Even when he traveled north to inspect the Great Barrier, he rarely spent this much time away.
The Great Barrier had always held firm, and Patrick was a man who absolutely despised wasting time on unnecessary delays.
The reason, of course, was obvious…….

‘It must be because of our adorable puppies.’

Elvia knew better than anyone how much Patrick loved his grandchildren.
That affection had never wavered, even before the family had grown so close.
He simply lacked the words to express it.
In any case, he had never been away for more than a week.
Yet this time, exceptionally, he had returned after more than a week had passed.
Truth be told, there was one thing that nagged at her.

‘It must be the Emperor’s Birthday.’

No matter his personal feelings, the Emperor was the symbolic heart of the Empire, after all.
So he likely examined the Great Barrier more thoroughly and attended to additional duties while he was there.

‘That would tire him out considerably.’

Perfect for a glass of something to ease the fatigue.
Elvia smiled playfully to herself.

“Then……for now, it would be best to maintain peaceful, quiet days.”

Normally she would take matters into her own hands, but since that half-elf child seemed to have made some kind of resolve, this time she would step back and simply observe the situation unfold.

* * *

And that afternoon.

“Master!”

Freyanya arrived at Lion’s chamber carrying a backpack nearly as large as her torso.
Her expression was grave—the look of someone who had made an irreversible decision.
Salamander, too, seemed to have absorbed her master’s resolve, his usual demeanor replaced by solemn dignity.

“I must ask to be away for a time.”

Lion sensed at once that Freyanya was heading east—toward the Underworld—and nodded in understanding.

“Go. But don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Yes. I will convey your wishes and return.”

He felt a twinge of unease at the thought of sending her east alone, yet reasoned it would be manageable.
Freyanya was no ordinary Spirit Summoner, and the Elven Kingdom had woven protective magic around her body before she departed.
If matters grew dire, the elves would intervene to extract her.
Though if the Underworld proved less hospitable than the Asteri Family Estate, matters could become quite complicated…….

‘That’s hardly my concern.’

It was Jack’s actions that had set all this in motion, not his own.
Lion nodded inwardly, then spoke aloud.

“If things turn dangerous, use my name as an excuse to slip away. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!”

Freyanya bowed smartly, adjusted her backpack with a grunt, and departed the Asteri Family Estate with an awkward, waddling gait.

‘If he grants what’s asked, at least this week will be accounted for.’

What Lion had requested was more complicated than he’d initially let on.
But if Jack delivered what he truly wanted, he would answer in good faith.

‘Whether he believes it or not is his own concern.’

In ordinary circumstances, Lion might have felt some pang of conscience at dealing with someone this way—but Jack had crossed that line first. This much was justified.

‘If he can’t bring what’s wanted…….’

Well, it mattered little.
He would simply make it himself.
As he turned to leave, he found Elvia standing behind him.
When she appeared like this, unbidden, it usually meant——

“News of Grandfather?”
“Yes. The patriarch will return this evening, it seems.”

As expected. He’d guessed correctly.
Grandfather was finally returning home after his extended business trip.

“He’s been away longer than usual this time.”
“The Emperor’s Birthday celebrations have apparently given him considerable headaches.”
“He personally oversees the security for that sort of affair?”
“The protective measures, yes. The Emperor is quite anxious about his own safety.”
“I see…….”

Lion nodded thoughtfully.
The Emperor wanted his birthday celebration to eclipse every other gathering in splendor and spectacle.
Lion recalled Grandfather’s scathing remarks—that the man lacked talent yet burned with vanity, and found the whole business tiresome.
Very tiresome indeed.
Which made sense. Grandfather’s work maintaining the Great Barrier alone was demanding enough; adding the security for an incompetent Emperor’s birthday was simply wasteful.

‘And…….’

Lion recalled what he’d seen in the diary days ago.
Lara—the woman who’d even made moves to approach Lion’s mother.
Though he’d never been a parent or raised a child, he understood well enough that this was the sort of thing that left a foul taste in one’s mouth.

‘Hmm…… Then this is indeed the right time.’

Lion thought of the liqueur he kept carefully stored in his cabinet.
On days like this, it was better to wash away the dirty, sticky feeling with alcohol.

‘Grandfather doesn’t tend toward heavy drinking.’

More than that, with the body of an Arch-Mage, he likely wouldn’t get drunk easily anyway.
Lion, for his part, had just finished most of what he needed to do.
Jack’s problem would only progress once Freyanya arrived in the Underworld.
Which meant……he was free to have a serious drink with his grandfather and pass out.

“Elvia.”
“Yes?”
“Now’s the right time, isn’t it?”
“Indeed it is, sir.”

Elvia, who’d by now developed the ability to answer even sudden questions without hesitation, responded gently to Lion’s inquiry.

“Young Master, are you perhaps thinking of preparing the food yourself?”
“Well, that’s a possibility…….”

Lion thought for a moment, then shook his head.
If Lion prepared the side dishes himself, the conversation would inevitably drift toward food.
That wasn’t the direction he wanted things to go.

“I’ll leave it to Alex.”
“Very well, sir.”

Elvia gave a light bow and slipped away.
At that same moment.
Patrick, who’d finally been able to return to a house with grandchildren he treasured beyond measure, was…….

“…….”

His expression was savage as never before.
Patrick’s mana hung thick and cold and heavy inside the carriage.
It was a mercy he was alone; had anyone else been there, they’d have been crushed by the sheer force of his presence and lost consciousness.
Patrick’s fingers drummed irritably against the armrest.

“How tiresome.”

Patrick intoned the words in a voice barely audible.

The Emperor had taken a thorough beating over the matter with the First Imperial Prince.
So Patrick had naturally expected the man to tread cautiously around him for a while.
Assuming the Emperor was in his right mind, that is.
But today’s Emperor had confounded Patrick’s expectations.

“Now that I think about it, I hear the eldest of House Asteri personally orchestrated his own Coming-of-Age Ceremony.”
“……That is so.”
“Remarkable, truly. He must have any number of things weighing on him. Our own princes, meanwhile…….”

Up to this point, it was fine.
I’d simply assumed the Emperor was rattling on about nothing to mask his own anxiety.
But what came after was quite the spectacle.

“So the thing is, I’d like Lion Asteri to come by before my birthday and do a final check for me.”
“…….”

Patrick’s expression had turned cold, yet the Emperor continued as if reciting lines from a script.

“Any time will do — just once is enough. If you build a reputation for having presided over the Emperor’s Birthday, it’ll be a tremendous asset in your future endeavors.”

Whatever had transpired in the imperial palace of late, the Emperor’s demeanor had shifted entirely.
For one thing, his manner of referring to “the princes”—that itself was telling.
For the Emperor, only the First Imperial Prince was a true prince.
The Second Imperial Prince was merely an existence he’d been forced to accept.
So it was his habit to erase the Second Imperial Prince from his reckoning.
But not anymore.
The Emperor spoke and then left his seat as if fleeing.
Before Patrick could even refuse.

‘The Second Imperial Prince’s doing, undoubtedly.’

He was surely using some pretext to apply pressure on the Emperor.
If the First Imperial Prince or the Emperor had simply gone mad, Patrick could have dismissed it; but this troubled him in a different way.
It gave him cause for concern.

‘What on earth happened at that hotel?’

Why would the Second Imperial Prince take such an interest in Lion and not Ricshel?
Even if Lion was superior in capability, by Patrick’s standards the Second Imperial Prince was still beneath the mark.
What mattered was what lay behind him—a rogue with the blood of Jack running through his veins.
And…….

‘How dare he order my grandson about.’

Yes. This was what truly displeased him.
He himself hesitated even to summon his grandson, fearing he’d steal the boy’s time!

“……Hmph.”

Patrick let out a heavy sigh.
Part of him wanted to let the matter drop, but if the Second Imperial Prince was behind this, it was better for Lion to hear it directly and judge for himself.

‘I’m against him befriending someone of poor character, but…….’

In truth, didn’t Lion himself have need of friends his own age?

Lion seemed to think he only needed friendship with Ricshel, but Patrick’s view was somewhat different.
Certainly, if Ricshel were to make friends of his own age, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.
But given that boy’s nature…….

‘No point.’

He was the youngest grandson, dearer than the apple of his eye, yet Patrick’s assessment remained cold and clear.
It made sense—the boy was the spitting image of himself.
He had no real need for friends.
Besides, Ricshel’s best friend was his older brother Lion, wasn’t it?
But Lion was different.
Lion had inherited his mother Lara’s temperament entirely.
He enjoyed meeting people, delighted in exploring this and that.
Though he occasionally preferred solitude, the boy on the whole derived vitality and insight from encounters with others.

‘…Sigh. Right. You have to befriend the bad ones too, just to know what they’re like.’

If Lion causes trouble later, I can always step in and cut ties then.
But from the perspective of someone who’d become a grandfather, there was something unsettling about it all.

‘Good heavens. I never thought I’d end up worrying about things like this.’

As he continued turning these troubled thoughts over in his mind, the carriage came to a halt, and the door swung open shortly after.
He’d thought it would be evening, but it had already grown a bit late.

‘I’ll have to skip dinner.’

With that thought, he was about to pass by the restaurant.

“Grandfather!”

Lion, the very source of his worries, called out warmly to Patrick.

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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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