Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 19

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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 Heir Doesn’t Know, But I’d Like Some Healing – Episode 19

After receiving the Priest’s treatment and emerging with a healthier body, Lixel—who had been waiting—carefully examined Lion from head to toe.

“Are you feeling all right? Nothing’s gotten worse, has it?”

After receiving a Priest’s blessing, if something were wrong with me, that’d be quite the problem, wouldn’t it, little brother?
Lixel avoided Lion’s gaze and turned his attention instead to the Priest Liheit, who emerged behind them.
They seemed to be having some unspoken conversation… but that’s not really my business.

“The Priest’s skill is truly impressive. My condition couldn’t be better.”
“…Is that so? I’m glad to hear it.”

Lost in thought about something, Lixel’s expression was rather grim when he finally spoke those words of relief.
He seemed preoccupied with the schedule ahead.
It appeared to be something quite troublesome.
Back at the Manor, too—except when he’d slip away to slack off—he was always occupied with something.
It was fitting for an Heir, though it did give Lion cause for concern.

‘Come to think of it, that Priest looks rather exhausted too. Have I kept him too long when there was nothing seriously wrong with me?’

Perhaps he should have declined when the Priest offered a second treatment.
Besides, it was already deep into the early morning hours.

‘I should get him back soon.’

If he tried to be too casual about it, things between the two would only grow awkward.
So Lion said his farewells on his brother’s behalf.

“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave now. Please stay well.”
“Your Eminence… please remember what I said earlier. You understand, don’t you?”
“Ha, I think you can stop worrying about that. Well then…”

As Lion gave a light bow and hurried ahead, Lixel quickly followed in his footsteps.

* * *

Throughout the journey back, Lixel’s expression remained poor.

“Are you all right? You look troubled.”
“…I’m fine. I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”
“Mm.”

It didn’t seem like mere fatigue.

“Please don’t worry. It’s just that your health…”
“Hm? My health?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Well then, I’ll be heading to the Mana Training Ground…”

With even darker circles under his eyes, Lixel insisted once more that everything was fine, then immediately made for the Mana Training Ground.
He must have been awake all night.
He was tired but wouldn’t sleep?
Lion only realized this too late and reached out, but Lixel had already vanished into the distance.

‘If he keeps pushing himself like that, he’ll suffer for it later.’

Lion felt a touch of worry—at an age when the boy should still be full of vigor, he was overextending himself like this.
They say suffering in youth is something people seek out, but… suffering is best avoided altogether.
That phrase about joy following hardship—isn’t that just what the survivors say in hindsight?
Look how many nobles have worn themselves out and collapsed in the process…!
In any case, it was better to take things as easy as possible.
As I stood there brooding, Elbia appeared from nowhere and offered a suggestion.

“Heir lessons are always demanding, but you seem even busier than usual lately.”
“Yeah. I’m worried you’ll waste away.”
“If that’s the case, why not propose something to the Head of Household?”
“A proposal?”
“Yes. Since you’ll be meeting him anyway for the Coming-of-Age Ceremony preparations, you could bring it up then.”

It was certainly a good approach.
If I brought along a gift with the message to look kindly upon me, as I’d done before, it might work out well.
For instance, something I’d been planning to make anyway….
Something sweet.
Like cookies, for example.

“By chance, do you not need someone to teach you how to make cookies?”

To ask here how she knew about my cookie-making plans would be amateur work.

“You’ll teach me?”

I simply had to accept.

“Confectionery is my specialty, after all.”
“That works well.”

A witch and sweets. They did go well together.

‘I won’t bother mentioning that out loud.’

* * *

That’s right. It all happened just this dawn.
Lion kneaded the cookie dough with flour, sugar, and butter, picturing Lixel’s face.

‘Lixel’s face was exactly this color.’

A pale dough with nothing but white mixed in.
One could press this dough onto Lixel’s face and it would seem perfectly natural.

Press—

Lion rolled the dough with a rolling pin.
The flattened dough had vanilla bean pods studded throughout, releasing a delicious aroma even before baking.

Press—

When she pressed the specially ordered molds against the dough, quite adorable shapes emerged.
Chicks, trees, snowmen.
Among the ordered molds was a magic wand shape, but this time she left it out.
Lixel was already stressed enough with Heir duties and magical studies.
It seemed better that while he rested eating cookies, he wouldn’t think of anything related to the family.

“Phew, Lixel’s batch is done. Now should I cut out the ones for Grandfather?”

Grandfather was in the same boat.
So anything connected to Asteria would be problematic.
The World Tree in the family seal, the staff, the magic circle…—why were there so many things to avoid?
In any case, after removing this and that, only the more adorable molds remained.

‘I should ask Mudu to make me a Cookie Mold later.’

While I’m at it, I ought to thank Lea for pretending not to notice during Volunteer Work, and give some cookies to Namu and Ipari too.
Thinking about it that way, cookies really did make for a decent gift.
They looked nice, didn’t burden the recipient, and eating them lifted your spirits with their sweetness.
Unless you were someone who disliked sweets.
Lion asked Elbia, just to be sure.

“Does your grandfather enjoy sweet foods?”
“He’s not particularly fond of them, but since you made these, he’ll eat anything you offer. There’s no need to worry.”
“Hmm.”

So that’s how it was.
Ideally, I’d prefer he actually enjoyed eating them rather than just tolerating them out of obligation. There had to be a way.
As I was turning this over in my mind—
A good idea struck me.

“Hold on a moment.”

Lion stepped outside briefly and returned with some leftover Banana Sweet Potato he’d retrieved from his Inventory.

“You’re going to put that in it?”
“Yeah.”

If I added some sweet potato, Grandfather could eat them without any discomfort.

“It’s an unusual combination, certainly…”
“That’s the whole point—trying something different.”

Lion began mixing a fresh batch of dough.

Knead, knead—

This time, the dough had half the sugar of the previous batch, where he’d been generous with it.

‘Instead of sugar, I’ll finely chop the Banana Sweet Potato and arrange it over the dough.’

If the sweetness came from the natural flavor of the Banana Sweet Potato rather than artificial sugar, surely Grandfather would appreciate it more.
Once the dough was ready, he pressed it with the Cookie Mold and slid the shapes into the oven.
The intense heat firmed the cookie dough, puffing it up plump and thick, releasing the rich, warm scent of sugar and vanilla bean.
Done.

[Lion Asteria Special Banana Sweet Potato Chip Cookie (★)]
-Created by adding a special ingredient with special inspiration to the dough. The moisture from the sweet potato chips transfers to the cookie, yielding a tender texture and naturally sweet flavor. Fatigue decreases upon consumption.
-It appears it will demonstrate even greater Synergy when eaten with a beverage.
[Uses – Food, Alchemy]
[☞Click to view recipe.]

…Why does a cookie have potion effects?

“How impressive. In truth, this is practically your own creation entirely.”

Elbia spoke with genuine admiration.
The only thing she’d actually done was teach him the cookie recipe, after all.
Moreover, the Banana Sweet Potato he’d added at the end was an ingredient she herself had never worked with, so she’d worried quite a bit about it.
But looking at the result now…
Patrick would probably like this version even more.

“Thank you.”
“Well, the true end of cooking is in the tasting, wouldn’t you say? Shall we try some?”
“Let’s.”

Cookies were always better once they’d cooled, he knew that much—but who could resist a freshly baked one?
Lion brought the cookie to his lips without hesitation.

Crunch!

The moment his teeth broke through, the cookie dissolved softly against his tongue.
After a few more bites, the sweet richness of banana and sweet potato bloomed across his palate, mingling with the now-softened dough before gliding smoothly down his throat.

‘This might actually be better than those chocolate chip cookies from my past life.’

A distinctive flavor—nothing like plain roasted banana sweet potato, but something carefully crafted, with sweetness held in perfect balance.

[Your Cooking Proficiency has reached Apprentice Lv.3.]

The experience bar filled in a rush as he crossed the threshold, the level rising with it.
At the same moment, new recipes bloomed in his mind.

“Sweets do lift fatigue, you see. Consumed regularly they’re hardly good for one’s health, but…… this one’s sweetness isn’t excessive, so I suspect the Head of Household will find it quite agreeable.”
“You think so?”

That was a relief.
A marquis, after all, and here he was ready to hand over nothing but roasted sweet potato—at least now he had something proper to offer.
If he was going to give a gift, he wanted it to be something they’d actually enjoy.
Patrick was the difficult sort whose expressions revealed little; it was never easy to tell whether he approved or disapproved.
Though he’d seemed to appreciate that potion enough to give it to Silvia.

“No mere guess, I assure you. I’ve noticed the Head of Household’s appetite has improved of late. Once upon a time, I’m told, he ate only just enough to survive…… or so I’ve heard.”

Elbia faltered slightly at the end, catching herself.
Lion understood what she meant but let it pass.
There was no need to press the matter now.

‘Besides, he seems content enough with this life as it is.’

That was enough. Yes.

“In any case, thank you for your help. You’ve been invaluable today.”
“I’ve only done what needed doing. Shall I portion out the pastries?”
“Oh—no, I’ll handle that myself. You can go rest now if you’d like.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“There’s still more I want to make.”
“I see. Should you need an extra pair of hands later, please don’t hesitate to call.”

Elbia didn’t press further, slipping quietly out of the Kitchen.
And Lion, left alone, found himself thinking……

—A beverage would create remarkable Synergy with these.

He’d make a drink to go with them.
When he’d reached Cooking Lv.3, several new recipes had surfaced in his mind.
And fortunately, the ingredients were at hand.
Lion reached into his Inventory without delay.
He’d sent Elbia away first—it seemed unwise to let her see items materializing from thin air.

‘Found it.’

Lion drew the supplies from one corner of his Inventory and laid them out in succession across the empty Kitchen counter.

[Asteria Aqua Rosemary Oil]
-It’s ambiguous to call this cooking yet. It appears to be a culinary ingredient crafted by an Alchemist.
-It carries a crisp, refreshing aroma.
-Remarkably, consuming it alone mitigates thirst to a minor degree.
[Uses- Food, Potions]
[☞Click to view recipe.]

The Aqua Rosemary Oil and Low-grade Health Potion he’d used to quench that fire spirit’s thirst last time. And the Root Star Anise he’d gathered and stored away ages ago.
What Lion was about to make was none other than…….

[Training Supplementary Beverage]
-Essential materials: Low-grade Health Potionx5, Asteria Aqua Rosemary Oilx0.1, Fresh Fruitx3, Root Star Anisex1
-Marginally increases the efficiency of Swordsmanship, Mana Training, and similar disciplines.
-However, it cannot be applied to Life-related talents.

A Training Supplementary Beverage.
With this, both Patrick and Lixel would surely be satisfied with the result.

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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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