Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 197

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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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Successor or Not, I Just Want to Heal — Chapter 197

“…….”

Honestly, I was taken aback.
I never imagined the word “Hero” would come from Jack’s mouth.

‘Did he figure it out?’

The thought struck unbidden—after all, I was hiding something—but Lion quickly shook his head with quiet certainty.

‘No. That’s impossible.’

Even if Jack had somehow obtained more information than Lion had anticipated through some channel, it still wouldn’t make sense.

For one thing, Lion himself didn’t know the precise connection between his original self and this body, or why the past kept revealing itself to him like this.
He’d only grasped the mechanism: acquire something from the original, and a hidden story emerges.
Lion was closest to the truth, and yet even he understood only this much—so how could this man before him, successor to the previous Jack or not, have learned or obtained anything beyond that?
Impossible.

‘And besides that…….’

“Hmm.”

Lion tilted his head with an unhurried smile at Jack’s words.
Then he straightened from his relaxed slouch and sat upright.

“…….”

It was Jack who smiled with quiet triumph.
Yes. That’s precisely the kind of reaction he’d expected to provoke with this provocation.

‘I’ve uncovered far more than I thought I would.’

Jack had completely identified Lion’s true nature.
Everything Lion had been concealing.
The genius alchemist who perfected the Hero’s Potion at the Magic Tower.
An anonymous benefactor—a divine messenger.
One who summoned a “special spirit” that humans were otherwise incapable of conjuring.
And beyond that, someone who no longer suffered Mana Shock.
He hadn’t uncovered the precise method, but the result was clear.
None of this was ordinary talent available to the common man.

‘Of course, I’ve never measured his actual combat strength.’

Yet the mere fact that all this was possible meant he was someone exceptional.
Both Lion and House Asteri clearly knew this—which meant they would conceal information and obscure the truth as much as they could.

‘Yes. I needed someone like him.’

Once Kyle became Emperor, eventually a figure called the Hero would inevitably emerge.
People yearned for and admired the concept of the Hero.
The moment anyone sufficiently remarkable appeared, they would be exalted as the Hero.
But.

‘There’s no guarantee.’

Whether that Hero would become Kyle’s enemy or his ally—that was uncertain.
So then.
Why not simply create one from scratch?
This so-called Hero.

‘Besides, there’s no chance the Demons will ever return.’

Which meant, of course, that he could never achieve the renown of his predecessor.
Nor would there be anything remotely as perilous required of him.
And in that case, no one fit the role quite like Lion Asteri.
His recent conduct already bears a striking resemblance to that of a true Hero, doesn’t it?
The narrative is quite convincing as well.
The previous Hero defeated the Demons and vanished; this new Hero arrives as providence to nurture a people ravaged by their war.
The grandson of Patrick Asteri.
Lion Asteri.
With that settled in his mind, the path forward crystallized.
It was to mend the fractured relations, and to guide Lion Asteri toward—

“Then I shall accept it without reservation.”

Lion’s voice cut cleanly through Zack’s thoughts.
Without ceremony, without hesitation, he acknowledged the flattery with an ease that betrayed no reluctance.

“Barg.”
“Yes, Young Master!”

At Ricshel’s command to show proper hospitality, the monster who had been stationed in the receiving room hurried in from outside.

“A gift that was just presented to me.”
“Ah! I shall store it with utmost care.”

With that, he effortlessly hoisted the remarkably heavy jar and vanished.
Throughout it all, Lion’s expression remained unchanged.

‘No.’

The surface remained the same, yet Zack had grown perceptive enough to catch the subtle shift.
The faint twitch of facial muscles. The quality of his gaze.
That was…
Weariness.
Just moments before, Lion had seemed genuinely interested.
So why the change?
Zack sensed the incongruity and pressed on.

“Is there perhaps something else you wish to know?”
“No.”
“But surely there is.”
“Ah.”

Now that he thought about it, there was. He clapped his hands together and asked.

“Why didn’t Freyanya return with you?”
“She had matters to attend to there, so she remained. I did not force her to stay.”

Well, it was a fair enough question, but that wasn’t really what mattered to Lion right now, was it?

‘I’ve just mentioned the very thing you most despise.’

Hero.
Which is to say, the focal point of public scrutiny.
That notion threatened Ricshel Asteri’s position as Successor.
Worse still, it stripped away the freedom that Lion Asteri himself cherished most.
There was no difference between Jack grasping everything about Lion in an instant and having watched him for years.
So at first, he was certain some negative emotion would surface.
Jack would have soothed it gently, claimed he wouldn’t do it, tempted Lion with honeyed words and false promises.
In the not-too-distant future, he’d appeal to Lion’s conscience, pushing him back toward the original plan.
Did his conscience trouble him?
Not at all.
If it served Kyle’s future better, he’d do anything.
But.
There was no reaction.
This was a scenario Jack had never anticipated.

“…And is there anything else you’d like to know?”
“No, nothing.”
“Why?”

The hasty question escaped him entirely because of his impatience.

“Because…”

Lion laughed quietly to himself at the question.

‘So he got flustered after all.’

He was someone well-versed in dealing with people, yet he’d asked so directly. Unusual.
Probably because the Second Imperial Prince was involved—something beyond his own affairs—that he’d resorted to such a tactic.

‘For what it’s worth.’

In this situation, it was Lion who held the upper hand.
Had Jack chosen a different approach, or possessed more information, perhaps it would have been different.

‘…Though it probably would’ve been close anyway.’

He’d seen too many like Jack before.
Lion had grown seasoned at cutting through exactly these kinds of situations.
You know the type, don’t you?
People who don’t match your interests but fit your talents perfectly.
He didn’t prefer manipulating people like puppets in his palm, but when circumstances left no choice, he had no option but to comply.

‘And…’

That comment about the Hero just now—it had clarified Jack’s nature for Lion completely.
These types would creep forward ever so subtly unless you handled them rough, trying to control his every move.
They had an uncanny knack for finding weak points.
He absolutely hated that.
Lion answered lightly, his expression unchanged but carrying just a hint of annoyance.

“Nothing special. My interest has simply faded.”

Jack’s hand stilled on his teacup, then lowered it.
He’d tried to appear calm, but the cup had emptied.

“Allow me to refill it.”

Lion poured the expensive tea generously, as if it were nothing.

“…This is truly an honor. Thank you.”

Jack took a deep sip of the still-hot tea.
The scalding heat pricked the inside of his mouth, jolting his stalled mind back into motion.

‘I’ve misjudged him.’

Jack wasn’t a stupid man.
Far from it—his mind worked quite quickly, actually.
If he’d been born anywhere but the Underworld, in a decent place, he would’ve easily claimed top marks at the Academy.
Which was precisely why Jack’s quick mind had begun constructing a new narrative all on its own.

‘I got it wrong from the start.’

He’d judged Lion Asteri as similar to himself, but weaker.
Soft. Protective of his brother, yes, but incapable of solving anything that truly mattered.
Worse, he possessed a conscience—the kind that became a liability rather than an asset.
That was why Jack had wanted to keep him away from Kyle. That damnable decency of his.
For creatures like us, it was more lethal than poison.
One brush with it, and you’d come away poisoned yourself.
But now…

‘What if it wasn’t goodness at all?’

What if he’d been driven not by kindness, but by curiosity?
What if he wasn’t some sentimental, forgiving soul—but rather a man who moved solely for his own interests?
…No. That hardly matters now.
The real problem was that he’d provoked Lion Asteri in the worst possible way.
Which meant Jack himself had now become someone beneath notice—a person no longer worth his attention.
In that case, whatever Jack did from here on out…
Even if he spouted nonsense about Heroes or stirred up trouble around him, Lion wouldn’t so much as glance his way.
He simply didn’t care.
In other words, Jack’s leverage had vanished.
But the flip side of that coin?

‘…There is one.’

Kyle.
Jack knew well enough that Lion wouldn’t move against him right now.
But if Lion’s peculiar interest were to take a wrong turn…

“…”

He’d drunk his tea, yet his lips had gone completely dry.

“Ha. I’ve spent my whole life as an eccentric anyway, so some “rumor” about a Hero is hardly worth losing sleep over.”

And with that parting blow, Lion rose from his seat.

“While you’re here at House Asteri, feel free to take your time sightseeing. I’ll be taking my leave now.”
“Wait, just a moment.”

Jack’s expression flickered with uncharacteristic confusion as he reached out toward Lion, but his fingers caught only the edge of the man’s sleeve.
By then Lion was already gone, the door closing behind him with cold finality.
Jack could have pursued him, seized him even, but this was Asteri territory, and one wrong move meant losing everything.
One mistake, and he’d throw away everything he’d built.

“Damn.”

Jack dragged a hand roughly through his hair and exhaled a long breath.
He’d never imagined his opponent would respond like this.
The situation spiraling beyond his control grated on him more than he cared to admit…

“But the game isn’t over yet.”

He leaned back against the sofa, murmuring half to himself as if to offer reassurance, and stared up at the ceiling.
His head was beginning to throb from the thorough beating he’d taken.

‘Compose yourself.’

At any rate, House Asteri was treating Jack with considerable respect as a guest.
They wouldn’t throw him out right away.
Lion had told him to stay as long as he wished.
So what was his move?

‘Time to grovel.’

Like a dog in its master’s house.
And he had to find something.
Some element that would spark Lion Asteri’s interest in him.

‘That strange jar is already used up.’

Besides, it was probably meant for Alchemy anyway.
If Freyanya was right about Lion’s skill in Alchemy being peerless, then even cramming his head full of hastily gathered knowledge now wouldn’t impress him.
So he’d have to think of something else.

“Damned fool.”

He’d really gotten himself into a mess this time.
Jack muttered the curse under his breath and covered his face with both hands.

“…….”

Outside the room, Barg heard the curse and deliberately turned away without acknowledging it, following after Lion.
Ricshel’s orders had been to watch the guest, but his keen ears had picked up the situation anyway.
It seemed to him that…….
This man would need some time before he recovered.

‘……Well, an Underworld rat after all.’

Barg, who had once been seized by slavers from the Underworld, had no sympathy to spare.

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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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