Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 2

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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 Reluctant Heir, or Perhaps Some Healing Instead — Episode 2

Scratch, scratch.
Petrick Asteri, the Marquis of House Asteri, was hard at work processing documents as usual today.

Knock, knock.

That is, until a servant entered with the knock and handed him a single sheet of paper.

……

With each word he read, the Marquis’s expression hardened into ice.

“Not worth another glance.”

Whoosh!

The Marquis incinerated the document entirely with a surge of Mana.

“The fool still hasn’t come to his senses?”
“Yes… Ever since waking, he has done nothing but pull weeds, or so I’m told.”
“And otherwise?”
“It appears, my lord, that he still cannot sense Mana.”

The servant answered while dabbing sweat from his brow.
That the eldest heir of the great magical House Asteri could not sense Mana was a grave matter indeed.
Most mages experience a Mana Shock by age eight, or ten at the latest, and awaken to their power.
The direct-line members of House Asteri, celebrated for their exceptional talent, are said to awaken as early as three years old.
And what of Petrick Asteri himself, standing here now?
His talent was so remarkable that rumors circulated of him performing even the most advanced magic during his coming-of-age ceremony.
But what of the eldest son, Lion?
Into his twenties without sensing a single spell or current—a talent so meager it was almost pitiful.
Mana Shocks continued to assail him, so perhaps he would awaken eventually… but it was hardly surprising that Petrick Asteri’s patience had worn thin.
House Asteri did not accept those without talent into its ranks.
Before the war or after, that rule remained unchanged.
In truth, the forbearance shown thus far owed entirely to the Marquis’s unusual affection for Lion.
But this was already the third time……
As the Marquis’s gaze fell upon him, the servant’s frame shrank away.
The gaze of an archmage estimated to be Eighth Circle or higher was something no ordinary person could easily bear.
Primal fear welled up within him, so intense he wanted nothing more than to flee.

“Anything else?”

Anything else…? the servant thought.
He drew a deep breath and spoke with great care.

“His health remains sound, my lord. His memory appears unaffected as well.”

The servant answered, gauging the Marquis’s mood.

“Tch. Get out.”

After the servant fled, drenched in cold sweat, Petrick exhaled slowly.

“……Silvia.”

A shadow glided forward.

From the darkness where nothing had been, a silhouette emerged.
An elderly woman dressed in a neat uniform.
Petrick’s most trusted aide. Silvia.

“You’ve summoned me—you must be quite worried, sir.”

Petrick Asteri did not answer, but the deepening furrow between his brows told her it was true.

“I was well aware that the boy had been researching various ways to overcome the Shock…….”

Petrick pressed his temples repeatedly, muttering to himself.

“But this is excessive. Collecting herbs? He’s barely recovered from his sickbed.”
“Perhaps he finds it burdensome to continue relying on House Asteri’s support?”
“Nonsense…….”

Or is it?

“You’ve always maintained a strict front with him, after all.”

At Silvia’s calm remark, Petrick’s expression grew grave at once.
Some time passed.

“Silvia.”

The aide bowed at the waist.

“Your command, sir.”
“Find out what that boy is doing. Exactly what.”

Petrick’s mind was clearly in no small state of turmoil.
Silvia regarded him quietly for a moment, then asked with a subtle smile.

“Shall I have him brought to you?”

No matter how he pretended otherwise, the patriarch cared for Lion deeply.
Perhaps all the more because the boy was sickly.
Yet the unfeeling young master had barely risen from his sickbed before launching into all this…….

“If he dawdles this time, tell him I’ll have every plant in the mansion uprooted!”
“I shall convey the message as is.”

Only after Silvia’s form had completely dissolved into shadow did Petrick mutter to himself.

“This insolent fool. If his health has recovered, he should visit his grandfather first—instead he’s been pulling weeds for weeks now.”

* * *

At that very moment.

Pop!

[You have obtained Aqua Rosemary.]

Pop!

[You have obtained Coriander.]

The Mimr Forest—a woodland not far from the Asteri Mansion, within the marquess’s domain.
A gaunt young man sat crouched among the trees, his pallor unmistakable.
With his hair bound neatly in gold and eyes that gleamed like amethyst, his fair skin made him look every inch the aristocrat,
His hands were filthy with soil and plant sap, and his unblemished cheeks were covered only with beads of sweat mixed with dust.

Pop!

[You have obtained Root Octangle.]

The young man pulled up the grass with trembling hands.
Lion Asteri—once known as Baek I-hyeon—let a faint smile cross his face.

‘Herbs just come loose with a tug? This place is paradise!’

A month had already slipped away since Lion possessed this body in In the World.
At first, he’d been understandably bewildered.
Transmigrated into a different world—and fifty years into In the World’s future timeline, no less?
And since he’d played In the World with passion but never truly focused on the main story, arriving here felt like dropping blind into an unknown abyss.

‘At least I had some familiarity with the House Asteri—a Great Magic Family I’d heard about—and the memories of this body remained intact. That much was fortunate.’

And then there was this ability.
Expert’s Eye.
When he’d woken and gone for a walk to gather his bearings, he noticed a herb patch glimmering with an odd shine, and when he pulled one up…
The herbs came away so effortlessly.

[Aqua Rosemary]
-An herb that differs from ordinary rosemary, releasing the distinct aroma of the sea.
-When consumed raw, it has a salty taste as though you were swallowing seawater.
[Uses: Cooking, Potions]
[☞Click here to view recipes.]

[Novice Herbalist (1) Achievement: 1/100 until completion]

Along with a notification that the achievement was in progress.
With nothing else to do, he naturally followed the prompt and began gathering herbs.
After pulling up about a hundred plants, he understood.

[Novice Herbalist (1) Achievement unlocked!]
[You have obtained 1,000 Shillings!]

There were rewards for achievements.

[Once a certain amount of Shillings accumulates, the Shilling Shop will open.]

And a dedicated shop existed too!
Everything after that had followed the same pattern.
Achievements existed, and completing them gave money.
So naturally, shouldn’t he crush every achievement he could, deploying all the knowledge at his disposal?

“How much have I gathered?”

Lion opened his inventory to check his accumulated funds.

“Twenty thousand Shillings already.”

Twenty thousand Shillings.
He wasn’t sure if that counted as serious money in the Shilling Shop, but the feeling stirring in Lion’s chest was entirely new.

‘Effort returns reward—it’s actually real.’

Lion clenched his fist tight.
How much had he suffered at the company all those years.
Work piles up, colleagues eye each other’s rank, junior staff never get hired, and on top of it all—they don’t acknowledge your effort, only steal your achievements……!
Thinking back on it now, it was absolutely dizzying.
It’s surprising I didn’t burn out.
Still, receiving fair compensation for labor was more comfort than I could have asked for.

“Ahem.”

Lion composed his surging emotions.
At any rate, if the shop operates on some threshold, he’d need to hold at least 100,000 Shillings before it would open.
Until then, he could simply keep pursuing Achievements by leveraging his talents.

“If I play my cards right…… I could earn enough to live comfortably anywhere, couldn’t I?”

Lion was well aware that he could be cast out from House Asteri at any moment.
A firstborn who cannot sense Mana—they’d surely think, what kind of fool is this?

“Still, I should cling to my place here until I’m expelled.”

Even if he did sense Mana later, his talent would certainly never reach the level required to actually use magic.
Which meant his fate was sealed—he would be cast aside by this Great Magic Family.
Perfect, really.

‘After all, the next head of House Asteri will be my younger brother.’

“Well, to make that happen I suppose I need to do some groundwork…… huh?”

Lion rested his hand on his waist, muttering absently as he scanned his surroundings without thinking.
Then……
Sparkle!

‘That’s it!’

A plant gleaming with particular brilliance had caught Lion’s eye.
It shimmered so intensely that it seemed to radiate light of its own.
He knew instinctively.

‘This is the real thing.’

Gulp.
Lion swallowed hard, knelt before the plant, and began gently scraping away the soil around it with his hands.
Though his hands were already filthy, he paid it no mind.
To Lion’s eyes, that herb was worth its weight in gold!
Once he’d exposed the roots enough, he grasped the plant with one hand and pulled——

Slip!

With a satisfying give, an herb he’d never seen before came free in his hand!
Even as it came up, it still gleamed like burnished gold!

[Red Sun Fern (★)]
-The tip curls in the shape of sun, dyed red. Unlike common ferns, it is safe to consume raw.
-There is a rumor that when consumed through special methods, it clears unwanted thoughts from the mind.
[Uses — Food, Potions]
[☞To view recipes, you must reach Alchemy Apprentice LV.4.]

[‘Three Stars!’ Achievement progress: 1/3]

“Excellent!”
“Young master.”

It was exactly as he’d expected.
The achievement for successfully collecting three types of rare-grade herbs In the World.

‘Three Stars!’

Clearly, unlike ordinary grinding work, this demanded attention to detail—which meant the Shilling reward would be on an entirely different scale from before.
And beyond that…….
He could sense it, thanks to his talent.
These would make for quite potent potions when brewed.

“Young Master.”
“Hmm?”

He’d assumed it was the usual attendant, but someone else stood before him.
This person was certainly…….

“Silvia?”

Yes—the head maid, Silvia.
A woman who had served House Asteri for decades.
To Lion, she was no different from a grandmother.

[Lv. ?? Silvia]

Well, it didn’t matter.

“Do you see this?”

Lion thrust the still-gleaming fern toward her.

“Ah…….”

Silvia smiled warmly and examined the herb.

‘Superior-grade herb, this one.’

No signs of Mana damage, and the root appeared entirely unblemished—clearly extracted with considerable care.
With hands like those…….

“It’s quite clean, isn’t it.”
“Look closely! It’s shining, isn’t it?”

Silvia felt a deep pang watching Lion.
What was inside such a heart but sorrow?
He must surely be under considerable mental strain, which is why he spoke like this.
Silvia drew out a handkerchief and gently wiped the face and hands of her grandson in all but name.

‘At least he looks happy. Thank goodness for that.’

Yes. What did it matter that he couldn’t sense Mana?
As long as the Young Master was content, that was enough.
Yet why did her heart ache more keenly each time she saw him?
Though the house master and she herself looked after him, how vast must be the emptiness left by parents who were never there to raise him?

“Can’t you see the light?”
“I cannot, no.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Ha ha—I suppose it shines only to my eyes, then.”
…….

He was clearly making excuses.
He had no face to show the patriarch.
Silvia was certain of it.
Of course, Lion was…….

‘If Silvia can’t see it, then I’m definitely the only one who can.’

He was checking whether she truly couldn’t see it.

“The patriarch worries greatly. Perhaps it’s best you return now. With effort like this, I’m sure he’ll be most pleased.”

At the mention of the patriarch, Lion’s gaze finally lifted from the herbs.

‘Not quite.’

From what he could recall, and from what little game knowledge he possessed, Petrick Asteri was a thoroughgoing meritocrat.
The superior gained everything.
It was a rule unbroken even within the family.
The head of house——no, the patriarch. Petrick Asteri.
His number-one target for favor.

‘I have to go see him, but I’m not ready yet.’

Not until he obtained this herb.

‘I’ve gathered most of the ingredients by now. Time to start earning some points.’

What was he planning to do with these herbs?
Naturally, he intended to craft a potion.
For now, potion-making was his best path——his only path——to producing a gift worthy of genuine acclaim.

“Silvia.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Tell Grandfather that I’ll call on him tomorrow around midday. And……can you procure something for me?”

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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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