Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 203

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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’d Rather Just Heal — Episode 203

[You have created Ultimate Cuisine. Cooking Experience has increased by 40%.]

His Cooking level had only recently risen, yet he’d already gained this enormous bonus experience.
It was truly remarkable, and the experience was quite generous, but Lion found himself unable to look away from the notification.
What filled his bright violet eyes was only one thing—the simmering Miso Stew right before him!

‘I’ve completely lost it.’

His saliva kept sliding down his throat in one gulp after another.
His stomach, which had been quiet until moments before, now throbbed with anticipation.

‘Really…….’

Lion was so overwhelmed by emotion that he couldn’t even finish forming his thoughts.
He simply surrendered to the tide of gratitude washing over him.
How long had it been since he’d eaten Miso Stew like this?
The last time seemed to be at a team dinner at that barbecue restaurant before his Reincarnation.
And even then, he hadn’t eaten his fill.
But now, before his eyes sat a massive pot of simmering Miso Stew—all of it for me!
More than enough to gorge himself on, with plenty left over!
It was an indescribable joy.

“Chirp!”

Nature, watching from nearby, mimicked the sound of wings fluttering in applause.

“Kyeep?”

Fus, observing the scene, sensed that something joyful was happening—though he couldn’t say what—and began hopping in circles around Lion, sharing in the celebration.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Lion’s throat tightened; he gestured absently at his eyes as if wiping away tears and took his seat.
He scooped rice he’d prepared earlier into a bowl, and was about to draw a generous spoonful of broth with his freshly carved, smooth Wooden Spoon when—

“Brother.”

Ricshel appeared in the distance.

“……Yes?”

Lion froze, his spoon still full of Miso Stew broth suspended before him.
If Ricshel had come all the way here, something had happened.
And not just anything—
something serious enough that Lion needed to handle it personally.
But.
Lion’s gaze fell back to the lavish meal before him.
To anyone else, it would look like just one meager pot of Miso Stew sitting alone, but to Lion right now, it was more sumptuous and luxurious than any feast—more appetizing than all the riches of heaven and earth!

‘I suppose there’s no helping it…….’

Just as Lion was about to set down his spoon—

“Ah, I see you’re in the middle of your meal. I’ll report after you’ve finished.”
“It’s not urgent…….”
“No matter how urgent, it cannot be more important than your meal.”

Besides, the deed was already done—Ricshel muttered to himself, then added something more.

“You can hear about it after you’ve eaten in comfort.”
“…!”

At those words, color returned to Lion’s face.
The world had not betrayed me after all!
Ordinarily, he would have checked the matter first, but this time he wanted to follow Ricshel’s advice.
And…

“Have you eaten lunch?”
“Not yet.”
“Perfect timing, then.”

Wasn’t it better to eat together than alone?
Lion gestured for Ricshel to sit, then ladled a generous portion of soybean paste stew into a bowl for him.
Though Ricshel usually poured rice into the bowl with practiced ease…

He hesitated.

This time, he paused in a way he normally didn’t.
It was because the stew carried a scent unfamiliar to him.
It was rather like cheese that had aged far too long and turned pungent.
It felt strange enough to remind him of the first time he’d encountered banana sweet potato.

“It’s called soybean paste stew. Try it—you’ll like it?”
“…I see.”

But Ricshel suppressed his hesitation lightly and accepted the bowl.
Then he examined the deeply colored soup with an objective eye.
The various vegetables were ones he knew, and though sliced thin, the meat too was familiar.
What felt slightly unfamiliar was the soft white cubes that held a subtle hint of the stew’s color…

‘Rather like pudding.’

Cut to an appropriate size as they were, they didn’t look entirely unappealing.
Moreover, the scent of the soybean paste stew, which had been intense and salty at first, grew familiar, and beneath it he found positive notes of flavor.
Most of all…

‘If it was made by him.’

His disposition—that anything would be good—played no small part.
And besides, nothing he’d ever made had tasted bad.

“If you want more after tasting it, just say so.”
“This should be plenty.”

Indeed, Ricshel’s bowl was full of solid ingredients—meat and tofu-like pieces.

“Ha ha.”

Lion laughed at his words and ladled a generous portion of soybean paste stew into his own bowl as well.
He’d made a larger amount just to be safe, and he was glad for it.
They could both eat their fill like this.
And truth be told, he was so excited that he would have been pleased with any reaction from Ricshel right now.
His heart thudded. On purpose, he’d avoided tasting even a spoonful halfway through, lest his anticipation deflate.
How far had he driven himself for this single bite…!

‘So then…!’

Lion took a spoonful of the simmering miso stew, his face flushed with anticipation, and drank it down.
And then…….

“……Ahhhhh!”

Perfect.
This was it!
His anxiety about the seasoning — that nagging worry the broth might not have come together properly — vanished entirely.

‘It turned out exactly right……!’

The deep umami of miso colliding with the richness of meat fat was as destructive as he’d anticipated, and the sharp heat of chili peppers layered on top with devastating impact.
The vegetables, slow-cooked until tender, melted on his tongue, while the potatoes crumbled with a dry, crumbly bite.
The mushrooms added their own chewy texture, different from the meat, creating a pleasing complexity.
And most of all…….

“Mmm-mmm!”

The silken tofu, saturated with the hot broth, was masterful.
Mild and soft, it harmonized beautifully with the miso.
Both born from soybeans — the miso and the tofu — they had no choice but to complement each other perfectly.
And not least because House Asteri had sourced the finest soybeans for the occasion!

‘I can’t hold back any longer.’

His critical evaluation ended there.
Lion abandoned all restraint and began to eat with abandon.
He dumped rice into the broth-filled bowl, mashed the tofu, and devoured it all in ravenous gulps.
It may have looked crude, but the taste was beyond reproach.
The broth coated each grain of rice, while the starch from the rice thickened the broth into a richer consistency.
So Lion threw himself into his meal with utter focus, putting on what was less a performance than pure, unselfconscious eating.

‘……Was he that hungry?’

Ricshel found himself somewhat taken aback by the display.
Though his brother always ate with vigor, today was on an entirely different scale.

‘It’s as if…….’

Yes. This was exactly how Ricshel had felt when he emerged from the elder’s cave after his training for enlightenment.
The exhilaration of reaching a new height paired with the utter exhaustion of body and spirit — and yet a single, irrepressible hunger consuming his mind.
The type of food didn’t matter. He simply needed to taste something his brother had made.
Even roasted bananas or sweet potatoes — anything would have sufficed.
Perhaps it was the memory itself he craved — that sense of peace and security he’d felt eating in his brother’s presence, in that safest of all moments.
And Lion, now, seemed to be experiencing something similar.
Something welling up from deep in his chest, something that moved him to tears as he ate.

‘How exquisite must this taste…….’

With that thought, the simple bowl before him took on a preciousness he hadn’t expected.
His earlier distance from the unfamiliar had long since dissolved, and watching his brother, Ricshel felt his own hunger awaken.
Ricshel followed his brother’s lead and savored the miso stew.
It couldn’t match the rapture Lion experienced, but the taste was sublime.
Ricshel, who normally ate sparingly, cleaned his entire bowl.
After they’d finished that satisfying meal,
Lion patted his full belly and asked,

“So what happened outside? You said Jake found the answer?”
“Ah.”

Ricshel wiped his mouth elegantly, then paused for a moment before answering.

“……It would be better if you saw it yourself. It hasn’t finished yet.”
“…….”

It hasn’t finished? What did he mean by that?
Now that I’d eaten, my mind was clearing again.
What in the world was happening outside?

* * *

“Ha ha.”
“Y-Young Master. That is…….”
“Huu…….”

Lion looked at the two of them, wrapped a hand around his brow, and exhaled deeply.
Both of them looked absolutely wrecked.

‘Of course they do. After all that fighting.’

Lion recalled the situation since they’d escaped the Labyrinth.
Ricshel, who said it was better to see it directly, led me to the Training Ground with a subtle sigh.
Seeing that composed Ricshel actually sighing made it clear something had definitely happened.

‘But why the Training Ground?’

Before I could resolve that question, my eyes landed on the people standing near the Training Ground.
Knights watching the center of the Training Ground with expressions of disbelief, and especially Rickson, the Knight Captain, pressing his temples and sighing deeply.
And Jake, constantly slapping his own forehead with an expression that said he was about to lose his mind.

“……Move aside for a moment.”

Pushing through them, the sight I confirmed was…….
Barg, being beaten down utterly one-sidedly by Jake.

“They’ve been training like that for days now.”
“That’s training?”

To look at it, he was taking out his frustrations on Barg at the level of a one-sided beating.

“According to Barg, it is training.”
“Really?”
“……He even seemed to be enjoying it.”
“…….”

Why would he be happy getting pounded like that?
Lion watched the Training Ground as if gazing at a distant mountain, then exhaled deeply.
I’d only been gone a few days—how did things end up like this?

“Apparently they made a deal.”

Sensing Lion’s state of mind, Ricshel briefly explained the full circumstances of the incident.

“Sigh…….”

It was only natural that a deep sigh escaped Lion’s lips.

“My, my~ Already losing his tenth bout today, yet his progress seems slower than expected.”

Jake, having pressed his knee down on Barg’s back and claimed the top position, spoke with casual indifference.
Barg, thrilled by combat, fixed his beast-like eyes forward and let out a low, feral growl—but Jake didn’t so much as blink.
Instead.

“Shall we go again?”

And as though it were some unspoken agreement between them, Jake released his hold. Barg lunged forward immediately.
The moment Barg bared his sharp claws to strike.

“Stop right theeere!!”

Lion, who’d been watching the two of them, bellowed across the Training Ground.
Jake, already aware of his presence, halted instantly. Barg, who hadn’t noticed Lion’s arrival, belatedly withdrew his claws.
The result.

A sharp slash—

A thin line of blood opened across Jake’s cheek as though carved by a blade.
Jake wiped the flowing blood with the back of his hand, muttering as if to prove a point.

“Barg’s first wound stings quite a bit.”
“…….”

Well, that had happened just a moment ago.
As Lion’s recollection finished, he fixed Jake with a sullen stare.

‘He deliberately didn’t dodge that.’

Lion remembered the scene with perfect clarity.
Jake had held his gaze steady and tilted his head just enough to ensure the wound would mark—on purpose.

‘……Never mind him for now.’

Lion turned his attention from Jake to Barg.
The beast was filthy, like a dog that had rolled in mud, but not a scratch marred his hide.
If there had been any, they’d healed at once.

‘The problem is…….’

Lion deliberately lowered his voice, letting an edge creep into it.

“Barg.”
“Yes, yes sir.”
“Explain.”

At the uncharacteristically stern tone, Barg flinched and let out a small whimper.

“Whimper.”

But Lion had no intention of letting him off easily.
He knew well that this was when you had to come down hard—it was the only way to keep him from pulling such recklessness next time.

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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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