Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 209

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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—Let Me Just Heal / Episode 209

To anyone watching, the creature looked as though it had eaten and slept exceptionally well, and a vein suddenly bulged in Lion’s forehead.
He wanted nothing more than to burst out and confront it right then and there…….

‘Breathe. Hold steady.’

Once he captured the beast, he could settle the score for the Banana Sweet Potato. That was all that mattered.
Lion maintained his composure and waited for it to draw near.
He stilled his breathing as much as possible, careful not to make the slightest sound.
Barg was doing the same.
Hiding in the forest to watch prey came naturally to a wolf—it was hardly difficult—but still.

A sideways glance.

Lion moved only his eyes, regarding Barg across the undergrowth.

‘He didn’t realize it.’

Even while Barg held his body perfectly still among the grass, bewilderment flickered across his face—he couldn’t hide it.
He didn’t understand why he was so naturally skilled at this.
Then, slowly, his eyes widened as if something had clicked into place.
It seemed as though something that had been blocked inside Barg had finally cracked open.

‘Two birds with one stone.’

Lion watched the expression for a moment longer, then turned his attention back to the clearing.
The waddling bear was remarkably slow.
It must have sensed something amiss—it stood up on its hind legs and looked around, then swatted curiously at a nearby tree with its front paw.

A low rumble.

The problem was that even that gentle swipe snapped the tree like a reed, sending it toppling.
The tree that had been providing them cover vanished in an instant.
Now only dense undergrowth remained.

“…….”

When the thick barrier fell away, Lion felt for a moment as though their eyes might have met…….

‘No wariness at all.’

The creature simply tilted its head in confusion, just as before.
Lion swallowed hard and grabbed Barg, who was about to bolt forward.
Not yet. Stay calm.
If they followed the plan, nothing would go wrong.
And fortunately…….

“Grrrmmph…….”

The Bear Beastman cocked its head, looked around once more, and—apparently satisfied—waddled toward the bait with lazy, deliberate steps.

‘Exhale…….’

Lion let out a silent breath.
Whether it was the lack of scent, or whether the Bear Beastman had simply grown overconfident because none of the previous thefts had been discovered, the creature was far more careless than Lion had anticipated.
Almost stupid, really.

A soft sound.

‘Still, I can’t let my guard down.’

I’d just seen it — the tree falling.
Lion gripped the rope that would trigger the trap.
Once the creature came a little closer, into safer range, he’d use it.
Just a bit more.
Just a little further.
The distance between the Bear Beastman and the bait shrank.
Close enough that the blunt snout could tap the candy, reach it with those sharp teeth.

‘That’s it. Eat.’

Just as Lion willed it, the Bear Beastman lifted the candy with its front paw and opened its maw wide, ready to sink in those fangs……

Crunch! Crack!

The sounds alone were enough to make your mouth water as it began devouring the candy.

‘Now!’

Whoosh!

A massive Capture Net woven from special rope flew through the air and engulfed the Bear Beastman completely.
The net’s edges drove into the ground, cutting off any escape route.
With a net like this pinning it down, no Beast-human, however strong, should be able to break free……

“……Moooogh?”

A deflating sound echoed through the forest.

“Hm?”

Caught in the net, the Bear Beastman simply shook its head once — and kept eating the candy.

“……Young Master. Did you anticipate this as well?”

Barg’s claws slowly retracted.

“No……”

Lion stood up, his voice strained with disbelief.
He’d thought the creature was tough, rough, cunning……

Crack. Crack!

“……Why is it so stupid?”

Lion watched as the creature, now fully visible to him, continued its mindless feast — even licking the Iron Plate clean of every last trace of honey and nut.
As this unwanted spectacle of gluttony dragged on, the plate grew slick and bare, not a morsel remaining.

Poof.

A small explosion sounded, and billowing smoke spread through the clearing.
Startled, Barg’s claws sprang out again, and he moved to shield Lion.

“Young Master, be careful! That creature is……!”

Only then did Barg seem to recognize what the thing truly was.
But even as it transformed into human form, no attacks emerged from within the swirling smoke.
Quite the opposite.

“Mm-hmm. Ahh. It’s been a while since I’ve looked like this.”

A languid, almost drowsy voice drifted out.

‘Well, well.’

For a thief, he certainly seemed at peace.

“Nature.”
“Chirp-chirp.”

Nature scattered the cloud sheep away with a gust of wind, and the figure became visible.
A creature easily over two meters tall, and so well-fed that his long hair flowed like seaweed—smooth and gleaming.
Despite the muscular frame, his face was puffy from what looked like last night’s gluttony.
……Wait, muscular frame?
Now that I think about it, when a beast-human assumes their true form…….

“Yikes, Nature!”

And right on cue, Lion called out to Nature again, this time making no effort to hide his displeasure at the sight of the completely naked body, his expression souring visibly.

“……”

Nature, apparently unwilling to let that form remain visible either, drew back the mist she’d dispersed and covered the male’s body with it once more.
The bear beastman, now with only his face poking through the smoke, even let out a languid stretch.

“Haaaah. Was there a sleeping draught in the food? Though it seems the dosage was rather small.”
“You—after turning the Asteri Territory into a wasteland, you’re being remarkably shameless about it……!”

Barg stepped forward indignantly.

‘I agree entirely.’

Through it all, the bear beastman merely smacked his lips.
Like someone wistfully savoring the memory of a delicious treat they’d already consumed.
The only small mercy was that he showed no appetite for battle…….

“Listen here.”
“Hmm?”
“Hand it over.”
“……Hand over what?”
“Payment for all the theft and consumption you’ve committed.”
“Mm…….”

The bear beastman fell silent for a moment, his eyes rolling as he considered, before answering.

“I’ll repay the value of what I’ve eaten directly to the owner of this territory. So there’s nothing for me to give you…….”
“Oh ho.”

A thin smile played at Lion’s lips.
This fat bear seemed to be plotting something, but unfortunately his background knowledge fell rather short.
He was volunteering to turn himself in and even promising compensation—how convenient.
But.
Fat chance.

“That would be me.”
“Mm…….”
“I am Lion Asteri of the Asteri Territory.”

Strictly speaking, the estate’s true master was his grandfather, but with Lion now handling this “bear situation,” there was no objection to him acting the part of owner.

“…….”

The bear seemed to realize something had gone wrong, and his growl dropped to a lower, more uncertain pitch.

“Never thought a man of such station would move himself. Humans are supposed to be lazy creatures, especially those of rank. Seems that’s changed since the old days.”

It was the tone of someone who had just grasped the certainty of his capture.

“You said you’d repay it with your own mouth—so first, you’ll go where you belong.”

The Underground Prison, that is.

“Wait, hold on!”

The moment the creature moved to protest, Barg stepped forward and brought his sword scabbard down hard against the back of the beast’s skull.

Clang!

The sound rang out like something from a blacksmith’s forge, and the creature crumpled where he stood.
……He hadn’t actually planned to bring him in like this.

“……Beast-humans are sturdy, so he won’t, won’t die from that, I think.”
“Right. Feels good.”

One swing had purged the irritation entirely—a cathartic release.

“Let’s head back.”
“Yes.”

Barg methodically undid the trap and dragged the thoroughly unconscious mass of a creature back toward the manor.

“Tch.”

Meanwhile, Nature stood nearby with an expression of considerable displeasure, bearing witness to the creature’s final indignity.
……After work this rough, he’d better give her a treat when they got back.

* * *

“……A beast-human, you say?”
“Yes. Indeed.”

The day after depositing the creature in the Underground Prison of House Asteri, Lion gave Ricshel a brief account of the situation.

“A bear beast-human…….”

Ricshel’s brow furrowed slightly.
If it was specifically a bear beast-human, things might become considerably bothersome.
Bear beast-humans were known to hold fairly high status within the Beastman Kingdom itself.
Moreover, they typically spent their entire lives within their own territory, so sightings of them outside were rare.
And they were known to hold their own kind in particularly high regard…….

‘This is different from the Freyanya matter.’

Back then, the Family Head had been acquainted with their leader, which had made everything proceed smoothly and amicably.
But now.

‘There’s no such connection.’

If he were to go through the Elf Kingdom, he might forge some kind of connection, but careless action could strain his relationship with the Beastman Kingdom.
Beyond that…….

‘He said Barg was oddly well-behaved.’

Lion suspected the reason had to do with Barg, but Ricshel’s thinking diverged slightly.

‘……It’s probably because of the presence Lion gives off.’

With Spirit Summoning ability that could only be called the work of an unparalleled genius, most animals grew quite docile around Lion.
The Luminous Deer they’d seen at the Ester Hotel and the fox that had hatched from the egg were both like that, and Barg was no exception.
In fact, perhaps Barg had come to the Asteri Territory in the first place because he was drawn by Lion’s presence.

“It’s fine.”
“Sir?”
“He said himself he’d repay it all. So even if the Bear Beastmen came storming in, they’d have nothing to say about it.”
“I, I see.”

Ricshel didn’t voice what he truly thought.
Mentioning it to Lion would only burden him.
Better to quietly keep watch from the shadows and prevent anyone from taking advantage of Lion.
And besides…….

‘This is something Lion accomplished.’

In other words, Lion had earned another achievement.
And since it amounted to vanquishing a massive bear, it would build his renown in yet another direction.

“What are you planning to do with that Bear Beastman?”
“Once he wakes up, I’ll demand compensation for what he’s done.”
“You have a plan for everything, I see. Then I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Yeah. Don’t worry. Oh, and…….”

Lion confirmed the door was firmly shut before picking up a pen and scribbling on paper.

—That Bear Beastman. He could help Barg.
—So you noticed too.

“In that case, I’ll entrust that matter to you as well. However, if you ever find yourself in difficulty or a troublesome situation arises, I will handle it immediately, so you must tell me without fail.”
“Understood.”
“If not me, then the head of House Asteri. Without fail.”
“Have I ever struggled with something I couldn’t solve alone and suffered in silence? Don’t worry.”
……

Ricshel wanted to say, Because I’m concerned you’ll try to resolve it alone with difficulty.
But he held his tongue.

“Ah, and a letter has arrived from Bydentis Territory. They said they would come here soon to carry out the Emperor’s orders and prepare for the birthday celebration.”
“I see.”

Indeed, he should begin the birthday preparations soon.
Of course, there wasn’t much for Lion to do personally, but it wouldn’t be bad for them to deepen their friendship in the process.
And…….

‘Right, I need to resolve the bear matter as quickly as possible.’

Ricshel and Marquis Bydentis would be meeting after a long time, and it wouldn’t do to have turmoil stirring up the atmosphere.
Lion smiled contentedly to himself.

“Right, right. Once we settle the bear problem, I’ll prepare for that too.”
“Sigh. I worry that you’ve been dragged into something troublesome for no good reason.”
“Ha ha ha. I’m fine with it.”

Actually, looking at it that way, it was rather amusing.
Watching someone else’s love troubles unfold was always the most entertaining thing, wasn’t it?

‘Heh heh heh.’

……Though unfortunately, those two harbored no such feelings whatsoever.

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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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