Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 211

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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 211

“Well, yes…….”
“I’d say the damages have been fairly compensated at this point.”
“You called him a bear, right? I’ll tell you, the man’s got strength. Real strength.”

Fortunately, those who had suffered damage also seemed generally satisfied.
In fact, Urhil had accomplished in just a few hours what would have taken dozens of laborers days to complete.
When calculating the typical wages, the accounting worked out perfectly — or perhaps even better than that.

‘Hmm, this might not be so bad after all.’

As the soft praise from the villagers drifted to his ears, Urhil’s lips curved upward.
At first he’d felt the weight of reality crushing down on him, but now that he’d been forgiven and had actually solved their problems, it felt more rewarding than he’d expected.

“I really made the right call coming here.”

There was no way he’d have attempted anything like this back in his homeland.

“Ahem, and those monsters lurking at the village edge? I drove them off, so you won’t have any security troubles for a good while.”

So naturally, without anyone even asking, he couldn’t help but casually mention the good he’d done.

“There he goes! The big fellow really backs up his size!”
“And to think we used to shake in our boots every time we headed that way!”

Lion watched Urhil blend in with surprising ease, letting out a dry chuckle.
At first he’d been quite irritated, but looking at him now, the fellow didn’t seem half bad.
Just, well, how to put it…….

‘Maybe he just didn’t know any better.’

After all, a bear eating fruit from a tree isn’t exactly a crime, is it?
Just the way of nature, really.
Of course, that didn’t mean he’d completely forgiven him yet.
There was still one matter unresolved.
The case of the missing Sweet Potato Banana Field!
Lion hadn’t forgotten about that.
His temperament turned out better than expected, and he hadn’t anticipated how quickly the other villagers’ damages could be repaired.
But it didn’t matter.

‘I’ll get proper compensation.’

This resolve still existed! But…….

Growl.

His stomach had started to rumble, though the sun hadn’t even set yet.
Probably from having worked hard all day long.
He was just thinking he should head back and grab something quick to eat when——

“Oh my! Young Master, are you leaving?”
“Well, I’ve finished what I came to do, so I should be going.”
“Don’t be like that — come share a meal with us before you go.”

It wasn’t the sort of thing one would ordinarily do for a typical nobleman’s son, but this was Lion they were dealing with.
By now the villagers had come to understand his nature well enough that they invited him without hesitation.
And naturally, Lion was——

“Oh, is that so?”

He consented without hesitation.

“…….”

In truth, the meal was nothing particularly elaborate.
A vast cauldron simmered with stew over a crackling fire of apple-wood, while corn and potatoes roasted in the warmth beneath.
Once the savory aroma began to drift through the air, people wandered over one by one, settling in a circle to blow on steaming ears of corn and strip away the perfectly cooked kernels with their teeth.
The golden potatoes met the same fate.

“Here. Have one, Urhil.”
“I…….”
“Come now. It’s fine. That’s all in the past — don’t hold back!”

Before he could refuse, a Potato and an ear of corn were pressed into Urhil’s hands.

“If you want more after this, just say so! We have plenty of Potatoes!”
“…….”

Urhil found himself in an awkward position.
In truth, such food did not align with his sensibilities.
It was neither sweet nor fragrant.
Merely roasted crops, nothing more.
Moreover, it was qualitatively different from what he’d dug up and eaten in the Mimur Forest.

‘I can hardly refuse in a moment like this.’

He’d only just recovered the people’s trust; he had no wish to squander it over something so trivial.
And…….

His stomach rumbled.

All the exertion had left him genuinely hungry.
Urhil steeled himself and began nibbling away at the Potato and corn.
Predictably, the taste was pedestrian and unremarkable.
Or so he’d thought…….

“My, my!”
“You certainly have an appetite!”
“Here, have more.”

Before long, a mountain of corn cobs had piled up before Urhil.

‘This is absurd.’

He’d eaten such a quantity of something he found flavorless?
Even when he’d thought it mediocre?
It wasn’t as though a blow to the head had dulled his sense of taste.
Yet what could he say?
The atmosphere itself seemed to draw the food into his mouth.
Of course, in his human form he hadn’t consumed as much as he would have as a bear, but…….

‘How curious.’

Even as the thought crossed his mind, a kernel of corn clung to the corner of his mouth.
In any case, no one seemed to dislike him, and that was what mattered.

“Now then. Having finished the main course, we must move on to dessert!”

After they’d eaten through the leftover honey and misshapen fruit turned into dessert, a drinking session naturally began.
Urhil, who’d sobered up quickly and refused further drinks, settled before the bonfire and looked around.
The crackle of burning apple wood filled the air, and voices layered over that rhythm like rough-hewn harmony.
Some of them, caught up in the mood, danced together to that harmony.

‘……Curious.’

Urhil found himself caught in fresh astonishment at these varied and unfamiliar sights.
Or perhaps “captivated” was the truer word.
Just as the small gathering was reaching its warmth.

“We should be heading back now.”

Lion rose, and Urhil followed without a word.
Fortunately, tonight’s sleeping quarters were a guest room, not a cold cell.
Urhil settled comfortably onto the bed.
It was a bit small—his feet nearly hung over the edge—but it held a certain charm nonetheless.

‘……Asteri Territory is quite a strange place.’

Urhil drifted to sleep with an odd feeling stirring inside him.

* * *

And the next day.
The door burst open and Lion appeared in the guest room.

“Good morning, strong one!”

Then he strode purposefully over and yanked the curtains open with a sharp swoosh-swoosh, flooding the room with bright light.

“Nngh……”

Urhil, apparently unaccustomed to rising at such an hour, pulled the blanket up over his face.

“Good grief.”

You could tell from his actions alone.
This one was bound to laziness in a way that made no sense given his strength and ability.
That peculiar dullness clearly stemmed from the same source.
What kind of life he’d lived in the Beastkin Nation was no concern of Lion’s.
Right now he was simply a prisoner, here to pay his payment for sin.

“Up.”

Time to earn that redemption.
At that, Urhil didn’t budge.

“No choice then. Nature. Take that blanket away.”
“Chirp.”

Nature didn’t hesitate, snatching the blanket away with a gust of wind.
Though Urhil took the morning’s chill full in the face, he remained unmoved.
But Lion had no intention of stopping there.
He’d never planned on waking him kindly in the first place.

“Nature. Let’s go.”
“Chirp!”

Nature flung the blanket far away, then lifted the massive two-meter frame bodily into the air on a gust of wind.
The weight pressed down on him, and he felt Mana seeping slowly from his body.

‘By now, this much is nothing.’

And so Urhil was dragged away once more.
As they passed through the mansion’s front gate and headed toward the forest.

“……A truly dreadful morning.”

The harsh sunlight pouring through the window left him no choice but to surrender.
Urhil twisted his body deftly in midair and landed on the ground.

“Haven’t I paid my payment for sin thoroughly enough yesterday?”
“The most important part is still left.”

Lion let out a scoff and pointed a finger toward a distant spot.
Urhil could guess where without even looking.

“They were delicious.”
“They were delicious, weren’t they!”

Yes.
It was none other than the Sweet Potato Banana Field!
The tragic scene, now bearing only small seeds, remained preserved exactly as it was.

“But this isn’t private property, is it?”

Urhil attempted to defend himself, feeling somewhat wronged.
He could accept the apiary or the orchards.
There were people who had actually suffered damage.
But this place was a forest, located in a place that couldn’t really be called a field.
If anything, wasn’t it a gift of nature?

“It was my field.”
“……True, since this forest is your domain, you’re not entirely wrong.”
“No, that’s not it. It really was my field.”

From discovery to cultivation, I built every inch with my own hands. It was my field.
Yes, it was rather humble, and crude enough that one might not call it a field at all!
But it grew well, so I just left it alone.
Moreover, wasn’t it true that no one else dared lay a hand on this place?

…….

Reading sincerity in Lion’s eyes, Urhil closed his mouth, watched his expression for a moment, then rolled up his sleeves.

“All right. What should I do? Should I start by cleaning up the mess?”

And with that, he began yanking out the sweet potato banana shoots one after another!

“Stop-o-o-op!”

Lion rushed forward and blocked Urhil’s path.
He had nearly made the remaining seedlings unusable.
Look at those sweet potato shoots, crushed in that great palm-sized hand.
Lion snatched the shoots from his hand and pressed a spade into it instead.

“There. Do you see it?”

Lion pointed with his finger toward a flat patch of ground not far away.
Unlike other parts of the forest, this area had no tree roots, but it was still thick with leaves and tangled undergrowth.

“I see it.”
“From there to there. We’ll till it all up.”

……With this small shovel?
Urhil stared at the plot of land Lion had marked out.
He doubted that this little shovel would make quick work of it.

“You want to till that ground and make it into a field?”
“That’s right.”

Lion considered the matter.
What sort of task should he demand of this one?
His deliberation did not last long.
Yes. I’ll have him till that ground.
If I plant Sweet Potato Banana seedlings there and tend them well, before long I’ll have a bountiful crop of quality Sweet Potatoes Bananas!

‘This one will be…… ugh.’

It can’t be helped that those nutrients have already been absorbed into his body.
For now, I’ll just have to make do with the Sweet Potatoes Bananas in the Labyrinth…….
In any case, I’d call this humane punishment.

“Hmm.”

While Lion entertained these thoughts, Urhil examined the field for a moment.
The soil was softer than expected, but it wasn’t properly tilled, so rocks were scattered throughout.
Turning over this earth with that tiny shovel was nothing short of dog training.

‘It doesn’t seem like he wants me to suffer.’

If he merely wanted to see me struggle or humiliate myself, he wouldn’t have pressed down on my back yesterday in that village to help me apologize.
Which meant…….

‘He really does want to clear this field.’

Why the master of such a vast territory would fixate on this small plot was beyond him, but then again—tastes varied among Beastkin, among all people, so he decided to accept it as it was.
And besides.

‘I think I’ll be settling here longer than I expected.’

Perhaps because of yesterday’s experience, this place had grown on him more than he’d anticipated.
He had no intention of imposing himself here for life, of course, but he’d come to think that staying for at least a few years would be acceptable.

‘The Beastkin Nation can…… well, I can send a Letter or something.’

His mother would be quite furious, but he trusted that his father would manage her well.
Having settled on such carefree thoughts, Urhil opened his mouth.

“If I’m going to pay a price anyway, there’s a more efficient method.”
“An efficient method?”

What efficient method could there be for digging ground?
Was he suggesting he hold a shovel in each hand?
Reading the confusion in Lion’s eyes, Urhil chuckled softly, set down the shovel, and lowered himself.
And then—Whoosh!
A small wisp of smoke spread from both his hands…….
The human-shaped hands transformed into those of a beast.
Only up to the arms!

‘…That’s right. I had that function available, didn’t I?’

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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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