Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 213

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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? I’d Rather Heal. Chapter 213

Barg’s true feelings toward Urhil were nothing like what others assumed.
Just as everyone else guessed, Barg disliked Urhil.
Of course, he acknowledged that there was much to learn from him.
For instance, the technique of transforming only parts of one’s form, or the knack of controlling himself so that his tail and ears didn’t involuntarily spring forth when he was caught off guard.
Because Barg wanted to grow stronger, he’d initially been willing to follow Urhil’s instruction.
There was no limit to learning, and he knew well enough that one shouldn’t be ashamed to ask a “junior” for guidance!
So when this newcomer—and one with a rather presumptuous nature at that—had arrived, he’d resolved to humbly accept this senior’s teachings as well.
Besides, hadn’t Young Master Lion himself conducted the transaction?
But then!

“Ugh, so you just put strength in like this, right?”
“That’s not working? Hmm, so how should I explain it?”
“Like this—hard. What? That doesn’t work either? This is troublesome.”

On the first day—no, in less than an hour—hearing such comments strung together three times in a row made it impossible for him to hold back.
So whenever he thought an instruction seemed strange or poorly explained, he simply didn’t listen.

‘……This must be why Young Master assigned me this task.’

But no matter what, he had his pride!

“Brother.”
“Huh? Yeah?”
“What’s on your mind?”

A child, smaller than most his age, with quick, clever hands.
Gaji had just finished a handsome earthen castle using the Golden Branch and asked.

“Well……”
“Oh! Is it a secret worry?”

As Barg hesitated, Gaji’s eyes darted around the space.
Fortunately, the others were still focused on their own creations and weren’t watching this way.
As for Urhil……

Glance.

Looking over there, he saw that Ipari, the younger one, had climbed onto Urhil’s shoulders and was gripping his seaweed-like hair, giving a thumbs up with a flourish.

‘Perfect!’

With his younger sibling keeping Urhil busy, he’d have no time to look this way.

‘This is my perfect chance to help with what Young Master asked!’

The truth was, Gaji’s subtle question had come purely because Lion had asked him to.

…….

The incident had occurred the previous evening.
Young Master, who had dropped by Mudu’s house for a rare visit, had entrusted Gaji and Ipari with a secret mission.
The mission name was……!

‘Get them to become close!’

Being a secret mission, the task was quite challenging!
Namely, to orchestrate a better relationship between Urhil and the wolf brother—or rather, brother—whom he’d be meeting tomorrow!
Clink!

“If the two of you think it’ll be hard to get along, would you listen to what the wolf is worrying about?”
“In secret?”
“Yes. In secret. What do you say? Think you can manage it?”

The way he held her gaze with such a solemn expression was genuinely impressive!
And most importantly…….

“Only you two can do this.”

A surge of righteous determination welled up inside her at those words!
Gaji and Ipari gripped the snack Lion had given them and answered with grave solemnity.

“We’ll manage it somehow!”
“I’ll take care of the wolf! And I’ll handle the bear!”
“Perfect!”

…….

After the brief memory faded, Gaji rose onto her tiptoes and gestured.
Barg hunched over so much he crumpled up like a wrinkled sheet of paper, squashing himself down to meet her eye level and listening intently.

“So then, should we each tell a secret?”
“A secret?”
“Shh!”

The moment Barg’s voice rose, she clapped her tiny hand over his mouth.

“It’s a secret—what happens if you say it loudly?”
“S-sorry.”
“I’ll forgive you this time. Anyway, my secret is…….”

Before Barg could even refuse to play the secret-sharing game, Gaji spilled hers in a rush.

“My secret is that I think Ipari’s actually better at hammer work than I am, and I’m a teensy bit jealous about it.”
“Ipari’s better at hammer work?”

Not forgetting the earlier warning, Barg also whispered his question in hushed tones.

“Yeah! Even though she’s my junior, she’s way better at it. When I ask her how she does it, she just says ‘you just do it’—which is so annoying!”
“…….”

At her story, Barg went silent for a moment.
Making a careful effort not to show a gloomy expression in front of the child, Barg opened his mouth with composure.

“S-so what did you do?”
“I told her there’s no such thing as ‘just doing it.'”
“……!”

Gaji planted her hands firmly on her hips and spoke with crisp authority.

“My mom and dad said there’s no such thing as ‘just doing it’—everything has its technique. And they said you have to be able to explain it in words to truly master it.”

Before long, Gaji realized she’d gotten caught up in her own story. She went “Oh!” and then leaned in again to whisper.

“S-so what’s the wolf’s secret?”
“Mine was pretty much the same as yours, so I guess I was jealous for the same reason. But hearing your secret just now—it solved it.”

Barg smiled, as if a weight had lifted from his shoulders.
Right. I shouldn’t just sit here acting confused—I need to step up more actively.
Even if the other person keeps calling me their junior.

‘Even a child knows this… I got so caught up in hating it that I missed the whole point.’

Barg clenched his fists and kindled his resolve.

“Thank you.”
“Huh?”

Gaji couldn’t follow Barg’s thoughts and blinked in confusion, then broke into a broad grin.

‘Well, at least he pulled it off, right?’

He’d had no idea that the wolf wanted to become a blacksmith.

‘Is that why the Young Master asked me to keep an eye on him?’

Anyway, if he does end up joining father’s Blacksmith Workshop later, I’ll have to put in a good word for him!

“Hee hee.”

Having completed his task, Gaji puffed out his chest and laughed with delight.
Meanwhile.

“Uncle.”
“Mm?”
“You heard all that, right?”
“Hmm…”

Ipari, who’d been pretending to manipulate his hair like puppet strings, asked pointedly, and Urhil fell into thought.

‘Perhaps it’s from living among humans—they’re quite different.’

He’d thought the boy simply despised him outright, but it seemed he hadn’t grasped the teaching at all.
He’d heard from early on that there were no beast-humans around him since childhood.
Yet he’d decided that wouldn’t change anything.
He’d thought instinct would still be alive in him regardless.
But now, thinking back and analyzing those moments, it appeared he’d been wrong.

‘Very well. Next time I’ll need to approach this more theoretically.’

At least, once he’d had his fill of playing with these children until the adults arrived this evening.

“What should we do next?”
“Lift us up high! Lift us up!”
“Oh! We want to do that too!”

So Barg and Urhil had to play with the children with all their might until the adults’ work was finished.

“Come on, let’s head home and eat!”
“Uncle, brother—thank you so much.”
“Thank you!”

Only after Lea and Mudu had taken the children away did silence finally descend.

“Whew.”

Both exhaled at once.
Simply playing with them hadn’t been difficult, but watching carefully so that this many children didn’t accidentally get hurt or wander off alone far from sight had drained more energy than they’d expected.
Even for a beast-human.
The two of them walked toward the Asteri Family Estate in unspoken accord, their steps falling into an easy rhythm.
Children’s voices echoed faintly from within the house now and then, but the path itself remained quiet.
A cool breeze dried the sweat from their skin.

“I… I’ve caused you considerable trouble.”

It was Barg who broke the awkward silence first.

“It must have been an experience you’ve never had in the Beastkin Kingdom.”
“Seeing so many children at once—that was new for me. And being called ‘uncle’ had a certain freshness to it. But… do you actually know anything about the Beastkin Kingdom?”
“Yes. Well.”

Barg kicked at a small pebble on the path, his foot barely connecting with it as he answered.

“I only learned about it recently… As you know, there are limits to how far I can grow.”
“Limits.”
“I think I understand, and yet I don’t. I was taught not to grow impatient, but the thirst never stops. So I tried to accept your teachings as well.”
“Even though I displeased you?”
“Yes. I dislike you.”
………

Urhil closed his mouth, caught off guard by the immediate reply, then asked carefully.

“What’s your reason for disliking me so? Because I took something from the person you serve?”
“That was part of it, but I’ve excluded it since you said it was resolved.”
“Then, because I taught you poorly?”
“That’s true, but I realized something just now, so I’ve set that aside as well.”

If not for that small child’s help, he’d still be angry about it.
But now that wasn’t the case either.

“So then… is it because you live comfortably, unlike me?”
“No.”

Barg stopped walking.
At first, he’d wondered if that was the reason himself.
Here was someone who was a beast-human, yet lived so well—why should he have suffered as he did?
But when he thought it through carefully, that wasn’t it.
His past had been unhappy, but as things stood now, he lived well doing what he wanted here.
So why did he dislike this man, Urhil?
The answer came quickly.
Barg finally let out what he’d been holding back.

“First. I came in as your junior—not formally, but still—so why do you speak to me so casually? And to the Young Master too.”
………

His face flushed at the bewildered expression before him.
He knew. It was childish!
Someone could say he was asserting seniority before he’d even earned his stripes.
But now that he’d started, he might as well say everything that bothered him!

“Second. You’re a guest here, so why do you act so arrogant? When someone helps you, shouldn’t you at least say thank you?”
“Is that how it works in human society?”
“Well, not exactly…”
“……?”
“The Young Master always says thank you.”

…In that case, he probably already looked pretty bad to someone who’d taken a dislike to him.

“And?”

Barg startled at Urhil’s question.
His tail and ears nearly burst free then and there, but fortunately he managed to hold himself in check.
Barg swallowed dryly and spoke.

“And… I envy you. I envy you, and I hate it.”
“Which part?”

Barg’s mouth fell open.
There were countless things to envy.
The freedom to reshape your body as you please. A personality unencumbered by timidity. A confidence that commands any room.
And most of all, that steadiness—the way you don’t easily lose composure even when hearing harsh words thrown in your face.
The age gap didn’t seem that vast, yet anyone looking at you would sense an adult presence—not him.
Never mind that he’d been shameless enough to freeload off the estate’s food like some vagrant.

“…That’s all. I’ll be going now.”

Barg said no more and resumed his stride, walking away with lengthened steps.

“Hah.”

Urhil watched Barg recede into the distance and let out a hollow laugh.

‘A junior, then? That’s what it was.’

So in the hierarchy, Barg ranked below him.
But with such a gentle nature, the creature had been at a loss, swept along helplessly, and only now managed to voice a few words of complaint.
The reason was simple enough: he wanted to obey Lion Asteri’s commands as much as possible.

“Kuh… hahaha.”

Urhil clutched his belly, shaking with laughter.
A creature both simple and not simple at all.

‘I’ve no idea what that Spirit Summoner did to cook him up like that.’

Still, thanks to Lion Asteri, the pieces had finally fallen into place.

“I don’t know the geography well yet. Come with me, would you? Senior.”
“…!!”

At the word ‘Senior,’ Barg’s face flushed crimson, and he spun around.
The tail he’d held back before erupted free this time—irrepressibly.
And…

“Everything has been resolved nicely, Young Master.”

Through Elvia’s Magic, Lion had been observing the entire situation unfold, and now a satisfied smile crossed his face.

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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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