Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 231

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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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I don’t know about being a Successor — I just want to heal. Chapter 231

Live twenty years at Asteri, and you’ll deceive even a witch.
Watching Lion trudge forward with that hollow look, Elvia felt something she’d never quite experienced before: genuine bewilderment.

‘I never thought he’d be so disappointed.’

Elvia tracked the listless figure heading toward the Village with nothing but a flick of her eyes.
Of course, she’d weathered situations like this a few times before, back when she served other Asteri Family members.
And not just any house — House Asteri, no less.
True, there had never been an eccentric quite like Lion, but stubbornness came in various flavors among them all.

‘There was even the time someone blew a mountain to pieces.’

In moments like those, when the servants didn’t know which way was up, Elvia had taken it upon herself to report the mess to the family head.
Resentment and blame followed naturally, and from that point onward, certain members of House Asteri had grown distant from her.
But Elvia hadn’t minded it much.
Those bonds were always going to dissolve anyway once she underwent her transformation into a new existence.

‘I was indifferent to it all.’

By a witch’s measure, they were far too insignificant — bundles of trouble whose antics held no special pleasure for her.
Bound by contract, she simply managed what needed managing.
Nothing more, nothing less.
And yet…

“Hmm. What’s to be done.”

Even as she handled the estate’s various affairs with practiced ease and trained the butler, Elvia found herself muttering without quite knowing why.

“Is something troubling you, miss?”

The butler — who’d meanwhile been learning and practicing, in whatever manner possible, how to polish the estate’s external window frames to a shine — returned in a bedraggled state and asked.

“I was just thinking how truly difficult mediation work can be.”
“Mediation, you say? Ah…”

The butler pondered for a moment, then nodded as though he understood.
Fortunately, though his skills were somewhat rough around the edges, he bore the mark of one who had survived the catastrophe that befell House Bydentis.

“It is difficult work… I know that all too well.”

Jesper recalled his memories from before he’d become a butler.
Those memories were really more like nightmares he’d rather not revisit.
House Bydentis was like a river with cracks spreading through ice.
One misstep, and you’d plunge through silently into those deep, fathomless waters.
Even if you struggled to survive and clawed your way back toward the surface, you couldn’t find the hole you’d fallen through — only darkness, only drowning.
Friends you’d grown close to. Subordinates. Superiors.
And even the previous family head — all swept down beneath that crimson river, carried away.
Honestly, if his young mistress — no, the current family head — hadn’t ended this catastrophe, wouldn’t he himself have been swept down there too?

“I’m afraid I’ve touched upon something painful.”
“Pardon? Ah, ha. Truthfully, it wasn’t a pleasant memory, but it’s not one I wish to forget, either.”

Each time it surfaced, a chill ran through him — and yet he wouldn’t dream of letting it fade entirely.

“And why is that?”
“Because if I were to forget this memory, there would be no one left to remember the family head’s growth.”
“Growth, you say.”
“Yes. Of course it’s true now as well, but the head of the household back then was someone you couldn’t help but revere.”

How many shifts in heart must the young lady have undergone before she ever took up a sword, when she had only ever known beauty?
The butler laughed, as if tasting something bitter.

“She could have grown up surrounded only by gentleness. Even if she had given up, no one would have dared point a finger at her position.”

As he spoke, the butler reflected on his words.
It was the first time he had ever spoken of such things to anyone outside the family.
Matters concerning House Bydentis had to be properly smoothed over as merely a “succession dispute.”
But if it were House Asteri—and especially if it were Elvia, who had visited Bydentis Castle that one time—then it would be all right, he judged.

‘…And there’s no way Asteri could have missed something amiss.’

Back then, he had been nothing more than a servant, so he could not grasp the full picture.
What words had passed between the previous head of household and others, or whether they had simply turned a blind eye entirely—he couldn’t say for certain.
What mattered was that even as the family itself tottered, Asteri did not move to swallow House Bydentis whole.
Despite being officially a “rival house.”
And the other families did not extend their claws toward Bydentis either.
That alone was enough to say that Asteri had done their utmost by House Bydentis.

“In any case, that’s why I chose to stay by the head of the household’s side by whatever means necessary. When something becomes a problem, I apologize, and when the head of the household accomplishes something, I offer a bit of praise—though perhaps a touch impertinent.”
“…Praise, you say.”
“Yes. Of course, by the standards of a perfect servant, it may fall somewhat short. Ha ha ha.”

With that, Jesper returned to his usual temperament and bashfully adjusted his monocle for no particular reason.

“I see. This has been most helpful.”
“Ah, is that so? Have I truly been of service?”
“Yes. A considerable service indeed.”

In truth, from this conversation, Elvia had come to understand something.
That’s right—as a servant, she was flawless.
But Elvia was no longer confined to the category of servant, was she?
If she were being precise about it…

‘More like a guard, perhaps.’

And her little puppy probably thought of her as a kind of “family.”
In that case, wouldn’t it be all right to express her feelings a bit more actively?
Not just reporting dangerous situations to Patrick, but things like comfort and praise as well.
Both corners of Elvia’s mouth curved upward in a pleasing arc.

“Thank you.”
“Eh? Ah, ha ha! It’s nothing much.”
“I have some business to attend to, so I’ll take my leave. Please continue with the rest of the work.”
“Yes! Leave it to me!”

The butler, his confidence bolstered, accepted Elvia’s request without hesitation and disappeared into the interior of the Asteri Family Estate, now grown familiar to him.
Watching his figure fade, Elvia slipped at once into the shadows.
To lift the puppy’s spirits and offer him praise without restraint.
The only minor issue was that the butler’s standards and Elvia’s standards differed somewhat…
Well, if it’s Lion, he’ll be pleased either way, won’t he?

* * *

Maintaining an appearance of listlessness, Lion slipped quickly out of the mansion and broke into something very close to a run as he hurried toward the village.
In truth, had he not needed to keep up his act during those last moments at the estate, he would have sprinted away from the mansion entirely.
And for good reason—it was finally complete.
The ultimate accessory!
I wonder what it will look like!
One thing’s certain—it’ll exceed all expectations!

“Ah, Young Master, you’ve arrived!”
“You’ve come at just the right moment!”

A few dwarves loitering outside the blacksmith shop greeted Lion warmly.

“Where’s the accessory?”
“Well, Sonkkeut said he won’t show it to anyone until Young Master Lion arrives.”
“That’s right. That’s why we’ve been sent out here.”

The dwarves’ voices carried unmistakable excitement.

“Come on, let’s head inside.”
“Much obliged, then.”

Lion, uncharacteristically taciturn, made his way deeper into the blacksmith shop without his usual lengthy remarks.
With each step forward, he noticed equipment he’d never seen in Moo-doo’s blacksmith before.
And more than anything else…….

Glitter and shimmer.

Gold dust and shards lay scattered across the floor, catching the light brilliantly.
Venturing deeper, he spotted half-finished accessories on the workbench.

‘This alone is incredible.’

These failed pieces—if they could even be called that—were valuable enough that nobility would queue for them.
It seemed Sonkkeut’s master craftsman’s instincts had found some flaw that wouldn’t satisfy him.
Lion treaded carefully, avoiding the gold dust, and pressed deeper into the shop, where he found…….

“Haaaah.”

Sonkkeut stood there, hands clenched into firm fists, releasing a deep breath.
The muscles of his strained arms were carved with definition, and his trapezius, hardened by sleepless nights of labor, rose like a mountain.
An intense aura radiated from him—that of a master of the martial path.
In the still air of the blacksmith shop, a whirlwind seemed to spin.

‘Ugh……!’

Instinctively, Lion raised his arm to shield himself from the crushing force of that whirlwind.
For this moment at least, it rivaled his grandfather’s formidable presence.
On Sonkkeut’s workbench sat an ornate box, packed as carefully as a precious treasure.
Within it surely lay the accessory crafted from the Cosmic Crystal.

Gulp.

Lion swallowed hard.

“Oh my! Young Master, you’ve come!”

Sensing Lion’s presence, Sonkkeut greeted him in that characteristically warm and gentle voice.
The aura of a martial master vanished in an instant, and Lion awkwardly lowered his arm.

“It seemed like something might be finished.”
“My, my! So you do share some resonance with this crystal, it seems. Indeed, it’s just been completed.”

With those words, Sonkkeut carefully lifted the box—handling it as though delivering the world’s most precious treasure—and extended it to Lion.

“Let’s verify directly. From what I can see…….”

Sonkkeut gazed at the newly completed ornaments, his expression one of pure rapture.

“I can say this with certainty. Up until now, and likely for the rest of my life, I will never create anything to surpass this piece.”

With those words, Sonkkeut bowed deeply and respectfully.

“Thank you truly. I’ve received a debt of gratitude from you, Young Master, that I could not repay even with a lifetime of service.”

Coming from Sonkkeut, this was no exaggeration whatsoever.
Which meant…… something truly extraordinary had just been born.

“……I’ll open it now.”

Lion lifted the lid carefully, brimming with anticipation.
Inside was…….

Blaze!!

Two kinds of ornaments lay in their respective compartments, radiating light brilliant enough to blind.

[Arcanum Earcuff-Sword (★★★★★)]
[Arcanum Cuffs-World Tree (★★★★★)]
-The gem set in this earring contains the feeling of every constellation in the sky. It possesses a dignity beyond words.
-A jewel that cannot be refined, supported by exquisite and delicate ornamentation—even a dragon would covet it.
-It is no exaggeration to say this was crafted by a master of jewelry making.

[Upon equipping, the set effect ‘Arcanum’ activates.]
-Set Effect 1: The presence of those who share this item increases greatly.
-Set Effect 2: The more people who admire this item, the more the craftsman’s experience increases.

[Blacksmith Proficiency has reached Level 2.]

“……!”

Lion clenched his fists.
Done!
Five stars!
There was joy in finally breaking through the four-star barrier, but what mattered more was that these ornaments were perfectly suited to the people who would wear them.

‘Perfect for both of them.’

The cuffs were naturally for his younger brother, Ricshel.
Ricshel disliked anything cumbersome or ostentatious.
So Lion had been careful to design something as practical as possible while still being visually striking where it mattered.
And the result was these cuffs, which could be easily fastened to the sleeves.

‘He needs to stand out at his birthday above all others.’

That handsome face deserved to be shown off properly!
Lion examined the earring beside it, unable to hide his satisfaction.
This was naturally for the Marquis Bydentis.
The Marquis was even more particular than Ricshel when it came to avoiding anything that would hinder his swordplay.
Dangling ornaments would surely annoy him.
So Lion had conceived these earrings instead.

“Excellent. Very excellent indeed.”

Lion accepted the jewelry box with a satisfied smile and tucked it into his arms.
In that moment.

“You’re truly remarkable, Young Master.”
“Yes. Thank you for the praise…….”

A voice both familiar and strange reached his ears.
One he hadn’t heard at the blacksmith, but one he knew well from everyday life.
This voice was…….

“Elvia?”

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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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