Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 240

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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 Rest — Episode 240

“Ahhh.”

Contrary to how dissatisfied he’d been the night before, Lion woke from a sleep as deep and sweet as honey.
He’d slept on ground as hard as stone, yet his body felt neither stiff nor sore.
If anything—

‘I feel refreshed.’

Is sleep truly the best medicine?
The stiffness that had plagued him through those long hours of work had vanished, leaving his limbs light and loose.

—How about it? I told you sleep would help, didn’t I?
—When I was choosing this Lair, I picked it specifically for how well one sleeps here!
—I put up the deposit before any other dragon could even ask for first refusal, or so I’m told.

The moment Lion opened his eyes, he heard chittering voices beside him.

‘So even dragon Lairs come with bidding wars and deposits, it seems.’

Whether human or dragon, everyone covets a place in a prime location. The hunger is the same.
Lion stretched long and languidly, then rose to his feet. Kyle immediately thrust something toward him.

“You’re awake.”
“Yes. Did Your Highness rest well?”
“Well enough.”

It was clear he hadn’t truly slept—too many unknowns to relax into real rest.
But—
Lion looked at what Kyle continued to hold out.
In an ornate bowl of uncertain origin lay a stew thick with meat chunks.

“Did Your Highness prepare this?”
“You don’t seem to enjoy Dried Meat much, so—”

It’s not that I don’t enjoy it—that was a feast for me last night.
Lion held back his true thoughts and accepted the bowl.
Steam curled from its surface, and the warmth seeped into his palms.

—He was struggling to use up the remaining food, but honestly, it doesn’t look appetizing.

The truth was, Kyle’s Cooking skill was far from refined.
Oil from the Dried Meat floated in pools across the stew’s surface, and beneath it, burst meat scraps mingled awkwardly with yesterday’s half-eaten sour berries, crushed into an unappetizing paste.

“I’m not sure it will suit your palate. The ingredients are rather limited.”

Kyle, too, seemed aware that his creation was meager, his voice uncharacteristically hesitant.
And yet—

He drank it down without pause.

Lion raised the bowl to his lips and drained the stew in one go.
The warm broth had a savory depth; garlic and pepper notes threaded through it delicately.
The salt was a touch light, but for a morning meal, that felt almost right.

‘Besides, food made by someone else is always delicious.’

The taste isn’t what matters.
It’s all about what’s in your heart.

“It’s delicious, though.”
“Thanks for the white lie.”

Hmm, actually it is.
This dish, closer to a broth than a stew, really did suit Lion’s palate quite well.
How should I describe it…….

‘Beef broth without radish?’

You know, the kind of warm, steaming broth you get as a basic side dish at Korean restaurants sometimes.
It tasted exactly like that.
In any case, it was just the right flavor for Lion—hearty enough to wash down yesterday’s dried meat.
After finishing a quite satisfying breakfast, Lion returned to his work.

‘Seeing it with less tired eyes makes it look fresh all over again.’

Whether by necessity or not, taking a break and returning to sculpting had been the better choice.
Not just physically, either.

‘Things invisible before become visible once you step back.’

The human eye was a curious thing—once it grew accustomed to something, it struggled to perceive anything new.
Especially with work like painting or sculpting, these moments of rest were crucial: they allowed him to introduce fresh ideas or notice details he’d overlooked before.
Though true master craftsmen could grasp everything in a single pass…….

‘I’m nowhere near that level yet.’

Besides, while he’d carved in wood before, this was his first time working stone.
Lion refined the claws of the sculpture until they were sharper still.
In truth, the dragon’s claws in the painting hadn’t been quite this keen…….

—Hmm, so my claws appeared this formidable, did they?

The bound dragon made no effort to hide his delight.
Lion also smoothed out the dragon’s scales, which he’d left rough before, giving them a more refined grain.
Finally, he shaped the eyes to be far sharper, deeper, and more soulful than what appeared in the painting.
Each time he made an improvement, the translucent cheeks of the bound dragon rippled with what might have been a smile.
It seemed this “special adjustment” pleased him greatly.
Once the face was complete, only one task remained.
Fitting the magic stone.

‘I’ve already decided where it should go.’

Lion’s sculpture was flawless in every respect save one.
Just below the neck, a hollow gaped open.
A scale-shaped opening.
What made it unusual was that, unlike the surrounding scales, this one had been carved in reverse.
The Reverse Scale.
In the World, the Reverse Scale was a dragon’s weak point.
But there was no need for a sculpture to suffer the same vulnerability, was there?

‘After all, it’s made of stone—it’s weak everywhere.’

Even Mudu, with no more than a dwarf’s strength, could shatter it to dust with a swing of his hammer.
Regardless.
There was no reason the sculpture needed to be vulnerable in the same way.
Since he was going to the trouble of this special adjustment, he might as well do it properly.

“So we’re inserting it now?”

Kyle asked with obvious uncertainty.
He understood they were meant to insert the Magic Stone.
But…

‘The shape doesn’t match, does it?’

The Magic Stone was smaller than the Reverse Scale socket Lion had carved.
Even if they wedged it in and sealed it with stone, it would crumble and fall out in no time.

“Heh heh…”

Noticing his doubt, Lion grinned and pulled something from his pocket.
It was Elvia’s Brush.

—Oh, that’s quite a fine instrument indeed.

“I have good tools at my disposal, so don’t worry.”

Lion immediately drew up his Mana, gathering it into the brush.
The bristles absorbed the Mana abundantly, as though drinking in ink or paint.
Even without having used it before, he could feel its nature.

‘I just need to draw with this.’

As if responding to Lion’s Mana, the Magic Stone levitated gently into the air.
The angle was perfect for working.
Lion lifted the brush without hesitation and began drawing slowly.
An auxiliary device to support this Magic Stone.
And a size that would fit exactly into that groove.
Those two things were all he needed.
First, he sketched the framework to match the shape.
Threads of Mana flowed from the brush’s tip, weaving smoothly according to their new master’s intent.
They wrapped around the framework Lion held, spiraling and forming surfaces, taking on shape.
But it was still rough.
Lion immediately smoothed the jagged Mana with brushstrokes, layering texture as though painting.
The auxiliary device then crystallized into its intended form.
The Mana solidified to match the material it clung to.

“…That’s truly a remarkable object.”
“Isn’t it?”

Kyle didn’t bother asking where it came from.
Lion wouldn’t tell him anyway.

“It’s not dangerous, is it?”
“Hmm? No. Even at its worst, it would be weaker than a standard Golem, so there’s no need to worry.”

Kyle had meant to ask whether the brush was having some ill effect on Lion, but Lion misunderstood him.

“…I see.”

Kyle simply nodded at Lion’s words and took his place beside him.
If Lion’s guess was correct, the moment that Magic Stone was inserted, they would surely return to where they came from.

‘Three days.’

Captured in a Dragon’s Lair, and escaping in mere three days.
Even a hero’s tale or a children’s fairy story would be exaggerating.
It was no trivial matter.

‘Not that it concerns me.’

Lion Asterey had simply done what he could.
Likely he’d done his utmost to get himself back where he belonged as quickly as possible.
Kyle didn’t voice this thought aloud.
Lion would only deny it, claim he’d done nothing of the sort.
Instead.

“When we return, we’ll revisit the explanation first.”
“Yes.”

Lion picked up the reinforced Magic Stone.
Once he inserted the Magic Stone into the piece and completed it, they should be able to return to the original Treasure Vault.
He was grateful they could escape safely.

‘…But I never did figure it out.’

While the Second Imperial Prince scoured the Lair collecting fragments, Lion had also searched this place thoroughly for any clues.
He’d thought there might be some reason why he’d come here, like the main character—the Hero.
But there wasn’t.
That earth-bound dragon didn’t seem to know the connection between me and the Hero either.
And asking felt like stepping on a landmine…

‘Completely dangerous.’

Resolving one mystery might mean being trapped here forever.

‘Fine. Let it go.’

Lion made peace with the decision.
If he couldn’t find answers after coming this far, the result would be the same even if he returned here later.
Really, the most important thing was to keep his wits about him and survive escaping from a dragon’s Lair.
Besides, the Hero seemed to have left quite a few things scattered throughout this place.
Whether it was intentional or not, he couldn’t say.

‘First, I’ll recover Kyle’s things, then we’ll take our time leaving.’

His body couldn’t take much more anyway.

‘I’m probably going to need a new circle soon.’

Once he got home, he’d need to give it serious thought.
With his deliberations complete, Lion slowly fit the Magic Stone into the groove of the Reverse Scale.

Click.

The finely finished Magic Stone slid into place perfectly, displaying a naturalness as if it had always been one piece.
And then.

[Dragon Sculpture (★★★)]
-A dragon sculpture crafted using various recycled materials.
-Somehow, it’s been shaped more beautifully than the original. Did you do that on purpose?
-We offer our praise for your artistry in giving these used things new life!

The sculpture was complete.
At the same moment, the soft Mana within the Magic Stone spread outward through all directions of the Dragon Sculpture.
The resonant hum of the Magic Stone came like a heartbeat.

—Ah, that’s a shame!
—I would’ve liked to keep him around, since he’s such an interesting fellow……

The earth-bound dragon grumbled wistfully, but seemed to have no intention of changing his mind.
Likely, the fact that Lion hadn’t acknowledged his existence had played a part as well.

—Bah, no. If I stayed here, I’d just starve to death anyway.

And from the look of it, he’d also grown a little tired of witnessing Lion’s sheer eccentricity.
In any case, it had turned out well for Lion.

[You have completed a craft item using multiple materials!]
[The ‘Carpentry’ talent has evolved into the ‘Sculpting’ talent!]
[Sculpting proficiency has become Skilled Lv.1!]
[Painting proficiency has become Apprentice Lv.7.]

‘Hm.’

Likely this had happened because he’d used so many unusual materials this time around.

[Will you present the sculpture to ‘Tiamatrak,’ the master of this Lair?]

“I dedicate this sculpture to the Dragon who slumbers in this place.”

The moment Lion spoke those words——

Rumble, rumble……

A powerful tremor began to ripple through the Lair.
Kyle’s hand went to his sword, but Lion remained unperturbed.
The earth-bound dragon before his eyes——
No, the creature called Tiamatrak was examining the sculpture he’d crafted with obvious delight, turning it this way and that!
And as if to signal that ‘verification’ had been completed, a brilliant magical Portal appeared at one end of the Lair.

“Shall we go?”
“Very well.”

Kyle released his grip on his sword’s hilt and walked slowly toward the Portal.
After Kyle had returned to the original location first——

Whoosh.

Lion turned his head and spoke.

“I embedded a Magic Stone in it, so it’ll be preserved for centuries to come.”

—……!

Tiamatrak started, his mouth falling open as he pointed a finger at Lion.

—You! You…! You heard it all, didn’t you! Didn’t you?
—Then why did you just ignore everything like that?

“Because I had to leave.”

Lion laughed briefly, waved his hand, and immediately dove into the Portal.

Whoosh!

“Ugh.”

The nausea is no joke.
Once I confirmed we were back inside the Treasure Vault, I simply collapsed where I stood.

“Still, it’s good to be back safely.”
“Yes. I need to rest.”
“Haha…… I think I’ll skip the Treasure Vault next time.”

Lion muttered this to himself, his gaze drifting toward the dragon painting that hung on the wall.

“Huh?”

Wait.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
The dragon in the painting…… was gone.

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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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