Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 244

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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 Unknown, I Shall Heal Instead | Chapter 244

Freyanya watches Elvia with growing concern, her gaze hardening like stone with each passing moment.

“Sigh.”

Licht, a priest, arrived at the Asteri Family Estate with only the barest of provisions.

‘Coming directly to the Estate like this… it’s my first time.’

He’d never dreamed the Archbishop himself would dispatch him here.
Moreover, the task entrusted to him was something ordinary priests could easily handle.
Licht recalled his conversation with the Archbishop from a few days prior.

“Licht. I have a new assignment for you.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”

He’d anticipated that, with the Sanctuary now settling into relative stability, new duties would soon be assigned.
And if he was being honest, he harbored a small wish to take charge of some “particular matter” even the Archbishop kept close to himself.
But then….

“Go to the Asteri Family Estate.”
“The Asteri Family Estate, Your Grace…?”

Licht tensed for a moment.
Wasn’t Lion staying at the Asteri Family Estate? The Righteous One himself?
Could the Archbishop be sending him to recruit Lion into the Temple?
The Temple would benefit from dispatching someone familiar rather than a stranger.

‘Of course, if Lion were to come….’

It would be an ideal situation from the Temple’s perspective.
The Divine Messenger himself, the Righteous One, coming personally to grace them with his attention.
And for Licht, who harbored considerable affection for Lion, it would be a welcome development.
Yet….

‘Lion prefers to be with his family….’

If his true mission was indeed to recruit Lion, what would he do?
Such doubts arose unbidden.
And… he didn’t even want to do such a thing.
The Archbishop, noticing Licht’s conflict, smiled quietly to himself.

“You’re worried, I see.”
“Forgive me. For the Temple’s sake, I shouldn’t be thinking this way….”
“Hah. Licht.”

The Archbishop reached out and gently wrapped a hand around Licht’s shoulder in comfort.

“I’m impressed that you’re already thinking such thoughts. Yet there’s no need to burden yourself so heavily right now.”

The difficult and painful tasks always come later, once you’ve grown.
The Archbishop regarded the conflicted Licht with warm eyes and continued.

“I won’t deny that one day you’ll have to do such things. But that day is not now.”
“But still….”
“Hah. Then is it perhaps that you wish to bring Lion back with you?”

At the Archbishop’s teasing question, Licht’s face flushed crimson.
As a priest, it would have been right to think he should naturally bring Lion, but.
……honestly, he didn’t want to.
The Archbishop, who had been carefully observing Licht’s every reaction while pretending not to, suppressed a bitter smile and moved to the matter at hand in an even tone.

“Unfortunately, this is not that sort of task.”

It was a formal, official tone now—mingled with the dignity of an Archbishop, not the manner of one addressing a beloved child.

“Signs of chaos are appearing, so we have decided to collaborate with the Marquis of House Asteri.”
“……! If chaos is involved.”
“Nothing has happened yet, so there’s no cause for alarm. However, swift and precise communication is necessary. That is why I am sending you.”
“So I am to serve as that channel of communication.”

The moment the word chaos was mentioned, Licht too regained his composure.
Living as a priest, had he not been educated so thoroughly that the danger of chaos and its consequences were seared into the very marrow of his being?
A priest’s role was to protect the faithful.
And there was another.
To erase the signs of chaos before they took root.

‘If it’s a matter of collaborating with the Marquis of House Asteri…….’

This sign of chaos most likely concerned a major barrier, or perhaps the Demons themselves.

“So you need only go directly into the Asteri Family Estate, compile the Marquis’s information, and report it to me.”

Having finished the main matter, the Archbishop brightened again with a pleasant expression and added a final note.

“You may spend your remaining free time with your friend, if you wish.”
“A, Archbishop……!”
“Ha ha. In any case, the report won’t take a moment, and since I kept you sleeping until now, you haven’t had proper leisure time. Make the most of this opportunity—enjoy yourself thoroughly. And when you report back, tell me all about it too.”

The Archbishop patted his shoulder a few more times, saying he was just as curious about that story as he was about the information on chaos, then left first.

“……He still thinks of me as a child, it seems.”

Having finished his recollection, Licht tried to cool the flush creeping across his face.
Though the Archbishop had been gracious about it, his task remained clear: to gather information on chaos without contamination and deliver it faithfully.
And…….
Licht gazed at the grand main gate of the Asteri Family Estate before him.
This was a place where the Temple’s power held no sway whatsoever.

‘This is different from Lion’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony.’

Then, at least, other priests had been present. Now he would have to endure this place alone.
There were warm-hearted people like Lion, but…….

‘Warmth alone cannot guide me here.’

In truth, the mutual opposition between mages and priests was common knowledge even to children.

“…….”

Actually, that part was……fine.
If he was to be disliked, there was nothing to be done about it.
He only hoped it wouldn’t interfere with the work—but that was not something within his control.

‘Let me go in first.’

Licht steeled his resolve and slowly crossed the threshold into the estate.
Whether he had been announced beforehand to the guards, no one stopped him.
Rather, the opposite.

Click.

They offered a coordinated greeting, as if welcoming an honored guest.

“May his blessing go with you.”

Licht, too, offered his respects to fulfill his duties as a priest.

“We have been waiting for you, Father Licht.”

A slight flinch.

Licht started at the voice that came from behind him.
Not because it was unfamiliar.

‘… Someone was there?’

Though it felt odd to say of himself, Licht’s senses were exceptionally sharp.
Indeed, that gift had earned him the opportunity to train alongside the Temple Knights on occasion.
That he had failed to notice this presence… surely they were no ordinary opponent.
Licht maintained his composure and turned slowly.
And the figure before him was…

…

Far more ordinary than he’d expected. Or rather, not ordinary at all in appearance.
Her jet-black hair and crimson eyes held a fascination that drew gazes regardless of gender, and her smiling lips seemed the very picture of kindness.
Yet something about her felt incomplete.

Why… did he have the feeling he was missing something crucial?

“I am Elvia, and I shall assist in showing Father Licht around.”
“Ah. How pleasant to meet you. I am Father Licht. I find myself indebted to the Asteri Family Estate from today onward.”

Licht offered his blessing, though belatedly.

“Indeed. I have heard much from Lion’s account.”
“From Lion?”
“He is also among those I serve.”
“I see.”

Licht nodded in understanding.
So she was Lion’s personal attendant.
As a servant to the eldest son of House Asteri, she was certainly someone of considerable skill.
Perhaps she had trained in magic, or some other martial technique.
Licht set aside his suspicions and smiled again.

“I trust Lion is in good health.”
“Hmm.”

Elvia offered an enigmatic smile.

“He remains as ever in many respects. Currently, he is recovering in the recovery chamber. I suspect it will take roughly a week before he is well enough to receive visitors.”
“Ever consistent, I see.”

Without needing the fuller story, Licht could make a fair guess.
Surely something akin to what had occurred in the Sanctuary had happened again.
Though concern stirred in him, Lion was never without blessing at his side, so there was little cause to fear for his safety.

“Yes. This way, please.”

Elvia guided Licht to a room at the far end of the convalescent ward, offering a few words of caution.

1. Should you venture out at night, pay no mind to any sounds or objects you may see.
2. Even if you sense strange energies within the estate, it is best not to concern yourself.
3. Though you may occasionally hear tremendous crashes, there is no need to evacuate unless instructed by a servant. Your quarters are the safest place.

It was the sort of warning that would chill anyone’s spine and strike fear in their heart, yet Licht simply nodded along.
Such things were plausible enough in the Asteri Family Estate, a house renowned for magic.
……But truthfully, he suspected every last precaution—from the first to the final—described something Lion did.

‘It seems the other servants manage to smooth things over during the day.’

“You seem to have your hands full.”
“Full, you say…….”

Elvia, who had helped him settle in, let out a soft chuckle.

“I rather live for the excitement of it.”

She spoke as though her twilight years had found new zest through a grandchild’s mischief.

“I’ve gone on too long. Rest well until the master sends word.”

Elvia left the room after emphasizing once more that he heed the warnings carefully.
Alone at last, Licht sat on the bed and mentally reviewed the precautions again.
Since he hadn’t come to the Asteri Family Estate to extract secrets, there was little cause for concern.
And this was the same Asteri Family Estate that had suffered no casualties even during the Labyrinth incident.
So the third warning, in particular, seemed unnecessary to worry over.
In fact, daily life at the Asteri Family Estate proceeded quite ordinarily.
No strange sounds were heard, no unusual energies felt.
Even wandering at night proved safe.
If anything, the numerous rooms lit late into the evening lent a rather charming atmosphere.
It was on the third day exactly.

Crash!

A tremendous sound erupted, and moments later—mere minutes—

Crash!!

An even more deafening boom shook the air.
At the same moment.

“Father, Priest.”

A servant rushed in and called to Licht in an urgent voice.

“I’m afraid you’ll need to evacuate.”
“……I beg your pardon?”

* * *

As everyone had suspected, the source of this uproar was Lion.
To offer one word in his defense: this disturbance had been announced to some degree in advance.
The reason being…….

—Haah. This is harder than I thought.

From that day onward, Tiamatrak’s aura never dimmed in the slightest.
Now that he thought about it, it was strange.
Lion wore the Ability Sealing Pendant at all times, so why was this aura still leaking through?
It seemed odd to dismiss it as merely the presence of a dragon’s power.
If that were the case, shouldn’t the aura have been just as visible when he’d been under divine scrutiny?
From that day forward, Lion began conducting a series of experiments, and soon reached a conclusion.

‘It’s because of Tiamatrak’s soul.’

More precisely: the Ability Sealing Pendant didn’t extend its reach to Tiamatrak’s soul.
In other words, the problem wasn’t the Circle—it was the soul itself!
Once Tiamatrak and Lion grasped this truth, they began training to suppress the soul’s presence.

“Let’s try again.”

A low, strained growl rumbled through the air.

The first approach was to compress Tiamatrak into a smaller form—either by polymorphing into a younger human shape, or reverting to his hatchling days.
The problem, however, was this:
He’d worn human form for so long that Polymorph didn’t come easily.

A deafening boom tore through the air.

A strangled cry burst from his throat.

And worse—even though he was incorporeal, the backlash manifested fully in the physical world.
The result was immediate and catastrophic.

Lion coughed.

A wall had crumbled under the shockwave.
And a considerable portion of Lion’s Mana had been drained in the process.
Brushing dust from his shoulders, Lion crossed his arms and studied Tiamatrak.

“This won’t work.”

He needed a proper tool to assist him.

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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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