Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 247

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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 Just Want to Heal — Episode 247

To make that happen, I first needed to focus on completing the pie.

“Licht, are you finished?”
“Yes. I’ve just completed it.”

Licht held up the neatly sliced apples.

“Ah…….”

Lion was genuinely impressed.
Licht’s knife work was quite remarkable.

“You’ve cooked quite a bit, haven’t you? Your skill is impressive.”

At Lion’s sincere praise, Licht waved his hand bashfully.

“Not at all. I simply have some experience with the sword…….”
“The sword?”

That was the first he’d heard of this.

“Ah, yes. The Archbishop once entrusted me to the Temple Knights for a time to build my strength. I learned a great deal then.”
“…….”

Lion found himself suddenly understanding a number of things from his past.
Right. How else would a priest be able to lift and carry someone so easily?
It all came down to specialized training.

“With skill at that level, you could certainly qualify for the Temple Knights.”
“I gave it considerable thought as a child. There is something romantic about the idea of the Knights, after all.”
“Mm.”

Whatever else might be said, Lion understood the appeal and romance of the Temple Knights well enough.
After all, the image of someone in pristine white armor wielding both Holy Power and Swordsmanship was undeniably striking.
Elegance is romance, plain and simple.

“But why did you choose the path of a priest instead? Did the Archbishop wish it of you?”
“Ah, there was certainly that as well.”

Licht hesitated, searching for words, then gave an indirect answer.

“I didn’t want to harm others. While Temple Knights are meant to protect, there are inevitably moments when they must attack. I wanted to avoid that.”

Now Lion understood why the Archbishop had chosen Licht for the priesthood—or more precisely, as his Successor.
It was a position where one need not witness bloodshed firsthand.

“I see.”

Lion nodded and transferred the sliced apples Licht had prepared into a pot, then added a generous amount of sugar and began to simmer them gently.
Partway through, he didn’t forget to halve a fresh lemon and squeeze its juice in, along with a light dusting of cinnamon.

‘Hmm, to get that proper blood sugar spike feeling…….’

Lion deliberated, then added butter to the simmering apples.
This would cause the sugar syrup to caramelize, intensifying both sweetness and aroma.
And indeed it did.
A wave of sweet fragrance began to fill the kitchen.
Licht, watching the scene unfold, swallowed hard without realizing it.

“I’ll make the custard cream.”
“Thanks for that.”

While Licht remained absorbed in the filling, Elvia tactfully moved to a distant corner of the kitchen and began preparing the cream.

“By the way, Licht—”
“Yes! Lion.”

Licht, his gaze still caught by the stewed apples, answered a moment late.

“When did you arrive at the estate?”
“Ah, I suspected you’d wonder. It hasn’t been many days since I was dispatched to the Asteri Family Estate.”
“Dispatched? Is it perhaps classified information I shouldn’t know about?”
“It’s not something that should be made public, but…….”

You’re different from most people, though.
Licht glanced around the kitchen, then spoke quietly, explaining the reason for his presence here.

“……Chaos?”
“Yes. But nothing is happening immediately. It’s purely a preventive measure, and I’m merely the one conveying information.”

Thanks to that, I even get to enjoy something as pleasant as this.
Licht reassured Lion by framing it as essentially a legal vacation.

‘I suppose you’d be worried…….’

After all, the head of the Asteri Family had directly experienced the battle with Demons fifty years ago.
Lion’s anxiety, as his descendant, was likely far greater than that of most others.

‘The Archbishop felt the same way.’

Others didn’t notice, but the Archbishop reacted with acute sensitivity to anything involving chaos or heroes.
Because he believed he had lost the Previous Archbishop to that matter.

‘Though he never actually told me the details…….’

Each time, he promised to explain properly later, only to bury the matter instead.
Perhaps his own heart was so torn that he simply couldn’t find the words beforehand.
The pain of losing someone precious—it was surely beyond measure.

“So you needn’t worry. As I said earlier, it’s purely preventive.”
“I see.”

Lion set aside the apple filling, which was now absorbing the sugar, and fetched the chilled dough to roll and fold it repeatedly with his pin.

‘Chaos, then…… so that’s what it is.’

Though the conversation had been casual, Lion gleaned one piece of information from Licht.
First, the signs of ‘chaos’ were appearing.
Nothing major had erupted yet, but something was stirring.
And the Archbishop had noticed.
……But then.
A question formed in Lion’s mind.

“Licht, I have something I’d like to ask.”
“Yes, Lion. I’ll tell you whatever I know.”
“What exactly is meant by ‘chaos’?”
“Hmm…….”
“Are you saying that chaos refers solely to Demon invasion?”

Licht paused for a moment, considering.
How best to explain this……
He chose his words carefully, then began his explanation in a measured tone.

“Chaos refers to any situation that poses a threat to mankind and the continent itself.”
“A situation that poses a threat?”
“Yes. Even if it weren’t the Demons—say, if the Labyrinth of yours hadn’t been resolved, it would have become a form of chaos as well.”

He added that he no longer considered it a threat now.

“In fact, it was fortunate that the master of the Labyrinth appeared. In a way, you’ve accomplished something remarkable.”
“Ha, you’re too kind.”

So chaos was much like a natural disaster, then.
And priests were the ones tasked with detecting such disasters in advance.

‘Through Precognitive Dreams.’

When organizing the small library at the Temple some time ago, he’d come across materials about Precognitive Dreams.
Specifically, things Licht hadn’t mentioned yet.
For instance.

-If one has a Precognitive Dream, one must verify its truth without fail.

……Things like that.
It made sense if the reason for verifying dreams was to either prevent disasters early or identify the people capable of preventing them.

‘In that case.’

Lion recalled the Archbishop he’d met in his dream long ago.
Then he looked at Licht standing before him now.

“Anyway, yes. That’s correct. I hope my explanation was of some use.”
“No, it was enough. So I needn’t worry too much about this, then?”
“That’s right. And even if something were to happen, I—or rather, the Temple would do our utmost to prevent chaos from taking hold.”
“Then that settles it. Ah, I suppose I can start baking the pie now.”

Lion retrieved the dough he’d stored in the cold room during their conversation, cut it to size, fitted it into the pie tin, and pricked the bottom all over with a fork to create air holes.

‘He’s suspicious of me.’

The Archbishop, that is.
Licht hadn’t picked up on it yet, it seemed.

‘Hmm. No point in provoking him unnecessarily.’

Hadn’t his grandfather once referred to the Archbishop as a “madman,” almost in passing?
If they were to confront each other later, it would be better to resolve things peacefully if possible—which meant there was no need to provoke him now.

“The custard cream is ready.”

Elvia arrived with the Custard Cream precisely as their conversation drew to a close.
Lion spread it evenly inside the pie, then generously layered the stewed apples, their syrup seeping perfectly between the fruit.
Finally, he cut thin strips of dough to create a lattice pattern, brushed the whole thing with egg yolk, and slid it into the preheated oven.
Soon, the pie within began to bake a tempting golden brown, the rich aroma filling the space around the oven.

“This is the first time I’ve actually watched a pie bake. It’s quite…….”

Looks delicious.
Licht couldn’t tear his eyes from the oven, murmuring to himself.

“It went much more smoothly thanks to your help, sir.”
“It did, didn’t it? Why don’t you join me in eating some?”
“Are you certain that’s alright?”
“Of course. There’s plenty anyway.”

The pie was indeed quite large.
It was easily enough not only to put Licht to sleep, but also to give Urhil a tasty treat.

‘Well, it should make him drowsy enough…’

Though probably not as much as that honeyed brittany he’d eaten before.
As they made pleasant small talk…

“It’s done.”

Elvia removed the pie from the oven and carried it to the dining room.

“Ah…”

The apple pie was magnificent.
The crust was perfectly golden and crisp, while the filling within was rich and abundant.
A subtle cinnamon aroma mingled with the bright scent of apples.
And there, a neat lattice pattern across the top!
It was the very picture of a perfect apple pie.
And now…
With the apple pie complete.

A glance.

The moment Lion’s plan began.

“Elvia, could you prepare some tea for us?”
“Of course, sir.”
“Oh, use the leaves from the shelf in my room.”
“I’ll see to it at once.”

Elvia obeyed without hesitation.
She found herself curious about what mischief the young master was plotting.

‘Good. Elvia’s out of the way.’

Lion sliced the slightly cooled apple pie himself and plated it.

“Oh, I’ve nearly forgotten something.”
“……”

The pie looked perfect to Licht’s eyes.
What on earth could be missing?

“You know, they say a pinch of salt over sweet foods brings out the flavor wonderfully.”

And as it happens, I have some excellent salt right here.
Lion grinned slyly and produced a vial of powder from his pocket.
Ordinarily, one would have grown suspicious at the sight of mysterious powder being drawn from someone’s possession.

“Ah, is that so!”

Licht’s considerable trust in Lion had left him off guard.
Before Licht’s very eyes, Lion sprinkled not salt—but the Sleep-Inducing Powder he’d used on Urhil before—onto a slice of pie and handed it over.
Of course, to avoid suspicion, he sprinkled the powder on his own plate as well.

“Mm, it seems Elvia will take a while. Shall we eat first? Looking at a freshly baked pie like this, it’s hard to resist. Besides, it’s been quite some time since I’ve had something like this…….”
“Quite some time since you’ve had it? Ah.”

Licht understood immediately.
As expected, Lion had clearly been skipping meals in his absorption with something.
In that case, eating sooner would be better.

“Yes, that would be best.”
“Then.”

Without hesitation, Lion stuffed his mouth full of pie and chewed.

-Delicious…….

“…….”

The thin, layered pastry crumbled crisply, and the warm custard cream atop melted smoothly, enveloping his mouth.
And then, crunch.
The tangy-sweet stewed apple provided just the right counterpoint to the rich sweetness, keeping it from cloying.
Even the faint granular texture that caught between his teeth at the end was exquisite.

‘Good that it’s not too sweet.’

I’ll have to try this again with a different apple variety later.
Licht watched Lion eat with relish, then began his own slice.

“……! It’s delicious.”

Enchanted by the pie, which tasted even better than expected, he finished his slice without thinking.
Then, shortly after.
Drowsiness crept over him.

‘Is it because I haven’t eaten anything sweet in so long?’

His body grew heavy and his eyelids kept drooping.

“The atmosphere here is quite different from the Temple. You must have found it tiring to adjust.”
“Ah, yes. I didn’t think so, but it seems I was more affected than I realized.”
“The commotion from earlier may have made you even more tense. Mm, I think it would be best if you went upstairs and rested first.”

R-really?
It did seem that way.
Otherwise there was no reason for him to be this drowsy.

‘Was there something in the apple pie……?’

But he’d watched the entire preparation process, and Lion appeared perfectly fine.
Clearly, exhaustion had simply accumulated.

“Then, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll head upstairs…….”

Licht’s words, unfortunately, never reached their conclusion.

Thud.

His head dropped straight onto the table.

“Sleep well.”

I’m sorry, Licht!
Lion quickly pushed the fork and plate aside and handed over a light apple pie.

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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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