Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 265

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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? No Idea. Let Me Just Heal — Episode 265

Lion leapt into the Pit before Patrick could finish speaking.

‘The drop is considerable.’

If he hadn’t experienced that terrifying fall from the sky before, he might have panicked badly.
Or crashed down ungracefully with a thud.
Fortunately, this time—

Soft.

Thanks to Nature’s wind, he landed lightly on the ground.

“Phew.”
“Chirp-chirp.”

Lion exchanged a quick high-five with Nature and surveyed his surroundings.
To anyone else, it would be absolute darkness, but Lion’s eyes saw something different.

‘This is…….’

Lion studied intently what lay before him.
A tangled web of something, crisscrossed and intertwined like a net.
It resembled a massive spider’s web, or perhaps an ancient net—

“Technically speaking… it’s a plant.”

A plant that visibly pulsed before his eyes.
Whether it was the process of drawing in nutrients or expelling them, he couldn’t say, but it moved steadily at a constant rhythm.
Like blood vessels connected to a heart.
And…….

‘So that’s what was glowing here all along.’

He’d wondered why light emanated from the entire ground—now he had his answer.
The sheer scale wasn’t ideal, but…….

‘The fact that it’s gatherable is valuable.’

Realistically, he couldn’t gather all of this enormous thing.

‘Grandfather has his limits too.’

He hadn’t merely lifted the earth.
He’d considered the compatibility with the Great Barrier and cast Illusion Magic simultaneously to keep it hidden from the High Castle.
Which meant… time was pressing.

‘First, let me inspect it.’

Lion drew a Dagger from his pocket and severed a section of the stem.
After hacking through the stubborn stalk several times…….

Splurt!

Sap sprayed forth, and fine roots scattered away.

“Tch.”

Lion stared at the dark, viscous fluid coating his robe.
It appeared to be the type that spurted bodily fluids as a final, desperate measure.
If he’d been bare-skinned, it would have been disastrous.

Shhhhhh…….

With a bone-chilling sound, the Corruption was purified.
The problem was that the purification wasn’t entirely complete—not only was the robe now ruined, but the blade of the Dagger had also corroded.

‘A Dagger crafted by Mudu, fallen apart this easily?’

That wasn’t all.

Splorch—

A piece of the stem that he’d torn away crumbled to rot in his palm.

‘The part I severed…….’

New roots were already sprouting in its place.
Its regenerative capacity was remarkably strong.
And after tapping it a few times with the Dagger, he understood.
It now had a fiber shell that was both longer and thicker than before.

“So there aren’t many chances left.”

The thought crossed his mind that he might need to extract the entire thing whole.

“But this is how it plays out. Good. Very good…….”

Lion laughed.
He’d anticipated it wouldn’t be easy.
After all, he’d only managed to progress this far thanks to his grandfather’s help.
If that was the case, he’d need to push forward with speed and decisiveness.

“First, I need to prepare a few things.”

Lion rummaged through his Inventory and pulled out various items.
First, an Axe—something capable of cleaving through this tough plant in a single, clean swing.
He usually didn’t use it because of its considerable weight, but now it was invaluable.
And…….
The Asteri Family Staff.

‘To be honest, I’m hesitant about this.’

Once he used it here, only one use would remain.
On top of that, it would be damaged and disappear entirely.
And if he wasn’t careful with the Self-Enhancement Magic and ended up seeing something he shouldn’t—like last time…….

‘That would be a real problem.’

But.
This wasn’t the time to be picky.
And even if, by chance, things suddenly shifted into Story Mode, he could leave his back to Tieramatrak, so it would be fine.
Lion grasped the staff immediately and closed his eyes.

[Using Self-Enhancement Magic.]
[Due to the current weapon’s effect, Self-Enhancement Magic rises by two stages!]

Up to this point, everything had proceeded as before.
But then.

[You currently possess a Mana Circle beyond your limit.]
[Will you use it?]

‘Ah.’

It was asking whether to use Tieramatrak’s Circle as well.

‘If I use it now…….’

It would be a different dimension from when he was at 1 Circle.
Both the level of power and the burden.
But then.

‘This is probably my last chance.’

For a long while.
No, perhaps quite some time would pass before he could return to the Great Barrier.
Leaving early from the Temple over a mere rumor—wasn’t that a bit suspicious?
It was obviously a containment measure.

‘I’ll use it.’

The moment Lion consented inwardly to the question, the Mana Circles slumbering near his heart began to stir in unison.

[This may place considerable strain on the caster. Please exercise caution.]

With that final warning.

Thump.

A wave of transformation rippled through Lion’s body.

‘…….’

Struck by the truly strange sensation, Lion’s eyes opened of their own accord.
Then things that had been invisible came into view.
Things he might never see in a lifetime—all of it. Became visible.

‘No, this is.’

Perception would be the better word.
Rather than light entering the brain through cornea and retina, he perceived the essence of all things through his five senses.
And that wasn’t something mere eye enhancement could achieve.
Powerful Self-Enhancement Magic must strengthen the body itself in the appropriate direction.
If that were the case…….

‘At least it’s safe then.’

He wouldn’t collapse or lose consciousness right away.
Of course, he was drawing on future vitality.

‘Well, it was similar when working late anyway.’

Lion pulled the Axe up from where he’d driven it into the ground with ease and moved toward a specific location.
The place gleamed with golden light, and now he could see it clearly.
A light that was slightly more distinctive and vivid, existing in an awkward spot—neither at the center of the ground nor at its edges.

“Nature. Could you clear away the earth around here?”
“Chirp.”

Fortunately, there was no problem controlling Nature.
Nature promptly swept the soil clean from the area Lion had designated.
As the earth was brushed away and exposed to the air, plants writhed and gathered around it.
Concealing it, protecting it.
As if refusing to let its host be taken.
And in the end.

Screeeech!

What had only regenerated even as flesh was torn away now lashed out sharply toward Lion.
But.

Shhhoooosh!

Lion’s splash of Holy Water was just a fraction faster.
More precisely, he thrust the bottle itself straight into the mass.
Something hissed as it evaporated, and the plant’s movement froze instantly.

‘Now.’

Lion immediately drove his axe down onto the plant’s weak point.

Crack!

The eerie shriek that comes when thick wood fractures pierces his heightened hearing.
It might well be this plant’s defense mechanism.
At the same moment, black ichor sprayed across his Robe and face.
The viscous liquid clinging to his cheek dripped down his face.
Lion stomped on the plant and wrenched the axe free.
Then he swung again.
Right now, the best course was to kill his personal hesitations and move as swiftly and decisively as possible.

‘Good. I see it.’

The target, nestled within the plant’s dark interior.
Lion braced the plant open with his axe and thrust his hand in without hesitation.
The Robe he wore turned pitch black in an instant.
Even Lion’s Gloves, which had remained unscathed even when he’d held them to fire, became dark and grimy.
And the sensation of his hand inside was far from pleasant, but…….

‘Found it.’

Lion muttered under his breath to keep the liquid dripping down his face from entering his mouth, and his hand closed around the object.
Then he pulled. Hard.
But.

It wouldn’t budge.

“……!”

It won’t come free.
Rather, it’s being pulled deeper.
It felt as though something on the other side of this abyss was pulling to keep it from being taken.
It seemed to be making a final desperate struggle, but Lion couldn’t simply give up like this.

‘Should’ve taken more Holy Water with me.’

No, if he’d done that, he would’ve locked it away so tight an axe couldn’t break through.

‘Or it would have to be Holy Power strong enough that the axe wouldn’t even make a sound.’

In the meantime, his hand had been drawn in past his wrist, nearly to his elbow.
The Corruption seeped through the Robe, finding the gap between the Gloves and his shirt.

“Lion!”

A distant cry reached him—Grandfather’s voice.

-Lion. Trade places with me now.
-What you want is to extract that thing right now anyway.
-Or let me help you!

“I appreciate the thought, but…”

Your job is to carry me. I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a bit longer.
If we trade now and something truly urgent comes up, we might find ourselves in real crisis.

‘…Though I’m already in quite a bit of one.’

Ha.
Lion spat out the liquid that had seeped into his mouth and muttered to himself.
There’s still a method available, but…

‘Calling Elvia would be…’

The location was too dangerous, and the chance of accomplishing the objective was low.
Elvia preferred watching interesting things unfold, but before that, she always prioritized her own safety.
Whatever clue he was holding now would likely shatter to pieces.
Lion immediately thought of the next option.

Lion glanced sideways at the notification hovering in his peripheral vision.

[Should you will it, you may walk the Priest’s Path at any moment.]

The Priest’s Path.
Accepting the invitation from Anyatras.
Since he’d apparently received a direct call from the god himself, he wouldn’t be using ordinary Holy Power.
But.

‘No, even so, this isn’t the answer.’

Lion shook his head at once.
The risk was considerable.
Then there remained one last method.

‘The Fragment of the Spirit Sword.’

An object capable of saving one’s life once.
If he used it, he could likely resolve both what he held in his hand and the Corruption in one stroke.
Just as he resolved to do so and began to relax his grip.
A small, translucent palm pressed against his forearm.

-You…!!

At the same moment, Tieramatrak’s voice rang out in astonishment.
It was the Crown Prince.
Lion looked down at the Crown Prince’s hand.
Already translucent in his spirit form, Nature had faded even further now.
Forcing a passage through this place must have drained him considerably.
With nothing but a soul to sustain him, the price would likely be…….

“He really won’t listen!”

Lion gritted his teeth and poured more strength into his grip.
The weeping Crown Prince flinched at Lion’s rebuke, but stubbornly held firm, grasping Lion’s arm with both his small, fern-like hands and pulling back.
And then, remarkably, just as had happened with Tieramatrak, sensation registered.

-……!

Very faint, but a voice could be heard.
Far too young a voice to come from a spirit.
That voice continued calling out something, again and again.

-Father, Father!

Whether other words had been omitted, or only this one broke through amid such desperate longing, he couldn’t say.
But one thing was certain.
The Crown Prince kept crying out toward something within this black liquid.
If that were true…….

‘Could this mass of Corruption trying to drag me down be the Grand Duke?’

He’d suspected it somewhat from the position, but couldn’t believe it.
Lion’s eyes were sharp now—remarkably so.
He could perceive everything.
Which meant the Grand Duke’s soul was…….
Damaged beyond any possible recovery.
Perhaps it would be kinder simply to let it fade away.
The Crown Prince must have known this too.
And yet he kept calling out.

Father. Father.
Dad.

That his own father—the man who had killed him—had in truth loved him most dearly.
He believed this with absolute certainty.
Perhaps it was the force of that yearning.
For just an instant, the grip dragging Lion down loosened ever so slightly.

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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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