Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 288

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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 and the Healing — Episode 288

The Spirit King.
Or rather, the being now more commonly called Nature stood before a mirror, preening its feathers.
Though ordinarily the days passed in relentless activity, today promised to be even more exhausting.
Because it fell to Nature to keep watch over its foolish, capricious master.

“Cheep!”

Moreover, the destination today was said to be the grandest of all human strongholds—a place of unmatched splendor.
Not only would there be throngs of people, but also every manner of food, sugary treats, and those bothersome trailing garments!
……Though admittedly, nothing quite compared to what Lion had prepared.
In any case, the place teemed with distractions and temptations aplenty.
Especially.

“Chirp-chirp.”

Plants.
And so many unfamiliar varieties that Lion found absolutely irresistible, or so Nature had been told.
Nature’s role was to watch and warn Lion against any strange behavior among them.
Though it rankled to take orders from a master who was not truly its own, Nature understood the necessity.

Why, you ask?
Because without such precautions, there was no telling what chaos this eccentric master might unleash!
Nature had not forgotten the day it had been separated from its master for a time…….

Flash!

With grooming complete, Nature spread both wings and let its bean-like eyes gleam as it spun around.
Then it bounded forward and planted itself squarely in front of Pus.

“Meow?”

Pus, who had been industriously grooming one hind leg, looked up at Nature with an awkward expression, then scrambled to its feet and swished its tails hopefully.
It seemed Pus believed Nature meant to play.

“Chirp.”

Nature shook its head firmly and gave Pus a thorough briefing on the current situation.
Though young, Pus possessed the keen intellect of a magical beast—a gift no amount of youth could diminish.
And more than that.

“Whimper!”

Nature was not alone in having forgotten nothing of what had transpired at the Great Barrier.
While magical beasts were notorious as the most difficult to tame and the most savage of creatures, once they chose a master, they possessed an instinct to remain at that master’s side unto death itself.

“Whine, whine!”

For Pus, what had happened at the Great Barrier was nothing short of shattering.
It had been standing guard, awaiting orders, when its master had suddenly lost consciousness.
Those hands that once carried the scent of earth and grass had turned black as coal!
And worse—it was a dragon spirit, whom Pus had always deemed a rival and enemy, that brought the master back.
What could that possibly mean?
That the master trusted and relied upon that dragon more than upon Pus itself.
The memory alone was enough to bring tears glistening to its eyes……!

“Chirp, chirp.”

Nature pressed Pus’s head down and gave him a flutter of her wings as comfort.
In essence, it meant they should make real progress this time around.
At Nature’s mature consolation, the tails that had drooped began to sway again with renewed vigor.

“Kyaang!”

Pus let out a brave howl!

Nod, nod.

Having gained Pus as reinforcement, Nature seemed satisfied and lifted one corner of her beak in a smile before flying upward with purpose.

Flutterflutter!

Her small wings beat ceaselessly, and she soon alighted on Lion’s shoulder as he entered through the door.

“Hm? How’d you know I came looking for you?”

She’s really smart. Is it because my Spirit Summoning level went up?
Lion, unaware of the situation, welcomed Nature as she arrived with perfect timing.

“Chirp, chirp.”
“Yeah, yeah. Like I said, indoors really is stuffy for you, isn’t it? No breeze, all cramped and closed in. But don’t worry—you’ll be outside today, so you can relax.”
“Chirp-sigh.”

Nature shook her head as she listened to Lion’s words.
True, as a spirit, being inside buildings made by humans did feel oppressive, but it wasn’t unbearable.
At times like this, her master simply refused to listen.
Whether he was deliberately playing deaf or genuinely didn’t understand, she couldn’t tell.
“Haha. Anyway, it’ll be fun. And they’re apparently doing a treasure hunt as a special event, so I thought I’d give it a try too.”

For some reason, Lion ruffled Nature’s sulking head into a mohawk style.
Of course, Nature shook herself irritably and it quickly returned to normal.

“You never know. There might be a prize worth getting excited about. Right, Pus?”
“Kyee!”

Lion spoke meaningfully, then set off toward the Garden with sprightly steps.
With Nature and Pus at his side, he figured he’d easily find whatever traces the Archbishop had left behind.
But!

“……”

The moment Lion arrived at the Garden, he couldn’t help but be taken aback.

‘A treasure hunt? Like this?’

He’d thought the Emperor’s Birthday was a light affair for sure.
But he’d still assumed the prizes would be decent enough that everyone who came to the Garden would want to participate……

“Wow! What an unusual puppy!”
“No, that’s a fox, isn’t it? Right?”
“Multiple tails? So it really is true he adopted a stray animal. How peculiar……”
“No, surely it’s a magical creature? Being a familiar of a Magic Family and all?”

First of all, unlike the main party venue, those gathered in the Garden here were notably young.
From the youngest—probably barely ten years old—to those who had only just made their debutante appearance.
That said, there were adults present.
All of them carried……

“Squawk!”
“Chirp, chirp-chirp!”

……everyone had brought at least one pet with them.
Most were small dogs with their coats groomed to a lustrous shine, though the occasional cat appeared among them.

‘Are they really allowed to bring cats out here?’

He’d thought someone had mentioned that walks weren’t recommended before Possession, but……

Thump.

“Oof.”
“Oh my, oh dear!”

The moment a companion pig wearing an enormous pearl necklace made its entrance, Lion gave up trying to understand the logic of it all.
He’d forgotten.

‘Money makes anything possible.’

In any case, this garden party was simply a small gathering for those who’d brought their pets along.
Since the venue was the Imperial Palace, nothing unseemly would likely occur.

‘What a headache.’

Lion watched the people lavishing attention on Pus and managed an awkward smile.
He’d planned to slip away to a quiet corner and search for clues under the guise of looking for treasure, but the attention kept gravitating toward them.

‘At least Nature isn’t visible to these people. That’s something.’

Usually, Nature made itself visible through its own Spirit Summoning abilities, but since arriving in the Imperial Capital, it had refrained from doing so.
Lion suspected it simply disliked strangers handling it.

“Is that bird perched on your shoulder your pet as well? How adorable!”
“Pardon?”

Lion’s head snapped around toward Nature.
The usually aloof spirit that avoided others’ gazes and touches had vanished; in its place was something that seemed to revel in the attention, playfully cocking its head and preening under the scrutiny.

‘What in the world……’

After a moment of bewilderment, Lion realized something and quickly excused himself, then made his way deeper into the garden.
And there:

“You heard something from your grandfather, didn’t you?”

He struck at the heart of the matter immediately.

“Chirp?”

But true to form, Nature simply shook its head back and forth with shameless indifference.
As if to say: I haven’t the faintest idea.
Exasperated, Lion turned to Pus, only to watch it roll its eyes deliberately and ignore him.

‘So that’s how it is.’

Their behavior confirmed his suspicion.

‘Now that I think about it, something was odd.’

Normally, he would’ve launched into a thirty-minute lecture about staying close to him, behaving properly, and reporting anyone who bothered them.
Instead, he’d released them with barely a warning.

“Strange how quickly he let us go.”

It was true enough today, but notably brief.
I’d assumed he was simply preoccupied with the Emperor’s Birthday festivities.

‘Though I doubt he knew exactly what I was planning to do.’

Given my track record, he’d clearly stationed a spy to keep watch, assuming I’d cause some fresh disaster.

-There’s no way we can know what Lion suspects.
-But we can consider the inverse.
-Trouble has a habit of following Lion wherever he goes.

Surprisingly, it aligned closely with what Nature had gleaned during the briefing.

“Look, I’m still your master, aren’t I? This is too much.”
“Chirp!”

Nature fixed Lion with an incredulous stare—as if to say: If you were me, would you sit idle?
Hmm!
There was no arguing with that.
And now, in hindsight, it occurred to me that Grandfather hadn’t just left Nature as a “safety measure.”

‘From the start….’

Wasn’t it likely those two who’d orchestrated the pets-only gathering?
They’d turned Lepicent’s conditions entirely to their advantage.
Tieramatrak, watching from the sidelines, shook his head slowly.
Lion’s outlandish antics were usually entertaining, but today had clearly gone too far.

-I don’t know what scheme you’re cooking up, but at this rate you’ll struggle.
-Just talk with people for a while to kill time.

And there was something almost delightful about watching Lion Asteri in such a predicament.

-While you’re at it, take a look at that Pearl Necklace hanging around the pig’s neck.

“Mm.”

Logically speaking, that was the wisest course.
No need to stir up trouble where there was none.

“Well. Guess there’s no choice.”

Lion exhaled heavily and tightened his gloves with renewed resolve.

-Why do you suddenly look like you’ve made some kind of decision?

“Chirp?”
“Peep, peep….”

The moment Nature’s expression shifted to: Surely you’re not planning…

“I’m just going to do what I want. I’m an oddball anyway—everyone already understands that. Right?”

Lion grinned and announced this before turning directly back toward the crowded gathering.
Curious gazes followed him at once, but….

“…!”

The stares shifted abruptly to shock.
Lion had flopped down onto the ground and begun clawing at the earth!

“I wonder what’ll come out here? My, my. These roots are quite fresh, aren’t they? Perfect for research. Wouldn’t you say?”

He was even conversing with thin air!
At first they’d assumed he was communing with a pet of some sort, but no.
It was empty space, completely and utterly empty…!

“Ahem, *ahem.*”
“Let’s pretend we didn’t see that.”

The more perceptive nobles quickly averted their eyes, fixing their gaze elsewhere.
Successor or not, Lion was still the eldest son of House Asteri.
Everyone knew he was peculiar, but one simply did not voice such things in his presence.
Nor could one acknowledge knowing it.
Patrick’s affection for his grandson was the sort of devotion that could be called ruthless.

‘One misstep and they’d have nothing left to bury…!’

Besides, the question of who would become the next heir apparent remained uncertain.
With the endorsement of a new emperor, House Asteri would grow only more powerful and prosperous.
It was far better to pretend not to notice the family’s blood relative acting strangely than to humor it—to simply look away!
Though she never thought even the Imperial Family would carry on this way…!
As the adults turned their attention elsewhere, so too did the younger nobility.
A few found Lion’s behavior amusing enough to glance sideways, but none dared approach.

‘That’s settled, then.’

Lion had succeeded in redirecting everyone’s gaze—better than he’d anticipated, even.

“Lion?”

With one exception: someone who had arrived at the gathering rather late.

‘That voice….’

Lion stopped digging and turned his head at the sound.
There stood a face he hadn’t seen in a very long time—still youthful and familiar!
Though the appearance had changed considerably.
There was no doubt.
The child who had been at the Orphanage and adopted by a good couple.
Peter.

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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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