Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 296

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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 Is Unknown to Me, So I Shall Devote Myself to Healing — Episode 296

“Then I should proceed with this design as-is?”

The stationery shop owner—now, at this moment, a craftsman in the employ of the Fight Club—presented the final design mockup with careful deliberation.

-Not bad, actually.

Tieramatrak nodded approvingly in the empty air, visibly satisfied with the design and performance that so thoroughly reflected his own tastes.

-As expected of me.

Sigh.
Lion cleanly ignored Tieramatrak’s self-congratulation.

“Yes, this will do nicely.”
“Disguise Shoes, is it! I must say, my heart races at the thought of what a brilliant piece we shall create!”

The craftsman, awash in the creative fervor that had blossomed from his previous work, gathered up his papers and rose from his seat.

“Ah, if I’m to finish the product in time, I’d best hurry along. I hope you have a pleasant evening!”

The moment the craftsman left the room, Jack spoke.

“Young Master. Be honest with me.”
“About what?”
“Wasn’t this actually unnecessary?”

What was he going on about?
Lion blinked in surprise, studying Jack before letting out a short exclamation. Ah.

‘He suspects me.’

At first, Jack might have thought Lion had simply made him suffer through this on a whim.
But Jack—he would certainly have mulled over the whole situation.

‘And he would have arrived at this suspicion.’

Would the eldest son of House Asteri truly have been ignorant of the craftsman’s whereabouts?

“What makes you think that?”
“It seems odd. A young master of your standing could easily acquire something far superior.”

He was alluding to the Magic Tower, or to the Grand Duke.
And truthfully, it wasn’t wrong.

‘No—I should do what I’m able to do myself.’

Even if he scattered coin freely, even if House Asteri cast gold and jewels with every step and suffered no depletion of their coffers.
Still, it was better to be frugal where possible, wasn’t it?

‘There’s also the matter of security.’

An item meant to alter one’s appearance had to be procured in strictest secrecy.
Had this question come from Ricshel or the Grand Duke, he would have answered truthfully.
But.

‘Why bother?’

Of course, in the current situation, Jack and the Underworld were perfect allies.
But Lion had learned something from their last conversation, hadn’t he?
Jack’s true nature.
That bastard saw Lion as nothing more than a “labor resource”!

‘At minimum, he sees me as a national asset. At minimum.’

The dark-hearted master of the Underworld, who cared for nothing but his younger brother, was eagerly waiting for Lion to become a hero.
In whatever way it might benefit the Second Imperial Prince.
Or rather, the Crown Prince!

‘The Emperor who supports a hero certainly earns the people’s favor.’

Well then.
Lion’s hesitation didn’t last long.
Drawing a proper line was important, but there was no need to break with him entirely.
Rather, maintaining a degree of harmony.

‘Trust.’

Even Jack, for all his suspicions, needed to see that Lion was an “oddball who keeps his word”—someone reliable.
That way, they could build credibility between them.
A symbiotic relationship.

‘Friendship, though… that’s a difficult sell.’

How could the one who demands labor and the one who dodges it ever be friends?
It made about as much sense as “a family-like company.”
Of course, Lion had another reason for wanting to improve his relationship with Jack.

‘Jack also has the main character’s belongings.’

In a situation where Story Mode and miracles were suspect, gathering even one more piece of evidence would prove invaluable when he needed to piece things together.

“You’ve seen through me.”

And so Lion made his decision.
He would let Jack’s misunderstanding guide how things unfolded.

“I was actually curious.”
“About what?”
“How formidable the master of the Underworld truly is. You’re quite remarkable, I must say.”

Jack’s movements were indeed flawless, devoid of any wasted motion.
What struck Lion most of all was that he hadn’t used a single lethal technique.
Those who clashed with Jack lost consciousness from a single blow, but suffered no mortal wounds.
Though their heads might be ringing for a while.

“Hmm?”

Jack’s eyes flickered with interest at the sudden shift in tone.

“Surely you’ve had plenty of opportunities to observe my abilities until now.”
“Yes, that’s true.”

Jack had never truly hidden his strength in front of Lion.
Not when he’d given special instruction while Sparring with Barg.
Not when he’d dealt with the assassins targeting Kyle at the Hunt Tournament.

“So why suddenly take an interest?”
“Well, once this affair is settled, I suppose I’d best begin preparing. For that position, I mean.”

What Lion had set his sights on was precisely this.

“So what you’re saying is…….”

Jack’s smile turned peculiar.

“You were testing whether I could be a strength to the Imperial Crown Prince?”
“Yes.”
“You dare, to assess me?”
“I prefer to see things with my own eyes.”

Lion dismissed Jack’s bluster with an easy gesture and continued.

“It’s a position thrust upon me half-unwillingly, but still—I must do my utmost in whatever role I undertake, mustn’t I?”
“…….”

And as expected.
At Lion’s final words, Jack’s eyes gleamed.
In truth, Jack found this situation quite appealing.

At times he seemed almost childish, yet other times he was an eccentric so formidable as to be utterly beyond approach.

‘And now…….’

A statesman’s gaze emerged—one that perceives the forest rather than mere trees, grasping even what lies beyond.

‘Though it’s surely a lie.’

Lion Asteri was a man who despised stepping forward into prominence.
So what was this?
Now that he held state affairs, he must spare no effort?
It was a perfect lie.
But it was enough.

‘All that matters is having Kyle in some corner of his heart.’

For he was endlessly generous to those he held close.

“Ha-ha! Now that’s a splendid resolve! Shall we wrap up our tea then? The cargo and personnel should have arrived by now.”

Well, for that to happen, Lion Asteri’s Corruption would first need to be addressed.

‘But…….’

Someone capable of removing Corruption.
No matter how remarkable the talents House Asteri cultivated and nurtured,

‘could such a person even exist?’

It hardly seemed likely that an ordinary soul would arrive.

* * *

And Jack’s assumption proved, to some degree, correct.

“Elvia!”
“Hehe. Young Master, I trust you’ve been in good health?”

Strictly speaking, the one who had come to resolve Lion’s corruption wasn’t human at all.
Elvia, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, looked much as she always did—which was hardly surprising.
Her uniform bore not a single wrinkle, and her hair gleamed black as ebony.
The only change, subtle as it was, lay in her eyes—they burned a deeper crimson than before.

“Ah, so you’re the one who’s been taking such good care of the young master.”

After exchanging light pleasantries with Lion, Elvia turned her attention to Jack.
She had already been briefed on the situation, but she owed thanks to whoever had temporarily sheltered her charge.
And a stern word of warning as well.

“……We’ve met before, then.”
“Indeed we have. You may call me Elvia.”

Elvia’s lips curved upward as she regarded Jack.

‘Useful, this one.’

He carried the same aura as the Jack she’d observed back when she’d worn the guise of ‘Silvia’.
Light on the surface, but dark and twisted beneath.
Greedy enough to cling fiercely to what he called his own—whether things or people.

“I’d assumed you were simply an exceptional head maid, but it seems you possess rather extraordinary abilities.”

Jack felt a strange sense of recognition as her eyes probed him.
Because—

‘Not a curse.’

It was the peculiar aura of demonkind that he sometimes sensed from Kyle.
And from that, one conclusion emerged.
This woman was not human.

‘……Is she a witch?’

He’d heard it said before.
That an extremely small number of beings existed, born from the union of Demons and humans.
If she’d been a pure Demon, no effort of Patrick Asteri’s would have concealed it.

‘She’s been hiding this the entire time?’

A chill ran down his spine.
Now he understood why the head maid—who’d never once left the Estate in all his time there—had conveniently taken leave.
Everything fell into place.
Jack’s frame tensed of its own accord.
It was the natural instinct of one who had cared for Kyle through all the years of his curse-born suffering.
Elvia’s smile deepened in response.
In that moment—

“You didn’t come from far, did you? You’re not tired?”

Lion posed the question, and Elvia turned to face him at once.
She answered with the warm, delighted smile of a grandmother listening to her grandson’s concern.

“I’m quite all right. But you, young master—you seem to have grown a bit thin. Did the Imperial Palace’s cuisine not suit your taste?”
“Come now. No, it wasn’t that. Of course, nothing compared to the sandwiches you make, but still.”
“Heh heh. You’ll need to return home and enjoy a proper meal soon enough.”

An utterly ordinary exchange.
Almost warm, if one thought about it.
The searching gaze from moments earlier had vanished without a trace.
He felt a flicker of disorientation at the shift.

‘Really. I encounter the strangest things.’

Still, revealing this much information meant he was receiving a certain degree of trust, didn’t it?

‘Impossible to say.’

For now, Jack decided to bury the matter entirely.
If he dwelled on it, it would become dangerous knowledge.
And yet—
whoever stood beside Lion Asteri, the fact remained that he had lifted Kyle’s curse.
Perhaps, he thought, it would be all right.
Jack settled on that conclusion.

“Then I’ll take my leave and give you privacy. This is one of the Empire’s most secluded places, so you can receive your ‘treatment’ without worry.”

Without further ceremony, Jack yielded his sanctuary and departed.

“Perceptive, aren’t you.”
“You’ll be all right?”
“Hehe.”

Elvia laughed at Lion’s unvarying kindness.
She knew perfectly well that worrying over a witch was the most pointless gesture imaginable, yet he asked her this way every time.
So Elvia offered the sort of answer that could put an anxious puppy at ease.

“The Underworld has quite the entertaining children.”
“Haha…”

Lion let out an awkward laugh.

‘Then again, Jack might be the one in greater danger.’

Especially if his opponent possessed considerable power…

‘Though Elvia wouldn’t do anything like that.’

No matter how skilled Jack might be, the cunning that comes with age cannot be overcome.
And Jack would never resort to the sort of thing the First Imperial Prince did—selling information to the Temple.

In any case, it seemed to have resolved well.

“Now then, I shall proceed with Contamination Removal at once. Lie down comfortably on the bed. I’ll cast Sleep Magic on you.”
“Mm.”

As Lion lay down on the bed, Elvia’s shadow consumed all the light in the room.
In an instant, darkness thick enough to swallow sight itself descended.
Then, slowly, Lion’s eyes began to close.
Elvia had released a potent Sleep Magic into the air.

‘Like sleep anesthesia?’

There was a sense of wanting to finish things quickly.

‘But how does she know a method to remove Corruption?’

In the World itself, Corruption was an unstoppable phenomenon.
As far as he knew, no exception to that rule existed…

‘Are witches different?’

Lion blinked his heavy eyelids in the darkness, then posed the question softly.

“Elvia. There’s something I’m curious about.”
“Yes, Young Master. Please ask.”
“Can you explain how to remove corruption?”
“Hmm…….”

Elvia hesitated for a moment, then began to speak freely.
Using items obtained with great difficulty from high-ranking Demons, she would absorb the corruption in an instant.
And then.

“I consume it entirely.”

No matter how much of a witch she was — she actually devoured the corruption?

“That’s far too dangerous…….”
“Then, please sleep well, Young Master.”

Before he could resist the Sleep Magic, Elvia’s voice grew distant.

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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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