Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 298

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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, I Know Not—But Healing, I Shall Pursue: Chapter 298

“What kind of matter is this…….”

Lion laughed awkwardly and met her gaze again, the one he’d been avoiding.
Thankfully, Elvia looked exactly as she had before falling asleep.
And the fact that she was interrogating him about it was telling.

‘Her body seems fine.’

Fortunately, Hwa-shin appeared to have completed the delivery before Elvia woke from her dream.
She seemed to have suffered a nightmare, though Hwa-shin had seen fit to erase those memories as well.

‘Like with Licht.’

But then, why had Licht’s dreams been erased?
A small doubt arose, but he decided to set it aside for now.

“I’m not entirely sure.”
“Young Master.”
“Before I fell asleep, Elvia seemed to be doing something dangerous, so I prayed for you to watch over her.”

Lion spoke the words he’d prepared in advance.
What he’d actually done bordered on sacrilege, but the intent was roughly sound enough to let slide.

“You prayed, you say.”
“Yes. I pleaded earnestly just before I fell asleep.”

That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Our puppy possessed not even a speck of faith.
Not merely because he was the eldest of House Asteri, but because he was fundamentally not someone who begged or hoped for anything from anyone.
He was one who seized what he desired by his own hand.
So this statement was certainly a lie.

‘It’s strange—I can’t detect the falsehood.’

Whether our puppy had grown skillful at lying, or whether her own judgment remained clouded from just waking from a nightmare, Elvia couldn’t say.
As these thoughts silenced her lips, Lion seized the initiative.

“But wasn’t that too much?”
“Hmm, too much, you say.”
“You put me to sleep before I could notice anything strange, didn’t you.”

True enough.
If he’d dragged out the time, their good puppy would never have simply obeyed him—
he’d certainly have come up with something far more outlandish.
But.

‘There was no other choice.’

Elvia was a witch who had lived for centuries.
The number of times she had witnessed the final fate of those stricken by Contamination was beyond reckoning.
Horrible.
Even she, a witch herself, could say as much.
So she had hurried, and chose a method that carried somewhat greater risk.

‘The most rational choice.’

For her to carry that aura and fall into deep sleep for a long time.
It’s just sleep.
A negligible risk compared to what ordinary people faced.
But apparently, our puppy didn’t see it that way.

‘How adorable.’

How could such devotion fail to warm the heart?

“Thank you for your concern. I’ll be more careful next time. In return.”

Elvia gazed at the troublemaker and offered a subtle smile.

“Young Master, would you also promise not to do anything so reckless?”
“Of course. I’ll be careful too.”

‘A lie.’
‘A lie indeed.’

They both knew the truth.
Lion would continue to court disaster with his well-intentioned schemes, and Elvia would strain herself to aid him regardless.
Yet they declared aloud that they would do no such thing.
For it was the best promise two family members could make to each other.

“May I examine your hands to ensure the Contamination has been properly removed?”
“Ah. Spotless.”

Lion extended the pallid hands that had returned to their natural color.
From wearing gloves all this time, they looked even paler than usual today—but still unmarred.

“How clean.”
“Yes. Everything else is fine too.”

The streaks that had traced along the veins were completely gone.
There was no trace of Contamination left to be seen.

“It seems we may depart now.”
“Leaving right away?”
“According to the original plan, Lord Patrick said he would come to collect me personally.”

Since Elvia had not fallen asleep, there was no need for that.
They could leave immediately if necessary.
But.
Elvia paused a moment before answering.

“I think it would be better to wait a few days after reporting to Lord Patrick before traveling. My body is a bit… fatigued.”

At the sight of Elvia showing such honest weakness, Lion’s eyes widened and he nodded vigorously.
Right—no matter what, she’d just woken from a nightmare; she had to be exhausted.
He’d been pushing too hard.

“Actually, that works out well. I have things I need to receive here anyway, and there’s business with Jack I need to discuss. So get plenty of rest.”
“Thank you, Young Master.”

Lion was leaving the room when he paused at the door and spoke again.

“If you need anything, just say so. Understood?”

The door closed before Elvia could even answer that it wasn’t necessary.
Thinking that no puppy could be more endearing than this one, Elvia locked the door again with her mana.
The truth was, her physical condition was perfectly fine.

‘If anything…’

Perhaps from absorbing the contamination, her body thrummed with more vitality than usual.
Yet since the Demon Race’s instincts hadn’t awakened, she could still think like herself—like a person.
And yet, the reason Elvia had chosen to remain in the Underworld was.

Whoosh—

Elvia drew something from within her garments.
A Horn Shard Fragment, weathered and broken.
It was a byproduct of the Demon Race itself—something that had been essential to scrub away the contamination clinging to the pup’s body.

‘Patrick must have been quite worried.’

He’d spoken about strength being preferable, the stronger the better, yet she never imagined he’d bring her an actual Demon artifact rather than merely a conduit.
Still, the effect had been undeniable.
The lingering peculiar power had absorbed every trace of contamination with remarkable efficiency.

“So demons can be useful after all.”

Never in her wildest dreams had Elvia imagined Demons as anything but a curse.
She closed her hand into a gentle fist.

Psshhh—

The horn shard crumbled to dust and vanished.
That she had absorbed its entire power made its dissolution inevitable.
But the real issue was.

“I’m sensing another one out there.”

It was a presence she hadn’t detected before—likely her perceptiveness had sharpened once she absorbed the contamination.
Elvia’s crimson eyes shifted slowly.
Toward someone beyond that door.

‘The Underworld’s little leader, I presume.’

What to do about it.
She lingered in thought for a moment, then simply looked away.
There was no need for her to interfere further.
And besides, hadn’t the pup just told her moments ago—
That there was still something to discuss with Jack.
Most certainly.

‘It must be about that thing.’

Elvia lay back on the bed and let her eyes drift shut.
In fairy tales, didn’t the plot unfold while the witch slumbered or stepped away?
So for the pup’s sake, it seemed wise to take a brief nap.

* * *

“Ah. Finally breathing easy.”

It felt good to have that weight lifted.
Truth be told, Lion hadn’t shown it, but those past days had been far from comfortable.
He’d had to wrap the contaminated area tightly to hide it, move without a single slip or stumble.
If he’d always been meticulous, it might have gone unnoticed—but since the Possession, Lion had lived freely.
He felt like he could almost fly.

—I can finally breathe freely!
—You’ve been through a lot. Lion!

“Thank you.”

Tieramatrak congratulated Lion more warmly than usual.
Though he hadn’t shown it, it seemed he’d been quite worried.
Especially for his distant descendant. Perhaps it was because rescuing a soul had led to all of this.

‘I did it for my own sake anyway, so what.’

Thanks to that, my original self’s items were accumulating steadily in the Inventory.
I’d check those one by one once I returned.

‘Let me see, what’s left to do now…….’

Waiting for the Master Craftsman to finish the special shoes I’d commissioned.
And.

‘The item my original self has that Jack possesses.’

I’d get the former soon enough, but the latter was still difficult.
Jack had never once shared anything personal with me.
He’d certainly told me plenty about Kyle, though that was really more of a recruitment pitch.

“Hmm.”

Since I was here in the Underworld, it would be best to squeeze out everything before I left…….
But he was such a sharp-edged fellow that it wasn’t easy.
With that thought, Lion headed first toward Jack’s other room.
The residence of the Underworld’s leader resembled a small estate, except for the absence of windows.
From the bedroom where Lion had first stayed, a corridor led to the restaurant downstairs, and on the opposite side lay Jack’s office.
Just before Lion knocked on Jack’s office door.

Click.

“He is expecting you.”

The door opened first, and Brick, Jack’s right hand, courteously guided Lion inside.
But he was waiting?
Why?

‘We should have finished all our business already.’

There was no need for Jack to be waiting specifically for Lion.
Or was he simply curious about how things stood?
Entering with such questions in mind, Lion found Jack—who was clearly doing nothing—pretending to organize documents as he greeted him.

“Welcome. Is the treatment complete?”
“Yes. I received the treatment in a very safe and comfortable manner, thanks to you.”
“Ha-ha, well that’s a relief. Ah, and don’t worry about any security concerns.”

Jack brought up first that there had been a contract to keep all matters related to the treatment confidential.

—Oho. That Lion fellow seems to have something he wants to say.

Indeed.
Given his nature, he wouldn’t broach stories he likely already knew.
And all the more so if he’d learned of truly sensitive matters—Contamination, Witches—that should neither be known nor disclosed.

‘I can’t make use of it anyway.’

Besides, the more I bring it out, the more it becomes poison to me.
But the fact that he’s still asking about it anyway…

‘He’s curious about something.’

Sometimes there are things you’d swallow even knowing they’re poison.
And if it’s something like that for Jack…

‘It’s one of two things.’

The first is obviously the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince was more precious to Jack than life itself.
But there was no problem on the Crown Prince’s side.

‘Even knowing Elvia was a witch.’

She wasn’t cursed anymore, so he wouldn’t take interest in that direction.

‘The other one is.’

The legacy of the previous Jack.
I suspect that might be the issue.
But the problem is this.

‘That guy seems to be just watching too.’

In this situation, he hasn’t quite worked up the nerve to probe directly, yet he can’t quite bring himself to abandon it either.
That makes things easier, really.
Lion approached Jack without hesitation.

“Thank you for your help.”
“I received quite generous compensation for it.”
“What did you receive?”
“Well, various things, really.”

Jack didn’t seem to mind sharing details about the compensation, listing off several items.
Beyond an astounding sum of funds, there were even clauses stating that should problems arise in the Empire during the time Kyle served as Emperor or Crown Prince, the Marquis of Asteri would personally step in to resolve them.

‘A poison clause… though it is one.’

In truth, House Asteri valued the Empire’s peace.
His grandfather, who had experienced war, dedicated himself to the Empire’s cause, forsaking peace himself.

-Speaking grandly, but really he just took the money.

That’s right.
Perhaps he wanted to establish a friendly relationship with House Asteri.
Of course, even that alone would have been quite an attractive and reasonable deal.
Even more so for Jack, who adored the Crown Prince.
But.
As Lion listened, he asked casually.

“Are you satisfied with the compensation?”
“…Ha-ha. That question somehow sounds like you’re hoping I’ll answer that I’m not satisfied.”

It was clearly a trap, so Jack opened his mouth to refuse.
But before he could.

“That’s exactly it.”

Lion was quick to respond.

“Ask me anything you’d like. I’ll answer one thing that I know.”
“…….”

A rare opportunity! This was the last one!
The voice of a seasoned merchant rang in Jack’s ears, hawking their wares.

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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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