Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 300

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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? I Don’t Know About That. I Just Want to Heal — Chapter 300

The Asteri Family Estate was unusually bustling today.

“How’s the Garden?”
“Perfect.”
“And the Kitchen?”
“Immaculate. Not a speck out of place.”
“The new tools from the Blacksmith have been installed as well!”
“Excellent.”

John and Hannah, servants who had worked long at House Asteri, exchanged solemn nods.
Today was the day the Young Master would return home after his recuperation.
In preparation, the head of the household had ordered a thorough renovation and cleaning of the entire Estate.
With the servants’ full participation, the result was remarkable.

Gleaming.

The Asteri Family Estate had achieved its highest standard of cleanliness since its construction.
So clean, in fact, that the servants lined up to receive the Young Master had nearly slipped on the polished floors.
Yet their expressions were bright.
Not only was the Family’s troublemaker and delicate Young Master returning safely — but the atmosphere was about to transform.

‘F-finally, some life will return to this Estate.’
‘I was honestly terrified!’

Without Lion, the Asteri Family Estate bore a weight that ordinary people could scarcely endure.
Even unintentionally, Patrick and Ricshel carried the distinctive pressure of House Asteri — beyond imagination.
And now the Young Master would arrive to ease that burden.
Right now, in fact.

“Look — there he is!”

A servant pointed softly toward a direction where light was beginning to shimmer.
The space wavered strangely, light flickering between the folds — the telltale sign of Spatial Transfer Magic.
Moments passed.

Flash!

A brilliant light burst forth, and Lion and Elvia emerged into view.

“Whew! Home at last!”
“You must be weary, Young Master.”
“Weary? By the end, I was practically being treated like royalty.”

After his genuine — if candid — conversation with Jack, the treatment had shifted subtly.
Not that it had been lacking before.

‘It was cold.’

It had been merely the motions of hospitality — a host performing his duty. But afterward, it felt like being invited to a close friend’s home, relaxed and comfortable.
Perhaps Jack himself had softened somehow.
Though in the end, he’d regained his composure and taken to gentle teasing once more.

“I’ll have to earn back what I spent, so I’m afraid I’ll be difficult to meet for some time.”
“Oh, come on. Anyone listening would think I’d emptied your pockets completely.”
“Ha. Well, if we’re tallying the amount you spent shopping with my funds, the comparison is fair.”
……

It was a lie, of course, but Lion’s inventory was genuinely well-stocked.
With Alchemy leveling up imminent, he’d indulged in a little luxury spending Jack’s money.

‘First, I need to repair that cauldron.’

The moment Lion stepped toward the Estate with that thought, the servants rushed to greet him.

“Welcome home, Young Master!”
“We’ve been waiting for you!”

As if greeting the head of the household returning from a long business trip, the servants bowed in unison, their faces bright with welcome. Among them, a few even had tears glistening in their eyes, overwhelmed by the moment.

Lion offered an awkward smile and murmured so only Elvia could hear.

“Hehe, it seems they’ve missed you terribly, Young Master. From their perspective, you’ve just returned from recuperation.”

They knew Lion hadn’t gone away because of an injury or illness requiring rest.
If he had, the atmosphere in the Estate would have been considerably grimmer.

A dog that happily tended to its duties was fulfilling its role perfectly well, wasn’t it?

“Indeed. Since you’ve returned in good health, there’s no reason you shouldn’t feel free to pursue your plans as you see fit.”

“Ah, I see.”

Come to think of it, he’d never seen the Crown Prince contact Jack either.

“They should still take some rest, though.”

If the Crown Prince was busy, then his grandfather and Ricshel would naturally be busy as well. Of course, for Lion, who had any number of things to do, this was the perfect opportunity.

“I’ll place the ‘item’ you received from the head in your drawer.”
“Sure, I’d appreciate that. I need to make a trip into the Labyrinth anyway.”

He had to repair the cauldron for Alchemy, and he needed to tend to the plants he’d been cultivating in the Labyrinth.
There was also the banana sweet potato field in Mimur Forest to check on.

Most of all…!!

‘Ah, I’m craving home-cooked Korean food.’

Though the feasts of the Imperial Court and the Underworld had been exquisite, a heavy film of grease seemed to be settling in his stomach now, growing uncomfortable.
Spicy and refreshing.
He needed food that would cleanse his palate, something to cut through the weight.

‘There’s plenty to do, it’s true.’

After all, there was an old saying: even the beauty of Diamond Mountain tastes better after a meal.
Lion decided to postpone everything else and plan the evening menu instead.

‘The flavors should have mellowed by now, too.’

A hearty spread using soybean paste or red chili paste would do nicely.
Yes. The plan was flawless.
Let’s head into the Labyrinth and have a look around!

* * *

“It appears our older brother has arrived safely.”
“I see.”
“However…….”
“Don’t tell me.”
“Yes. It’s so.”

Ricshel suppressed a sigh with effort and continued calmly.

“He headed straight for the Labyrinth, or so they say.”
“Sigh…… That stubborn fool. He never takes a moment’s rest.”

Patrick exhaled a long, deep sigh, as if breathing out Ricshel’s frustration as well.

‘How exactly are things unfolding?’

Their worry was no small matter.
Lion’s contamination had been purged, and the major undertaking resolved successfully.
Moreover, the Second Imperial Prince had risen to the position of Crown Prince.
And even Elvia, who had needed to sleep for so long, had awakened and returned at once.
It was a situation brimming with good fortune.

‘Just how enormous will the next problem be?’

Patrick had experience working as a companion to a hero, after all.
When good fortune strikes all at once, calamities pour down in such abundance that one forgets the good fortune entirely.
Moreover, events would likely spiral beyond the scope of what Patrick could control.

‘If at least it were something happening within the Empire.’

That’s precisely why House Asteri was positioned at the summit of the Empire.
But then.

‘The fact that he went straight into the Labyrinth suggests’

there’s a premonition that considerable hardships will accumulate ahead.

“Patriarch.”
“Speak.”
“Perhaps we should wind up business here and return promptly?”

It was unexpected.
For such words to come from the lips of the youngest grandson, one who always insisted on principles and propriety.
Normally, no matter how much Lion wanted to see him, this one would have to finish the task at hand before returning.

‘Not the best trajectory for a successor.’

Yet from a grandfather’s perspective, it was a rather welcome change.
A boy who’d never behaved like a child his whole life was finally showing a touch of petulance—if that was the word for it.

“Very well. Go on ahead, then.”

So Patrick readily offered to take on the work that Ricshel had been managing.

“Go keep an eye on your brother for me…….”
“No.”
“It’s fine. Today’s the day Lion came home, so it won’t hurt to set the work aside for a while…….”
“……?”
“……?”

Patrick trailed off, his expression suggesting he hadn’t quite caught the meaning.

‘He’s not one to miss my words.’

Had fatigue accumulated that much?
It was as he was thinking this—

“You should go as well, Lord of the House.”
“Me?”
“Yes. If your brother entered the Labyrinth the moment he arrived home, he surely isn’t going in to cook for us.”
“…….”

How did that follow?

“Based on his usual habits, your brother always eats something he’s made himself after three meals eaten out.”

He did?

“So this time too, he must have entered the Labyrinth to make his meal. Of course, he’s supposedly had his treatment completed, but his body won’t be in perfect condition.”
“…….”

Patrick listened to Ricshel’s reasoning with a vacant stare.
It was clearly illogical, yet somehow logical all the same.

“And so?”
“We should go help. What if he actually catches cold while he’s at it?”
“……That’s a fair point.”

Patrick found himself in unexpected agreement with his youngest grandson’s argument.
There were many rebuttals he could make, but given how mercurial Lion’s temperament was, the logic didn’t seem entirely unfounded.
More than anything—

‘Ahem.’

Patrick too wanted to see his grandson’s face!
Whether that dark skin had properly returned to its fine, delicate state.
Whether perhaps he’d lost weight in the interim.
Whether there were any lingering marks from the Underworld’s master.

“Let us return at once.”
“Yes.”

In the end, the two of them abandoned their duties and hurried back to the Estate.
And the Crown Prince, watching all of this unfold before him,

“Hah.”

He was dumping all this work on me and leaving?
Looking at the stacks of documents that rose well above his head and nearly touched the ceiling, he let out a hollow laugh.
He could have ordered him back at once, certainly.

“But I suppose he needs to settle old business.”

He resigned himself to an all-nighter.

“I’ll have to visit for a meal afterward.”

He imagined what sort of dish Lion Asteri might have prepared.

* * *

“Hm?”

Lion, in the midst of cooking, saw the notification and his eyes widened.

“Why are they arriving so early?”

The evening meal wasn’t even finished yet, and his grandfather and brother had already arrived!
They’d even sent notice that they’d be entering the Labyrinth immediately!

‘If I’d fixed that pot first, I’d definitely catch an earful.’

He could already hear the lecture about jumping straight into work the moment he arrived.
In any case, since he hadn’t caused any accidents today, he allowed them entry.

“Lion.”
“Welcome back! Did you have a good journey?”
“Ha. It felt like a vacation, to be honest.”
“Didn’t look like it. You’ve lost weight.”
“It’s not that much—”
“Correct. Your face has hollowed out. The Underworld’s food clearly didn’t suit you.”
“……”

He was hearing the exact same thing Elvia had said.

‘That’s not possible.’

The quality and quantity of food in the Underworld had been substantial.
Lion himself had accumulated nutrition at a bulking level in preparation for what lay ahead.
But if he argued back now, the conversation would never end.
He might even end up walking right over to settle things with Jack.

‘That’s not ideal.’

Jack had done his best, after all.
To put an end to their nagging, Lion took one decisive action.
He removed the Gloves he’d been wearing for cooking.

“Ta-da.”

And sure enough, the effect was remarkable.

“…!”

It was as though their mouths sealed shut of their own accord—a miracle!

“Well? Flawless, isn’t it?”
“The Contamination is truly…….”
“Yes. It’s all gone. And coming into the Labyrinth wasn’t to cause trouble.”
“No. You came to cook.”
“…….”

How did he know?
At that expression, Ricshel pressed his advantage and spoke with shameless boldness.

“We simply came back early because we were hungry.”
“……That’s true.”
“So the Imperial Court works you without feeding you?”

Strictly speaking, it was closer to him refusing meals while working, but Ricshel decided not to quibble.
Instead.

“I’ll help too. What should I start with?”
“Ah, good. Then would you trim those sweet potato stems over there?”
“Of course, Young Master. Let’s go.”
“Right, understood.”

Lion showed them both how to trim the sweet potato stems, then returned to stand before the cookpot.
There was much to do.
Because this meal was.

‘A proper home-cooked spread!’

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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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