Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 305

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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 Doesn’t Know, So Let’s Just Heal — Episode 305

“So you came back alone?”

Boaresia stood before Patrick and nodded lightly.

“There are at least a few things here I can recognize.”

Having said that, his attention immediately drifted elsewhere, and he began examining this and that.
Patrick watched Boaresia’s movements and let out a long sigh.

‘He wasn’t always like this.’

Being an old companion, Patrick could offer some excuse — Boaresia had never shown much interest in the mundane world.
And perhaps that disposition remained unchanged even now.
After all, not much time had passed for an elf.
So why was he acting like a child fresh from the countryside, wide-eyed at everything?

‘It’s obvious.’

He wanted to stay attached to this estate.
And the reason was none other than his own grandchild.

‘That I didn’t anticipate he would come himself — that was my blunder…….’

Boaresia still carried a yearning for his first friend.
For an elf, it had been too brief and too intense an encounter to simply let go.
Even bonds that span decades, which part naturally with the passage of time, bring pain and sorrow — but for that elf, this meeting must have cut deeper still, like a sharp skewer driven through the heart.
And yet, the spirit that druid had summoned—
A demon’s descendant was now tenderly following his grandchild, so naturally his gaze was drawn that way.

‘……This is troublesome.’

It was unlikely, but if Boaresia before him decided to kidnap Lion, even Patrick would have considerable difficulty.
He would have to make enemies of every elf, and above all, he would have to contend with that retired archer.
Elder Elf Boaresia.
Remarkably, his ascension to the throne had nothing to do with Spirit Summoning.
It was his extraordinary skill with the bow.

‘To what extent?’

Enough to pierce the head of a demon hidden somewhere on the slope of a distant mountain from across a ravine.

“Don’t be so wary of me.”

Boaresia, who had opened a shelf to examine the potions Lion had made, spoke in a calm voice.

“I won’t confuse your grandchild with him.”
“…….”

Rather than snap back, Patrick exhaled deeply.
If he’d been true to his nature, he would have told the elf to stop this nonsense and leave at once.
In truth, he still wanted to say exactly that.
But whether it was because of the time spent with his firstborn grandchild that had softened him, or because he’d grown old and weak,
or whether it was simply that he couldn’t bring himself to speak such harsh words to an old companion who’d gained nothing — he found no words rising to his lips.

“I can’t say you’re welcome to stay as long as you wish.”

If Boaresia wanted it, Patrick would have no choice but to keep him as a dependent for centuries to come.
Patrick had no desire to let in any more unwanted guests.

“When the delegation arrived, they stayed about two weeks, so I’ll treat you as a guest until then.”
“……You’ve retreated quite a bit in so short a time.”
“Short is a relative term for creatures like you.”

For humans, time enough for countless transformations.
Patrick snorted lightly and waved his hand.
Do as you see fit.

“…….”

Boaresia found Patrick’s shift in temperament rather refreshing.
Not merely a matter of fifty years past.
Even recalling the recent exchanges of communication about the half-elf child…….

‘So this is the child who can move that finicky mage’s heart.’

He did not conflate this one with Patrick’s grandson.
The appearance differed, the temperament differed.
That they were separate beings was certain.
But perhaps that made him all the more curious to verify certain things.

‘Indeed.’

To what extent had the child inherited those nearly identical abilities.
Or rather, whether Lion Asteri, that scrap of bloodline, possessed the aptitude to inherit such gifts and put them to good use in his own life.
He wished to ascertain these matters.

‘Two weeks is a short span, but.’

Given that he had once roamed these lands in younger days alongside the human Hero, he could manage to arrange things one way or another.

“I’m obliged to you for the shelter. From your position, I must seem nothing but a kidnapper.”
“I’m harboring you not out of trust in you.”
“Then on what account?”
“Out of trust in my grandson.”
“Remarkable confidence. Though I confess I haven’t perceived such exceptional prowess in him.”
“Ha. Prowess.”

Patrick laughed outright at Boaresia.
Certainly Lion’s combat ability was hardly impressive.
For one, the boy harbored a reluctance to take life.

‘It’s not the grandson’s skill I trust, old elf.’

Lion’s.
Rather, it is that grandson’s singular gift—the very thing that transformed even that limitation.
……And along with it, the grandson’s somewhat peculiar temperament as well.

‘As long as he doesn’t end up captured and worked to exhaustion, it’s fortunate.’

……Still, turning these various thoughts over, it seemed his grandson would not surrender so easily.
Though the likelihood of that pointy-eared archer settling brazenly into the estate had certainly risen.

“Don’t grow too comfortable, or you’ll find yourself in trouble. Best to survey the transformed Asteri Territory first. Now be off with you.”

Patrick, composure restored, offered the counsel himself before sending the man on his way.

* * *

“…….”

Boaresia decided to follow Patrick’s advice and survey the territory first.

‘How different it all is now.’

The human village in her memory had been utterly devastated.
Demons prowled, people fell, tainted blood splattered across the earth until it rotted, and homes burned to ash.
She’d lost count of how many times she’d pulled children from beneath toppled pillars, torn from their parents’ arms yet somehow still clinging to life.
But now.

“Peep-peep!”
“Look at this! I caught it from the pond myself!”
“Fresh bread just came out of the oven!”

Vitality thrummed through the air.
Every face glowed with light.
Children laughing, people who knew the worth of labor earned through sweat.

“Th-this is peace, isn’t it?”

Freyanya smiled awkwardly, stealing a glance at Boaresia.

‘Of all the rotten luck, I had to overhear that conversation……!’

Of all things!
She’d gone to the office to report something to Patrick, and then—
By pure chance!
She’d caught the two of them talking.
And as if that weren’t enough, still by chance!

‘I got the feeling the Elder was targeting my teacher…….’

In the conversation she’d overheard, she’d clearly heard someone say they wouldn’t ‘identify with’ the other.
That wouldn’t be an easy thing to do.
The very fact that the Elder had come here in person said everything.

‘Even though I didn’t stay there long.’

From the brief time she’d spent there as a child, she could tell.
The Elder Elf was always shut away in her sanctuary.
Unless something truly extraordinary happened, it was routine not to see even a hair on her head.
Once, when she was young and curious about it, she’d asked.

“The Elder grieves, so don’t disturb her.”

That was the vague answer she’d received.
Even now, she didn’t know precisely what sorrow weighed on the Elder’s heart.
But one thing was clear.
Freyanya had to stay close to the Elder and signal a warning to her teacher if danger approached.
And if all else failed, she could distract the Elder with something else to divert her attention from her teacher, even if only briefly!

‘Salamander, we can do this, right?’

Perhaps because her spirit affinity had grown considerably, she felt the faint vibration of tiny feet tapping against her hat even though she’d only asked within her mind.
That had to be encouragement!
Freyanya clenched her fists and asked.

“Is there anything you’d like to eat? I have human currency, so I can buy whatever you’d like.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ve little interest in human trinkets. It’s quite all right, child.”
“Then, um… might I show you my Spirit Summoning technique……?”
“I confess I lack deep expertise in Spirit Summoning. However…….”

Boaresia tilted his head, regarding Salamander thoughtfully.

“It’s peculiar. Salamander isn’t usually a spirit with such sharp resolve.”
“Ah, I’ve been giving her Spirit Water as treats during our training sessions, and we’ve grown quite close!”
“Spirit Water, you say.”
“Yes—a special beverage my teacher created. It’s proven remarkably effective…….”

Whoops!

Freyanya clapped both hands over her mouth.

‘Oh no! I was trying so hard to steer the conversation elsewhere!’

Of course the Elder, supreme ruler of the Elven Kingdom, would not be ignorant of such details—but why did she have to remind him of it?

“That liquid from back then.”
“Yes. Particularly effective for digestive troubles.”

Boaresia turned his gaze toward the unexpected voice.
There stood Lion Asteri.

“Master……!?”
“Ha. So a visitor came from home, and you’ve taken charge of showing Freyanya around?”
“Y-yes, sir! That’s right!”
“That’s hard work. May I join you both?”
“You, Master……?”
“Yes. I was thinking I could use a walk anyway. You don’t mind, do you?”

Lion joined them naturally as he asked.

‘…… I didn’t sense him at all.’

Evidently, he was indeed carrying a Hero’s Artifact.

‘It’s been a long time.’

Boaresia’s method of perceiving others began with remembering the unique power that belonged to them.
Yet among the Hero’s Artifacts existed those capable of concealing one’s very essence.

‘That incident startled me greatly.’

In a life as long as his, such a thing had never happened before, so he recalled having been somewhat irritated by it then.

“Your grandfather would hardly approve of this.”
“Ha. I’m something of a bad son by nature, so it’s fine. Besides, he gave me a gift, so I ought to show him proper hospitality. And…… I have a feeling he might prefer it this way. For some reason.”
“Clever.”
“Do you dislike it?”
“Quite the opposite.”
“Then we’re settled. Shall we go?”
“Um…….”

Freyanya watched the two of them move ahead, reaching out with a plaintive gesture.

‘Master, please!’

There was indeed a reason Freyanya found herself in such distress.
There was another story appended to the warning not to disturb the Elder Elf.
It was this:

“Since he’s naturally greedy, once greed grows larger than sorrow, he’ll rouse himself on his own.”

That was the story…!

“P-please, let me come too!”

Freyanya followed after them, her eyes glistening with tears, her short legs working hard to keep pace.
Her kind master wouldn’t know what happens when an elf possesses greed on top of everything else!
Of course, she’d never witnessed it herself…!

-The half-elf little one certainly worries a lot.
-This Elder Elf must be quite stubborn indeed.

‘Stubborn, whatever.’

Lion had never heard that he had a particularly good temperament even before the possession, so it didn’t matter to him.
When you took on a major project, you discarded your personality first—that was the way of it.
Of course, Lion hadn’t proposed accompanying him merely to learn about Boaresia’s character.

‘If he had that much greed… he would surely have sought them out.’

The Druid’s surroundings, his connections.
Or perhaps someone who inherited that Druid’s power.

‘I might be able to hear a plausible story that way.’

Though to hear that story, wouldn’t they first need to address this Elder Elf’s serious burnout somehow?
And so what Lion chose was this:

“Have you perhaps considered souvenir from the Elven Kingdom?”

First, expose him to something new!
Not mere sightseeing—actually make him participate in this world again.
Since he himself had no interest… coax him under the guise of giving gifts to those around him!

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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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