Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 313

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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, But I’ll Take Some Healing — Episode 313

“That explains it.”

Now I understood what kind of misunderstanding the Elder had been laboring under.
Every time we spoke, it felt as though some strange wall stood between us, severing the connection.

‘He’s been treating me like a helpless newborn.’

More precisely, something like a ‘newborn’—one gifted with overwhelming power and a gentle heart.
Given the Elder’s age, it wasn’t strange for him to see things that way, but still.

“You’ve misread me entirely. Entirely wrong.”

Tiali worked his stiff neck with both hands.

‘What am I supposed to do about this?’

Let me sort through what needs to be said, one piece at a time.
First, most importantly.

“No. This isn’t something I can fix by thinking alone.”

Tiali abandoned his composure and let out a deep breath before heading straight to knock on a door.
And then.

“Would it be all right if I requested a brief audience?”
“……Is this something that must be discussed now?”
“Yes. It’s rather urgent.”
“…….”

Ricshel, who had been unwrapping what appeared to be a sandwich of Lion’s own peculiar invention and was about to take a large bite, closed his eyes slowly.
He was not pleased that this uninvited guest had disturbed his precious free time, but.

‘Tiali. This one is different.’

Unlike the elves, who seemed subtly loose in the head somehow, Tiali the High Elf was quite someone Ricshel could actually talk to.
Ricshel carefully rewrapped his food in the paper and accepted the meeting request.
And then.

“……Heh.”

After hearing the current situation explained, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“A newborn. I see.”
“This is not a matter for mockery.”
“No. Of course not.”

But what could he do when laughter bubbled up unbidden?
Ricshel raised one corner of his mouth and gazed into the distance, as though looking back into the past.
Yes. There was a time, before I understood my brother’s true nature, when I thought such things myself.
That was why I decided that I must protect him.
But no.
He is kindhearted, yes, but he is not the “angelic” figure ordinary people imagine.
He doesn’t give away everything he has.
It’s just that his manner is clever and ‘easy to approach’—that’s all.

‘There is no one who fits Asteri better than him.’

A hero of the Chaos Era? That’s not what this is.
He simply assesses what he believes possible based on an objective appraisal of his own abilities, and then executes it.
Confidence.

‘If one looked at only a single deed in isolation, it might feel like virtue or service.’

But hadn’t they witnessed the results?
The Swordsmanship clan and the Magic clan had joined hands.
The Second Imperial Prince had become Crown Prince, and even the master of the Underworld had become an extension of his will.
Was what Boaresia perceived as goodwrapped recklessness truly what had captured them?
Not in the slightest.
It had taken Ricshel quite some time to grasp this truth.
Even while thinking his brother was remarkable.
Only someone like Elder Elf—someone similar to Boaresia—would fail to see it.

‘Indeed, after witnessing his brother’s true nature, I felt rather ashamed.’

Because he had judged his brother thoughtlessly through his own naivety.
Had he been an adult, or at least as old as his brother, perhaps he wouldn’t have harbored such a misunderstanding.
He’d thought as much.

‘Yet even an elf nearly a thousand years old falls into the same misunderstanding.’

What’s more, he insists his own reasoning is the absolute truth, throwing tantrums all the while.
It’s impossible not to laugh.
Of course, he was also aware this could spiral into something far more serious.

“No small matter, then.”
“Indeed. But one thing is certain: the Elder wishes to cultivate a cordial relationship with Lion of Asteri. Our nation shares that desire. We would be most grateful for your assistance.”
“Hmm…”

Ricshel knew how to correct Boaresia’s behavior.
It was simply—

“There is a way.”

Ricshel proposed a method, and Tiali endorsed it enthusiastically.
Boaresia, who had brought additional valuables from the Elven Kingdom, found himself—

“…”

Unable to hide his confusion as he looked at the documents in his hands.

Letters of Recommendation.

Five of them, no less.

* * *

-So, as you instructed before, I’ve made it clear that if they wish to truly become allies, they must bring me letters of recommendation from these individuals.

“Excellent work.”

Before entering the Labyrinth, Lion had instructed them to do exactly this should reports arrive from Embrogna or Tiali.
Lion listened to Ricshel’s report while applying Amber Paint to the various objects he’d carved and sculpted in the interim.

-Yes. It will take some time, so please focus on your training in the meantime, brother.

“Good. You’ve worked hard.”

-I should pay for eating something delicious. Well, then.

“Cheeky bastard.”

So now you’ve learned to joke around.
You’ve grown up. You’ve really grown up.

‘If only I’d asked those five for Letters of Recommendation.’

Even for a swift Elder Elf, it wouldn’t take less than a few weeks, I’d wager.
Lion chuckled to himself, turning the names over in his mind.

‘They’re going to have quite the time of it.’

With that thought, he carefully applied color to the painstakingly carved Spirit King Statue…….

[Spirit King Statue (★★)]
-Using wood and amber stone from the Labyrinth, you have sculpted a portion of the Spirit King!
-This statue is brimming with affection for the Spirit King.
-The color looks quite similar too. Though it has that look of something thoroughly well-cooked, like a ripe Potato!
-Selling Price: 10,000 Shillings and up

[Coloring Proficiency has reached Skilled Lv.1!]

“Excellent.”

Lion gazed with satisfaction at the well-cooked Potato—no, the Nature statue before him.

“Peep!”

Nature herself, however, seemed less than thrilled with that thoroughly baked Potato coloring.

“Pee-eep.”

Hmm? Or perhaps not?
Her expression said she didn’t care for it, yet she subtly cradled the statue in her wings.
Well, since he’d made it while thinking of Nature, her good mood rubbed off on him too.

“Stretch.”

Lion stretched long and checked the time.
After taking reports, preparing the groundwork for Alchemy, and finishing the coloring on the sculpture, the sun was already sinking low on the horizon.

“I suppose it’s time to go haul in the catch.”

-Oh, finally!
-So it’s grilled fish for dinner tonight?

“Could be broth, could be steamed, could be fried.”

With cooking materials overflowing now, anything was possible.

‘And it did say the grade changed according to the Labyrinth standard.’

If that was the case, he might even obtain something like the fish essence he’d gotten before.
Lion surveyed the Fishing Nets he’d set in various spots around the Lake.
Some of them were already so full of fish that the nets looked ready to tear open.
Splash.
Lion stood before the foremost net, grasped one end, and held it steady.

‘I could just use Spirit Summoning to haul it up, but that wouldn’t be fishing—that’d be Spirit Summoning practice.’

If I did that, I’d be training my technique, not learning the craft itself.
Of course, if things got too heavy, I’d accept a hand, but for now I wanted to try on my own.
And…

‘There’s a real satisfaction to it, too.’

If I’d been standing on a boat, I’d have hauled in a fortune by now.
Lion drew the fishing net slowly and carefully toward him.

Swoosh.

The weight was unmistakable, and as he continued pulling, the fish trapped inside thrashed and splashed.

Splash!

Lion hoisted the net from the water, alive with violent motion, and emptied the squirming catch into a wooden tub.
Flick. Whisk.
So many fish thrashed in his hands that it seemed impossible a single small net could have held them all.

[Labyrinth Catfish (★)]
[Labyrinth Loach (★)]
[Labyrinth Crucian Carp (★)]

Though they were common varieties, the fact that they were new species drove his Experience Points steadily higher.
And among them:

[Labyrinth Catfish (★★)]

Whenever a higher-grade specimen like this caught his line:

[Fishing Experience increased by 30%!]
[Fishing Proficiency Apprentice Lv. 7 has been achieved.]

“That’s the one!”

A whole level gained from just a single net’s haul.
Lion felt the satisfying tug of the fish in his hands and the gratifying surge of his rising level; dopamine flooded through him.

‘There’s got to be rare-grade specimens in here too.’

Could he push all the way to Apprentice level 2 or 3?
With a grin he hadn’t worn in some time, Lion set about retrieving his nets one after another.
The only slight disappointment was that fish from the same family didn’t count as new specimens, but even so, reaching his target level was well within reach.
After scraping together perch and trout and walleye and freshwater snails and crabs and everything else in between…

[Fishing Proficiency Apprentice Lv. 9 has been achieved.]

He’d caught virtually every common species.
Now he needed just one last catch—a rare-grade specimen—to complete his goal.

‘That must be it.’

The creature that had grown monstrously large the moment he’d released it from the Aquarium Lens with the Labyrinth’s blessing.
This one would be just as brutal a fight as last time.

‘A net won’t work for that.’

Lion scattered chum across the Lake and cast out his Lure on the end of his Fishing Rod.
The annoying trash fish have disappeared, and the commotion has settled down. Soon enough, they’ll start moving again.
Now what remains
is waiting.

‘Well, I’m confident about that much.’

Besides, there’s something I need to check.
Lion set down his Fishing Rod and reached out to Ricshel.

—Brother. Are you doing well?

“It’s only been a day since I arrived.”

—The weather’s getting much colder, and I hope you’re wearing a coat. Elvia worries terribly.

“Come on. As if.”

Lion fumbled to pick up the coat he’d carelessly shed earlier and pulled it on, his laugh awkward.

—As it happens, I’ve just received a report on his movements and was about to reach out.

“You mean Boaresia?”

—Yes. We’ve confirmed he’s met all three people listed on the Letter of Recommendation so far, and every one has refused him.

Just as expected.
There was really no other way it could have gone.

‘The recommenders, after all…’

The Crown Prince, Jack, the Marquis Bydentis.
And Grandfather.
Realistically, it would have been nearly impossible for Boaresia to get their blessing.

‘Especially if they’re viewing me as some kind of newborn.’

At least those people knew me well—truly knew Lion—so they wouldn’t fail to catch wind of something so strange, wouldn’t they?

“Huh? Haha. I’m afraid that simply being the King of the Elves isn’t quite reason enough for me to write you a Letter of Recommendation!”
“I’ll grant you showed remarkable skill to make it this far, but you don’t seem to be the sort of talent he’s looking for.”
“There must be a reason the others turned you down. I think it wise to heed it.”

……At least those three—leaving Grandfather aside—would’ve given answers like that. That much was certain.
And the Marquis Bydentis would have vanished the instant he said his piece, off to whatever business needed doing.

‘Wait, but how did he even get into the Imperial Capital?’

Bydentis Territory or the Underworld, he could’ve slipped through by any number of methods, but……

—He broke in, apparently.

“Good grief.”

It was fortunate that war hadn’t erupted between the Elven Kingdom and the Empire.

—For what it’s worth, the head of the household isn’t showing himself deliberately. So……

Ricshel hesitated before answering.

“Ah, you mean that recommender?”

Lion gazed out across the still lake, conjuring the image of his fifth recommendation.
Truth be told, it felt a bit awkward.

‘There’s no one better suited to snap Boaresia back to his senses.’

No amount of talk from Lion would change the stubborn elf’s mind.
So he’d matched obstinacy with obstinacy.

“Well done. They’ll notice and handle it themselves without trouble.”

Likely they were just as worn down.
If Boaresia had a Druid—
then that man had the Saintess.

Plop.

Just then, as if the fish had taken an interest in the lure, the float bobbed.

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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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