Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 314

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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 Unknown, Healing Mode Activated — Episode 314

The moment Lion gripped the Fishing Rod, a powerful resistance surged through his hands.

‘This feels good.’

He could tangibly sense how much his skill had improved since before.
Previously, landing this fish would have filled him with tension and doubt.

‘But now…’

Calm. Complete ease.
How to describe it? He was wholly immersed in this moment.
Whether he’d catch the fish or not didn’t cross his mind.
Only the taut Fishing Line straining against his palms, the firm springiness of the rod beneath his grip.
The ripples spreading across the tranquil Lake, that rhythmic push and pull as if he and the fish were dancing together—pure joy.
Lion ended the call without explaining anything to Ricshel.
He couldn’t help it; he needed to savor this moment completely.
The rod arced. He pulled.
With practiced precision, he repeated the motion several times, and a massive shadow began to rise slowly toward the surface.

Splash!

The fish’s powerful tail sent spray everywhere, and water droplets showered across his face and body.
Lion applied firm pressure, yanking the rod skyward with all his might.
Ordinarily, such a violent hook-set would have snapped the Fishing Line, but the one the Asteri Family Estate had provided was far stronger than he’d imagined.
The fish’s dorsal fin broke the surface.
He pulled harder, and the moonlight reflected on the water’s face warped and scattered beneath the fish’s desperate thrashing.
And seizing the creature’s moment of panic—

“Hyah!”

Lion heaved the rod upward with tremendous force!
The Fishing Line, strain-laden, lifted the fish clear of the water.

Whoosh!

The massive creature arced through the air above the Lake.
It rose so high and with such force that it briefly blotted out the moonlight.
Gasp, gasp!
The fish’s mouth, hooked and helpless, gasped in confusion.

“Kah-ha!”

Lion planted his feet firmly on the ground as if wielding a blade, and swung the rod toward the shore with all his strength.
At that same moment—

Plop!

The fish landed gently into the enormous tank that had been prepared for just this catch.
Nature’s doing.

“Chirp.”

Nature fluffed her wings with an expression that said, ‘This should be good enough, right?’
And in fact—

[You have caught a Labyrinth Moonlit Catfish (★★★)!]
[You have caught an remarkably enormous fish!]
[Fishing Proficiency has reached Proficiency Level 1.]
[You can now fish in special locations!]

Proficiency Level 1 achieved!
Moreover, reaching this proficiency level had unlocked fishing in special places.
For example…….

‘A dragon…… what?’

Though you’d think the fisherman’s feelings ought to matter too…….

[All talents you currently possess have reached ‘Proficiency’ rank or higher!]
[As a ‘Proficiency’ rank benefit, special modifiers have been added to your Experience Points.]
[Go forth and create with even greater joy!]
[You have achieved the ‘Versatile’ Achievement!]

“Hm.”

Likely a benefit granted for having so many crafting talents in hand.
And as a bonus, completing the achievement had earned him quite a tidy sum of Shillings.
There would have been time to check each one individually, but Lion decided to put it off for later.

“Artisan Rank. Time to push for it.”

With the modifier in hand, reaching Proficiency Level 9 would be a breeze.
Lion immediately butchered all his catch and sorted through the materials usable for Alchemy.
The cleanly filleted fish flesh he stored in his inventory to prevent spoilage.
The Alchemy materials went straight into the Alchemy Cauldron.
Boiling, distilling, and extracting the colorful glass-bead-like byproducts, a single potion came together in no time.

[Labyrinth Fish Potion (★★★★)]
-A special potion crafted by one skilled—no, obsessed with Alchemy.
-Upon consumption, a small amount of Mana and mental fortitude increase permanently.

[Alchemy Proficiency has reached Proficiency Level 9.]

At a startling pace, his Alchemy level had climbed one tier higher.
It could have been the effect of the modifier, or perhaps the accumulated experience Lion had built up all this time.

“The thing is, I haven’t finished perfecting the potion I wanted yet.”

Lion dumped all manner of precious materials and potions his grandfather had provided into the Alchemy Cauldron and stewed them for a while.

A distinctive fragrance, like brewing herbal medicine, drifted gently through the air.
And then, finally…….

Pop.

Lion carefully uncorked an elegant bottle stopper.

‘Flowing Tears’

A supreme-grade Alchemy material.
Something beyond a potion.
The kind of ingredient that went into Elixirs.

‘Just a tiny amount will do.’

Not something to use carelessly.
Like a precious spice, even in small quantities it possessed the effect of maximizing its power.
Yes.

‘I’m going to maximize the power of the fish potion.’

Moreover, since it was made from a mermaid’s tears, the compatibility was excellent.
Lion tilted the bottle and let a single drop of Flowing Tears fall into the cauldron.

Plink.

Just one drop, really like a tear, and then—

Whisssssh…

The smoke rising from the cauldron transformed into a single hallucination.
The cabin he’d built in the Labyrinth and the still lake vanished, replaced by the briny scent of the sea.
Instead of green grass, emerald seawater filled everything.
Even with shoes on, fine sand felt soft against his toes.
In the distance, something that looked like an enormous Dragon Palace seemed to shimmer into view.

‘…Wait, it’s exactly like the Dragon Palace?’

Lion’s eyes widened within the mirage.
This wasn’t a status abnormality causing hallucinations—he was certain of that.
So then.

‘Could the mermaid’s tears actually have this kind of property?’

Was this a secondary effect activated by the materials he’d obtained through Fishing?
It was possible.
Lion’s eyes swept the surroundings with an expert’s precision.
There wasn’t much he could confirm, but…

[Southern Beach Sand]
-It’s a mirage, but if I had to make an educated guess, I’d say it’s sand from near the Pirate Coastal.

Still, he’d caught something useful.

‘The Pirate Coastal.’

As Lion understood it, it was an island at the edge of the Empire’s coastline—a sort of trading hub for pirates.
And…
It was the sea-version PVP Zone, once quite popular.
Unfortunately, because it was a cliff map, players with PVP mode enabled had taken to the nasty habit of shoving each other off the cliffs, and…

‘It became so controversial that only the Underworld Arena remained.’

In any case, he’d obtained valuable information!

“Hahaha!”

Lion burst into laughter.
It was fun enough to throw in good materials and keep creating new things, but to gain this kind of intelligence too!

-Ugh…

However, madly stirring a massive Alchemy Cauldron in the dead of night while cackling was rather suspicious-looking, so Tieramatrak found it distasteful.
To the earth-bound dragon’s eyes, there was nothing but murky smoke billowing everywhere.

‘Look at him.’

His gleaming eyes looked less like joy and more like madness.
But why did it feel so familiar……

‘Wait. That’s the old me……’

It was the same look he’d worn countless times—when he’d invited someone through a ‘painting’ and watched them escape, that very same gaze reflected in his own eyes.

‘That dopamine thing Lion mentioned? I need to cut back on that.’

And so Tieramatrak ended up administering mirror therapy to himself.
In that instant, radiant light bloomed forth.

[Lion’s Special Mana Elixir (★★★★★)]
-An elixir crafted for the first time by Great Alchemist Lion Asteri.
-Upon consumption, Mana and mental fortitude increase permanently by vast amounts.
-Drink it all at once, then wait in your most comfortable position until absorption is complete.
[※WARNING※ Contains a large quantity of Mana. Do not consume if unprepared.]

A potion of indescribable color appeared in Lion’s hand, unveiled to the world.

-What is that……!

Tieramatrak, being a dragon, recognized its nature in an instant.
An Elixir.
A legendary potion—one that even he, a dragon himself, had never possessed.
A single well-refined cup of Elixir could revive a person on death’s doorstep.
And that was only for humans.
Should there be a quantity sufficient for a dragon to drink, it could revive a dragon as well.
And he had made it with his own hands.

-You……! Perfect! Keep this with you always.

Coveted in color and form though it was, it was perfectly suited.
Wasn’t it exactly the sort of item for a reckless contractor like Lion Asteri, always throwing himself into danger?
If he ever faced a true death crisis, one could simply feed him that.

“Hmm? No. I’m drinking it now.”
-What—what—WHAT?!

Tieramatrak cried out in alarm, clutching at his own head.
He was going to drink something this precious, just like that?
He was about to demand why when—

-……Huh?

He detected something slightly different from the Elixirs he knew.

‘The magical potency is so high……is this an Elixir meant to expand one’s Mana Circle?’

If so, he could finally understand why Lion had made it and why he was drinking it right now.

Glug.

But understanding and accepting were two different things.
Tieramatrak immediately reached out a hand to stop his master from drinking the precious Elixir.
But—

Flap-flutter.

A spirit had its limits when it came to physically supporting a person.
Lion collapsed face-down into deep sleep.

* * *

“So you’re saying you need my letter of recommendation.”

The Archbishop, wearing his customary affable expression, regarded the Elder Elf standing before him with a vacant stare.
The face was the same as the one he’d seen in childhood—he recognized her at once.
Boareshia.

‘So she’s come to me.’

And no wonder: the Archbishop himself was currently suffering no “punishment” for the presumption of having provoked Lion Asteri, was he?

‘I thought she wouldn’t seek me out until the work was done.’

But no—had the Elder Elf not come forward like this, he surely would have done nothing of the sort.
And so the Archbishop himself, unable to act openly, would have spent months, perhaps years in trembling anxiety.
Powerless to do anything at all.

The Archbishop gathered his scattered thoughts and smiled at the Elder Elf.

She knew the Temple’s layout well enough.

“For humans, it has not been a short time.”
“Yet you, Boareshia—you haven’t changed at all, have you?”
“Ha. Much has changed in me too. I’ve aged, and I even have disciples who are like children to me now.”
“…….”

She had wondered all the way here why this particular person was the last name on the recommendation letter.
She knew well from Patrick that relations between Lion Asteri and the Archbishop were poor.
Yet when she’d wondered why he would be included among those to write her recommendation, she understood.

But it was not the same.
A human who wielded Holy Power had already entered the phase of circulation.
One who served divinity would have accepted this.
And she was not of such limited intellect as to fail to understand it.
Boareshia looked at the Archbishop, who had once been smaller than her knees and now appeared older than she was.
She wanted to ask why he would not release her.

“So you’re refusing as well.”
“I wish I could say otherwise, but…….”

The Archbishop answered without hiding his true feelings.
I’m kept waiting here, rejected by Lion Asteri, and yet I’m supposed to stand at his side simply because I’m a companion of the Hero—frankly, it grates on me.

‘And worse, he takes it for granted.’

Still, there must be a reason Lion Asteri entrusted this matter to me.

‘Is he asking me to deal with them instead? To make them understand?’

Quite the difficult task he’s given me.
But what choice do I have?
Listening to the wounds of the hurt is the foundation of a priest’s calling.

“First, I should hear why you wish to become a companion of Lion’s.”

The Archbishop hid his displeasure and turned his gaze toward the Elder Elf—a being who found himself in a predicament disturbingly similar to his own, yet had done nothing about it.
He smiled.

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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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