Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 315

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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 have no idea. Let’s just focus on healing. Episode 315

“Mm.”

The Archbishop barely maintained his composure, pressing one hand firmly over his mouth.

“To summarize, you’re saying Lion cannot be trusted, then.”
“That’s not quite it. He’ll surely succeed. But…….”
“You mean that with Boaresia present, you’d be more assured.”

Boaresia affirmed with silence.

‘Sigh.’

The Archbishop struggled to suppress the emotion welling up inside him.
The current matter would significantly affect his own standing, so he had to act with utmost objectivity—as befitted an Archbishop.
Reason dictated that approach as well.
And yet.
That brazen answer truly grated on him.
No, in truth—the author’s arrogance made his insides twist.

“At the end of Lion’s journey, Boaresia’s resolve will be necessary… ha ha.”
“You find that amusing?”
“My apologies. It seems I’ve grown more prone to laughter, having worn a smiling face for so long.”

The Archbishop cleared his throat unnecessarily, composing himself.

‘Lion Asteri’s scheme must be to keep me bound to the Elder Elf for as long as possible.’

Contrary to Boaresia’s understanding, Lion Asteri didn’t actually need her help.
Rather, she was more of an obstacle to his decision.
That’s why he handed it over to me.
Because if he said it himself, he’d only strain his voice and waste time.
A decision truly worthy of Lion.

‘Hmm, then.’

If he could just keep her detained long enough to succeed, nothing else mattered, did it.
……or so he was thinking.

“Lucenes.”
“I abandoned that name when I became Archbishop.”
“When human priests become Archbishop, they abandon their names to live as servants of God. Yet you have never lived such a devout life, have you.”
“…….”

He still pined for that priest, and the moment one touched upon it, he crumbled like this.
Then perhaps the name Lucenes was more fitting than the title Archbishop.
But.

“If you wish only she call you by that name, then we shall use Archbishop…….”
“Call me as you please. And speak your mind freely as well.”

Boaresia gave a light nod at Lucenes’s reply.
Since the person himself had consented, there was no need for restraint.

“Lion Asteri seems to have written a recommendation letter thinking you and I similar, but I judge differently.”
“Indeed, you and I are different, Boaresia.”
“And his failure to distinguish between us is another shortcoming I’ve identified in Lion Asteri.”
“Is that so.”

The Archbishop—Lukenes—set aside his habitual genial expression and fixed Boaresia with a flat, appraising stare.

“It was precisely for that reason that I concluded Lion had entrusted me with this Divine Mission.”

Before Boaresia could answer, Lukenes continued.

“A judgment, you understand—whether to grant one more chance to someone without the qualifications.”
“You lack qualifications.”
“It means your journey already ended fifty years ago.”
……
“When you abandoned it.”
……
“There were many opportunities. Yes, many. They were right in front of you, and yet you did not seize them. That companion of yours—was she the Druid?”
“How dare you.”

The teacup in Boaresia’s hand shattered without mercy.

Clink-clink.

Glass shards and scalding tea spilled across her hand, but Boaresia paid it no mind.

“Lukenes. Do not dare speak of my dear friend’s death. I forgive you only because you are like a child to her.”
“Ah. Truly a tragic tale. I understand your anger. To lose so cherished a companion in so futile a manner, right before your eyes.”
……
“I would not have done the same. I would have saved her by any means necessary. Had there been any uncertainty about life or death, I would have rescued her. By any means, truly.”

Boaresia exhaled deeply, brushing away the glass fragments and tea from her hand.
She cursed her own foolishness for ever thinking to ask for a letter of recommendation from someone harboring such reckless notions.
And she resented Lion Asteri’s judgment for having recommended she seek one from such a person.

“So what you desired was merely to corner someone who would listen and pour out your lament? How foolish. By now, she is surely preparing for a new life according to the Cycle.”

And it was none other than Lukenes himself who could not accept that truth, clinging instead to the specter of the past.

‘And yet, who dares reproach whom?’

The Druid, my dear friend, still remains trapped there, unable to break free, unable to move through the Cycle or be forgotten, fading away.

“You truly believe it is well enough that she shall be reborn and live a new life?”

It would be so simple—merely to wait.
To find my reborn friend and—

“Will you appear relentlessly in the next life as well? And in the one after that? All the while having never even saved her?”

Lukenes gathered the broken pieces of glass one by one.
Does melting the same glass and remaking it into a cup return it to its original form?
It is a philosophical matter, but Lukenes believes it does not.
Once the original shape is lost, sameness of material does not make it the same thing.
Only a few months ago, he had thought differently.
More precisely, he had not cared about such things at all.
What the Archbishop had sought to know was what she—the Saintess—had been thinking in those final moments.
But now……
Yes. Thanks to Lion, I’ve finally begun to see clearly.

“By human standards, it seems I find the notion somewhat unsettling.”

A phantom lost in oblivion, circling endlessly around me.
Projecting not myself, but someone else—seeing me as another.
Even if I were to insist otherwise, would that stubborn elf ever agree?

“It is not pure innocence, is it? Sharing the same soul does not make one the same person, does it not? And you are fully aware of this already. That is precisely why you seek to use Lion to bring closure to your own flaws and painful memories.”

Whoosh!

An arrow flew toward the Archbishop’s face.
An arrow crafted from the sturdy wood peculiar to elves.
Since he had anticipated this, the Archbishop blocked it with a Holy Power Shield he had prepared in advance.
Then immediately another arrow pierced through.

Crack.

A fissure appeared in the Holy Power Shield.

‘I know the feeling of losing reason well enough.’

When using Lion Asteri, information that had seemed impossibly distant suddenly drew near enough to touch.
But then it receded again like a mirage, far beyond reach—no wonder even a thousand-year-old elf would go mad.

“Well, I too have been thoroughly beaten down, so I cannot claim not to understand. Lion is truly a talent one cannot help but covet.”

He kindled the sort of hope that made one believe he could solve everything.
Boaresia’s expression, as she drew her bow at close range, was unsettling.
Yet mere fear of death could not silence the Archbishop’s tongue.
No—perhaps that was even what he wished for.
One thing.
Since his divine mission remained unfulfilled, he could not yet rest.

“I mean to settle this. Not to help with judgment, but to ride on his back—that is my lazy thinking laid bare.”

The Archbishop pushed the arrow away with his Holy Power Shield and rose to his feet.
He had never dreamed an Archbishop would find himself trading blows like this.
Yet in truth, after releasing the bitterness he had harbored so long, he felt oddly cleansed.

‘I understand now how I must have appeared to others.’

Hardly in a positive light, he supposed.
And just as Boaresia before him finally began to draw her bowstring with proper force—

“I cannot bear to watch this.”

Patrick appeared and used Teleportation Magic to forcibly remove them both.
This was, in fact.
A major incident too shameful to record in the history books.
The Empire’s Archbishop and the Elf King’s soul—a duel… no, a fight had begun.
Under Patrick’s auspices. In an open field far from any dwelling……

‘At least the Archbishop wins round one in the war of words.’

Patrick shook his head at the sight of these two overgrown children.
People grow at different rates, true enough, but to watch these old codgers at it was something else entirely……

* * *

While tremendous commotion erupted outside.

“……The Mana Elixir’s effects are no joke.”

Lion’s eyes snapped open.
Lion had to lie still as if asleep for quite some time, consolidating the vast amount of Mana he’d acquired from the Mana Elixir.
Fortunately, the results were deeply satisfying.
Lion began checking one by one the countless notifications hovering before his eyes.
First of all.

[You have reached Alchemy Master Rank Level 1.]

As expected, by crafting a Mana Elixir and even consuming it himself, he’d achieved Master Rank in Alchemy.
Surrounding that notification were enormous congratulatory messages and achievement notifications with tags like “Fastest” and “Youngest.”

‘And the Shillings came in quite nicely too.’

Second was the Mana Circles.
Lion placed a hand over his heart and closed his eyes.

‘……Four. Maybe a bit more than halfway through the fifth?’

Certainly the Circles rotating near his heart were five in number, but the Circle on the fourth tier still wasn’t completely filled with Mana.

-Your fourth Mana Circle grew, so I unlocked some of the size I’d been holding in place.
-But you just went ahead and drank it all……
-No, of course it was the right call, I guess.

Tieramatrak grumbled while explaining it all thoroughly.
So, the Circles Lion purely possessed amounted to 3rd Circle Master level with early 4th Circle, apparently.
However, the evidence of Tieramatrak’s contract—or rather, what had been locked away as “Kids Lock” before—now released to its maximum size.

‘Huh, the contract payment was bigger than I thought……?’

He’d only thought he’d transferred an amount equivalent to about 3rd Circle. How much bigger would this become?

-Hmph. Now you see? I’m an incredibly generous dragon!
-Pretty cool, right? The best, yeah? You could give me more free time, couldn’t you?

“Quiet.”

If only it would stay silent, everything would be perfect. Right?
In any case, it was the kind of growth that would make mages faint dead away at the sight.
Just this alone was a remarkable achievement, but truthfully, the more striking and radiant notification was something else entirely.
It glittered in golden light as if demanding to be read, and the letters were bold.
It was precisely……

[Something remarkable has occurred!]
[By stepping into the Master Craftsman’s realm, you have simultaneously achieved the Master Rank stage!]
[From now on, none shall surpass your skill!]
[Numerous new recipes are being unlocked.]
[Viewing recipes requires a certain level of mental fortitude and Mana.]

Other benefits spread out before his eyes as well.
It felt like viewing an enormous tome up close, leaving his eyes quite tired, but the information was good.
Especially.

When someone else uses an Alchemy item marked with “Master Rank,” not only do Experience Points continue to come in, but also a steady stream of Shillings.
In other words, Alchemy……!

“I won’t have to worry about snacks for the kids.”

And if things go well, things like “Magical Seasoning” will be things he can eat on a whim like junk food.

“Mm. Very good.”

Lion nodded with satisfaction and pushed himself to his feet.
His mental fortitude had risen too, so all that remained was to check the Story Mode.

‘Things are going quite smoothly.’

Lion hummed cheerfully as he stepped out of the Labyrinth.
And then……

“Why are you all here?”

I looked at the four of them waiting for me in front of the Labyrinth.
Bydentis.
Patrick.
The Crown Prince.
And Ricshel, whose expression said he’d done everything he could to talk them out of it.

“……What happened?”

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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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