Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 41

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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 Reluctant Heir, or Perhaps Just Some Rest — Episode 41

Lion paused for a moment, then unburden himself of what had happened.
When he came to his senses, he’d already reached the end of the Labyrinth, become its Owner, and spent far more time than expected repairing the damaged Labyrinth.

“You’ve become the Owner of the Labyrinth, you say?”
“Yes. I don’t remember how it happened.”

Lion made a deliberate choice to stay silent about anything connected to the Story Mode Event, wanting to be cautious.
Speculation was only speculation, after all—not something he could prove as truth.
Voicing uncertain things felt dangerous, as though he might taint the very information they relied upon.

“And how do you prove you’re the Owner?”

Patrick’s question drew a composed answer from Lion.

“Without my permission, entry to the library is restricted. And…….”

Lion reached into his pocket and withdrew the Bracelet, one of the pieces from the Ability-Blocking Set, setting it atop Patrick’s desk.
The bracelet gleamed with an otherworldly light—too unmistakably genuine to warrant even a whisper of suspicion.

“I found this.”

Rickselle’s eyes widened as recognition dawned.

“Surely this is the one from the rumors—the one the family head supposedly concealed…….”

Patrick drew a deep breath, examining the bracelet closely.

“It’s genuine.”

He’d only seen it twice—once when receiving it from the Hero, once when storing it in a box.
But that was hardly enough to leave him unable to distinguish the authentic from a forgery.

“Then the one hanging around your neck must be its pair.”
“It is.”

Lion confirmed it without hesitation.
His answer left the other two visibly unsettled.
One worried that his older brother, now the Owner of the Labyrinth, had become entangled in something strange yet again.
The other—Patrick—
had just confronted evidence that his grandson Lion bore a direct connection to the Hero.
The Hero’s Potion had been created. The Hero’s Treasure had drawn him into the Labyrinth. And that treasure had chosen Lion.
Could all of this truly be coincidence?
No. It had to be inevitability.

‘And yet Lion…….’

Patrick drew upon his Mana, sensing Lion’s body carefully.
As expected, there was not the slightest trace of Mana about him.

“Keep that treasure with you. The Hero never told me its purpose, but he assured me that someone necessary would appear one day.”
“I understand.”

Someone necessary would appear one day.
A fragment of dialogue from the Story Mode flashed through Lion’s mind.
Just two words: “someday,” “necessary.”
Their meanings aligned perfectly.

‘So that means the experience I went through then was something that actually happened.’

Rickselle spoke with a grave expression.

“Patriarch. If all of this is true.”
“There’s nothing to gain by letting it spread. We seal away every scrap of information.”
“Understood. In that case, I should construct an alibi for the past month. I apologize, but I’ll take my leave now.”
“Right. I’ll see you this evening.”
“…! Yes!”

Rickselle bowed his head in delight at those words alone, then withdrew.
That left only Lion and Patrick in the room.

“Grandfather.”
“What is it? Are you unwell?”
“It’s not that. There’s something else I obtained from the Labyrinth besides the treasure.”

Lion drew a worn parchment from his breast.

“…!”

It was Silvia’s contract.
Patrick let out a low breath upon seeing Silvia’s contract.
He’d half-expected it, yet he still couldn’t believe he’d actually found this.
It meant Lion had become the rightful Owner of the Labyrinth.
The reason remained unclear, and Lion himself seemed ignorant of it.
But one thing mattered.
From here on, troublesome hangers-on would swarm around Lion in droves.
Despite knowing this well, Lion continued without the slightest change in expression.

“I examined the contents of that contract. It was… a pact made between a Witch and the previous patriarch.”
“That’s correct.”
“And that Witch was Grandmother Silvia.”
“That too is true.”

It was finally time to reveal Elbia’s true identity.
It was something that could never have been hidden forever.
Just as Patrick was about to lay bare the facts…
Lion spoke calmly.

“It’s Elbia now, isn’t it?”
“…Did you know?”
“I didn’t know from the beginning.”

The truth was, Lion had dimly sensed it from the moment he first saw Elbia, but he smoothed over his explanation adequately.

“…So when you requested a higher-grade potion earlier, I thought you were perhaps taking a new love.”
“That’s not it.”
“No. Of course not.”

That’s a shame. I would have been glad if Grandfather had spent his remaining years in happiness.

‘Still, it would be rather awkward if she’s someone he’s known since infancy.’

Friendship would naturally have come before any deeper feeling, given their ages.

“In any case, until then I was only speculating, but after seeing the contract, I came to know for certain.”
“I see. But why show me this document?”
“Grandfather. Or rather—I wanted to ask for the patriarch’s permission.”

Family Head.
A formal word tumbled from Lion’s lips.
Patrick narrowed his eyes, studying Lion.

“Speak.”

Lion fell silent for a moment, then slowly gave voice to what he’d been turning over in his mind.

“I wish to alter the terms of the Contract.”
“Why?”

Had he been speaking with his grandfather, perhaps he would have appealed to emotion.
Centuries of service to the family—surely that counted for something now.
But this was different.

‘This is a conversation with the Family Head.’

Personal sentiment would get him nowhere.
To Patrick Asteria, the Duke, Silvia was a Witch.
A monster capable of burning an entire village with a single breath, a single spell.
A being born of mixed blood—demon and human.
In short: a threat to the Asteria House, and by extension, to the Empire itself.
It was likely why his grandfather, for all his desire to help Silvia, had been unable to do so.

‘Though the real reason is probably that he could never find the Contract in the first place.’

So Lion would have to make use of what he’d acquired there.
What he’d gained in that place.
Only then could he truly help Silvia.

“Because I have become the Owner of the Labyrinth, and this Contract now belongs to me.”
……

A faint smile played across Patrick’s mouth.

‘Whose child is this, to be so good?’

Becoming the Owner of the Labyrinth meant gaining tremendous power—but it also meant shouldering an equally tremendous burden.
So keeping Silvia’s Contract in his own hands would have been absolutely advantageous.
He could wield such extraordinary power as though it were his own limbs.
Yet his grandson Lion had done nothing but worry over how to help Silvia.

‘He must have spent every moment since obtaining the Contract wrestling with this alone.’

And so the boy had come to understand that this matter required formal handling, and had recognized that his grandfather, as Family Head, would be the one to resolve it.

‘Clever lad.’

Sharp in this regard too.
But that didn’t mean Patrick could simply yield.
Lion must have known that as well.

‘Then I suppose I must hear him out.’

As his grandfather and as Family Head.

“You may be the Owner of the Labyrinth, but that Contract belongs to Silvia and the previous Family Head. And you remain a member of this family.”
“Yes. A member of the family. Which is precisely why I have the right to make this request.”
“Hmm?”

Lion answered Patrick’s sharp observation without hesitation.
He had good reason to — there was evidence behind it.

“Because I obtained the Contract during the ceremony.”

Any item obtained during a Coming-of-Age Ceremony became the permanent property of the one who underwent it.
This was the custom of the Asteria Family.
Then what of Lion, who had obtained the Contract?
Naturally, he gained the right to do with it as he pleased.
After all, he was the Owner of the Labyrinth and a member of the Asteria Family.

“……That’s no falsehood. Very well. Since it’s yours now, handle it as you see fit. Though understand — you bear the consequences.”
“Thank you, sir.”

The words were stern, but they amounted to permission nonetheless.
And Lion had no intention of squandering this Contract.

“Though……”
“Is something wrong, Grandfather?”

Another obstacle?

“I suspect you mean to speak with Silvia and alter the terms of that Contract.”
“Yes. Isn’t that so?”

Since he was going to modify the Contract toward better terms anyway, it seemed more efficient to work through the details directly with her.

“Hmm.”

Patrick’s expression grew peculiar for a moment.
Only a few months ago, Elbia — or rather, Silvia — would have gladly fled the Family the instant that Contract was gone.
She had harbored a sharp resentment toward her repetitive existence.
But.

“Lately, she’s been quite content.”

Elbia did not lie.
Then what she said must be true.
His grandson had made her life enjoyable.
Ordinarily, any human would have tried to escape the moment the Contract changed……
But the one in question was no ordinary person — she was a Witch.

‘And Silvia’s temperament is rather singular at that.’

“Never mind. Simply speak with her directly, then report the result to me afterward.”
“……Understood.”

It seemed as though he were hiding something.
Lion tilted his head.

“Well. You’ve worked hard.”

He didn’t quite have it in him to say “Now go rest” — but Lion understood the message perfectly.

“I’ll sleep well and spend the next few days sleeping in and lounging about.”
“Suit yourself.”

Patrick seemed to approve of this; a small laugh escaped him unbidden.
At last, the month of sleepless nights had come to an end.

* * *

Days had passed since Lion escaped the Labyrinth.
In that time, Lion had done nothing but sprawl across his bed, eat well, and sleep deeply.
His family had insisted on it.
Not that Lion minded.
A month away had been grueling enough.

“Ahh, this is the life.”

No one nagging him, and meals appeared on the table without him lifting a finger. What a luxury.
Only now, after that month in the depths, did he truly understand how sweet this ordinary existence was.

‘Though it’s been remarkably quiet.’

Despite the information that must have leaked, no one had come looking for him.
Rickselle had likely moved fast to contain it.

‘Or maybe the matter was resolved at Rickselle’s level before it ever reached me.’

Either way, Lion faced no immediate trouble.
Well, there was one exception.

“Elbia.”

Lion called for her, but Elbia did not appear.
He recalled the moment days ago when, after his conversation with Patrick, he’d summoned her with the Contract in hand.

“Young Master. Congratulations on your safe return.”
“Thank you. But there’s something I need to tell you—the thing is, in the Labyrinth—”
“I’ve arranged a fine room for you at Hotel Easter as a precaution. Wouldn’t you prefer to retire there and rest?”
“I appreciate the thought. Anyway, about this Contract—”
“Ah. Before that, perhaps you should have Hoffmann conduct a thorough examination.”
“No, about the—”
“I’ll have the cook prepare something delicious for you.”
“…”

She’d been dodging the conversation then, and now she wouldn’t appear at all when called.

Lion sighed.

Had he been thoughtless, pressing her before she was ready? But the Contract was meant to be revised in her favor.
She ought to know that.
Still, he sensed she didn’t.

“Nothing to be done. I’ll wait.”

The Contract was his now—he had no intention of passing it to anyone else, and no one would wrest it from him.

“I’ll think about it more carefully.”

Lion swung his legs over the side of the bed and threw on a coat.
Today seemed like the right time to venture out again.
His family would object, of course, but he had his own errands to attend to.
He needed to check in on those who’d been worrying about him, and he was overdue for a visit to Hoffmann’s Mage Tower.

‘An unemployed man is always the busiest, after all.’

And in the process, he’d find something compelling enough to bring Elbia out to meet 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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