Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 44

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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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I’d Rather Be Healing Than Worrying About the Succession — Chapter 44

Lion had no desire to covet Rickszel’s position.
If it were revealed that he’d already become master of the Labyrinth, there would be serious consequences — and on top of that, to solve the Mage Tower’s potion problem?

‘This is troublesome.’

It was all the more troublesome because this was an incident that could shake Rickszel’s standing.

‘Grandfather wouldn’t want this revealed either.’

And that wasn’t all.

‘It’s marked as Hero’s Potion right there on the label.’

If he wasn’t careful, this could become connected to the Hero title itself.
But at the same time, he couldn’t simply pretend not to have seen it.

‘I need to think of a way out.’

A way to keep his own peaceful days intact, and to prevent the Mage Tower from presenting an unfinished potion to the world.

“Goodness, Hero’s Potion! Would it be alright if I stopped by again soon to take another look?”
“Of course! And once it receives official approval, the Immunity Potion will reach the Astéri Family first, so you might as well study up on it beforehand.”
“…Thank you so much.”

Though of course that would never happen.

“Don’t mention it. Ahem… If you find yourself with nothing to do, visit us often. And if you ever take an interest in the Mage Tower, well, we could arrange something here…”
“I’ll give it careful thought.”
“Ha! Do that.”

He flatly refused the barely concealed attempt to parachute him into a position at the Mage Tower and stepped outside.
And when Lion emerged, his expression was deeply troubled.
Still, there was one thing to be grateful for.
He still had options.

* * *

Upon returning to the mansion, Lion shut himself in his room for the entire day, reading.
Though he’d been confined to his quarters before under the guise of rest, everyone noticed this time was different.

“I’m worried he might be ill.”
“But the Mage Tower said there’s nothing wrong with his health. Maybe something else happened to upset him?”
“And right when the master is away on business, too…”

The servants whispered among themselves.

“Brother, you’re not going out today either?”
“No. I want to spend today alone.”
“But surely a walk would do you some good…”

He even refused Rickszel’s suggestion, burying himself in the world of books instead.
It so resembled how Lion used to be that everyone in the mansion grew concerned.
And that worry was felt by—
Even Elvia, who until now had been avoiding him, felt the same.
Elvia slipped quietly out of the shadows and observed her young master carefully.

‘From what I can see, there’s no magical anomaly at all.’

But why was he acting like that?
Lion sat crumpled on the terrace steps, surrounded by books stacked as high as he was, absorbed in reading.
And every single one of them was…….

‘Books about potions, it seems.’

Had something happened at the Mage Tower?
Now that I think about it, he’d called for me even after returning from the Mage Tower.
Back then, I’d pretended not to notice when he summoned me, thinking it was about the Contract, and he’d immediately fallen into this state.
For some reason, a sharp ache bloomed in my chest.
Why did it feel like it was my fault?

“……Sigh.”

And he wasn’t eating properly either—just reading books.
And what was that sigh about?

“Ugh!”

Something was clearly wrong.
But he wasn’t telling anyone!
Not even his own sister!

‘This won’t do.’

Elvia made a resolve, prepared some simple refreshments from the kitchen, and appeared before Lion once more.

“Young Master.”
“…….”
“You’re neglecting your health. I’ve brought some food—please eat while we talk.”
“Sigh.”

Lion sighed again and shook his head.

“May I ask, exactly why you’re like this?”

Lion glanced at Elvia before answering.

“No, it’s fine. Just in a bad mood, that’s all.”

So which part of your mood is bad, exactly? That’s what she wanted to know……!
Swallowing her frustration, she waited as Lion added quietly, almost to himself:

“I can’t trouble you just to ease my mind.”
“Trouble me?”

Then Elvia understood what the problem was.
He’d assumed her absence was because she found him bothersome.
Which meant that troubled expression of his was definitely……!

‘He didn’t want to talk about the Contract at all—he wanted to confide in me?’

And here she was, just staring at him without realizing!
Elvia answered in a fluster, uncharacteristically flustered.

“Trouble you? Such a thing could never be. I merely had some pressing matters to attend to.”

Of course, she had been avoiding him because of the Contract, but Elvia was skilled at lying.
She was a witch, after all.
And besides, if you want to placate children, you have to know how to lie.

“Please, do tell me.”

Elvia slipped the book from Lion’s hands and pressed a sandwich into them instead.

“I can listen to anything you wish to share.”

Lion glanced at Elvia as if considering the matter.

‘…I feel a bit sorry toward Elvia, but it’s definitely effective.’

Since arriving in this world, this was his first attempt at a hunger strike, and it seemed to work just as well as he’d hoped.

‘Normally I would have asked Grandfather right away, but…’

That wasn’t so simple either.
For nearly a month, he’d suspended all his duties because of Lion’s condition.
Perhaps that’s why, once Lion’s health had truly recovered, business trips became frequent.
The old man had even instructed him to consult with Elvia in case of emergency.
And Lion himself recognized that Elvia was the right person for this situation.

“Here’s the thing.”

Lion opened up about his worries.
Speaking plainly about what he’d seen at the Mage Tower, Elvia’s expression grew a shade more serious.
It was certainly a grave matter.

“What would you like to do, sir?”

Elvia asked calmly.

“If there’s a way, I want to stop it.”
“I’m asking what you’d like to do after you find the way, sir.”
“After I find it?”
“Given who you are, sir, I suspect you’ve already considered a solution. But once the matter is resolved, you’ll certainly become entangled in it. You need to think about how you wish to handle things when that happens.”

Elvia had complete faith in Lion Astéri.
If something threatened to bring harm to the family, she was certain he would be the first to step forward.
That’s what his nature had shown her all this time.

“What if I wanted to stay as uninvolved as possible in solving this?”
“Then you wouldn’t have called on me, sir.”
……

It was a fair point. Lion had no answer to that.
He exhaled slowly.

“You’re right. I want to resolve this quietly, without drawing attention.”
“If that’s the case, then all the credit will go to others, sir. You’ll have accomplished something remarkable, yet no one will acknowledge your role in it.”
“That doesn’t matter to me.”

In fact, it was what he wanted.
Wasn’t it?
Lion’s aspiration wasn’t worldly advancement and fame—it was freedom.
The kind that came with plenty of money, living at ease.
If anything, like some ordinary minor noble extra character you’d find in a novel.

“But the problem is finding a way to let it pass quietly.”

Lion had no good options.
If he stepped in directly?
His Hero powers would be exposed.
But if he didn’t, someone would end up suffering.
Telling his grandfather would be ideal, but the old man was away on business.

“…….”

Elvia watched Lion, who genuinely hoped the whole thing would simply blow over, and let out a soft laugh.
How could such a good-hearted boy exist?

“Well, there is one method, if you’d care to hear it?”
“What is it?”
“Doing something wrong for the sake of doing something right.”
“…….”

He wasn’t sure he’d call it a good deed, but she was saying he’d need to do something bad?

“Go on, then.”
“I’ll break into the Mage Tower and switch the potions.”
“……Could you explain that in more detail?”

Elvia elaborated at length.
She would penetrate the Mage Tower’s defenses, modify a potion slightly, and leave behind a recipe so you could apply it yourself.
It wouldn’t be Hero’s Potion-grade, but there’d be no side effects, and since you wouldn’t be making it directly, your identity would never come to light.

“Ah…….”

So she’d make just the prototype and slip away?
Better than expected. As long as he made sure only Hoffman would recognize it…….

‘That could actually work.’

What Elvia had planned was an admittedly unconventional approach, but it appealed to him.
Still…….

“For that to work, I’d need to alter your Contract. Would you be all right with that?”

Elvia’s Contract was limited to the Astéri Mansion and its immediate surroundings.
In other words, just to the village and Mimir Forest.
The Mage Tower, even though it fell under Astéri jurisdiction, lay outside that range.
It was probably meant as a precaution.
If the Mage Tower were ever seized by a witch, the consequences would be catastrophic.

“You seem to dislike talking about your Contract.”

Elvia smiled without speaking.
Lion was right, in fact.
Only months ago, Elvia had yearned for freedom.
Had she only found that Contract, she would have left.
It had been a very long time since she’d tasted liberty.
The hatred for humans had faded, but those days of freedom lingered as memory.
Yet it was Lion Astéri who had found it.
Her young master had come seeking it.
He must surely have meant to set her free.

‘Our young master has far too much compassion for an Astéri.’

From childhood until now, that much had never changed.
So of course he would have made the Mental Fatigue Recovery Potion for her sake.
The problem was that she was Elvia Astéri. She’d grown rather absorbed in playing the role of handmaiden to her beloved young master.
It was enjoyable.
This was a new kind of joy.
Watching the child grow, overcome his fears, and mend the bonds with his family.
And so a new fear had taken root.
The very freedom she had longed for had become a new source of dread.
If anyone who’d known ‘Elvia’ back then had witnessed this, they would have doubled over laughing—but it was genuine.
Elvia did not wish to leave Lion’s side.
At least not now.

“Young Master. Will you be discarding that Contract?”
“If you wish it, I will.”
“And if I do not wish it?”
“Then……”

Lion considered for a moment before answering plainly.

“I’ll still need to modify it. The old terms have too many restrictions.”
“I see. But those conditions must have all been necessary at the time?”
“Not anymore. You won’t harm our family, will you.”
……
“You weren’t actually planning to, were you?”
“No, I wasn’t.”

That was true. No.
She harbored no such intention whatsoever.
At some point, Elvia had grown far too fond of the Astéri Family.

“If I may, I would wish to protect them.”
“I thought as much.”

Lion held out the Contract.

“But I don’t wish to alter much. Perhaps we might do this instead.”

She ran her finger across the Contract.
The words on the parchment shimmered and shifted, erasing certain clauses and inscribing new ones in their place.
Nothing had changed in any sweeping way—and yet something unmistakably had.

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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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