Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 56

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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 Don’t Care About Being the Heir — I Just Want to Heal | Episode 56

No, it wasn’t that a light had been turned on.
The Mana radiating from that figure had simply illuminated the dim basement in brilliant clarity.
Freyanya clamped her mouth shut and hiccoughed loudly.
He had arrived.
Patrick Asteri.

“Lord of the House.”
“You’ve come.”

—So this half-elf brat was trying to kidnap my grandson?

……

Looking closely, this didn’t appear to be Patrick Asteri’s true form.
It was likely either a projection or illusory magic.
But what difference did that make?
Whether it was Patrick’s projection or his grandfather’s, Freyanya was as good as dead.

“She claims it’s a misunderstanding, but moments ago, Elvia, my brother’s attendant, confirmed traces of her attempting to use power against him. We’ve also secured his accomplices who were concealed in the forest.”

—Where are they now?

“We’ve imprisoned them in another dungeon below.”

—I see.

The Marquis Patrick’s illusion fixed its gaze upon Freyanya.

“Eeeek……!”

Freyanya’s shoulders trembled violently.
Illusion or not, this was magic carrying the unfiltered power of an Archmage.
Staring at it for long risked serious psychological damage.

—Nothing more to say, kidnapper?

“I’m s-sorry. I’m sorry! I just envied you so much! I envied your abilities so much! I thought if you’d just become my master……!”

Waaah!
Freyanya burst into tears.

—Hmph.

……
……Mm.

The sight of the kidnapper sobbing instead left the rest of them—and one witch—at a loss for words.
They still hadn’t even verified whether the half-elf’s claims were true.
Though the kidnapping itself was indisputable.
Call it what you will—becoming a master or being served with utmost devotion—but Lion was a direct descendant of House Asteri.
The family and its members had safeguarded him with every effort thus far, which was why he remained a body of inestimable worth.
And recently……unknowingly, his value had climbed even higher.
He had become both the Master of the Labyrinth and the heir to treasures left by the Hero.
Moreover, he was an alchemist who wielded alchemy that no one else could replicate.
Which meant that even if the half-elf brat wept, they couldn’t simply let her go.
Least of all if she was connected to the underworld.

Elvia.

“Your command?”

Use your witch’s power to read that child’s mind.

“Witch’s power…….”

Ricshel, who had been waiting for the head of House Asteri to speak, murmured softly to himself.
A witch?
In that instant, a puzzle that had been incomplete in Ricshel’s mind snapped perfectly into place.
Silvia’s sudden retirement announcement, the powerful maidservant Elvia who had appeared out of nowhere—everything aligned at last.
And even the way his elder brother had grown close to Elvia, as if they had known each other all along.
And…….

‘That ability that appeared suddenly in the darkness.’

Yes. How could I have failed to notice this sooner?
That was unmistakably a witch’s power.
Ricshel let out a soft gasp and looked at Elvia.

A faint smile.

Elvia gazed at Ricshel and offered a subtle smile.

“It is an honor to meet you again, young master.”
“…….”

Grandmother Silvia—or rather, Elvia—made no apologies for her deception, no words begging forgiveness.
She merely greeted him as though they were old friends meeting anew.
And yet, strangely, Ricshel felt no anger.
If anything, he was glad to see her, genuinely pleased.
And relieved.
Yes. If it was grandmother Silvia…….
If it was a witch, then he need not worry for his brother’s safety.
Had she not proven that today?
Without her, his brother might have been abducted.
She could guarantee his safety without constraining his freedom.
Of course, he would have to ask for more details once this was all over.

“I ask that everyone maintain their distance, as you may be caught in the magic.”

Elvia took a position before Freyanya and slowly closed her eyes.
Ricshel and Patrick each took a step backward.

“Wait, just what are you about to—”
“Hush.”

Freyanya was the one growing anxious.
A witch? Read her mind?
What in the world was that?

‘Did I… really do something so wrong?’

What is this? What’s happening?

“Calm yourself, young half-elf. If you struggle, only your own mind will suffer. It would be better for you to simply sleep for a while.”

The moment her words ended, Elvia exhaled softly into her palm.
A darkly shimmering Mana enveloped Freyanya’s body, and she collapsed limply to the ground.

“From this moment on, I shall read the heart of this half-elf.”

Elvia’s shadow split into six strands at her feet, and the cellar’s lamplight flickered in rhythm with each shadow.
It resembled the rough storyboard of an old screenwriter.
The first shadow reached out its hand, the second touched Freyanya’s body, and then drew something out.
The next shadow consumed it, then stretched upward as something black and white and fluffy burst forth from the sixth shadow’s palm.
Elvia caught it from the sixth shadow’s hand and suspended it in the dim cellar.

Whoosh.

White light flooded down, and Freyanya’s memories began to play out before them.

“Let us see.”

The shadow world Elvia had woven drew back its curtain.

* * *

Patrick Asteri gazed upon Freyanya’s heart as Sylvia had reconstructed it through the phantom projection.
It all began with that beverage brought back from the Mana Tower.

-What is this?
-A drink that Lion Asteri distributed when he visited the Mana Tower, they say.

Eyes gleaming as she discovered something within the beverage.

‘A level of alchemy higher than my own?’

And Freyanya’s true feelings laid themselves bare.

A scene of issuing orders passed, followed by one of receiving a returned potion bottle.

-Minus ten points.

P.S. Do not copy.

Indignation, then huffing determination to seek him out herself.
After that came the infiltration into Mimir Forest, and eating the fruit with Lion.
……To speak honestly.

“She poses no threat.”

As Patrick muttered through the phantom projection, the others nodded in agreement.
Even Freyanya’s fantasy of kidnapping seemed utterly harmless.
A luxurious chamber, luxurious food.
High-grade air-purification Mana devices placed lest she struggle for breath, a miniature version of Mimir Forest’s garden arranged in case she pined for nature…….

“Hm?”

In the midst of this, something caught Patrick Asteri’s eye.

“That one.”
“Is there something troubling you, sir?”

Elvia paused the reenactment and turned to Patrick.

“The scene from just now.”

-Salamander! Heat the cauldron!

“Hmm.”
“That’s… not a spirit, is it?”

Ricshel, who’d been watching the same scene as Patrick, gasped out the words.
Right. The salamander they’d summoned when heating the alchemical cauldron!
Even in black and white, he could tell.
That was a Salamander—a fire spirit that only intermediate-level spirit mages could summon.

“A half-elf summoning an intermediate-level spirit… Could it only be possible because it’s this half-elf’s imagination?”
“No. No matter what, such vivid imagery cannot be manifested without the one themselves having directly experienced it.”

Which meant this half-elf was at least an intermediate-level spirit mage….

“But half-elves cannot see spirits, can they?”

That was why half-elves who’d mixed with other races often faced rejection from elvish society.
It stemmed from their insular nature—viewing mixed-bloods as defective, unable to fulfill their proper function.
And Freyana was such a troublemaker that she’d even drifted into the underworld….
He’d assumed they’d naturally severed ties with her.
But if she could command spirits.
Then the story changed entirely.
Elves held those who wielded spirits in the highest reverence.
Even if that one was a half-elf they would normally spurn.
At minimum….

“Unless she wasn’t born from a common elf and a human.”

He felt an urgent need to return to the estate as quickly as possible.

“If she’s not the half-elf daughter of a common elf, then….”
“Right. If she were born from a High Elf and a human, high spirit affinity wouldn’t be strange at all.”
“…….”

High Elves.
Rare, chosen few who played a role akin to kings among elves.
They lived longer than common elves, maintaining their beauty across the ages….
And unlike common elves, they were known to have quite volatile temperaments.
And above them stood the Elder Elves who had defeated the Demons alongside the Hero.

Boaresia.

One of Patrick’s former comrades.

“…….”

Elvia noticed Patrick’s voice had grown quiet and dispelled the magic.
In an instant, six shadows converged into one, and the mass of memories flowed back into Freyana’s body.
At the same time.

Roar!

A tremendous burst of flame erupted from Patrick’s phantom form, wrapping around Freyana’s body like an assault….

Sizzle-!

A spirit realm defense spell was cast, and soon a voice rang out.

[……Oh, is that you, Patrick Asteri?]

It was a refined voice that couldn’t be hidden even by vocal magic.

—It’s been a while.

[Not such a long time really, only fifty years or so…… Ah. For humans, I suppose that’s quite a span. But you—it seems you’re not there at the moment? Hmm, now that’s troublesome.]

“…….”

Ricshel gave Elvia a look.
He didn’t know how this would unfold, but something had certainly happened.
He could gather the details later, but his brother was alone for now.

A nod.

Elvia nodded lightly and slipped silently into the darkness.

—What do you mean, troublesome?

[Because you’ve tampered with that headache’s protective wards, my kin are headed your way right now.]

—…….

[Armed.]

—You’d have found it amusing and let it be, wouldn’t you.

[Ha ha ha, of course. Live long enough and you grow a bit mischievous. So do me a favor and greet our guests properly, will you?]

—What if I don’t entertain them as expected?

[Don’t be like that. This is a good chance for those hot-blooded young ones to learn something about the wider world. Young people these days tend to be even more closed off than I am.]

—Tch.

[And it’ll be worthwhile experience for your descendants too. There’s much they can see and learn from each other. Heh heh. Until soon, then.]

The refined voice said its piece and the connection cut.

“Master. Who exactly was that?”

—In human terms, you might call him an emperor.

“…….”

So they had settled on a policy: keep him as still as possible, but avoid any conspicuous actions.
After all, elves weren’t likely to take an interest in alchemy.
It was at least a stroke of fortune that Boaresia, the Elder Elf, had not come herself.
Beyond that point, it wasn’t a problem the House could solve alone.

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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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