Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 58

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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 Heir? I’d Rather Just Heal — Episode 58

“You can’t see it?”
“I can sense the presence, but I can’t perceive its exact form. However…….”

As a mage, he could detect it, but the precise shape remained invisible to him.
It was likely the same situation as with Mudu, or perhaps even less defined.

“To think you had a talent for Spirit Arts—that’s truly remarkable, brother!”
“It’s nothing. I only just realized it myself.”
“What? You only just found out?!”

Embrog, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation with his sharp hearing, spoke up in surprise.

“Ah, well. In the human realm, one rarely gets the chance to encounter spirits.”

Lion offered a reasonable answer, but it didn’t seem to satisfy completely.
Not that there was much to be done about it.

‘What was I supposed to do, not knowing?’

After finishing their tour of the garden, their steps naturally led them toward the First Floor Guest Rooms where the visitors were staying.
There, among several Elves with their pointed ears on full display, Lion found
Freyanya being thoroughly disciplined, caught between them.
Like a child, she stood with both arms raised, receiving her punishment.

“Hmm.”

Here in the corridor, receiving scolding without any concealment—it was exactly like watching a child being disciplined in public after refusing to behave during an outing.
When Lion stopped in his tracks, Embrog beside him let out a small cough.

“I understand humans might find it questionable, but for an Elf, this child is still quite young…….”

Such discipline wasn’t unusual in their culture.

“I see.”

Ricshel explained to Lion what had transpired at the estate during his absence.

“First, as mentioned before, we’ve conducted preliminary talks. So the Elves have already disarmed themselves.”

It seemed Ricshel, in his role as heir, had concluded the initial dialogue well.
Moreover, the conversation appeared to have been steered in their favor throughout.
If that were the case, then the Elves’ position had become one of rudeness, making it perfectly reasonable for them to lay groundwork like calling her “young” and such.

“You must have worked hard.”
“Well, it was only natural, but…… I’m pleased that you praised me, brother.”

As they spoke,

Flutter-flutter!

Salamander, Freyanya’s spirit, suddenly darted out and rushed toward Lion.
Clinging desperately to his pant leg with a pitiful expression—it clearly seemed like a plea to save her master.

“Hmm.”

Lion’s gaze alternated between Salamander and Freyanya, far off and still receiving her scolding.
Soon their eyes met.
Freyanya’s eyes went wide, her mouth falling open in shock.

“Wh—what? Lion! Why?!”

She started pointing her finger at him accusingly.

Ever since she’d regained consciousness after fainting, she’d been catching nothing but grief from the elderly Elf, and from her vantage point, none of this made any sense.
She had no idea why the elders had come to the Asteri Family Estate, and she certainly couldn’t fathom what a High Elf was doing here in the mix of it all.
With all that confusion swirling around already…….

‘My…… my Salamander, why is it going to Lion Asteri?!’

And asking for his help, no less?
And how could that man even see a spirit? He was human!
Human.
Did he possess a genius-level talent for Spirit Arts on top of his gift for Alchemy?

Huff, huff.

With so much to say but nothing coming out, she could only keep pointing—until the Elf responsible for her discipline barked a harsh reprimand.

“Arm higher! Don’t you know how to stand straight?”
“Ugh!”

Freyanya grudgingly raised her arm higher, a whine escaping her lips.

“You’re the death of me, seriously! I can’t show my face in town because of you! How could someone like you possibly be my niece?”

The Elf seemed to be a relative—likely a family member—administering the scolding.
He launched into another lengthy tirade.

“I let you leave the village with barely a year’s growth, saying you wanted to find your own path in life, and what do you do? You run around with low-quality humans, and on top of it all, you burden the descendant of an Elder Elf’s ally?”
“Kidnapping? Is that what you learned Spirit Arts for? If this is what you’re going to do, come back to the village and train properly in silence!”
“I don’t want to!”
“Who told you to answer back?”
“…….”

Well.
Even without knowing much about Elven culture, it seemed that civilized beings across the board went through much the same sort of thing.

“Come now, let’s not get caught up in their business. Shall we head inside?”

Embrog looked between the two of them with an embarrassed smile, then reached for the doorknob of his room.
But….

‘This feels like a trap.’

Ricshel would probably stop him anyway, but this Elf—he seemed like the sort who’d had this particular conversation more than a few times before.
Which meant he was cunning as they came.
Whatever he was after, it seemed best to buy as much time as possible.
The ex-salesman’s instincts were screaming alarm bells.

‘Look at his expression.’

Just moments ago, didn’t you see his face shift, drool practically pooling at the corners of his mouth the moment the Salamander caught his attention?
Lion paid no mind to Embrog grabbing the doorknob and opened his mouth.

“Come to think of it, that young lady seemed to have quite a talent for Alchemy.”
“……Who?”

Lion gestured toward Freyanya.
At that, the fire salamander clinging to Lion’s body brightened visibly and licked his face with its tongue.
No saliva had gotten on him, but the warmth of it felt strange.
A warm lizard…….

“From what I overheard just now, I gather something went wrong. I also understand that Freyanya harbored ill intent.”
“Then you know things nearly took a turn for the worse.”
“But surely this resolves it, does it not?”
…….

There was nothing to say when he insisted he was fine.
Ricshel also understood why his brother was acting this way and kept his mouth shut.
Yet he had to choose his words carefully.
One wrong step discussing alchemy and the Hero’s potion would be exposed; one misstep with the spirits and they might be dragged off to the Elf Kingdom—a crisis either way.
Fortunately, Lion kept his balance well.

“As I understand it, the Elf Kingdom consists of forest, so the air there is pristine. This estate does run Air Purification Magic, but I suspect it falls short of what your people are accustomed to.”
…….

It was not an inaccurate observation.
Embrog rubbed his throat.
Whether from dust or not, his throat felt parched and his eyes stung.
Moreover, after expending so much strength to travel such a distance to reach here, he already found himself yearning for nature.
If that was his condition, how much harder must it be for the younger elves who had never ventured beyond?

‘Lion, was it?’

Spirits followed him readily; the man possessed a remarkable depth of consideration.
When the elves, Embrog included, could not answer, Lion clenched his fist tightly in his heart.

‘Of course. The elves must have had their reasons for leaving the spirits behind.’

They had been overburdened.
Short on stamina, they must have planned to release them one by one in the towns, conserve their strength, and retrieve them on the return journey.
They could not dismiss them here, so they had no choice but to leave them as they were.

“As it happens, there is Mimir Forest beside the estate. Might your people take rest there? The spirits would find respite as well.”
“Hmm.”

At first, Embrog had not been particularly interested.
His throat was irritated and his eyes stung—that was all.
He had simply planned to complete his business and return.
But a variable had emerged.
Lion Asteri himself.
A human possessing the talent to perceive High-Grade Spirits from the outset!

‘Had he been an elf, he might even have summoned a Spirit King!’

The very fact that an elf could perceive a High-Grade Spirit was extraordinary, but a human?
Yet from what he could see, the humans in this place seemed oblivious to any of this man’s talents.
Unable to perceive, they naturally remained ignorant.

‘Foolish humans, every one.’

They did nothing but proliferate and ravage the natural world.

Tsk, tsk.

He clicked his tongue inwardly, though his expression revealed nothing.
For now, he needed to make a favorable impression on this Lion Asteri, after all.

‘I’m content here with family, but if I were to experience the Elf Kingdom with its great natural splendor…’

Wouldn’t I settle there naturally?

‘With this much talent, it’s no problem that he’s not an Elf.’

And….
Unlike ordinary humans, his heart was remarkably pure.
Embrog was already smitten, though he didn’t notice it himself.

“How old are you, then?”
“My age? This year I’ve come of age… ah, I’ve just turned twenty.”

Twenty years old!
For an Elf, that was barely more than taking one’s first steps!
How could such a young soul be so refined?

‘That’s it. I understand now!’

He appeared to be looking after the Elves, but in truth he was caring for the spirits themselves!
Embrog had seen it from the moment he entered the estate.
The countless spirits surrounding Lion.
And every one of them already had a contract-bearer.
Elite Spirit Summoners among the Elves. They had nothing left to be given by their contractors,
yet each possessed a deep, long-standing bond with their contracted master.
And yet they were drawn to Lion on instinct.

‘This is….’

The more he thought about it, the more extraordinary it seemed.
To let such talent waste away for twenty years.
And humans already had such short lifespans!
By Elven reckoning, it made no sense.
Simply that a human possessed such affinity for spirits….

‘Patrick Asteri. When that Elder Elf colleague of yours arrives, I must ask about this.’

To claim Lion Asteri for himself!

“But why do you ask your brother’s age?”
“Heh heh. No particular reason. Yes. You mentioned there was a forest?”

There was no reason not to follow that instruction.
In fact, he would have trusted him even if asked to walk on his head.
The High-Grade Water Spirit—known to be temperamental—had offered up its own dignity to him, which alone elevated Lion Asteri’s credibility to the highest possible rank.
Of course, it also helped that Lion hadn’t yet heard the rumors of him being eccentric….
In any case, it was a fortunate turn for Lion.

“Since I see many of our people looking weary, let us do so. Those Elves who need the forest’s vital essence, follow me.”

Remarkably, the majority of Elves who had been scattered quietly about rose and gathered behind Embrog.
A leaf falling to the ground would have made more noise.

“…….”

At their flawless gathering—not a footfall disturbing the silence—Ricshel felt goosebumps rise on his skin for the first time in ages.
If the Elder Elf hadn’t shown him.
Though there was the witch Silvia, and himself.
How many of them might he have missed?
And though invisible to the eye…….

Stagger.

“Hm.”

With every step his brother took, he sidestepped something unseen—a clear sign that quite a number of spirits surrounded them.

Gulp.

Ricshel swallowed hard.
If they’d had to fight, the casualties would have been severe.

“Ha… so it’s true—they say humans bloom with talent early, though their lives are short. One a mage, the other a Spirit Summoner.”

Yet Embrog had been calling his brother a Spirit Summoner the whole time.

“My brother has considerable expertise in Alchemy.”
“Well, he can practice Alchemy, Spirit Arts, and whatever else reveals itself as his greatest gift, I suppose.”

At the smooth deflection, Ricshel couldn’t help but exhale silently. Ah.

‘This man covets my brother.’

It seemed his brother possessed quite extraordinary talent in Spirit Arts.
But that didn’t surprise him.
Had his brother not already shown him countless gifts?
Spirit Arts was merely the latest addition.
There might well be more to come.

‘So I cannot hand him over.’

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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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