Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 68

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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 Successor’s Unknown, But I’ll Try Some Healing — Episode 68

“Hmm.”

A rough spirit?
He’d encountered spirits with unusual temperaments before, but never one with such a pronounced aggressive streak.

‘Could things have changed so much in fifty years?’

Perhaps nature had been ravaged by Demon invasions, leaving some spirits embittered and irritable…….

“It’s only a hypothetical, but precautions are always necessary. And given how frail you are…….”

Tiali regarded Lion with a gaze full of pity.
In truth, Lion of Asteri’s potential was remarkable enough to make one’s jaw drop.
But his body was terribly fragile. His lifespan, too, looked painfully short.
They said the world was fair, didn’t they?
How could such talented hands be cursed with so weak a frame?

‘At least I won’t let him squander what life remains.’

That was why she’d offered this advance counsel — to prepare him for any worst-case scenario.

“I understand. I’ll use it gratefully.”
“Yes. Do be careful.”
“I will. Yes.”
“When you walk, keep your eyes on both sides and below.”
“…….”
“And don’t follow along if someone tempts you with something good.”
“……Don’t worry about that.”

To Tiali’s eyes, Lion probably looked like a toddler taking his first uncertain steps.

‘Well, at least this works out.’

If he could form Spirit contracts without needing a Spirit Summoner’s help, there was no reason to hold back anymore.

‘I’ll just go in with Grandfather.’

With the continent’s only Grand Mage at his side, there’d be no trouble even if a High-Ranked Spirit — or something beyond — emerged.
How rough could any spirit possibly be in front of a Grand Mage?

“Then I’ll take my leave now.”
“Thank you so much for such a wonderful gift. If you ever need more Spirit Water…….”
“Hehe. I’ll gladly accept it. Ah, I should be off to meet the Asteri family head now. Then…….”

Tiali seemed considerably relieved that she’d delivered the Elder’s Gift, her expression noticeably lighter as she bowed and left the room.

Click.

The door closed, and her footsteps seemed to fade into the distance…….

Crack.

“Master. You’re all right, aren’t you?”

Freyana opened the door again and peeked in, checking on Lion’s condition.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“Whew! I couldn’t hear a thing from inside, so I was worried something had happened!”

Silairon must have cast a soundproofing spell.
Looking at it that way, it’s certainly useful.
I won’t need to keep asking other people for Life Magic every time.

“If something had gone wrong, I was going to march straight to Tiali and demand answers.”
“She seems like a good person, though?”

When I mentioned that I’d received plenty of Spirit Stones including Fairy Powder, Freyana’s eyes went wide as saucers again.

“What!? Fairy Powder!?”
“It’s good stuff, right?”

Though I already knew its performance well, Lion asked once more to confirm.

“It’s amazing! It’s a gift that the Elder gives personally, so ordinary elves never even get to see it! And for a half-elf like me, it’s even more impossible!”

With that, she glanced around cautiously.

“Elves generally don’t care about things owned by others, but this is different. Definitely! You have to use it quickly, and if you’re going to use it later, never let anyone see it. Do you understand!?”
“Got it.”
“And don’t tell me everything either! Who knows what kind of ideas might creep into my head…….”

There was good reason to trust her on that point.
At least until Freyana finished learning Alchemy, she wouldn’t entertain any reckless notions.
And people who actively tell you not to trust even them…….

‘Are actually the safest ones.’

After that, Freyana kept threatening him not to tell even her where he’d hidden it.

“I, well, I’d be curious, of course!”
“Right. If there’s any left after the Spirit Summoning, I’ll tell you.”
“Oh! Really? Ahem. Then while you’re thinking it over, I’ll research more potions too. The Salamander’s condition is perfect right now……!”

After subtly emphasizing once more that she was a Spirit Summoner, Freyana stepped aside and told him to take his time deciding.

‘Actually, there’s nothing to decide.’

Lion had already made up his mind.
He would go to the Labyrinth and summon a spirit.
Lion recalled the information about spirits he’d gathered while gaming.
Environment, companions, willpower, time.
All of them were important factors for summoning a spirit.
But there was one more thing.
A hidden tip that others didn’t know about.
And that was possessing an item that the spirit likes.
The prime example being a Spirit Stone.
Using the High-Grade Spirit Stone that Tiali had given me as a gift would be ideal.
But Lion had no intention of taking the Spirit Stone with him.
Because he knew something better.

Splash!

Lion pulled out the remaining Spirit Water and examined it.
The original Spirit Water with three stars.
The Spirit Water he had now was quite high-grade too, but…….

‘Maybe it’s time to attempt a four-star version in Alchemy.’

Jaebong was the first to taste the four-star dish.
But since he’d merely touched up Andrea’s creation, strictly speaking it wasn’t a four-star work made entirely by Lion’s own skill.
Yet what were its effects like?

‘Extraordinary.’

Thanks to it, he’d been able to get by safely even inside the Labyrinth.
And then Tiali happened to give him an even better material.
A High-Grade Spirit Stone.

“It’s worth trying.”

It didn’t matter which spirit emerged, but since things had come this far, wasn’t it better to prepare the materials properly?
To make Spirit Water from this very High-Grade Spirit Stone!

‘If a High-Grade Spirit Stone has such potent effects, then Spirit Water refined from it would….’

It could produce double the effect.
An Ultimate-Grade Spirit Stone.
He could even aim for something beyond that.

“Of course, if we’re talking pure success or failure….”

The failure rate was decidedly high.
There were plenty of reasons.
First, Spirit Water wasn’t an existing recipe he’d inherited—it was a custom formula Lion had created himself.
And Lion’s rank was still only Skilled.
Under normal circumstances, he shouldn’t have even been able to create an original recipe.
But.

“What’s the fun in only doing what you’re certain to succeed at?”

Doing only what can’t possibly fail isn’t a challenge.
A real challenge means accepting the risk of failure.

“Alright. Let’s do it.”

Lion smiled wryly for the first time in a while.

* * *

For days afterward, Lion’s room rang with sounds like fireworks exploding without pause.

Bang!
Crash!

“My, what on earth is that noise?”
“Shh. Young Master seems to have found inspiration again!”
“Is that so? Then we mustn’t disturb him.”

The servants nodded to one another through the commotion, murmuring among themselves.
One effect that had blossomed since Young Master Lion had recovered his health and begun looking after his family was the peace that had settled in the servants’ hearts.
They used to work trembling in an anxious atmosphere, as if treading on thin ice every moment, but somewhere along the way that dread had vanished!
And that was far from all.
Just a few days ago during that strange cloud incident, he’d stepped forward first and done something-or-other, and resolved the matter in an instant.
And what did he say afterward?

“Is anyone among the servants hurt?”

It was the household servants he’d thought of first—before anyone else!

“Before that, he was often sickly and had his peculiar ways, so we weren’t sure what to make of him…”
“Goodness. How could I have failed to see what a remarkable man he is?”

She even found herself reproaching her own bias for having looked upon Lion through such a prejudiced lens.
The atmosphere in the household had certainly transformed.

“Come now, let’s not linger here. We should fetch some refreshments for the young master at once.”
“While we’re at it, we ought to prepare something for the little master and the Duke as well.”
“What about our guests?”
“They said they’d be leaving this afternoon, so… should we prepare them a packed meal?”

The servants departed in animated agreement, and then…

Click.

The door swung open.
And from within…

“Urrgh…”

Lion emerged crawling, his frame looking positively cadaverous, letting out a sound that was neither anguished laughter nor delighted laughter—but something altogether strange.
And in one hand, he held…

[Lion’s Special Spirit Water (★★★★)]
-The alchemist’s first masterwork, created by a practitioner growing at an alarming rate.
-No Spirit Summoner or spirit who has tasted this Spirit Water even once can ever return to what they were before.
-Upon consumption, restores a substantial amount of a spirit’s vital essence.
-When consumed for the first time by a Spirit Summoner, permanently increases their Spirit Affinity.
-Exhibits Set Effects when used together with special items.

The Spirit Water before him looked somehow different from any he’d made before.
Like the others, it bubbled when shaken, and its color shifted constantly.
But upon closer inspection, the bubbles rising from within burst like miniature meteors the moment they broke the surface, then sank back down again.
Like tiny comets.

“I’ve done it.”

He’d suffered through the work, but fortunately, he’d managed to finish before the elves departed.
All that remained was to take it to his grandfather…

“You’ve been overexerting yourself again.”

Patrick stood at the door frame, his displeasure evident and unguarded.

“When did you arrive?”
“I had some time just now.”

In truth, Patrick had been checking on when Lion’s work would finish morning and evening alike, but he couldn’t admit as much.

‘He shouldn’t feel pressured without reason.’

It was a different way of thinking than his old embarrassment at being forthright.

“So everything is ready then?”

Before making the Four-Star Spirit Water, he’d already sent word through Elvia.

“Yes.”

At Lion’s confident answer, Patrick let out a quiet chuckle.
Truth be told, Patrick was quite pleased with the situation.
As a grandfather, he’d never even known his grandson had a talent for Spirit Summoning.
He’d heard that Lion’s talent was, by all accounts, on a level that transcended what humans were typically capable of.
When the High Elves had looked at him with those eyes that seemed to ask how he could possibly waste such talent, he’d felt an urge to hide away somewhere—hardly befitting of a Grand Mage.

‘I thought I’d been watching carefully and looking after him all this time…….’

He’d fallen far short.
Perhaps Lion had harbored resentment too, deep down.
All those years of struggling because he lacked magical talent, when in truth his gifts lay elsewhere—wasn’t that its own kind of tragedy? He was skilled in Alchemy, accomplished at Cooking. His aesthetic sense was refined.
And he had excellent taste in many things.
And during that gathering, Patrick had noticed—his administrative capabilities were also exceptional.
He’d never done such work before, yet he handled everything with the ease of a seasoned professional.
That image kept rising unbidden in his mind, and for the past several nights he hadn’t slept properly.

‘If only I’d hired a Spirit Summoner back then!’
‘If only I’d opened a different path for him sooner!’

It was these irreversible regrets that weighed on him.
Of course, even if they could turn back time, Lion would still be helpless due to the Mana Shock afflicting him then.
Unfortunately, even the Grand Mage Patrick found his reason clouded when it came to his grandson, and so that logical truth never reached his conscious mind.
But this time—
hadn’t Lion asked him to come along to the Labyrinth as his ‘protector’ for the Spirit Summoning?
What could that mean?
That the grandson he treasured more than his own eyes trusted him most of all!

‘That’s right. If I couldn’t help before, then I’ll do better from now on.’

His expression remained as calm as always, but Patrick’s resolve had hardened as never before.
He would absolutely be of use to his grandson!

“If you’re ready, let’s go.”

Patrick set his mind firmly and headed toward the Labyrinth with Lion.

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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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