Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 7

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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 Unknown, So Healing It Is – Episode 7

Mudu clasped his hands together, his expression tinged with unease.
He simply had no way forward.
The Fire Spirit.
Dwarf Descendants could perceive the presence of Fire Spirits in a way others could not.
But that was all.
With Spirit Affinity that had bottomed out, communication was fundamentally impossible.
He could only locate where the Fire Spirit dwelt, then carve or smith in its presence.
The reason Mudu had settled in the Asteri Territory and planted himself in the Blacksmith’s Forge was precisely this: the Fire Spirit here burned hotter than anywhere else.
Nowhere else came close.
So after settling down to work, he’d met a woman he loved, fathered two children, and built this forge into the territory’s largest and finest operation.
He’d done all that, and more.
But in recent years, the flames had begun to weaken.
Until now, his skill had compensated—he’d kept the quality from dropping—but the smiths under him had started producing flawed work.
If this continued, the spirit would fade entirely, and he’d be reduced to ordinary fire—a crisis he couldn’t ignore.
Not that smithing by ordinary flame was impossible, but……
There was a decisive difference between common fire and the flames born of a spirit’s power.

‘If that happens, I won’t be able to craft masterwork pieces.’

Once the quality fell, the Forge’s decline was inevitable—a fact he couldn’t deny.
Yet he couldn’t recruit a Spirit Communer, of which only a handful existed across the entire continent, much less the empire; and he certainly couldn’t go hunting for elves on the brink of extinction.
So he’d been racking his brains lately, and then……

A glance.

Mudu watched the stranger’s open, guileless face—he couldn’t fathom what the man was thinking.
Since the handshake, Raion had clung to the forge, muttering something to himself over and over.
Wasn’t he hot?
Even though Mudu, a true Dwarf Descendant, had immunity to flame, ordinary humans usually complained of pain before the heat until they grew accustomed.

‘But this fellow……’

An oddity. Raion Asteri.
Sickly rumors proved true—he was frail, his complexion pallid.
If Mudu hadn’t witnessed what he’d just seen, he’d never have imagined this man could accomplish anything of consequence.
But he had witnessed it.
Mudu had seen Raion Asteri gazing at the source of the flames.
This odd creature could see the spirits.
And perhaps, he could even communicate with them.
Look at him now.

“Ah, then if I give it that……”

Muttering away to himself like that.
Surely he was conversing with the Fire Spirit.

‘This could definitely be solved.’

Or at minimum, he’d be able to identify exactly what was wrong.
That’s why Mudu had offered such generous terms.
Any commission that came his way, Mudu would craft first.
Of course, there was a hidden calculation in it too.

‘What would a Magic Noble House member order from a blacksmith anyway?’

At most, maybe a curiosity or two.
If the spirit was fixed, Mudu could handle anything else with ease.

“So what exactly did the spirit say the problem was?”

He finished his muttering and asked as Raion approached with heavy, measured steps. Raion answered easily.

“It says it’s thirsty.”
“……A Fire Spirit?”
“A spirit is a living thing too.”

True. Strictly speaking, it was indeed a life form. It was born and it could perish—that made it alive.
But it wasn’t exactly an ordinary kind of life, was it?
Could you actually pour water on a Fire Spirit?

“So I should bring water?”
“What do you think happens when you throw water on fire?”

Wait, it said it was thirsty!

“What are you trying to say!”
“Calm down. Give it something it can actually drink.”
“…….”

Mudu thought to himself then: whenever he spoke with this character, stupidity had a way of finding its mark—and that mark was always him.
Every single time.

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it all.”
“……Fine. Just solve this. You bizarre creature.”

If he did, Mudu would give him anything—his masterwork, his whole collection, whatever he wanted.

“Really?”
“Yes. Really.”

Mudu had murmured it almost without thinking.
And Raion had certainly heard it—his smile widening into something predatory.
Caught.

* * *

Late into the night, after all the blacksmiths including Mudu had gone home.

“Overtime even after leaving the shop.”

Raion’s expression, as he said this, seemed somehow brighter.
The difference between involuntary overtime and the voluntary kind.

“Have you been waiting long?”

Raion spoke toward the forge where the flames had grown weak.

[A lower-tier spirit reports thirst.]
[Extended labor has left the lower-tier spirit’s essence parched.]
[Please quench the lower-tier spirit’s thirst!]

“All right. I’ll make it now.”

Raion began withdrawing the items he had prepared one by one.
The lower-tier spirit was in a dehydrated state.
Ordinarily, simply breathing fire in the Blacksmith’s Forge shouldn’t have exhausted it to that extent—but the issue was that this was the Asteri Territory’s largest smithy, and since a talented Dwarf Descendant had established himself here, commissions had surged to abnormal levels.

So the Fire Spirit must have been constantly spewing flames.

‘The Dwarf surely said his throat was parched, but….’

Unfortunately, the Dwarf Descendant couldn’t understand the spirit’s words at all, and since this Fire Spirit was only lower-tier, it couldn’t convey its intentions properly either.
Even now, direct communication was impossible.

‘At any rate, I’ve figured out what the problem is, so that’s enough.’

And fortunately, it was a problem he could solve.
Raion opened his inventory and pulled out an herb.

[Aqua Rosemary]
-Unlike ordinary rosemary, it carries a distinctly oceanic fragrance.
-When consumed raw, it tastes as salty as swallowing seawater.

Yes. He needed a potion made from this Aqua Rosemary.
Raion gazed at the leaves, which had a wave-like appearance unlike ordinary rosemary.
The basic description noted a salty taste when consumed raw, but opening the Cooking recipes revealed something slightly different.

[Asteri Aqua Rosemary Oil Recipe]
-Required ingredients: Aqua Rosemary x1, Oil x1
-It overflows with such refreshing coolness that it replenishes all the moisture drained from your body in one go!
-When added to meat dishes, it enhances the flavor.

The key difference was that when made into oil, the salty taste vanished and a refreshing quality emerged.
In other words, it became a beverage the Fire Spirit could actually consume.
Because it was oil, after all!

‘Mudu said I could use anything here, didn’t he?’

Fortunately, all the basic cooking tools were available.
Raion immediately placed the Aqua Rosemary and oil into a mortar and began grinding them finely.
Once it had mixed somewhat with the oil, the briny seawater smell faded away, and gradually a cool, ocean-breeze-like freshness began to permeate the air.
Raion placed the mixture of leaves and oil into cheesecloth and caught the pure oil in a bowl.
Once a small bowl’s worth of oil had accumulated….

[Asteri Aqua Rosemary Oil]
-It’s difficult to call it Cooking in the traditional sense. It’s more like a cooking ingredient made by an ‘Alchemist’.
-It carries a refreshing aroma.
-Remarkably, when consumed alone, it alleviates thirst slightly.
[Uses: Food, Potion]
[☞Click to view recipes.]

It wasn’t particularly impressive work, but for a lower-tier spirit, it would suffice.
Moreover, thanks to his potion-crafting specialty, it seemed to possess some potion-like efficacy as well.
Raion immediately took the oil he’d gathered and approached the hearth, beginning to sprinkle it into the flames bit by bit.
Then the flames, which had dimmed somewhat, met the oil and flared up brightly once more….

[The lower-tier spirit’s thirst is partially relieved.]
[The lower-tier spirit’s attributes mesh perfectly with the Aqua Rosemary Oil!]
[The spirit’s thirst has not yet been fully relieved.]

He’d found the answer.
The experience from In The World, which demanded such unconventional creativity, clearly had its uses.

“There we go. I’ll make more for you.”

Raion smiled contentedly and continued crafting the oil.
By the time the cool fragrance had spread throughout the Blacksmith’s Forge, once heavy with the smell of iron, and reached the houses nearby.

[You’ve opened your eyes to a new Talent by crafting simple materials yourself!]
[New Talent: Cooking]
[Cooking Proficiency has become Apprentice Lv.1.]

A notification appeared announcing the acquisition of a new Talent.
And at that same moment.

Whoosh!

The Lower-tier Spirit unleashed flames at a scale entirely different from before.

[The Lower-tier Spirit’s thirst is completely quenched.]
[The Spirit’s vitality is fully restored.]

[The Spirit is grateful to you.]
[Your Spirit Communion Talent’s experience increases by 30 percent.]

“Grateful? Don’t be silly.”

In truth, he’d merely known the solution; there was nothing difficult about it.
Besides, hadn’t he gained something quite substantial?
A Talent he hadn’t purchased had unlocked on its own.

‘If that’s the case, I should be able to acquire Blacksmithing-related Talents and plenty more besides.’

More Talents were always better.
And if it was Cooking, then…….

‘I could even put that Seasoning to use from the Shilling Shop.’

He could make foods that didn’t exist in this world and eat them himself.
Kimchi stew, for instance.

“Wow, just thinking about it makes me hungry.”

Raion clutched his growling stomach and gazed up at the sky.
The sun was rising again somehow.
And from far in the distance…….

“You eccentric madman! You actually did it~!”

Mudu came rushing over, his voice booming loud enough to wake every villager in sight.
His clothes were the same as yesterday, which made it obvious he hadn’t slept a wink from worry over the spirit.

“Huff, huff, I really ought to cut back on the drinking.”

Raion draped an affectionate arm across Mudu’s shoulders as he came up beside him, panting heavily.

“Uh……?”

Mudu stiffened on the spot.
There was something unmistakable about Raion’s expression and bearing.
What on earth was he after?
Surely he wasn’t about to say he wanted to take the spirit away……!

“The Hoe.”
“Huh?”
“We agreed to make it together. The scythe and the Hoe.”
“Oh, oh? Right, that’s true. But you…….”

Am I having a nosebleed?
I wiped my nose with my hand, and sure enough, blood was trickling down.

“Ah, I stayed up all night. It’s nothing.”

Nothing? What do you mean, nothing?
What does this make of Mudu’s position!
Making the sickly Asteri family’s eldest young master work all night, then sleeping like a stone—or rather, like a dwarf would—that’s what I’ve become!

“Let me just make the hoe first.”
“……Yes, fine. I’ll make everything you want—the hoe, whatever. Just go rest for now.”
“And the scythe too.”
“Alright, I’ll craft whatever you need! Let’s go, come on! Your hand! Young master, let me help you—young master? Are you already asleep?”

The hundredth Mudu looked down at Raion, who was half-standing, half-asleep, and decided to head back to his own house first.

“No, dear! What on earth happened that you didn’t sleep and just—oh my?”

Mudu’s wife’s startled gasp was the natural reaction to seeing Raion carried on Mudu’s back, his legs dragging limply behind him.

* * *

Raion opened his eyes to morning sunlight and the sound of birdsong.

Creak.

When he raised himself from the plain bed—not the fine one in the manor, but the sort commoners used—it let out a whining squeak.

“Oh, you’re awake, young master!”
“Mm…….”
“I hear you suffered greatly on his account. It may be smaller than the manor, but I’ve heated some warm water for you. Please wash up and have something to eat.”

Now that she mentioned it, a savory aroma was drifting through the air.
This was a peaceful morning, wasn’t it?
Raion tied back his long hair, washed himself, and sat down at the table on instinct.
Then…….

Gleam-gleam.

Two small children peeked out from behind the wall, watching him intently.
Ah, now I understand.
This is Mudu’s house.

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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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