Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 70

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

I Don’t Know About Succession, But Let’s Do Some Healing — Episode 70

“Huh?”

Lion was startled by the nosebleed trickling down without any real pain behind it.
What did I even do?

‘I was pushing myself when I made the hoe, sure.’

But I’m barely doing anything now.
All I did was create a Summoning Circle and stand quietly inside it — that’s all.

‘Though now that I think about it, my whole body feels a bit cold.’

Lion pressed his nose with one hand to stop the bleeding and took inventory of his condition.
He seemed to be running a fever.

‘Surely not…….’

Is my Level really that low?
Can’t I even handle that small form?
As he turned this thought over, he looked at Nature…….
The creature looked quite alarmed too!
Then, as if to say there was no other choice, it shifted its form once more.
Not human this time — a smaller, simpler beast shape instead.

Sliiide!

Its form flowed like liquid, and what emerged was…….
A round, plump chick.

“Heh.”

Lion couldn’t help but laugh.
How adorably tiny could it be?
For something supposedly an Ancient Spirit, it looked exactly like a perfectly ripe yellow potato.
Nature itself seemed shocked by its own appearance, examining its wings carefully.
The expression was unmistakable — as if it were thinking, ‘How could my master be so feeble?’
Having accepted its current state, Nature protested by pecking at Lion’s finger with its beak.
As if asking what he’d been doing all this time to end up like this.
The look on its face said: How dare you reduce me, who is called the Spirit King, to this form.

[The aura of ‘Nature’ stops the bleeding.]

Fortunately, it wasn’t trying to actually hurt him.
Even as the spirit’s power waned, the Spirit King was still the Spirit King — the nosebleed ceased in an instant.

[Your companion spirit is displeased with you.]
[To resolve the dissatisfaction…….]

“Yeah, yeah. I get it.”

Lion waved away the explanation that followed with his hand.
Nature pecked at his palm a few more times and flexed its claws to express its displeasure, then gave up and flopped down onto his palm with a soft thump.

‘……But wait, what happened to my original body?’

Was it dead?
It was nothing less than an Ancient Spirit.
Moreover, the Nature that had originally been his spirit was summoned intact.
Which meant one of two things.
Either he could no longer summon and the contract had been dissolved, or the spirit had died and the contract had ended with it.

‘But Nature recognizes me…….’

It was difficult to say. He’d have to wait until he could speak with Nature again to sort through the truth of it.
Lion wiped his face with his sleeve and surveyed the area around him.
The Fairy Dust that had been dancing in the air vanished in a shimmer with the summoning, and everything returned to its natural state.

“Lion! Are you all right?”

The moment the Summoning Circle quieted, Patrick cast Teleportation and rushed over, wiping Lion’s face clean with a handkerchief.
The dried blood smeared across his face disappeared against the fine fabric.

“Ah, Grandfather.”
“What in the world…….”
“I’m fine. My body just took a fright, that’s all.”
“…….”

Despite Lion’s composed words, Patrick’s worry only deepened, reaching toward the heavens themselves.

“But this child—she’s my spirit.”
“…….”

Patrick’s expression grew graver still.

‘As I thought, he knows.’

Lion had introduced Nature on the chance that his grandfather knew something about her, and it seemed his instinct had been right.

‘If that’s the case, then Grandfather…….’

He knew about the secondary character. He knew the Druid.
So was that one the Hero?
That much he couldn’t be certain of.

“I see. Have you chosen a name?”
“I named her Nature.”
“……Nature?”

Patrick gazed at the small chick resting in his grandson’s palm.
By the aura alone…… it was unmistakable.
An Ancient Spirit.
The Druid’s spirit. And the name was the same as well.
But how could this be?

“How did you come by that name?”
“She told me herself.”
“…….”

Lion gently patted his grandfather’s shoulder before the mood could grow any heavier.
His grandfather seemed to have plenty on his mind, but dwelling on it here wouldn’t yield any answers.

“My goodness—this tiny creature came into the world, and you suffered so much for it…… Every bone in my body aches just thinking about it.”
“Mm, yes. Your body took quite the shock. Let’s head back. Can you walk on your own?”

If not, he was prepared to use Flight Magic or anything else necessary to carry Lion back.

“Ha. It’s a bit sore, but I can walk just fine. Let’s get going.”

The two of them slipped out of the Labyrinth with swift efficiency.
Patrick, still unsatisfied even then, escorted Lion all the way to his room before handing him over to Elvia personally, only then returning to his own affairs.

“Let’s have you rest properly first, sir.”

Elvia, who seemed considerably worried, laid Lion directly onto the bed.

“All right.”

Of course, since today was the day the elves would depart, he’d need to rise shortly and bid them farewell, but for now he should rest what he could beforehand.
Exhaustion tugged at him, and sleep came readily.

‘Elvia will wake me in a little while.’

Nature, too, settled down beside Lion’s bed and closed her eyes.
Given her small form, there seemed to be no drain on her energy.
Or perhaps, being the curious creature she was, she drew upon her own reserves instead.

Blink.

Lion gazed at Nature with quiet contentment before slipping into sleep without quite knowing when.

* * *

Patrick, having emerged from the Labyrinth with Lion, found himself in a state of unusual agitation.
The last time he’d felt such anxiety was when Lion had gone missing inside the Labyrinth.
Patrick paced his room in serious contemplation, circling back and forth more than once.
It was unlike him, but he couldn’t keep his body still after what had just transpired.

“……So it was.”

Then, as if he’d reached a decision, he retrieved his Magic Communicator and contacted someone.
The Elder Elf herself — Boaresia.

-First you reach out to me? The boy must have pulled off something remarkable.

Before long, the connection was established, and Boaresia’s leisurely question came through.

-So, what rank of spirit emerged?

“Sigh…….”

Patrick answered with a deep exhale instead.

-Patrick?

“How far did you actually expect this to go?”

-What are you talking about?

-……

The room fell silent in an instant.

-Impossible. It’s probably not an Ancient Spirit.

“Why not?”

-Ancient Spirits don’t make contracts with those they’ve never met.

“……”

-Even if it did encounter someone, an Ancient Spirit would be waiting for its old master. That much is certain.

“That’s true.”

The odds were high that it waited for that Druid.
The Druid.
A person whose name they didn’t even know.
The one who appeared suddenly when the Hero suffered grievous wounds and fell into a state of Contamination, saving him at that critical moment.
He’d introduced himself as merely a skilled Druid, nothing more, and later the awakened Hero had confirmed he was an acquaintance worth knowing.
With his characteristic gentle demeanor and extraordinary Spirit Affinity, he’d traveled with them for a short time under the permission of the Elder Elf.
He was certainly the Hero’s ally, but his true identity remained unknown—one of those mysterious “helpers” whose purposes lay shrouded.
And his power was……

‘If he’d wielded an Ancient Spirit, his potential would have rivaled the Hero’s.’

Yet Lion had not only crafted a potion for the Hero—he’d summoned the Spirit of one of those close to him.

‘What in the world was coming that required such measures?’

-Patrick. I cannot presume to know your thoughts, but the fact that you contacted me means you need aid. If so, allow me, as one who has lived long, to offer counsel.

The voice paused briefly before continuing.

-That an Ancient Spirit has chosen a new master means trials of great magnitude lie ahead. Should that incident from fifty years ago recur……

“……”

-No matter what. Do not sacrifice him.

The Elder Elf’s voice was cold, though it seemed threaded with an edge of bitter laughter.
Patrick understood the reason.
In that short span of time, the Elder Elf had grown quite fond of the mysterious Druid.
It had been a fleeting meeting, even by human measure, yet in that time they’d become friends like no other.
But……

-No need for pity. It was merely a moment’s connection, after all.

“I know.”

Who among them had not lost someone to that war?
Parting, disappearing, dying—loss upon loss.
And it had befallen the Elder Elf in equal measure.

-Ahem, but let us set aside old tales for now. Before our children depart, I’ll have them convey that you wish to see your grandson’s condition.

Well then. If time permits later, we’ll have the grandson visit once. With those same formal parting words, Boaresia ended the communication.
Of course, Patrick had not the slightest intention of showing his grandson to Boaresia.

“Well, that’s certainly…”

She’d managed to strike a nerve with the Elder Elf.

‘Elves, really.’

There was a reason they insisted on drawing such a sharp line, calling themselves a distinct species from humans.
This was precisely it.
Still… she’d said she’d look after Lion.
My grandson is probably exhausted and sound asleep by now.

‘Surely she won’t force him awake.’

Given that the Elder Elf had made that command, she would adjust accordingly.
Patrick picked up his pen.
There was more work to do now, protecting Lion.
Not just the Hero, but those who stood beside the Hero.
He needed to gather intelligence on them as well.

* * *

What Patrick failed to account for was that the higher a Spirit User’s rank, the greater their yearning for Ancient Spirits tends to be.

Gulp.

Embrog and Tialli were whispering furtively outside Lion’s door.
Looking at them this way, one could hardly believe they were high-ranking elves—there was something almost frivolous about their demeanor.
Yet under the circumstances, it was hardly surprising.

“An Ancient Spirit, you say? We absolutely must see this for ourselves!”
“Indeed! I quite agree.”
“Since the young master Lion is sleeping, what if we slip inside for just a moment and slip back out? We can check on his condition as the Elder ordered, after all.”
“Indeed! Capital idea.”

Their eyes were already gleaming with excitement.
An Ancient Spirit!
A being that elves themselves might only encounter once in a lifetime, if ever!
And that wasn’t all.
Legend had it that merely standing in the presence of such an Ancient Spirit could heighten one’s Spirit Affinity and even grant the recipient some manner of blessing.
Whether that was true or merely rumor, surely there could be no harm in taking a peek.
Besides, when would they ever get another chance like this?
Today was the day they were meant to depart, after all.

“Come now—on the count of three, we slip inside quietly.”

One, two.

Bang!

“Oh dear.”

Alas, their infiltration had come to naught.
Lion had woken and thrown open the door wide.

“…….”

The pair’s movements froze, then they quickly composed themselves and offered a respectful greeting as though nothing had transpired.

“You’ve awakened. We were waiting for you.”
“Yes, that’s right.”

Anyone could see she was trying to sneak into his room, but Lion decided to let it pass for now.
Elvia had tipped him off before he left the chamber, after all.

“Young master. Two pointed-ear— that is, two elves are waiting outside.”
“They are?”
“Yes. They appear to have quite a number of questions for you, though you needn’t feel obliged to answer them all.”

In other words, it could get tedious.

‘Their eyes have gone wild.’

Indeed, there was something like madness gleaming in the eyes of both elves.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————