Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 9

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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 Know About Successors, But I’d Like Some Healing — Episode 9

That night, deep in the Mimir Forest in the dead of early morning, an unusual sound echoed through the darkness.

Scritch— scrape—

It sounded like an animal’s claws raking the earth to hide prey, or perhaps a sharp blade being dragged through soil.
As clouds parted from the moon on the wind, a figure emerged from one side of the forest, bent low over the ground.
The man continued digging at something.
Within the mound of loosened, damp earth, a bluish-green object about a hand’s length long revealed itself.
It looked just like a finger…….

[You have obtained Finger Ginseng (★)!]
-A plant whose efficacy is similar to common wild ginseng, but whose shape is known to resemble a human finger. It demands extraordinarily delicate Gathering technique.
-When properly steeped and consumed, it increases one’s vitality.
[Uses: Food, Potion]
[☞Click to view recipes.]

It was Lion, to be precise, harvesting Finger Ginseng in the deep night.

“Wow.”

Lion let out a short exclamation of wonder.
He’d simply tested the first plant he spotted, and the results were remarkable.

“Is the difference really that stark?”

The speed of gathering alone was undeniable.
Since he no longer had to dig through thick earth with his bare hands one handful at a time, he could harvest plants far more delicately.
But that wasn’t all.
Lion placed the Finger Ginseng in his Inventory and surveyed the surrounding forest.
After crafting the Hoe and sickle and arriving in the forest, far more items were now glimmering before him.
With tools in hand and his Cooking Talent unlocked, he could now Gather things bordering on actual food.
And what’s more, everything he harvested came with at least one star as standard.
Once he grew more accustomed to using the Hoe, 2-Star specimens would follow soon enough.
If that happened…….

‘3-Star Potions. Definitely within reach.’

“Why not practice until I get the hang of it?”

Just then, a plant with a rather familiar appearance caught his eye.

‘This is probably…….’

Lion quickly cleared the area around it with his sickle.

Swish!

As he lightly lopped away the leaves and stems…….

[Banana Sweet Potato Leaf (★)]
-Wild-grown sweet potato leaves. Slightly tough.
[Uses: Food]
[☞Click to view recipes.]

[Banana Sweet Potato Vine (★★)]
-Wild-grown sweet potato stems. Surprisingly tender.
[Uses: Food]
[Click to view the recipe.]

Sure enough, it was a sweet potato.
Better yet, a 2-Star Gathering item came away in his hand without any trouble.

‘So what’s inside this one…….’

Lion set the sickle aside and immediately began gently scraping away the soil around the plant with the Hoe.
And there it was—a nicely plump sweet potato, which he pulled free in one smooth motion!
Then…….

[Banana Sweet Potato (★★)]
-The skin is thick; it should be thoroughly cooked before eating.
-Softer and sweeter than regular sweet potatoes.
[Usage – Food]
[Click to view the recipe.]

[Roasted Banana Sweet Potato (★★)]
-Perfectly cooked! Be careful not to burn yourself when peeling the skin.

“…….”

One came out raw, one came out roasted.

“Why is it cooked?”

[You have obtained a Banana Sweet Potato, perfectly roasted by the blessing of a Lesser Spirit!]

“A Fire Spirit, then.”

Up until now, Lion had only encountered a Fire Spirit. Perhaps it had enchanted things when the Hoe was forged, or during the iron-smelting process. Spirits tended to favor people who could see them, and they were generally quick to repay kindness.
Lion suspected that maybe, probabilistically speaking, any food that could be eaten came out roasted.

It had been roasted so expertly that a savory, sweet aroma wafted up from it.
Moreover, because it had been roasted, there wasn’t a trace of dirt on it.

Lion settled onto a convenient tree stump and carefully peeled back the skin of the Banana Sweet Potato.

And…….

The flesh inside the skin gleamed as if glazed with honey, releasing a rich, sweet fragrance.
Lion bit into the sweet potato without hesitation.

It’s hot!
But that’s actually perfect.
Sweet potatoes taste best when they’re still piping hot, don’t they?

Huff. Huff.

The sweet potato split cleanly, releasing a billow of steam.
As he rolled it around in his mouth, the heat and sweetness collided, dancing across his tongue.

‘Delicious…!’

Where his teeth met it, the flesh gave way with the texture of mousse.
So much sweet juice oozed out that the inside didn’t feel dry at all, and more importantly, that distinctive earthy richness of a survival crop came through—nothing cloying about it.
It was like eating a regular sweet potato with milk.

‘I should really dig up more of these.’

Lion let out a small sound of satisfaction and devoured one Roasted Banana Sweet Potato in moments.
With the sweetness reviving him and his belly full, he felt genuinely content.
Looking around with his senses restored, the forest that had seemed only bleak and crowded with plants now appeared rather beautiful.
As the sun climbed, birds began to sing, and small creatures came to nibble berries.
And delicious sweet potatoes!

“…I should gather the Potion materials first, then eat some more.”

Lion patted his comfortably full belly, finished his quick test run, and immediately surveyed the area around him.
He needed to collect ingredients for a Mental Fatigue Recovery Potion.

“Ah, there they are.”

A dense cluster of ferns.
Back when he was Gathering by hand, the ferns had been tangled with weeds and so tough themselves that he couldn’t bring himself to touch them.
But now.

Slash!

Lion first cleared away the surrounding weeds with his sickle, then began harvesting the ferns with his Hoe.
The result.

[You have obtained a Red Sun Fern (★★)!]
[You have obtained a White Star Fern (★★)!]
[You have obtained a Blue Moon Fern (★★)!]

He was able to collect all the two-star ferns without any trouble.

“If I just gather all the ferns in this area, that should do it.”

A pair of 2-Star materials alone would likely fail to produce a 3-Star Potion.
Fortunately, the ferns didn’t seem to be processed or boiled before appearing—they must be classified as medicinal herbs first.
It wasn’t until the dawn had passed and the sun stood high in the sky that Lion finally got to his feet.

“Good. I’ve gathered plenty. Time to head back.”

Lion wiped his beaded forehead and gazed at the ferns in his Inventory with satisfaction.
A generous quantity of them lay within.

* * *

And at that same moment.

“Sigh…….”

John, Lion’s attendant, exhaled a deep, weary breath.
It was the fourth day since young master Lion had left the estate after receiving some order from the head of the household.

‘Why on earth did he go to the Smithy?’

By his common sense, it was a place he couldn’t understand.
Surely the head of household would only ask for Potions, and he’d heard that Silvia had provided the Potion Crafting tools.
But why would he be spotted at the Smithy, not even in the forest!

“Young master doesn’t seem to have returned yet.”
“Ah, head maid.”

John bowed respectfully to the voice from behind.
Head Maid Silvia was another elder of great influence within the Asteri Household.
She had worked here longer than anyone else, and handled all affairs within the family with wisdom surpassing that of anyone present.
And that wasn’t all.
Rumor had it that even the stern head of household held Silvia in great respect.
What did that mean!
It meant the head of household trusted and relied on her completely.

“How long has it been?”
“Four days now, ma’am.”
“Hm-hm…….”

Silvia said nothing more and smiled faintly.
Of course, her thoughts were quite complex.

‘Our little young master isn’t normally like this.’

At first, she’d honestly thought he was using Patrick’s order as an excuse to escape the stuffy estate and rest.
Creating a Potion that actually worked for Patrick was itself a remarkable achievement.
And she’d judged anything beyond that impossible.
She didn’t know much about Potions, but she at least understood that good materials and talent had to combine.
So she’d thought he was simply wandering about using a plausible excuse as a pretext…….
But it wasn’t so.

“That young gentleman looks like young master, so why is he at the Smithy like that?”
“Who knows. Something about having to learn to make something?”
“Even bled from the nose working under that foul-tempered blacksmith for the hundredth time, learning what, they say?”

It was gossip she’d overheard while shopping outside the estate.
So he hadn’t simply run away.

‘I don’t know exactly how Patrick put it.’

In any case, he was bustling about trying to make the Potion he would drink himself.
It was quite touching, honestly.
Silvia recalled the Potion she’d seen in Patrick’s room days ago.

‘……That potion wouldn’t work on me anyway, though.’

Rather, his effort unsettled her heart.
Such needless hardship!
Wasn’t he a child she’d been watching since birth?
She’d even seen him nearly breathe his last more than once.
Though she’d witnessed several generations of Asteri, Lion had always been Silvia’s tender spot.
Even as he withered mentally, he seemed to care in his own way, which made her heart ache.
And very quietly, shamefully even, something like hope stirred……. Still…….

“No, Young Master!”

Just as Silvia’s thoughts were gathering, John, who stood nearby, rushed headlong toward a figure approaching from the distance.
It was Lion.

“Good heavens! What in the world has happened to you!”
“It’s nothing much.”

Silvia made her way toward them at a measured pace. And without meaning to, she felt her composure falter.
Lion’s appearance was in a deplorable state.
The first thing to catch her eye was his hands.
On both palms gripping the sickle and Hoe, blisters dotted the skin in a way that looked unmistakably painful.
That wasn’t all.
His shirt bore bloodstains, and there were marks here and there that looked as though they’d been singed.

“Good heavens, what on earth is all this!”
“Some salve and I’ll be fine. Really, I’m all right. Ah, Silvia.”

Silvia watched Lion, who beamed at her with unclouded cheer.
The sight of him struck a chord—it was so like him as a boy—and her heart swelled with an emotion she couldn’t quite name.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this way.

“Young Master.”

Silvia called out to him, her voice trembling slightly.

“Your grandfather told you, didn’t he? Just wait a little longer.”
“…….”
“I’ve gathered the materials now, so it really will be soon. It hasn’t even been a week yet.”
“You’ve gathered the materials, you say?”

Lion silently held up the sickle and Hoe in his hands.

“That’s right, so I made them. Anyway, get some rest. John’s fine with what I told him, so he’s about his business.”

Leaving Silvia and John frozen in shock, Lion disappeared into his room.
As John fretted about fetching medicine, Silvia remained rooted to the spot, unable to do anything but watch Lion’s retreating figure.

‘It’s impossible he could create a Potion of that caliber…….’

She couldn’t believe it—and yet the certainty in Lion’s expression was unmistakable.

* * *

That night.
Silvia gazed at the Potion that lay beside a letter in her room.
Lion had succeeded.

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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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