Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 97

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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 Is Unaware, But I Shall Pursue Healing — Episode 97

It was a situation deserving of scolding, but being scolded for real felt somehow unjust.
No, it’s just that…….
I was pushing myself hard, trying my best…….

“All right. Since you’re being scolded anyway, you’re going to help me with something.”
“……Understood.”
“First, change into this.”

Lion handed over a set of clothes he’d prepared in advance.

“This is…….”

[Jjimjilbang Outfit Set (★)]
– Perfect for wearing in hot places.
– Naturally dyed with healing clay that’s good for the body.

It was a jjimjilbang outfit.
Lion had made it simply in his room during his stay in the Bydentis Territory.
Indeed, things felt incomplete without it.

“Certainly, it does seem perfect for wearing in a place like this.”

Though the short sleeves and shorts design was a bit startling, it looked excellent for mobility.
Ricshel put the outfit on at once and was slightly surprised.

‘It’s much more comfortable than I expected.’

There were no constricting areas, and whether it was made from fabric with good water absorption, his body felt unburdened.
And on top of that.

“There we are.”

Lion rolled up a towel and placed it atop Ricshel’s head like a pair of braids.

‘A jjimjilbang visit really needs the towel braids.’

After becoming an adult, he didn’t necessarily do the towel braids anymore, but when he came with friends as a child, the braids were one of those things you simply had to do.
They’d been fashionable at one point, and more than anything, they were adorable!
Ricshel touched the towel braids awkwardly a few times before walking to Lion’s side.

“What would you have me do?”

At the question, Lion opened the alchemical cauldron.
And inside were some perfectly cooked…….

“……Eggs, are they not?”
“That’s right.”

Ricshel looked at the sight and was a bit flustered.
But surely, no matter what, this is an alchemical apparatus.
Can one actually cook food inside this?
A fundamental doubt arose.

“Are you perhaps conducting some new research?”
“What? I’m just cooking them?”

Lion fished out the warm eggs, placed them in a bowl, and handed them over.

“Shell me an egg, would you?”
“Shell it, sir?”

It wasn’t a difficult request.
Even for Ricshel, he knew how to peel a boiled egg.
And yet.

‘…now that I think about it.’

He’d never peeled one with his own hands before.

“Understood, sir.”

In any case, all he needed to do was separate the shell from the white cleanly.
Ricshel’s expression grew solemn, and he drew his staff.

“Huh?”

It was Lion who was taken aback.
So serious? What’s the staff for?

“To peel it perfectly, I believe magic would serve best, sir.”
“No, that’s not it.”

Right—magic would indeed be perfect.
He wasn’t wrong.
With magic, he could do it more certainly, without leaving a single fragment.
But using magic just for an egg? That seemed like overkill.

‘Besides, his body still isn’t fully healed.’

Hot spring water could restore wounds and stamina, but not Mana.
If it restored Mana as well, it would be less a hot spring and more an “Elixir Bath.”

“Put the staff down. Let me show you how it’s done.”

Unable to watch further, Lion demonstrated the proper technique himself.

“Watch. Like this.”

Lion tapped the egg sharply against a clean rock, cracking it, then rolled it along the surface.
With each rotation, the well-cooked shell made a soft crackling sound as fissures spread across it.
He picked at the fragmented shell with his thumbnail, peeling away sections, then unwrapped the rest as though removing packaging—and soon the perfectly cooked, plump golden-brown interior came into view.
Plump and glossy, with a savory aroma rising from it—unmistakably well-cooked.

“Oh, it’s brown in color. I’ve never seen one like this before.”
“It’s been roasted longer. Want to try it?”
“Yes, I’ll try it.”

Ricshel bit into the roasted egg without hesitation, taking a generous mouthful.

Crunch!

“…!”
“How is it? Unusual, right?”

Unlike ordinary boiled eggs, the white of a roasted egg possessed a distinctive plumpness and texture.
Moreover, because salt had been generously sprinkled before cooking, the flavor had soaked in well enough that it was entirely pleasant to eat plain.
And with the subtle floral notes of the hot spring water mingling with it, the whole thing carried a refreshing essence.

“It’s truly delicious!”

It tastes wholesome and doesn’t burden the stomach, yet I keep wanting more of it!
This is the hardest part to achieve, and yet simply roasting an egg makes it happen.

‘It’s nice when people enjoy their food.’

Lion felt oddly pleased and wiped the tip of his nose.

“Anyway, peeling them this way makes things easier. You can peel while eating, so could I ask you to handle it?”
“Of course. I understand.”

After teaching Ricshel the proper way to peel eggs, Lion decided to prepare something else.
And that something was—

‘These stone mushrooms.’

Normally they’d be too hard as stone and “impossible” to roast, but Lion had tasted them roasted deliciously before.
The secret was none other than using a spirit’s power!
They could be roasted with even a lower-tier spirit’s Enchant, so with Nature’s help, it should be entirely possible.

“Think you can manage it?”

Nature, now fully animated, was about to breathe flames from her mouth as if to say just trust her—
Then she stopped abruptly.
After a moment’s thought, she extended one wing toward Lion.
As if demanding something.

[Your Familiar Spirit ‘Nature’ is requesting a snack.]

“…….”
“…….”

In that moment, silence fell between Nature and Lion.
A tense psychological battle had begun, and Lion pretended ignorance as he spoke.

“Fine. Want some Spirit Water and Spirit Stone?”

A firm shake of the head.

Her wing trembled with force.

[Your Familiar Spirit ‘Nature’ is requesting a snack!]

An exclamation mark had been added this time.
Lion studied Nature for a moment.

[Warning: Feeding human food too frequently to your familiar may develop bad habits.]

The warning he’d seen before came to mind.
So that’s what it meant.
With an ordinary familiar, he probably would have hesitated.
Setting aside the matter of bad habits, the health risks would likely be significant.
But—

‘Is it really a problem?’

After all, wasn’t this creature loyal enough to protect him even by expending her own strength when he was truly in danger?
She still consumed Spirit Stones and Spirit Water regularly, and she didn’t seem to have gained weight. She simply looked like a golden potato, that’s all.

“Chirp!”

Nature must have sensed the disrespectful thought, because the spirit suddenly bristled with indignation.

“Fine, fine. I get it.”

Lion picked up the S’mores Sandwich he’d made before Ricshel arrived.

“Help me out, and this is yours.”
“Peep!”

At Lion’s offer, Nature’s voice grew thin and eager again.
The spirit took position in front of the stone mushroom, opened its beak wide, and unleashed a burst of flame.
And then…….

[Roasted Snowpeak Stone Mushroom (★★)]
-The stone mushroom has been roasted using a special method.
-It has a chewy texture like meat and carries a distinctive, delightful flavor. Everyone from young to old will love it!

Perfect. It was roasted exactly as intended.
Even better than last time—beautifully golden-brown.
The outer surface had darkened to a rich brown, and when Lion sliced into it with his knife, the mushroom’s juices dribbled out and pooled on the flat stone.

‘This smells amazing.’

Lion swallowed hard and skewered the mushroom on a stick to make it easier to eat.

“Well done.”

True to his word, Lion handed the S’mores Sandwich to Nature.

“It’ll melt again if you warm it a little, so enjoy it while it softens.”
“……!”

Nature’s eyes gleamed as it accepted the sandwich, then the spirit carefully roasted it and began pecking at it contentedly.
Whatever spirit this was, it was genuinely sharp-witted.
The sight was enough to bring out a father’s smile.

“Lion. I’ve finished!”

While Lion watched over Nature, Ricshel returned with the eggs perfectly peeled and arranged in a bowl.

“Perfect timing.”

Lion arranged the peeled eggs on the flat stone and went to fetch Patrick, who was still enjoying the hot spring.
Patrick seemed thoroughly content with his soak, lounging in the water with a completely relaxed posture.

“Grandfather, let’s have a snack.”
“Mm!”

Patrick dried himself with the towel Lion offered, changed into a Jjimjilbang Outfit Set, and seated himself on the flat stone. Soon he was savoring the refreshments Lion had prepared.

“If it gets dry while you’re eating, just have some of this.”

Lion placed Spirit Water in front of them both.

“This is…….”
“Isn’t Spirit Water supposed to be for Familiar Spirits and Spirit Mages alone?”
“The full effect works only for Spirit Mages, but eating only eggs gets the mouth dry quickly. There’s nothing better for that.”

While it wouldn’t do much for digestion or Spirit affinity, the refreshing quality matched soda well enough, so it seemed fitting.

‘Though it’s supposed to be sikhye, originally!’

Preparing the malt took some time.
I’d make that another day, reluctant as I was to wait.
For now, let’s focus on eating.

“Please, help yourselves.”

Once Patrick started on the food, the other two followed suit.
I ate well-cooked eggs, then deliberately popped some Roasted Snowpeak Stone Mushroom into my mouth.

“Mm.”

When my throat felt dry, I drank Spirit Water.
Fortunately, the Spirit Water had a sweetly refreshing taste, filling the role of a cool beverage admirably.
We’d been eating like this for a while when Lion finally spoke.

“Come to think of it, I never congratulated you.”
“Pardon?”
“Becoming a 5-Circle Mage. Congratulations.”

Ricshel hadn’t expected such words—his face flushed crimson.

“Indeed. My congratulations as well.”

Grandfather echoed Lion’s sentiments.

“It’s hardly so remarkable. I still have far to go. Did you not achieve the 5th Circle yourself at a younger age, Patriarch?”

Patrick set down his drink and spoke with sudden gravity.

“How young you are when you achieve it doesn’t matter. What matters is how wide the Circle Gap grows between each breakthrough.”

In other words: the longer the gap between Circles, the harder it becomes to reach the next Enlightenment.
Lion, hearing this, ventured a question.

“Then which period was hardest for you, Grandfather?”
“Probably the time it took to forge the 6-Circle.”

That was the path Ricshel still had to walk.

“……!”
“I’m not telling you to burden yourself with worry.”

As Ricshel stiffened with tension, Patrick began his explanation slowly.
More a recounting of the past than an explanation, really.

“When I became a 5-Circle Mage, I was terribly young. And I was arrogant.”

Arrogant with good reason—he had the talent for it.
Patrick had mastered the 5th Circle before he turned thirty.

‘I suppose Illusion Magic becomes accessible once you master the 5-Circle.’

The same Illusion Magic that had tormented Lion in the Labyrinth.

“I believed I could endure everything on my own. So I did move alone, in fact. And I paid dearly for it.”

Grandfather closed his mouth for a moment, then tilted his head to the side, laying his neck bare.
Between the wrinkled folds of skin was a scar so vivid and pronounced that anyone would have taken it for a mortal wound.

“This is……!”

Lion and Ricshel were seeing this wound for the first time.
Come to think of it, Grandfather had always preferred clothes that covered his neck.
Was this the reason why?

“Exactly what it looks like — a mortal wound.”
“How did you survive?”
“I received help.”

Patrick chuckled softly and slipped into memory.

* * *

At that time, he had been tracking a high-ranking Demon, tasked with its elimination.
But the creature’s stratagem was ruthless, and Patrick soon found himself isolated, facing death.
He had barely escaped instant death, yet blood poured endlessly from his neck — it was only a matter of time before the end came.
He felt regret.
To die in a place like this.
But there was no turning back.
He was deep in territory where calling for help was nearly impossible.
Yet even as he was dying, Patrick moved with cold clarity.
With one hand, he staunched the flow at his throat; with the other, he wrote his final words.
At the very least, his betrothed and his comrades deserved to know what had happened to him.
And just as he was about to write that final period——

“You absolute madman, you damned fool!”

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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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