Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 98

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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 Being an Heir, But I’d Like to Heal — Chapter 98

A colleague appeared.
It was the Underworld Pickpocket, the one who’d needled me most relentlessly over the years.
Were we close?
Not remotely.
If anything, we’d carried ourselves like rivals, always wondering which of us would die first.

“With such short-sighted thinking, your lifespan must be equally brief.”
“From the look of your manners, you’ll be the first among us to meet your end.”

Utter incompatibility.
Until then, we had never cooperated in any meaningful way.
Yet here he was.
In this perilous place!
While he grappled with a high-ranking Demon, the Priest came to me and cast Healing Magic.

“The bleeding is far too severe! Patrick, you mustn’t fall asleep under any circumstances!”

Her usual gentleness had vanished; she cried out with urgent sharpness, pouring Holy Power into my wounds.
In that moment, Patrick understood something.
There were things that could not be done alone.
Grounded in that insight, Patrick ascended to the 6th Circle, crawled through mud and blood and death itself, and made it out alive.
The two who came to rescue me experienced no less.
Covered in filth and drenched in blood though they were, they had survived.
That was what the 6th Circle meant to me.

‘But…….’

Patrick chuckled softly and tapped Ricshel on the shoulder twice.

“You’ll reach it faster than I did.”

Because you already know that help exists.

“……Really? Thank you.”

Ricshel didn’t quite follow, but he nodded anyway.

“By the way, Lion—didn’t you have something else to say to Ricshel?”
“Oh!”

Lion, who had been savoring this warm moment, suddenly remembered something.

“That’s right. I almost forgot.”
“Sir? What is it? Is there something I should help with? Did something go wrong in the Bydentis Territory……?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“I see. Then what is it?”
“Well, the Emperor’s Birthday Celebration is coming up soon, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s right.”

From what I understand, the Emperor’s Birthday Celebration is some two months away.

“It’s a grand affair and an auspicious occasion, so you and I will likely both attend.”
“Yes. Though as your successor, I should certainly go regardless.”
“Yes. But…….”

What does the Emperor’s Birthday Celebration have to do with me?
Lion, reading the question in his eyes, smiled with satisfaction and spoke.

“At that time, Marquis Bydentis agreed to be your partner.”
“……What?”

Could it be that the many reports scattered across the room when he’d stopped by earlier were related to this?

‘Come to think of it, it’s not a bad arrangement.’

If his brother judged it acceptable, it meant the Household Head of House Bydentis was not a man of poor character.
Moreover, he had even helped when his brother disappeared.
There seemed to be some difficulty with emotional communication, but that hardly mattered.

‘As a partner, it’s an excellent choice.’

A union between a master swordsman’s house and a master mage’s house carried considerable strategic value.

‘And the Household Head as well…….’

A sidelong glance at his expression suggested he had no objection to joining hands with the swordsman’s house.

“Understood. I shall send a letter of my own.”
“Yes. Be friendly with him. He’s not a bad person.”
“Of course.”

Not a bad person, he’d said…….

‘I can roughly piece together what happened in House Bydentis.’

Ricshel’s expression brightened with relief, and he smiled openly.
There was a scent in the air—the scent of kinship.
If things had unfolded as he suspected, there would be much to discuss with the Household Head of Bydentis.

* * *

The three who had indulged at the hot spring returned home late in the day.
Grandfather had other business elsewhere, and Ricshel himself had meant to work, but…….

“No.”

At Lion’s firm words, he set everything aside and headed to the bedroom.
And he fell asleep at once.

‘See? You’ve been worn out.’

Lion gazed at the sleeping Ricshel and quietly slipped from the room.

“Sigh.”

Though he’d endured some hardship over the past few days, watching his brother sleep so soundly filled him with quiet satisfaction.

‘I did well to make that choice.’

Now he could finally stretch both legs and rest easy.
Lion entered his room and collapsed onto the bed.
He’d thought of going out to the Village, but the carriage hadn’t arrived yet.
Moving about the Mimir Forest or the Estate itself was fine, but it was better to wait until the carriage arrived for security reasons.

‘Then in the meantime…….’

What was there to do?
He could lounge about doing nothing and be perfectly content, but there was something especially pleasant about keeping busy with one thing or another.

“The hot spring is finished.”

Lion counted on his fingers as he murmured to himself.

“The evening primrose will probably need decent fertilizer rather than just being planted as is.”

He’d already concocted the Flame Herb Nutrient, but that worked only on plants with fire-affinity properties.
If he used it on ordinary plants, they’d wither to dust—that much was certain.
Which meant he should probably put off entering the Labyrinth for a while longer.

‘Should I just rest?’

He hadn’t been back from his travels long, and there was something appealing about the idea of simply lounging about in comfort.

“Ah! Or maybe I should try that?”

Lion bolted upright in bed.

‘Sikhye.’

Yes, there had been something missing at the hot spring.
A refreshing carbonated drink was pleasant enough, but you really needed something like Sikhye to complete the true experience of a proper bath, didn’t you?

“Does the kitchen have barley?”

Lion hauled himself out of bed and shuffled toward the kitchen.

“Ah, Young Master!”

Alex, the head chef, greeted Lion warmly, as always.
But then—

‘There’s quite a bit of oil smell coming from the kitchen.’

And that aroma was—

“Hotteok?”
“Exactly, Young Master! I’ve finally mastered it—making hotteok!”

He went on to explain that he hadn’t been able to serve them at the last evening meal because they were still incomplete.

“But now! At last, it’s perfected!”

Alex shrugged proudly, displaying the hotteok arranged in flawless circles.

‘He seems quite pleased with himself.’

After Lion had shown him the recipe before, there’d been no word from him about it, so Lion had assumed it was merely an interesting experience—but apparently that wasn’t the case.
The hotteok were actually quite round and evenly golden-brown, baked to perfection!
They even had a glossy sheen that unmistakably captured the authentic feel of a professional shop’s hotteok.

‘And I didn’t even give him the recipe.’

He must have spent the time carefully mixing the dough and filling it with all manner of experiments.

“When I first made them, the filling would burst out everywhere—it was quite troublesome. But who am I? Head chef of House Asteri, that’s who.”

Alex handed over one of the hotteok with unbridled confidence.

“Come now, please give me your assessment.”
“Hmm! Let me take a look.”

Lion didn’t hesitate to pick up a hotteok and take a bite.
The soft, chewy texture gave way to an elegant, sweet syrup that coated his entire tongue—what a sensation!
The taste and mouthfeel were nearly identical to what Lion himself had made.

‘A true master craftsman really is something else.’

“This is easily as good as what I made myself.”
“I’m relieved to hear it! Is there anything else you’d like to say?”

Alex beamed with a broad smile, waiting eagerly for more of Lion’s thoughts.

“Well… if I’m being picky about it.”

Lion fell silent for a moment, then added honestly.

“It’s a bit too refined.”
“I’m sorry?”

Too refined?
What could that possibly mean?

‘Isn’t that how it should be, though?’

Alex tilted his head in confusion.
This was a dish meant for important people—specifically for the direct line of House Asteri whom he served.
Naturally, he should spare no effort: the finest materials, the greatest skill, the most time.

“Here’s the thing…”

Lion scratched his head.
If you asked whether hotteok was truly such a refined food, you’d have to say no.
It was more of a common, familiar dish.
It was the kind of food you’d buy from a street vendor on a cold day, pulling out crumpled coins from your pocket to exchange for a piping-hot treat.
But this hotteok… how could he describe it?
It was as if it were meant to be eaten elegantly with a knife and fork.
And when you do that, naturally, the hotteok loses its essential character.

‘How am I supposed to explain this?’

It was awkward to say outright.
Lion thought for a moment, then an idea came to him.
Yes, this might work.

“The truth is, I made it for my family, but I wanted it to be something anyone could easily enjoy—a dessert that felt accessible.”
“Accessible to anyone?”
“Yes. Like the kind of food you’d buy on the street, for example.”
“…! Ah, I see now!”

Fortunately, even with Lion’s rough explanation, Alex seemed to understand perfectly.
He gazed at his own flawlessly crafted hotteok and murmured to himself.

“So that’s why the Young Master was… ah, I understand now!”
“Even so, a hotteok enjoyed like this is wonderful in its own way. I can tell how much you care about our family.”
“Ah, Young Master…!”

Alex’s eyes grew bright and glistening with emotion, his gaze full of earnest devotion.

‘Our Young Master truly is the finest.’

I ought to repay him with even more delicious dishes going forward!

“I shall dedicate myself further to my craft. Ah, but your visit here today—surely there’s something you require?”

Alex belatedly asked the purpose of the visit.
Speaking with the readiness to provide whatever was needed.

“Do you happen to have any barley?”
“B-barley?”

It was an unexpected ingredient, and Alex’s expression turned peculiar.

“Barley, you say? Are you planning to consume it directly?”
“Not to eat right away, but why?”
“Well, barley is typically used for beer, you understand. Ah, though those who wield swords do occasionally consume it for training purposes.”

Alex scratched his head and told Lion to wait a moment, then disappeared into the storage where the grains were kept.

Rustle, rustle!

After several clattering sounds, Alex emerged carrying a sack brimming with barley.

“Here you are.”
“Thanks. Though…….”

Lion accepted the sack of barley and recalled what had just been said.

‘He did say it was for training purposes among those who wield swords.’

If that were the case, then the ones in House Asteri eating it must be the Knight Order, wasn’t it?

‘Though it hardly seems likely they’re brewing beer.’

Grandfather didn’t enjoy beer.
And Lion had never seen beer in the household either.
Ricshel?
Certainly not. He’s still a minor.

“In any case, thank you.”
“Think nothing of it, Young Master! If there’s anything else I can prepare, I’ll have it ready at once!”
“Really?”
“Yes?”
“Then could you get me some rice? The kind that’s been ground completely, hull and all.”
“…….”

Rice?
Ah, perhaps he’s thinking of risotto?

“Not the kind that crumbles apart when cooked—the kind that stays sticky and glutinous.”

Sticky rice, then—that wasn’t it.
What on earth could he be planning?
Alex regarded Lion as an eccentric once more.
He simply couldn’t imagine what he meant…… but.

‘He did make hotteok before.’

He’d even repurposed the glutinous rice flour he’d set aside ages ago, thinking he might use it someday.
The results were invariably shocking in their creativity.
The thought stirred something in him—a quickening of anticipation.

“I should be able to procure it without much difficulty.”

Of course, sourcing the rice with those particular specifications was another matter entirely.

“Thanks. I’ll leave it in your hands, then.”

Lion hoisted a burlap sack onto his shoulder and, snatching up several kitchen implements along the way, waved goodbye.

“Hm?”

Alex watched Lion depart with undisguised curiosity.

‘Why is he heading that way?’

However unconventional the Young Master might be, Alex had never seen him venture in that direction.
That was the servants’ quarters, after all.

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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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