Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 108
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 108
Lion was genuinely impressed.
He was an Archmage, and while he knew the extent of that power, witnessing it firsthand like this felt completely different.
“Aren’t you tired?”
“It simply feels good to stretch my limbs once in a while.”
He genuinely looked quite refreshed.
‘Come to think of it, Elvia liked it too.’
Petrick explained the method for unsealing and the precautions to take,
including the possibility of being swept into a storm of Magic Power…
“If things go wrong, get out of the Labyrinth at once. I’ll take care of the rest.”
It was the worry of a grandfather who feared his grandson might come to serious harm.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back then.”
Lion grinned, stowed the mana stone in his bag, and headed straight for the Labyrinth.
* * *
Rickson diligently monitored Varg’s condition under Lion’s orders,
and he told him the whole truth he had been hiding.
“Th-the Eclipse Symptom…?”
As a beastfolk with no prior knowledge of his own kind, Varg was greatly shocked to hear the name of his condition.
“Yes.”
“…”
Varg’s eyes trembled with anxiety.
Just as the Commander had explained, the strange sickness he felt under the moonlight and his sudden inability to keep up with training were all because of this Eclipse Symptom.
And on top of that…
‘And it’ll kill me?’
While hurting others in the process?
Varg feared death.
He had finally begun to be treated like a person and was getting along well with those around him.
Jake in particular had taken care of him without batting an eye, even when his palm had been torn open.
He worried when Varg was sick, and when meals came around, he’d slip him an extra piece of food.
When Varg couldn’t keep up with training, he’d pat him on the shoulder as if it were only natural, awkwardly offering comfort.
And what about the young master?
He had never experienced such kindness or such delicious food before.
Nor had anyone ever shared in the joy of giving. None of it.
So he had been living with the thought of repaying this kindness someday, and now that wasn’t possible.
Varg feared death.
No, death itself wasn’t what he feared.
He was afraid of losing his life.
And he could not bear the thought of destroying what he had gained with his own hands and fading away.
In that moment, Varg’s pupils dilated and his gaze sharpened.
“Varg.”
“Ah.”
Fortunately, he still came to his senses immediately when called.
Varg slowly raised his head to look at Rickson.
“Commander. I… I don’t want to hurt anyone!”
So, I’d rather.
Before the shape of those words could leave his mouth, Rickson grabbed Varg tightly by the shoulders.
“Urk.”
The sheer force of his grip was enough to snap him to attention.
Varg’s clouded reason returned in an instant.
“There is a way.”
“…A way?”
“Yes. Young master Lion seemed to have found a method for you. So until then, you have to keep your wits about you. Understood?”
Varg had so much he wanted to say.
The worry that if he lost his mind before then, he didn’t know what kind of damage he might cause.
The anxiety about what would happen if the method failed and he went berserk.
And… the guilt he felt toward those who were worried about him.
“…”
But he said nothing.
Rickson’s hand gripping his shoulder hurt so much.
It hurt, but it was earnest.
Varg clenched his fist.
His nails, which had grown sharp like a wolf’s, dug into his skin, but it helped sharpen his focus further.
“Understood.”
He had to do whatever it took to survive.
He had to remain lucid, even just one day longer, and hold onto the string of his reason for just one day more.
* * *
But things in the world rarely go as one hopes.
The crisis erupted not long after Lion entered the Labyrinth.
“Commander!”
Jake, who had been keeping an eye on Varg at Rickson’s request, came running, his face deathly pale.
“Varg, Varg is!”
He was showing the first signs of going on a rampage.
“…”
Rickson’s expression darkened.
‘Too soon.’
It hadn’t been long since the young master had presented a solution.
‘He was clearly fine just a few days ago.’
The symptoms had progressed rapidly in the meantime.
‘Damn it.’
Rickson clenched his fist and rose to his feet.
Still, it wasn’t a complete rampage yet. In that case…
‘I have to use that method.’
It was something Lion had told him through a maid.
If the problem occurred earlier than expected, they were to send Varg to the Mimir Forest.
Then restrict the forest so no one could approach.
And finally…
‘Confront him directly to prevent him from attacking anyone.’
The power of a rampaging wolf beastfolk becomes explosively strong, even if only for a moment.
The problem was that he would lose all reason and rampage to kill, charging like an undead with no care for what happened to his own body.
In other words, Rickson, who had to subdue him without hurting him as much as possible, wouldn’t be able to last long either.
‘Even so, I have to hold out as long as I can.’
He had to minimize the strain on Varg’s body.
Rickson grabbed his sword and stood up.
“C-Commander. Varg… he’s going to be okay, right?”
Rickson looked at Jake.
The boy was chewing on his lip anxiously.
Truthfully, Rickson didn’t know either.
He was just buying time.
But…
“Yes. He will be fine. So send Varg to the Mimir Forest right now.”
He lied.
This was Jake, who had looked after Varg so thoughtfully within the knight order.
And while Varg was the one in more urgent need, to Rickson, Jake was also like a son.
He had no need to show weakness in front of him.
“Yes. Understood.”
Just as Jake was about to leave after saluting,
“I shall assist.”
The door opened, and someone entered.
“Young master!”
It was Rickshel.
“It’s dangerous. We don’t know when he might lose his reason.”
“I have received permission from the Family Head.”
“…!”
Rickson’s eyes grew wide at Rickshel’s words.
First the Family Head and the eldest young master, and now even the heir, the youngest young master…!
It was something that would normally never happen.
The entire Asteri family was moving for the sake of a probationary knight.
“Truly, how can we ever repay this kindness…”
“You misunderstand something.”
Rickshel spoke in his characteristic cool, precise tone.
“I am merely using a knight of House Asteri to gauge my newly acquired power. My brother merely pointed out a good opportunity.”
“…!”
“Hence, there is no favor for you or that probationary knight to repay. Rather, I should be thanking my brother.”
Rickshel finished speaking and smiled faintly.
Seeing this, Rickson’s eyes turned red.
The youngest young master had officially declared that they needn’t feel burdened by it.
“Guide me at once.”
“…I will escort you!”
He swallowed the tears that threatened to rise and moved.
To Rickson, House Asteri was a great house.
Immense achievements, impartial treatment.
He had always considered it a tremendous honor just to serve Marquis Petrick Asteri, a man like a hero.
But…
Asteri was growing another step further than that.
He didn’t know exactly what it meant, but being a knight who protected them made his heart surge.
It was different from mere honor.
‘I’m proud of them.’
Rickson made a silent vow to dedicate everything,
even his body and soul, for this pride.
* * *
As the moon began to rise,
Lion entered the Labyrinth with the sealed mana stone and walked toward the lake.
Since he lit no campfire, he passed through the dark forest to reach the lake, where the moon shone brightly on its surface.
“Nature.”
“Cheep.”
Just as he had planned with Nature, Lion stepped onto the lake without hesitation.
Ordinarily, he should have sunk straight in…
but Lion’s foot floated on the water’s surface, drawing small ripples.
It was all thanks to Nature’s help.
It was a strange sensation, but he had to move quickly.
He had to gather as much Lunar Essence as possible before the moon set.
Lion walked out to a spot where no leaves cast shadows over the moon.
Then, as prepared, he placed glowstones around the lake and sprinkled glowstone powder between them as if connecting the dots.
It was a formation similar to a spirit summoning circle, but slightly different.
Finally, he stood in the center of the glowstones and placed down the sealed, empty mana stone.
“Whoo.”
This way, it would receive more moonlight than the shadowed forest, at least.
The moonlight in the sky and the moon reflected on the water.
With the Labyrinth being so rich in mana, it was certain to be abundant in lunar energy as well.
‘Now, what’s left.’
Lion raised the key in his hand and inserted it into the barrier.
It had clearly been tightly sealed to prevent anything from entering or escaping…
Click.
The sound of the key sliding in and the lock turning could be heard.
When Lion stepped back a few paces from the mana stone,
the unsealed mana stone floated up higher than his line of sight.
As if in response, the moon reflected on the lake’s surface sparkled even brighter.
Whoosh!
Soon, the mana stone began to indiscriminately absorb all energy.
The Labyrinth’s mana, the energy of nature, and even the moonlight—everything.
Like a greedy dragon voraciously scooping up beautiful jewels of every color.
The interior of the mana stone rapidly filled up again.
The breath that had been empty and severed pulsed with life once more.
Many colors mixed within, but the hue of the moonlight was definitely the deepest.
Lion plopped down on the water and watched the scene.
“It’s quite pretty.”
“Cheep.”
It felt like the entire night sky was flowing into it.
The multicolored starlight, the black night, and the brilliantly shining moonlight.
In contrast to the calm water’s surface, the leaves near the lake fluttered wildly, and foliage flew about, dancing.
The fresh scent of grass filled the lakeside.
Only when the moon began to set did the mana stone, which had greedily absorbed the surrounding energy, slowly begin to sink from the air toward the ground.
Lion got up and caught the mana stone before it touched the water.
The mana stone still seemed to want to rampage freely, lightly levitating and buzzing on his palm.
And inside it…
[Moonstone (★★)]
-A mana stone that has been heavily imbued with lunar energy through a special method. It possesses an effect nearly identical to Lunar Essence.
-It has cracks and looks like it could break at any moment, but it still glows faintly, just like a beating heart.
[Usage- Alchemy,??]
[☞Click to view recipe.]
A pale blue energy writhed inside it.
Its energy and grade were incomparably lower than the original top-grade mana stone, and it was even cracked as if it might shatter soon, but…
“That’s even better.”
[You have learned a method to transmute Moonstones more easily!]
“Oh?”
Well, I didn’t expect this.
A method for making Moonstones more easily popped into his head automatically!
‘With this method, I can take it easy and produce Moonstones later, can’t I?’
After all, the cost of a single Moonstone wasn’t cheap.
The top-grade mana stone was one thing, but…
‘The labor costs…’
It required the help of none other than his grandfather.
However, if he used this newly learned method, he could obtain Moonstones in sufficient quantities, albeit slowly.
‘First, let’s make the nutritional supplement with this.’
Lion walked out of the lake area with Nature, brought it to the alchemy cauldron, and…
Without hesitation, he ground the Moonstone forcefully with a mortar and pestle!