Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 112
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 112
Lion walked briskly to the mill.
At some point, his hair and eye color had already changed due to the effect of ‘My Spitting Image.’
‘Come to think of it, I don’t have much of this left either.’
Perhaps because he used it often in the Bydantis territory, the hairpin had fewer uses remaining than he expected.
‘I should stop by that magic shop again, huh?’
Well, it had some real gems like the Repair Set, so it didn’t seem like a bad choice.
He could just restock when he had to travel a long distance later.
Lion yanked open the door of the mill.
“Nicholas!”
“Ah, Young Master! It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
Nicholas, who was in the middle of making bread, beamed and welcomed Lion warmly.
“You came alone today.”
“I’ve been a bit busy with my studies lately, so I couldn’t make it.”
“Good heavens, you’re so kind-hearted, and yet you’re so diligent with your studies. Truly remarkable.”
Still unaware of their true identities, Nicholas took the basket Lion was holding from him.
“Did you come to grind this?”
“Yes. I’m planning to make a drink with it, share it with my family, and if the taste is decent, share it with the kids at the orphanage too.”
“A, a drink?”
A drink…? Not beer…?
Nicholas swallowed the words that nearly escaped his lips.
‘Nah. Probably not.’
From everything he had seen of the young master so far, he was a unique person, but he wasn’t a bad one.
So with this, he must be making some kind of… right. Maybe he really intended to make a new kind of drink.
‘And what’s with that bird?’
Nicholas looked at the yellow bird sitting on the young master’s shoulder.
It looked like a chick and didn’t seem particularly precious…
‘Did he pick it up because he felt sorry for it?’
Given the young master’s kind heart, it was entirely possible.
Nicholas nodded to himself as he put the malt into the mill and ground it.
“I’m grateful on behalf of the children that you always think of them. Ah, now that I think of it, I have some good news!”
“Good news?”
In response to Lion’s question, Nicholas smiled brightly and said,
“Yes! You know that child, Peter? He’s going to be adopted! They say the people are reliable this time.”
“Oho!”
Peter.
The kid who had been emotionally wounded and avoided others during their last volunteer trip to the orphanage.
He had gotten a bit closer to Lion, but Lion had heard he was still distant with other people.
“That’s really great news, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It was decided just a few days ago!”
It was truly something to celebrate!
“Then I should go as soon as possible… Ah, but if he’s preparing for the adoption, I shouldn’t go now.”
Adoption was never a simple affair.
He had heard that orphanages run by the Temple required somewhat more special procedures, in particular.
First, the adoptive parents had to go through a special procedure at the Temple and swear to the god ‘Anyatras’ that they would not abandon the child and would stay together for a lifetime.
Next, they took the child to the Temple to check their physical condition.
That period lasted about a month.
During that time, the adoptee—Peter—would have time to say goodbye to the other children in the orphanage.
How would the child feel in that situation?
‘He must be feeling restless.’
Especially Peter, even more so.
A child who had been given up and returned to the orphanage several times.
To that child, the orphanage wasn’t an ordinary place; it was a kind of spiritual hometown.
It could even be called home.
“I was going to go right after this was made, but it seems better to go later.”
“…!”
Nicholas’s eyes reddened at Lion’s thoughtfulness.
‘To be this considerate!’
He had known it since the young master made bread, but he was truly more considerate than one could imagine.
He didn’t get carried away by the pleasant word ‘adoption’ and thought of Peter’s position first.
A smile had already found its way onto Nicholas’s lips.
“Yes. Peter is probably quite confused at the moment. It would be best to let him spend at least a week with the children.”
Lion nodded as he accepted the malt, now fully ground.
“I’ll have to bring him a nice gift before the month is out—something expensive enough that Peter won’t feel left out.”
Lion smiled playfully.
“Haha! If it’s possible, please make it a very expensive one.”
“Got it. I’ll have to tell my younger brother, too.”
“Since it could be the last goodbye.”
Nicholas’s eyes reddened.
He seemed to have grown quite attached to the children since the volunteer work.
“Why are you crying? It’s a good thing. And we might meet them again somewhere later.”
Then they could just greet each other happily again.
‘An adoption, that’s really great.’
Lion, who was coming to know the joy of gaining a family thanks to House Asteri, understood it deeply.
He hoped that child would be as happy as they had been hurt.
Sincerely.
‘Today is nothing but good news.’
Lion waved to Nicholas and left the mill with a heartwarming feeling.
* * *
Upon returning home, Lion first informed Rickshel of the news.
“That child?”
Rickshel, who had been handling his heavy workload, brightened at the good news.
‘Of course, how happy he must be.’
Wasn’t it Rickshel’s suggestion to go volunteer at the orphanage?
To think his big act of rebellion was volunteering at an orphanage. Just thinking about it again, Lion thought he really was such a kind kid.
But for the child who suffered the most loneliness there to get adopted!
Anyone would react like that.
“So I’m thinking of visiting the orphanage sometime this month. Once your urgent tasks are finished, let’s go together.”
“Yes. Understood, brother.”
“Ah! And we should go to that magic shop together.”
“…!”
Rickshel’s expression brightened even more.
“You liked it?”
“Yeah. There are lots of interesting things, but I’d rather not go alone.”
Of course, he could go alone, but he wanted to let the busy guy rest a little.
It seemed like he’d switch right into workaholic mode without him.
“Understood. Then I’ll finish only the urgent tasks as quickly as possible.”
“Good. Keep at it.”
Having simply informed him of the news, Lion went down to the kitchen.
Hearing Mudu’s happiness over the news of his distant family, and then the news of Peter, who would soon have a family, Lion felt his own mood lift for no reason.
“Good.”
Lion rolled up his sleeves and threw open the kitchen door.
Now that it had come to this, he’d properly show his skills and share the sikhye even with the orphanage!
“Young Master!”
As soon as he entered the kitchen, Alex greeted him happily.
Then he smiled proudly and showed him the kitchen.
“I’ve prepared everything.”
“Oh!”
Lion’s eyes sparkled brightly as he inspected the ingredients in the kitchen one by one.
[High-grade Rice (★★)]
-How delicious would rice cooked with this be? Once you take a single bite, you won’t be able to stop!
[Cotton Sugar (★★)]
-A fine sugar refined from white sugarcane. Popular among nobles because the grains are light and soft like cotton.
Not only the rice and sugar that looked perfectly fine at a glance, but even the cotton cloth and ginger!
“Wow, this is perfect?”
“Hahaha. I prepared only the highest-grade ingredients.”
After speaking, Alex looked at Lion hopefully.
‘What kind of dish is he making this time…’
To be honest, judging by the ingredients alone, it seemed close to a dessert, but it was ambiguous.
It certainly seemed like it would be a fine dish, but…
‘I want to watch!’
But the young master enjoyed cooking alone.
Since Alex also knew well the joy of concentrating on one task, he could certainly hold it in…
“Is there anything else I can help with?”
Just! Just one more time.
“Yes. It’s enough. I’ll handle it from here.”
“Yep…”
Not a chance.
Alex hid his sullen feelings, said his goodbyes, and stepped aside from the kitchen.
“Because this time I plan to…”
Use a special ability.
It wasn’t alchemy, so if he showed this, he had no idea how to explain it.
Lion immediately wrapped the malt powder in the cotton cloth, squeezed it tightly, and set the cloudy water aside.
And next was the rice…
‘I have to soak it.’
Unlike regular rice, the rice used for sikhye was godubap (steamed hard rice).
It was possible to make godubap in a cooker, but…
‘The standard method is to soak it and steam it in a steamer.’
Then the moisture content became noticeably lower than rice cooked by simply submerging it in water.
The problem was that to do that, he had to soak the rice beforehand.
‘It’s a good chance to try out the ability anyway.’
Fermentation Acceleration.
It seemed like an ability literally only usable for ripening or fermenting something, but Lion saw it as potentially usable for ‘things that require time’ as well.
Like soaking rice.
After all, ripening meant leaving something in its natural state for a long time.
So Lion put the rice in a pot and activated the Fermentation Acceleration skill.
But… he didn’t particularly feel anything.
There was no special light, nor did a notification appear saying he was using the ability.
‘It worked.’
He could tell instinctively that he was currently using the ability.
In fact, he had felt his mana drain away very faintly.
‘Alright. Not too long, let’s just do exactly 30 seconds.’
Lion closed the pot lid, shut his eyes, and counted to 30 internally.
In the meantime, a mysterious change occurred inside the pot.
Moisture recharged the rice—which had been completely dried out by the milling process that stripped the outer and inner husks—and as the starch in the grains grew damp, a sleek, plump sheen began to spread over them.
“Hmm. Did it turn out well?”
Lion finished counting 30 seconds and opened the lid.
‘This… actually works?’
Honestly, because of the flashy effects of alchemy, he hadn’t been able to grasp just how Fermentation Acceleration was applied, but it was a surprisingly excellent skill!
Lion poured out the water, picked up a few grains of rice, and examined them.
They were definitely moist; they had soaked well.
Was this what rice looked like after being soaked for about 30 minutes?
“Good.”
Honestly, didn’t the care put into cooking include the ripening time, too?
That meant it took a long time.
‘Of course, when making top-grade food, it’s better to soak it by hand.’
But he thought there wasn’t anything more convenient than this.
‘…Wait. Does that apply to growing the malt too?’
Lion thought for a moment, then shook his head.
There was no way he’d be given a skill that could touch the domain of life’s growth at this point.
‘Still, it’ll be worth trying various things out later.’
For example, meju.
Doenjang, gochujang, soy sauce made from it…
‘Sounds delicious.’
Lion moved the rice to the steamer, spread it evenly, and turned on the heat.
The rice steamed to a firm, chewy texture.
Lion pulled a chair from the kitchen, sat down, and spent the time leisurely.
The unique savory aroma from the steaming rice and the scent of water vapor. The fire of the stove working hard.
And the stillness of sitting alone in an empty space.
What should he call this?
…Cooking-gazing?
It sounded a bit odd, but what did it matter?
Lion enjoyed his cooking-gazing for a while, then got up just as the rice was evenly cooked and the malt powder sediment had settled at the bottom.
Lion placed the godubap in a pot, scooped out only the clear liquid from the malt and poured it over, then closed the lid.
“I should leave it for about 6 minutes this time.”
It was time to use the Fermentation Acceleration skill again.