Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 114
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 114
“Elvia took a vacation?”
“Yes. I sent her.”
Lion stood before his grandfather and briefly explained.
Now that Elvia had left for the hot springs, he asked that she not be summoned today, at least.
“I see.”
Petrick nodded and gazed steadily at Lion.
“Today I’ll really stay only in the mansion.”
Lion took that look to mean something like, ‘You’re not planning to cause trouble again, are you?’ or ‘Elvia isn’t here either,’ and made his excuse.
Petrick saw this and chuckled inwardly.
‘Elvia actually taking a vacation.’
Her personality had changed a great deal in a short time.
Petrick had not refrained from suggesting rest to Elvia.
No, he had actually recommended rest or vacation whenever he had a chance.
But the answer that came back was always a refusal.
Even moving around like this was unbearably boring, she would say—what would happen if she stopped altogether?
‘Indeed, back then…’
Elvia’s mental fatigue had already accumulated considerably.
If she were a machine, it was a state where the oil had worn off completely, and she creaked with every movement.
But what would happen if that machine were stopped?
It would seize up and reach a point where it could never be used again.
Elvia knew her own condition well, so she had refused Petrick’s offers.
However, when Lion removed that fundamental sickness of the heart, the situation changed.
He created memories for her, and didn’t he ensure she spent enjoyable days so she wouldn’t be bored?
These things had a positive influence on Elvia’s personality change.
‘That admirable lad!’
Lion must have seen through Elvia’s true identity even before finding the contract.
That was why he had deliberately retrieved that contract from the labyrinth.
And yet his grandson hadn’t shown the slightest hint of it.
“I feel that Elvia should receive compensation for all the effort she has put into this family.”
“Hmm.”
Truly, he had a deep heart.
Outwardly he chose to do only peculiar things, but perhaps Lion’s inner depth and resilience might even surpass his own, he thought.
“Understood. Besides, Elvia is your personal attendant, is she not. Even if I have need of her, I won’t summon her.”
“Thank you.”
He had known his grandfather would permit it.
‘He seemed concerned about it, after all.’
It seemed he felt the same way after all.
Yes, she needed a vacation.
No one knew better than he how much Elvia had exerted herself looking after the mansion and him all this time.
That was why he had always wanted to give her a bit of free time like this, but…
To be honest, if he’d said, ‘Starting today you’re free for a few days!’ she would surely have refused.
Wasn’t learning how to have fun something you had to learn as well?
But Elvia had been subordinated to the Asteri family for hundreds of years without rest, doing nothing but work, so naturally she had probably forgotten how to rest.
‘That was why I mentioned the hot springs.’
…The fact that she went with Freyania was a bit unexpected, though.
“I-I’m off! I think it’s going to be so much fun!”
“That’s what she said.”
When he had wandered around the mansion and seen the two of them standing with their bathing equipment, there seemed no need to worry.
Perhaps they unexpectedly got along well?
“Ah, what do you think of the sikhye?”
“It has a novel flavor. The faint spicy scent that rises at the end was refreshing.”
Since his grandfather had tried the sweet sikhye and deemed it not bad, that meant it was quite decent.
Likewise, Rickshel, who had lost his aversion to new foods after the banana sweet potato incident, emptied an entire bottle of this one as well.
‘That was a relief. I was worried the rice grains might not suit them.’
Since his family all gave positive reviews, it was a great success.
“Then I’ll go and give out the rest of the sikhye.”
“Very well. Off you go.”
Lion gave a brief bow and left the room.
‘However…’
Petrick called to mind the things he hadn’t been able to ask.
There were three bottles left in total.
He could understand giving two bottles to Rickshel and Varg.
But who was the last one for?
‘Had he made more acquaintances?’
Well, it probably didn’t matter.
There wasn’t a single person within this Asteri Mansion who could harm Lion, after all.
Petrick put down his pen, drank all the sikhye in the bottle, then applied a preservation spell and placed it next to the potion bottle Lion had first given him.
Though it might seem odd, it was a small hobby Petrick had picked up recently.
* * *
While Lion was going around the mansion handing out sikhye.
“Ugh…”
Varg opened his eyes to searing muscle pain.
Just twitching a single finger made his arm, shoulder, and even his chest ache.
‘Where am I.’
From the ceiling, he saw thankfully he wasn’t outside.
Was it the afterlife?
Ah. Right.
I survived.
In an instant, memories flashed through his mind.
Rampaging, the standoff in the forest, blindly swiping with claws, then a loud noise.
The young master had fallen from the sky…
“Whuh?”
Varg bolted upright, forgetting his pain.
Of course, the agonizing muscle pain that followed forced a choked yelp out of him.
‘The young master fell from the air?’
It seemed he had somehow been saved, but entire chunks of memory were missing.
‘I-I have to… go find him.’
His heart grew frantic.
No, what had I done? It was definitely something bad…
Crash!
The moment Varg rose from the bed, he collapsed in a spectacular heap.
That was only natural, since his body had not yet recovered.
Normally, he should have suffered torn muscles and even lost the claws and fangs he had abused.
It was only thanks to Lion’s potion that he’d ended up with just muscle pain.
But Varg, still not quite in his right mind, hadn’t realized this and had tried to rush out, only to topple over…
“Wh-what?”
Jake, who had been dozing in the chair leaning against the bed, jolted awake at the noise and looked around.
“Oh? You’re awake… Hey! Are you okay?”
Jake hurriedly rose and stood before Varg.
“J-Jake… what happened to me…?”
“What happened? You went berserk and caused a huge mess. How shocked do you think I was when you showed up practically a lump of blood and flesh?”
Then, with a grunt, he lifted the collapsed Varg and laid him back on the bed.
‘Good grief.’
He’d known Varg was a beastfolk, but now he could see he was definitely heavier than most people.
‘That explained the strength he’d shown during sparring.’
It was a body packed with combat-condensed muscle, so to speak.
“Calm down. Let’s see…”
Jake kept Varg on the bed and scratched his head.
The commander had clearly told him to report immediately when Varg woke, but given how things were unfolding…
‘He’s going to try to bolt the second I leave, isn’t he?’
Jake rummaged through the drawers. The commander had definitely given him a manual for this exact situation.
“Ah, here it is. First…”
—Summon me the instant Varg awakens.
‘…My apologies, Commander. That one seems impossible.’
—Right. That would fail. Then I’ll tell you the next method.
—When Varg wakes up, he’ll almost certainly thrash. Calm him down and tell him everything that’s happened.
—After that, if he says he’s going to apologize to the person he wronged, steer him by saying that going to apologize in a state where he hasn’t fully recovered is pointless…
—Finally, if he still insists, strike the back of his neck to knock him out.
“…”
Wasn’t that a bit harsh for someone who just woke up?
—Varg is a beastfolk. Keep that firmly in mind, Jake.
‘Hmm. Well, that’s true.’
With that final line, he understood the commander’s meaning perfectly.
If he didn’t put him down in one go, it would all fail.
Jake recalled Varg just before going berserk.
The strength and speed that could have laid Jake out in a single hit right then.
And the weight like a boulder on top of that.
‘But since he’s come to his senses, I should start with the truth.’
Just as Jake cleared his throat and loosened his vocal cords, about to begin recounting everything—
Bang!
The door swung open.
Not the commander, but…
“Gah! Y-young master!”
It was the eldest young master who had supposedly treated Varg.
Jake’s mouth fell open before he composed himself and gave a proper greeting.
“Shh. It’s fine, so rest easy. More than that, I came to secretly visit…”
But…
Varg, who should have been lying still, was awkwardly collapsed on the bed.
When their eyes met, he sucked in a breath and floundered.
“Well, you see, Varg woke up.”
“Aha.”
Only then did Lion fully understand the situation.
So Varg had now woken up and his memories were incomplete.
Judging by how he was startled to see him, he seemed to know at least a part of it.
‘In that case.’
Lion gave Jake a slight nod.
“I’ll keep an eye on him, so go report quickly.”
“Huh? But—”
It could be dangerous.
Varg was in a highly sensitive state right now.
Though he was a soft-hearted and timid fellow by nature, it hadn’t been long since his rampage had subsided.
And he’d awakened earlier than scheduled, too…
“Quickly. I’m fine.”
At Lion’s gentle but firm words, Jake set aside his reservations and bowed.
Right. He was the one who’d healed Varg. He was clearly more capable than himself.
“Understood!”
Jake hurried out of the sickroom, then stopped and came back to bow more deeply.
“…Thank you so much for saving my friend!”
It was a short and blunt line, but it held nothing but the utmost sincerity.
‘So he had a friend, too.’
He was fitting into the knight order far better than Lion had thought.
As Lion smiled warmly and nodded, Jake quickly left the room.
Perhaps because he’d never expressed gratitude before, his face was flushed bright red like a radish.
That left only Lion and Varg in the room.
Lion naturally took Jake’s seat and looked at Varg.
“He’s a good friend.”
Varg stared intently at the spot Jake had left.
His anxious, pounding heart settled a little.
‘Friend…’
Of course Varg considered Jake a friend.
But he had never dreamed Jake would still think of him that way.
He’d believed without a doubt that Jake would hold him in contempt…
“How is your body?”
“Ah.”
At that calm, gentle voice, Varg’s heart settled further.
He felt as if nothing had happened at all.
Though his body hurt too much to think it was a dream,
it didn’t hurt more than before.
“I-I’m fine.”
“Liar. You look like you’re in considerable pain.”
Lion set down two bottles of sikhye, and Nature fluttered up and pecked at Varg’s thigh.
“Urk!”
The sharp muscle pain shot up his nerves and reached his head in an instant.
‘Ah, that hurts…!’
Varg stared at Nature with tears welling in his eyes.
Even a tiny spirit’s peck hurt like this.
“I-I think I’m not doing well.”
Varg quickly confessed.
“See. You’ll be better off taking it easy and resting without a thought for a few days, won’t you?”
“Yesss…”
Since the person in question said he was fine, there was nothing more to say.
No, honestly, it was cowardly, but he was so glad they treated him as if nothing had happened.
Both Jake and the young master.
They must have seen his ugly, brutal side.
Bang!
This time the door flew open more forcefully.
And standing there, breathing roughly as if he’d come in a desperate hurry, was the knight commander.
The commander strode over with a frightening expression, and—
Swoop!
He pulled Varg into a hug.
“…Aaaaargh!”