Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 118
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 118
“Oh my…”
Leah covered her mouth, taken aback by the two children’s actions.
That dye was something Mudu had bought for their birthdays, spending a large sum.
No matter that he was the finest blacksmith in the Asteri Territory, pigments were still quite expensive items.
What’s more, this one had undergone special magical treatment—it dried the moment it was applied and wouldn’t even stick to your hands, a truly precious thing.
The children knew this, so they used it sparingly, only in tiny amounts when they wanted to add a highlight to the toys they made.
And even then, how happy they’d been!
Yet now they had readily yielded it to the young master.
‘Of course, the young master himself might not feel particularly moved…’
In their own way, it was the children’s best concession, their best consolation.
Lion’s expression had been that complicated—mysterious, as if it concealed a secret he couldn’t put into words.
“…Can I really use it?”
[Colorful Dye]
-A special dye a father who loves his children dearly bought at great expense.
-It can be melted and used like paint, and it dries the instant it is applied.
-Applying the included finishing coat will raise the quality even further!
Lion asked, looking into the children’s eyes.
At that, Jade Leaf, who at some point had tied her hair into two pretty pigtails, twirled a lock of hair and murmured.
“To be honest, I’m a little sad to let it go…”
She glanced this way, then flashed a bright grin.
“But you need your own toys too, young master!”
“…!”
Lion went blank for a moment at the words that seemed to pierce straight to the heart of things.
“That’s right. That’s right!”
“So don’t be sad just because you can’t make pretty things.”
“Yeah. We’ll bring you materials that you can make pretty with.”
“…”
Of course, they probably hadn’t fully grasped the reason Lion’s expression had been so poor.
‘They do say young children read people’s hearts better than anyone.’
Lion set down the carving knife and the wood and stroked both children’s heads.
“Thank you.”
They looked so commendable.
It must have been a treasured possession, something they might well have refused to hand over even knowing everything.
But these children had readily given up that precious thing.
‘If I’d had nieces or nephews, would this have been how it felt?’
Just a few months ago, they were little kids who did nothing but stare, leaving face-prints on the window glass—now they’d suddenly grown up enough to try to comfort him.
“Hee hee.”
“Young master, are you moved?”
“Yeah. I’m incredibly moved. Thank you.”
Having said that, Lion added teasingly.
“Then I can use up absolutely all of this paint, right?”
“…Mmmph!”
“We didn’t think that far…”
When he actually asked again, apparently they did still think it was a bit of a waste: the children pursed their lips and hemmed and hawed.
“Honestly, it’s a little sad… but still, you’re more important, young master.”
“S-So go ahead and use it already!”
“That’s right. And since you’re good at everything, young master, we might get to learn from you, too!”
“That’s right. Hee hee. Daddy said there’s no better study than watching someone who’s good at something do it.”
At those words, Lion finally burst out laughing.
“Haha! Is that so?”
When they put it that way, he couldn’t exactly refuse.
‘Later I’ll have to buy them some paint or something as a gift.’
A method didn’t immediately spring to mind, but in any case he wanted to repay the children’s goodwill.
With that thought, Lion took hold of the brush the children held out and slowly began to apply the color.
‘Start with the light shades.’
If he began with the dark colors, later when he used the light ones the pure hue might not come out properly.
At the very least, this was a precious dye the children had shared—he didn’t want to waste it.
Lion used the brush to painstakingly lay down one color after another.
For a first attempt, it was remarkably meticulous.
And then…
‘This is more fun than I thought.’
Lion was, in truth, a person far removed from fine art.
He had no interest in drawing pictures, and he’d lived his life believing he had no talent for it besides.
But, unexpectedly…
He quite liked watching the color go on under his own hand, watching things be reborn with a new feeling.
Add to that, just laying down color brought a strange, steadying calm to body and mind.
He carefully filled every gap between patches of paint, blew gently to dry it lest a fingerprint be left behind.
Yellow, spring-green, blue, and even vivid scarlet—
Lion grew confident with the brush and sank deeper and deeper into the work.
“Wow.”
“He’s painting really well…!”
The children watched with admiration, staring spellbound as Lion applied the color.
It was just like the way a preschool teacher draws the soul right out of children and commands their absolute focus.
And when he finished every last piece…
[Asteri-Made Block Set]
-A toy with a charming mix of bright colors that makes you want to pick it up and play the moment you see it!
-A bit rough-hewn, but it’s been smoothed down well enough that no splinters will lodge in your fingers!
-You can fit the pieces together, so it’s perfect for developing children’s creativity, and it looks like they’ll be able to play with it for a long, long time without getting bored.
A reasonably presentable result had been born.
It didn’t even have any stars attached, but he quite liked the phrases written there: “developing creativity” and “without getting bored.”
On top of that, it felt as though a “childlike heart”—something he’d thought would never return in his lifetime—was slowly, freshly blossoming inside him.
It was profoundly rewarding.
[Woodworking Proficiency experience has increased by 40%.]
[Filling a personal lack, you awaken to a new talent!]
[New Talent: Painting Skill]
[Painting Proficiency has become Apprentice Lv.1.]
[Chain effect triggered!]
[From now on, you can directly create dyes using Alchemy.]
“…”
Lion fiddled with the cute little blocks, smaller than his own finger, and laughed softly.
‘What a fuss over this.’
What a fuss over this little block play, to have envied it so much.
How nervously he’d feared he might accidentally mar them.
What a fuss over this.
Of course it was a game of stacking, twisting, and fitting—scratches were bound to happen.
‘It’s all right now.’
Lion squeezed the block tightly and conveyed his sincerity to himself.
He didn’t have to be nervous about ruining things anymore.
If something caught his fancy, he could have it without giving up.
If he couldn’t have it, he could make it himself.
If the child he had been still hadn’t stepped out of that cold room, then he could just go and lead that child out himself.
It would be too sad to be trapped there a whole lifetime.
All that fuss over such a small, old ache.
“…It’s thanks to you two.”
Lion looked at the two children and spoke with sincerity.
“Truly, thank you so much.”
“Hehe…”
The two children didn’t entirely understand Lion’s feelings, but they smiled along anyway.
Because, whatever the reason, the young master’s expression was back to normal!
‘We did it, right?’
‘I think so!’
The considerably depleted paint was a little bit of a shame, but…!
Somehow, Golden Branch and Jade Leaf felt they’d gained something far bigger than what they’d given.
* * *
Around the time Lion had just finished the blocks.
“…Congratulations! The final review has finally been approved.”
As the full-fledged priest handed over the documents, the couple breathed a sigh of relief.
“What a relief. Truly.”
“We worried so much about what we’d do if you didn’t meet the qualifications…”
The couple.
That is, the people who would become Peter’s adoptive parents exchanged a glance, then looked at Peter, who was sitting between them, awkwardly jiggling his legs.
‘What a lovable child!’
The truth was, the couple had been unable to have a child for a long time.
It would be one thing for a couple who didn’t want children, but these two wanted a child more than anyone.
Even so, they had secretly been reluctant to adopt.
They were afraid that if a child were born between them later, it might cause them to grow distant from the adopted child.
“Dear, what if instead of adopting, we went and volunteered? Even if we can’t adopt, the children in the orphanages will need the touch of adults.”
“If that’s what you wish, then let us do that.”
And so the couple had traveled around to various orphanages, doing volunteer work.
Among those places, there were children as lovely as dolls, and many who were far more mature than their peers.
There were plenty who looked like they would grow up well on their own without ever giving you grief… however.
That wasn’t what the couple wanted.
A child they genuinely wanted to raise as their own.
That was what the couple wanted, and when they entered the Temple-affiliated orphanage—their last stop—that wish was granted.
Peter.
A child who was stubborn and didn’t want to show his face.
A cheeky little one who, although he’d improved greatly, was still brimming with distrust toward adults, who declared outright that even if he were adopted, he wouldn’t live meekly the way they wanted.
The couple, on the contrary, fell in love with that very image of Peter in a single instant.
I mean, it wasn’t a romantic kind of love.
It was the feeling that anyone could see: this child was the one they had to raise.
To the point that they felt, if possible, they wanted to be together forever!
So, from the day they met until then, they had made every possible effort, and they had opened Peter’s heart a little, even obtaining his consent to adopt.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
The day they resolved to adopt, the couple called Peter over and spoke to him with all their hearts.
“It’s all right if you call us Auntie and Mister until you feel at ease.”
“Yes. You don’t have to force yourself to smile or act cute. Even if you stay as just Peter, not our son, we will sincerely love you.”
“…”
Peter tried not to believe their words.
Talking was easy, but no one ever kept those promises.
But… very, very occasionally, there were people who did.
That young master who came to the orphanage one day and ate bread with him had been like that.
Perhaps that was why…
‘Just this once.’
Because if they dissolved the adoption, he could just come back anyway.
With that thought, Peter had accepted the adoption.
And awkwardly, he had reached out and taken the mother’s hand.
But what was this?
The adoption process turned out to be far more complicated than he’d thought!
It was different from before!
“Uh-uh…”
And even through that complicated process, the Mister and Auntie had kept their resolve firm and done their very best.
And just now, at last, the final review was completed!
W-was it finally real this time?
Only then did it sink in.
“Now, once you hold the simple ceremony in a few days, the adoption will be perfectly complete.”
“This ceremony, you say…”
“Ah! At this point it’s really just a formality, you see.”
The priest explained slowly.
In short, it was the step of presenting the adopted child before God and confirming whether the child was a child sent by God.
That is, a time to check for divine power.
Hearing this, the wife squeezed Peter’s hand as if worried, and asked.
“If it turns out he’s that… Child of God…”
“Yes. He would likely walk the path of the priesthood, like myself. But you needn’t worry. Peter here gives off no sense of divine power.”
The priest looked Peter over once, then nodded.
“Is that so? What a relief.”
Peter, too, was inwardly relieved.
‘…Huh? Why am I relieved?’
It seemed he’d grown attached to this couple without even realizing it himself.
“Yes. So you needn’t be concerned. After all, only two others have had that happen—being led onto the path of the priesthood in this manner.”
“If you mean two others, then.”
“The Saintess, who is the former Archbishop, and a priest currently being discussed as an Archbishop Candidate.”
“Ahh.”
Only then did the couple feel at ease.
They took it to mean that unless it was someone of that caliber, there was nothing to worry about.
“Ah, as it happens, that candidate is staying briefly at this temple right now. Most likely, they will be the one to oversee the ceremony.”
They’re very fond of children, you see.
Wink.
The priest winked as if to say, don’t worry, and the anxious atmosphere dissipated.
“Now then, what date shall we set for the ceremony?”