Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 121
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 121
Rickshel gazed at Lion’s still-unfocused eyes.
‘Is it all right for me to ask him a question right now?’
An anxious thought flickered past.
What in the world could his brother be thinking to wear such an expression?
Was he contemplating an infiltration of the Temple?
Or perhaps planning to develop a “Divine Power Blocking Potion” that could disrupt the Temple’s ritual…
‘Or else…’
He had no idea what Lion was thinking, and that made him uneasy.
What mattered most was that even those actions wouldn’t provide a fundamental solution.
Sensing Rickshel’s worry, Lion quickly relaxed his expression and soothed him.
“Rickshel, I’m not thinking anything strange.”
“My apologies. This is the first time I’ve seen you react like this… I’m having trouble calming down.”
“It’s not that complicated, really. I was just planning to ask for a simple background investigation…”
“Ah.”
It was more ordinary than expected.
Rickshel blinked, momentarily bewildered, then let out a deep sigh of relief.
“And here I thought… haah. Understood. What kind of background investigation shall I conduct?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah.”
The one caught off guard, in fact, was Lion.
‘…A background investigation, and he’s relieved?’
What exactly did Rickshel normally do?
He wanted to press the point, but continuing the conversation came first.
“The first thing to look into is Peter’s foster parents.”
“That does make sense.”
Rickshel nodded.
Peter trusted his foster parents, but there was no reason for them to extend that trust blindly.
Plenty of people adopted children only to sell them off to slave traders afterward.
No matter how carefully the Temple screened them, there was always room for a “what if.”
And on top of that, if they found out about the Divine Power?
If they were bad people, they could hand Peter over to the Temple for the price on his head.
It was well worth suspecting and investigating… but.
‘What does he plan to do after that?’
Whether the foster parents turned out good or bad, didn’t the next problem stay the same?
Unless the Divine Power itself was fundamentally dealt with, Peter’s end was still a Temple priest.
Because the Temple, for whatever reason, needed those who could wield Divine Power.
As that thought settled, certain questions naturally surfaced.
‘Strange.’
First. Why now, of all times?
If the Temple needed Divine Power, they could have taken Peter at any point—not just now.
After all, this was a Temple-managed orphanage where Peter lived.
It was the first place the Temple’s reach extended; hadn’t an “Archbishop candidate” named Licht even visited?
In that case, they must have been well aware that Peter possessed Divine Power from the start.
Then they could have reached out and taken him from the very beginning—before Peter was even sent back from a failed adoption, or when he first arrived at this orphanage.
‘Yet now they suddenly complicate the process and start talking about a “ritual”?’
And on top of that, with adoptive parents arranged by the Temple suddenly appearing?
Nothing like this had happened before.
The Temple’s adoption procedure was complex, but if the Divine Power wasn’t significant, they never even held a ritual.
And second.
‘They clearly said the priest claimed Peter had no Divine Power.’
Someone at the level of a formal priest should have been able to discern at least that much.
Yet he had clearly reassured the foster parents that “Peter is fine.”
It stank.
It stank of something suspicious—someone exploiting the confusion to ensure Peter became a priest.
As if reading Licht’s thoughts, Lion nodded.
“Doesn’t it seem strange?”
“Yes. It certainly does.”
The last strange point was that this was Asteri Territory—land belonging to a prestigious mage family.
Peter’s Divine Power wasn’t even particularly outstanding.
Even an adoption “directly arranged by the Temple” couldn’t proceed without regard for the territory’s watchful eyes.
Unless the Temple had lost its mind, it wouldn’t stir up this much commotion in Asteri Territory just to secure a single “formal priest-level” talent.
“Of course, I’d like to believe our concerns are groundless…”
A ritual being forced through, a priest who told an obvious lie.
Those two facts alone were reason enough to suspect the Temple.
Rickshel lifted his head and looked toward where the Temple stood.
“There would be two reasons a place like the Temple would need human resources. Either a rivalry had emerged…”
Or something that only human resources could produce had grown scarce.
Divine Power itself, in other words.
‘I hope that isn’t the case.’
Even as the heir of a prestigious mage family, a decline in the total quantity of Divine Power was not something to welcome.
Because a depletion of Divine Power meant Demonic Energy would grow stronger.
And what had happened when it was at its peak?
‘The demons invaded.’
And war had broken out.
That was barely fifty years ago.
…It was still only a suspicion without a shred of physical evidence, but this one detail told him that the Temple’s currents had shifted.
This was no longer Peter’s personal problem—it was something the family needed to watch closely.
‘And if that turns out to be true…’
Rickshel’s expression settled into coldness.
‘It would also violate the Pact.’
There was one promise between the Temple and the prestigious mage families.
Should any issue concerning Divine Power itself arise, they would immediately report it and cooperate in resolving it.
It was a pact forged between the Family Head and the Saintess during the war.
But the fact that there had been no word so far meant the Temple might have broken that pact.
They could lodge a formal protest.
If it came to that, Peter could also be naturally extracted from the Temple’s grasp.
“At any rate, it’s worth a try, isn’t it?”
“…”
Had his brother really deduced all this from a conversation with Peter?
‘He must have.’
His ability to see the larger picture from a small detail was truly remarkable.
In that case, completing that picture would be my role.
Feeling genuine admiration for his brother, Rickshel asked with grim resolve.
“…How long did you say until the ritual?”
“A week from now, he said. So get me the information before then, whatever it takes.”
“Understood.”
“I’m counting on you.”
The moment the words ended, Rickshel swiftly returned to the mansion.
Lion, for his part…
“Phew.”
Lion let out a long sigh.
but somehow the matter had ballooned.
Lion felt a bitter taste in his mouth for no reason.
The kid had already had a hard enough time growing up, and now it felt like he’d been swept into a strange vortex.
‘From a big-picture perspective, walking the path of the priest might actually be better for him than being adopted…’
In practice, formal priests received treatment on par with the nobility, never had to go hungry, and could even use Divine Power to help others.
But— It was not the path Peter wanted.
Besides, since Divine Power wasn’t the sort of thing that vanished once it appeared, Peter could build happy memories with his family and become a priest as an adult.
‘So first, I have to help him avoid being sent off to the Temple, somehow.’
But how exactly was he supposed to manage that?
Lion was deep in thought about how to rescue Peter from this vortex when—
“Brother.”
“Huh?”
Rickshel, whom he’d thought had already left, spoke to him again.
“I came back because I forgot to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
“…”
Rickshel hesitated until the last moment before speaking.
In truth, he hadn’t forgotten—he’d intended not to mention it at all.
It was about Licht.
About that Archbishop candidate.
“Do you remember that priest who healed you before?”
“Ah. That priest? I remember.”
“Yes. In truth, he is…”
“He is?”
Hmm.
Rickshel deliberated once more before answering.
“They say he is an Archbishop candidate.”
“Oh?”
That was new information.
‘Wait, if that’s the case…’
A puzzle piece clicked into place in Lion’s mind.
Licht was an Archbishop candidate.
And the children chosen through the Temple’s ritual were, most notably, the “Saintess” and the “current Archbishop candidate.”
And this ritual was being overseen by that same Archbishop candidate.
If he handled this well…
‘I might be able to get some help.’
Lion broke into a bright smile at the welcome news.
And at that expression, Rickshel grew deeply uneasy.
Because when his brother wore that smile, he was about to do something remarkably reckless.
“Rickshel.”
“Yes, Brother.”
“I think I’ll pay a visit to the Temple this time.”
“…P-pardon?!”
* * *
“That priest? As it happens, I received word that he is coming today as well.”
When Lion asked about the priest, the orphanage director promptly shared everything she knew in detail.
Though not frequently, whenever the priest had time he came to the Temple, looked after the children, and even tended to the injured ones, she said.
“He also mentioned that he felt a strong attachment because he came from an orphanage himself.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Perhaps that’s why he feels all the more familiar, you know. Haha.”
“Then would it be all right if I saw him before I leave today?”
“Of course! He has occasionally asked after your well-being, young master, so I’m sure he’ll be quite delighted!”
Lion nodded as he and Peter assembled a model of the orphanage out of blocks.
“Have you met him too?”
“Yeah. But he almost always came while I was asleep, so I don’t really know him well. Yaaawn.”
Maybe because the day was winding down and he’d played wildly with the blocks, Peter was gradually getting drowsy.
Well, he had said he’d run around everywhere during the day, too.
“I think it’s about time to clean up and get some sleep. I should meet the priest and head back, too.”
“Okay! Today was really fun. I’m gonna play with these blocks for the rest of my life!”
“If they break, I’ll fix them for free, so don’t worry—play with them as much as you want.”
At the playful remark, Peter put the blocks away and smiled bashfully.
“When that time comes, I’ll invite you to my house.”
“…Yeah. Make sure you do.”
Lion said his goodbyes to Peter and rose from his seat, heading to that familiar isolated room.
The director, who had set out warm water for him just like last time, let out a short “Ah!” as if she’d only just remembered.
“Now that I think of it, there was something like this in his letter this time as well.”
“What was it?”
“He said he saw your younger brother in a dream. That he very much wished to meet him again. It was the same sort of line he always writes, but that day it felt especially earnest… I wondered why on earth I’d forgotten it until now. It was that striking.”
Remarking that it was fortunate he had come by, the director smiled and clicked the door shut.
In the now-silent room, Lion fell into thought for a moment.
‘He wanted to meet Rickshel?’
The priest’s dreams were said to be prophetic, after all.
‘What a coincidence…’
Rickshel had said he would finish his work quickly and head to the Temple, so Lion figured he might be able to hear a more detailed story then.
He sipped the warm water and waited for Licht.
And just as before, the door quietly opened…
“It has been a while.”
A calm, gentle voice reached him.
“Ah, Priest. My younger brother is busy today, so—”
Lion, who had been gazing out the window, turned his head to greet Licht.
But…
“…”
Something about Licht’s expression was strange.
As if he were in a daze…
“Priest?”