Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 13
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 13
“Welcome!”
Lion, who had just arrived, resisted the urge to drop his jaw and instead pulled his hood down further.
He had traveled around the territory quite a bit, but he never dreamed a place like this existed.
No, since it was tucked away in a back alley, it was natural to miss it if you didn’t know where to look.
“It’s a place known only to those in the know. Illegal items…”
Probably won’t be found here.
“…”
Probably. That’s not reassuring, is it?
Lion mulled over Rickshel’s words as he slowly looked around the shop.
A broom was sweeping the dusty floor by itself, and a large feather duster was brushing off items floating in the air.
A magic dustpan caught the debris and emptied it into the trash bin.
‘Robot vacuum…’
On shelves floating in the air, all sorts of magically treated items were displayed.
[Ear-shaped Earrings]
-Allows you to hear sounds twice as clearly.
-Single-use item.
[Triple-Line Fountain Pen]
-Excellent for writing lines as punishment.
-Oddly, the handwriting comes out differently each time, so it’s completely unnoticeable!
-Ink sold separately.
There were all sorts of tools, but for some reason, all the items…
didn’t seem like they were for adults to use.
As if mindful of Lion’s gaze, Rickshel answered even though he hadn’t asked.
“…I learned about it while attending the academy.”
“Hmm.”
So it was a place academy students came to when looking for shortcuts.
That was why I didn’t know about it.
Normally, children of high-ranking nobles attended the academy.
Of course, someone of Rickshel’s caliber didn’t attend for long; he merely showed his face to make connections,
since private tutoring was more effective and the brilliant Rickshel had easily surpassed that level.
The reason Lion didn’t know was because of his frail health.
He hadn’t even properly held a coming-of-age ceremony, so wasn’t that enough said?
“They might look like this, but many of these items are genuinely effective.”
Rickshel’s assurance made the shop clerk flash a grin.
“Just let me know if you want anything specific! We’ve got potions that clear your sinuses and magic tools that automatically wash your hair. Ah, except for the drug that makes hair grow on your head.”
“I’m looking for disguise tools.”
“Disguise tools! You’ve come to the right place for those too. Right this way, follow me!”
As if the prices were quite high, the clerk led them to a separate room.
[Skinny Bracelet]
-Last minute party invite? This is all you need.
-Side effect: Makes you crave a midnight snack at 12 o’clock.
[Height-increasing Insoles]
-Use on days you want to look taller than others.
-Note: since it lengthens your ankles rather than your legs, observant people might notice.
‘In terms of grade, they’re about the level of something made by a Skilled-ranked crafter.’
They weren’t bad, but they didn’t have any tremendous effects.
“Everything from here to there is a disguise tool. The low-end models that slightly alter your impressions are over here, and the tools that can change even your hair color are high-end. Changing your natural hair color is the hardest, you see. Especially…”
The clerk, who had been explaining rapidly to boost sales, pulled a cord hanging from the ceiling.
Then, items of a much higher class, different from the ones displayed so far, descended.
“These here are quite effective… but they do come with a slightly higher price tag.”
They were items outstanding in both design and effect.
“We’ll take that one.”
Rickshel pointed at a hairpin set with his finger.
* * *
[My Spitting Image]
-Even your parents won’t notice your transformation.
-Hair color, eye color, even secret tattoos. You can disguise yourself as you wish.
-Automatically deactivates 10 hours after wearing.
“Please, come again!”
Rickshel and Lion exited the shop.
“How was it?”
“An interesting place. I’ll have to come back and browse again sometime.”
When Lion slightly lifted the bag of freebies he’d received from the clerk, Rickshel let out a sigh of relief.
“I’m glad. To be honest, I was a little embarrassed.”
“Huh? Why? Did you use that pen to write lines as punishment too?”
“That’s not it…”
Rickshel gauged Lion’s mood and then confessed.
“I was a little embarrassed that I was the only one who attended the academy.”
“Ah.”
So what Rickshel meant was that he’d worried Lion might have felt some resentment.
‘Well… judging from my memories, even the original Lion didn’t seem to think that way, so it’s probably fine?’
Besides, if you really thought about it, Lion’s personality didn’t suit an academy anyway.
Group living and all.
‘Hmm, he’d probably have just withered away even more?’
That’s exactly what cooperation or teamwork meant for someone sickly.
Of course, some amount of social training was needed to live among people…
But Lion was a bit peculiar by nature, so let’s just leave it at that.
“Then shall we put on our disguises first?”
“Yes.”
Rickshel and Lion each took one of the somewhat silly-looking hairpins.
“It seems we just need to adjust our hair and eye color.”
Anyway, their cover was that of kind-hearted, wealthy young masters.
Because that way they could help without anyone getting suspicious.
“Right. What color would be good?”
“Let’s go with the most common color.”
The most common color here was brown hair and blue eyes.
As soon as they both put in the hairpins, the pins vanished without a trace, and their hair and eye colors changed.
“They changed nicely. Then let’s head to our second destination.”
The second destination Lion and Rickshel headed toward wasn’t an orphanage, but a mill.
The closer they got to the mill by the river, the stronger the nutty scent became.
“I heard this mill also makes and sells bread.”
“Even bread?”
How interesting.
Normally, mills only ground grain or pressed oil, didn’t they?
“So that’s why we’re going here?”
Since the Asteri territory was large, there were several mills.
Yet Rickshel had insisted on going to the mill on the very outskirts, and Lion had wondered why; now, this was the reason.
Of course, Rickshel wasn’t aiming for the bread.
It was the miller, Nicholas.
According to the attendant’s investigations, unlike other millers, he didn’t cheat people out of their grain, and despite living outside the territory due to the nature of his job, he had deep ties to the people.
‘And that wasn’t all.’
He was ordinarily a man of such compassion that he often made donations.
Because he believed that if you did good deeds, God would surely arrange good things for you.
He was one of the few devout believers in this territory where magic had become the mainstream.
‘I couldn’t quite understand believing in God over magic myself, but…’
He was also an indispensable person in the current situation.
‘If I made friends with him, I might just get to meet a priest.’
And so, flour was added to the donation items, and we decided to visit the mill directly.
“Sounds delicious.”
“Yes. I’ve heard that bread made from freshly milled flour is quite special.”
“Oh.”
Freshly milled flour…
‘It had to be whole wheat, right?’
Sifted snow-white flour made by removing the husk was good too, but whole wheat had a flavor all its own.
It had a chewy texture and a bit more acidity, which greatly stimulated the appetite when eaten before a meal.
And that wasn’t all.
‘Cookies were good too…’
The whole wheat cookies he used to eat popped into Lion’s head.
‘They were so crispy and had a wonderfully nutty aroma.’
Since he’d just gained a Cooking Talent, he really wanted to try making them himself if possible.
If he saw the milled whole wheat flour, a new recipe would be unlocked, so since they were here, it would be great to watch the milling process.
Then he could make whatever he wanted to his heart’s content later on, right?
“…”
While Lion was having these thoughts, the brothers arrived at the mill.
“Welcome. I’ve been expecting you.”
As if he had just finished with the flour, a hulking man walked out of the cabin.
It was Nicholas, the miller and baker.
“Did the work go well?”
“Absolutely. It’s been a long time since I’ve ground wheat this good. No bug bites, just excellent! But… why do you need so much flour?”
“I once saw some children going hungry. I felt sorry for them and decided to try making a donation.”
“Ahh, you’ve made a truly wonderful decision. Have you decided where you’ll be donating?”
“I’m thinking of the Leira Orphanage or the Medic Orphanage.”
“Hmm.”
Nicholas nodded his head.
‘Those weren’t bad places, but…’
The two places the noble boy mentioned were orphanages that were relatively well-run on their own.
They were places that raised children without want, to the point where kids were occasionally adopted into noble families. Partly because of that, they were also places where a virtuous cycle of receiving large donations and subsidies occurred.
‘But then again, for young masters like these, they wouldn’t know about anything else.’
Of course, those places weren’t bad.
He thought that sharing in whatever way possible was the important thing.
Just when Nicholas smiled faintly and was about to nod his head,
as if reading his mind, Rickshel asked.
“Actually, those are the only places I know of, so I was wondering if you had any recommendations?”
It was a highly calculated question.
“…! Then by any chance, would you consider donating to the orphanage under the Temple’s jurisdiction?”
“The Temple’s orphanage? I was under the impression their facilities were better.”
“Well, that was the case in the past. But I hear that because the temple’s situation hasn’t been good recently, the subsidies reaching the orphanage have decreased, and they’re struggling.”
Nicholas let out a deep sigh, saying it had been quite a while since they’d last received a donation.
“But since it’s located where it is, people don’t seem to know about it. And it’s only natural. Since it’s under the Temple’s jurisdiction, the Asteri territory can’t provide support either.”
Nicholas chuckled heartily and hinted subtly.
“So if you’re not averse to it, perhaps you might consider donating there as well…”
“How many children are there?”
“W-Well, not that many. About thirty, maybe.”
“Hmm.”
Nicholas felt nervous for no apparent reason and wiped his sweaty hands on his clothes.
‘Those young masters…’
He was just a commoner miller, so he didn’t know much, but they seemed like sons from a very distinguished family.
‘To think they had ordered this much flour…’
If this went well, the situation at that orphanage would definitely improve considerably.
“…”
The one who broke the brief silence was none other than Lion.
“Then it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bake some bread so the children can eat right away?”
“…!”
From Nicholas’s standpoint, this was great news.