Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 146
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 146
The first to catch the scent was Varg, who was carrying out his escort duty at Rickshel’s side.
*Sniff, sniff.*
Varg lifted his head at the sweet fragrance that tickled his nose and sniffed earnestly, searching for the direction it came from.
The scent was undoubtedly wafting from the kitchen.
‘Is the young master making something again?’
First, the scent of round, colorful fruit had drifted over, and now something deeper and familiar was spreading through it.
This was…
‘That potion scent.’
That fragrant potion which had saved him when he’d gone berserk from the Eclipse symptom.
In truth, his memories from after his body had been completely consumed by instinct were not intact.
If the Knight Commander and Jake hadn’t explained what had happened, he might never have recalled it.
And yet, the one thing he did remember was this honey scent.
Perhaps because of that, merely catching the scent was strangely reassuring, enough to melt away all the tension in his body.
It might have been even more so because he was a wolf beastfolk with a keen sense of smell.
He stole a glance.
“…”
Varg rolled his eyes and looked at the little young master, who still hadn’t put down his pen and was intently focused on his work.
Something seemed to displease him, as his straight brow was delicately furrowed.
‘…That’s definitely the expression he makes when the reports are a mess, right?’
It hadn’t been long since he became Rickshel’s escort knight, but fortunately, Varg had learned to read Rickshel’s expressions in just a few days.
The truth was, it hadn’t been difficult, because the little young master’s expressions were quite limited.
When he was displeased or irritated, as now, his brow furrowed. When he was frustrated, he would pause his breathing for a moment, close his eyes gently, and let out a deep breath.
And finally, when he was angry…
His face would freeze cold, as if every muscle in it had drained away.
The surging mana was a bonus.
‘S-scary…’
In that respect, he looked exactly like Marquis Petrick.
In any case, since those were about the only expressions he made, even the somewhat slow Varg could figure things out quickly if he paid attention.
And fortunately, he also knew what was needed.
What the little young master needed right now was…
‘Young Master Lion.’
In truth, he was like a panacea for the little young master.
Especially when the reports were a mess like this!
So Varg, watching for Rickshel’s reaction, cautiously opened his mouth.
“Umm…”
“…”
Naturally, no answer came.
The little young master had a habit of not bothering to reply unless the words were necessary.
Someone else might have been hurt by it, but Varg, who had experienced something as massive as going berserk, wasn’t wounded by something so trivial.
Truthfully, he was rather indifferent to such things anyway, but it was also because he knew he wasn’t being ignored out of dislike.
‘If anything… he might actually be fond of me?’
If that weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have taken him along to the temple.
He simply wasn’t as good at expressing himself as Young Master Lion, or so Varg thought.
So Varg, timid but persistent, continued speaking.
“Y-Young Master Lion seems to be making something.”
At that, Rickshel’s movements, which had shown no reaction until now, came to an abrupt halt.
“My brother?”
Rickshel set down his fountain pen entirely and turned around.
“Yes…”
“How did you know?”
“Fr-from the kitchen, a sweet scent… I mean, the scent of honey.”
“The scent of honey?”
“Yes. It was the same scent that came from the potion when he saved me.”
“…”
Rickshel looked out the window.
He couldn’t see the kitchen where his brother was, but after hearing Varg’s words, he almost felt as if he could sense the scent.
‘But at this hour…’
It was already past the dead of night and racing toward dawn.
He was glad that his brother was doing what he wanted, but seeing him active at this late hour still made him uneasy for no good reason.
And of all things, it had to be moonflowers.
Rickshel had come to dislike the scent of moonflower honey rather intensely.
The reason was obvious enough—he knew how many days his brother had struggled to grow those moonflowers and make that potion.
And was that all?
‘He’d even considered falling from that high in the sky…’
Just thinking about it again made his head spin.
He was on the verge of demanding to know if there truly hadn’t been a gentler method.
Of course, the outcome had been good.
His brother had said he would never use such a reckless method again, and they had even gained a reliable ally in the wolf beastfolk.
Rickshel recalled the day Varg had come to find him personally.
“…”
It had been before Varg’s body had even fully recovered.
“Why have you come to me?”
At Rickshel’s question, Varg immediately dropped to his knees.
No matter who he was, even Rickshel couldn’t help being somewhat flustered when a wolf beastfolk suddenly knelt before him.
Even more so when that individual was injured.
But what was more bewildering than the action itself…
“P-please allow me to serve as your escort, Young Master Rickshel!”
He was suddenly proclaiming that he wanted to become his personal escort knight!
Why on earth?
Anyone could see that Varg wanted to follow his brother.
If he were to give his life, he would surely give it to his brother. And indeed, that was what Varg felt.
“The reason?”
“I desperately wish to repay my debt to Young Master Lion. So I thought about it. Who is it that the young master treasures most…”
Varg stammered and his voice grew quiet at times, but he conveyed his intention with all his effort.
In summary, he wanted to protect the person his brother considered most important.
Of course, in the midst of that…
“…it’s because Young Master Rickshel is the weakest…”
He had gone and dropped that bombshell.
The problem was that Rickshel couldn’t refute it.
Setting aside his brother, wasn’t he indeed the weakest in the family?
“…”
So although his pride was quite wounded, he had no excuse to refuse, and he granted permission.
And fortunately, that connection had continued well up to now.
In fact, Varg’s skill had improved by leaps and bounds ever since his Eclipse symptom had been alleviated.
He had grown so much in that short period that he could spar with Knight Commander Rickson—there was nothing more to say.
‘Still, why did it have to be that honey?’
He couldn’t help worrying that his brother might be involving himself in something dangerous again.
If he had his way, he would go straight to the kitchen and see what was happening, but…
He had no real justification.
Wouldn’t barging in unannounced seem too childish?
“Um, Little Young Master. Aren’t you hungry?”
Just then, Varg subtly asked.
…Was he hungry?
He wasn’t particularly hung—
“Since you didn’t have dinner, I thought you might be hungry. In that case, going to the kitchen to eat something…”
“I do seem to be hungry.”
Rickshel, catching Varg’s meaning, rose at once.
Yes. If one is hungry, going to the kitchen is only natural.
‘And if I happen to run into my brother along the way, that would be fine.’
The important tasks were also roughly wrapped up, so if he met him, he could naturally bring up the hotel matter.
Good.
Rickshel, whose brow had smoothed out without a trace before he knew it, stepped out of the room with a very faint smile.
‘Hehe. He must be pleased.’
He felt proud, as if he had now firmly grasped the method for improving the little young master’s mood.
Varg’s tail wagged briskly as he followed behind Rickshel.
* * *
Lion, who had no idea that Rickshel and Varg were heading this way, drawn by the scent of candied fruit, continued his work.
He boiled the fruit in batches in the syrup, which had been enhanced with honey for deeper flavor.
If he stored them in jars with the syrup like this, they would become the fruit confit he had tasted earlier, but Lion’s goal was clear!
He turned off the heat before the shapes could lose their form, placed the sugar-preserved candied fruit on a drying rack, and arranged them nicely.
The surface already had a glossy sheen from the sweet syrup.
If they dried well like this, they would probably turn out quite nicely, he thought.
Lion picked up the drying rack and stood before Nature.
In the modern world, there were methods like using a dehydrator or a low-temperature oven, but Lion had an even better way.
“Nature. Would you dry these candied fruits with a warm wind?”
“Peep.”
Nature, who seemed to find the process of making candied fruit quite enjoyable, immediately fluttered its small wings and set a warm wind blowing.
As the pleasantly warm and dry wind blew, Lion skillfully used Fermentation Acceleration.
When the moist fruit flesh dried and became chewy, Lion turned the candied fruit pieces, rolling them so they would dry evenly and attractively.
Once they were dried to the point where nothing sticky came off on his hands…
“Done.”
[Spirit Mage’s Candied Apple (★★★)]
-A candied apple made by a spirit mage together with their companion spirit.
-To be able to use a spirit’s power so well is remarkable!
-The chewy texture is exquisite! A taste that both people and spirits will enjoy.
Starting with the candied apple, which finished first, all the other fruits were completed as well.
The sliced apples looked quite presentable, and the other fruits, cut along the grain, had also turned out neatly in almond shapes.
‘Phew.’
Lion breathed an inward sigh of relief.
Truthfully, since he had never actually eaten candied fruit himself, he had been worried about whether they would turn out well, but at least they looked fine on the outside.
If not for Nature’s help, it probably wouldn’t have been easy to make them so pretty.
“Here, look.”
Lion grinned and held up the candied apple before Nature.
“You made this.”
At that, Nature stopped flapping and alighted gently onto Lion’s hand.
Its expression was the same as usual, but today Nature’s tiny eyes sparkled brightly.
“Peep…!”
Normally, it would be in a hurry to put food in its mouth as soon as it was finished, but now it even gazed at the candied apple for quite a long time without eating it!
[Companion Spirit ‘Nature’ is deeply moved!]
“Yeah. Proud, aren’t you?”
“Peep, peep!”
Lion grinned, cut the candied apple into a size easy for Nature to eat, and offered it.
Only then did Nature lower its head, peck at the candied fruit it had made with its beak, and put it in its mouth…
“…”
It didn’t react.
‘I-is it not good?’
The moment he thought that!
*Peck. Peckpeckpeck!*
Nature’s speed in pecking at the candied fruit began to accelerate.
It clutched a slightly larger piece of candied fruit with its talons and tugged at it with its beak, tearing into it heartily. As if determined not to miss a single crumb, it even devoured every last bit with its tiny beak.
“You’re eating well…”
It might have been eating better than it ever had with any food he’d given it before!
Lion, filled with unwarranted pride, cut up the remaining fruit and offered it, quietly watching Nature eat.
He felt as if he understood why people enjoyed watching others eat.
The pleasure of eating was palpable, and the sight of such hearty eating made him feel hungry in turn.
“Shall I try one too?”
He had clearly eaten until he was bursting at the night market, but strangely, he felt like he could manage some candied fruit.
Lion placed a piece of candied grapefruit in his mouth.
“Mm!”
An exclamation burst out the moment it entered his mouth.
Even without having ever tasted candied fruit before, he could tell.
The candied fruit was a success!