Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 150
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 150
‘A treasure hunt.’
It was a good idea.
It would probably be a nice opportunity for Rickshel too, since he’d likely never done anything like a treasure hunt before.
Lion swallowed his anticipation with effort and nodded.
No matter what, he couldn’t let a shady grin show in front of his younger brother’s business partner.
“If your schedule permits, Lord Rickshel Asteri, why not enjoy it together?”
“You mean me?”
“Yes. Usually, it is families or couples who visit Easter, so…”
“I see.”
Rickshel grasped Willi’s intent.
The manager was apparently worried about his older brother.
After all, Hotel Easter was generally a place for families, couples, or at the very least, friends.
Guests almost never came alone.
And in that situation, imagine if the ‘eldest son of House Asteri’, of all people, wandered around by himself.
Would that spread pleasant rumors?
‘No.’
The direct line of House Asteri had come all the way to the hotel together, and if they were seen acting separately, it was far more likely to stir up strange gossip.
The sharp-witted manager had evidently grasped that Rickshel had no wish for such rumors to circulate.
Having someone guess his thoughts so freely wasn’t an entirely pleasant experience, but if it was an issue born of consideration for his brother…
‘Not bad.’
Rickshel inwardly gave Willi a passing grade and answered.
“I, too, was just curious about what those who visit this place might be thinking. This works out well. I shall do so.”
“Understood. Then I will assist you with the remaining check-in procedures.”
Willi let out a sigh of relief, added the appropriate check-in processes and various explanations befitting his profession, and bowed his head in greeting.
“Then, I hope you have a pleasant time at Easter.”
* * *
Once check-in was complete, an employee who appeared quite experienced guided them to their room.
“This is it.”
“Here?”
Lion’s mouth fell slightly open as he gazed at the ‘hotel room’.
Truth be told, when they had reached the hotel lobby, he had been surprised by its immense scale, but the form itself had not made a particular impression.
After all, hotels were places he had frequented quite a bit before his possession.
From the business hotels he’d stayed at when he had to go on sales trips, to the top-tier hotel he’d gotten a taste of once by chance.
The gist was that you checked in, took an elevator, and stayed in a designated room.
But here…
‘This is impressive.’
Going up one floor from the lobby by stairs had been fine so far.
But the moment they moved using those stairs—
Swoosh.
Whether it was rigged with a magical device or not, the location changed in an instant.
Though it was a short distance, the space itself had shifted.
“Are you all right, Brother?”
Realizing that Lion had suffered warp sickness earlier, Rickshel asked in a low voice, a little belatedly.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
Perhaps because the distance traveled hadn’t been that far, his body felt no strain.
Or maybe Nature had protected him without his noticing.
In any case, after moving through space like that,
they arrived in front of the door in an instant.
But what was peculiar was… other than the room number Lion had received, nothing else was visible.
He could tell there was a door, but even the number on it was hazy.
“Hotel Easter makes every effort to protect the privacy of its guests. If you wish, we also offer a service that makes you appear differently when you step out, so please do not hesitate to ask if you need it.”
The veteran employee gave an explanation that sounded practiced by rote and bowed his head deeply.
It meant they could go in now.
Lion nodded and pushed the key he’d received into the keyhole.
The key slid in without resistance with a click, fitting perfectly, and the doorknob turned automatically to the side as the door opened.
And inside…
was a room so pleasant that any noble would have no choice but to be satisfied.
In fact, it wasn’t just one single room.
‘This is practically a living room.’
On one side, there was a bookshelf, and a small, atmospheric fireplace was present.
On the marble table in front of the sofa sat a welcome drink and simple finger foods.
Inside the fruit basket, precious fruits rarely seen were piled up as if about to spill over.
“It appears the bedrooms are separate.”
Rickshel’s face, too, bore an expression that said this was quite acceptable.
“You’re right. So all these doors are bedrooms.”
There were bedrooms on either side of the living room, and it seemed that those who had trouble sleeping unless they were alone could still have a comfortable slumber here.
And the bedding looked so very plush…
‘Ugh, I have to stop looking.’
If he kept staring, he might just throw himself onto the bed and fall into a lazy sleep.
If he had been alone, he would have done so, but Lion resolved not to.
Because the reason he’d come here today was to give Rickshel a taste of proper rest.
‘Let’s see if there’s anything fun we can do together.’
Lion closed the door and headed out to the terrace.
He didn’t know whether they’d been given a high floor or the view itself had been altered by magic, but the panoramic view of the hotel spread out refreshingly, which seemed perfect for deciding on a destination.
‘Let’s see…’
Lion leaned on the railing and looked outside.
The first thing he saw was a beautifully landscaped garden.
Farther in the distance, all kinds of Hotel Easter facilities caught his eye: facilities that looked exactly like drawings on a canvas—a hunting ground—and,
on a cute, small scale, things that looked like an amusement park were faintly visible.
So many different elements were packed in that just looking was satisfying.
“That’s dangerous, Brother.”
His appreciation was short-lived.
Rickshel, who had at some point trotted after him, voiced a worried scold upon seeing Lion leaning on the railing.
“It’s fine. How flimsily could they have built it?”
This was a business catering to none other than the wealthy and the nobility.
Shoddy construction could not be tolerated.
“Want to come over?”
At Lion’s gesture, Rickshel had no choice but to step out onto the terrace.
Then, still looking doubtful, he gripped the terrace railing and shook it a few times to check it himself, and only then did he put aside his suspicion and look at the same scenery as Lion.
“It certainly looks more plausible when viewed like this.”
“You’ve never been to a hotel before either?”
“I have come before, but it was for business purposes, so this is the first time I am viewing it from this perspective.”
“Not bad, right?”
“…Yes. It is not.”
Rickshel smiled a quiet, gentle smile.
He didn’t dislike his busy daily life, but spending leisurely time with his brother like this always lifted his spirits.
To others, it might look as though they were doing nothing at all, but that was not the case.
‘In fact, I am learning even more.’
Perhaps because he had lived a life of running without knowing rest, his brother’s perspective and every single word he said became an immense enlightenment for Rickshel.
To be able to learn even while resting—how remarkable was that!
“Then shall we go look around together, taking this chance?”
Before Rickshel could answer, *If that is what you wish, Brother, I am unconditionally in favor*, Lion added,
“It’ll be a good foundation for business too. There’s nothing as certain as experiencing it firsthand.”
Rickshel nodded.
That was actually one of the things his brother had made him realize.
Until then, Rickshel had many shortcomings in being considered true working-level personnel.
How to put it? It’s not that he hadn’t seen or felt things directly, but he hadn’t been able to pinpoint and scratch precisely where it itched.
Even on their first outing, or when he baked bread for the children at the orphanage,
his plans had been good, but they hadn’t been able to penetrate any deeper than that.
If it weren’t for his brother, he might never have been able to do so in the future.
“Perhaps Willi re-launched the Egg Coin event so that going around as a guest would give us more experience…”
“Your words are correct, Brother.”
“Huh?”
“For the duration of our stay at this hotel, I shall follow all of your opinions.”
“…”
Well, ah, that would be nice, sure.
But weren’t you busy?
Lion was a bit flustered by how much more passionately his younger brother responded today.
Because, honestly, all that rambling he’d done was an excuse!
Just, because they’d come to a hotel, and so his brother could relax too.
And also to check out what the guy’s tastes were.
And since they were at an expensive hotel, to get their money’s worth!
…Well, he’d said it with those kinds of casual thoughts, but Rickshel had a strangely solemn look.
‘Th-this should be fine, right?’
His little brother was being rather proactive, but it wasn’t a bad thing.
And since his personality valued ‘efficiency’, perhaps having a clear objective like this was for the best.
“Then where shall we go first?”
“Hmm…”
Rickshel fell into deeper thought than ever before.
Surely, this was a task given by his brother.
The time limit was about four nights and five days.
Within that, they had to sample the most famous facilities at Easter one by one.
And then…
‘Though troublesome, we do have to meet them.’
The actual time he had was even less.
Therefore, he had to squeeze maximum efficiency out of the minimum travel routes.
Especially since his brother’s stamina was weak…
Rickshel’s eyes moved coolly this way and that.
‘First, the hunting ground is out.’
One of Easter’s greatest strengths was that the hunting ground was inside the hotel, maximizing the convenience of the nobility.
But his brother did not enjoy hunting.
Rather, he liked animals, so there was no need to go to a place that clashed with that.
In that case…
“…!”
Right. There was this place.
The forest right next to the hunting ground.
“Hotel Easter is said to have a place that protects rare animals.”
A place that protects rare animals…
“A zoo?”
“You could also call it that. Yes. A zoo.”
Rickshel added an explanation.
During the war against the demons, the ones who had suffered the most damage were, naturally, humans, but the damage to flora and fauna had been no small matter either, he said.
Thus, he had heard that Hotel Easter resolved to do what it could in its own way.
That was to create a space to protect animal specimens vulnerable to the demons’ demonic energy and begin managing it directly.
“Of course, it is said that after the war, most of the animals were transferred at the request of the Lion Beastfolk Kingdom, but I heard they symbolically kept a few here.”
“That makes sense.”
Since the beastfolk would understand animals’ minds better, that was the better course of action.
“So, if we are lucky, we might be able to see rare animals…”
Rickshel trailed off and glanced sidelong at Lion.
“Would you like to go?”
“Sure. Let’s go right now.”
Lion immediately left the terrace and walked toward the door with a satisfied grin.
‘Ha. So he wanted to see the zoo.’
Out of all these facilities, a zoo.
He might act all grown up, but a kid is a kid.
True, how many opportunities would nobles have to see animals?
Especially Rickshel, who was immersed day and night in heir lessons—the chances would have been even rarer.
‘Come to think of it, Nature was curious too…’
He’d been glancing at the demonic beast egg we brought from the temple, hadn’t he?
He pretended not to, but he actually seemed to quite like animals.
Later, when they had time, he’d have to casually ask him what he thought about getting a companion animal.
They said it was good for emotional stability, after all.
‘But… how did they hide Egg Coins in a zoo?’
Since it was definitely one of the facilities, they must have hidden Egg Coins there for sure.
Lion erased a few images that popped up in his head.
Hmm, well, he’d probably figure it out as they enjoyed themselves.