Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 152
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 152
The Second Prince of the Empire, who had at some point come to bear the name “Kyle Sol Ionis,” was having a rather bewildering morning.
“What was that you just said?”
“It, well…”
The attendant who had been delivering his report to the Second Prince let his eyes dart from side to side, mumbling, before repeating the words he had spoken a moment earlier.
“Young Lord Rickshel Asteri has asked that the schedule be postponed…”
“…”
No matter that he was the heir of House Asteri—for a mere young lord who had yet to receive a formal title to contact an imperial prince and ask to postpone an appointment was unquestionably a breach of courtesy.
Yet Kyle was not the sort of person to reveal a troubled state of mind over a trifling matter like “pushing back an engagement on the day of.”
When he had been crawling up from the bottom, he had suffered far worse humiliations than this.
That nobles were capricious was nothing new; the higher the rank, the more their whims simmered like soup on the boil.
So ordinarily he would not have been so disconcerted by a discourtesy of this degree, but…
“And the reason?”
“A personal engagement arose, he said.”
“A personal engagement.”
“…Yes. Your Highness.”
‘That Rickshel Asteri?’
That was precisely what had startled Kyle.
The object of the report was the man known as Rickshel Asteri.
Even stripping away title and bloodline, Rickshel Asteri was not a person who would casually postpone an appointment over mere “personal circumstances.”
After all… that fellow was the most inflexible man he had ever met in his life.
Everything by principle and rule.
Schedules adjusted with a clean, precise stroke.
Unless it was a previously arranged meeting, he drew a clear line no matter who stood on the other side.
That applied just as thoroughly to Kyle, who had entered the same boat as him, and even to Rickshel Asteri himself.
Kyle had always regarded it as the man’s strength and his weakness.
Yet—!
“Ha.”
Kyle let out a hollow laugh.
Rickshel Asteri had postponed an appointment on his own whim. And without the slightest warning, at that.
Had anyone other than Rickshel Asteri committed this act, he would likely have suspected the worst first.
Had this person’s heart shifted?
Could he be meeting the First Prince?
If not, had something gone awry?
‘Clearly not.’
Behind Rickshel stood Marquis Petrick Asteri, steadfast as a giant tree.
Thus Rickshel’s own situation was unlikely to have met with any mishap.
Especially since that inflexible man would not turn his own choice on its head like a flipped palm at this stage, either.
‘And in this plan, of all things…’
They had never openly spoken of it, but this was the sure first step that could make him Crown Prince.
Was this not the very day that the Second Prince’s backer would stride openly into the light?
The hot spring development project at Easter proposed by Rickshel Asteri.
Through that project, they intended to create a new identity for “Jack” of the Criminal Underworld.
The plan itself was sound, and the First Prince, who might have attempted sabotage, was presently under forced confinement because of his own self-inflicted blunder.
“…”
Granted, his petty spite had managed to reach Kyle, but it had not interfered with the work.
For him to act like this while everything was proceeding so smoothly…
“Ah.”
A single memory flickered through Kyle’s deliberating mind.
He seized that fleeting recollection and examined its contents.
Yes. The day of House Asteri’s eldest son’s coming-of-age ceremony.
Young Lord Lion Asteri had briefly gone missing.
Officially it was called an “earthquake of unknown cause,” but had not several witnesses present seen it?
The labyrinth manifesting a strange phenomenon.
‘Rickshel Asteri was shaken then.’
The Second Prince had seen with his own eyes how that emotionless man had held back tears until the rims of his eyes turned red.
‘…I thought it was mere performance.’
Wearing similar clothes, deliberately treating him with the deference due an elder brother—
he had assumed it was a sophisticated psychological tactic meant to slight the Imperial Family.
Up until now, the rumors of Lion Asteri had been of a “talentless eccentric”; from a certain point onward, there was no reason for Rickshel Asteri to go out of his way to treat Lion as an elder brother.
And yet…
‘What if it was real?’
The smile that had played about Kyle’s lips slowly faded.
For some reason, his mood had soured.
Because Rickshel Asteri, who had seemed to have no weaknesses, now appeared to possess one?
No, that wasn’t it.
It was a more fundamental displeasure, a sensation he had never once felt before.
And so a dangerous curiosity took hold.
‘Just what kind of man is Lion Asteri?’
Enemy or ally?
Or perhaps a person as outstanding as Rickshel Asteri himself?
Rumors would resolve nothing.
In that case.
“Fine. I understand. Inform him that the engagement will be postponed.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The attendant bowed deeply and hurried out of the room.
After the door closed softly,
Kyle rose quietly from his chair.
A man who had lain concealed, suppressing his presence, draped Kyle’s coat over his shoulders and asked,
“Shall I make ready?”
“Do it. We depart immediately.”
A smile once again found its way onto Kyle’s lips.
A change in plans had freed up his time—how he used it was entirely up to him.
* * *
Now, where should I begin to explain this.
Only ten minutes earlier, a colossal deer with horns that shed a golden radiance had silently, without the slightest warning, approached and settled itself beside Lion.
It had happened just as I was worrying that my younger brother might not get a proper look at the animals before the visit concluded, so I thought it was wonderfully good fortune.
The trouble, however, came right after.
When Lion absentmindedly stroked the deer’s head and horns, it…
Swish.
…simply dropped right down on the spot and offered its back to him!
As if telling him to climb right up.
‘This is…’
Lion was quite familiar with this phenomenon.
In <In the World>, the druid class performed preliminary work to communicate with animals in order to efficiently raise their Beast Taming skill.
That work was precisely “communion.”
Through it you could discern the emotions of various animals, identify discomforts, and prevent them in advance—so it was practically an indispensable undertaking.
However, in order to do so, the animals first had to display a considerable degree of affection toward the “druid.”
In other words, unless the animals approached and chose you of their own accord, the endeavor was nearly impossible.
That was why the druid class was also treated as a beastfolk-exclusive profession. Their animal affinity bordered on excessive.
And yet—
This golden-horned deer had approached first!
‘…This is good, isn’t it?’
Lion had no idea what had brought this about, but he had no intention of letting the opportunity slip.
Give his brother a chance to see animals up close, wring every last benefit out of Hotel Easter,
and, while he was at it, carry out the preliminary work for his Beast Taming skill!
There could be no greater profit than this.
What’s more…
‘It’s magnificent.’
Was this not a scene straight out of a dream?
Climbing onto the back of an enormous deer with horns that glowed golden, stroking its coat, and communing with it.
If I had my way I would have mounted it at once, but…
Gazing into the deer’s eyes and gently stroking the bridge of its nose, Lion asked,
“Are you quite certain I may ride you? I am fairly heavy.”
Blink. Blink.
Without a sound, the deer simply blinked its clear eyes a couple of times, docile.
Then it turned its head and looked over at Rickshel as well.
Likely meaning that my younger brother could ride too.
“I am fine.”
“It’s a fine opportunity, you know.”
“Watching alone is still satisfying for me.”
It seemed that my bashful younger brother was perhaps shy even with animals.
Without pressing further, Lion slowly shifted his weight and carefully climbed atop, and the deer rose, slow and graceful.
Then—
Lightly.
By no more than a little, the deer’s body lifted buoyantly into the air.
“Oh—!”
Rickshel’s mouth fell open at the sight.
‘So that’s why there were no tracks.’
Even for a forest that saw few visitors, it was still a place where animals lived.
I had wondered at the strange absence of footprints or other traces, and this was the reason!
‘And besides, if it is a deer capable of using levitation magic…’
I had been dubious even when I saw the golden horns, but now it was certain.
This rare creature was unmistakably one of the few remaining Luminis Deer in the world.
I distinctly recalled having read in a book that it was described as an animal that had missed becoming a spirit by the narrowest of margins.
‘I see. So that is why it approached my brother…’
Rickshel’s mouth twitched with a swell of baseless pride.
Of course, the fact that the deer had permitted such direct communion was entirely owing to his brother’s talent, but he still felt as though he had, in some small way, contributed something.
While he was considering himself fortunate that his brother had not glimpsed his foolish expression, his brother was leaning forward and appeared to be murmuring something to the deer.
‘…Will he end up adopting one as well?’
If his brother truly loved animals this much, he even began to wonder whether they ought to establish a zoo not at Easter, but on the Asteri estate itself.
Turning the matter over in his mind in all seriousness, Rickshel followed behind the Luminis Deer as it walked through the empty air.
‘But where is it headed?’
Fortunately, the question did not linger long.
After carrying Lion about for several minutes, the Luminis Deer gradually halted its steps and alighted gently onto the ground.
And there before him…
“Good heavens! I never imagined a guest would actually make it all the way here!”
A staff member concealed in the undergrowth rose and clapped her hands.
“And guided by the Luminis Deer, no less! Goodness gracious…”
The staff member marveled aloud, wondering how on earth he had managed to be guided by a friend that was not commonly encountered even by sight, and only belatedly added,
“A-At any rate, you have most certainly experienced the “Rare Animal Protection Ranch” in proper fashion!”
With flustered enthusiasm, she produced an oval-shaped coin from her bosom and proffered it to Lion.
“Please, you must accept it!”
“Oh.”
Accepting the Egg Coin, Lion murmured inwardly.
‘It really found it for me?’
So, the truth of the matter—a short while earlier, on the off chance, I had asked the deer whether it could find me an “Egg Coin.”
There had been no reply, of course, but when the deer had risen into the air and gone somewhere, I had simply resolved to enjoy the ride and remained still, when…
Frankly, even Lion, who had made the request, could scarcely believe the situation.
And no wonder—I hadn’t even acquired the Beast Taming skill yet, had I?
Slick.
Lion stole a glance inside his bag.
Nature, only now seeming to rouse from sleep, was blinking its eyes with a drowsy, half-awake expression.
‘Then Nature didn’t lend a hand…’
No, surely not.
Just in case, Lion gave the egg a light prod.
At once—
Vrrr!
The egg vibrated lightly, as though giggling at his touch!
[The Demonic Beast Egg likes you!]
At the same moment, a notification he had never before seen surfaced.
Even that notification vanished not long after it appeared.
“…”
There was no information beyond that, but Lion understood.
This absurd animal-communion ability was, very likely, a bizarre trick produced by this Demonic Beast Egg.
The reason was probably…
‘Because it wants me to befriend animals?’
Perhaps it had even read my mind.
Lion gazed steadily at the egg.
It was simply a round egg as always, and yet, somehow, he felt as if a message was being conveyed: I did well, didn’t I?