Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 153
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 153
“Hmm…”
Lion’s head tilted slightly.
He didn’t know exactly why, but one thing seemed clear: the Demonic Beast Egg had certainly done something significant.
‘Still… no matter how you look at it, it shouldn’t have been able to raise affinity.’
He turned his head back toward the Luminis Deer. The creature was sitting calmly, gazing at Lion.
…It even seemed to be showing a faint degree of fondness.
“At any rate, it really is unusual for this one to keep watch beside anyone but me.”
And sure enough, that wasn’t normal.
The keeper remarked that it had taken him years to get friendly with the deer, and he kept making an incredulous expression.
‘Which probably means it wasn’t compelled by hierarchy.’
If that was the case, then some kind of force must have acted on the Luminis Deer.
Lion decided not to let this loose end pass.
If he gathered every clue one by one, wouldn’t he be able to provide more reliable care once the Demonic Beast Egg hatched?
‘And if I acquire the talent before it hatches, the newborn demonic beast might live even more comfortably.’
He had zero experience raising a companion animal, so he’d been fretting about it without fully realizing.
What if he couldn’t raise it well? That kind of worry.
There was no guarantee it would express its intentions as clearly as Nature did, and above all…
‘This little one is terrible at showing when it’s hurt.’
That was it. That was the thing nagging at him most.
Lion had never raised a companion animal himself.
But he’d had plenty of indirect experience.
Back when he lived as Baek Yi-hyeon, quite a few people around him kept pets.
“Here’s a picture of my dog—isn’t the way it’s sleeping hilarious?”
The first memory that came to mind was of a certain new hire who had joined the company back when he was still an assistant manager.
A wishy-washy, timid type, and he’d been pondering how to help the guy fit into the office when the subject of pets happened to come up.
The new hire instantly brightened and launched into an enormous spiel bragging about his dog.
He showed pictures of it sprawled belly-up like a person, or sneaking peeks after causing some mischief.
It was a mutt from a shelter, he said, with black fur spreading around its nose as if it had stuck its face right into a bowl of jjajangmyeon, which was why he’d named it Jjajangi.
‘Up until then I just thought, well, that’s nice.’
Fortunately, using the dog talk as a starting point, the new hire adapted to the company reasonably well, and Baek Yi-hyeon figured that was that.
The occasional dog stories were pretty enjoyable too.
Then one ordinary morning workday, the new hire—now a full employee—was late without any notice.
He wasn’t the type to do that; thinking he might be sick, Baek Yi-hyeon called him…
“A-Assistant Manager. Today, I… coming in…”
He had spoken like that, trying to sound calm but with a voice that trembled.
“Jjajangi is, hurting so much. At the hospital, but I didn’t notice in time… So, I’m sorry, but today, a day off…”
The flustered tone told you just how terrified the employee was.
In that moment, Baek Yi-hyeon realized a certain truth.
Ah, a pet could suddenly get sick like this.
And even when it was sick, there were times it couldn’t convey that fact to its owner.
Before then, he’d never had the headspace to care and hadn’t given it any thought.
And after that incident, he decided that no matter how lonely he might be, he would never keep a pet until he was fully ready.
Because there was no pain quite like the pain of losing them.
In the end, the employee had to take the next day off,
and the day after that too.
A bitter conclusion.
But, well. Much, much later, that guy eventually said this:
“Huh? Haha. Even so, when the time comes I’ll bring Jjajangi back. The love that kid gave me was bigger than the sadness.” “Yeah?” “Yeah. And, you know, there’s that thing people say, right? That one of the things you wish a pet would say is ‘I’m hurting.’ I don’t need him to say it, so I just want to look after him a little more closely.”
It was so long ago that the employee—no, by then he’d become an assistant manager himself—had smiled while saying that.
…Just like that, gazing at the Demonic Beast Egg had suddenly stirred up an old memory.
That dog named Jjajangi, whom he’d only ever seen in pictures, had also held in the pain until things turned out that way.
Swish.
Lion gently rubbed the eggshell with his fingertips.
The creature inside was a seasoned expert at enduring pain.
Even when divine power had coated it so badly it couldn’t breathe properly, it hadn’t shown any reaction—just endured and endured.
Probably because in the wild, if you revealed an injury, you’d be culled.
‘In that case…’
Like his junior had said, before it could be forced to say “I’m hurting,” he wanted to find where it was hurting first.
Now he could truly empathize.
Maybe a genuine sense of responsibility had formed.
‘Of course! The best outcome would be for it to be healthy even if it causes a little trouble!’
Pat-pat.
Lion gave the Demonic Beast Egg a light, patting touch, not forgetting to praise it while he was at it.
After all, hadn’t they managed to acquire an Egg Coin thanks to this little one’s help?
In any case, to prevent that kind of worrying situation before it happened, he absolutely had to understand Beast Taming properly.
It was a prerequisite before any talent could bloom.
So Lion, though a little belatedly, posed a question to the keeper.
“Isn’t it usually this friendly?”
“Oh, you must have a real interest in animals, sir!”
The keeper cleared his throat, stroked the Luminis Deer’s antlers, and began his explanation.
“People generally don’t notice, but animals actually have a special ability. It’s the ability to perceive a person’s sincerity, and the Luminis Deer is exceptionally gifted in that regard.”
Which was why they were also called animals that could have become spirits.
“So this fellow must have grasped your intentions well, sir. Surely it was being considerate, wasn’t it?”
“The keeper is correct, Brother.”
Rickshel whispered, low enough that only Lion could hear.
He added that those who could harness this ability appropriately in the right moments advanced all the way into the realm of taming.
“I see.”
Come to think of it, that was why the Druid class had been exclusive to beastfolk.
Beastfolk could communicate fairly smoothly with animals to some degree without that kind of effort.
‘Wait, that means.’
Didn’t that mean that as long as communication was possible, something like this was perfectly achievable even without taming?
Of course, Lion couldn’t communicate properly.
He hadn’t even noticed when the deer had approached him, had he?
But—
Glance.
Lion lowered his gaze and looked at the Demonic Beast Egg inside the bag.
What if this tiny little creature had conveyed his feelings to the deer on his behalf?
What if it had acted as a kind of amplifier, in other words?
‘…It’s possible.’
Even in an unborn state, relaying a person’s inner thoughts would be well within its capabilities.
Because it was not a mere animal, but a demonic beast.
Then why?
“Peep, peep.”
In that instant, Nature, now fully awake, popped out of the bag, snapped off a twig from a tree in the forest, and placed it gently on Lion’s palm.
At that déjà vu, Lion let out a soft, low exclamation.
“It’d be nice if you could come along on this hotel trip too.”
That was it. He’d definitely said that.
What if the Demonic Beast Egg had been listening all along since that moment and had lent its strength to something they could do together?
‘…This tiny thing that hasn’t even been born yet.’
It was so precious.
“Do you have any more questions? I’ve never before met a guest that animals like so much…!”
The keeper looked at Lion with eyes that were considerably intense.
It no longer seemed as though he saw him as just a “guest” or a “direct descendant of House Asteri.”
How to put it.
The gaze of a veteran gamer who’d spotted a newbie?
In any case, it looked like he wanted to offer anything else he possibly could.
‘I appreciate the sentiment, but.’
He got the feeling there wasn’t anything left to learn by asking the keeper more here.
And one thing had become certain.
The Demonic Beast Egg was directly aiding Beast Taming.
If the skill had a formal name, it was probably something like a “Rapport Boost” passive.
At the same time, Lion realized something.
Beast Taming wasn’t achieved through a tamer’s effort alone—it required working together with many animals, or with a companion animal.
“In that case…!”
With solemn determination, Lion swept the Demonic Beast Egg right out of the bag and held it up high!
He had polished it so thoroughly that golden light reflected off the Demonic Beast Egg and made it gleam.
“I’d like to show this little one the forest—could we take one more look around?”
“Ohh! Truth be told, the time is almost up, but since you’re the guest who even found an Egg Coin, I’ll grant a special extension!”
The keeper did falter for a moment when the enormous egg suddenly appeared out of the bag, but he smoothly recovered like a seasoned pro.
‘After all, this is the young master of House Asteri…!’
It was entirely plausible for anything to emerge.
Besides, whatever anyone said, hadn’t this guest even managed to find an Egg Coin with the Luminis Deer’s help!
“The Luminis Deer says it will come along, too!”
“Really? I’m grateful for that. Ah, Rickshel, why don’t you ride along this time too?”
“Pardon?”
“You saw it was fine, didn’t you? Right?”
“…”
Rickshel’s mouth opened and closed at his brother’s sudden action.
Of course, his brother did have moments where he suddenly did eccentric things like this, but this time it was especially hard to follow.
He did seem happy, at least…
‘Brother…’
Rickshel squeezed his eyes shut inwardly.
‘I’m sorry, but I do not like animals…!’
Not that he hated them, but he would really rather not press up against a beast that wasn’t clean…
“You don’t want to?”
“No! I’ll ride!”
But since his brother was so delighted, there was no refusing.
Rickshel, tears welling up inside, climbed onto the Luminis Deer,
and the unplanned forest tour continued until evening fell.
* * *
At the same time.
“…He already acquired an Egg Coin?”
“Yes.”
“And in the ranch, no less?”
“That’s correct!”
“How in the world!”
Willi, receiving reports from the staff, simply pressed a hand to his forehead in shock.
“No, it is possible.”
As a seasoned manager, Willi swiftly recovered his calm.
The difficulty of finding an Egg Coin was set very high.
No—he had tuned it to an extreme level of difficulty that even a member of “that House Asteri” couldn’t easily overcome.
That way, the thrill and the psychological reward upon discovery would shoot up to the maximum!
And yet he’d found one in less than half a day!
Perhaps I underestimated House Asteri.
Should I adjust the difficulty further?
‘…No.’
Willi soon shook his head.
He judged that the Egg Coin obtained at the ranch was highly likely a chance discovery.
Besides, even if it wasn’t a coincidence, it was entirely possible that Lord Lion Asteri simply had a nature-attuned disposition.
‘It’s actually worked out well.’
The remaining Egg Coins were all clustered on the “entertainment” side, so he wouldn’t be able to find them easily.