Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 164
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 164
I could make cocktails now.
That brought me one step closer to the plan—making cocktails for Rickshel once he came of age.
“This is a pretty great gift, isn’t it?”
Actually, considering the ability unlock, this was far beyond “pretty great.”
A grin crept onto Lion’s lips before he could stop it.
It felt like getting a free level-up, or something along those lines.
“So that’s all the gifts, right?”
Nothing else remained in the box.
Lion stowed the liqueur in his inventory.
If Rickshel found out about this, it wouldn’t just be a lecture this time—it would probably go straight to their grandfather.
While he was nodding to himself, congratulating himself on his rational judgment—
Flutter.
A sheet of paper slipped from the mushberry liqueur box and drifted to the floor.
“This is… a letter?”
And the stationery was the exact same material as the Easter invitation.
Which meant it was a letter personally penned by the current manager, Willi.
‘A thank-you note?’
Or maybe a courtesy letter addressed to the direct line of House Asteri.
Lion broke the seal and unfolded the paper.
As expected, neat handwriting—likely Willi’s own—filled the page.
- Dear Lion Asteri, I trust you have been enjoying your time with us.
- I wish to express my sincere gratitude for the way you have utilized Hotel Easter’s various services and facilities better than anyone…
Ugh, the preamble was too long.
Lion skimmed the rest at speed.
Paragraph after paragraph of effusive thanks for making the most of the facilities followed, and…
Only at the very end did the real content appear, which could be summarized like this:
- I am genuinely in awe of your discernment. I hereby formally request that you be so kind as to inspect even the hidden areas of Easter.
- At the same time, I shall open all areas of Easter to you.
- Should you find yourself with time to spare during your stay, I humbly ask that you visit. Sincerely, Manager Willi.
In short, Willi was asking Lion to perform an on-site inspection. An audit, essentially.
“Was I… that good?”
I mean, all I did was strip the place bare.
And opening up every area?
Lion had only arrived at the hotel yesterday.
On top of that, counting the restaurant, he’d barely explored three facilities.
‘Ah, wait—could this be…!’
Lion turned the question over, then reached a single conclusion.
‘Rickshel asked him to do this!’
After all, the official pretext for coming here was business.
Lion, as the eldest son of House Asteri, had come to see how well Hotel Easter in the territory was running and whether any problems existed.
Of course, the reality was that he had come solely to rest and have fun, but they still needed to make the work look convincing.
So kind-hearted Rickshel must have tipped Willi off separately.
As a bonus, he’d even ensured Lion could move freely through the facilities without getting tangled up in work!
That was why Rickshel had been up and moving so early!
‘That little…!’
He didn’t look it, but the guy had a surprisingly meticulous side.
‘When I get back, I should promise not to cause any more trouble.’
Since Rickshel was being this considerate, the last thing Lion wanted was to make his brother worry…
“…Huh? Wait a second.”
Lion looked at the letter again.
It clearly said all facilities of Easter.
Which meant…
‘Does that include the kitchen?’
The Easter kitchen!
He could enter that fantastical place where they supposedly produced delicacies from land and sea the world over?
And if he wanted…
‘Doesn’t that mean I could cook with whatever ingredients I wanted?’
The moment his thoughts reached that point, Lion’s eyes briefly glinted brightly.
‘They might have bean sprouts.’
The bean sprout soup he’d regretted not being able to eat just a little earlier.
Now that ingredients and cooking were both on the table, it might be possible.
No—it was possible!
Wasn’t this Hotel Easter, where people from beyond the continent came to visit?
They would surely handle a wide range of ingredients.
‘And if that’s the case, the Second Prince’s issue might…’
Become a little easier to resolve.
When it came to bringing people closer, there was nothing better than alcohol and food.
“Ahem. Right. The kitchen should be fine, shouldn’t it?”
Lion gave a tiny little revision to the resolution he’d made moments before—that he wouldn’t cause trouble for his younger brother’s sake.
The kitchen was probably fine.
Lion promptly threw open the door and headed to the kitchen.
* * *
If there was one thing Lion had overlooked, it was that Rickshel’s influence had not factored into Willi’s letter in the slightest.
This was… Willi’s unilateral decision!
In fact, Rickshel had said the following:
“Absolutely do not disturb my brother’s rest.”
…Delivered with a chilling edge that had no
business coming from a boy not yet of age.
As an addendum, he had also said that since Easter was part of Asteri territory, no one was to block his brother wherever he chose to go.
At first, Willi had simply thought the heir apparent was being excessively attentive to his older brother.
Still, he’d gone along—half out of “orders are orders, what can you do,” and half out of “how much could one person possibly do?”
He’d held that view even when Lion found the Egg Coins at the ranch in record time.
Just a coincidence, probably!
But no.
Up until then, Willi had been uncertain, but the arcade was the turning point where he acknowledged it.
No—he had been forced to acknowledge it.
If the gentleman had simply enjoyed the game facilities and scooped up a reasonable number of Egg Coins, Willi would have judged him as someone with overflowing natural talent.
But…
‘No.’
Early this morning, Willi had greeted the bartender who had come looking for him with open arms.
After all, from Willi’s own position, the man was perhaps the only person who worked as diligently as he did.
He’d seemed worn down by work lately, but there was still no one better suited for the role—which was precisely why Willi had given the bartender the last stamp for the ‘Left Playground.’
Partly in the hope that a lively atmosphere might help lift his spirits.
He’d assumed the bartender had come to report once his assigned duties were complete…
“You…”
Willi noticed the change in the bartender at once.
His dead expression had, if only slightly, come back to life.
“I believe I’m here to receive disciplinary action.”
“Disciplinary action?”
“Yes. I did not give my utmost to my profession as a bartender.”
And so Willi listened briefly to the events of that night.
The bartender himself had not grasped who the guest was, but Willi could tell.
That it had been Lion Asteri.
And he realized.
That Lion Asteri possessed a special quality beyond even that.
Potential and insight. Something beyond both…
‘He may even surpass me—someone who has devoted his entire life to this hotel.’
There is a saying, after all.
Above the runner, there flies the one who soars.
Above the hard worker, there is the one who delights in the work.
Willi was a man prepared to do anything for the endless advancement of Hotel Easter.
And naturally, the effort he’d poured into it was beyond compare.
But regrettably,
for that very reason, Willi had been unable to look at Hotel Easter with clear eyes.
Why do people come to a hotel?
Why, especially, do people who lack for nothing—the truly privileged—come?
They could sleep perfectly well at home; if they wished, they could simply purchase a villa with an ocean view and take their leisure there.
So why, then, come to a hotel?
To enjoy themselves, of course.
But Willi was not the same.
However you sliced it, Willi was someone who “worked” at Hotel Easter.
And that was not the only issue.
His attachment to Easter was exceptional.
Which meant his objectivity was bound to suffer.
But!
Lion Asteri was not like that!
He had come here to enjoy himself, and his manner of enjoyment operated on an entirely different dimension from others.
Which made him the absolutely ideal person to provide feedback on this hotel!
An opportunity like this was worth its weight in gold. No—platinum.
‘That was why… I bent the heir apparent’s warning just a little.’
He had played his own hand.
It was true that Lion Asteri was free to go anywhere and move with ease, but if anything seemed uncomfortable to him, Willi had ensured he could offer feedback at any time!
He had phrased it as a formal request, but in truth there was no obligation whatsoever.
If a person from House Asteri said no, that would be the end of it.
‘S-so… it should be fine…’
Willi did his best to reassure himself as he addressed a subordinate.
“…So, where did he go after leaving his room?”
“I was told he went to the kitchen.”
The kitchen!
‘Just as I thought!’
Willi nodded.
Not only did the gentleman truly enjoy himself, but his eye for excellence was outstanding.
He was inspecting every one of the three pillars essential to a hotel, one by one.
Leisure facilities that were either relaxing or exciting.
Comfortable, cozy repose.
And… cuisine of a level unmatched anywhere else.
Honestly, if it were up to Willi, he would have wanted to install Lion as a special advisor, judging by his movements.
‘And the kitchen, of all places… He definitely read my letter.’
He could easily have ignored it, yet he deliberately went all the way to the kitchen!
His sense of responsibility was immense as well.
Think about it. A noble, the direct-line eldest son of the great magic house of Asteri at that, entering a kitchen?
He was clearly gracing it with his presence to give them a hint.
“The kitchen staff have been properly instructed, I trust?”
“Yes! I told them to follow his every word, no questions asked.”
“Good.”
Willi nodded.
And so, a snowball Lion had never even considered began to roll—and roll—and grew into a massive sphere…
* * *
“The warehouse, you say?”
“Of course we can show you. Allow me to guide you!”
Guided by unusually obliging staff, Lion received a tour of Easter’s food storage.
‘Whoa…’
A facility of this caliber naturally had fresh ingredients piled mountain-high.
On top of that, the sheer variety was practically uncountable, making him feel as though he’d walked into a giant warehouse-style market.
“If there is anything you need, I will carry it for you.”
“That’s all right. May I look around on my own?”
“Yes! Of course.”
The staff member withdrew cleanly, without any remarks like “But it will be heavy…”
“However, it is possible to get lost in the ingredient warehouse. Should you find yourself unable to find your way, please ring this bell.”
The staff handed over a small bell with a respectful bow.
In a warehouse this vast, one might think a little bell like that would accomplish nothing…
[Emergency Call Set]
- Hello! I’m lost right now!
- The compass will point to the location of the person holding the bell!
This, too, was a magic tool.
‘Whoa.’
So Easter scraped money off the wealthy guests, commissioned the Magic Tower, the tower’s mages developed special items, and then Easter used those items to draw even more attention…
‘The internal economy here is incredible.’
In any case, thanks to this, Lion no longer had to worry about getting lost in the vast ingredient warehouse. He planted his hands on his hips and looked around slowly.
Fortunately, he didn’t need to examine each ingredient one at a time.
[Meat]
[Dairy]
[Spices]
[Vegetables]
The warehouse was divided into categories by section.
And the place Lion focused on… was not the vegetable section!
[Special Ingredients]
That spot over there, which gathered slightly more unusual ingredients—if bean sprouts existed in this place,
that was definitely where they’d be.