Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 175
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 175
Lion examined the pitch-black surroundings and let out a deep inward sigh.
It was good that he had entered story mode.
In fact, now that he had gathered a few fragments about the Hero, he had even hoped story mode would appear at least once.
Because something different from when he first obtained the Ability Blocking Accessory Set would likely emerge.
He guessed it might show the last memory the object held.
When it passed from its original owner to someone else.
If so, quite significant information might emerge from this story mode.
The fragment of the Spirit Sword.
‘It was an item only my main character had.’
One thing was becoming clear even without experiencing the story mode.
The Hero here was indeed his main character—the one Lion had poured the most effort into and raised diligently.
That alone untied one thick knot.
But small tangles still existed.
‘What happened to my alternate characters?’
They had certainly existed on the same timeline as the main character.
The decisive proof was Nature and the Demonic Beast egg.
Especially Nature, the ‘druid’s’ spirit.
And it recognized him.
‘At first, I guessed there might be another world…’
That wasn’t it.
Because Grandfather knew about Nature.
Which meant…
‘…It meant they had definitely existed here.’
The main and alternate characters had clearly coexisted here.
Discovering that alone yielded much.
Didn’t it mean he could now begin collecting information about the Hero and his companions in earnest?
But…
‘Well, the timing…’
Of all times! He was disguised so his identity couldn’t be recognized, and he was right in front of the Second Prince.
If story mode revealed its content in the form of a dream, then he had suddenly obtained a fragment of the Spirit Sword and collapsed on the spot.
‘There was a high chance the disguise came undone, too.’
That also meant his identity had been exposed.
He could see all too clearly how things would proceed from here.
Once the Second Prince learned who it was, he would immediately summon Rickshel and pass along the news.
That Lion had collapsed!
That he had collapsed right there! Then word would reach Grandfather, too…
‘I might have to spend months just recuperating.’
Imagine a healthy, playful grandson suddenly collapsing.
And lo and behold, it happened right in front of the Second Prince?
‘They’d be suspicious.’
Of the Second Prince, not me!
And even if he were innocent, the sparks would fly onto him anyway.
Especially since Rickshel had said that if problems arose from this, he would stop helping the Second Prince altogether.
‘Hooooo.’
I don’t want things to escalate because of me, but…
‘First, stay calm.’
It was already spilled milk.
Naturally, trying to scoop it up wouldn’t work.
So what should he do?
‘I’ll have to salvage something else.’
Like information about the Hero or the demons.
But…
‘It’s quiet.’
Last time, the story had begun before Lion even regained his senses.
He remembered feeling frustrated because he couldn’t hear or see properly.
But this time was the opposite.
Nothing had started.
It was just pitch black, as if a loading screen had frozen up.
Just when even Lion, who usually stayed calm, began to wonder if something had gone wrong…
Finally, the unbroken darkness parted and the world began to come into view.
No, it was the body he inhabited opening its eyes.
The ceiling of a dark room appeared, and as his head turned, a hanging bed sheet filled one side of his vision.
Lion swallowed his curiosity about the figure whose body he inhabited, instead focusing on following the flow of events.
Beyond the bed sheet, two figures knelt on one knee; one was a boy who looked quite rough around the edges, and the other was…
‘The Second Prince.’
He saw the Second Prince, looking considerably younger than now.
Judging by the baby fat still in his cheeks, he seemed even younger than Rickshel was now…
‘Come to think of it, my vision was quite clear.’
Lion realized one thing.
The scene appeared more vivid than the last story mode.
The world was still black and white, like a faded photograph, but it wasn’t so faint that he couldn’t recognize faces.
And besides…
“You only get one life. Best to live it splendidly.”
The voice of an old man, who must have once been quite fiery, also came through clearly.
At the same time, Lion’s vision shifted again.
It seemed the body had sat up.
Seeing how unsteady the view became with each breath, the owner of this body probably didn’t have much time left.
Fortunately, there was no pain, but the very act of breathing revealed how heavy and distressed this body was.
Also, the two before him couldn’t hide their agitation.
One, with trembling eyes, soon seemed to realize something and resigned himself; the other averted his gaze as if unable to bear the sight.
‘…Ah.’
Lion could make one deduction.
Someone connected to the Hero, connected to the Second Prince, and of this advanced age.
Jack.
The one with the fierce temperament who was always bickering with Grandfather Petrick.
But time had been cruel; the Jack in his view had hands full of scars and wrinkles.
“Did you commit a crime?”
But his tone was incongruous.
As if it were nothing.
He spoke crankily, as if finding their long faces strange, and chuckled.
“Don’t talk from way over there; come closer.”
But all he could manage was the gesture; his body didn’t move at all.
Fortunately, both of them complied without resistance.
“Kyle.”
Jack called out to Kyle, the much younger Second Prince, and took something from inside his coat, handing it over.
It was an object Lion already knew.
The very one the Second Prince had given him.
It was the fragment of the Spirit Sword that had started this story mode.
“Listen well.”
Jack explained this fragment of the Spirit Sword to Kyle.
There was no detailed explanation. It was exactly as Kyle had described it to him.
And in a rough tone, he offered advice.
The imperial palace would see shadowy struggles unlike here…
“You will have no allies, and no one you can trust. So survive as I’ve taught you.”
They were cruel words for a child whose baby fat hadn’t yet disappeared.
Perhaps he spoke so coldly to avoid forming an attachment.
“…And if.”
Jack shut his mouth as if forcing something down, then continued.
“If there comes a time when you live without this object, then to whoever saves your life, give this as a reward without fail. Do you understand?”
It seemed the reason he had readily handed the fragment of the Spirit Sword to Lion was because of Jack’s last wishes.
‘Then was it a coincidence?’
It only made sense as coincidence upon coincidence; the Spirit Sword fragment had simply ended up in Lion’s hands by luck.
If so, all he had done was glimpse the Second Prince’s past.
Interesting, but not helpful to Lion.
‘Let’s observe a little longer first.’
Story mode showed no sign of ending yet, so Lion suppressed his questions and stared again as if watching a screen.
“…I understand.”
“Hmph. Don’t get attached. Just go call that other fellow.”
What did a cranky old man who had only ever pushed him off cliffs have to feel regretful about?
Tsk. His tone was sharp, even clicking his tongue, but a hint of bitterness lingered.
And that bitterness doubled when the other one approached.
“Why have you gotten so weak? Even if I picked your pocket, you couldn’t stop me.”
The end of that calm voice trembled slightly.
Yet he kept grumbling darkly.
This was probably their own way of showing affection.
“Jack.”
“…”
“From now on, you are Jack. Do you understand?”
So this boy was likely the new leader of the Criminal Underworld.
The one who would become ‘Jack.’
“I’ve already taught you the rest, so there’s no need to say more.”
The former Jack laughed under his breath, took an object from his coat, and handed it over.
But…
‘I can’t see it.’
Strangely, only that object wasn’t visible, as if obscured by noise.
All he could barely gauge was that it was small enough to fit inside a coat.
“I took this from that same guy’s pocket, too. Its use is…”
Again, the voice broke up with a crackle.
‘The fact that he took it from the same pocket means…’
Probably, that too was an item of the Hero—his main character.
If he obtained that object, perhaps he could enter another story mode and learn new facts.
“So keep it safe. And you too… Hm, I’m sure you’ll manage. Enough. Now leave.”
As soon as the explanation ended, the former Jack waved his hand brusquely.
“I need to rest.”
Then, stubbornly refusing any support, he lay back down on the bed.
This was probably the last of the former Jack.
The view of the dark ceiling began to flicker slowly, very slowly.
And then a very deep silence descended.
Story mode probably ended at the moment Jack died.
His feelings… Honestly, they were quite bitter.
Someone else’s death was never pleasant. And it seemed more so because it was the death of Jack, a character he’d become quite attached to, even if it was just a game.
‘No, snap out of it.’
In any case, the former Jack’s death was an event from quite some time ago.
Experiencing it directly in story mode must have made the emotions hit harder.
Lion took a deep breath inwardly and collected his thoughts.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t gained anything about the Hero, but he had learned a new fact.
‘Jack took two items from the Hero’s storage.’
One was the fragment of the Spirit Sword, and the other was something he hadn’t been able to confirm just now.
He could find out what that object was if he went through the Second Prince, but this required some careful thought.
In this situation, approaching the Second Prince to dig into Jack was quite dangerous.
The prince might draw a line altogether, asking if that had been his purpose all along.
So for now, it was better to conclude things in his disguised state.
Just discovering where his main character’s items were had already been a tremendous gain.
Because he didn’t have to search the entire wide world.
But…
‘Why won’t I wake up?’
By now, it seemed about time he woke up, but his vision remained black.
He thought story mode might have already ended, but it hadn’t.
Because normally he would have felt a clear sensation of waking up.
‘Which means I’m still…’
Still inside Jack’s body.
As he thought that far, he heard something near his ear.
What at first seemed like simple noise gradually grew louder.
Lion instinctively realized what this was. Some kind of recollection.
Fragments of memory
and their continuation.
It would probably be something important.
Lion closed his eyes and sank deeper into his consciousness.
…
…
…
His breath seemed to catch, then soon eased.
The distant, faint sound of a memory reached him.
“The war is over now, so why have you summoned me?”
Jack’s first words were a blunt question.
And the one answering him was—
“I want to ask you a favor.”
The Hero.
Lion’s first character, the one he had nurtured with the greatest care.