Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 18
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 18
That morning.
Right after his conversation with the priest, Rickshel went straight to Lion’s room.
Bang!
“Brother!”
He was so excited that he threw the door open without even knocking.
Which meant the one who jumped in surprise wasn’t Lion, who had just gotten up—
but the Lion who had been in the middle of brewing potions.
‘Whoa— who bursts through a door like that?’
He was so startled that he almost spilled the potion he’d been working so hard on.
Thankfully, he caught it without spilling, capped it, and set the freshly made potion down before greeting Rickshel.
“You’re here?”
“No— why are you even awake at this hour, let alone doing all this?”
Rickshel swept his gaze over the messy room.
It was painfully obvious that Lion hadn’t slept a wink since returning to the mansion.
“Skipping sleep in that body of yours…”
“Couldn’t sleep. Anyway, what’s so urgent that you came rushing in first thing in the morning?”
Lion cut off the impending lecture with a question.
Rickshel didn’t look it, but by nature he worried about family quite a lot.
Especially if anyone so much as skimped on sleep, he would scold them with “how could you not sleep in your condition?”
“Did that priest say something to you?”
“Ah— no. The opposite.”
Rickshel smiled brightly and began explaining everything that had happened.
After Lion had left, he’d had a long conversation with the priest… and somehow the talk had turned to his brother.
“He examined my body first, and then said that if possible he would also look at yours, brother.”
“My body?”
“Yes.”
His body, huh…
Lion thought about his own body.
Honestly, his health wasn’t good.
To be precise, it was closer to “feeble.”
Now that he had gained mana there was no risk of Mana Shock, and since he’d never had any particular illness, “sickly” was an outdated label.
But having spent all his time bedridden from going through Mana Shock three times, he simply lacked basic stamina.
Even a short sprint left him completely winded.
Still, these days he’d built up a little stamina, what with going to Mimir Forest and running around everywhere between the village and the orphanage.
You could probably say that in all of Lion’s life, his condition had never been better than it was now.
His mind was at ease, his body was at ease, and he could do whatever he wanted— it was only natural.
‘It’s not a bad offer, anyway.’
Actually, it was a good one.
Getting a full-body healing would definitely improve things further.
The mansion had healing mages, but healing was a priest’s specialty to begin with.
Even in the game, healing-type mages were classified as dealporters while priests were strictly supporters.
Still.
‘That priest must have taken quite a liking to Rickshel.’
A priest’s healing wasn’t something easily obtained.
Usually you could only get it through enormous donations, or by having performed deeds the Temple considered truly good.
And to Lion’s knowledge, priests wouldn’t treat mages unless there were “special circumstances.”
Mages generally hated the idea, too.
‘Looks like Rickshel isn’t uncomfortable with it either.’
When Lion spent a long while mulling over this and that, Rickshel grew visibly anxious in an instant.
‘Is he opposed to it because it’s a priest?’
Even if he lacked magical aptitude, his brother was still a direct descendant of House Asteri, which stood at the pinnacle of magic.
He’d gotten along fine until now, but meeting a priest could understandably provoke resistance.
But even if Lion said no, Rickshel intended to get him treated.
For his brother’s health.
‘If he refuses…’
He would resort to coercive measures even if it strained their relationship.
His heir lessons had taught him that sometimes you couldn’t be choosy about means or methods…
“Shall I accept?”
“Ah. You will?”
The roughly twenty dangerous plans Rickshel had just conjured were instantly discarded at Lion’s consent.
“Of course. It’s a result you worked hard for, and a connection you made— obviously I’ll meet him.”
“…! Then I’ll come to escort you in three days!”
“Sure, sure.”
Watching Rickshel bow and leave, Lion smiled fondly.
* * *
And so the three days they had set passed.
Once they were ready, the two headed to the orphanage after all the children were asleep.
“I’ve been expecting you.”
The orphanage director welcomed them in a hushed voice and led them to the private room where Rickshel had been staying.
And inside…
“Ah, you’ve come.”
There was the priest, Licht.
A gentle face and a smile that seemed capable of setting every worry to rest.
Neat clothes and even spotless white cotton gloves.
‘Young, just like Rickshel said.’
Young priests weren’t easy to meet, since they weren’t supposed to leave the temple and wander about on their own.
Which was probably why he had chosen this deep, quiet hour before dawn.
Then—
A notification window appeared in front of Lion’s eyes.
[You cannot yet obtain High-Grade Holy Water.]
[Fulfilling a hidden condition will allow you to obtain High-Grade Holy Water.]
“…”
High-Grade Holy Water.
As Lion recalled, it was a required ingredient for making “high-grade sacred objects.”
And it was obtainable from someone this young.
‘And before that— I didn’t know you could get materials from a person.’
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Priest.”
“May God’s grace be with you. The pleasure is mine, meeting such benefactors.”
Seeing our warm greetings, the director quietly slipped out and closed the door so as not to disturb us.
“Please, sit. The water the director prepared is still warm.”
Once the two were seated, Priest Licht poured hot water from the kettle and handed each a cup with a smile.
“You may have heard from your younger brother, but I’ll introduce myself again. I am called Licht, a servant of God.”
“It’s a pleasure. I ask for your continued understanding that I cannot reveal my name today either.”
“That’s quite all right. You came here out of sincere goodwill— there’s no mistaking that. And I, too, have come here in secret, so aren’t we even?”
As the two carried on their conversation, Lion asked out of the blue.
“If it isn’t an impertinent question— might I ask why you come out in secret like this?”
“…Brother.”
At the sudden question, Licht seemed briefly flustered and fell silent for a moment before answering frankly.
“I had a dream, you see.”
“A dream… you mean a dream during sleep?”
Rickshel murmured, as if hearing this for the first time as well.
“Yes. I didn’t explain it at our last meeting, did I? It’s also the reason I came here in secret. Are you, by any chance, aware of the matter of a priest’s dreams?”
“This is the first I’ve heard of it.”
Unlike Rickshel’s puzzled expression,
Lion had a rough idea.
‘A kind of revelation, basically.’
Priests with exceptional divine power generally didn’t dream.
Not just pleasant or absurd dreams— they didn’t even have auspicious dreams or nightmares.
Due to their devout faith, they had strong resistance against dreams, which were considered vain.
Yet even such priests occasionally had vivid dreams.
That was a prophetic dream.
A revelation from God.
And it was generally understood that priests were required to verify the truth of such revelations.
“Haha, not every prophetic dream is grand. Mine was similar.”
“If it’s not an intrusion, might I ask what the dream was?”
“Of course. The dream I had was of children sleeping in a field. The wild grass was a soft bed and the sunlight was a cozy blanket. And…”
Licht slowly looked at the two of them.
“You were both there. That’s why I wanted to meet you. I happened to have business in Asteri Territory as well.”
Because he had to confirm.
‘What sort of people could they be, to have appeared even in my dreams?’
Finishing his story, Licht studied them slowly.
‘Though I didn’t expect mages.’
Their disguises hid their identities, but the one who’d been called the younger brother unmistakably carried the air of a mage.
A mage.
And judging by his manner of speech, a rather refined one— and by his voice, on the younger side.
High probability he belonged to this place: the Asteri Marquisate.
He’d wondered why such a person would go so far as to disguise himself and come here, and then he’d heard about the “sick older brother.”
Whether the man was his biological brother or not he couldn’t tell because of the disguise, but one thing was certain: “they had cared for the children with all their hearts.” That, at least, was no lie.
Just like in the dream.
A virtuous patient accompanied by that “Asteri-affiliated” mage.
‘If their aim really is treatment, that would be fortunate, but…’
If these mages were trying to extract information about the Temple, he needed to eliminate the possibility early.
Before he knew it, Licht’s gaze had settled on Lion.
Outwardly, he really did look sickly.
Pale skin and a thin frame that seemed about to collapse at any moment.
“Would it be all right if I healed you?”
“Nothing I would welcome more. I’ll wait outside.”
Normally, when a priest performed a healing, no one but the patient could be present to witness it.
“Then, I’ll leave him in your hands.”
After Rickshel left, Licht approached Lion and called upon his divine power.
A pale-green radiance, blazing like a flame, clung inside Lion’s body… and then simply vanished.
“Hm.”
Licht was momentarily taken aback.
‘…The blessing clearly took hold. Why is his body unchanged?’
Not to boast, but Licht’s divine power was on par with that of a high-ranking priest.
A high priest’s healing ability was formidable enough to instantly restore someone suffering from a high fever, or to cure every last person afflicted by curses or poison.
And yet…
This man’s body hadn’t improved in the slightest.
His complexion was still ashen.
‘Did I make a mistake?’
Licht tilted his head and called down a blessing once more.
This time a stronger flame blazed up and lasted longer.
And then…
Slowly—
Once again it was unmistakably absorbed entirely into Lion’s body.
But that was it.
‘This is serious.’
The instant Licht saw Lion’s body, every last suspicion he’d harbored was wiped clean.
When a high priest’s blessing failed to improve a body, it was one of three things.
A mage of higher rank than the priest was refusing the healing.
The body was already in such good condition that it didn’t need the blessing.
Or…
‘When the person is fated from birth to have a short life.’
Licht reproached himself.
To have suspected benefactors who came here truly grasping at straws…!
And even in these circumstances, the young man before him wasn’t just composed— he was completely unruffled.
“Oh, I do feel noticeably better now.”
“…”
“The blessing seems quite sufficient, Priest.”
And on top of that he was even smiling as if to say, that’s enough now.
“…If you ever find yourself in need of my help, please come to the temple and ask for me by name.”
Licht took Lion’s hand and spoke with utter sincerity.
“Pardon?”
“When the pain in your body becomes so great that you feel you cannot sleep— I will help you then.”
“Ah… yes.”
Lion was bewildered by Licht’s offer.
‘Isn’t he being a little too kind?’
Contrary to what Licht assumed, Lion really had felt the effects of the blessing.
[Your condition is currently as good as it could possibly be!]
[Divine healing is nullified.]
Once had been more than enough, but receiving it a second time had eased even the stiffness in his shoulders, everything.
The only “problem” was that this right here was already Lion’s “best condition.”
Lion Asteri had never had an illness in the first place.
He was simply, extremely, constitutionally frail.
And besides— there was no way Petrick Asteri, of all people, would have known about Lion’s condition and left it untreated.
“Thank you for your consideration. Until we meet again, then.”
“…”
At Lion’s farewell, Licht’s expression only grew heavier.