Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 19
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 19
When I came out with my body in even better shape after receiving the priest’s treatment, Rickshel, who had been waiting, scrutinized every inch of me.
“Are you a bit better, brother? There’s no place that’s gotten worse, right?”
I’d even received a priest’s blessing—wouldn’t it be a big problem if I’d gotten worse, little brother?
Rickshel evaded my gaze and looked at Priest Licht, who was following behind.
It seemed like they were having some sort of silent conversation… well, I didn’t need to know.
“It seems the priest’s skill is remarkable. My condition couldn’t be better.”
“…Is that so? That’s a relief.”
Rickshel’s expression as he belatedly said “that’s a relief,” as if lost in thought, was quite grim.
He was probably thinking about his next schedule.
It looked like a real headache of a matter.
Come to think of it, except when he was playing hooky at the mansion, he was always doing something.
It was an heir-like image, but it was also true that it worried me.
‘Hmm, speaking of which, the priest looks pretty tired too. Did I keep him too long even though there’s nothing wrong with me?’
Or maybe I should have declined the second treatment.
Besides, wasn’t it already the deep hours past midnight?
‘I’d better head back quickly.’
If I tried to act too chummy, it’d only make things awkward between the two of them.
I said farewell on behalf of my younger brother.
“I’ll take my leave now, then. May you always be in good health.”
“Benefactor… please be sure to remember what I said earlier. You will, won’t you?”
“Haha, I think you can stop worrying. Until next time…”
When I gave a light nod and hurriedly took the lead, Rickshel quickly followed behind me.
* * *
The whole way back, Rickshel’s expression remained grim.
“Are you all right? It seems like something’s troubling you.”
“…I’m fine. I’m just a bit tired.”
“Hm.”
That didn’t look like “a bit tired.”
“You needn’t worry. Rather, your body, brother…”
“Huh? My body?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Then I’ll take my leave for mana training…”
With the dark circles under his eyes grown even deeper, Rickshel insisted again that he was fine and immediately headed for the mana training grounds.
He’d clearly been up all night, hadn’t he?
He’s exhausted and still not sleeping?
I realized too late and reached out a hand, but Rickshel had already vanished into the distance.
‘If he overdoes it like that, he’ll suffer later.’
Not even later—he was at an age where he should still be full of bounce, so seeing him like that made me a little worried.
They say hardship in youth is willingly bought, but… it’s better not to suffer hardship in the first place.
Isn’t “after hardship comes joy” just something the survivors say?
How many people have suffered and keeled over right where they stood…!
Anyway, if possible, it was best to live as comfortably as you could.
As I stood there rooted to the spot, worrying, the maid Elvia appeared from somewhere and gave me a hint.
“The heir lessons themselves have always had a tight schedule, but he seems even busier lately.”
“Right? I’m worried he might wear himself down.”
“If it truly concerns you, why not bring it up with the Family Head?”
“Bring it up, you say?”
“Yes. Since you’ll need to see him regarding the coming-of-age ceremony schedule, how about raising it then?”
It certainly was a good idea.
If I brought a gift that subtly asked him to look favorably on the matter, like last time, wouldn’t that be nice?
For example, what I’d originally been planning to make…
Something sweet.
For instance, cookies.
“By any chance, do you need someone to teach you how to make cookies?”
Asking here, “How did you know I was planning to make cookies?” is the move of an amateur.
“Will you teach me?”
You just accept it.
“Confections are my specialty.”
“Sounds good.”
A witch and confections. That does fit well.
‘Not that I’ll mention that aloud.’
* * *
…Yeah. That was exactly what happened in the early hours of today.
As Lion kneaded the cookie dough, mixing flour, sugar, and butter together, he recalled Rickshel’s face.
‘Rickshel’s face was this color back then.’
A pallid dough, mixed with nothing but white ingredients.
You could slap this dough onto Rickshel’s face, and it wouldn’t look out of place.
Squish-
Lion pressed down with the rolling pin.
The dough, flattened out smooth and even, was dotted with the vanilla beans he’d added beforehand, and even the dough alone carried a delicious fragrance.
Squish-
When he placed the custom-ordered cutters onto it and pressed, rather charmingly shaped pieces of dough appeared.
Chicks, tree shapes, snowman shapes.
Among the ordered cutters there was a magic staff shape… but he quietly left it out this time.
Rickshel was already under enough pressure from heir studies and magic studies.
At least while he was resting after receiving cookies as a gift, he thought it would be better if he didn’t think about matters related to the family.
“Phew, Rickshel’s are done. Now, shall I stamp out Grandfather’s?”
The same went for Grandfather.
So symbols related to Asteri were a bit of a problem.
The world tree on the family seal, the staff, the magic circle… why are there so many things I have to leave out?
Anyway, after leaving this and that out, only somewhat cute cutters remained.
‘Later, I’ll have to ask Mudu to make me some cookie cutters.’
While I was at it, I’d thank Leah for pretending not to recognize me during the volunteer work, and give some cookies to the tree and the leaf too.
Thinking about it that way, cookies were a pretty safe gift.
They look good, aren’t a burden for the recipient, and they’re sweet, so they lift your mood when you eat them.
Unless someone dislikes sweets, that is.
Just in case, Lion asked Elvia.
“El… Elvia. Does Grandfather enjoy sweet food?”
“He isn’t someone who particularly enjoys it, but if it’s something you’ve made, young master, he would eat anything, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Hmm.”
So that’s how it was.
If possible, I’d prefer he ate it because it was truly delicious, not just because I made it… wasn’t there some way?
Just as he was mulling it over,
a good idea occurred to him.
“Just a moment.”
Lion went outside briefly, took out the remaining banana sweet potatoes from his inventory, and came back.
“…You’re putting that in?”
“Yeah.”
If some sweet potato went in, wouldn’t Grandfather be able to eat it without feeling burdened?
“It’s an unfamiliar combination, though…”
“It’s about trying it in new ways, isn’t it?”
Lion began making a new dough.
Squish- Squish-
Unlike last time, when he’d added plenty of sugar, this time he’d reduced it to a quarter.
‘Instead of sugar, I’ll chop the banana sweet potato finely and place it on top of the dough.’
If it were the natural sweetness of banana sweet potato, not artificial sweetness like sugar, wouldn’t Grandfather like it?
After stamping out the finished dough with cutters, he put it in the oven.
Under the intense heat, the cookie dough hardened and puffed up thickly, releasing the rich sweet scent of sugar and vanilla beans.
It was finished.
[Lion Asteri’s Special Banana Sweet Potato Chip Cookie (★)]
-Made by adding a special ingredient to the dough through a special idea. The moisture from the sweet potato chips transfers to the cookie, making its soft texture and natural sweetness excellent. Reduces fatigue upon consumption.
-It seems it will exhibit even better synergy when eaten with a beverage.
[Usage- Food, Alchemy]
[☞Click to view the recipe.]
…It’s a cookie, so why is there a potion effect?
“That’s remarkable. It’s practically no different from having made it all by yourself.”
Elvia gave a purely genuine compliment.
In reality, the only thing she herself had done was tell him the cookie recipe.
In fact, she’d worried a lot about the banana sweet potato added at the end, because it was an ingredient even Elvia had never used before.
But seeing it now…
Rather, she suspected Lord Petrick would like this better.
“Thank you.”
“Now, since the end of cooking is a tasting, why don’t we try one?”
“Shall we?”
Ordinarily, cookies are tastier once cooled than fresh out of the oven, but how can anyone resist freshly baked cookies?
Lion immediately put a cookie in his mouth.
Crunch!
As he took a bite, the cookie touched his tongue and dissolved softly.
When he chewed a few more times, the sweet taste of banana sweet potato spread richly through his mouth, then mingled with the moistened dough and slipped subtly down his throat.
‘I think this is even more delicious than the chocolate chip cookies I ate in my previous life?’
A special flavor, different from plain roasted banana sweet potato, made by delicately controlling the sweetness!
[Cooking Proficiency has reached Apprentice Lv.3.]
Once the tasting was complete, experience points filled up and his level rose.
At the same time, a recipe entered his head.
“Sweets relieve fatigue. Eating them often is bad for your health, but… this one isn’t excessively sweet, so the Family Head will probably like it quite a bit as well.”
“Yeah?”
That’s a relief.
Still, he was a marquis in name, so I’d felt a bit awkward just giving him plain roasted sweet potato… but now I can let him enjoy it like this.
Since I’m giving it to him anyway, I’d be glad if he liked it.
Grandfather isn’t easy to read, so it’s hard to tell whether he likes something or dislikes it.
He seemed to like that potion enough to take it to Sylvia, though.
“It’s not a baseless guess. The Family Head’s food intake has increased lately. I’d heard that in the past, he used to eat just enough not to endanger his life…”
Elvia slightly changed her wording at the end.
Lion was aware of it too, but he decided to let it pass.
There was no need to point it out now, at this point.
‘Anyway, he seems satisfied with his life now.’
That’s all that mattered. Yeah.
“Anyway, thank you for your care. You were a big help this time.”
“I merely did what needed to be done. Now, shall I divide the cookies into smaller portions?”
“Ah! I’ll handle the portioning myself. You can go and rest now.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve still got more things to make.”
“I understand. If you ever need an extra pair of hands later, please call on me at any time.”
Fortunately, Elvia didn’t press further and quietly left the kitchen.
And Lion, now alone…
-It seems it will exhibit even better synergy when eaten with a beverage.
This time, he intended to make a beverage.
As it happened, several recipes had entered his head when he reached Cooking Lv.3.
And… as it happened, he had enough ingredients.
Lion immediately rummaged through his inventory.
Seeing items appear out of thin air was a bit awkward to show, which was why he’d sent Elvia away first.
‘Found it.’
Lion spotted the item in one corner of his inventory and immediately laid out the ingredients one after another in the empty kitchen.
[Asteri-Made Aqua Rosemary Oil]
-It’s still a stretch to call it cooking. It’s a cooking ingredient that seems to have been made by an ‘Alchemist.’
-Emits a refreshing scent.
-Surprisingly, when consumed on its own, it very slightly quenches thirst.
[Usage- Food, Potion]
[☞Click to view the recipe.]
The Aqua Rosemary Oil he’d used last time to resolve the fire spirit’s thirst, Low-Grade Health Potions, and even some Star Anise Root he’d gathered some time ago and stored away.
What Lion was attempting to make this time was…
[Training Aid Beverage]
-Essential Materials: Low-Grade Health Potion x5, Aqua Rosemary Oil x0.1, Refreshing Fruit x3, Star Anise Root x1
-Slightly increases the efficiency of swordsmanship, mana, and other types of training.
-However, life-skill-related talents are excluded.
A training aid beverage.
With this, the result would be something that could satisfy both Grandfather and Rickshel.