Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 195
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 195
‘In that case, I have just the thing.’
Lion took out the hot spring water.
This hot spring water had played a significant role in Pooch’s hatching.
So if I mixed the baby food powder into it and fed it to him, it would make quite a nutritious meal.
The moment the thought was complete, Lion walked straight to the alchemy cauldron.
‘Still, I should boil it once.’
Of course, it was collected straight from a spring source, so it was very clean, but he couldn’t help feeling uneasy about feeding it as-is to a newborn.
Wasn’t I overdoing it, considering it was a demonic beast, even if only a baby?
‘…True!’
But it was something I could do, and it wasn’t even difficult, so wasn’t this level of fussing perfectly fine!
With that in mind, Lion poured the hot spring water into the alchemy cauldron, heated it, refined it, and then poured it into a potion bottle.
[Refined Mimir Forest Hot Spring Water]
-Its merits have been further maximized through the hands of a high-level alchemist.
-It is rich in nutrients suitable for young demonic beasts!
[Uses - Alchemy, Cooking, Beast Taming]
Perhaps because it had been refined, the temperature of the refined hot spring water inside the potion bottle was just right.
Without hesitation, Lion poured the Demonic Beast Baby Food powder into the potion bottle and stirred it carefully with a thin alchemy rod.
The fine powder settled in the clear water and then began to mix in, turning it into the unmistakable appearance of baby formula.
“Sniff, sniff.”
Before he knew it, Pooch had come out to the very edge of the bed and sniffed the baby formula’s scent.
And he was just about to jump straight to the floor…
“Peep!”
Nature blocked him firmly and scolded him with a stern expression.
Lion couldn’t hear the language, but it seemed to be telling him that jumping down on his own was dangerous.
“That’s right. You have to listen to your brother.”
“Peeeep??”
At the word “brother,” Nature turned to look at Lion in disbelief.
It was an expression that said, “Since when am I a brother?”
Well, strictly speaking, “Uncle” Nature was more accurate, but still.
“Hahaha.”
Lion subtly ignored that gaze, returned to the bed, scooped Pooch up, and gently set it down on the floor.
The moment Pooch was set down, it rose onto its hind legs and scratched insistently at Lion’s trousers with its front paws.
He must have been very hungry.
“Do I need a bottle?”
Normally, for a newly born creature, you’d need to use a syringe or a nursing bottle, but…
‘A bowl would be better.’
Considering how he had bitten through and eaten the pillow earlier, serving it in a bowl seemed better than a nursing bottle.
Lion poured the baby formula from the potion bottle into a flat bowl and set it on the floor.
“Don’t eat too fast. Got it?”
“Kieeng!”
Pooch dashed to the bowl at once and began slurping down the baby formula.
Seeing him eat so ravenously, clearly having been hungry, Lion…
“…Huh? You’re done already?”
He hadn’t even watched for long, and it was over.
The bowl was even clean enough that there was nothing to wash.
‘Whoa, is it normally this fast?’
What was at least fortunate was that after smacking his lips, seemingly satisfied with one bowl, he even proceeded to groom himself.
Moreover, his stomach was bulging roundly.
‘…Well, its main body is huge.’
It was only natural for him to eat well in order to grow rapidly.
“Now that I look at them, his feet are incredibly huge, too.”
Compared to his body, which was still small enough to fit in one hand, his paws were sturdy.
I had no idea at what rate he would grow with those.
It might be best to show him to Varg later and subtly ask…
“Heave-ho.”
Lion picked up Pooch, who had finished grooming, and placed it back on the bed.
Playful and full from eating, Pooch seemed drowsy, yawning widely before burrowing straight into the blanket and falling asleep.
Nature, exhausted after finishing its babysitting duties, nested beside Pooch and buried its face in Pooch’s fur.
Watching that peaceful sight…
“…I suppose I’ll sleep a bit too.”
Only then did his tension ease and drowsiness wash over him. Lion roughly laid his head on the pillow—from which more than half the feathers had burst out—and fell asleep next to the two of them.
It had been an eventful day, but it ended peacefully.
* * *
“The brat from the Criminal Underworld is coming?”
“That is correct.”
“Carrying the items Lion requested, I presume.”
“Yes. It is said he delivered a letter through Freyania.”
“Hmm.”
Petrick’s expression stiffened.
Naturally, it was not because of his grandson, Lion.
‘Not just the Second Prince, but even the Criminal Underworld brat has latched onto him.’
If there was any saving grace, it was that the two of them didn’t seem to be cooperating in a pincer attack.
If they were, he wouldn’t be coming in person just because he received an invitation.
‘Anyway, it’s unpleasant.’
His mood soured, Petrick tapped the armrest of his chair slowly with his fingers.
“Shall I refuse him?”
“…Hoo. Forget it. Let that boy Lion do as he pleases.”
Given his mood, he wanted to fire a Fire Ball right at his backside, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
No matter how many crazy things Lion usually did, he was a sharp one.
On top of that, his tact in dealing with people was excellent.
So it would be best to leave him to his intentions.
And also…
‘Hmm.’
He truly did not want to admit it, but he kept getting the feeling that this meeting was inevitable.
Wasn’t it a meeting between his grandson who possessed the Hero’s qualities and the boy following in the footsteps of that petty thief—though he hated to admit the man was one of his comrades?
Lion would surely gain something that even Petrick could not foresee.
And so, he had to be tactful and step aside like a proper old man.
But it was still true that it irked him immensely that his grandson was meeting the heirs of the man he clashed with most of all.
“…Regardless of the situation, as he is the first guest Lion has invited, treat him ‘with the utmost hospitality.’”
“With the utmost hospitality, you say.”
“Yes. There is also the possibility of a surprise attack, so it would be good to station some trustworthy individuals as well.”
“Understood. With the utmost hospitality. I shall treat him as such.”
Rickshel nodded his head deeply, indicating he understood the Family Head’s true meaning perfectly.
“And… I have an additional report to make, along with something I must confess.”
Confess?
A flicker of curiosity passed through Petrick’s eyes before vanishing.
“…Speak.”
Rickshel gave a very objective and detailed account of the series of events.
He had infiltrated Petrick’s personal training ground, and there, the egg his brother had so cherished had hatched.
He had witnessed the egg absorbing a large amount of mana, and despite it being a phenomenon that could not normally occur in an egg, he had left it alone.
‘If that is the case, then surely…’
Petrick fell silent as if lost in thought for a moment, then answered slowly.
“Leave it be.”
“Understood.”
Rickshel accepted the Family Head’s words without questioning.
In any case, his brother was fond of it, and the Spirit King had not acted hostilely toward it.
That was proof that the beast was, at the very least, no threat to his brother.
‘What a relief.’
Rickshel breathed an internal sigh of relief.
When it came to matters concerning his brother, his rational judgment clouded, and he could not be certain of himself.
He had been agonizing over whether this might have been a dangerous choice until the Family Head arrived.
He had even paced in front of his brother’s door just a short while ago, hadn’t he?
“Young Master Rickshel.”
“…”
“It’s alright. Do not worry, and please go and rest.”
If Elvia, who had been stationed at the door, hadn’t soothed him and sent him away so well, his anxiety might have driven him to barge into his brother’s room.
“You did well.”
As if having noticed that about Rickshel, Petrick suddenly spoke.
“…”
Rickshel’s eyes widened.
There was definitely an element of unfamiliarity with the Family Head’s praise.
‘But this is not something deserving of praise.’
Hadn’t Rickshel’s actions as heir been far from good?
Even with a comfortable opponent, his psychology had been read from his expression, and he had been shaken.
That was not all.
A Family Head must advance without retraction once a choice is made.
Even if it is a somewhat regrettable choice, it must not be reversed.
Only when the Family Head is steadfast can the people of the family remain unshaken.
“What is the reason for your praise?”
“What can’t I do?”
“I failed to uphold the dignity of the heir. Furthermore, I participated in the act of entering a place you had forbidden entry to.”
“And?”
“The latter was my own decision, and you have forgiven the transgression, but I believe the former is an action that, under normal circumstances… deserves punishment.”
“Is that so.”
Petrick chuckled and looked at his youngest grandson.
He was speaking on the basis of his own agitation, but what Rickshel truly felt guilty about was something else.
Specifically, whether his own poor choice had endangered Lion.
It seemed he was still anxious, even though the matter was resolved.
It appeared he intended to soothe that anxiety by requesting punishment for himself…
“Rickshel.”
“Yes, Family Head.”
“What is it that a Family Head must do?”
“To protect the family.”
Rickshel answered immediately.
This was something he had heard so often during his heir lessons that his ears rang with it.
Needing to be superior to others, ensuring other families would never dare to look down on them, and so on.
There were many responsibilities, but a higher concept existed above all of them.
It was, precisely, to protect the House of ‘Asteri.’
“Explain it more fully.”
“It is because the family must be steadfast so that its people can lean their backs against it and rest at any time.”
The World Tree, the symbol of House Asteri.
People knew it to represent the ceaseless pursuit of knowledge and wisdom as mages.
But the meaning understood by the people of the family was slightly different.
Literally, a gigantic tree.
If one was born as a person of Asteri, they could all lean back into the shade made by the leaves of that World Tree, and against its mighty trunk.
Of course, there was a stern prerequisite that one had to have properly functioned as an ‘Asteri,’ but it was generally so.
And the pillar of that World Tree was the Family Head.
Thus, the Family Head was always noble and lofty, bearing a mission to stand firm at that spot, never breaking or falling regardless of storms and rain.
‘But I was unable to do that.’
Therefore, he thought he deserved punishment.
But why was the Family Head…
“Well, what’s the problem with that?”
“…My apologies, but I do not understand.”
“The Family Head’s steadfastness is merely one of the means to achieve the goal. The Family Head’s goal is to take responsibility for the family members.”
“…”
“What do you think that responsibility is?”
“Safety.”
“Is it enough to only be safe?”
“That is…”
Rickshel could not answer right away.
“Exactly. You must also be able to support them so they can do what they wish.”
In that regard, haven’t you done well?
Petrick looked at his youngest grandson as if finding him endearing.
He was a truly brilliant boy, the spitting image of himself, yet utterly lacking in flexibility.
Petrick Asteri was certainly a cold-headed and cold-blooded person.
He had his own principles, and his strength made his stubbornness surpass imagination.
However, the years he had lived occasionally granted him moments of being remarkably flexible and sly.
That was exactly now.
When he was teasing his needlessly perfect youngest grandson.
Petrick carefully suppressed a laugh and asked, feigning innocence.
“On the contrary, my sin is greater for focusing on outside matters and failing to look after my family members.”
“That is not what I…!”
It was only natural for Rickshel to become greatly flustered at the words coming from the Family Head’s mouth.