Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 205
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 205
Jack placed his hand on the crystal orb, and an invisible membrane formed around him.
It was a high-end artifact engraved with perception distortion and soundproofing magic.
Without this level of security, he wouldn’t have even considered contacting Kyle.
‘I don’t usually use it, but maybe just this once.’
It would be fine.
Of course, Kyle was probably busy at the imperial palace, so the odds he’d answer right away weren’t high either.
Jack cleared his throat for no reason as he waited for the crystal orb to connect.
And after a little while.
Flash.
The inside of the crystal orb shimmered softly.
It meant the connection was established.
Then a flat, curt voice came through.
—What is it?
Some might call it cold, but to Jack’s ears, it was just his cute little brother whining.
“Oh, nothing~ I just called to check in. Nothing much going on?”
—Hm…
Maybe this would have been a natural flow for ordinary people, but for these two, it was a rarity.
A slightly flustered reaction came from the crystal orb.
‘Now I feel awkward.’
Contrary to how he felt inside, Jack calmly rattled off this and that.
Every single one was an ordinary question: was he eating properly?
Was the First Prince giving him any trouble?
He even told him to let Jack know if the First Prince got too annoying.
…That last one admittedly wasn’t ordinary.
—…
And Kyle, who had been listening to all of this from the imperial palace, scoffed inwardly.
‘Seems he got hit hard.’
He’d expected it from the moment Jack said he was going to barge into the mansion where Lion Asteri lived, so Jack must have taken a huge blow as well.
And it seemed there had even been a change of heart,
for him to call like this.
‘Not bad.’
It was a little embarrassing, but Kyle thought an occasional call like this wouldn’t be so bad.
Meanwhile, Jack kept talking.
Perhaps running out of things to say, he started explaining what had happened at House Asteri.
And then.
—You were injured?
Kyle’s voice dropped low.
—Where, and how badly?
“Huh?”
It was Jack who was actually flustered by the change.
Honestly, since Kyle hadn’t responded while he was rambling, he’d figured Kyle was just listening with one ear and letting it go out the other.
But…
‘I didn’t expect this reaction.’
Again, Jack and Kyle were as close as real brothers.
But the environment they’d grown up in was so shitty that they didn’t do trivial chitchat like this.
From Jack’s perspective, Kyle was a precious younger brother, but he thought he’d never shown much outward affection, so this kind of answer…
—Never mind. I’ll head over now.
“No, it’s just a small scratch. And anyway, Lion Asteri treated it with a good potion already. I suspect he made it himself…”
As he spoke, the corners of Jack’s mouth crept upward.
‘…This is nice.’
It was the first time in his life he’d ever whined and exaggerated an injury.
Maybe that made it even more effective.
But at Kyle’s single remark, the faint anxiety that had lingered in him washed away cleanly.
‘…I could get addicted to this.’
Out of habit, Jack covered his rising lips with his hand.
As he mulled over this emotion that wasn’t an exaggeration to call childish, Kyle let out a light sigh.
—As long as you’re okay. So how was it?
“How was what.”
—Lion Asteri.
“Hmm.”
Jack debated for a moment.
He hadn’t actually told Kyle how he planned to use Lion Asteri.
Meaning, the plan to hero-worship him as the Hero for Kyle’s future for publicity’s sake.
That plan had been valid right
up until this conversation.
But Jack chose to step back on his own and answered.
“You said you wanted to appoint him as National Preceptor.”
—If he agrees to it.
“Sounds good.”
Jack resolved to keep what he’d discovered to himself.
The abilities and position suited Hero more than National Preceptor, but Lion seemed not to want it either.
‘And besides…’
He also judged that there was no need to touch Lion Asteri.
Why?
There were many reasons.
But the answer that came from the heart was.
‘That scenery back then…’
That it was beautiful.
Yes. It was because of the world he had glimpsed a few days ago when he’d followed Lion Asteri.
Someday, he wanted to show it to Kyle, at least once.
But wouldn’t it be a shame if the owner of that world disappeared?
‘Because it’s a world I cannot create.’
Just as he did not belong in Jack’s world, Jack did not belong in Lion Asteri’s.
That peaceful forest would turn into a field of poisonous herbs.
‘…Of course, I will bring him back.’
He wasn’t saying he’d give him away.
He didn’t want to change the values he’d lived by his whole life either.
Kyle was part of his world.
He was family, and would remain so.
But he would concede one thing… that he had become able to think a little more flexibly.
As Jack fell into deep thought and a brief silence followed, Kyle’s voice came through the crystal orb.
—…Alright. I have time in a few days. I’ll see you then.
Without waiting for an answer, the light in the crystal orb faded.
“Hoo!”
Jack exhaled as if refreshed.
How to put it, unlike usual, it had been a remarkably… ordinary and peaceful conversation.
It was quite pleasant.
The feeling of a long-standing indigestion finally settling.
As Jack smirked and withdrew from the crystal orb, his trusted aide, Brick, who had been waiting at a distance, came over and carefully took the orb.
‘He seems to be in a better mood.’
Brick hadn’t listened to the contents of the call through the crystal orb, and he wouldn’t dare even think of doing so.
But seeing Jack, who for days hadn’t been able to hide his displeasure, now calm, it seemed something had fortunately resolved well.
‘What a relief.’
Brick murmured inwardly and kneaded his stiff shoulder.
* * *
Jack left the mansion immediately after the conversation with Lion.
And quiet finally settled over the mansion, which had been noisy with the young master’s first guest reception.
The servants returned to their quiet daily routines and did their respective tasks, and the same went for Rickshel.
Varg seemed to have received additional punishment from Rickshel, but even that was light, so it wasn’t an issue.
Rather, they said Varg, whose stamina had increased from sparring with Jack, was continuing training beyond his punishment…
‘Well, Rickson will handle it.’
In any case, the person currently responsible for Varg was Rickson, wasn’t it?
“Yaaawn.”
Lion let out a long yawn.
Nothing much had happened except for the occasional incidents where Pooch messed up the mansion garden or tried to break into the food storage.
Ah, aside from that, there was the fact he’d finished making all the toys Pooch would play with.
Oh, and there was also the new batch of Doenjang Stew he’d made for Elvia.
“Anyway, it’s peaceful…”
“Peep.”
Nature, who had been lounging in Lion’s arms in the exact same pose, let out a small peep.
“If you’re sleepy, go inside and sleep. I even set up a new house for you.”
Nature’s nest had been completed even before Pooch’s toys.
It was nothing special; he had built it as a miniature version of the cabin in the labyrinth.
He had laid plush cushions inside and placed it high up so Pooch couldn’t reach it.
So it looked kind of like a cuckoo clock, which was cute.
“Peep…”
Nature seemed to like that house quite a bit too, but when there was nice sunlight like this, it preferred to sunbathe while lying together like this.
The warm sunlight seeped into their clothes and gave a pleasant warmth, so it would be perfect to take a nap just like this, but—
“Hup-cha.”
Lion let out an odd hup sound and sprang up vigorously.
Because of that, Nature, who had been drowsing in his arms, slipped and tumbled, but it recovered instantly and, with a “Peew!” sigh, fluttered up and settled on his shoulder.
“Hahaha…”
…Anyway! Today he was planning to go into town for the first time in a while.
It was because the magic shop had vanished when the magic tool shop owner’s whereabouts became uncertain, and an herbal shop had moved into that spot, of all places.
And he’d heard they carried quite a wide variety of ingredients, too.
‘If they have any decent herbs, I should really go all out.’
Of course, House Asteri had a steady supply of high-quality, premium herbs coming in, but wasn’t there a different flavor to browsing and buying them yourself?
‘It’s good to be exposed to as many herbs as possible.’
Lion stretched his arms way out and then headed into town.
* * *
“What to do.”
“There’s nothing to buy. Nothing at all.”
“Oh dear…”
The countless customers and merchants in the marketplace all let out deep sighs.
The marketplace, which should have been lively, was utterly gloomy.
The reason, apparently…
Fwoo.
“…The fruit is completely wiped out.”
“Sugarcane and honey, too.”
There was none.
From the commoners’ friend the orange, to apples, sweet sugar carrots, and even sugarcane and honey, which were considered luxury goods.
They were hardly to be seen.
Honey was always sold in relatively small amounts, so he could excuse that, but the disappearance of the colorful fruit that usually filled the stands was critical.
“Wait, did I hear there was a poor harvest?”
When a customer, slow on the latest news, beat his chest in frustration and asked, the fruit merchant opened his mouth with a gloomy expression.
“A poor harvest! This year was a bumper crop. The sugar content of the fruit was so good it made your mouth tingle.”
“Then why is there nothing?”
“Hoo… Well, rumor has it a bear appeared and ate it all.”
“A bear? What, they’re saying a whole group of bears appeared?”
The customer couldn’t hide his confusion.
“No! One of them! Just one!”
“One bear gobbled it all up?”
“That’s right! No, of course it didn’t eat it all! But I heard from the rumors that its size is far larger than an ogre!”
The customer gulped dryly and imagined a giant bear in his head.
He pictured a massive, rampaging beast with honey smeared on both front paws, roaring with a ‘Graawr!’
“Anyway, since nobody knows when that huge thing might show up, it seems a temporary shutdown order was issued for places that harvest or transport ‘sweet things.’ I only stock and sell goods here myself, so I’m not certain, but… well, that’s what the rumors say.”
When the merchant next to him chimed in, the customer finally nodded as if he understood.
“Ah… Then when will they catch the bear?”
“Who knows. It’s huge but comes and goes like a phantom… The guards are putting their strength into it, so we just have to hold on.”
“Ehw! I’m in a situation where I have to sell other goods now. The apiary is already…”
The merchant selling honey shook his head side to side.
“Cleaned out… I heard even the beeswax is almost unusable.”
“Oh no…”
“What a mess.”
The people in the marketplace offered their sincere words of consolation, truly feeling sorry for him.
And…
“…A bear?”
Before he stopped by the herbal shop, Lion, who had dropped in to buy the candied flower petals he’d eaten last time, caught that conversation with his ears.