Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 208
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 208
[Alchemist’s Moonflower Energy Gangjeong (★★★)]
- Fragrant nuts, sweet-tart dried fruit, and a special aromatic honey that brings everything together in a glorious feast!
- Who could possibly resist taking a bite?
- Especially a honey-crazed bear beastfolk—this would drive them wild!
Lion gazed at the glossy finished gangjeong.
‘Yes. With this—!’
Whether it was a bear or a bear beastfolk, any sweet-toothed creature was sure to be captivated… or maybe not!
‘Honestly, this alone might be a struggle.’
It was undeniably an irresistibly alluring bait.
The gangjeong Lion had crafted was truly excellent.
But the target wasn’t just an ordinary bear; it was a bear beastfolk.
Which meant the creature might thoroughly devour the bait, then suddenly turn violent.
Besides…
‘Bears are pretty clever.’
The saying “better a fox than a bear” gave people the wrong idea, but the bear as a creature wasn’t as dim-witted as people assumed.
Especially in the case of beastfolk, that was even more true.
‘So it probably already knows it’s being targeted.’
Lion even considered the possibility that the bear might not approach the trap at all, but judging by everything it had done so far, that was unlikely.
The creature’s methods were remarkably bold.
It had raided a momentarily parked wagon, broken into the apiary, and even gone so far as to pick out only the tastiest fruit from the orchard.
‘Even though it must be obvious it’d get caught fast at this rate.’
And yet the creature kept committing its crimes.
That boiled down to a single conclusion.
It was confident in its own skill—enough to believe it could escape even if caught.
‘And if an ordinary person like me were the one setting bait and waiting?’
It would probably slip away without so much as a snort.
So Lion had prepared one extra thing.
[Sleep-Inducing Powder (★★)]
- Have you eaten a lot of sweets? Then how about giving this powder a try as well?
- A savory-salty powder made by combining banana sweet potato stems with various herbs.
- Greatly helps with insomnia when consumed.
- ※Caution※ The effect is doubled for someone who has eaten a lot of sweets.
This was something he’d made long ago while grinding potion crafts.
Truthfully, he had created it hoping he might score a few points with Rickshel, who was buried day and night in work, or with his grandfather, but in the end, he’d never actually used it.
‘Rickshel’s gradually getting himself under control.’
His grandfather, too, had looked noticeably brighter after taking the Mental Fatigue Recovery Potion—
though it didn’t seem like anyone else had picked up on that.
Anyway.
“Which meant, as luck would have it, I still had this lying around.”
That blood-sugar spike… no, with this Sleep-Inducing Powder, that bear would surely fall into slumber in no time.
And once that happened…
‘Varg should be able to handle it.’
Then they would be able to confront the weakened bear beastfolk and demand compensation for the banana sweet potatoes and all the other incidents!
With that thought, Lion lightly sprinkled the sleep-inducing powder over the gangjeong.
White crystals, like salt, glittered and clung to the surface.
It didn’t look half bad, either.
“Alright. Then the preparations are done.”
What remained…
Lion glanced at the window.
He could see Varg pacing restlessly outside.
It seemed he hadn’t yet imagined what Lion was up to, let alone caught the scent of honey.
‘Varg will pull it off.’
He hadn’t said it yet, but Varg’s role in this operation was pretty significant.
‘Because he’s a Red Wolf beastfolk.’
Ordinary people didn’t know much about beastfolk bloodlines, but among beastfolk, the red wolf was considered an even rarer being than the lion beastfolk who ruled the Beastfolk Kingdom.
Probably, once the bear beastfolk saw Varg, it wouldn’t immediately charge at him.
If anything, it might be more astonished than aggressive…
“Nature.”
“Peep, peep.”
“This plan. It’d be better not to mention it to him yet, right?”
“Peep.”
Nature hesitated briefly, then nodded as if agreeing that Lion’s thinking was right.
“Good. Then we’ll just proceed as planned!”
Lion hefted the tray of fully cooled gangjeong and exited the fragrant kitchen.
When the kitchen’s back door swung open…
“…!”
Varg, who had been beside himself from the intense aroma, looked up in startled awe at the gangjeong.
“The smell didn’t leak, right?”
“Y-Yes, sir! Thanks to Sir Nature blocking it, no scent spread at all… but.”
Varg stared at the gangjeong in a daze.
“Is this the bait?”
“Yeah. Smells good, doesn’t it?”
He didn’t answer, but the audible gulp—the sound of him swallowing—was painfully clear.
Normally he would have been embarrassed, but in front of that bait, even that thought didn’t occur to him.
‘I-I’ve never smelled anything this sweet and nutty before…!’
And woven faintly through it was the fresh scent of berries, spreading so that even just the smell was entrancing.
‘W-Wait. That means—’
At his next thought, Varg snapped back to his senses and opened his mouth.
“Y-Young master. I think you should hurry and move that bait somewhere.”
“Why?”
“Well, a bear’s sense of smell is extremely acute. If the scent is this incredible, it’ll definitely show up!”
“Yeah? Good.”
If Varg was saying something like that, it meant the bait truly was well made.
“Shall I carry it? If you tell me where the operation site is…”
“It’s fine.”
“But…”
Before the word “dangerous” could leave Varg’s mouth, Lion grinned and beat him to it.
“It’s fine because you’ll protect me.”
“…!”
That was pure sincerity.
But there was a reason even more important than that.
‘Because this is my revenge.’
The flames of fury that had momentarily subsided flickered again in Lion’s eyes.
‘I’m going to wring him dry down to the marrow.’
Having made that resolution, Lion picked up the tray and strode briskly toward Mimir Forest.
“You’ve arrived.”
The knights of House Asteri, who had readied everything in advance, greeted Lion.
“Right. You’ve all worked hard.”
“Not at all. Rather, thanks to your assistance, young master, things are certain to proceed smoothly.”
The knight who spoke, and the ones behind him, couldn’t hide their curiosity at the sheet pan and gangjeong in Lion’s hands.
‘What is that, anyway?’
‘Did he maybe bring snacks to lift the spirits of us hard-working soldiers?’
‘They say the young master Lion’s cooking is really something special. Looking forward to it.’
In truth, the nutty gangjeong was so appealing it drew silent praise from them.
“Ahem, my apologies, but is this…?”
Under the weight of his comrades’ gazes and unspoken pressure, one knight stepped up to take the proverbial bullet—or rather, to grip his scabbard—and ask.
“This is exactly that bait.”
“I see. So this is the bait… pardon? Did I mishear?”
“It’s packed with everything a bear could possibly like.”
“…”
It certainly was.
Nuts, berries, and honey.
The problem was…
those were also ingredients the soldiers loved.
“I-Is that so…”
The knights barely managed to control their expressions.
They had forgotten. The fact that the eldest young master was quite an eccentric.
‘What a waste… such a precious thing.’
Without realizing it, the knights clicked their tongues.
It really did look mouthwateringly good…
“Understood.”
“Right. You’ve all done good work.”
Each of the knights gave a respectful salute, picked up the weapons they’d stowed, and prepared to return directly to the mansion.
“…”
The only one who couldn’t grasp the situation was Varg.
‘W-Why is everyone leaving?’
Weren’t they supposed to catch the bear now?
Then why was everyone leaving except Young Master Lion?
Was today not the day, after all? he wondered.
Pat pat.
“Hang in there.”
“The youngest has it the roughest.”
“Stay strong.”
“Yessir…”
The knights each patted his shoulder or ruffled his hair in encouragement as they left.
As if they all knew something!
Varg sank deeper into confusion.
Even after the last of them had vanished.
“Uh, young master.”
“Yeah?”
Lion set the sheet pan down on a suitable rock and turned around.
“I’m sorry to trouble you when you’re busy, but what exactly is the situation here…?”
“We’re catching a bear, right?”
“Yes. But if all the knights leave, who’s going to catch…”
Before he could finish asking “the bear?”, Varg realized.
‘Ah. It’s me.’
I’m the one catching it?
A bear?
The young master had certainly said something before making the bait.
That he wanted help with his revenge.
Varg had immediately agreed, but he’d never dreamed it would be such direct revenge.
After all, the young master had until now…!
‘…only ever given me trivial tasks.’
Varg had wanted to become a reliable pillar of strength for the young master.
Meaning the kind of work where you judge and subdue a dangerous foe.
Or, say, a “hunt.”
But the young master must have judged that Varg’s skill still wasn’t good enough, because he had never once even mentioned such things.
Young Master Rickshel was the same.
He had taken Varg as an escort and subjected him to even harsher training, but he had never asked for anything beyond that.
Which meant…
‘…V-Varg! This is your chance!’
Varg smacked both cheeks with his hands and sharply focused his eyes.
Maybe, just maybe, this was the chance for him to be reborn as a being who could truly be of help to the young master!
“Nothing much should happen, but if a problem comes up, you can just protect me.”
“Understood! I will get it done, no matter what!”
“Huh? O-Oh. I’m counting on you.”
Now needlessly fierce, Varg even grimly extended his sharp claws.
‘Well, he needs moments like this too, I guess.’
Lion didn’t bother to stop Varg and started the remaining preparations.
Truth be told, there wasn’t much left to do.
He confirmed that the capture net the knights had prepared was laid out properly, then asked Nature to prevent his and Varg’s scent from spreading.
That was also the reason he’d sent the knights away.
If multiple human scents were drifting through the forest, the bear would definitely be on guard.
“Let’s hide.”
“Yes, sir!”
On top of that, just in case, they concealed their bodies among the dense undergrowth… and that made it perfect.
“Now we just have to wait.”
In truth, he didn’t know if a fight would break out or not.
Even though it was a bear, it was beastfolk, so they could probably communicate verbally to some degree.
‘Though that’s only if it takes the bait first.’
They might even have to lie in ambush for days.
‘Not sure how long my spirit art can keep this up.’
Even if his spirit art level had risen, using it for an extended period was bound to be taxing.
He wanted to wrap this up as fast as possible.
Time passed, and the hour arrived when a dog’s shadow stretched long like a wolf’s.
‘Snnnk…’
The honey fragrance must have spread throughout Mimir Forest—no, beyond that.
And yet the nut gangjeong remained untouched.
Moreover, even the small animals like squirrels that had briefly visited earlier in the day were nowhere to be seen.
‘It’s here.’
The absence of small animals meant there was definitely a predator lurking nearby.
It couldn’t be Lion or Varg, who had concealed their presence.
In that case… it was definitely that bear beastfolk.
At that moment—
Rustle.
“…! Young master.”
Varg, who had sensed the presence, whispered softly.
From the underbrush on the opposite side, something heavy pushed through the leaves and appeared.
A massive, pitch-black boulder of a creature…
‘It’s here.’
It was a bear with a coat so glossy it looked oiled.
But one that had eaten so well its bearing was considerable—so overweight,
even for a bear,
that it waddled—anyone could see it had gorged itself on food and
gotten stout and plump—literally in a state of nutritional excess.
‘Wow… it’s been a while since just looking at something made my blood boil.’