Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 210
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 210
“Yaaawn.”
The bear beastfolk—no, Urhil—stared at the ceiling of the cell, let out a long yawn, and scratched his belly scritch-scritch.
If you didn’t see the setting, it was no different from any common layabout.
‘Not bad.’
The stone floor was a bit hard, but bearable enough.
‘Ah, it’d be nice to have something to cover myself with.’
Urhil, who had been vacantly staring at the ceiling just as when he’d been captured, suddenly smacked his lips.
Even though he’d been knocked out, after sleeping so long his stomach had emptied and he felt hungry.
‘I was having such delicious food for the first time in a while, what a shame.’
Truth be told, traveling across the empire, he hadn’t been eating well.
It was nothing like back in the Beastfolk Kingdom, where he could just lie around and be served unlimited top-quality fruit and honey.
Of course, food was abundant here too!
But there was no delicious food.
‘I can’t fill my stomach with that sort of thing.’
It didn’t suit his appearance, but Urhil was a gourmet.
A gourmet so extreme that even other bear beastfolk would be shocked.
He would rather starve than eat anything that didn’t agree with his palate, even a little.
‘The good ingredients must have gone into noble stomachs.’
Every region of the empire he visited was the same.
Thus, for the first time in his life, he’d arrived in Asteri territory half-starved.
And yet, what was this?
Here, even commoners could eat their fill of high-quality fruit!
Not only that.
There was honey, and sweet potatoes!
So he lost all reason and ate to his heart’s content.
‘… And that’s why I ended up locked up.’
Well, they probably won’t kill me, so it’s fine.
He rolled over.
Urhil flipped over and lay on his stomach.
The stone floor was fairly cool, so it wasn’t bad.
“… Tch. That thing I ate at the end, it was delicious.”
As he lay still, he remembered the honey-glazed nuts.
The texture was interesting and the taste was superb.
And moreover, that fragrance.
‘It was a deep aroma I’d never encountered in my life.’
Sweet and tangy without a single jarring note, it stimulated his sense of smell.
‘Clearly it wasn’t just ordinary honey.’
He didn’t know what flower was used, but the fragrance spread far and wide.
And along with it came a certain refreshing sensation…
Even for a self-styled gourmet like Urhil, it was so enchanting he felt his soul leave his body.
So he had eaten it even knowing it was bait.
‘I have no regrets.’
No, on the contrary, he even felt like causing another incident just to eat more of that bait.
‘… It’ll work out somehow.’
Honestly, he had something to fall back on.
If he’d been caught by nobles, he could act even more brazenly.
Wasn’t he a bear beastfolk?
It’s a little odd to say it himself, but his bloodline was nothing ordinary.
His position in the Beastfolk Kingdom was also considerable.
They wouldn’t want to harm someone like him and create an awkward situation with another nation.
Especially nobles would proceed with even greater caution.
“Hmm…”
Having finished his internal calculations, unlike his outward appearance of flopping around and scratching his belly scritch-scritch, Urhil decided he could relax a bit more.
As a result,
his gaze naturally shifted to the side—to the presence standing outside the bars.
“Well, that’s my situation, but what are you doing here?”
Urhil flipped onto his back again, clasped his hands behind his head, and asked lazily.
Then Varg, who had been keeping watch over him the whole time, answered with feigned sternness.
“Don’t address me without permission.”
“It’s just talking. What’s the harm?”
“I am merely guarding a prisoner.”
“I thought Asteri territory was quite wealthy, but it seems they’re short on manpower if they have a child working as a guard.”
“I am unmistakably an adult!”
“…”
“And I am strong. I can become even stronger.”
Urhil glanced at Varg and chuckled.
“I beg your pardon.”
Indeed, anyone would bristle at being called a child, especially when they weren’t one.
It was even more true for those whose bodies had matured ahead of their minds.
It varied by species, but among beastfolk it was quite common for the body to grow large like that before the spirit caught up.
Usually they would mature mentally through the care and instruction of those around them and achieve a balance.
Judging by the looks of it…
‘Seems like there’s no guardian… Ah-ha.’
So he’d just now figured it out.
Urhil realized something.
It wasn’t that there was no guardian, but rather the guardian was of a different race.
Back in that forest…
When he’d discovered the two of them hiding behind the trees in the undergrowth, before he’d willingly taken the bait, he’d felt something off.
The red wolf beastfolk was clearly stronger, yet that human, the territory’s owner, was protecting him.
‘He looked like a spirit mage.’
How strange. I had heard the Asteri territory was governed by a mage…
‘Well, it’s not important.’
Anyway, the contracted spirit’s rank seemed quite high.
But even as a guardian, someone couldn’t directly assist the growth of a wolf beastfolk.
Because of the racial differences.
‘Still, seeing that he’d raised him this far…’
He must have put in considerable effort.
For a human, not even a nimble elf, to have done this much, he must have provided incredible observation and guidance.
But…
‘There would be clear limits.’
Unless someone possessed innate ability or overwhelming theoretical knowledge, this was the limit for a human.
‘He must have racked his brains quite a bit.’
And just then, he himself had appeared on the scene.
It could be called excellent timing for both sides.
I wonder if they’ll let my crimes slide.
‘Even if my guess is wrong, it doesn’t matter.’
I can just contact my homeland and arrange compensation.
Well, one way or another, I’ll have to wait until this Lion Asteri comes.
‘It would be nice if they gave me something to eat.’
Urhil didn’t speak to Varg any further, simply lay back leisurely and waited for Lion.
Fortunately, that wait was not very long.
“You’ve been watching well?”
“Yes, young master.”
“Good work. You may go now.”
“Yes? But…”
Varg hesitated and looked towards the prisoner.
That wolf already seemed to consider him a dangerous one.
Urhil rose from his spot and shrugged.
“It’s fine.”
“… Understood.”
Varg nodded and stepped aside without another word.
For a red wolf beastfolk to comply like that, he must have been trained thoroughly.
Or perhaps he’d been shown enormous favor.
So the two faced each other with only a thin iron bar between them.
‘I have to admit he’s bold.’
He seemed to know bear beastfolk well, yet he came to see me alone with only this thin iron bar.
“Your name?”
“I’m Urhil.”
“I regret that we had to knock you out and bring you here. That child…”
“It was a child’s mistake, so it’s fine.”
“You knew.”
“We may be different species, but we are both beastfolk.”
Urhil added that he could also see things humans couldn’t.
“You seem to have received a lot of education.”
“Well… to borrow a human phrase, I too belong to the nobility.”
Urhil smiled at how the conversation was proceeding as expected.
He’d been flustered and swept along in the forest, but now he was certain he wouldn’t be.
Because now he knew what the other party wanted.
“So, what compensation must I provide?”
“Can you move?”
“From just being knocked out once? Hardly.”
Of course, the back of his head was still faintly sore, but he decided not to mention it.
‘So even at a young age, a red wolf beastfolk is like that…’
His strength is no joke.
The fact that he could knock out a bear beastfolk, who’s renowned for toughness, said it all.
If I brought him to my homeland, he’d probably receive a high position.
Of course, he’d refuse.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
“… Go?”
Without answering, Lion unlocked the cell with a key and opened the door.
‘Huh… what on earth does he trust?’
Of course, he had no intention of doing anything.
Urhil ducked his body through the low cell door and came out.
But where were they going?
Just as he was about to ask—
“By the way, can you use honorific speech?”
“It’s not a problem, but is honorific speech even needed for educating that wolf beastfolk?”
“… Mm? Aha.”
For a moment Lion looked puzzled, then he chuckled as he realized something.
That was why he’d been so brazen—he’d completely misread the situation.
‘Though it’s not a completely off-base thought.’
He’d figure it out once he experienced it firsthand.
“First, follow me.”
“…”
Urhil’s eyebrow twitched at Lion’s subtle reaction, but he obediently followed.
* * *
And the place they arrived at together was…
Bzzz.
An apiary, with bees that had lost their hive flying about.
The interior of the apiary was quite gloomy.
Beekeepers sighed deeply as they moved the scattered bees into new hives.
Perhaps because the apiary was such a mess, their faces were utterly haggard.
Lion gathered those people and stood them before Urhil.
“Now. Apologize.”
“…?”
Urhil was speechless.
This was completely different from what he’d expected.
He’d thought they’d demand compensation related to that wolf beastfolk or monetary payment.
An apology?
It was something he’d never done even in his homeland.
As Urhil hesitated…
Prod.
“Hurry up.”
As if he’d read his mind, Lion urged him.
He even pushed his palm firmly against Urhil’s back!
“You…!”
With Urhil’s size, he should have been immovable, but…
“… I shall apologize.”
Urhil decided to accept Lion’s push.
It wasn’t even in honorific form, just an awkward apology, but the workers must have been told beforehand, as they only sighed deeply and shook their heads.
“Whew, it’s fine. We’ll view it as a natural disaster… Still, the news that a bear raided the apiary drew some reservations from noble guests.”
“That’s quite fortunate.”
“Yes. And since the young master came to catch the culprit himself and help with the restoration, we’re willing to let it go at that.”
“Hahaha. Don’t worry. It will surely be of great help.”
While Urhil remained bent at the waist, the conversation between the other two moved swiftly.
And before he knew it, Urhil…
“…?”
was holding a butterfly net in each hand and catching bees that had flown away from the hive.
‘Wha—what is this?’
Urhil experienced a fresh shock.
It was a first.
He’d stolen honeycombs to eat honey, but now he had to gather bees to rebuild the hives?
“Now, now. You mustn’t harm the bees.”
“Ah, I know.”
Truly a situation he’d never once imagined.
So much so that he wanted to protest.
To demand they ask for something else.
But he couldn’t.
Because…
Whoosh! Swish!
“Got one!”
Because Lion Asteri was right next to him, also catching bees!
[Gathering Proficiency has reached Apprentice Lv.2.]
‘Wait, catching bees counts as gathering too?’
Of course, Lion was delighted to have discovered a new way to gain level-up experience.
Moreover, perhaps because of spirit magic, the bees gathered on their own.
It was nice that the experience kept climbing, but he didn’t forget his duty.
“Hey, your hands are slowing down. Get moving. You have to pay for what you ate.”
That was him urging Urhil on.
“… Fine. I know.”
After that, there was a great deal of work to do.
After helping at the apiary, they went to the orchard, cleared fallen trees and worthless debris, and even spread fertilizer.
“Wow, you’re working surprisingly well?”
One of the victims murmured.