Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 213
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 213
Varg’s inner thoughts were quite different from Urhil’s.
As others had guessed, Varg disliked Urhil.
Of course, he admitted the man had much to teach.
For instance, the technique of partially transforming one’s body, or the know-how to keep one’s tail and ears from popping out when startled.
Varg wanted to become strong too, so he had initially tried to follow his instruction.
There was no end to learning, and he knew perfectly well that you shouldn’t be ashamed to ask someone beneath you—!
So he had been prepared to humbly accept the teaching of a newly arrived, somewhat impudent ‘junior.’
And hadn’t Young Master Lion personally arranged the deal?
But still!
“Hss, you just put strength into it like this, see?”
“Can’t you do that? Hm, then how am I supposed to teach you?”
“Like this, bam. Huh? You say you can’t do this either? Troublesome.”
That was the first day. No, hearing those three remarks in rapid succession in under an hour had made it impossible to bear.
So whenever a demand or explanation struck him as nonsensical, he had stopped listening.
‘…Which was probably why the Young Master gave him this task.’
But even so, he had his pride!
“Brother.”
“Uh, yeah?”
“You got a worry?”
The child, a bit shorter and with nimbler hands than the others.
Golden Branch asked after completing his splendid mud castle.
“Hm…”
“Ah! Is it a secret worry?”
When Varg hesitated, Branch swiveled his head around to check.
Fortunately, everyone else was still absorbed in making their own creations and not watching them.
The bear mister was…
Slide!
A glance that way showed his little sister Jade Leaf perched on the bear mister’s shoulders, gripping his seaweed-like hair and thrusting out a thumbs-up.
‘Good!’
His sister was on full duty, so the man wouldn’t have any attention to spare for this side.
‘This is the perfect chance to do what the Young Master asked!’
The truth was that Branch had posed the question obliquely purely because of Lion’s request.
…
The incident had occurred the previous evening.
The Young Master, who had come to play at Mudu’s house for the first time in a while, had delivered a secret mission to Branch and Leaf.
The mission’s name was none other than…!
‘Become Friends!’
As befitted a secret mission, the content was quite difficult!
They were to encourage the bear mister and the wolf brother—no, wolf brother—they would meet the next day to get along better!
However!
“If you two think it’ll be hard for them to become friends, would you start by listening to the wolf brother’s worries?”
“Secretly?”
“Yes. Secretly. How about it? It’s difficult—do you think you can do it?”
The sight of him meeting their eyes and speaking with a most solemn expression had been deeply impressive!
And the decisive point…
“It’s something only you two can do.”
At those words, chivalrous spirit had surged up within them!
Branch and Leaf had clutched the snacks Lion gave them and answered with grave resolve.
“We’ll manage it somehow!”
“I’ll handle the wolf brother! I’ll be in charge of the bear mister!”
“Good!”
…
Finishing the short recollection, Branch stood on tiptoe and beckoned.
Varg bent his body, practically folding himself up, to meet the boy’s eye level and leaned in.
“Then, shall we each tell one secret?”
“A secret?”
“Shh!”
When Varg’s voice rose, a tiny hand clamped over his mouth.
“It’s a secret, so what’ll we do if you say it loudly?”
“S-sorry.”
“I’ll let it pass just this once. Anyway, my worry is…”
Before Varg could even refuse the ‘secret-telling game,’ Branch quickly spilled his secret.
“My secret is that, honestly, I think Leaf is better at hammering than me, and I’m a tiny bit jealous.”
“Leaf is better at hammering?”
Not forgetting the earlier warning, Varg also asked in a whispered murmur.
“Yeah! She’s my younger sister but way better. When I asked her how she does it, she just said you just do it, which made her even more annoying.”
“…”
Varg fell silent for a moment at this story.
Making an effort not to look sullen in front of a child, Varg calmly opened his mouth.
“S-so what did you do?”
“I said, where is there such a thing as ‘just’!”
“…!”
Branch put his hands squarely on his hips and began to speak in a decisive tone.
“Mom and Dad said there’s no such thing as ‘just doing’ something. There’s always a knack. And they said you have to be able to explain it in words before it’s completely yours?”
Branch, who had gotten carried away into his own story before he knew it, caught himself with a “Haht!” and whispered again in a small voice.
“So, so what’s the wolf brother’s secret now?”
“Mine was a secret similar to yours, Branch. So I think I was jealous. But after hearing your secret, it’s been resolved.”
Varg smiled as if feeling much better.
Right. Instead of sulking because he didn’t know, he needed to step forward more actively.
Even if the other person was his ‘junior.’
‘Even a child knows this… I was too busy being consumed by dislike.’
Varg clenched his fist and burned with fighting spirit.
“Thank you.”
“Huh?”
Branch couldn’t follow Varg’s thoughts and looked bewildered, then soon smiled bashfully.
‘Anyway, I guess I pulled it off?’
He had never dreamed, however, that the wolf brother also wanted to become a blacksmith.
‘Could that be why the Young Master asked me to look after him?’
Anyway, if he ever came to work at Father’s smithy later, he would definitely put in a good word!
“Heehee.”
Having completed the mission, Branch stuck out his belly and giggled.
Meanwhile.
“Bear mister.”
“Hm?”
“You heard well, right?”
“Hmm…”
When Jade Leaf, who had been pretending to steer by gripping his hair, asked sharply, Urhil fell into thought.
‘Perhaps because he’s lived among humans? He’s quite different.’
He had thought the boy simply disliked him one-sidedly, but to think the kid hadn’t understood his teaching at all.
He had heard that there had been no beastfolk around Varg from a very young age.
But he had judged that this fact changed nothing.
Wouldn’t instinct still be alive? he’d thought.
But now, reconsidering and analyzing that time, that seemed not to be the case.
‘Good. From now on, I’d have to think more theoretically about it.’
That was, of course, after he had played to these children’s hearts’ content until the adults came in the evening.
“What do we do next?”
“Throw me up high!”
“Oh? Let’s do that too!”
And so, until the adults’ business ended, Varg and Urhil were obliged to play with the children as hard as they could.
“Alright, let’s go home and eat now!”
“Say ‘thank you, mister, thank you, brother.’”
“Thank youuu.”
Only when Leah and Mudu finally took the children away did quiet return.
“Phew.”
They both exhaled at the same time.
Playing with them wasn’t hard, but making sure so many children didn’t get hurt by accident or wander off alone consumed an extraordinary amount of mental energy.
Even for beastfolk.
Wordlessly and naturally, the two began to walk toward the Asteri Mansion.
The occasional sound of children’s chatter came from the houses, but the path itself was quiet.
A pleasantly cool breeze cooled their dried sweat.
“You, you’ve worked hard.”
In that ambiguous silence, the one who spoke first was none other than Varg.
“It must have been an experience you’ve never had in the Beastfolk Kingdom.”
“It was my first time watching so many children. The title ‘mister’ was novel, too. But… do you know about the Beastfolk Kingdom?”
“Yes. Well.”
Varg answered, giving a small stone on the path a listless kick with his foot.
“I learned about it only recently… As you know, there are limits to my growth.”
“Limits, you say.”
“I feel like I know, and yet I don’t. I’ve been taught not to be impatient, but the thirst continues. That is why I tried to accept your teaching, too.”
“Even though you disliked me.”
“Yes. I dislike you.”
“…”
Not expecting the word ‘dislike’ to come back so directly, Urhil shut his mouth for a moment, then asked.
“What’s the reason you dislike me so much? Because I plundered what belonged to the person you serve as master?”
“There was that too, but I’ve excluded it since it was resolved.”
“Then, because I’m a terrible teacher?”
“That is correct, but I realized something just a moment ago, so I’ve excluded that as well.”
If not for the help of that small child, he would still be angry about that.
But now, that wasn’t it either.
“Then… because, unlike you, I’ve led a comfortable life?”
“No.”
Varg stopped walking.
To be honest, he had thought that might be the reason at first, too.
That person had lived so well despite being a beastfolk, so why had I had to go through such experiences?
But upon thinking it over carefully, that wasn’t it.
His own past hadn’t been happy, but as a result, he was doing the work he wanted here and living well.
Then why did he dislike this person called Urhil?
That question had quickly reached a conclusion.
Varg let out words he had been holding back inside.
“First. You may not be an official member, but you came in as my junior, so why do you use casual speech with me? And with the Young Master, as well.”
“…”
At the bewildered look, his own face flushed hot.
He knew. It was childish!
Someone might say he was throwing his weight around when he didn’t even have seniority.
But, whatever the case, now that it had come to this, he would say everything that bothered him!
“Second. You, you’re also a freeloading guest, so why do you act so arrogantly? If someone waits on you, shouldn’t you at least say thank you?”
“Is that what one must do in human society?”
“No, not particularly, but…”
“…?”
“The, the Young Master always says thank you.”
…Given that the man was already in his bad books, it probably hadn’t looked good to him anyway.
“And?”
Varg was startled by Urhil’s question.
He had almost let his tail or ears pop out, but fortunately, he managed to control it well.
Varg swallowed hard and spoke.
“And… I’m envious. I dislike you because I’m envious.”
“In what way?”
Varg’s mouth opened and closed.
There were countless things he was envious of.
Freely manipulating the form of one’s body. A personality that wasn’t timid. A confident attitude anywhere.
And above all, the composure not to get easily agitated even when hearing such insults to his face.
Honestly, the age difference didn’t seem that large, but anyone would think that man felt like an adult.
Even though he had shamelessly eaten another territory’s food like a freeloader.
“…That’s all. I’ll go ahead.”
Varg didn’t explain that last reason and hurried his halted legs, walking in long strides.
“Huh.”
Urhil saw Varg rapidly moving away and let out a hollow laugh.
‘A junior, so that’s what it was?’
So from Varg’s position, he himself had been lower in the pecking order.
But because of his inherently kind nature, he hadn’t been able to do anything and had been pushed around until he finally said a few words just now.
The reason was simple. He must have wanted to follow Lion Asteri’s orders as best he could.
“Ngh… hahaha.”
Urhil clutched his belly and laughed.
He was a guy who was both simple and not so simple.
‘I have no idea what that spirit mage said or how he sweet-talked him, but…’
In any case, thanks to Lion Asteri, he had gotten a handle on things.
“I still don’t know the way around well. Let’s go together, senior.”
“…!!”
At the word ‘senior,’ Varg’s face flushed as red as a carrot, and he spun around.
Unfortunately, this time, the tail he had suppressed once before burst out.
And then…
“It’s been resolved well, Young Master.”
Having watched the whole situation through Elvia’s magic, Lion smiled contentedly.