Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 215
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 215
Clarentia roamed the village wearing nothing but a robe tossed on loosely.
Stamina, strength—and money—were no obstacle.
If anything, she had too much of each.
But a completely unexpected hidden snag lay in wait.
Swish.
Clarentia threw off the robe entirely and gathered her long hair high, tying it tightly.
Having lived her whole life in the Bydantis territory, the Asteri climate simply didn’t suit her body.
Of course, with the strength of a Sword Master she could have rendered herself indifferent to heat or cold, but
ever since Lion Asteri’s visit, Clarentia had set one personal rule.
‘When I’m not fighting, I’ll experience things as directly as I can.’
She was slowly filling the emptiness she’d carried,
the things she’d failed to feel until now—not the sensation of sinking into a deep mire,
but the softness of a bed that smelled gentle and warm, the taste of sweet treats, and such.
It was still awkward, but she had plenty left to fill the hollow spaces.
“And more than anything…”
She wanted to hear, firsthand, the entertaining stories Lion Asteri had been busy making.
Clarentia slowly turned toward the direction from which she felt a gaze.
“It’s been a while.”
“…”
“Surely you haven’t forgotten my face.”
“Hahaha… How could I forget the face of Marquis Bydantis?”
Lion, who had been heading to Andrie’s shop, was seriously startled by the sudden appearance of Marquis Bydantis.
I mean, he knew she was the type to come and go like a ghost, but still.
‘She’s a marquis, though.’
Was it really all right for her to wander around another domain alone like this?
And of all places to meet, he never dreamed it would be in a market square, not some fine lodging.
“I understand your carriage hasn’t arrived yet.”
“It was far too slow. And I couldn’t get a proper look at things from it.”
“I see.”
“This works out nicely.”
Marquis Bydantis strode toward him without hesitation.
“It is a little early, but may I ask you to guide me? I’d like to see more of the village.”
“…Right now, you mean?”
“Yes. Surely you know this place best.”
She wasn’t wrong.
Lion scratched his head.
By the original plan, introducing the village was supposed to be Rickshel’s job.
Lion had intended to chime in with agreeable remarks here and there and then slip away, but…
‘No, is this actually a good thing?’
From what he could see, Marquis Bydantis seemed quite interested in magical goods.
Just moments ago, hadn’t she shown curiosity about the magical streetlamp that cast light at night?
At this rate, even if she met Rickshel, it was obvious they’d spend the whole time talking business. All right.
‘I’ll show her around the village, and then I’ll send her off with Rickshel somewhere nice.’
A high-end dessert shop, for instance… well, nothing came to mind immediately, but somewhere pleasant and fairly luxurious, at any rate.
‘And while I’m at it, since I’ll be playing guide,’
wouldn’t it be better to give her a thorough tour?
If any merchants or goods caught Marquis Bydantis’s eye in the process, they could be exported to Bydantis territory.
‘…Wait, isn’t this a perfect opportunity?’
A major client was standing right in front of him.
One who had plenty of needs at the moment and who’d even built up a decent degree of financial stability!
“Let’s head to Andrie’s shop first! Those clothes look a bit warm for walking around.”
Eyes sparkling, Lion guided the marquis.
“Mm.”
That was welcome news.
Clarentia nodded and moved her feet as Lion directed.
Fortunately, ‘Boutique Andrie’ wasn’t far from here, so they arrived quickly.
“Oh, Young Master! You came to pick up your clothes in person— GAAAH! M-Marquis Bydantis?!”
The moment they opened the door and stepped inside, Andrie—who must have somehow known—came running to greet Lion, not in house slippers… no, barefoot.
‘Barefoot?’
Maybe he’d been dyeing fabric; Andrie’s footprints were clearly stamped on the glossy floor.
“Our guest arrived a little early.”
Lion shut Andrie’s mouth, which had been hanging so wide it looked ready to clatter to the floor, and went on inside.
“The marquis would like to see some simple clothes to wear…”
Lion skirted the footprints and headed for the sofa.
‘It had gotten bigger already.’
Probably thanks to the reputation of his skill, Boutique Andrie had expanded considerably since the last time.
Marquis Bydantis, apparently warm as well, went straight into the temperature-controlled interior and promptly seated herself.
She didn’t show it on her face, but seeing her body relax a little, she seemed to feel the heat quite strongly.
“…Y-yes! Ah, of course! Please wait just a moment!”
Having rapidly processed the situation in his head, Andrie left another set of footprints as he darted off somewhere, then returned looking tidy.
“First, would you care to choose an outfit, Marquis? We have many designs different from last time!”
Swiftly, he pulled out several garments that would suit Marquis Bydantis and held them up against a mannequin.
“Anything is fine.”
“She said she wants to look around the village afterward.”
Lion gave a supplementary hint before Andrie could turn pale, then casually rose.
“In that case, this outfit is best— it’s active and won’t stand out!”
“Can I change right now? There’s no need for assistance.”
“Yes, ma’am! The fitting room is over there! I’ll show you the way.”
Marquis Bydantis took the clothes and went straight to the fitting room.
While she changed, Lion looked at the dark footprints stamped on the floor and asked,
“By the way… what were you doing?”
“Ah! In fact, I was preparing to try something together with you, Young Master, when you came!”
“Is it that matter you mentioned last time?”
“It’s a project to make fabric change into a special color under specific conditions…! You’ve changed already— you really are remarkably quick. Hahaha… ha… At any rate, I was hoping you could take a look later, when you have the time.”
Andrie said this and then shot a wistful glance at the room where his footprints stretched away.
He clearly wanted to show it off right this very moment if possible.
‘Anyway, fabric that changes color.’
That was quite intriguing, wasn’t it?
And if he used it properly, it could serve in all sorts of ways.
After all, Lion had the ‘Painting’ talent.
What’s more…
Lion glanced over.
Lion looked at the marquis, who had changed into comfortable clothes and was sipping cool water.
“Would the marquis like to watch as well?”
“You mean the process of dyeing the fabric?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s do that.”
“Excuse me?”
The one who was truly startled was Andrie.
‘Was she always this sort of person…?’
Andrie had experience visiting Bydantis territory with Young Master Lion.
What was more, he had even custom-made clothes for her.
He therefore figured he knew more about Marquis Bydantis than most.
Back then, she had mostly seemed…
‘A cold, doll-like person.’
She was elusive, yes, but she hadn’t seemed to care much for unnecessary things, had she?
Now, however, for some reason, she seemed subtly proactive.
‘…Tch! Andrie, you must have judged her wrong!’
And anyway, the Young Master next to him was plenty unusual himself!
Andrie shook his head vigorously, laced his hands together, and beamed.
“It’s still in an unfinished stage, but… do come in, then!”
Andrie followed the footprints without hesitation and opened the door.
Creeeak.
The expansion couldn’t have happened long ago, but the hinge let out a screech.
Lion followed Andrie inside.
The room was…
‘To put it nicely, it was dazzling; to put it bluntly, it was chaotic.’
Dyes of every color were splattered in all directions, not only on the floor but also up the walls.
And that wasn’t all.
Just what kind of experiments had he been conducting in here by himself…?
“It’s scorched.”
“Tell me about it.”
Black soot was visible on the ceiling.
Still, Lion didn’t turn back.
At a glance it simply looked like a messy lab, but…
‘That’s impressive.’
Amid the chaos, Lion fixed his gaze on a set of dyes displayed with great care on one side.
[Chameleon Pigment (Incomplete)]
-A powder that is no color yet.
-But what in the world is it supposed to change into what color under what circumstances? I can’t get a handle on it!
-Still, if this could be completed, wouldn’t it be revolutionary?
The color was a cloudy ashen gray, and it had been ground even finer than flour.
Even to Lion’s eyes, however, nothing appeared beyond the note that it would be good if completed.
Which meant its degree of completion was still extremely low.
“This looks like it’s still incomplete.”
“As expected of the Young Master! You recognized it at once.”
Andrie let out a deep sigh and slowly examined the wall.
“In fact, every color in this room came from that single pigment powder. It unmistakably carries the potential to develop into many colors. The problem is…”
“You can’t control it?”
Andrie gave a rueful nod.
“May I ask why you wanted to make it?”
“Ah! I didn’t mention that, did I?”
Andrie began a brief explanation.
“Young Master, by any chance do you know of the magic tool shop?”
…Why was that fellow coming up here?
“Yeah. I do know of it.”
“The truth is… a few months ago, I poked my nose into that magic tool shop for inspiration. What caught my eye at the time was exactly that pigment!”
Andrie clarified that it was, more precisely, the recipe for making that pigment, and then continued.
“The moment I saw the recipe, it felt as if I’d been struck by lightning. Ah, yes! How beautiful it would be if clothing could change color to suit the time and situation! Better yet, what if it changed according to one’s mood! If that were possible, truly…! Ahem!”
“…”
Andrie cut his words short and went on with his explanation.
Anyway, when he’d produced the pigment following the recipe, it turned into an ashen powder—and as soon as you dissolved this in water, it burst into a riot of colors!
The problem was, as he’d said earlier, he didn’t understand the principle behind the recipe.
Moreover, while Andrie’s skill was outstanding, he was ultimately a tailor, which left him somewhat removed from dyeing.
When it came to dyeing fabric himself, he had only rudimentary knowledge.
‘Normally, this sort of thing required magic or alchemy in this world.’
So he had clearly been waiting for Lion.
“Here is the recipe.”
Lion took the recipe and examined it.
‘Sure enough…’
The recipe was only a tiny fragment.
In his experience, this was at most ten percent of the full completion, if that.
But—.
‘Still, I think I can make this.’
He couldn’t produce it on the spot, but given a few days, it looked as though he could complete a finished product.
‘But what the heck is up with that magic tool shopkeeper…’
Not just items, but even special recipes like this were popping out one after another?
The person was definitely not ordinary.
‘…I really do need to look into that later.’
While Lion thought that, Clarentia silently stared at the gray pigment.
Exactly how it might reach completion was an open question, but—.
‘…I want it.’
If it were completed, she wanted to have it.