Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 219
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 219
At any rate, it was a relief that a familiar name came up.
Missing the two servants murmuring to each other, the head butler set out immediately to find Elvia.
Well, he was about to set out.
“Did you experience some discomfort?”
That was, if Elvia hadn’t suddenly popped into existence right then.
“Gah!”
“A-again, out of nowhere…!”
The servants startled violently and scurried off to their duties.
“??”
The head butler was the only one who perceived nothing strange.
And no wonder—the Marquis of Bydantis had always been uncannily elusive herself.
He had simply grown far too accustomed to people appearing and vanishing without warning!
“Ah, perfect timing. Actually, it’s nothing serious, but I had something I wanted to ask you, and…”
“Of me?”
Elvia regarded the head butler with a placid smile.
‘What a clueless fellow.’
Well, anyway, this worked out nicely for a moment of boredom.
He looked suitable for a bit of teasing, and judging by his disposition, she could get away with a fair amount of high-handedness without real trouble.
If something did become a problem, she could simply make that part “as though it had never happened.”
In any case, he was a decent toy.
Whether the head butler knew of Elvia’s thoughts or not, he got straight to the point.
“The thing is…”
In his own mind, he believed he had explained it clearly, but it was rather long-winded, so to summarize:
“You are saying you wish me to teach you the household work.”
Nod, nod! The head butler bobbed his head fervently.
“Hmm.”
Elvia placed a finger to her chin as if in thought and deliberated at leisure.
‘This brings back memories.’
Elvia hadn’t been adept at handling the
mansion’s affairs from the start either.
That was only natural.
Elvia was a witch.
Crash!
Boom! Creak!
Elvia briefly reminisced about that time.
Back then, she had been clumsy at “power control” and had blown away more than half the mansion on countless occasions.
If the heads of House Asteri generation after generation hadn’t been fairly capable mages, disaster would certainly have followed.
By comparison, the head butler’s anguish was endearing.
‘Now, how did it go again…’
Right. At the time, a certain servant, caught somewhere between bewilderment and the absurd, had advised her like this:
“Why not begin by organizing the tasks that seem as though you can handle them perfectly?”
Right. They had definitely said that.
“…Perfectly, you say?”
“Just as it sounds.”
Elvia added an explanation with considerable kindness.
“You start by slowly making a list of the easiest tasks. Then you check for any gaps and drill those areas specifically.”
“Ooh…!”
A sound argument.
Truthfully, anyone else listening might have said, “Isn’t that obvious?”
But the head butler was different.
His eyes shining bright, he listened intently to Elvia’s words.
“After that, you reacquaint yourself with the basics among the tasks you cannot yet do. If you wish, I can instruct you right here.”
“Would that be all right?”
“If it is agreeable to you, Head Butler.”
Because it’s free labor, after all.
Elvia swallowed the last part.
“Then I shall gladly accept.”
“Very well. Shall we begin with washing the dishes first?”
The two exchanged bright smiles.
Watching from afar, the other servants trembled with dread.
Elvia, who had become the real power the moment she entered this mansion, was now putting even the head butler of a Sword Mastery house to work!
‘L-Let’s stay as low-profile as possible…’
‘Perhaps the next head maid will be that Lady Elvia.’
Backing away, the servants swiftly finished their chores and fled that floor as though escaping.
* * *
While the head butler and Elvia shared their cozy labor time and the Marquis of Bydantis rested for a while in a guest room to recover from her journey,
Lion sat himself at a desk for the first time in ages.
Before him were paper and a pen. Also an abundance of various books.
Considering his usual conduct, it was an incongruous sight.
Lion himself found it equally novel.
‘How long had it been since I’d sat properly like this?’
First of all, not once since the possession.
‘Though before the possession, this was my daily routine.’
Ah, though it had been a little messier than here, of course—with a tumbler full of strong coffee and energy drink cans piled up in the trash can, all the things that could conjure a salaryman’s “livelihood” strewn about in chaos.
Anyway. The reason Lion sat here was:
“Because of this guy.”
Lion lightly tapped the bottle containing the pigment.
Actually, as expected, just examining it a few times had easily yielded the recipe.
‘There’s no problem with the recipe itself.’
The only issue was that the cost-effectiveness was slightly lacking.
It was only natural that new materials were expensive, but this was on a rather different scale.
“It says I need to add three gems, each of a different color…”
Well, House Asteri would have no problem, and even someone of the Marquis of Bydantis’s level could probably manage.
‘But commercialization seems difficult.’
Moreover, no matter how much money one had, the supply of gems was finite.
The marquis seemed to want to purchase it, but it would likely be difficult.
‘Well, that’s something to think about after it’s finished.’
But if the recipe was done, why did Lion keep sitting here?
That was because…
Scribble.
Lion picked up the pen and stared at the material list floating before his eyes.
[Add Aquamarine Crafted from Dawn Dew. 0/1]
[Add Diamond Dyed with Fresh Tree Sprouts. 0/1]
[Add Ruby Steeped in Crimson Pomegranate Wine. 0/1]
The gems came with a few conditions.
Conditions that would seem quite abstract to ordinary people.
How could one craft, dye, or steep gems?
But Lion wrote the methods down on paper without a moment’s hesitation.
The ink-laden nib scratched lightly across the paper with a cheerful noise, accompanied by the occasional rustle of turning pages.
Sometimes in writing, sometimes in drawings.
After a short while, a simple recipe was born right from Lion’s hands.
“Let’s see…”
Lion skimmed the recipe he had written.
Considering it had been a while, it came out quite tidily.
Back when he was a new hire, to prevent mistakes, he used to write out drafts by hand before writing reports—who knew it would come in handy like this.
‘…I really did all sorts of things at the office.’
In this day and age, writing reports by hand… no, never mind. That won’t happen anymore anyway, so let’s move on.
“Anyway, this is done.”
Lion rolled up the recipe, tucked it away, and rose to his feet.
Now that the preparations were complete, it was time to do the groundwork.
The first place to go was…
The labyrinth.
“Ah, right.”
But first, he would grab some gems from the storage.
* * *
“This spot looks good.”
Upon arriving at the labyrinth, Lion headed straight for the forest.
This place, dense with trees of reasonable size, seemed perfect for setting up his supplies.
Namely, a way to collect dew.
Flutter!
Lion pulled out the waterproof wrapping cloth from his chest and spread it open.
It was the same cloth he had used back when treading the meju.
‘This is waterproof, is it.’
Which meant that if he hung it on the trees, he could gather the dawn dew much more easily.
In rather large quantities, at that!
“Nature. Pooch. Can you help?”
“Peep!”
Nature fluttered up, used the wind to lift one corner of the cloth, and carried it to a tree.
As if deeming it a fun game, Pooch promptly bit the opposite corner and pulled.
“Good. Pooch, stay right there.”
“Grr!”
Out of enjoyment or not, Pooch let out a rumbling sound and planted itself firmly in place.
The way it braced its front and back paws against the ground and held on was quite valiant, showing how much it had grown.
‘…Adorable.’
To Lion’s eyes, of course, it was simply adorable.
Stifling a laugh, Lion tied it securely to the tree with cord for the finishing touch.
Once all four corners were tied to suitable trees, a canopy with a slightly sagging center was completed.
“Great. Now, if I place the aquamarine here…”
It was done.
Now he just had to come back early tomorrow morning and craft the aquamarine.
“Next is…”
Lion immediately moved to the next location.
That place was none other than Mimir Forest.
Where else would be better to obtain freshly grown sprouts?
Roaming Mimir Forest as if it were his own house, Lion gathered sprouts from branches that had only just budded.
[Acquired Verdant Sprout (★)!]
“Weaker than I expected.”
Lion paid a little more attention and carefully plucked the sprouts with a flick of his fingertips.
Pop, pop, as carefully as picking tea leaves.
[Acquired Verdant Sprout (★★)!]
Thereupon he obtained a higher-rated sprout than before.
The sensation on his fingertips was even softer than silk.
A distinctive verdant fragrance spread thickly.
Though small and delicate, it felt as though it surely harbored life force.
‘I’ll use it as is.’
Originally he had intended to use water refined from the hot spring water, but it seemed a shame to bury this fragrance.
Lion washed the sprouts in chilled purified water, then mixed them into several alchemical solutions and steeped them whole.
They dissolved.
The leaf shapes disappeared like cotton candy, and a slightly viscous, vividly green liquid, akin to green juice, was born.
“Now, into this…”
Plop!
Lion dropped a diamond into the solution to dye it, and that was done.
And the last one was:
“Pomegranate.”
There were pomegranates in the mansion kitchen, so he could have gone there, but Lion directed his steps elsewhere.
Namely…
“Why, Young Master? What brings you here?”
To Buck, who was now a full-fledged servant, no longer an apprentice.
“Buck, are you busy right now?”
“Pardon? Is there a problem?”
Buck studied his young master’s intent.
From time to time, he had asked questions like “Is your father’s brewery doing well?” but this was the first time he had asked if Buck was busy.
‘Ah, could it be that he needs knowledge from that field?’
Though not an expert like his father, Buck answered with solemn determination, ready to tell him everything to the best of his ability.
“I have just finished all the important tasks, Young Master.”
“Good. There’s something I wanted to ask.”
“I shall answer with all sincerity, whatever it may be.”
“By any chance, does your brewery also have wine made from pomegranates?”
“Pomegranates… you say?”
Not grape wine but pomegranate—it was an unusual request, but a more ordinary question than he had expected.
“Yes. We do. As well as other fruit wines.”
Actually, ever since he had tipped off his father during his last vacation about the beverage the young master had made, his father had been ceaselessly attempting various things.
Their brewery primarily produced beer, but because they also produced wine on the side, it had been possible.
“Would you perhaps like to meet your father?”
“Pardon?”
Buck was flustered.
As for wanting to see him… he did. He hadn’t been able to see him even once since that last vacation.
Since they were in the same territory, he could go if he set his mind to it, but unable to use a Warp Gate like the nobles, seeing him was difficult without formal leave.
“Yes, well, I do wish to see him, but…”
“A day trip would be all right, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes. As long as I can meet him… however.”
Is that even possible? Buck couldn’t bring himself to say the words.
Because the young master before his eyes was smiling that particular smile of his, his eyes gleaming.