Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 229
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 229
Lion struggled to keep his composure and cracked his eyes open.
He couldn’t remember anything, but the circumstances made it clear he’d been the troublemaker.
‘Still, I’ve got some excuses.’
To be fair, Lion hadn’t set out to end up in this state.
It was the only way to cut the gem.
And the result had been rather impressive, hadn’t it!
‘Huh? Speaking of which, what happened to the finished gem?’
Where did I put it? Is it even done?
…I can’t remember.
All that’s left is a hazy feeling that it turned out well.
Lion wriggled his fingers under the blanket and fumbled with his clothes.
Obviously, someone had already changed him into his pajamas.
‘Though these are closer to a hospital gown than pajamas…’
Lion peeked through his half-closed eyes and checked his inventory.
“If you are looking for the gem, I have confiscated it.”
“…”
Lion shut his eyes tightly again.
His hand, which had been stealthily rummaging through his pockets, also froze solid.
“Please understand; this is a measure to ensure you focus on a full recovery.”
The words were gentle and earnest, yet his tone was utterly frigid.
Clearly, he had been acting out.
‘Fine. Let’s accept reality.’
I was the good-for-nothing who got blackout drunk and acted like a jerk to his little brother,
while kind Rickshel—unable to lose his temper outright—was putting up with the discomfort of guarding me in case I caused another scene.
Lion put together this theory and sat up.
And then… just as he opened his mouth to apologize for whatever had happened.
“I’m…”
“You did nothing wrong to me.”
“Oh, I didn’t?”
He had no choice but to answer awkwardly.
‘This is bad.’
From the look of things, he’d really gotten under his skin.
“But why are you…”
Thump!
Rickshel straightened the stack of documents with an irritable snap.
No, maybe he hadn’t actually done that, but to Lion, who had a guilty conscience, it felt that way.
“It is surveillance… no, nursing.”
“Huh?”
“It is an extension of the gem matter I mentioned earlier. I have decided to personally nurse you here until you have recovered.”
“You, personally?”
If he were a brother in an ordinary household, this could be possible, even if it was a bit overprotective.
He would have the spare time for it.
But who was Rickshel?
Wasn’t he the heir of the great magical House Asteri?
On top of that, he had to leave the estate soon for the Emperor’s Birthday and needed to wrap up a significant amount of work beforehand, so he was swamped with no breathing room.
The proof was right there on Lion’s desk, where stacks of documents for Rickshel to process were piled up like a mountain.
“Couldn’t you get someone else to do it?”
Thus, Lion asking this was a perfectly reasonable question.
“…”
Of course, from Rickshel’s standpoint, it was not reasonable at all.
Rickshel choked back a sigh and recalled everything that had happened.
Based on his investigation, it didn’t seem his brother had been drinking without reason.
He’d been asking around the smithy about a ‘special gem’, and his brother’s spirit had also fluttered about as if trying its hardest to make excuses.
Naturally, Rickshel, who had no affinity with spirits, couldn’t understand, so the frustrated spirit had beaten its chest with its wings and even fetched twigs to draw him a picture, no less.
‘I didn’t understand all of it, but I’ve grasped the general idea.’
It seemed his brother needed the gem he had confiscated for whatever plan he was hatching.
‘I don’t know how on earth you managed to polish such a gem while blackout drunk.’
But, he had to know what came next, didn’t he?
Rickshel methodically suppressed his anger and moved his quill.
And then.
Fwoosh!
The magic-resistant quill burst into flames in an instant, overcome by Rickshel’s magic power.
“Tch!”
Rickshel tossed the charred pen into the trash with practiced hands, and only then, realizing he hadn’t answered his brother, replied belatedly.
“I chose this because it is the most efficient option.”
“O-Oh, is that so? Then, as long as I get completely better, it’s fine, right?”
“Yes. However, I will be the judge of that.”
“Okay…”
Rickshel smoothly took out a new pen, stood up, and approached Lion.
“I intend to stay with you from morning until you have fully recovered, not just from the hangover but from all the abrasions and bruises as well.”
Bruises?
Lion examined his limbs.
Now that he thought about it, ‘bruises’ might be a stretch, but he had gotten some bruising when he synthesized the gem.
‘Wait…’
He looked at the bruise and then over at his brother, and Rickshel nodded as if passing sentence.
So, they had to cohabit in this bizarre setup until the bruise faded?
‘Come on! It’s just a bruise!’
Everyone gets bruises without even knowing how they got there!
“No, I don’t know what I did yesterday, but it’s not that serious an injury.”
“Yes. That is exactly why I want to see it heal naturally. Without healing magic or divine power.”
Just as Lion’s face lit up at those words, Rickshel quickly added.
“And of course, no potions either.”
Hoo.
Just what had I done yesterday to make him act like this?
He didn’t look like he’d answer even if I asked.
Lion glanced at Nature, silently asking for help, but Nature only shook its head firmly, making its position known.
“Then are you going to follow me when I walk Pooch too? Won’t that be too tough?”
“Ah.”
Rickshel nodded as if he’d forgotten to mention it, then drove the final nail in with a heartwarming smile.
“The servants will be taking over Pooch’s walks for the time being. Pooch has also agreed.”
“How in the world did he agree to… Pooch?”
He was nowhere to be seen.
“Lord Pooch! Fetch!”
“Goodness, you’re so clever!”
Instead, sounds that seemed to boost the servants’ job satisfaction came drifting in from outside the window.
“Kree!”
Along with Pooch’s joyful cries, too.
No, seriously, how did he persuade him?
It’s a bit embarrassing to say myself, but Pooch used to follow Lion around like glue!
“And, Brother, you are forbidden from leaving this room until you are fully recovered.”
“…”
“Not one single step.”
Flump.
Lion slumped back onto the bed and only then realized.
This was a confinement order disguised as recovery.
‘At such a crucial moment…!’
Lion clutched his head and quietly despaired.
I was grounded…
Grounded!!
* * *
A few hours later.
Lion munched on the lavish dessert spread set up in his room and thought.
‘Being grounded… maybe it’s not so bad?’
No, the human heart is such a fickle thing. Originally, it was so frustrating not being able to do what I had to right away.
Plus, hadn’t Lion always had a room to himself, both before and after his possession?
He’d thought it would be quite uncomfortable, even if it was his cherished younger brother.
After all, one more person had been added to his spacious room.
But…
‘He’s really quiet.’
Amazingly enough, Rickshel truly never left the desk.
Moreover, perhaps judging that Lion might be uncomfortable, he didn’t particularly talk to him or stare at him.
Instead, his concern was channeled into all kinds of conveniences.
When Lion got hungry, delicious food appeared on its own. When he was a bit peckish, neatly prepared fruit was served.
And it didn’t stop there.
Light reading books were piled high like a mountain,
and a piping hot new issue of the alchemy paper he’d been following with interest was presented to him.
And it still didn’t stop there! Worried that Lion might feel lonely, people even came to visit him.
The first to arrive was…
“You should have just stayed at Castle Bydantis.”
Marquis Bydantis, teasing Lion in a dry voice.
“Aigoo, you eccentric—no, young master! I knew this would happen after you pushed yourself so hard!”
There was Mudu, who for the first time ever was mindful of Rickshel and called him ‘young master,’ and even the dwarves well-versed in gem crafting!
‘Thanks to them, I managed to hand over the gems.’
The dwarves said they would begin working on Lion’s commission as planned.
“We will definitely bring back the best possible result!”
“Alright. Please take good care of it.”
Ah, and for the record, the gem itself had been finished perfectly.
Its description had also changed slightly.
[Cosmic Crystal (★★★★)]
-A precious composite gem that emits a color more brilliant than the stars in the sky above.
-Goodness, a gem of this caliber would captivate even someone with no eye for beauty, wouldn’t it?
-The deep, refreshing clarity unique to crystals has been perfectly realized. This is the work of a master! How on earth was this done?
-Selling Price: Starting from 100,000 Shillings
Perhaps because of the significant help from the Shilling Shop, the quality was excellent, and the grade hadn’t dropped.
On top of that, the selling price was a whopping 100,000 Shillings!
‘Gems really do fetch a high price.’
The most expensive one before was 50,000 Shillings, so this was quite a price.
And he had made three different types, no less.
If he’d needed quick cash, he would have sold them without hesitation.
But—
‘I can’t. Hmm.’
These gems were going to become very handy accessories.
Still, just in case, he’d handed over only two types to the dwarves.
The cleanest cut, an emerald-cut gem, still sat inside Lion’s display cabinet under Rickshel’s watchful eye.
Ah, and the good news didn’t stop there, not at all!
[Achievement completed: ‘The Dwarf King Has Arrived!’]
[You have acquired 30,000 Shillings.]
He had earned an achievement, and the reward was quite handsome.
Thanks to that, Lion’s balance had actually swollen rather than shrunk.
Furthermore…
[Blacksmithing Proficiency has reached Skilled Lv. 1.]
[Skill Unlocked: Gem Crafting]
Buried in his blanket, Lion munched on a crispy cookie and looked at his rapidly growing Blacksmithing level.
It was truly amazing and gratifying growth.
He could now directly handle gem crafting thanks to this incident.
‘Kuh. It was worth overdoing it.’
The reward was this sweet!
Although he was under house arrest, essentially, it was nothing but good for Lion.
Crunch!
When Lion bit into the cookie, crumbs scattered onto the blanket, but they quickly and cleanly vanished.
‘This seems like Elvia’s handiwork.’
Rickshel wasn’t particularly skilled at household magic.
Anyhow, contrary to what he’d worried about, everything was taken care of without him having to lift a finger, so it couldn’t have been more comfortable.
‘And when it’s time for bed, Rickshel will go to his own room.’
On top of that, if he announced he was going to sleep, he might even get Rickshel to finish his work a little earlier than usual.
‘Killing two birds with one stone.’
Lion polished off the cookie with a satisfied look, then wiped his hands on the hot hand towel placed right beside him.
Since he’d thought of it, he figured he might as well say he was going to turn in now.
“Brother. It’s late; shouldn’t you be going to bed now?”
“Ah, you must be tired, Brother.”
Rickshel agreed with Lion’s words and immediately stopped his work.
But, as is the way of things, not everything flowed according to Lion’s intentions.
“Then I shall borrow your bathroom for a moment.”
“…Huh?”
“I must get ready for bed, after all.”
Ah.
Rickshel had not the slightest intention of returning to his own room tonight.
“You didn’t really think I would leave my sick brother and sleep comfortably in my own room, did you?”