Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 240
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 240
“Haaahm.”
Contrary to his earlier dissatisfaction, Lion woke from a deep, honeyed sleep.
He’d slept on what was practically bare ground, yet his body didn’t ache or feel stiff anywhere.
If anything…
‘I actually feel refreshed.’
Was sleep a tonic or something?
His body, worn from the long work session, felt light again.
-So? You feel better after sleeping, right?
-How carefully I chose a lair with the best sleeping conditions!
-I even beat out the other dragons who begged me to step aside and put down the first deposit, you know.
The moment he woke, a chattering voice sounded right next to him.
‘So even dragon lairs apparently involved things like deposits…’
Whether human or dragon, they were all the same when it came to scrambling for a place with a prime location.
Lion stretched long and rose from his spot, and Kyle abruptly thrust something before him.
“You’re awake.”
“Yes. Did you manage to get some rest, Your Highness?”
“I rested sufficiently.”
As expected, with no idea what might happen, he apparently hadn’t been able to rest properly.
But still…
Lion looked at what Kyle kept holding out.
Inside a fancy bowl—where he’d gotten it was a mystery—was a stew with chunks of meat.
“Did Your Highness make this?”
“It seemed you were not especially fond of the jerky.”
It’s not that I wasn’t fond of it, it was a survival meal, alright.
Lion swallowed the words he wanted to say and accepted the bowl.
Steam curled up; a cozy warmth reached Lion’s hands.
-He made an effort with the leftovers, but honestly, it doesn’t look very good.
Literally speaking, Kyle’s cooking skill was not particularly outstanding.
Fat rendered from the jerky floated in circles atop the stew, and inside were bloated, burst jerky pieces along with leftover pungent fruit from the day before, clumsily mashed.
“…I am not certain if it will suit your palate. The ingredients were limited.”
Kyle added in an uncharacteristically sheepish tone, as if he knew full well that the stew he’d made was a sorry sight.
But even so…
Slurp.
Lion brought the bowl to his lips without hesitation and drank the stew straight.
A warm, savory broth with a subtle hint of garlic and black pepper swirling through it.
The seasoning was a little light, but he figured that might actually be better for a morning meal.
‘Besides, food someone else makes for you is always delicious.’
It wasn’t about the taste.
It was about the thought.
“This is good, though?”
“Thank you for the lie.”
Hey, it was the truth.
This dish, closer to a soup than a stew, was honestly quite delicious by Lion’s standards.
How to put it…
‘Beef and radish soup, minus the radish?’
You know, the kind of warm radish soup that sometimes comes out with the basic side dishes at a Korean restaurant?
It tasted exactly like that.
Anyway, it was the perfect flavor for Lion, strong enough to settle the jerky from the day before.
Having finished a rather hearty breakfast, Lion stood before his workpiece again.
‘Seeing it with less tired eyes makes it feel brand new.’
It had been involuntary, but resting once and then returning to the carving was the better choice after all.
Stamina aside, that was true, but also…
‘Once your eyes rest, you start seeing things that were invisible before.’
The curious thing about human sight is that once your eyes get used to something, you can’t add anything new.
Especially with work like drawing or carving, it was important to sometimes take a break this way, to add fresh ideas or discover details you hadn’t yet observed.
Well, there were true artisans who could grasp it all in a single attempt, but…
‘I’m a long way off from that stage.’
On top of that, he’d carved wood before, but this was his first time doing stonework.
Lion refined the statue’s claws to be even sharper.
Truth be told, the dragon’s claws in the painting hadn’t been this sharp, but…
-Hmm-hmm, so my claws looked this valiant, did they?
The Earthbound Dragon couldn’t hide its pleased expression.
Lion also went on to texture the dragon’s scales, which he’d rendered roughly, into a fine, orderly grain.
Finally, he shaped the eyes far sharper, deeper, and more profound than he’d seen in the painting.
Each time he did, the translucent Earthbound Dragon’s cheeks twitched upward into a grin.
It seemed the “special touch-ups” were quite to its liking.
Once he’d finished the face as well, only one task remained.
Namely, setting the mana stone.
‘Conveniently, I’ve already decided exactly where to put it.’
Lion’s carving was complete, all except for one single spot.
A hole gaped open in the area beneath the neck.
A scale-shaped hole.
The peculiar thing was that, unlike every other scale he’d rendered, this one was made in reverse.
The reverse scale.
In <In the World>, this reverse scale was a dragon’s weak point.
But surely that didn’t need to hold true even for a statue.
‘It’s made of stone anyway, so the whole body is a weak point.’
The moment a dwarf of Mudu’s caliber swung a hammer at it, it would crumble to powder.
In any case.
Why make it a weak point on the carving for no reason?
If he was going to do special touch-ups, it was better to do the job properly.
“Now you will fit that into place?”
Kyle asked, puzzled.
He knew Lion intended to insert the mana stone.
But…
‘Isn’t the shape different?’
The mana stone was smaller than the reverse-scale hole Lion had carved.
Even if he wedged it in and packed it with stone chips, it would soon crumble and fall away.
“Heh heh…”
As if he’d read that skepticism, Lion grinned and drew something from his coat.
It was Elvia’s brush.
-Oh, this is a pretty decent little object too.
“I’ve got a good tool for the job, so please don’t worry.”
Lion immediately drew up his mana and gathered it into the brush.
As if absorbing ink or pigment, the brush bristles drank in the mana thickly.
Even though he’d never used it before, he could feel it.
‘I just have to paint it like this.’
The mana stone, resonating with Lion’s mana, floated up into the empty air at exactly the right moment.
It was the perfect angle for working.
Without hesitation, Lion lifted the brush and slowly began to paint.
An auxiliary fitting that could support this mana stone.
And a size that would fit precisely into that recess.
Those two things were all he needed.
First, he built the framework to match the shape.
Threads of mana streamed from the tip of the brush, weaving together smoothly according to their new master’s intent.
Once the framework was set, they wrapped around Lion’s mana, spinning and whirling until they became a plane and took on a form.
But it was still rough.
As if imparting texture with brushstrokes, Lion immediately smoothed out the bumpy mana and spread it evenly.
With that, the auxiliary fitting completed itself in exactly the shape he’d intended.
The mana crystallized to match the material it was attached to.
“…That really is a curious object.”
“Isn’t it?”
Kyle didn’t bother to ask where it had come from.
Since Lion wouldn’t tell him anyway.
“It isn’t dangerous, is it?”
“Hmm? No. It would be weaker than your average golem at best, so you don’t need to worry.”
Kyle had meant to ask whether the brush was having a negative influence on Lion Asteri, but Lion didn’t catch the meaning.
“…I see.”
Kyle simply nodded at Lion’s words and stepped up beside him.
If Lion Asteri’s conjecture was correct, the moment he inserted that mana stone, they would return to their original location.
‘Three days, was it.’
To be abducted into a dragon lair and escape in a mere three days.
Even a heroic saga or a children’s fairy tale would be called an exaggeration.
It was that incredible a feat.
‘He probably couldn’t care less about that.’
Because Lion Asteri had simply done everything within his power.
He’d likely done his utmost to get himself back to his original location as quickly as possible.
Kyle kept this thought to himself.
Lion would just deny it, claiming he hadn’t done a thing.
Instead, he said,
“Once we return, let us discuss our alibi first and foremost.”
“Yes.”
Lion picked up the reinforced mana stone.
Once he placed this inside and completed the piece, they would surely be able to return to the treasure vault where they originally were.
It was a relief they could get out safely.
‘…Still, I never did manage to figure it out after all.’
While the Second Prince had scoured the lair to collect debris, Lion had also combed the lair thoroughly for any kind of clue.
He’d assumed there was a reason he’d come here, just like the main character, the Hero.
But there was nothing.
It seemed this Earthbound Dragon didn’t know of any connection between him and the Hero either.
Even if it did, trying to ask about it…
‘Would be a total minefield.’
Settle a single curiosity and he might end up stuck living here for eternity.
‘Alright. Let’s just let it go.’
Lion resolved to take it easy.
Anyway, if he’d gone this far and still found no clue, then even if he came back here later, the result would be the same.
In truth, wasn’t the most important thing that he’d kept his wits about him and survived being dragged into a dragon lair?
And come to think of it, the items the Hero had left behind seemed to be scattered all over the place, more than he’d realized.
Whether that was intentional or not, he couldn’t tell.
‘First, let’s recover Jack’s belongings and then take it slowly.’
His body couldn’t handle it yet anyway.
‘I suppose I really might need a new circle soon.’
Once he got back home, he would genuinely have to give it some serious thought.
Having settled his thoughts, Lion slowly fit the mana stone into the groove of the reverse scale.
Click.
The finely finished mana stone slotted perfectly into place, displaying a seamless naturalness as if it had been one piece from the start.
And then.
[Dragon Statue (★★★)]
-A dragon statue crafted from various recycled materials.
-Somehow it’s been shaped more beautifully than the original. Was that on purpose?
-Even the objects you used look upon your artistry a second time with admiration!
The statue was complete.
At the same moment, the faint mana inside the stone spread throughout every part of the dragon carving.
The resonant hum of the mana stone reached his ears like a heartbeat.
-Ah, what a shame!
-You were an amusing human, I wanted to keep you around…
The Earthbound Dragon chattered regretfully, but it seemed to have no intention of throwing a tantrum.
The fact that Lion couldn’t perceive her probably played a part too.
-Ehh, never mind. If you stayed here, you’d just end up starving to death.
Ah, and it also seemed a little put off after witnessing Lion’s eccentric streak.
Whatever the case, it worked out well for Lion.
[You have completed a craftwork using multiple materials!]
[The ‘Woodworking’ talent transforms into the ‘Sculpting’ talent!]
[Sculpting Proficiency has reached Skilled Lv.1!]
[Painting Proficiency has reached Apprentice Lv.7.]
‘Oh.’
It probably happened because he’d used so many unusual materials this time around.
[Will you offer the statue to ‘Tiamatrak,’ the master of this lair?]
“I dedicate this statue to the dragon who slumbers in this place.”
The moment Lion spoke those words aloud.
Rrrrrrumble…
A strong vibration began to emanate from the lair.
Kyle’s hand went to his sword, but Lion remained composed.
The Earthbound Dragon before his eyes—
no, the one bearing the name Tiamatrak—was gleefully circling the statue, examining it from every angle!
And as if a “proof” had been completed, a bright magical portal opened on one side of the lair.
“You go first.”
“Understood.”
Kyle released his grip on the scabbard and slowly walked toward the portal.
And after Kyle returned to their original location first.
Swoosh.
Lion turned his head and spoke.
“I’ve set the mana stone in there, so it’ll be preserved for a good few hundred years.”
-…!
Tiamatrak, caught completely off guard, gaped at him and jabbed a finger toward Lion.
-You, you! You could hear everything the whole time! Couldn’t you!
-And you just ignored it all like that?!
“I had to get back.”
Lion flashed a short laugh, waved a hand, and immediately leaped into the portal.
Whoosh!
“Ughk.”
As expected, the motion sickness was no joke.
Once he’d confirmed he was back inside the treasure vault, he slumped to the floor right where he was.
“Well, we made it back in one piece.”
“Yes. I’d better rest.”
“Hahaha… I’d better not ever set foot in the treasure vault again after this.”
Muttering that, Lion looked toward the dragon painting that should have been hanging on the wall.
“Huh?”
What?
In an instant, cold sweat poured down his back.
The dragon in the painting… was gone.