Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 257
He’d received a declaration of war from Grandfather while still in his pajamas inside the carriage. But…
‘This is actually…’
Nothing happened?
Lion strolled slowly near the carriage, waiting for supper to be ready.
Quite a while had already passed since they boarded the carriage.
This was the last meal on the road to the Great Barrier.
All that time, Lion had been… completely at peace!
He wasn’t restricted from moving around, and Grandfather didn’t really monitor his every move.
If anything, the closer they drew to the Great Barrier, the more documents Grandfather had to review.
So, considering the force of Grandfather’s words, things had been far calmer than expected.
‘Honestly, I thought he’d at least confine me…’
Instead, it felt even freer.
—Booooring.
—Humans do nothing but lie.
—…Though you were the best, Lion!
“Peep.”
Nature must have found Tiamatrak, who kept tagging along right behind Lion, too noisy; it turned that way and fluttered its wings in irritation.
Pooch, perhaps excited by the new surroundings, kept its nose to the ground and sniffed everywhere.
Even in the middle of that commotion, Lion’s thoughts kept going.
‘Haa, was Grandfather just trying to scare me?’
Honestly, wasn’t that the case?
It was contradictory to bring him all the way here and then say he’d restrict his movements.
And also…
‘If it were Grandfather, he would have thought that far ahead.’
Then wouldn’t he have at least left Pooch or Nature behind?
‘Still, you never know, so I have to move as discreetly as possible.’
Thinking that, Lion gently stroked Pooch, which had come to his feet and was wagging its tail furiously.
“Kying! Sniff, kying!”
“Oh my, you like it here that much? You’re covered in grass stains.”
Lion used a handkerchief to wipe the green juice that had dampened her muzzle and, taking the chance, also wiped her paws thoroughly on the sly.
It had been quite some time since Pooch hatched, and it had learned to be wary; it furtively pulled its paws away with a shff-shff.
[Pooch does not like having its paws wiped.]
“Ahem. Keep that up and you’ll get a bath.”
“…Sniff!”
Perhaps the last bath had not been so bad after all, because Pooch held out its paws on its own.
“That’s right. You don’t want a bath either, do you?”
She went into the hot spring just fine… So was bathing a separate matter?
But how had she roamed around so much in that short time?
“What’s this between your fur? Emergency rations?”
Lion pulled out pieces of grass stuck in her coat, murmuring playfully, and examined the grass.
‘This is… I knew it.’
He’d guessed because Pooch had been roaming more and more happily the closer they got to the Great Barrier, and it was just as he expected.
Lion stared at the discarded blades of grass.
[Discolored Grass]
- Grass showing signs of contamination by Demonic Energy.
- Unlike ordinary weeds, it possesses a slight toxicity.
Probably because they were near the Great Barrier, the grass had picked up an extra component not normally present.
Demonic Energy.
‘It’s still faint, though…’
If it had spread to this degree even away from the Great Barrier, the area around it was likely no joke.
“Just in case, don’t go eating things that have fallen on the ground. Got it?”
Lion scooped Pooch into his arms and enthusiastically buried his face in the beast’s fluffy neck.
“And if you see anything strange, bring it to Daddy. I’ll trade it for a treat.”
“Kying!”
He was still playing with Pooch, who reacted fiercely to the word “treat,” when Elvia approached.
“Young Master. Supper has been prepared. I will escort you.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Lion headed toward the distant firelight.
“It would be best not to wander too far. The Family Head is greatly concerned.”
“Hahaha…”
He had already grasped the depth of Grandfather’s worry from their conversation a while ago.
“And in fact, it is more dangerous here. This path in particular is heavily contaminated because the Family Head hardly ever uses it.”
“Then other routes also exist?”
“That is correct. Three routes exist in total.”
One would be the Asteri family’s—more precisely, this route opened for Grandfather’s exclusive use.
The other two would be…
“The Imperial Family and the Temple, I take it?”
“As sharp as ever, Young Master.”
It wasn’t something that required deep thought, honestly.
Apart from any incompetence, the Great Barrier had been established beneath the empire’s land, so naturally the Imperial Family had that right.
And wouldn’t it also belong to the Former Archbishop and the Saintess, who had built the Great Barrier together with Grandfather?
But that raised a new question.
“Are the routes managed separately?”
“Generally, yes. However, I understand that once every few years they form a team to conduct inspections.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. One was done a few years ago as well.”
Elvia slowly shifted only her eyes to scan the forest before continuing.
“This is my first time coming here, so further judgment is difficult, but I believe the situation is not yet dangerous.”
“Really?”
“Yes. If it were problematic at this level, everyone who has spent time with this Elvia should have long since been contaminated.”
That was true enough.
As they neared the carriage, Elvia let a remark slip, casual and deliberate.
“Still, once we arrive at the Great Barrier, I think it would be best not to stray from the Family Head’s side.”
Lion was about to ask what she meant, but when he saw Elvia press her index finger to her lips, he simply nodded.
‘She’s trying to give me a hint.’
She had surely overheard whatever conversation had taken place in the carriage earlier.
“The Family Head is the person who has visited the Great Barrier the most. He will likely travel only to safe locations.”
“I see.”
“Yes. And as the Family Head worries greatly, please do your best not to cause him grief. If he truly becomes enraged, wouldn’t your free time decrease, Young Master?”
“Got it. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Elvia smoothly lowered her finger and gave a gentle smile.
‘That’s a relief, at least.’
If the two of them joined forces to block him, he would really have to follow them around with absolutely nothing to show for it.
“And… please do be careful.”
“Ah.”
The fact that this was the last meal on the way to the Great Barrier meant he would have to part with Elvia once again.
“Of course, whatever the circumstances, I will appear if you need me…”
Elvia let her eyebrows droop as if she were deeply disappointed and added,
“But in places where Demonic Energy is strong, I sometimes cannot control my strength, so I may not be able to handle things cleanly.”
“…”
Now he understood why Grandfather never even brought Elvia near the Great Barrier.
‘In case she smashes everything to bits…’
Of course, until recently she had also been restricted to moving only around the Asteri Mansion.
“Anyway, since it’s our last meal, can’t Elvia eat with us?”
“That is…”
“It’s the last one. Please?”
Elvia’s sense of self as a servant was quite strong, so even in situations like this, she never joined the meal.
That had always weighed on his mind, and this seemed like a good chance to share a meal.
“Once I go and come back, I won’t see you for a long time again, you know.”
“…Mm.”
It was a valid point, but if this became a pattern, she might end up receiving strange looks even after they returned to the Asteri Mansion later.
‘That wouldn’t be good.’
She hadn’t lived as Elvia for long yet.
She would have to live in this body for decades more, and if she got tangled up in bothersome affairs, she wouldn’t be able to watch her puppy’s adorable growth.
So once again, she judged it was better to refuse, regrettable as it was, and was about to do so.
Sparkle, sparkle!
…The puppy’s pitiful eye-beam attack struck.
What now?
“I won’t make this request once we’re back at the mansion.”
If it were her original nature.
No, if she hadn’t caught a glimpse of the puppy’s younger self.
If that time hadn’t overlapped with the present before her eyes!
She would probably have refused cleanly.
“…Understood. Let’s do that.”
“Great. Then I’ll go ahead, so come along at your own pace!”
Afraid Elvia might change her tune, Lion dashed over to the campfire at once.
Watching that little rascal of a puppy, Elvia had no choice but to laugh softly and shake her head.
Even a Witch like herself could only yield a move or two.
‘How could Petrick possibly handle him?’
That must be why he was holed up like that, doing nothing but paperwork.
To think he was trembling with anxiety after making a declaration of war.
“When will they grow up?”
The puppy, and Petrick too.
In Elvia’s eyes, both still had a long way to go.
* * *
While Lion was having a rather pleasant supper.
The First Prince, Terus, was huddled under the covers, chewing on his thumb over and over.
It was a habit he fell into whenever he was anxious, but lately it had gotten so bad his nails were almost gone.
Yet no one in the First Prince’s palace pointed out Terus’s bad habit.
Terus had always acted like a tyrant, so a careless remark might touch a complex and get them tormented to death— but there was also a recent rumor circulating through the Imperial Palace.
The rumor that the disappearances at the Empress’s
Palace were actually the First Prince’s doing.
A sinister, ominous rumor.
‘Damn. Damn. Damn, damn!’
Terus was innocent!
Of this particular incident, at least.
True, he was the one who had placed a curse on that damned illegitimate child, but this time was not his doing.
Wasn’t it his mother and Marquis Lepisent who committed it?
In fact, Terus had personally overheard the conversation between his grandmother and mother.
And as a witness to confirm that…
‘There’s the Archbishop.’
However, the Archbishop showed not the slightest inclination to save him.
There was a “small deal” he had made with the man, but that alone was not enough.
‘I can’t figure out what he’s plotting at all.’
No information about the Archbishop had come together.
Even if he was like a chick abandoned by its mother, the minimum intelligence network that a First Prince could access still existed.
And yet.
He could not tell what great cause the Archbishop dreamed of.
The one thing he did know was that the man was no ordinary person.
‘And in this situation, Father won’t even see me.’
Well, he was someone whose head would roll the moment that illegitimate child became Crown Prince and then Emperor. Of course he wouldn’t spare him a glance.
Just a few months ago, the two of them—
no, the three of them including his mother—had banded together to overthrow the Second Prince. How had things turned out like this…!
‘Why did his faction suddenly swell so enormously?’
Unfortunately, the First Prince’s mind could not fathom it.
But one thing.
Just one thing was clear.
If he kept trusting only in that “small deal” with the Archbishop, the first person to suffer humiliation would be himself!
‘I have to survive.’
Perhaps because of survival instinct, Terus’s rock-hard head began to turn, little by little.
More precisely, he began to instinctively grasp who could save him in this situation.
Not from countless imperial tutors or books, but from pure survival instinct!
Trusting only that herbivore’s intuition, Terus changed into the servant’s clothes he always used when sneaking out to town and set his feet in motion.
And at the end of that path.
Knock, knock.
“…I believe I told you to lie low like a dead mouse.”
“…”
There was the illegitimate child he so utterly despised.
The Second Prince of the Empire.
Kyle.