Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 39
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 39
Then it made sense.
For the past several weeks, no matter how desperately I fished, a 3-star fish had never appeared.
There might have been a bite once, but even that hadn’t come—the line had stayed utterly still.
Lion had thought the reason was his low fishing level and his old rod, but… that didn’t seem to be the case.
‘Then, with this, can I catch that fish?’
Lion pondered.
Selling this as-is at the Shilling Shop, with haggling, he could probably get up to twenty thousand Shillings.
After all, the description even stated that it was the bait of a rare-grade fish.
But…
Lion gazed out over the quiet lake.
A fish you needed bait like this to catch would probably drop good loot, he thought.
Then the Fish Pill would likely turn out to be a higher grade as well, wouldn’t it?
“…All right.”
Lion picked up the Fish Pill and walked over to his fishing rod.
His calculations were done.
Its immediate value was a dizzyingly high sum, but he resolved not to sell it.
He would be escaping soon anyway. There was no longer any need to buy tools from the Shilling Shop.
‘No need to eat it, either.’
It contained only a trace amount of mana.
Some might ask whether a pill wasn’t perfectly suited to Lion, who possessed less than a First Circle’s worth of mana…
But there was no great need for this, either.
That was because he had acquired quite a bit of mana during his time living in the labyrinth.
Of course, the First Circle still wasn’t completely full, but it was enough that giving up the Fish Pill was acceptable.
He judged it better to do everything he couldn’t do outside and then leave, rather than chase a little money or a trace of mana.
The odds of catching the fish weren’t 100 percent, but if he didn’t try, weren’t the odds 0 percent?
Above all.
‘Because this is more fun.’
Lion had decided not to chase after money and character stats.
He would just pursue enjoyment.
So Lion fixed the Fish Pill to his line as bait and cast the rod far out.
The line stretched out long, reaching deep water.
Now all he had to do was wait for the remaining time.
* * *
At that same moment.
“There are now two days left.”
Elvia spoke as she looked at Petrick, whose nerves had grown even more frayed.
“I’m aware.”
Petrick was, quite literally, suffering from a deficiency of grandson concentration in his blood.
His mind and body were weakened.
How an Archmage’s mind and body could grow weak was unclear, but in any case, Petrick was in rather poor condition.
‘It’s less severe than it could be, at least, thanks to that child Rickshel.’
Elvia recalled Petrick’s youth.
That is, back when he had been a father, not a grandfather.
Petrick’s love for his daughter had been tremendous—so much so that…
“The Crown Prince didn’t know his place and proposed to my daughter, I hear? I will go kill him at once.”
“…”
There had been an incident like that, to give just one example.
Compared to that, his current handling of the situation was fairly mature.
Though he was still hunting down their retainers as if wringing the necks of mice.
In any case, in this situation, his mood needed to be lightened a little.
Elvia deliberately brought up another topic.
“I think we should prepare for his return.”
“Such as?”
“He will likely have suffered quite a lot, so how about renting out an entire fine hotel for him? I hear Hotel Easter has recently reopened and its facilities have become quite luxurious.”
“…Not a bad thought.”
Should he return in good health, such a luxury would be welcome as many times as he liked.
No, buying an entire hotel and gifting it to him didn’t seem bad, either.
“Shall I order the preparations?”
“Yes. And…”
Petrick looked at Elvia.
It was an expression that asked whether she had something she wanted to say.
The reason Sylvia, now Elvia, had deliberately sought out Petrick.
It was because her own heart, too, had grown restless without her quite realizing it.
“…If it’s because of the contract, you need not worry.”
The labyrinth had collapsed.
In that case, Sylvia’s contract would become even harder to find.
That meant she would have to remain in service to the Asteri family until her death.
But Sylvia… no, Elvia smiled.
“Lately, it has been quite enjoyable, you see.”
The loss of her freedom was regrettable, but she had been spending rather enjoyable days looking after the young master, who caused constant incidents without a moment of boredom.
“…Hm.”
As if that was not all he had meant to say, Petrick hesitated before closing his mouth.
Petrick knew his grandson well.
So… separate from his worried heart, he knew the scale of the trouble his grandson caused.
A whole month.
He certainly would not return in an ordinary fashion.
Perhaps he would even bring back ‘that’ thing, Petrick could not help but think.
* * *
In truth, fishing with one old rod and just one piece of bait was a ridiculous thing to do.
Fishing, unexpectedly, required a great deal of know-how.
You needed to employ some feigned strikes and replace the bait constantly.
Only then might you catch a fish that otherwise wouldn’t bite, so any angler who saw this would probably think him the world’s greenest beginner.
And indeed, Lion had been watching his rod for several long hours now without the slightest movement.
It was still.
Not even a fish broke the surface with a bubble to show itself.
It was as if no living creature dwelt there.
Or else, as if they were fleeing a colossal predator, the trash fish were not biting at all.
The sun set, and the moon rose.
Lion kept his eyes fixed on the rod, relying on the moonlight on the water and the campfire.
And at last.
A bite came.
It was actually a rather dull movement.
The rise was small, and the sensation of something being hooked felt different from other fish, but Lion knew.
This one. It was a big one.
The lake’s predator.
A ‘rare’-grade fish.
It had no need to compete with other fish, so it had taken the bait in one mouthful.
There was no doubt. This vibration, this pull.
His hand, hardened by all his fishing so far, felt the sensation with keen sharpness.
‘From this point on, no hesitation!’
Lion swung his arm powerfully and set the hook.
And then, he clearly felt something profoundly heavy caught on the hook!
He pulled, let the line out a moment, then applied force and fiercely reeled in—repeating the cycle—and waves began to splash onto the quiet lake…
Splash!
For an instant, an enormous tail appeared before vanishing.
The creature was astonishingly large, so Lion concentrated and wound the line in.
If he were careless and the line snapped,
there could be no greater disaster.
He had only one chance!
Right… now! Swish!
Lion threw his body backward and hauled the fish out of the water onto the surface.
And when he dragged it straight past the lake and onto the dirt floor where he stood…
[The fishing rod’s durability has been fully expended.]
[The fishing rod will be destroyed.]
The fishing rod vanished without a trace.
At the same time.
[You have caught a Labyrinth Five-Colored Sturgeon (★★★)!]
-This is a rare sturgeon, the only one of its kind!
-Sturgeon roe is one of the famous delicacies, but this sturgeon seems to have something else instead of roe.
-Its eyes glitter just like topaz. They surely possess high value!
The sturgeon flopped about on the dirt ground.
“…I really caught this?”
If he had a camera, he would have wanted to take a picture, at least.
It was that large and that stunning a catch.
“Ah, this isn’t the time.”
Lion swiftly butchered the sturgeon and placed it into a jar to extract the essence.
[Labyrinth Sturgeon Essence (★★★)]
[Labyrinth Sturgeon Fish Eye (★★★)]
As expected, a high-grade essence and a gem eye emerged.
3-star.
Lion immediately substituted the sturgeon essence for the carp essence he had caught earlier, added the Fish Eye last, and swiftly covered the jar with its lid.
The lid rattled with a force stronger than before, and the duration lasted longer as well.
And so, one hour passed.
Two hours.
…By the time the commotion subsided, dawn was breaking.
Lion, just in case, waited a little longer before opening the jar.
Like before, a cloud-like steam rose, and above it…
Lightning crackled.
A brilliant five-colored lightning, like a rainbow.
[Alchemist’s Five-Colored Fish Pill (★★★)]
-It far exceeds the level of a skilled alchemist!
-Because it was made from ingredients found nowhere else in the world, it possesses incredible value. Consuming it permanently increases one’s high-purity mana by a significant amount!
-At this rate, you could chew and swallow it. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s recommended.
-Additional effect: Maximum underwater breathing time extended by 1 minute
-Sale price: 50,000 Shillings.
[Usage: Finished product.]
[Alchemy proficiency has reached Skilled Lv.2.]
“…Whoa.”
He did it!
Lion looked at the pill, which was transparent and glittered with multiple colors like an opal.
Its size was even smaller than the earlier pill.
It was about the size of an ordinary tablet.
But upon consumption, it was written that it would grant ‘high-purity mana.’
Everything else so far had simply given mana.
Furthermore, fifty thousand Shillings was practically a guarantee that its efficacy was certain.
‘This is…’
Something I absolutely can’t not eat, right?
Lion tossed the pill into his mouth in one go and swallowed.
Gulp!
The moment the pill slid down his throat…
Whish.
A breeze swirled around Lion’s body.
The mana circle in his heart had begun to whirl rapidly, accepting new mana.
An immense energy radiated from his body.
He could feel the fish’s vitality and power entering his mana circle directly.
Without resisting the sensation of his body floating up, Lion concentrated wholly on storing the new mana into his mana circle.
After a considerable length of time passed this way.
[The mana circle’s mana is completely full.]
[You have mastered the First Circle.]
[Acquiring the 3 basic magic spells.]
[A new circle cannot be opened at present.]
[Unrefined mana will be automatically expelled.]
The First Circle was completely full, and at the same time.
[Labyrinth restoration is complete.]
[You may freely exit.]
[The labyrinth as modified by its current master’s will shall be maintained as is.]
[The current master of the labyrinth is Lion Asteri.]
At last, the long, long month had ended, and the moment of escape had arrived.
What was more, even if he left and came back, the hut he had painstakingly set up would remain as it was, so there was no worry about re-entering.
Lion gathered his simple belongings and, without lingering attachment, headed for the magic circle.
[During restoration, an item requiring the master’s confirmation has been found.]
[It is an item not registered as property.]
“Hm?”
Not registered as property?
Lion caught an object as it dropped from the sky with a thud.
“This is…”
It was parchment.
Lion unfolded it and examined its contents.
“…It’s not a treasure.”
Rather, it was closer to a contract.
Lion concentrated a bit more and looked over the writing, and soon he was able to discern its identity.
This was the contract between Sylvia and the former family head.
“…So that’s how it was.”
He had sensed that Silvy… no, Elvia’s identity was unusual, but he never expected contents like these.
A subjugation had been enacted instead of death.
Naturally, the terms were considerably unfair.
In addition to a prohibition on using magic above a certain circle, she had to transform every single day to match human aging and faithfully perform her role as a servant.
Moreover, it was written that violating the terms of this contract would result in a great penalty.
What Sylvia gained was but a single line.
-May live as a human within the Asteri household.
There were no details; just that one line, and that was all.
Well, she was of a race that was treated as a monster, a Witch.
…At any rate, for whatever reason, it had been lost in the labyrinth, and because it had not been registered as property, no one had been able to find it.
“I’ll be taking this with me.”
Lion tucked the parchment into his chest without a moment’s hesitation.
Only after this final inspection was finished did Lion step onto the magic circle.
“It’s time to go back.”
His life in the labyrinth hadn’t been bad, exactly.
Still, wasn’t there a saying that leaving home meant hardship?
He wanted to return to a warm house as fast as possible.