Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 43
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 43
The mages were sharply disciplined—no surprise, considering the tower was full of high-ranking individuals.
‘True. Hoffman would be an exceptionally exacting boss.’
When Lion was little, hadn’t Hoffman examined him without a trace of hesitation, even when he screamed and wailed that he didn’t want treatment, even bolted and ran?
He’d been that strict with a child, so he must be even stricter with his subordinates.
‘Of course, I don’t have to be nervous about it anymore.’
“…This is Sir Hoffman’s private office.”
Following the mage, Lion soon caught sight of a huge private office that looked as though it occupied half of the floor.
‘This is on par with a mid-sized corporate office.’
The private office had a thick door, and even the windows were made of an opaque material so the interior couldn’t be seen.
It made sense—if you were the head of a Magic Tower under House Asteri, you would naturally have accommodations on this level.
Soon the secretary standing outside the private office, who seemed to have already heard the news from downstairs, greeted Lion respectfully.
BANG!
Before anyone could announce him, the thick door swung wide open.
“You came.”
Hoffman had come out in person.
“Hhk!”
Unlike the mage who ducked his head in surprise, Lion offered a casual greeting.
“Yes. Have you been well?”
“Certainly. And you?”
Instead of recounting everything that had happened, Lion introduced the mage simply.
“This is the mage who showed me the way.”
“I-I am Lepios, a new recruit, Grand Master!”
“I see. Lepios. Thank you for bringing Lion here.”
“Not at all! I’m honored to have been of help!”
Lepios saluted Hoffman, then shot Lion a look thick with gratitude.
‘Grand Master, huh. Hoffman must be practically worshipped by the mages.’
Lion had merely helped him make a favorable impression while he was at it, but he hadn’t expected Lepios to be this thankful.
Did the tower have its own factions or lines too?
…Whatever. Not my concern.
“Come inside, quickly. I need to check how your body has been. Mage Lepios, you may return to your duties.”
“Yes, sir! And young master, I will never forget meeting you today. Please always stay healthy!”
After giving the departing Lepios a suitable farewell, Lion went inside with Hoffman.
The interior of the private office was even more astonishing than the way up.
It was lavish, certainly, but more than that—despite occupying this vast floor alone, the space was packed tight with countless pieces of medical equipment.
It felt almost like looking at a modern comprehensive health-screening center.
No, this place actually seemed better.
He looked over the devices in detail…
[Magic Healing Tools (Grade Unidentifiable)]
-Auxiliary devices for casting precise healing magic.
-A set of twenty magical instruments, including a Comprehensive Tester, Body Scanner, Life Activity Meter, Reagent Analyzer, and Medical Record Extractor.
-Commissioned by: Hoffman Asteri
They appeared to be custom-made special orders.
‘Looking at the scale alone, it’s obvious why the grade can’t even be measured.’
Lion had been put into those treatment devices and examined more than a few times himself.
Just thinking back to those days made goosebumps rise reflexively.
‘Huh?’
Had he really hated it that much?
Apparently the trauma ran deep.
Lion calmly rubbed down his arm.
‘It’s fine. I won’t be sick anymore, so there’s no need to be tense.’
Fortunately, his body seemed to get the message, and the reaction didn’t last long.
“How has your body been?”
“I haven’t had any particular symptoms since that time. Part of why I came today was to be examined, but I also wanted to see your face.”
“Hm, to see me? Heh heh…”
Hoffman’s expression softened for a moment.
To think the child who used to do nothing but sob and throw fits would mature so suddenly!
“…I see. We’ll discuss the details later. Shall we start with the examination?”
“Yes.”
Lion stepped up onto the examination table with composure.
* * *
A moment later.
Having finished the examination, Lion stepped down from the table at an unhurried pace.
Unlike in the past, he hadn’t felt any pain at all.
He had indeed formed a Mana Circle, and his body had grown healthier even if it didn’t show—it was only natural, really.
“The results will take about an hour. Wait a little.”
Hoffman took a seat and performed some kind of magic, pulling data out of the device.
The calculations must have been what required that much time.
“Then may I look around while I wait?”
“Of course. Just don’t break anything.”
“Ha ha…”
The phrasing sounded a bit like he was talking to a little kid, but Lion decided to let it go.
Hoffman, of all people, had seen Lion’s most childish side more than anyone, so it was understandable.
‘There was a lot of fascinating stuff anyway. Shall I take a look around?’
The broader one’s knowledge, the more effective the Expert’s Eye skill became, so this was a good opportunity.
Lion slowly surveyed the room.
Hoffman’s office was like a small company.
There was the healing-magic section he’d been in, and in another area, paperwork was stacked as high as Mudu was tall.
And another section was…
‘Huh?’
Opening a door revealed all manner of chemical apparatus.
What looked like a display cabinet held a neatly arranged multitude of reagents, and each one had…
[Do Not Touch]
-Caution: risk of injury.
-Do not handle unless you are an expert.
…marks like this attached.
“What are these?”
Hoffman lifted a bizarre-looking pair of glasses, glanced this way, and answered.
“That is the section where discontinued potions are being restored. Speaking of which, I heard you’ve taken an interest in potions yourself? The project details should be on the table there—feel free to look them over.”
He added that it would be beneficial to Lion’s studies, then put his glasses back on and returned to his calculations.
‘…But it says do not touch.’
Was this the power of being born with a silver spoon?
Well, he’d been given permission, so it was probably fine.
Instead of disturbing Hoffman further, Lion went inside and picked up the documents to read.
And then…
[Hero’s Potion Restoration Plan]
“…”
Hero?
Lion scratched his cheek and examined the potions.
“And… these are the Hero’s potions?”
Lion furrowed his brow and studied the potions stored behind formidable security magic.
[Disease Cure Potion]
[Continuous Recovery Potion]
[Self-Immunity Potion]
Weren’t these just ordinary potions?
‘These are things that unlock at the Apprentice level at best.’
On top of that, he hadn’t even used them when actually playing the game.
“Then, are those as well?”
There were other potions besides those, but they weren’t finished products—they were in a reagent state.
From the look of it…
Most likely the ingredients for a Mental Fatigue Recovery Potion.
“Hmm.”
Lion quietly closed the door and examined those potions one by one again.
This…
‘There’s a problem.’
First, the three varieties in potion form.
To Lion’s eyes, they looked far from good.
“They’re not going out like this, surely.”
Nah, no way.
Originally, drugs were only released into the world long after development was complete.
Because you had to verify not only efficacy but also side effects thoroughly.
“…”
He couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling.
For now, they were too minor to truly be called the Hero’s potions, but he couldn’t exactly pretend to know about that here.
Officially, Lion had no connection to the Hero.
And he wasn’t supposed to have one, either.
Leaving the matter ambiguous, he came back out just as Hoffman, his work seemingly finished, rose from his seat.
And Hoffman’s expression…
Looked fairly complicated.
“The results are out, I take it.”
“Yes.”
“How is it?”
“…Congratulations, Lion. Truly, there is nothing wrong with your body at all.”
The result was, unsurprisingly, a clean bill of health.
“Ha ha, I thought as much.”
“Hoh…”
Hoffman’s reaction was one of disbelief, but Lion was unruffled.
He really was fine.
No matter how much Lion insisted he was fine, people simply wouldn’t believe him.
That was understandable—his complexion still looked quite poor.
Whether he was in good condition or bad, his face stayed that pale, so the misunderstanding was only natural.
‘…It’s just that my skin has always been white.’
Honestly.
Hoffman went on muttering as if he still couldn’t believe it, then seemed to realize something and looked up.
“Now that I think of it, you must not have eaten anything because of the examination.”
Lion nodded.
Fasting was, after all, the basic rule for a health screening.
Hoffman hadn’t told him to, but Lion recalled the practice himself and had been fasting since the previous evening.
“Let’s start with a meal.”
Hoffman pressed a button, and the secretary brought in the food.
‘Oh, I get a free meal out of this too.’
Back in the day, this would have been unthinkable.
Both during his corporate days and in Lion’s childhood memories.
Being shown this kind of goodwill at a company?
The first thing you’d do was get suspicious. And young Lion had practically fainted dead away after every single examination and been half-carried out, so he’d never been able to eat here.
Recalling all that made this meal feel quite comfortable.
The food was good, too.
“It’s delicious.”
“The Magic Tower does take its meals seriously. It makes people work harder, you see.”
“…”
A scary but accurate statement.
You can’t skimp on food. Absolutely.
“By the way, have those potions over there completed their preparations for commercialization?”
“You mean the Hero’s potions?”
When Lion nodded, Hoffman answered with a fair amount of pride.
“You could say they’re practically at the final stage.”
“…Excuse me?”
Final stage?
Lion froze with his fork still in hand, and Hoffman, apparently mistaking it for a positive shock, began to elaborate.
“Ha ha, you seem surprised. I suppose the potions created through my collaboration with the foremost alchemical authorities of the Magic Tower might be hard to believe. As you know, magic has lagged somewhat behind divine power in treating illnesses. However! With these potions…”
For the next ten-odd minutes, Hoffman extolled the greatness of the Hero’s potions.
But regrettably, none of it reached Lion’s ears.
‘…Those are being commercialized?’
He thought back to the potions he had seen a moment ago.
[Disease Cure Potion (Counterfeit)]
-A potion that imitates a specific potion through effort and materials.
-Demonstrates efficacy once when curing disease, but upon the second use, the effect is reduced by 99 percent.
※This potion is a counterfeit. Caution advised.
[Continuous Recovery Potion (Counterfeit)]
-A potion that imitates a specific potion through effort and materials…
-Continuously recovers stamina for up to two uses, but from the third use onward, the effect is reduced by 99 percent…
※This potion is…
[Self-Immunity Potion (Counterfeit)]
-A potion that imitates a specific potion…
-Demonstrates efficacy once… the effect is reduced by 99 percent.
That was the reality Lion had seen with his own eyes.
Whether because they had been made by someone other than the Hero, or because they were faulty imitations, the potions’ effects were anything but good.
But if those were commercialized…
There was a chance that a potion guaranteed by the Magic Tower would become a full-blown “scam.”
‘That’s dizzying.’
Listening to Hoffman, Lion casually slipped in a question.
“That’s truly remarkable. Have they been tested on people, then?”
“Indeed. All showed excellent results.”
Right. They would have shown results.
The problem was that those results were strictly a one-shot deal.
“Now only the commercialization stage remains. Hm… I expect formal mass production to begin in about a week.”
In a week?
‘This is bad.’
Lion swallowed dryly.
At this rate, the Magic Tower would genuinely become a den of fraudsters.
And what would happen to Rickshel then?
He’d become the owner of a fraud tower.
‘This is really bad…’
But there was no clear way to stop it.
First, since he wasn’t a member of the Magic Tower, he couldn’t secretly divert the materials. Second, he was in a position where he had to keep his own power hidden.
There were people after Lion’s power, true, but the more precise reason was… Rickshel.