Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 46
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 46
“What does that have to do with the information at hand?”
The documents the Information Guild executive had brought detailed peculiar rumors about the Magic Tower.
A certain potion project the Magic Tower had been pushing had been scrapped.
The reason being that a fatal flaw had been discovered in the potion production process.
But also that a recipe capable of restoring it had surfaced almost immediately.
And, as a bonus, that the eldest grandson of House Asteri, who had been absent for a month, had reappeared.
That was about the extent of it.
‘Hmph. About what you’d expect from mages trying their hardest.’
To Freyania, the alchemist of the Criminal Underworld, it was certainly news that was both satisfying and served them right—but that didn’t make it useful to the Criminal Underworld.
The same went for Lion Asteri.
She’d heard intelligence that he’d been up to something lately, supposedly learning alchemy… but really, how long could a noble young master stick with it?
Besides, that guy couldn’t even feel mana, they said.
Then this beverage would be the same.
A worthless diversion, like some shoddy snack food.
It was clearly nothing more and nothing less… and yet.
‘Hm?’
Something caught her eye.
‘…Should I check, just once?’
Freyania exercised her magnanimity and examined the beverage.
The lavish ceiling lights beamed down onto the drink, refracting strangely through it.
“The color is plausible.”
And then she uncapped the bottle and took a sip.
“…!”
Freyania’s pupils dilated in an instant.
“You call this a beverage?”
“That is what we were told. Its effects are said to be remarkable—it improves work efficiency, and…”
Thunk!
Freyania slammed the bottle down roughly onto the table.
It made no sense.
This was…
‘A potion.’
And not just any potion—it was a remarkable potion at a level even Freyania’s discerning eye could not ascertain.
Yet no standard alchemical formula had been used at all.
Neither refinement nor potion extraction.
It was completely different. Unreadable.
This was unmistakably the potion of someone who had reached a realm that Freyania had not yet attained.
If she could hear the counsel of such a person, she might even be able to break through her own blocked path.
And Lion Asteri had made this?
‘No way…!’
Freyania snatched the documents from the executive’s hand and reread them.
The potion project had fallen apart and then miraculously recovered—right around the time Lion Asteri had brought this sort of beverage to the Magic Tower.
“Ha.”
A scoff escaped Freyania’s lips.
It was, without a doubt, absurd.
There was no clear proof.
And the person in question wasn’t even Rickshel Asteri, the successor, but Lion Asteri, who was notorious as an eccentric!
That guy…
Wields alchemy at a higher level than me?
‘No, that’s not what matters.’
If Lion Asteri really had reached some kind of realm—
“This is indeed a beverage with no effects whatsoever.”
“Ah… m-my apologies. Everyone had said the effects were quite good, so…”
“Still, it does seem fairly well executed. The story about him learning alchemy appears to be true.”
Freyania deliberately fiddled with the bottle, feigning nonchalance.
“At any rate, it does seem House Asteri is dabbling in alchemy. From now on, bring all information concerning Lion Asteri directly to me.”
“Y-you mean…?”
“If you bring me only proper information, I will pay a sum that will not leave you disappointed.”
“…!”
The executive’s expression instantly brightened.
That meant she would purchase all intelligence on Lion Asteri at a generous price!
He had landed a major score!
‘Still, Lion Asteri, huh.’
House Asteri, the Magic Tower.
And to top it off, intelligence on an eccentric who wasn’t even in the same field of potions.
‘…Aha!’
The executive’s mind spun rapidly and arrived at a single conclusion.
Intelligence on House Asteri and the Magic Tower was tightly secured, so gathering it was slow going.
But intelligence on the eccentric Lion Asteri was comparatively poorly guarded!
Which meant the Criminal Underworld would trace backward and fetch the intelligence themselves.
Truly impressive… In that case, we’ll have to dig up information on them in turn.
If it’s information we can’t lay a finger on anyway, shouldn’t we at least reap a healthy trickle-down effect?
* * *
“Sniff. Is someone badmouthing me?”
Lion scratched his inexplicably itchy ear as he walked through the village.
Fortunately, thanks to Elvia, the Magic Tower matter had been resolved with the utmost discretion, and the contract had also been amendably revised by mutual agreement.
On top of that, a thorough examination had officially certified that Lion was genuinely healthy, which meant every urgent matter was as good as settled.
Thanks to that, he was now strolling leisurely around the village, exchanging greetings with people he hadn’t been able to see for a while.
“Truly, how worried we were.”
“Still, we’re so relieved you were able to spend your coming-of-age recovery at the villa.”
“I heard you studied quite diligently there as well.”
“Even so, you might have written us a letter now and then. We were worried…”
It was a peaceful day without a single concern.
What was more, Rickshel had crafted an alibi for him in the meantime, so he didn’t even need to make excuses.
And that wasn’t all.
“Hey! There you are, you oddball! That little brother of yours said thanks for all your help and commissioned a whole lot of equipment for House Asteri at a generous price!”
“Good heavens, dear! What kind of way is that to speak to the young master!”
Starting with Mudu’s family…
“The sword-master marquis came in person and entrusted us with a commission. On top of that, other noble young ladies even made reservations for gowns before they left!”
All the way to Andrie, who was now buried in work.
Rickshel seemed to have looked after everyone meticulously while Lion was away.
‘Now that I think of it, what happened with the sword-master marquis?’
She had witnessed that incident, so she had surely helped with the aftermath…
‘Well, the family hasn’t said anything about it, so it must be fine.’
She must have handled it on her own.
If it kept bothering him later, he would send a letter.
He did owe her a debt, after all.
“Hmm. I feel like I’m forgetting something, though.”
Lion munched on street food as he mulled it over.
Everything that needed immediate attention was taken care of, and he’d met with everyone…
Ah. Right.
Rickshel!
Aside from that one time when he was shut in his room, he hadn’t seen him recently at all, had he?
And they hadn’t eaten a meal as a family since the coming-of-age ceremony.
There were reasons—everyone had been busy—but still…
Didn’t people say that when family shares a meal, they deliberately adjust their schedules to make it happen?
‘I actually left work right on time for that reason back when I was at the company.’
Lion stopped walking, folded his arms, and thought it over.
As it happened, Grandfather was returning from his long trip tomorrow.
After that, he was said to be off again to tend to the barrier protecting the empire… at which point he wouldn’t be back for a long while.
And even apart from that, the Imperial Court summoned him all the time.
Which meant tomorrow was the only chance.
“Hmm… if I get a bunch of things ready quickly, I think I could pull it off?”
Lion set off at once.
* * *
“Pardon? Cooking… you mean?”
“Yeah.”
The first place Lion went was none other than the kitchen of House Asteri.
He had stopped by once before when making cookies with Elvia, but the head chef had vacated the kitchen for them then, so this was essentially the first time they had spoken directly.
Maybe because of that, the head chef ran a hand through his neatly trimmed hair a few times.
“If you wish, young master, I can certainly allow you to observe… but might I ask why?”
“Because I’m going to cook.”
“Ah~ I see, sir… P-pardon?”
The head chef asked again, as though he had misheard.
“Could it be… that the meals I have prepared until now have not been to your satisfaction?”
“That’s not it. The skill of House Asteri’s head chef is already famed across the entire continent, isn’t it?”
Well, that was a relief.
The head chef steadied his startled heart.
“The thing is, Grandfather returns tomorrow, right? I want to cook for him myself that day.”
“Yourself, young master?”
The head chef was taken aback.
He knew perfectly well that Lion cared deeply for his family.
He would go out to have fun with the second young master, and he conversed often with the Family Head.
But still.
“Er, young master. How about I assist you and we make it together?”
The head chef offered an alternative, speaking in a roundabout way.
Because, after all…
‘Both of them have incredibly finicky palates…’
Perhaps thanks to the recent reduction in their worries and concerns, they had been eating a little more than before, but both Young Master Rickshel and the Family Head were possessors of exquisitely demanding tastes.
If the meat was even a single degree too cool or too warm, they set down their fork and knife with preternatural precision.
If the vegetables weren’t evenly cooked, if there was any texture that displeased them, they never touched that dish again.
And their portions were small to begin with.
They might have accepted potions, cookies, and beverages with a generous spirit, but when it came to a proper meal, the matter was likely different.
No—judging from everything so far, it was practically a certainty.
‘He’s preparing this so earnestly, and I can’t let him end up disappointed…’
Perhaps it would be better to steer things from his own end, somehow.
But—
“No? You just have to show me how it’s done.”
Unfortunately, that intention didn’t seem to have gotten through to Lion.
Which was understandable, since his family had happily eaten anything Lion had ever offered or recommended to them until now.
And their portions were small?
He couldn’t speak for Grandfather, but from what Lion had seen, Rickshel’s portions were by no means small.
If anything…
‘Three banana sweet potatoes in one sitting is a pretty hearty amount, isn’t it?’
Perhaps because he thought of Rickshel as being at that growing age, Lion’s mental image of him was someone who ate everything well.
“…Mm.”
The head chef deliberated.
‘Fine. It can’t be helped.’
He decided to let the first young master do as he pleased—and to prepare a late-night snack for the two, or possibly three, who would inevitably be hungry later.
“In that case, allow me to show you this evening’s meal preparation.”
“Yeah. Please do.”
Lion’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the head chef.
Seeing once was better than hearing a hundred times—watching the skill of a chef at the level of House Asteri’s head chef would surely open his eyes in terms of cooking.
“Hoo.”
Standing before the cooking station, the head chef maintained his composure even under Lion’s relentless gaze.
“First and foremost, safety is the highest priority in the kitchen. Sharp implements and fire are always nearby, and a moment’s carelessness can lead to a serious accident.”
The head chef tightened his apron once more and began preparing dinner a little early.
The very first thing he did was trim the vegetables.
Tap, tap, tap.
With each stroke of the head chef’s knife, an assortment of vegetables was cleanly sliced into uniform pieces.
‘Oh…’
Though it was merely vegetable prep, the head chef’s seasoned mastery was plainly on display,
to the point where it almost looked easy.
‘That’s actually what makes it impressive.’
To an ordinary observer, it would look like something anyone could do.
The kind of display that made you think, Isn’t it just cutting well because the knife is sharp?
It looked that way precisely because there was nothing wrong with it.
Movement without a single wasted motion, textbook-perfect knife work, steady rhythm.
Those were the things that deceived the eye.
Lion might have been fooled too, had his cooking level been even slightly lower.
But—
He could see it.
That reaching that level would take quite a long time.
A domain of effort more than talent.
That was what was truly formidable.
[You have seen through the Artisan’s seasoned mastery.]
[Cooking Experience Points increase by 15%.]