Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 58
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 58
“You can’t see them?”
“Not see them. I can feel their presence, but…”
He meant that as a mage he could sense them, but couldn’t see their true forms.
It was likely a situation similar to Mudu’s, or worse.
“To think you had a talent for spirit magic, that’s truly impressive, Brother!”
“It’s nothing. I only just realized it myself.”
“Huh! You just realized it?!”
Embrog, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation with his sharp hearing, asked back, flustered.
“Ah. Well, that’s because in the human realm there’s usually no chance to meet spirits.”
Lion gave a suitable answer, but it didn’t seem to resolve the matter.
Still, well…
‘If I didn’t know, what could I do?’
After finishing the tour of the garden, their steps naturally headed toward the first-floor guest rooms where the guests were staying.
And there, several elves openly revealing their pointed ears, and…
Freyania was there, being thoroughly scolded among them,
with her hands raised high above her head and receiving punishment just like a child.
“Hm.”
That she was being scolded openly, right in the hallway, felt exactly like watching a child get reprimanded for misbehaving at a restaurant.
When Lion stopped walking, Embrog, beside him, cleared his throat.
“I’m not sure how it looks to human eyes, but that child is still just a little one by elf standards…”
So this kind of discipline wasn’t strange.
“I see.”
Rickshel explained to Lion what had happened at the mansion in the meantime, step by step.
“First, as I mentioned before, we’ve had our initial conversation. That’s why the elves have also disarmed.”
It seemed Rickshel, as the heir, had concluded the talks well.
And the situation appeared to have been steered advantageously too.
If so, the elves were the ones in the wrong, so there was reason enough to lay groundwork by calling her ‘young’ and such.
“You must have had a hard time.”
“Hmph, it was only natural, but… it feels good to be praised by you, Brother.”
While they talked,
Flutter!
Salamander, Freyania’s spirit, popped out and ran over to Lion.
It clung desperately to his trouser leg and looked at him with a pitiful expression… it seemed to be asking him to help its master.
“Hm.”
Lion looked back and forth between Salamander and Freyania, who was being scolded in the distance.
Soon their eyes met.
Startled, Freyania’s mouth fell open.
“Uh, Lion! Why?!”
And she started pointing a finger at Lion!
From Freyania’s perspective, facing a scolding from the elf elders ever since she woke up from fainting, this situation was utterly incomprehensible.
She didn’t even know why the elders had come to House Asteri, nor could she understand why a High Elf was among them!
Just that was confusing enough…
‘Why… is my Salamander with Lion Asteri?!’
Going up to him and even asking for help?
And why can that human see spirits?
He’s human?
As if alchemy wasn’t enough, he had a genius talent for spirit magic too?
She gaped.
With so much she wanted to say, she ended up speechless and just kept pointing, until the elf who had been scolding her shouted sternly.
“Are you not going to raise your arms higher?”
“Tch!”
In the end, Freyania raised her already lifted arms even higher and made a disgruntled sound.
“You’re driving me crazy, really! I can’t show my face in the village! How could a kid like this be my niece?”
The elf scolding her seemed to be a relative.
The elf once again launched into a long speech.
“This wet-behind-the-ears brat, I gave her permission to leave home saying she wanted to live her own life, and then I find her not only playing around with shady humans, but causing trouble for a descendant of the Elder Elf’s companion?”
“Kidnapping? Did you learn spirit magic just to do that? If you’re going to pull this, then come back to the village and train quietly!”
“No way!”
“Did I ask for your answer!”
“…”
Oh.
I don’t know much about elf culture, but it seems the lives of intelligent beings are basically all similar.
“Now, now, let’s not get involved in their story and go inside.”
Embrog looked at the two of them, smiled as if embarrassed, and took hold of the door handle to the room he was staying in.
But…
‘*Sniff*, this feels like a trap?’
Of course, Rickshel would block it for me, but this elf… by the looks of it, seemed like a figure who had experience with these kinds of conversations.
A lot of it. Meaning he was a sly old fox.
I didn’t know what he was trying to ask for, but I thought it’d be best to stall as much as possible.
My former salesman’s instincts were sounding alarm bells.
‘Look at his expression.’
Didn’t we just see him change back to that expression where his mouth watered the moment Salamander showed interest?
Ignoring Embrog’s hand on the door handle, Lion opened his mouth.
“Come to think of it, that friend over there seems to have quite a talent for alchemy.”
“…Who?”
Lion pointed to Freyania.
Thereupon, the fire salamander that had clung to Lion’s body brightened and licked his cheek.
It didn’t leave any drool, but the sensation was warm and strange.
A warm lizard…
“Having heard the scolding just now, I get the gist of what happened. And I understand Freyania harbored ill intentions.”
“Then you know how close you came to a major incident.”
“But aren’t I perfectly fine now?”
“…”
He had nothing to say to the person directly involved claiming he was fine.
Rickshel also kept his mouth shut, knowing why his brother was acting this way.
But he had to watch his words.
If the discussion about alchemy went wrong, the Hero’s potion could be exposed, and if he touched on the spirit matter, there was the risk that he might be dragged off to the Elf Kingdom… maybe.
Fortunately, Lion kept his composure well.
“From what I know, the Elf Kingdom is composed of forests, so the air is clean. This castle does have air purification magic running, but it likely has its limits for the elves.”
“…”
It wasn’t wrong.
Embrog rubbed his own neck.
His throat felt scratchy and his eyes stung, perhaps from the dust.
Moreover, perhaps because he had expended so much energy coming all the way from that distant place, he was already longing for nature.
If he, an elder, was like this, how much more worn out must the young elves who lacked experience outside be?
‘Lion, was it?’
He was well-liked by the spirits, and seeing this, he seemed to be a deeply considerate person.
Seeing Embrog and the other elves left speechless, Lion inwardly clenched his fist.
‘Yeah. There must be a reason the elves left their spirits behind.’
They were burned out.
Short on energy, they must have planned to release them one by one in the village, stock up on power, and then take them back.
They couldn’t just cancel the summons here, so that wasn’t an option.
“As it happens, Mimir Forest is right next to the mansion. How about resting there? That would allow the spirits to rest comfortably too.”
“Hm.”
Truth be told, Embrog hadn’t been very interested at first.
His throat was scratchy and his eyes stung, but that was all.
It was just a matter of finishing the work quickly and returning.
But a variable had appeared.
That variable was Lion Asteri.
A human who had possessed the talent to see Greater Spirits from the very beginning!
‘If he were an elf, he might even have summoned the Spirit King!’
It was already tremendous for an elf to see a Greater Spirit, but a human!
However, from what he could see, the humans here didn’t seem to have noticed any of his talents.
They couldn’t see the spirits, so that was only natural.
‘Always these foolish humans.’
So numerous, merely destroying nature.
‘Tsk tsk.’
He clicked his tongue inwardly, but kept his expression neutral.
In any case, right now was a situation where he had to get on Lion Asteri’s good side.
‘For now, he must prefer this place where his family is, but if he were to experience the Elf Kingdom, living together with the great nature…’
Wouldn’t he settle down naturally?
‘With this level of talent, his not being an elf isn’t a problem.’
And…
Unlike common humans, wasn’t his heart truly kind.
He was already completely smitten, but Embrog hadn’t noticed.
“How old are you?”
“Age? I came of age this year… ah, I’m twenty years old.”
Twenty!
An age that, for an elf, would be just beginning to take their first steps!
How could he have such a kind heart!
‘Yes. Now I understand!’
He seemed to be caring for the elves, but in fact, he was really caring for the spirits!
Embrog had seen it before even entering the mansion.
The countless spirits around Lion!
Moreover, those spirits all had contractors.
Those contractors were the elite elf spirit mages. It wasn’t that they hadn’t done enough for their contracted spirits.
Each had quite an old and deep bond with their contractor.
Yet they instinctively liked Lion.
‘This is…’
The more he thought about it, the more amazing it was.
That such talent was left to rot for twenty years.
And for the already short-lived human race at that!
It was incomprehensible by elven common sense.
For just a human to have such high spirit affinity…
‘Petrick Asteri. I shall have to ask when the Elder Elf’s comrade arrives.’
To hand over Lion Asteri!
“But why ask about my brother’s age?”
“Hoho. It was nothing. Right. You mentioned there was a forest?”
Anyway, there was no reason not to follow his words.
In fact, he was in a state where he’d be trusted even if he suggested walking on one’s hands.
The mere fact that the infamously sensitive High-Grade Water Spirit had offered its nose to him meant that Lion Asteri’s credibility was practically assessed at the highest grade.
Of course, it was also because they hadn’t heard the rumor that Lion was an eccentric…
But regardless, it was a good thing for Lion.
“Since there appear to be many weary compatriots, let’s do that. Elves who need the forest’s spirit energy, follow along.”
Surprisingly, the majority of the elves who had been quietly scattered around stood behind Embrog.
Even a leaf falling to the floor would have made more noise.
“…”
At that silent assembly, with not a single footstep, Rickshel felt a rare chill run down his spine.
If the Elder Elf hadn’t informed them…
Of course, even with Sylvia the Witch and himself present…
He thought they might not have managed to stop a few of them.
And even if not visible…
Sway.
“Whoa.”
Every time his brother moved, Lion swayed as if dodging something, making it obvious there were a considerable number of spirits around.
Gulp.
Rickshel swallowed hard.
If they hadn’t avoided battle, there would have been quite a significant troop loss.
“Hoho… they say that in exchange for a short lifespan, talent blooms early, and it seems it is not false. One is a mage, and the other a spirit mage.”
However, Embrog had been calling his brother a spirit mage since earlier.
“My brother’s expertise lies deeply in alchemy.”
“Well, he does alchemy, he does spirit magic, and when he eventually finds which talent stands out more, he can focus on that.”
Seeing him smoothly brush it off, Rickshel inwardly let out a soft “ah” of admiration.
‘That one is coveting my brother.’
It seemed his brother had quite a tremendous talent in this so-called spirit magic.
But, it wasn’t surprising.
Hadn’t his brother already showcased numerous talents to him?
A talent for spirit magic had merely been added to the list.
And perhaps more could still be added later.
‘Therefore, I cannot hand him over.’