Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 90
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 90
Fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t yet guessed that he himself was the center of everything.
‘It’s only a matter of time, though.’
The First Prince faction in particular would be gnashing their teeth, hunting for the culprit with fire in their eyes.
The strategist who had handed immense power to the Second Prince faction.
The one who might strip away their wealth and honor root and branch.
And with good reason—what Lion had done was nothing short of explosive.
The Second Prince had been barely holding on, propped up only by the support of House Asteri’s heir.
Yet, thanks to Lion’s actions, his power had swelled in an instant.
Without even the Second Prince himself realizing it!
Lion had acted out of sheer goodwill, but would men steeped in politics ever take it at face value?
‘Not a chance.’
Clarentia gave a cynical snort.
‘Who on earth deceived our eyes and pulled off such a staggering feat?’
‘We must deal with the wretch who dares to snatch away our hard-won wealth, by any means necessary!’
That was clearly how they would think.
But what if the culprit turned out to be neither a rival heavyweight nor anyone else, but Lion Asteri?
‘They’d shudder at the emergence of yet another giant and go on high alert. That’s obvious.’
Their greed was enough to turn one’s stomach.
Even House Asteri couldn’t simply keep hiding him and playing defense forever.
“From what I saw, he seemed utterly helpless in combat.”
Clarentia recalled Lion’s appearance.
Pale, bloodless skin and a delicate, soft-featured face.
Tall and lanky with barely any flesh on him.
By all appearances, he was far removed from any kind of fighting.
He couldn’t use magic, nor could he wield a sword.
She knew he had considerable talent in alchemy, but that wouldn’t exactly protect his body on its own.
Even for a prestigious mage family, there was no way they could protect Lion Asteri perfectly.
They were not gods.
Clarentia laid a hand on the necklace at her throat.
‘So, I’ll have to help.’
Whatever else, that man was as good as her benefactor.
The lost necklace, and her own sentiments.
Hadn’t he even reawakened her bond to family, thicker than blood?
If magic concealed Lion, then the sword would move directly to guard him.
‘It’s about time Bydantis stepped forward too.’
She had planned to make her move more cautiously, but having received so much, she had to act.
Clarentia knew better than anyone:
to protect one’s own people, one must willingly raise a sword and stain it with blood.
And so, without Lion’s knowledge, another staunch ally joined his side.
* * *
Lion stood before the Warp Gate.
“This time we are scheduled to move directly to House Asteri’s territory, so your burden should be lighter.”
The moment Elvia realized Lion suffered from Warp Sickness, she changed their return route.
The carriage and Andre were sent on to the Lungen Territory Warp Gate as planned, while she and Lion would return nonstop.
It was a way to secure both safety and comfort in one stroke.
…Unfortunately, it couldn’t prevent the motion sickness.
“Yeah. Got it.”
Even so, Lion was calm.
He hadn’t brewed the motion sickness prevention potion he’d resolved to make after that horrible bout.
But he had something to rely on.
“Peep, peep.”
Nature, nestled in his arms, chirped away as if to say, “Just trust me.”
“Yeah. I trust you.”
Lion smiled, petting Nature’s fur the wrong way.
That left Nature’s fur all ruffled and made its eyes go triangular, but Lion held firm.
…Anyway! Lion had something to fall back on.
That was exactly to draw on Nature’s power.
When Lion had been plagued by motion sickness last time, staying with Nature had drastically shortened his recovery time.
They said ordinary people suffered for over a week, but hadn’t he recovered in barely a day?
‘And Nature even volunteered for it.’
Lion recalled the pantomime Nature had performed in his room the day before.
It had acted out, with its tiny wings and legs, the scene of him collapsing from motion sickness right after stepping out of the Warp Gate, with Nature guarding him.
Then, as if declaring, ‘You needn’t worry about that anymore!’, it spread its wings wide, flew a sprightly loop, and gave his nose a light peck!
[Status Ailment: resisted Warp Sickness by Companion Spirit ‘Nature’.]
[Duration: 48 hours]
And then it looked thoroughly pleased with itself, as if sporting an expression that said, ‘Heh, consider it repayment for the ramyeon.’
Of course, Lion was just as pleased.
‘My precious little one!’
When had it grown so fast and started relieving his worries!
Its outward appearance was unchanged, but Lion could definitely feel it.
Nature was slowly growing!
He was so delighted by that growth that he’d ended up giving it far too many snacks yesterday, though.
“Look at you, belly’s still round.”
“Tch.”
…How it even managed to make a ‘tch’ sound was beyond him.
In any case, Lion stepped onto the Warp Gate in relief.
Just like last time, a voice told him to close his eyes, and soon he felt the light.
[Status Ailment: resisted Warp Sickness.]
At the same time, a notification confirming the ailment had been properly resisted appeared, and Lion slowly opened his eyes.
“…”
A building in a familiar style.
This was House Asteri’s territory, as Lion knew it.
“Hoo.”
Lion carefully stepped out of the Warp Gate.
Just as Nature had guaranteed, the horrible motion sickness did not come.
Elvia also seemed relieved, having noticed Lion’s changed condition.
“I’m glad you appear free of motion sickness. Shall we return home now, then?”
“Sure.”
The room back in House Bydantis’s territory had been perfectly fine, but still, home was best.
With a light heart, Lion headed toward the mansion.
Half-expecting someone might come out to greet him after the fairly long journey.
* * *
As Lion expected, someone did come out to meet him.
“You returned later than I thought.”
It was none other than his grandfather, Petrick Asteri.
‘I thought it would be Rickshel.’
Rickshel often came out to meet him at times like this.
When he returned home from Mimir Forest, for instance, or when it got close to evening while he was wandering the village, Rickshel would even come looking for him.
His grandfather was terribly busy with work.
This was quite unexpected.
“Were you very worried?”
“Worried? Why would I worry about a grown man?”
At Petrick’s curt reply, Elvia’s eyes narrowed.
Actually, he had been.
Immensely so.
He had asked via communication magic practically every single day what Lion was doing.
And when he heard that assassins had struck, she didn’t even want to remember how hard she’d worked to stop him from going there in person at once.
And what about the Warp Sickness episode?
“I’ll bring him back myself!”
“Head of the Family. Please restrain yourself.”
No matter what, it was hardly proper for the grandfather to go rushing off via ultra-long-range teleportation just to pick up a grandson returning from a trip.
Besides, an ultra-long-range teleport would inevitably draw attention through its distinctive surge of immense Magic Power.
Petrick knew that too, but hearing that Lion was bedridden, he simply couldn’t bear it.
…And yet here he was, unable to be honest in front of his eldest grandson, talking like that.
‘Good grief.’
She understood, though.
Petrick had always been clumsy at this.
Of course, there was no way their sharp-eyed puppy didn’t see right through it.
“…”
As Elvia stifled a laugh behind her fist, Petrick shot her a brief glare.
“Well, I had a safe trip back.”
As expected, Lion, looking as if he understood Petrick’s heart perfectly, naturally told him this and that.
Where he had gone, what had happened with whom.
Chatting away, the grandfather and grandson, reunited after a while, entered the mansion together.
But…
‘Is Rickshel not here?’
Even by now, Rickshel was nowhere to be seen.
“By the way… where’s Rickshel?”
“He’s in the training ground.”
“The training ground?”
They had passed the training ground briefly on the way into the mansion, but Rickshel wasn’t there either.
When Lion tilted his head, Petrick slowly added a few more words.
“He’s in my personal training ground.”
“…Grandfather’s personal training ground?”
Lion stared at Petrick, clearly startled.
His eyes, too, were filled with no small amount of worry.
With good reason—Petrick’s personal training ground was unlike the standard facility.
Ordinary people didn’t even know of its existence; only the family’s direct line, and not even the Magic Tower Master Hoffman, could enter without permission.
The moment you opened the door, it led to another location, and that place was a genuinely terrifying one.
Because if your magical level was insufficient, it meant certain death.
Mana was as abundant as in a labyrinth, but utterly unstable—storms created by colliding mana and rains of awl-like ice poured down from all sides.
Even in <In the World>, wasn’t it treated as a place only an archmage-class character above a certain stat threshold could enter and train in?
Lion pulled up the information he’d gained while playing <In the World>.
The minimum requirement to enter that personal training ground was definitely… a 4th-Circle Master.
And Rickshel was currently on the verge of reaching the 5th Circle.
But to think Rickshel was in such a place.
Frankly, his very first thought was: isn’t that too dangerous?
No matter how outstanding his skill, Rickshel was still not yet an adult.
Being worried was only natural.
But…
‘If I were Rickshel, I’d have begged to be let in too.’
Even if the labyrinth also had abundant mana, Rickshel couldn’t train there.
Because no matter what access was granted, controlling the mana there was a function permitted only to its master, Lion.
“Hmm… will he be all right?”
“I couldn’t stop him.”
As Lion’s words grew noticeably fewer, Petrick muttered as if offering an excuse.
Whether a knight or a mage, someone with a personal achievement right before their eyes would disregard all risks.
What did a little ice storm matter?!
Just stretch out your hand a little more, and that radiant-like revelation would be yours.
‘Growth comes with danger. Growth without risk leads to being left behind.’
The clever Rickshel knew that truth.
Lion nodded with a complicated expression.
“Then… when will Rickshel finish his training?”
“Hmm…”
Being asked that out of the blue by the hitherto silent Lion threw him off a little.
Uncharacteristically, Petrick hesitated for a moment, then answered frankly.
“He went in vowing to be out in time for your return. And knowing that child, he’ll move heaven and earth to make sure it’s no later. So, he should emerge within this week at the latest.”
“Within this week.”
Lion murmured with grim resolve, nodding his head.
There was a plan he’d meant to advance slowly, but it looked like he’d have to move faster.
“Grandfather.”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to spend some time in Mimir Forest as well, if I may.”
“Understood… What?”