Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 96
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 96
“Rickshel!”
Lion dropped everything he was doing and rose to his feet.
“Have you been well…?”
He had been about to ask, but the man looked terrible.
‘His body…’
Lion’s expression immediately turned grave as he examined Rickshel.
First, he was leaning on their grandfather’s support, having difficulty walking on his own.
That was not all.
The wounds covering his body looked as if they had been cut by something sharp.
‘He came all the way here in this condition?’
Lion slightly regretted the decision he had made a few days ago.
If he was this unwell, shouldn’t he have been properly resting?
Of course, he was confident in the hot spring’s efficacy, but wasn’t the Magic Tower’s recovery room a more suitable place for Rickshel?
The thought came naturally.
‘Should I just send him back right now?’
“I missed you, Brother.”
Just as he was worrying, a sincere voice reached him.
“I didn’t want you to see me like this…”
Rickshel looked at Lion, smiled as if embarrassed, and averted his gaze.
“But it had been so long since I saw you that I insisted to the head of the family.”
“….”
… Lion had never imagined such an answer, so he was rendered speechless.
“Haha.”
At his brother’s reaction, Rickshel chuckled without realizing it.
Didn’t it feel like their positions had completely reversed?
Himself, who worried about his brother overdoing it, and his brother, who always laughed it off playfully.
Now he definitely understood.
Why his brother had laughed it off back then.
“You really…”
Seemingly feeling the same way, Lion let out a resigned chuckle.
Looking at it this way, they really did resemble each other a lot.
“But if you feel it’s too much, you have to tell me right away, okay?”
“Yes, Brother.”
Their grandfather, who had been supporting Rickshel, shook his head at the sight of his two grandsons.
In this regard, neither the eldest nor the second son could be followed by this old man.
‘Troublesome boys.’
They wouldn’t even think about how much their grandfather had been worrying.
‘No, it’s better they don’t.’
They are in their prime. He didn’t want their footsteps to grow heavy for his sake.
He wasn’t yet at the level of holding his two young grandsons back.
“So, is the hot spring finished?”
“Yes. I checked it just a while ago. I was waiting so we could go in together. Let’s hurry.”
Lion took Rickshel from their grandfather and supported him instead, heading toward the hot spring.
“Ah! I will return to the mansion, then.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Freyania, seeing them, tactfully returned to the mansion.
Before they knew it,
nothing remained in Mimir Forest except for the three of the Asteri family.
Even though it was a vast and dense forest, it seemed to have become a very private space.
“Let’s get in. Can you undress by yourself?”
“…Pardon?”
Rickshel hesitated for a moment.
Of course, it wasn’t that he hadn’t heard about the hot spring.
The Family Head had explained it on the way
here—this special hot spring his brother had created.
Naturally, he wanted to soak in it too.
However…
‘I have to undress.’
An unexpected obstacle appeared.
The fact that he had to strip his clothes off outdoors.
Honestly, Rickshel had shed a lot of his young noble’s reserve thanks to Lion, but this was still a bit embarrassing.
No matter that it’s family, getting completely naked…
The Family Head probably wouldn’t be too thrilled about it either, he thought, and in that instant—
“Huh?”
Rickshel discovered Petrick already in the hot spring, having comfortably settled into a spot.
“…”
Now it had become even more awkward.
‘Right. The Family Head had experienced adventures too.’
Maybe he had realized many things there.
If so, it was right for him to take courage too.
As Rickshel made up his mind and steeled his heart.
‘Typical puberty.’
Well, at that age, everything is embarrassing.
After a moment’s thought, Lion decided to show a little consideration.
“You seem to be feeling quite unwell, so let’s hurry in.”
That was him deliberately acting serious.
As if to say a little embarrassment is nothing!
“Ah, yes.”
As Lion expected, Rickshel hurriedly undressed and got into the hot spring.
‘My brother is worried, so it’s better to get in quickly and hide my body.’
Though it was a different direction from what Lion had thought.
“…It’s really warm.”
Rickshel, having entered the water, lightly admired it.
He hadn’t quite believed it, but the water was indeed perfectly warm.
He definitely felt some of his fatigue melting away.
He wasn’t sure his body would actually recover, but just escaping that cold, harsh training ground and spending time with his family felt good.
But then.
“Huh?”
Rickshel’s eyes flew open at a strange sensation felt throughout his body.
Astonishingly, his wounds were rapidly healing.
[Due to the hot spring’s effect, Rickshel Asteri’s body is rapidly recovering.]
‘What a relief.’
Lion was relieved at the notification window that appeared before his eyes.
Because he had worried about what he would do if the effect wasn’t enough.
Understandably so, because in all his memory, this was the first time he’d seen his younger brother injured like this.
“How can it have this effect…”
Rickshel murmured in amazement.
In fact, not only was new flesh growing, but his joints, which had been screaming from holding the same position for so long, were rapidly recovering too.
A comprehensive treatment he had never experienced even with a priest’s healing or by consuming potions!
It was incredible.
“I didn’t know it would heal too. I just thought it would be nice to have warm water.”
Lion brushed over the recovery aspect and briefly talked about the hot spring he had discovered in the Bydantis territory.
“Getting into warm water when it’s cold loosened up my body and made me feel pleasantly languid. So I thought it would be nice to have one in our territory and made it. And…”
Lion lightly splashed the water—plip—and looked at Petrick and Rickshel.
“Since I was enjoying something good, I thought of my family. I wanted us all to enjoy it together.”
Rickshel’s eyes widened at those words.
‘Enjoy it together…’
Because it was his brother, of all people, who said it, it resonated deeply.
Maybe his brother had a heart that wanted to share good things with everyone?
‘If so…’
Rickshel fell into deep thought.
Sharing good things with others didn’t necessarily have to be limited to family.
For instance, what if he considered the territory’s residents?
Rickshel’s mind worked fast.
‘If this were used for business, wouldn’t the Asteri territory grow richer and stronger?’
Jobs would be created, and it would be something new not found in the Empire.
The act of leisurely relaxing in warm water.
If nobles and the wealthy came to Asteri territory and spent a lot, the residents’ lives would definitely become more prosperous.
Isn’t it a very good business item?
‘Brother is teaching me many things.’
Of course, he had absolutely no intention of revealing Mimir Forest.
He wanted this to be something special, known only to them,
because it had been made by his brother himself, for their sake.
‘I’ll have to ask him about the business later.’
Of course, even now, not a ‘miraculous stamina-recovering bath’, but building a spa with warm water was fully feasible with support from the Magic Tower.
But at the center of all these ideas was his brother.
Since it was his brother’s credit, he had no intention of stealing it.
Rickshel resolved firmly to himself.
“Indeed. A truly miraculous bath.”
While his youngest grandson was formulating something, Petrick was interested in the bath itself.
He had been in hot springs before, and even dipped into a special river that elves were said to have made.
No place had healed wounds like this.
But this place, wasn’t it as efficacious as submerging one’s body in a giant potion?
‘Just where does this kid’s limit end?’
Beyond mere admiration, it had now reached a level where even he, an Archmage, could not properly grasp the principle.
Perhaps Lion was the possessor of a much more outstanding mind and talent than he had thought.
Hero’s Potions. Hero’s Spirits.
So he had thought it was merely the Hero’s power.
But this hot spring surpassed that.
“Haha, I’m glad it’s to your liking. Please drop by often when you’re tired. It’s deep in the forest, so other people won’t come.”
He also warned Rickshel not to stay too long because the water was very hot.
‘If you stay too long, you might get severely dizzy.’
Didn’t such people sometimes lie flat on the floor in the changing room to rest?
And if it’s severe, they sometimes end up in the emergency room.
Of course, since grandfather was an Archmage, he’d be fine, but still, there’s such a thing as just in case.
“Ah, and you should also drink plenty of water and get enough nutrients…”
As he said that, he casually looked at Rickshel…
Once the wounds healed, a new truth was revealed!
“Ri, Rickshel, you!”
“Yes?”
“You!”
Lion, startled, grabbed Rickshel’s shoulders.
This guy, he’d gotten all shriveled up while I was gone!
“No, what is this?”
He’s nothing but bones!?
As far as Lion was concerned, this was an absolutely unacceptable state.
He was already on the thin side compared to his peers, but to lose that much weight?
No matter how good the training is or how much you devote yourself to study!
“Don’t tell me, you didn’t eat anything in the training ground?”
“W-Well…”
Just as Rickshel flinched and tried to deny it—
“Correct!”
Petrick quickly cut in.
“Family Head?”
“Not only the personal training ground, but his eating habits have been utterly terrible since you left.”
“Whaaaat?! Grandfather, is that true?”
“That’s not all. He frequently starves himself and barely sleeps.”
“No, Family Head! Br-Brother?”
Flustered, Rickshel looked back and forth between the two.
‘The Family Head knew all that…!’
It was touching, but there was a problem.
He couldn’t imagine how worried his brother would be if he revealed that.
“Moreover, usually…”
As Petrick’s revelations continued, Rickshel tried to quell them by splashing around noisily.
But the opponent was Archmage Petrick.
Their grandfather even used Shield Magic to block Rickshel, and related in detail the daily failings of his youngest grandson, who had persisted in such an unhealthy lifestyle.
“…”
Having failed at everything, a dismayed Rickshel stole a glance at Lion.
“I…”
“Tsk, tsk.”
Seeing that, Lion put his hands on his hips.
‘This won’t do.’
Honestly, knowing Rickshel’s personality, he’d figured his brother probably wasn’t eating or sleeping well, but he’d never dreamed it was to this extent.
If he were an ordinary person instead of a mage, it was at the level where you couldn’t even guess when he would have collapsed.
But—
Fortunately, he happened to have food prepared just for this guy.
“Rickshel.”
“Y-Yes. Brother.”
“Follow me out.”
With that, Lion nodded toward their grandfather.
As if to say, just trust me!
“Mm.”
Perhaps feeling relieved, Petrick leaned back against the side of the hot spring and comfortably enjoyed it,
as though he thought the household only ran properly when Lion was around.