Chapter 209

Chapter 209
Chapter 209: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

Lion’s temple throbbed as he observed the arrival of someone who looked thoroughly well-fed and rested.

An impulse to storm out and demand answers immediately flared up, but…

‘Huuu. I’ll hold back.’

First, he would capture the culprit and then exact vengeance for the ruined banana sweet potato.

Lion maintained his composure, waiting for the figure to draw closer.

He concentrated on steadying his breath, ensuring not a single rustle or sound escaped him.

Barg was just as silent.

In truth, lurking in the woods to stalk a target came naturally; it was simply a wolf’s hunting instinct.

A brief glance.

Lion shifted only his eyes to look at Barg.

‘He doesn’t know.’

While blending seamlessly into the tall grass, Barg couldn’t entirely conceal his bewildered expression.

He seemed genuinely confused as to why he was suddenly so adept at this.

Then, realization seemed to dawn on him, and his eyes widened.

It was as if some previously locked door within Barg had cracked open.

‘It’s a win-win.’

Lion briefly noted Barg’s reaction before shifting his focus back ahead.

The waddling bear moved quite sluggishly.

Sensing something was amiss, it stood on its hind legs to survey the surroundings, lazily swatting at a nearby tree with its front paw.

CRASH.

The problem was that even that casual swing caused the thick trunk to snap and tumble like a blade of grass.

Consequently, the foliage right in front of him, which had provided essential camouflage, vanished.

Now, nothing remained except the sparse brush.

“…….”

With the green curtain gone, it felt as though their gazes momentarily locked, yet…

‘No wariness.’

The creature simply looked puzzled, exactly as before.

Lion swallowed hard and grabbed Barg, who was poised to lunge forward prematurely.

It was still fine.

As long as they stuck to the plan, there would be no complications.

And thankfully…

“Kuuung….”

The bear beastman tilted its head, scanned the area once more, and then—seemingly entirely reassured—waddled right toward the bait.

‘Huuu….’

Lion exhaled a quiet sigh of relief.

Fortunately, whether due to a lack of scent or because previous unpunished mischief had made him arrogant, the beastman was far more careless than anticipated.

Perhaps he was simply a bit dim-witted.

*Squish.*

‘Still, no room for complacency.’

Hadn’t he just witnessed a tree snap like a twig?

Lion reached for the rope connected to the snare.

He would trigger it once the target stepped a bit deeper into the clear zone.

Just a little further.

Almost there.

The gap between the bear beastman and the bait narrowed.

It was close enough for the intruder to nudge the gangjeong with his blunt nose.

‘Yes. Eat it.’

As Lion hoped, the bear beastman lifted the treat with a paw, opened its maw wide, and with sharp teeth…

CRUNCH! MUNCH!

He began devouring the snack with a sound that was a pleasure just to hear.

‘Now!’

WHOOSH!

A heavy net woven from specialized rope snapped upward, entirely enveloping the bear beastman.

The weighted edges drove deep into the earth, sealing off any escape routes.

At this point, regardless of his physical strength as a beastman, breaking free should have been impossible… but.

“……Kuuung?”

A distinctly anticlimactic noise echoed through the woods.

“Huh?”

Trapped inside the net, the bear beastman merely shook his head once and… kept eating the remaining gangjeong.

“…Young Master. Did you anticipate this as well?”

Barg’s claws slowly slid back into place.

“No….”

Lion denied it in a flat, awkward tone and stood up.

He had expected a cunning, ruthless, and perceptive adversary…

Munch. Munch!

“……Why is he so hopelessly dense?”

Lion watched as the intruder continued to munch on an iron plate smothered in honey and nuts, completely unfazed by Lion’s appearance.

The unexpected feeding frenzy carried on until even the metal plate was licked clean of every last drop of honey and nut fragments.

POP.

With a soft sound, a cloud of fluffy smoke billowed outward.

Startled, Barg whipped his claws out again and stepped in front of Lion.

“Young Master. Watch out! That fellow…!”

Barg seemed to have finally recognized the true identity of their captive.

Yet, even as the smoke cleared and a human form emerged, no attack followed.

Instead.

“Mmm-hmm. Ahh. It’s been quite a while since I last used this form.”

A slow, languid voice drifted through the air.

‘Unbelievable.’

A thief, yet entirely unbothered.

“Nature.”

“Ppippi.”

When Nature cleared away the lingering smoke with a gust of wind, the figure was fully exposed.

He stood over two meters tall, with long, silky hair resembling dark seaweed, radiating the satisfaction of someone who had indulged thoroughly.

Despite his muscular build, his face was distinctly puffy, bearing all the hallmarks of a late-night binge.

……Wait, muscular build?

Come to think of it, when a beastman reverts from their animal state…

“Hey, Nature!”

Sure enough, faced with an entirely naked man, Lion frowned in deep displeasure and barked at Nature to cover him, making his discomfort obvious.

“…….”

Reluctant to witness the sight himself, Nature obligingly pulled the dispersed smoke back to veil the male’s body.

With only his head protruding from the fog, the bear beastman offered a lazy stretch.

“Haaam. Did you slip sleeping pills into the food? Hmm, though the portion felt a bit small.”

“Ah, the sheer audacity of someone who just laid waste to the Asteri Territory…!”

Barg flared up, stepping forward aggressively.

‘I couldn’t agree more.’

Even so, the bear beastman was still smacking his lips.

He looked genuinely regretful that the delicious snacks were already gone.

The silver lining was that hostility remained entirely absent from him…

“Hey.”

“Hmm?”

“Pay up.”

“……Pardon?”

“I’m talking about the tab for all those complimentary meals you’ve been enjoying.”

“Hmm….”

The bear beastman rolled his eyes in apparent contemplation before answering.

“I intend to settle any debts directly with the lord of this domain. So I have nothing to hand over to you…”

“Oho.”

A faint, knowing smile touched Lion’s lips.

This oversized bear cub seemed to have a strategy in mind, but unfortunately, he lacked crucial context.

He had even promised compensation of his own accord.

However.

Not happening.

“Look at me.”

“Hmm….”

“I am Lion Asteri of the Asteri Territory.”

Strictly speaking, the lord of the territory was his grandfather, but since Lion was currently spearheading the ‘bear hunt,’ claiming authority was close enough to the truth.

“…….”

Realizing his miscalculation, the bear mumbled in a subdued tone.

“I hardly expected someone of such high status to confront me personally. Word was that humans were sluggish when it came to moving around. Was that old proverb outdated, too?”

It was the voice of a man who fully understood he had walked into a trap.

“Since you volunteered to pay your debts with your own mouth, I’ll escort you to where you belong first.”

Meaning, the dungeons.

“Wait, hold on a second!”

As the captive made a move to protest, Barg closed the distance instantly and struck him across the back of the head with his heavy scabbard.

THWACK!

A resonant thud, akin to a blacksmith’s hammer hitting an anvil, echoed out, and the man slumped unconscious.

…That hadn’t been the intended method of transport, but.

“……Beastmen have hard heads, so he, he’s probably not dead.”

“Indeed. That felt therapeutic.”

Striking him once had cleared away a mountain of accumulated frustration.

“Let’s head back.”

“Yes.”

Barg efficiently dismantled the snare and dragged the unconscious giant back toward the manor.

“Tch.”

Meanwhile, Nature attended to the captive’s remaining scraps of dignity with a thoroughly unimpressed expression.

…Since he’d endured such an ordeal, a parting snack might be warranted upon their return.

—

“……It was a beastman?”

“Yes. That turned out to be the case.”

The morning after locking the intruder in the Asteri family’s underground holding cells, Lion delivered a concise update to Rikschel.

“A bear beastman…”

Rikschel’s brow furrowed slightly.

If it was a bear beastman of all things, diplomatic complications could arise.

Bear beastmen typically held considerable influence within the Beastmen Kingdom.

Moreover, they rarely ventured outside their ancestral lands, spending nearly their entire lives within their own borders.

They were also known to fiercely protect their kin…

‘This is different from the Freya incident.’

Back then, the family head maintained personal ties with the leadership on that side, ensuring a smooth and straightforward resolution.

This time, however.

‘There’s no pre-existing connection.’

Establishing a channel through the Elven domains might be feasible, but it risked souring relations with the Beastmen Kingdom entirely.

Furthermore…

‘He was suspiciously docile.’

While his older brother attributed it to Barg’s intervention, Rikschel suspected otherwise.

‘…It’s likely due to the aura radiating from my older brother.’

Wouldn’t most wildlife naturally submit to his older brother given his peerless affinity for spirit arts?

The Luminis Deer in Easter, the fox hatched from an unknown egg, and even Barg were prime examples.

Perhaps the beastman had been lured to the Asteri Territory precisely by that very aura.

“It will be fine.”

“Pardon?”

“He stated himself that he would repay everything. Even if the bear clan retaliated, they wouldn’t have a leg to stand on.”

“I-is that so.”

Rikschel kept his internal misgivings to himself.

Voicing them would only add to his older brother’s burdens.

It would be wiser to quietly ensure his older brother wasn’t inadvertently being played for a fool.

Besides…

‘In any case, my older brother resolved the issue.’

In other words, it counted as yet another achievement for him, did it not?

Furthermore, subduing a massive ‘bear’ would establish a reputation of an entirely different caliber than before.

“So, what are your plans for the bear beastman?”

“Once he regains consciousness, I intend to collect full compensation for the damages.”

“Then you have a strategy in mind. I will leave future developments in my older brother’s capable hands, then.”

“Indeed. Rest assured. Ah, and… ”

Lion checked that the study door was securely latched before picking up a quill to scribble a brief note on parchment.

* That bear beastman. He could prove useful to Barg.
* As expected, you caught on immediately.

“In that case, I entrust the matter to my older brother. However, if any genuine difficulties or hazards arise, you must inform me so I can handle them at once.”

“Understood.”

“If not me, then at least let the Family Head know. You must.”

“When have I ever shouldered a difficult crisis alone and suffered for it? Don’t fret.”

“…….”

The exact worry was that he would try to tackle dangerous situations single-handedly.

……Rikschel swallowed the retort that hovered on his lips.

“Ah, by the way, a dispatch arrived from the Baidantis Territory. They indicated they will be visiting shortly to fulfill the Emperor’s directives.”

“Ah.”

The time had come to begin preparations for the ‘Birthday’ celebration.

Admittedly, Lion had few direct responsibilities for it, but some light socialization wouldn’t hurt.

And…

‘Ahem, I need to wrap up this bear situation as swiftly as possible.’

It would create awkward tension if a commotion erupted right as Rikschel and the Marquis of Byedantis reunited after such a long interval.

Lion smiled inwardly with quiet satisfaction.

“Right, right. Once the bear matter is settled, we’ll need to throw ourselves into those preparations.”

“Huu. It deeply troubles me to see my older brother dragged into such unnecessary complications.”

“Hahaha. I’m perfectly fine.”

If anything, developments had turned out rather entertaining.

After all, observing other people’s romance struggles from the sidelines was always the best pastime, wasn’t it?

‘Hehehe.’

……Unfortunately, those two individuals were utterly oblivious to any such sentiment.