Chapter 213

Chapter 213
Chapter 213: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

Barg’s internal state of mind diverged sharply from Urheel’s perspective.

Just as onlookers had correctly deduced, Barg held a distinct aversion toward Urheel.

Naturally, he readily admitted that there was a wealth of knowledge to absorb from the man.

Take, for instance, the art of shifting one’s shape incrementally, or the precise mastery required to keep his tail and ears from springing out whenever anxiety struck.

Because Barg desperately yearned to grow stronger, he initially made a genuine effort to heed his instruction.

After all, he understood all too well that learning is a lifelong pursuit, and there is no shame in seeking guidance from a subordinate!

Thus, he braced himself to humbly receive lessons from a newcomer who happened to be his junior—and a rather presumptuous one at that.

Besides, hadn’t Young Master Lion himself brokered this exact arrangement?

However!

“Haa, you just have to tense up right here.”

“Not doing the trick? Hmm, then how am I supposed to explain this?”

“Like so. Huh? That’s failing too? This is tricky.”

On day one. No, barely an hour into it, enduring such commentary three times running tested every shred of his patience.

Consequently, whenever an instruction or rationale struck him as absurd, he simply tuned it out.

‘…I suppose that’s precisely why the Young Master handed me this assignment.’

Even so, personal dignity demanded he maintain his composure!

“Brother.”

“Oh, yes?”

“Is something on your mind?”

A child shorter than the rest, possessing remarkably nimble fingers.

Gaji, having just finished erecting an impressive fortress out of damp soil, posed the question.

“Ah…”

“Oh! Is it a secret trouble?”

Seeing Barg hesitate, Gaji darted a quick glance around.

Fortunately, everyone else remained entirely absorbed in crafting their own projects and paid them no mind.

Uncle Bear…

*Swish!*

Catching sight of that direction, he spotted his younger sibling, Ipari, perched directly upon Uncle Bear’s shoulder, clutching his seaweed-like locks and flashing a thumbs-up.

‘Perfect!’

Since his sibling was fully occupied over there, he wouldn’t have a spare moment to monitor them.

‘This is the absolute best chance to carry out what the Young Master requested!’

Truth be told, Gaji’s cautious inquiry stemmed entirely from Lion’s explicit instructions.

…

The event had unfolded the previous evening.

The Young Master, visiting Mudu’s household after quite some time, had entrusted Gaji and Ipari with a covert operation.

The codename for this mission was none other than…!

“I Want You to Be Friends!”

As far as secret missions went, the objectives were daunting!

Their task was to help foster a better bond between Uncle Bear and Wolf-hyung—no, Brother, whom they would encounter the very next day!

However!

“If the two of you feel becoming friends right away is too tough, could you perhaps try listening to Wolf-hyung’s worries first?”

“In secret?”

“Yes. In secret. What do you say? It’s a tough job, but think you can pull it off?”

The determined look in his eyes when he locked gazes with them and laid out the request had been truly inspiring!

And most importantly…

“This is something only the two of you can manage.”

Those exact words ignited a blazing sense of honor deep within their chests!

Gaji and Ipari gripped the snacks gifted by Lion tightly and answered with fierce resolve.

“We’ll get it done somehow!”

“Brother, you look after Wolf-brother! I’ve got Uncle Bear covered!”

“Got it!”

…

Emerging from his brief memory, Gaji rose onto his tiptoes and waved his hand.

In response, Barg bent his frame downward until he was practically folded in half, aligning his eyes with theirs to listen with rapt attention.

“So, shall we trade secrets with each other?”

“A secret?”

“Shh!”

As Barg’s voice rose in volume, Gaji quickly clamped a tiny hand over his mouth.

“It’s supposed to be a secret, so why are you yelling it out?”

“S-sorry.”

“I’ll let it slide this time. Anyway, my secret is…”

Before Barg could even voice an objection to this impromptu secret-sharing game, Gaji eagerly blurted out his own.

“My secret is that I feel a bit jealous because Ipari seems way better at hammering than I am.”

“Ipari is better at hammering?”

Mindful of the earlier warning, Barg kept his response to a low whisper.

“Yeah! He’s younger than me, but he’s miles ahead. It super annoys me when I ask how he does it and he just tells me ‘you just do it.'”

“…”

Barg fell silent for a beat upon hearing this.

Struggling hard to keep any sign of dejection off his face before the young child, Barg carefully cleared his throat.

“S-so, what did you end up doing?”

“I told him, ‘What do you even mean by “just do it”?!'”

“!”

Gaji placed both hands on his hips and continued with utmost clarity.

“Mom and Dad always say there’s no such thing as ‘just doing it.’ Every single thing has a trick to it. And they said you don’t truly understand a skill until you can put it into words!”

Having momentarily gotten carried away with his own lecture, Gaji abruptly caught himself, lowered his tone, and resumed whispering.

“S-so, what’s Wolf-hyung’s secret?”

“My secret was pretty much the same as yours, Gaji. That’s why I felt jealous. But hearing your secret completely cleared it up for me.”

Barg broke into a relieved, genuine smile.

Indeed. Rather than sulking just because things didn’t click right away, he needed to approach things with greater initiative.

Even if the other party happened to be his “junior.”

‘Even a kid understands this… I was letting my personal dislike blind me.’

Barg tightened his hand into a fist as a renewed spark of fighting spirit ignited inside him.

“Thanks.”

“Huh?”

Totally missing the thread of Barg’s thoughts, Gaji blinked in confusion for a split second before breaking into a wide, sweet grin.

‘I guess I pulled the mission off?’

Still, he never could have guessed that Wolf-hyung secretly harbored a desire to learn blacksmithing himself.

‘Is that why the Young Master asked me to be nice to him?’

Anyway, if the guy ever ends up joining his father’s workshop down the line, he’d better treat him extra well!

“Hehe.”

Mission successfully accomplished, Gaji puffed out his chest with a triumphant giggle.

Meanwhile.

“Uncle Bear.”

“Hm?”

“Were you paying attention?”

“Hmm…”

Ipari, who had been playfully directing Urheel by tugging gently on his hair strands, tossed out the question, prompting Urheel to sink into deep reflection.

‘Perhaps because he grew up surrounded by humans, he operates quite differently.’

He had previously assumed Barg simply harbored a one-sided animosity toward him, failing entirely to grasp the concepts he tried to impart.

Word had it that Urheel had grown up completely isolated from other beastmen from a very tender age.

Even so, he had figured basic instincts would bridge any gaps.

Yet, reviewing those past interactions in hindsight, that clearly hadn’t been the case at all.

‘Good. Moving forward, I ought to put more effort into breaking things down theoretically.’

First, however, he needed to play to his absolute limit with these children until the adults returned this evening.

“What game are we playing next?”

“Higher, higher!”

“Oh? Let’s do that one!”

And so, Barg and Urheel found themselves drafted into playing with the kids with every ounce of energy they had until evening put an end to the adults’ labor.

“All right, time to head home for dinner!”

“Make sure you say thank you to the Uncle and Brother.”

“Thank-yooou.”

Only after Leah and Mudu gathered the children and led them away did true quiet settle over the area.

“Hoo.”

Both men expelled a heavy breath simultaneously.

Entertaining children wasn’t inherently exhausting, but guarding against accidental injuries or keeping them from wandering off required an immense, draining expenditure of mental focus.

Even for seasoned beastmen.

Without exchanging a word, their feet naturally carried them in the direction of Asteri Mansion.

The faint sounds of children chattering drifted out from the estate’s interior on occasion, but the path itself remained peaceful.

A mild, pleasant breeze swept over them, evaporating the sweat beading on their skin.

“You… put in a good shift today.”

Breaking the awkward silence, Barg spoke up first.

“This must be an experience you’d never encounter back in the Beastmen Country.”

“Watching over that many children all at once is a first for me. Being addressed as ‘Uncle’ was a fresh experience, too. But… how much do you actually know about the Beastmen Country?”

“Yeah. Well enough.”

Barg answered, kicking an isolated pebble across the dirt path.

“I only really pieced things together recently… as you’re well aware, personal growth has its ceilings.”

“Ceilings.”

“I feel like I grasp the concepts, yet I don’t. I was always taught not to rush, but this thirst inside won’t go away. That’s why I tried to force myself to accept your instruction.”

“Even though you detest me?”

“Yeah. I can’t stand you.”

“…”

Taken aback by such an unvarnished declaration of hostility, Urheel fell silent for a moment before probing further.

“Why is the animosity this deep? Is it because I happen to take up space in the life of the person you look up to as your master?”

“That played a role initially, but I’ve put that aside since it’s already settled.”

“Then is it because my teaching style is subpar?”

“It is, but I just had a realization a moment ago, so I’ve tossed that reason out too.”

Had it not been for the intervention of that little kid, he’d probably still be stewing over the issue.

But that grievance was gone.

“Then… is it because I lead a leisurely life compared to your own hardships?”

“No.”

Barg abruptly halted his steps.

Truth be told, he had suspected that was the core reason at the very beginning.

Why should someone of beastman descent live so comfortably when he himself had been forced to endure such grueling trials?

Yet, upon deeper reflection, that wasn’t the truth of it either.

His own past was far from joyful, but as a direct result, he was carving out a good life right here, pursuing whatever he desired.

Then what was the real root of his distaste for this man named Urheel?

The answer surfaced with startling clarity.

Barg let loose the thoughts he had bottled up inside.

“First off. You’ve basically signed on as my junior—even if it’s not official yet—so why on earth do you speak to me so informally? And to the Young Master, for that matter.”

“…”

Urheel’s bewildered expression only caused Barg’s face to flush a deeper shade of red.

He was fully aware of how childish he sounded!

Some might accuse him of throwing weight around he hadn’t yet earned.

Even so, since he had already opened Pandora’s box, he was going to air every single grievance!

“Second. You’re a guest under this roof, so where does all that arrogance come from? Shouldn’t you at least utter a thank-you when someone waits on you?”

“Is that standard practice in human society?”

“Well, not strictly, but…”

“…”

“The Young Master… makes it a point to say thank you every single time.”

…Given how poorly he was already coming across, this probably wasn’t helping his case at all.

“And?”

Urheel’s sudden counter-question startled him.

His tail nearly shot straight up into the air with a loud snap, but he managed to force it down just in time.

Barg swallowed hard before pushing forward.

“And… I’m just envious. I can’t stand you because I’m jealous.”

“Of what?”

Barg’s lips parted.

The list of things he envied was endless.

The effortless capacity to alter one’s physical form at will. An unshakable confidence. A natural poise in any environment whatsoever.

And above all else, that infuriating composure that kept him entirely level-headed even when someone hurled insults directly to his face.

Frankly, the age gap between them didn’t look all that massive, yet anyone would look at Urheel and immediately perceive a mature adult.

Even if he acted like a freeloader, consuming food off someone else’s land without paying his own way.

“…That’s all I’ve got to say. I’m heading in.”

Refusing to elaborate further, Barg broke into a brisk walk, accelerating his pace with long, decisive strides.

“Hmph.”

Urheel let out a dry chuckle as he watched the retreating figure vanish into the distance.

‘A junior, is that it?’

So, from Barg’s point of view, he sat lower on the totem pole.

Yet, hamstrung by his own fundamentally decent nature, he hadn’t known how to react and had ended up pushed around, only to finally let loose a torrent of complaints.

The motive behind it all was transparent enough. He probably just wanted to follow Lion Asteri’s directives to the letter.

“Keuk… Hahaha.”

Urheel clutched his midsection as a burst of laughter escaped him.

A complicated fellow indeed—simultaneously difficult and surprisingly simple.

‘I have no idea what that spirit master did to turn the guy into this.’

Regardless, thanks to Lion Asteri, he finally had a clear direction forward.

“I’m still rather unfamiliar with the layout around here, so would you mind walking with me? Senior.”

“……!!”

At the precise title of “Senior,” Barg’s face flared bright red as he whipped his head around.

The tail he had fought so hard to keep under wraps this time betrayed him completely, shooting straight up into the air.

And…

“Looks like everything worked out nicely. Young Master.”

Lion, who had observed the entire exchange via Elvia’s scrying magic, wore a deeply satisfied smile.