Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing

“Why is he here?”

Leon was quite taken aback. He never expected to run into Richel in the Mimir Forest, of all places—not at the mansion, but here?

“Did he come to see me?”

But why?

Sure, Leon and Richel were blood-related siblings, but that didn’t mean they sought each other out, played together, or engaged in idle chatter.

If anything…

“If I had to put it into words, we were indifferent?”

Looking back through his memories, Leon recalled that no matter how sick he was from mana shock or how much others treated him like an oddity, Richel always maintained a composed, detached stance.

On the rare occasions they met, Richel did offer him the respect due to an elder brother—but that was it.

“Well, ‘Leon’ had accepted it too.”

The previous Leon had been extremely frail.

He had spent his days desperately searching for a cure for his inability to sense mana, and when he wasn’t doing that, he was confined to his sickbed. There was never a chance to bond with his younger brother.

To sum it up, they were siblings who simply never had the time to grow close.

As Leon calmly organized his thoughts, Richel, who had locked eyes with him, stiffened.

“How am I supposed to explain this?”

More accurately, how could he explain it in a way that wouldn’t make his brother misunderstand?

Richel was well aware that he and Leon were not particularly close.

His elder brother, born into a prestigious magical lineage, lacked the essential talent for mana.

Meanwhile, he himself—though it felt immodest to say—had been born with exceptional talent, earning the recognition as the rightful heir to the family.

With such a gap between them, distance was inevitable.

But that didn’t mean he disliked or disregarded his brother.

On the contrary, he had always admired the way Leon refused to give up, constantly trying new things to overcome his hopeless situation.

“It’s just unfortunate that his efforts always ended in failure.”

If he could, he would have gladly stepped in to help. But as Leon’s younger brother, there were limits to what he could do.

Had he acted too hastily, their fragile relationship might have shattered completely.

That was why he had stayed back—until finally, Grandmother Sylvia had created an opportunity for him to be here.

And yet—

“No, but seriously, why is he trying to eat that?”

Richel’s gaze fell upon the rough, tangled roots and the uneven patch of dirt where a peculiar underground crop had been unearthed.

“…First of all, I apologize for using magic without permission, Brother. But still, you shouldn’t eat something covered in dirt.”

“…I think there’s a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding? Do you even know what that is before you eat it?”

“…It’s a sweet potato?”

“A sweet potato… You mean a starchy root vegetable?”

Well, technically, yes.

But I’ve never heard someone phrase it like that before.

Leon rarely found himself at a loss for words, but Richel had managed to do just that.

Leon glanced at the partially crushed sweet potato.

Sure, the skin looked a little different, but anyone could tell it was a sweet potato.

And sweet potatoes…

Weren’t they an incredibly versatile food?

They could be roasted, mashed into a creamy mousse for salads and cakes, or even used to brew alcohol.

Rather than thinking of them as plants, wasn’t it more natural to think of them as food?

“Now that I think about it…”

Leon combed through his memories. While he had certainly eaten well-prepared dishes, he had never roasted a sweet potato himself.

Which meant…

“Richel, don’t tell me you’ve never tried one?”

This delicious thing?

“…Excuse me?”

Richel’s expression subtly shifted.

As if saying, ‘Why would I eat that?’

Not in the sense of a noble looking down on commoner food, but rather, a genuine, ‘Why? What even is that?’ confusion.

“Wow, this won’t do.”

Leon made up his mind.

Even if they weren’t particularly close, not knowing the taste of sweet potatoes was a serious loss in life.

“Don’t just stand there—come and sit down.”

“Are you sure it’s alright for me to join you?”

“Of course.”

Leon gestured toward the tree root where he had set aside his coat.

“Sit here and wait.”

“Thank you.”

Once he confirmed that Richel had seated himself, Leon turned back and resumed digging the soil with his hoe.

“…Why exactly are you harvesting sweet potatoes?”

“Just wait a moment.”

As Leon dug through the dirt, the moist inner soil surfaced, forming a small mound.

At first, it looked like simple child’s play. But upon closer inspection, there was a method to his actions.

He carefully dug, extracting the sweet potatoes without damaging them.

And when he pulled out an especially large one, his face lit up with an unmistakable satisfaction.

“…If you know fire magic, can you start a small campfire? I already gathered some firewood.”

“…Understood.”

Starting a fire was a trivial task. Richel cast a small fire spell, igniting the firewood.

With a whoosh, the flames flared up nicely.

Now left with nothing else to do, Richel could only watch Leon.

“Does he enjoy playing in the dirt?”

Truthfully, he couldn’t understand why Leon was doing this.

And wasn’t that tool in his hand a blade?

What if he accidentally cut himself?

Wasn’t Leon naturally clumsy?

Maybe he should stop him before something happened—

…Just as he was about to speak—

“All done.”

Leon, with a pile of sweet potatoes in his arms, casually dusted off the dirt and tossed them directly into the fire.

“…”

“Now, we just wait for them to cook.”

“Won’t they burn like that?”

“They’re fine. The thick skin protects the inside.”

“I see.”

Richel, who had little knowledge of sweet potatoes, accepted the explanation without question.

He had many doubts, but they would all be answered in time.

Crackle— Crackle—

Richel silently watched as the flames flickered around the sweet potatoes.

There was no conversation, yet it wasn’t awkward.

Perhaps because the fire filled the silence with its own presence.

Or maybe because the constantly shifting flames were mesmerizing.

He glanced at Leon, who was also staring at the fire with a vacant expression.

Then, as if speaking to himself, Leon murmured:

“Running is important, but resting is too.”

“…”

Richel tilted his head.

He wasn’t sure what leon was talking about.

Was he saying this because he looked exhausted?

“It must have been harder for Lord Father, but my sick brother had it worse.”

Richel thought so.

How could he claim to be struggling when his body was perfectly healthy, and all he had to do was study?

Leon spoke again.

“Sometimes, doing something different from your usual routine helps clear your mind.”

“Hmm…”

Richel sat in front of the campfire, silently watching the flames.

It was certainly an unfamiliar act—doing absolutely nothing, simply staring at the fire with no real purpose.

And yet, the warmth of the flames gently illuminating his face… was honestly quite nice.

“I think I understand what you’re saying.”

“It’s also something that’s hard to put into practice.”

Leon was likely referring to how difficult it was to avoid thinking about work while resting.

“Is he… worried about me?”

It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.

As he continued watching the fire in silence, time passed, and soon, the pleasant, smoky scent of roasted sweet potatoes began to fill the air.

“They should be done now.”

Leon used a branch to pull the banana sweet potatoes from the fire, let them cool slightly, and placed one in Richel’s hands.

“Here.”

“Thank you.”

Truthfully, Richel didn’t want to hold something that had been in the dirt. But considering his brother’s gesture—

“Hm?”

It was in much better condition than expected.

The sweet potato was still warm to the touch, but it wasn’t dirty or covered in dust.

In fact, it was so clean and glossy that it almost looked like it had been washed before roasting.

“Here, you peel it like this.”

Leon expertly peeled back the skin, revealing the golden, steaming flesh inside.

Immediately, a rich, sweet aroma filled the air, tickling Richel’s nose.

The scent alone was enough to stir his appetite.

“It actually smells… really good.”

Even so, he hesitated to take a bite.

Just as he was debating whether to eat it—

Leon casually took a bite first!

“Mmm. It’s good.”

The soft, steaming inside looked fluffy, even at a glance.

Watching Leon eat so naturally, the roasted sweet potato seemed even more appetizing.

He had the odd feeling that if he didn’t eat now, he’d be missing out on something.

“…I’ll try it too.”

Without realizing it, Richel carefully took a small bite.

Normally, he would have had a chef inspect the food for harmful substances and eaten it with a fork and knife at the dining table.

But now—

“…!”

As soon as the sweet potato entered his mouth, he was hit with an unexpected taste.

Soft and sweet—almost like cake.

But unlike cake, it wasn’t overwhelmingly sugary.

At the same time, a strange sense of liberation washed over him.

It felt like a prejudice had been broken, setting him free in some way.

Richel had always lived an orderly, structured life.

He had to take on the heir’s responsibilities in Leon’s place.

Because of that, he had never experienced anything particularly joyful—or sorrowful, for that matter.

Even when Grandmother Sylvia announced she was leaving, he only felt mild regret.

His naturally reserved nature as a mage made him more inclined to be indifferent.

But now…

“Could this be… enjoyable?”

He had always known how hard his brother had fought to survive.

No matter how much others called Leon an oddity, their family knew—deep down, to a painful degree—just how hard he had tried.

And so, in this moment, the sweetness of the sweet potato felt all the richer.

“The taste of life.”

Was that what his brother wanted to show him?

“…It’s delicious.”

“Right? This is a banana sweet potato.”

Leon grinned at Richel’s reaction.

As expected—he knew Richel would enjoy it.

“Of course, he’d be moved by it.”

Sweet potatoes were perfect for this kind of weather.

Asteria’s climate was generally mild, but it still had chilly seasons.

And the forest, being darker and windier, was especially cold.

In times like these, what kind of food would people crave?

Sweet potatoes and fish-shaped pastries, of course!

He couldn’t make fish-shaped pastries just yet, but these banana sweet potatoes—sweeter and tastier than regular ones—were more than enough.

The natural combination of sweetness and nuttiness—

People might get tired of eating too many, but it was nearly impossible for someone to dislike them on their first try.

And besides…

“No matter how composed he is, at his age, he must eat a lot.”

Sure enough, Richel was now devouring the sweet potatoes with impressive enthusiasm.

Watching him, Leon was reminded of his school days.

Breakfast, snacks, lunch—

And even after that, sneaking out to buy bread and drinks.

That still wasn’t enough, so he would cook ramen after school, too.

“There’s no way this wouldn’t taste good.”

As expected, Richel, almost entranced, finished his first sweet potato.

Leon swiftly handed him another.

And then another.

And after eating his third—

“Huh?!”

Richel suddenly froze.

“Did… did I really eat this much?”

He only remembered his dignity and sense of propriety after devouring the sweet potatoes.

“….”

Leon chuckled.

“Looks like you enjoyed it.”

“…Yes.”

There was no room for denial.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Richel decided to answer honestly.

Leon handed him a bottle of water and casually plopped down on the ground, leaning back against a thick tree trunk.

“This wasn’t so bad, right?”

“…It really wasn’t.”

Once he allowed himself to enjoy it, being honest came more naturally.

For a while, Richel silently added dry branches to the fire.

Then, after a long pause, he spoke.

“Thank you for the sweet potatoes.”

“No need to thank me. What kind of older brother wouldn’t do at least this much for his little brother?”

“….”

Leon patted Richel’s back lightly.

“You’ve worked hard all this time.”