Kays Translations

Chapter 201: A New Magic-Tool Flag?

The next morning, as soon as breakfast was over, I wrote a letter to Princess Daniela. It was about the time frame for improving the icehouse that I had discussed with Axel and Ijidol yesterday. If it only needed to be finished by the end of the social season, I could take my time with it.

But if they wanted it done quickly, I would have to put my swordsmanship and magic training on hold for a while and work on it instead. It all depended on what His Majesty the King wanted. I really should get instructions from above on this.

“What do you two do in the mornings, Axel and Ijidol?”

“I suppose I help around the house,” Ijidol said.

“I look after my younger brother and sister,” Axel said. “Mornings seem to be busy. If I don't keep an eye on them, my mother apparently can't settle down and finish the morning tidying up.”

I see. I suppose that's how it is in an ordinary household. They don't have washing machines or vacuum cleaners yet, after all. …Should I make them? The three sacred household appliances. No, better not. If I stand out any more than I already do, I really might end up being turned into a magic-tool maker.

“If washing and cleaning were easier, it'd make things a lot easier for my mother too,” Axel said, stealing glances at me as he spoke.

“I'm not making a washing machine or a vacuum cleaner, okay?!”

“Oh, you've already decided what to call them.”

Ijidol said that in his usual easy-going manner. He had certainly loosened up a lot. That was much better than having him tense all the time, but that was quite the slack expression he was wearing. My own face was probably twisted in bewilderment right now.

“Maybe I'll make them someday if I feel like it. But right now, this is the part where I focus on the icehouse in front of me.”

“I can't wait for that day. My mother will be happy.”

Was he doing it on purpose, or was it just coincidence? Axel was really backing me into a corner here. Our servants did all the housework at home, so I had held back because I thought it would be wrong to take their work away from them, but perhaps there were a lot of people who were struggling with it.

Just as I finished the letter and was taking a breather, Brother Alex arrived. Coming to the royal castle this early in the morning meant he must have been quite worried about me. Don't worry. I got through the night without anything happening.

“Good morning, Brother.”

“Good morning, Julius. Good morning to you too, Axel and Ijidol. It looks like nothing went wrong.”

“Good morning. Nothing happened.”

Brother Alex smiled and nodded at their reply. The fact that he didn't ask me directly was rather nasty of him. More importantly, though, he had arrived at exactly the right time.

“Brother, could you give this letter to Princess Daniela for me? I wrote about how long the icehouse improvements are supposed to take.”

“How long? Ah, I see. You want to know whether it's urgent or not. All right. I'll make sure Princess Daniela receives it.”

What I did next would depend on her reply. Would Axel and Ijidol be disappointed if I stopped attending training for a while?

Oh, right. Once the Panacea was finished, I could also use my mornings to work on the icehouse. That was something worth considering.

For the moment, I decided to spend today as usual. Axel and Ijidol would apparently stay with me until the end of the morning. If they went home now, they'd only be made to help around the house, and going back and forth between home and the castle several times somehow felt like a waste to them.

“Well then, Brother, we're going to the compounding room. We haven't received any reports, so I don't think anything has gone wrong.”

“Then I'll go with you. I've been wanting to see how things are going at least once. Oh, perhaps I should invite Princess Daniela too.”

“I'd advise against that. The smell isn't very pleasant.”

When I said that, Axel and Ijidol's faces scrunched up. They must have remembered that peculiar smell. Brother Alex seemed to understand from their expressions and gave a wry smile.

I took Brother Alex to the compounding room, and sure enough, the unpleasant smell was still there.

“Good morning. Have there been any problems?”

“Good morning, Julius-sensei. Nothing has gone wrong, but taking turns with the work has been a little…”

“Everyone is reluctant to hand over their shift?”

“Yes.”

What was I going to do with them? Their enthusiasm was a good thing, but it sounded as though the people who were supposed to be resting were staying in the compounding room instead. At this point, I ought to have them submit to a proper shift schedule.

I couldn't put any more burden on everyone, so I went around to each team myself and recorded how long each individual had been working. I see. I more or less understood the situation now.

“Since none of you seem willing to rest on your own, I'm going to make you rest. The first people whose names I call are to sleep in the rest room next door. The next people I call are to take a bath and then eat.”

I continued giving them detailed instructions like that. The royal magic pharmacists obediently followed every order I gave. Was that really all right? Well, I supposed it was. Maybe I should have appointed a leader for each team. I would try that next time.

Brother Alex watched me briskly hand out instructions, nodding as though impressed. Um, could you not look at me like that? It's making me uncomfortable…

Once I had finished giving instructions, I decided to take a breather. I couldn't exactly keep Brother Alex in a room filled with that peculiar smell forever.

When I mentioned taking a break, Brother Alex led us to a common room that looked as though only very high-ranking nobles were allowed to use it. While the three of us boys sat huddled over our tea, Princess Daniela arrived.

Well, that was about what I expected. Axel and Ijidol's backs immediately snapped straight.

“I heard you wished to speak with me.”

“I'm sorry to trouble you when you're busy, Your Highness.”

“It's quite all right. I'm happy that you've begun to rely on me.”

She must have meant it sincerely. Princess Daniela gave me a gentle smile, and I handed her the letter. When she finished reading it, she passed it to Brother Alex, who was sitting beside her.

“I'll ask His Majesty about this. He didn't seem to be in any particular hurry, so I don't think you need to worry.”

“I see. That's a relief. Thank you.”

It looked as though I wouldn't need to cut into my training time after all. Axel and Ijidol seemed to realise the same thing and both breathed sighs of relief. Did they really want to train with me that badly? Come to think of it, I only trained with them during the social season. There wasn't all that much time left.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter