Kays Translations

Chapter 406: Taking a Breather

“It seems that the Forest Wolves that emerged from the forest have been subjugated, but do we know why they all came out from the depths at once?”

“We are still investigating. The Eastern Margrave is leading the search of the forest, but the area is vast, so identifying the cause will take time.”

I had to hold back the urge to say, Wait a minute. This doesn’t sound safe at all, does it? There’s a good chance something similar could happen again.

The Marquis of Mulan must have noticed my anxious expression because he added:

“It’s unlikely that such a large number of Forest Wolves will emerge from the forest all at once again. A considerable number of them have already been subjugated. I find it hard to believe that the same number of Forest Wolves are still lurking in the depths. This isn’t just my opinion—the Eastern Margrave thinks the same.”

“On our way here, we passed through a village that had been attacked by Forest Wolves. Fortunately, we arrived in time, so there wasn’t much damage, but…”

“I see. I’ll have it checked immediately. It seems that some Forest Wolves managed to escape subjugation. I’ll order an increase in security.”

For now, that seemed to be all that could be done. It appeared that the Marquis of Mulan and his people were prioritising the recovery of the affected areas over identifying the cause of the incident. This region was a key point for distribution, so that might have been the right decision. After all, halting the country’s logistics was not an option.

That being the case, I needed to be extra cautious in my surroundings. If I wandered outside carelessly, I might encounter a Forest Wolf. Well, even if I did, it wouldn’t be much of an issue. I would simply blow them away with magic.

After asking a few more questions, I was shown to the room assigned to me. To my surprise, it was a room for two, and I would be sharing it with Fabienne. Mira would naturally be staying with us as well.

There was also an inner door leading to the adjoining room shared by Nero, Giles and Christopher. If Fabienne and I made too much noise, those three would undoubtedly come rushing in.

“After we take a short break, let’s go check out the alchemy room. From what we heard earlier, it seems like they’ve prepared it for us.”

“They went out of their way to prepare a room for us. I feel a little guilty about it.”

“I don’t think we need to worry about that. It just means they have high expectations of us. Since the Marquis of Mulan went through the trouble of setting things up, we should make good use of it.”

“That’s true.”

As we talked, someone knocked on the inner door. Nero entered when I answered. Surely he was not checking whether Fabienne and I were doing anything improper? Mira was sitting on Fabienne’s lap, after all, and tilted their head when I glanced at them.

“Julius-sama, what would you like to do about your schedule after this? Lionel-sama has requested that you personally oversee the delivery of the magic potions.”

Why did I need to oversee it? Wouldn’t it be enough to just deliver them and say, The rest is up to you? When I looked at Fabienne, she tilted her head in confusion as well. So, she thought the same.

I must have let my doubt show on my face because Nero continued:

“Lionel-sama wants you to personally see how the magic potions you created are evaluated by the Mulan Marquisate.”

“If Lionel is insisting that much, then I’ll go along with it. From what you’re saying, there are still injured people, right? I suppose we should handle that first. After that, we’ll head to the alchemy room.”

“Understood.”

“Alright then, Nero, let Lionel know that we’re ready to go anytime.”

“As you wish.”

Nero bowed and returned through the inner door. We would wait until Lionel arrived. In the meantime, I brushed Mira’s belly with their special brush, and they looked thoroughly pleased.

While Fabienne and I were doting on Mira, someone knocked at the outer door. Nero called from the other side, and when I opened it, Lionel was with him.

“My apologies for disturbing you while you’re relaxing, Julius-sama.”

“I don’t mind. I was actually thinking that I should explore this mansion sometime soon.”

Lionel led us through the mansion. I had told Fabienne she could remain in our room, but she chose to accompany me, and Mira naturally came as well. I only hoped no gravely injured patients would trigger Fabienne’s trauma. If there were any, I would do everything possible to shield her from the sight.

“These are the quarters used by House Mulan’s knights.”

“That’s impressive. A part of the mansion is used as a knight’s station?”

“Yes. Our numbers are limited, after all.”

I had heard that House Mulan maintained only a small knight order. They must have been barely able to protect the highways. Then again, monsters had previously been rare in this region, so the arrangement was understandable. The Adventurers’ Guild probably supplemented their numbers.

Lionel knocked, and the door opened almost immediately. A man in his forties stood beyond it, wearing silver armour decorated with gold. From the way the others addressed him, I realised he was the commander of House Mulan’s knights.

“We have been expecting you. According to Lady Caro, House Heine’s magic potions are quite different from those normally sold here.”

“They certainly are different. I brought them hoping they might be of some help. Please feel free to use them.”

House Heine’s knights placed a wooden chest on the table. The supply should prevent any immediate shortage; meanwhile, I needed to establish a local system for producing more magic potions.

“Um, would it be alright if we used them right away? There’s a knight who’s injured but refuses to drink a magic potion, which is quite troublesome.”

The knight commander of the Mulan Marquisate gave a wry smile. He probably understood that feeling well. It seemed he was reluctant to force the knight to drink the potion.

Apparently, this region still used those disgustingly bitter old-formula potions.

“Of course, go right ahead.”

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