Kays Translations

Chapter 430: Seal Their Lips Quickly

There was little point in sharing a bath if we remained divided into separate groups. A bath should be enjoyable and relaxing. With the ease born of experience, I moved to sit beside Fabienne. Everyone was already accustomed to seeing us together, so there should be no problem.

“Did you enjoy our date today?”

“Yes. I enjoyed it very much.”

“I’m glad. Let’s go again soon. There are still plenty of places in the territorial capital that we haven’t visited.”

When I looked towards Nero, he nodded vigorously, as if to say, Leave it to me. Excellent. He apparently had not only a second plan but third and fourth ones as well. There was still plenty for us to enjoy in the Mulan Marquisate.

“Julius, do you know anything about the event Marquis Mulan described earlier?”

Axel had moved closer to our side of the bath and asked the question immediately, revealing just how concerned he was. Caro was watching me too. Since both of them clearly wanted the truth, I decided to answer honestly—and then seal everyone’s lips.

“Oh, that. I used magic to make it rain, then created a wind to dry everyone.”

Axel and Caro both wore expressions that said, I knew it. Fabienne, unsurprisingly, seemed to have guessed already. She gave me a troubled smile and furrowed her brow, but did not scold me. Apparently, I had been forgiven.

“I never imagined you were using wind magic too.”

“Huh? Did Ijidol already know?”

“Yes. I saw you using magic to make it rain.”

“Oh, so that’s why you made that face when the story came up.”

Remembering the scene, Caro nodded several times. Something still puzzled me. Had none of them suspected that I was responsible? Was I really regarded as the sort of person who might casually produce a miracle on that scale?

“Then Marquis and Marchioness Mulan were mistaken when they said it was the work of the gods?”

“Yes, apparently so.”

Axel asked while looking towards Caro, and she answered thoughtfully with one hand beneath her chin. Axel’s gaze kept drifting towards Caro’s chest. It was fairly obvious. What was I supposed to do about that? I had created something rather sinful. Hopefully, they would become accustomed to the swimsuits soon.

“Given the way they spoke, the story may already be spreading as a miracle from the gods.”

“Yes. At this point, you can hardly announce that you were responsible.”

I smiled at Ijidol, and his face stiffened. The bath fell completely silent. Axel was the first to recover, although his mouth moved soundlessly for several moments.

“I thought you confessed far too easily. Now that you’ve told us, none of us can reveal the truth.”

“Exactly. Let’s all keep it secret.”

“Julius, that was your plan from the beginning, wasn’t it?”

“You noticed?”

Everyone burst out laughing when I answered Ijidol. Good. My use of magic should remain secret. I trusted everyone, but anyone could accidentally let something slip. It was safer to make certain they understood the need for silence.

“Julius, do you think I could make it rain with magic too?”

“It’s an application of Water Shower, so you should be able to manage it with practice.”

“That’s the spell we used during the outdoor bath, right? I see—that was the prototype. If I cast it upwards, it should create rain over the area.”

Ijidol immediately sank into thought. When magic was involved, he became so focused that he lost awareness of his surroundings. He was probably the person most likely to say something carelessly. It might be wise to have someone watch him.

I looked at Axel, and he nodded in agreement. That should be sufficient.

“What wind magic did you use to dry everyone?”

“It was merely the spell I use to dry hair. I cast it from a distance over a much larger area.”

“I-I see. You can do something like that as well, Julius-sama?”

Fabienne looked slightly taken aback. Had I gone too far? It might be best to avoid using magic across such long distances or wide areas. Fortunately, I was unlikely to need that kind of spell again unless something similar happened.

Afterwards, we discussed sightseeing destinations and cream puffs until we finished bathing.

Ijidol insisted on joining our next outing. Apparently, he feared missing another delicious meal. I was certain he would only get in the way. Caro and Axel both looked equally uncertain.

After the bath, I dried Fabienne’s and Mira’s hair with wind magic, and everyone gathered around us. House Mulan already had cold-and-warm-air blower magic tools, so nobody should have needed my help, but…

“Julius, teach me that spell too.”

“U-Um, could you dry my hair as well? Fabienne and Mira-chan look as though they’re really enjoying it.”

“You’re certainly popular, Julius.”

Axel sounded faintly exasperated. After quickly drying his hair with magic, I began teaching Ijidol the spell while drying Caro’s hair as well.

Ijidol had been improving his mana control, but he still struggled to produce weak magic. On top of that, the spell required him to use fire and wind magic simultaneously, which made it especially difficult.

“I’ve never considered using two kinds of magic at the same time.”

“Really? Some combinations produce interesting effects.”

“Julius, tell me more.”

“O-Okay.”

Ijidol leaned so close that our faces nearly touched. Seen from the wrong angle, we might have appeared to share a rather unusual relationship. Still, I was surprised that he had never considered combining spells. Perhaps teaching him about simultaneous magic was unwise. I should research the subject properly before explaining more, although I had already taught him the hair-drying spell.

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