Chapter 554: A Stroll Through the Castle

“Ah, I see—you intend to use it as fertilizer, is that right? In that case, we might be able to make it together with the gardeners.”

“I think asking the forest spirits for their cooperation is a wonderful idea. If the spirits were to appear, I’m sure everyone would feel much more reassured.”

Good, good. Fabienne and Nero both seem receptive to the plan. Lionel is nodding along as well. For now, this strategy should work just fine. Honestly, I should have done this from the beginning. Trying to think everything through on my own was the problem. When we think together, there’s nothing to fear. Nothing at all. Wahaha.

Tomorrow, when I go to see the gardeners, I’ll casually bring up the topic of fertilizer. I’ll ask what kinds of materials they usually use, pick out anything that seems promising, and then create a new potion from those ingredients.

Ah—though I have to be careful not to push the idea of a magic potion too strongly. The main focus must be the fertilizer. The potion is just an extra, an added bonus.

That settles my objectives for tomorrow. There’s still time before dinner, and since things have been hectic lately, I think I’ll spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing with Fabienne.

“Fabienne, would you like to take a stroll around the castle together? Ah—if you’re tired, it’s perfectly fine to say so.”

“I rested my legs well during the tea gathering earlier, so I’m quite all right.”

“Then let’s head out for a bit. Would you mind guiding the way?”

I turned to Nero and Lionel. Wandering around aimlessly would be fine, but if we were going to walk, I’d prefer somewhere at least a little novel.

The two of them paused to think, but quickly suggested a few places worth seeing.

First, we decided to head up to the castle rooftop. I’d wanted to climb one of the spires as well, but that was apparently out of the question. Maybe they’re used as prisons for high-ranking nobles? Or something equally unpleasant.

“Oh wow—from here, you can see the entire royal capital. Oh, there’s a huge clock tower over there. I hadn’t noticed it before.”

“There aren’t many tall buildings besides that clock tower, are there? Looking down from here feels almost like flying through the sky.”

There’s nothing blocking the view, after all. I can see why it feels that way. Nero and Lionel were gazing out over the scenery as well, clearly enjoying themselves.

Contrary to my expectations, the rooftop was completely bare.

I’d assumed there would be tables and chairs set up—some sort of resting area. Drinking tea while admiring this view would have been lovely, or so I thought.

Just as that idea crossed my mind, a sudden, powerful gust of wind slammed into us.

“Kyah!”

I hurriedly caught Fabienne as she staggered from the force of it. My palm met a soft sensation—but no, I didn’t touch anything inappropriate. Thank you very much.

“Are you all right?”

“My apologies… I didn’t expect such a sudden gust…”

“I think I understand now why there’s nothing placed up here.”

With winds like this, resting would be impossible. Anything set on a table would end in complete disaster. Such a shame, given how breathtaking the view is. Thinking that, we left the rooftop behind.

Our next destination was the library. I’d assumed that foreigners wouldn’t be allowed inside without special permission, but we were admitted without issue. It seems Lady Sophia had anticipated this and made arrangements in advance.

Inside, we also saw alchemists hard at work. They must have been tasked by Lady Sophia as well—to restore the greenery.

In this world, alchemists primarily create potions that affect the human body: healing wounds and illnesses, restoring mana, that sort of thing.

Because of that, potions meant to nurture plants are likely unexplored territory. That’s why they’re here, researching in the library.

In the Heine Frontier Count’s Territory, Fabienne’s all-purpose plant nutrient is slowly spreading, but overall, this field is still in its infancy.

“Let’s look around quietly, so we don’t disturb them.”

“Yes… Still, there are so many books here.”

“As expected of the royal castle’s library. It looks dozens of times larger than the archives at House Heine. It almost feels wasteful that only a limited few can use it.”

“Books are precious, after all. Losing them would be a terrible thing.”

Every book in this world is handwritten. Producing even a single volume requires tremendous effort. Unless a book is guaranteed to sell, it likely won’t be made at all. There’s even a profession dedicated solely to copying manuscripts.

If books were to reach more people, movable-type printing would be essential. If such a thing could be created as a magical device, it would undoubtedly revolutionize this world. Perhaps someone, somewhere, is already working on it.

When I return to the Heine Frontier Count’s Territory, should I suggest building a library in the capital? No—before that, we’d need a magical device capable of producing books. For now, it’ll have to wait.

There was also a section of the library reserved for forbidden books. Naturally, we weren’t allowed inside. A bit disappointing.

“Books one must never read… what could possibly be written in them?”

“Hm… perhaps ancient beliefs now deemed heretical, or dangerous spells that shouldn’t be used.”

There might also be indecent books tucked away in there. There were some mixed into House Heine’s forbidden collection, after all. Not something I can tell Fabienne. If anything, that category made up a surprisingly large portion. Maybe this is a collection amassed by generations of kings.

Leaving the forbidden section behind, Fabienne and I picked out a few books that caught our interest and read together. The library seems to be freely accessible, so perhaps I’ll visit from time to time. Fabienne looked especially eager, her eyes shining as she took in the shelves of books.

She might really love reading. Maybe I’ll give her a book as a gift someday.

Before I knew it, Nero informed us that it was almost time for dinner. The hours had flown by.

Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to borrow any books. With Fabienne looking slightly regretful, we left the library together. We’ll come back again—together.