Chapter 556: A Hectic Morning

If possible, I’d really like them to start using the new weapon first thing tomorrow morning. I want them to test how it feels in actual use, to get a proper sense of its handling, and then finally complete it as a true automatic magic stone pulverizer.

To do that, there’s no avoiding it—we need to actually put this magical device into use.

“I don’t think it’s time for a bath just yet, so I’m going to head to the indoor training hall for a bit.”

“Shouldn’t you be resting as well, Julius-sama? You’ve been telling everyone who was crushing magic stones the same thing over and over, haven’t you?”

“Ugh, Fabienne, you really do know how to hit me where it hurts. All right, I get it. Let’s call it a day here.”

I don’t want to be disliked by my beloved Fabienne, after all. And when she says something like that, it’s obviously because she’s worried about me. There’s no way I can just ignore that concern. In that case, I’ll gratefully spend the time until the bath flirting and relaxing with Fabienne instead.

After sending Nero and Lionel back to their room, I turned on the gramophone. I’m glad I had the foresight to prepare some moody music as well. Truly, I impress even myself sometimes.

The next morning, as soon as breakfast was finished, we headed straight for the indoor training hall. Naturally, the goal was to finish the automatic magic stone pulverizer and deploy it in real conditions.

It was still early, so no one else was around. Perfect. We could get the work done before anyone noticed.

“First things first, we need to secure it. I’ll make a base around here with earth magic.”

Stone pushed up from the ground with a dull rumble, and I firmly fixed the magical device in place. Now it wouldn’t wriggle and creep around like it had last night. Next came setting the magic stone itself.

I examined the magic stones scattered around the workshop one by one, searching for something shaped as close as possible to a pestle. This one looks promising.

“Next, I do this… then like this. All right, it’s done.”

“So this is the finished form. You put the small magic stones into this ball-shaped part and turn on the switch, and then this section starts moving with a grinding motion, correct? …Is it really safe?”

“It’s fine. I figured yesterday’s movement was a bit too dangerous, so I slowed it down.”

When I said that, Fabienne’s expression visibly relaxed. Seeing how it had moved last night must have genuinely frightened her. And honestly, she wasn’t wrong—it had been dangerous. Efficiency might drop a little, but that’s acceptable. Safety comes first. Safety check: all clear.

As a test, I placed a small magic stone inside and flipped the switch. The magic stone hammer began moving with a steady rhythm—gak, gak, gak. Yeah, it seems to be working just fine.

But then, unfortunately, I noticed another issue.

“You know, I was thinking… wouldn’t crushing magic stones be easier as a standing task?”

“That does seem likely. If one works while seated for long periods, it could damage the lower back.”

Lionel said this with a distant look in his eyes, as though speaking from personal experience. He’s not exactly young anymore, after all. Retirement might still be a ways off, but his body knows its limits.

Since it wouldn’t do for everyone to end up with bad backs, I decided to create a table using earth magic so the work could be done standing up. With a wave of magic, a sturdy table took shape in no time at all.

“That should do it. Standing work is fully supported now. So, how’s the magical device holding up?”

I stopped the device and checked inside. A very small amount of magic stone powder had already formed. If we ran this through a sieve, we’d be able to extract the powder efficiently. For now, no problems. And then—yet another concern arose.

“Inhaling the powder might be dangerous.”

“In that case, let’s have everyone wrap a towel around their mouth. We can prepare those right away.”

“That sounds good. Then we should ask Sophia-sama immediately.”

After finishing the experiment, we headed straight to Sophia-sama. It must have been a busy time of morning for her, yet she responded without delay.

“An automatic magic stone pulverizer? When did you even make something like that… truly, as expected of Julius-sama. Very well. I’ll have towels prepared at once. Once I’ve finished my duties for the morning, I’ll come see it myself.”

“Thank you very much. Then we’ll take our leave for now.”

Once again, we hurried back to the indoor training hall. Busy, busy. In hindsight, I should have left someone stationed there. That was a mistake.

By the time we arrived, people had already gathered. What they were surrounding was, of course, the magical device I had made—and the stone table that had somehow been set up alongside it.

“Julius-sama! What in the world is this?”

“This is an automatic magic stone pulverizer. And this table was created with magic so everyone can work while standing. Sitting for too long might damage your backs, you see.”

“An automatic magic stone pulverizer…”

“Made with magic…”

They stood there in a daze, but that’s nothing new. I tell myself it’s the usual thing. Don’t stop. Keep moving. Like a tuna—always swimming, or else you die. Whatever happens, happens. I’ve achieved enlightenment. Possibly the kind of enlightenment one really shouldn’t reach, but still.

“Sophia-sama will be sending towels shortly. From now on, please wrap them around your mouths while working, so you don’t inhale the magic stone powder. This is how you use the automatic magic stone pulverizer.”

When I flipped the switch and the machine began its steady gak-gak-gak motion, a wave of astonished murmurs rose from the crowd. The noise wasn’t too loud, either. All things considered, the working environment was going to improve significantly.

I instructed them that after running the pulverizer for a certain amount of time, they should sieve the contents to extract the magic stone powder.

“I’ll come by later to ask how it feels to use this device. When I do, please don’t hold back—tell me any problems you notice. I’ll use that feedback to create the final version.”

“Huh? Isn’t this already the finished product?”

“He’s still aiming higher… truly as expected of Julius-sama.”

“We are not worthy, we are not worthy.”

There seem to be a lot of opinions, but I’ll gather those later. Next, I need to head over to the gardeners. Busy as ever. And also—stop worshipping me.