Chapter 613: Currently Laying the Groundwork Behind the Scenes 

On the way back to the mansion from the site where the future clover field would be established, I decided to stop by the medicinal herb garden.

I should gather any mana grass that was ready for harvest while I had the chance.

I was going to need a great deal of it soon, after all.

“Hm.”

I swept my gaze across the rows of carefully cultivated herbs.

“There seems to be less than I expected.”

Apparently, the garden was being maintained properly.

“It looks like everyone has been harvesting diligently.”

“It would seem so.”

Nero nodded.

“What shall we do?”

“For now, let’s collect whatever is ready.”

As I inspected the state of the herb garden, I simultaneously gathered ingredients for potion-making.

There didn’t seem to be any problems.

The amount of fertilizer being used also appeared appropriate.

Too much fertilizer was never a good thing.

Once we’d finished gathering materials, we headed straight for the alchemy workshop.

The royal court alchemists were already hard at work when we arrived.

“Good morning.”

I greeted them as I entered.

“I stopped by the herb garden and brought back some materials.”

“Ah, Julius-sama, good morning.”

One of the alchemists smiled warmly.

“Do you require any ingredients? If so, please help yourself. They originally belonged to you, after all.”

“Thank you.”

I returned the smile.

“I’m planning to make a somewhat unusual fertilizer.”

There was a good chance I would eventually need these people to produce it as well.

With that in mind, I decided to explain the new fertilizer and the outline of the potion I intended to create.

Naturally, I made them promise not to discuss it with anyone else for the time being.

“I see.”

One of the alchemists stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“A potion that grants the light attribute…”

His eyes widened with understanding.

“If such a potion existed, there would be far less need to gather silver weapons.”

“Exactly.”

I nodded.

“Silver is already valuable as a decorative material.”

“And forging weapons from it requires enormous quantities of silver.”

The other alchemists exchanged glances.

Clearly, they had their own thoughts regarding silver weapons.

That made sense.

The amount of silver required to equip even a modest military force was absurd.

If I remembered correctly, even the handles of those weapons were often made entirely of silver.

The expense alone was staggering.

“But Holy Clover…”

Another alchemist muttered the unfamiliar name.

“I’ve never heard of such a material before.”

His expression filled with admiration.

“As expected of the great Margaret-sama. To think she possessed knowledge of something so obscure.”

The other alchemists nodded in agreement.

Hearing them praise Grandmother made me feel slightly guilty.

After all, I was shamelessly borrowing her name.

Sorry, Grandma.

Still, if it were her, she would probably just give me a wry smile and let it slide.

After all, I was her most treasured disciple.

Or at least, I’d like to believe so.

“Would it truly be acceptable to use mana grass for cultivating Holy Clover?”

“Of course.”

I answered immediately.

“There shouldn’t be any issues. The knight order should still have a sufficient stockpile of Minor Mana Recovery Potions.”

“I see.”

The alchemist looked relieved.

“Then there’s no problem.”

“Just to be safe, I’ll confirm with the knights that their supply isn’t running low.”

That seemed to settle the matter.

Now all I could do was hope the knight order hadn’t consumed a massive amount of potions recently.

Monster culling operations and extermination campaigns had undoubtedly continued while I was away.

If they had burned through their reserves, things could become troublesome.

Near the end of the morning, I headed toward the knight order.

Ever since returning to the Heine Frontier Estate, I’d been running around nonstop.

Because of that, this visit had somehow ended up being my last priority.

During the Julius Recital, everyone had looked healthy and energetic, so I doubted any major problems had arisen.

Still, it was better to verify things personally.

My first destination was Lionel’s office.

Over the past few days, he had probably gathered all sorts of information regarding the knight order.

If I wanted answers, this was the place to start.

“Good morning, Lionel.”

I stepped into the office.

“I wanted to ask you something. Do you have a moment?”

“Julius-sama.”

Lionel immediately rose from his desk.

“Good morning. What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to know about the stockpile of Minor Mana Recovery Potions.”

I leaned against the side of his desk.

“I’m going to be using some mana grass for another project, so production of the potions may decrease for a while.”

“I understand.”

Lionel nodded.

“Please give me a moment.”

At a glance from Lionel, one of the knights working in the room immediately moved.

The knight retrieved a file from a bookshelf and began checking its contents with a serious expression.

I couldn’t help feeling impressed.

The knight order of House Heine was remarkably organized.

Even potion inventory management was being handled meticulously.

“During the recent monster-culling operation, we used three Minor Mana Recovery Potions.”

The knight looked up from the records.

“However, our reserves remain healthy. There should be no issues for the foreseeable future.”

“Only three?”

I blinked.

“Could it be that you’re short on mages?”

“No, not at all.”

Lionel shook his head.

“If anything, we have more mages than most knight orders in neighboring territories.”

“That’s good, then.”

I relaxed slightly.

Monster culling really was demanding work.

The Heine territory was vast.

Operations had to be conducted in multiple locations, often simultaneously.

Knowing that the potions we produced were genuinely helping made me surprisingly happy.

It felt good to know our efforts weren’t going to waste.

“I’ll try to restore production to its usual level as quickly as possible.”

I folded my arms.

“So don’t worry too much.”

Then I added:

“And if an emergency ever requires a large quantity, don’t hesitate to tell me.”

“Understood.”

Lionel bowed his head slightly.

“Thank you very much.”

He paused before continuing.

“If you don’t mind my asking, what exactly are you planning to make?”

“I’m going to establish a clover field in the garden.”

“The garden?”

“That’s right.”

I nodded.

“And I’m planning to use mana grass in the fertilizer.”

The reactions were immediate.

Lionel’s eyes widened.

The nearby knights stared at me with equally astonished expressions.

Some even looked as though they had misheard me entirely.

Well, that was understandable.

Anyone hearing only that explanation would have no idea what I was talking about.

So I explained everything.

I told them why a clover field was necessary.

I described Holy Clover and the role it would play in the future potion.

Naturally, I also made them promise to keep the matter confidential.

“I see.”

Lionel nodded slowly once the explanation was finished.

“Holy Clover…”

He looked thoughtful.

“In that case, won’t you require a tremendous number of clover seeds?”

“Exactly.”

I sighed.

“That’s the problem.”

“I was thinking of going out to collect clover myself.”

I looked directly at him.

“Could you arrange some time for that? I’m sure Father will grant permission.”

“Understood.”

Lionel answered immediately.

“I’ll begin planning the expedition at once.”

Then he rubbed his chin.

“That said… I can’t recall seeing many clover seeds before.”

Lionel tilted his head in puzzlement.

He had a point.

If I wanted seeds specifically, timing would matter.

The plants would need to be at the proper stage of growth.

Still, if memory served me correctly, clover could also be propagated through stem cuttings.

That gave us another option.

“For now, I intend to gather a reasonable number of mature clover plants.”

I explained my plan.

“We’ll transplant them into the field first.”

“After that, we can increase their numbers through seeds and cuttings.”

“I see.”

Lionel’s expression brightened.

“That sounds manageable.”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“We may not possess extensive botanical knowledge…”

The surrounding knights nodded in agreement.

“…but handling a few plants should be well within our capabilities.”