Chapter 621: The Rabbit Hole

Everyone folded their arms and began to ponder.

Could monster territory be created artificially? That was probably what they were wondering. If it proved possible, there was no doubt it would become an enormous problem.

In my view, however, a region had to become saturated with mana far beneath the surface before it could turn into monster territory. No matter how much mana we infused into the topsoil, that alone shouldn’t be enough. Even so, I had deliberately limited the amount of mana given to the soil to avoid causing any more trouble.

There was no telling what might happen if we created land with an extremely high mana concentration. If ingredients normally found only in the depths of monster territory suddenly became easy to obtain in our garden, it would cause an uproar.

At the very least, adventurers would condemn us for stealing their livelihoods. Making enemies of adventurers would clearly be a poor decision. After all, adventurers and House Heine were friends for life.

Once everyone had helped apply Rapid Growth No. 2 to the planned clover field, we returned to the mansion. With one thing and another, it was nearly lunchtime.

I straightened my clothes and waited in the dining room. Before long, an utterly exhausted Rosalia entered with Lelie.

Apparently, Rosalia had spent the entire morning in intensive lessons. Judging by her condition, she could hardly have had any time to visit the workshop. Mira wasn’t with her, so they had probably gone to Mother. Lessons were boring for Mira, after all.

“Lady Fabienne, we have lessons tomorrow afternoon, so please bear that in mind.”

“Understood. Since we were away for roughly a month, we may have to make up for everything we missed.”

“You’re probably right…”

Lady Fabienne lowered her brows and smiled awkwardly. I suspected my face looked exactly the same. Oh, Nero wore the same expression too. He took lessons with us, so that was understandable.

“Oh, you all look troubled. What’s the matter?”

“Kyuu?”

Mother entered the dining room, tilting her head together with Mira. Cradled in Mother’s arms, Mira happily wagged their tail. Mother was clearly showering them with affection.

When I explained what we had been discussing, Mother gave us a troubled look.

“Don’t say that. Your teacher isn’t being cruel. He wants Julius and dear Fabienne to grow into admirable nobles. The same goes for dear Nero. You must become a splendid attendant so that you can support them both.”

“Your words are more than I deserve.”

Nero was deeply moved by Mother’s encouragement. She truly was skilled at winning people’s hearts. I would have to watch and learn from her example.

I wasn’t the only one who thought so; Lady Fabienne gazed at Mother with a serious expression.

Rosalia, on the other hand… Her soul still hadn’t returned. She had better pull herself together before Mother scolded her.

In the end, Rosalia remained lifeless until lunch arrived.

“Julius, we plan to send the gramophones to the royal capital this afternoon,” Mother said. “Please have them ready.”

“Understood. I’ll prepare them immediately.”

After lunch, I headed for the workshop. Naturally, Rosalia and Mira came with me. Revived by her meal and thrilled that she could finally make magic tools, Rosalia looked ready to skip all the way there.

Did she enjoy it that much?

Perhaps I had introduced Rosalia to a truly dangerous hobby. I had never expected her to fall so deeply into the rabbit hole of making magic tools.

Come to think of it, I was also the one who had drawn Lady Fabienne into the rabbit hole of making magic potions. What a sinful man I was.

When we reached the workshop, I checked the pieces recorded on Her Majesty’s gramophone one last time. We couldn’t risk any discourtesy.

Good. There didn’t appear to be any problem.

After confirming that, I carefully placed the gramophone inside a wooden crate, packing the gaps with cushioning material.

Everything was ready. All that remained was to pray it reached the royal capital safely.

“I’m certain Their Majesties will be delighted with a gramophone made by you, Lord Julius,” Lady Fabienne said.

“I hope so. Once I’ve finished making gramophones for everyone, I’m thinking of developing an improved version that will be easier to carry.”

“An improved gramophone!”

Rosalia reacted instantly, her eyes already sparkling with enthusiasm. Before we tackled that, however, I wanted her to complete at least Father’s gramophone. Mother had probably been boasting about her own to him, leaving Father permanently grinding his teeth in frustration.

For the moment, we set the improved gramophone aside and began making one for Sister-in-law Daniela. Lady Fabienne returned to the compounding room to devote herself to magic potions.

If I had known this would happen, I should have asked for the workshop to be built beside the compounding room.

Even though we were under the same roof, being separated from her was painful. Mira, incidentally, had followed Lady Fabienne. They truly were a free spirit.

Rosalia seemed to be struggling with the design for Father’s gramophone. He had asked her to make it “cool”, and she was probably wrestling with what his idea of cool actually meant.

This was an excellent development. One thing indispensable to making magic tools was considering matters from the user’s perspective. A magic tool that was merely convenient might be celebrated for a time, but it would soon fall out of use.

The same was true of magic potions. No matter how powerful one might be, no one would use it if it tasted revolting. Even a potion with a weaker effect could remain popular for generations if it was easy to drink.

In that case, I had to make Sister-in-law Daniela an elegant gramophone—one with a design she could proudly show to anyone.