Chapter 619: Learning from Others

All right. First, I would make Her Majesty the Queen’s gramophone. Until it was complete, we could not send the royal gramophones to the capital. The casing would be decorated with Her Majesty’s favourite flowers and animals. I was glad I had asked Sister-in-law Daniela about her preferences beforehand.

While I constructed the internal mechanism, Rosalia apparently completed the gramophone she had been making. She was now recording music from her own gramophone onto Brother Alex’s.

We had to remain as quiet as possible during the recording. Since we could hardly hammer away at sheet metal, Rosalia sat at a table some distance away and drank tea.

It was nearly time for me to take a break as well. I told Rosalia I was going to check on Lady Fabienne and left the room.

“I’d like to complete Her Majesty’s gramophone today.”

“In that case, while you are at dinner, I shall move the necessary tools into your room,” Nero said.

“Please do.”

If I cast a soundproofing spell on my room, I could hammer away until bedtime without being scolded. If I worked late in the workshop, Rosalia might come looking for me. Then she would mistakenly conclude that she was allowed to make magic tools at night as well—and I would be the one who got in trouble.

“Lady Fabienne, how is everything going?”

After speaking to her in the compounding room, I invited her to tea. I invited the Royal Magic Pharmacists too. Like the master craftsmen at the Heine Trading Company, they were the sort who would work without taking breaks. That was precisely why someone had to make a point of inviting them to tea.

“I have become accustomed to making Rapid Growth No. 2,” Lady Fabienne said. “I have taught everyone else the formula, and they are now producing it as well. I believe that in roughly three days, we will have enough to treat the entire clover field.”

“Thank you, Lady Fabienne. Thank you, everyone.”

“Not at all. We should be thanking you for giving us the opportunity to make a new magic potion.”

Everyone bowed in unison. I could trust all the people present, so I explained once again exactly what I was trying to create and formally asked for their assistance.

After hearing me out, they accepted with serious expressions.

“There is no doubt that Holy Clover will become necessary,” one of them said. “In that case, Rapid Growth No. 2 will naturally be needed as well. Would it not be best to report this to Giovanni-sama as soon as possible?”

“I would very much like to, but we have not obtained even a single Holy Clover plant yet. If possible, I want to establish a cultivation method before reporting it. Naturally, I would report the formula for Holy Droplets at the same time.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. In theory, we should be able to cultivate Holy Clover without difficulty, but there was always some chance of failure. After reporting the matter to Giovanni-sama and the kingdom, we could hardly turn around and announce that it had not worked after all.

“Understood. Then we shall continue producing Rapid Growth No. 2.”

“Please do so only to the extent that it does not interfere with your ordinary duties. Under no circumstances are you to work late into the night.”

I cautioned them while conveniently ignoring my own habits. They were all quite capable of doing exactly that, Lady Fabienne included. I would have to make her promise to rest properly after returning to the Ambert estate.

Watching me, Nero pressed his lips into a perfectly straight line. I knew what he wanted to say without hearing it: You are hardly one to talk, Lord Julius.

To avoid worrying Nero any further, I decided not to work through the night.

After returning to the workshop, I resumed my remaining tasks. I completed the gramophone’s internal mechanism and finished half of its outer casing, then escorted Lady Fabienne back to the Ambert estate.

She still looked eager to keep working, but this time I made her stop. I could hardly ask her to stay overnight on her very first day back. I had promised to return her to the Ambert estate; if I let her stay, Baron Ambert’s trust in me would plummet.

After bringing Lady Fabienne safely home, I completed the gramophone for Her Majesty the Queen before going to bed. Since no one was around at night, I worked at full speed and still managed to fall asleep before midnight.

The next morning at breakfast, I told Sister-in-law Daniela that the gramophones for Their Majesties had been completed.

Finishing them was all well and good, but there was still the question of what music to record.

“Sister-in-law Daniela, may I leave the choice of music to an orchestra active in the royal capital?”

“Oh? Would the pieces you performed not suffice?”

“Would it not be inappropriate to record the performance of someone who isn’t even a musician on the gramophones for Their Majesties?”

I tilted my head, and Sister-in-law Daniela tilted hers in return. I understood what she meant, but I had no recollection of ever calling myself a musician. I was merely a boy who happened to play the piano rather well. Granted, I could play instruments other than the piano without difficulty too.

“Then let us include your performances as samples,” she said. “There can be no objection to that.”

Was that truly so? I had an unpleasant feeling that it might cause trouble, but it did not seem right to argue any further. And so, we decided that the gramophones for Their Majesties would record the same pieces already stored on Rosalia’s gramophone.