Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 164: Teach Me, Julius-sensei!
To save me from having to complete the formal procedures for entering the royal castle, a carriage was being sent all the way from the castle to pick me up.
This was going to stand out.
No doubt about it.
Still, it would be nearly impossible for a ten-year-old child to arrive at the royal castle in his own family’s carriage and then complete the entry procedures by himself. For a start, the guards probably wouldn’t trust him.
That was why they’d arranged things this way.
“Wouldn’t it work if I gave one of the servants a written authorisation? …No, I suppose not. It’s the royal castle, after all.”
“Young Master Julius, is something the matter?”
“No, nothing. I was just thinking that it must be about time for the carriage to arrive.”
“Indeed. Ah, speak of the devil. Here it comes.”
A carriage stopped in front of the townhouse gate.
The knight guarding the iron fence opened the gate and guided it inside.
For a moment I wondered whether nobody needed to check the carriage, but then I noticed the enormous national crest displayed proudly on the front.
I’ll say it again.
This was conspicuous.
There was absolutely no doubt about it.
My face must have been twitching.
The servants who were supposed to accompany me looked just as strained.
Good.
At least we were all on the same side.
“Lord Julius, I’ve come to collect you on the orders of Lord Giovanni Madras, commander of the Royal Magic Pharmacists’ Corps.”
“Thank you. But next time, could you perhaps make it a little less obvious where the carriage came from? Isn’t the neighbourhood already getting noisy?”
“A little.”
The knight looked away.
Apparently he had thoughts of his own about the matter.
Yes. I understood.
Surely he would advise Giovanni about it.
Then tomorrow should be fine…
No.
I was still worried.
I’d better say something to Giovanni myself.
When I climbed into the carriage, the servants remaining at the townhouse bowed to see me off. Naturally, the steward who managed the townhouse was among them.
This would definitely be reported to Brother Alex.
And from Brother Alex, it would reach Father.
Even though I hadn’t done anything wrong, somehow they would treat it as though I’d caused another incident.
Unreasonable.
The carriage eventually reached the royal castle.
I peeked through a narrow gap in the tightly closed curtains and saw people outside staring at us, clearly wondering what in the world was going on.
Well, of course they were.
I would have wondered too.
Keeping the curtains closed had definitely been the right choice.
The carriage passed straight through the castle gate without being inspected.
This was bad.
I was being treated completely like a state guest.
I could already imagine the castle becoming noisy with rumours later.
I needed to reach my destination before that happened.
The carriage travelled deep into the castle grounds and stopped at a different arrival point from the one we’d used the other day.
When I climbed down and looked around, this seemed to be an entrance used mainly by people who worked at the royal castle.
Even now, several knights and people dressed like mages were staring openly at me.
They were probably wondering what was happening.
Then I spotted three people wearing the same dark-green robes I’d seen the other day.
The three of them headed directly towards me without hesitation.
At a run.
“Julius-sensei! We’ve been waiting for you!”
All three waved enthusiastically with broad smiles.
Unless I was mistaken, the man sprinting at the front was Giovanni himself.
I was already tired of this.
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”
“Not at all! We simply arrived ridiculously early because we couldn’t wait!”
Knights, mages, and officials were all watching us.
Yes.
By tomorrow, this would absolutely be a rumour.
Would everyone somehow decide it was my fault?
Feeling slightly depressed, I let Giovanni and the others hurry me towards the section occupied by the Royal Magic Pharmacists’ Corps.
“Julius-sensei, what’s that garment you’re wearing?”
“Ah, this is a lab coat. If you wear white, you notice immediately when chemicals get on your clothes. It’s also convenient because you can put it on over almost anything you’re already wearing. And please stop calling me sensei. Just address me normally.”
“I see…! Splendid! We’ll prepare enough for every member immediately, plus spares!”
Before Giovanni had even finished speaking, one of the researchers dashed out of the room.
That loyalty level was absurdly high.
More importantly, had anybody heard the part where I asked them to stop calling me sensei?
“Well then, may I see the Panaceas you’ve completed?”
“Of course. They’re prepared right here. We somehow managed to complete three.”
They were sitting on a heavy walnut table at the back of the room Giovanni led me into.
First I needed to check their quality.
Depending on what I found, I might be able to work out where the problem lay.
I used Appraisal.
Panacea: Lowest quality. Neutralises all poisons. Tastes bad enough to die from. Unbearably foul smell. Stamina reduction (minor).
What was this?
Stamina reduction?
Wait… if someone whose strength had already been badly depleted drank this, couldn’t the medicine itself finish them off?
This was bad.
They’d succeeded, but at the same time they absolutely hadn’t succeeded.
“Um… Julius-sensei? What do you think?”
“This is no good.”
“…”
I couldn’t possibly tell them it was fine.
If someone died after taking this Panacea, it would become an enormous problem.
This was already at the level where we needed to reconsider the ingredients themselves, not merely the way the final Panacea was compounded.
“Could you show me the magic potions used as ingredients – the Advanced Healing Potion and the Strong Antidote?”
“O-Of course. I’ll bring them immediately.”
Giovanni had frozen for a moment, probably shocked by how plainly I’d rejected their work, but the instant I asked he started moving again.
Maybe he’d already sensed something was wrong.
His Majesty had probably told him at least roughly what kind of Panacea I’d produced before.
“Here they are.”
Two more bottles were placed on the table.
Both were also lowest quality.
How had this happened?
No.
If they’d been using the wrong methods, perhaps this result was only natural.
Apparently I’d have to teach them how to make the Advanced Healing Potion and Strong Antidote before we could even begin fixing their Panacea.
This was going to be a long battle.
Brother Alex had already told me I’d be spending the social season in the royal capital, so I might as well take my time.
With that in mind, I asked Giovanni to bring the materials necessary for making both potions.
It would be easier for everyone to understand if I demonstrated the process right in front of them.
These were magic potions intended solely for the royal family anyway.
There shouldn’t be any problem with the Royal Magic Pharmacists learning the proper method.