Kays Translations

Chapter 258: A Close-Knit Family

After some desperate persuasion and negotiation from Brother Alex, we somehow reached a compromise: everyone could bathe together as long as we all kept bathing towels wrapped securely around ourselves.

Once I listened to the story properly, I learned that Sister-in-law Daniela had dreamed for a long time about taking a bath together with a happy family, exactly like this.

Sister-in-law Daniela was an important princess of the Spencer Kingdom. Because of that, she'd received an elite education from childhood. She didn't resent it. If anything, she believed it was only natural that she should do so for the sake of the people.

The only place where she could escape every restraint and simply return to being herself was inside the stories in books. She had apparently devoured nearly every book in the royal castle at a tremendous pace.

One scene in particular had remained deeply impressed on her: a happy family bathing together.

And of course it had. In the royal castle, there was no way she could bathe together with His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen. The only family member she'd ever shared a bath with was Princess Chloe, back when they were both very young.

And so Sister-in-law Daniela had developed a dream of her own.

When I have a family of my own, I want the entire family to bathe together.

Now, at last, the opportunity to put that dream into practice had arrived.

…This wasn't my fault, right? I was only the person who got dragged into it, right?

"Thank you, Julius. One of my dreams… one of my dreams has finally come true."

Brother Alex gently rubbed her shoulder as she looked on the verge of tears.

Could I go back to my room now?

Meanwhile, Brother Cain had been very busy turning pale, then red, then pale again for a while now.

His partner, Sister-in-law Meeka, seemed completely unbothered. She was happily talking with Rosalia, who had been called over a little earlier.

"I'm taking a bath with my sisters-in-law too! I'm so happy!"

"Kyuu!"

"That's right, Rosalia. Let's wash each other."

"I want to! Let's all wash each other. We can do it together with my brothers too!"

My brothers and I looked at one another in alarm at Rosalia's innocent little bombshell.

The bath in House Heine's mansion was reasonably large, but it hadn't been designed for six people and one little dragon to enter together. It was cramped. One or two people really needed to remain outside the tub at any given time so everyone could relax properly.

"The shower magic tool installed here is wonderful," Sister-in-law Meeka said. "I wish we had one at my parents' house."

"Then I'll make one for you, Sister-in-law Meeka!"

"Really, Rosalia? That would make me so happy."

Sister-in-law Meeka hugged Rosalia tightly. The two slimes on her chest squished against Rosalia and changed shape in an alarming way.

Even with a bathing towel wrapped around her, that was dangerous to look at. Thank goodness I was already safely down in the bathtub.

Brother Cain watched the scene with a tense expression. I understood exactly how he felt. The towel looked as though it might slip loose at any moment.

"Rosalia is already an excellent magic-tool maker," Sister-in-law Daniela said. "Speaking of which, I heard you're making a new magic tool?"

"Yes! Brother Julius and I are working on a washing-machine magic tool! It's already almost finished, but…"

"Is there a problem?"

Brother Alex immediately responded when Rosalia hesitated.

If a completed magic tool caused some kind of problem, the responsibility would fall on the registered developer. Naturally, House Heine would take responsibility until Rosalia came of age, but it was only natural for Brother Alex to be sensitive about anything that could affect her future.

"Brother Julius is trying to make me the developer by myself. It's true that I built the machine, but Brother Julius was the one who came up with how it works. He was also the one who named it the washing machine. If anything, Brother Julius was the one who guided me while I drew up the blueprints too."

Rosalia really was an incredible Brother Julius fan. Why couldn't she just accept the achievement instead of worrying over every little detail?

"Julius," Brother Alex said, "you're not trying to push the responsibility onto Rosalia, are you?"

"Of course not! Rosalia is going to become a great magic-tool maker in the future. The more recognized achievements she has to her name, the better."

"That's true, but… All right. Then let's do this. We'll register the washing-machine magic tool as a joint development by both of you."

"Joint development? Are we allowed to do that?"

Until now, only one developer could be registered for a magic tool because of questions involving profits and responsibility. Had the system changed at some point without my knowledge?

Brother Alex smiled when he saw the confusion on my face.

"If the rule doesn't exist, then we'll make it."

Whoa. Brother Alex was saying something terrifying!

Was he planning to change the country's system? What an arrogant idea–or maybe it wasn't. Sister-in-law Daniela, who was directly connected to the royal family, was right here. It wouldn't be difficult for her to present an opinion to the upper ranks of the Magic Tool Guild.

"Are you sure? There must be a reason joint registration hasn't been permitted until now, right?"

"There is. But I think it can be managed if we impose the proper conditions."

"Conditions?"

Brother Alex seemed to have a definite idea in mind. All right, let's hear it. What were the conditions?

"To begin with, only members of the same family or house could be registered as joint developers, and that house would guarantee the work."

"I see. So rather than opening it to everyone immediately, you'd start by targeting noble houses."

When people here spoke of a "house," they generally meant the nobility. Recently, though, wealthy families were apparently beginning to be treated in much the same way.

Huh? But if that was the case…

"Wouldn't that encourage noble houses to secure talented magic-tool makers by adopting them? Excellent mages are already adopted into noble families, aren't they?"

No, wait. I understood the other side of it too. A great many outstanding mages had only been able to enter the world because noble houses adopted them and gave them the education and resources they needed.

"Exactly," Brother Alex said. "Many mages have been able to receive proper education and blossom because of that system. Why shouldn't the same support be extended to magic-tool makers? Naturally, forced adoptions would be strictly controlled."

If such a system were created, people who had excellent ideas but had been forced to abandon them for lack of funds might finally be able to make those magic tools a reality.

If that happened, life in the kingdom could become far more convenient.

"I think it's a good idea."

"Then we'll register the washing-machine magic tool as a joint development by Julius and Rosalia."

"Yes, understo–what?"

Let me tell you exactly what just happened.

I thought I was going to focus on becoming a magic pharmacist and get out of the magic-tool business. But before I knew it, I was standing right in the middle of it again.

I wasn't even sure what had happened, but I felt as though I'd just caught a glimpse of Brother Alex's terrifying ability.

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