Kays Translations

Chapter 263: Careless as Ever

　Mother joined Father and Brother Alex’s private discussion partway through, and after the necessary formalities, dried fruit was officially declared a speciality of the Heine Margraviate.

“Julius, I see that you have already begun teaching the head chef how to make it, but are you certain we can leave the process to him?”

　Brother Alex had apparently been appointed commander of “Operation: Regional Dried-Fruit Speciality”. Frankly, I was relieved that the role had not fallen to me.

“I don’t mind, but if this is becoming such a serious undertaking, I should improve the magic tool first.”

“Improve it?”

“Yes. With the current design, someone has to check the fruit repeatedly until it is finished. I’ll make it so that you simply put the fruit inside and wait for the dried fruit to come out.”

　The atmosphere in the salon tightened again. This time, even Rosalia froze. Was automation really so unusual? Yes, apparently it was. Come to think of it, I had only seen it in the washing-machine magic tool, and even that could not fold the clothes afterwards. What an oversight. I was careless as ever!

“Well, I only just thought of the idea, so I don’t know whether it will work.”

“I’m sure it will. I can see how serious you are from your expression, Brother Julius.”

　Rosalia stared intently at my face as she spoke. She knew what I looked like when I was absorbed in making magic tools, so she must have been convinced. Her faith in me was almost frightening. At this rate, she might establish a Julius cult.

“Hmm. If it is that easy to produce, we may be able to distribute it throughout the kingdom.”

“Indeed. Dried fruit bearing the House Heine seal might even become popular overseas. How exciting.”

　Good grief! Father and Mother were already discussing the automatic dried-fruit-making magic tool as though it had been completed. I did not know how far ahead Brother Alex had planned, but the project had unquestionably grown far larger.

　Do your best, Brother Alex. I was sure you and Sister-in-law Daniela would manage perfectly well. I would be cheering for you—from a safe distance.

“That’s right! Brother Julius and I are also working on a magic tool called a dishwasher-dryer.”

“Oh?”

　The servants waiting along the wall leaned forward. Rosalia was telling the truth, but naturally she had included my name. Was that going to cause trouble too? The day when I had to call myself both a magic pharmacist and a magic-tool maker might be close. Whether holding both occupations was even permitted was another question.

　And so I shut myself in the workshop to make magic tools with Rosalia. But what I really wanted was to create a liquid detergent potion—the kind that used the power of enzymes to obliterate stains! Sob…

“Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing. My plans have merely gone slightly awry. I’ll finish improving the magic tool quickly and leave the rest to the head chef.”

　I could not let Nero worry. He had done nothing wrong, and neither had Lelie. She was playing with Mira so that they would not distract Rosalia, and the two seemed to be enjoying themselves.

“Brother, is there anything wrong with this design?”

“Let me see… No, it looks good. Make several sizes as well. If it can be used not only in noble households but also in ordinary homes and restaurants, it will make life easier for everyone.”

　The margraviate would become livelier if people could spend their newly freed time refreshing themselves. Greater peace of mind might also make them more willing to spend money, increasing the territory’s tax revenue. There were benefits everywhere I looked.

“I will!”

　Rosalia happily began building the dishwasher-dryer magic tool from the blueprints. While she worked through the materials needed for it, I completed the design for the automatic dried-fruit-making magic tool.

　I had already created a mechanism that produced a sound for the chime magic tool, and I also possessed a weighing magic tool. Combining the two took hardly any time. It was nothing especially impressive.

　I swiftly finished the blueprints and began constructing the machine.

　The first prototype had been an ordinary box containing a magic circle. This time, I made a metal cabinet with an upright door so that fruit could be put in and removed easily. A lid on top would restrict where it could be placed, but a front-opening door would allow it to stand almost anywhere.

　I would arrange the fruit on wire racks to improve the dehumidification efficiency. Drawing moisture from both above and below would also eliminate the need to turn the fruit over repeatedly.

　It was not a major undertaking and proved easier than expected. I was unsure how much attention the appearance required, but I transformed the original crude box into something with a soft, rounded shape.

　Right, that should be everything. Time to finish it and conduct a test. I had created yet another thoroughly unnecessary magic tool.

“Nero, I’d like to test it. Could you bring me some fruit?”

“What?”

“Huh?”

“Kyu?”

　Hmm. I recognised those expressions. Apparently, I had done it again. But the machine was already complete, so what else could I do? Perhaps they thought I should have spent more time on its appearance.

　Maybe I should have added embossed metalwork—perhaps a phoenix or dragon. That would look magnificent, though it still would not take very long.

“Brother, have you finished already? I’m still working on the outer casing.”

“I’ll fetch the fruit at once!”

“Kyu!”

　Nero and Mira hurried out of the workshop. Sorry, Nero. I knew I was causing trouble, and I would probably continue doing so in the future…

　As for you, Mira, you only wanted to snack on the fruit, didn’t you? The head chef had complained that he could never refuse when Mira begged with those eyes. You're getting a spanking later.

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