Kays Translations

Chapter 300: Magic-Stone Hand Warmer

To summarise Lionel’s report, twenty knights would investigate the Cassius Mountains. Brother Cain, Nero, Lionel and I would accompany them, bringing the party to twenty-four. Giles and Christopher insisted on joining, but were firmly told that no more young participants would be accepted, leaving them dejected.

Ordinarily, there would be no reason for Nero, Brother Cain or me to join the expedition. My Snow Spirit’s blessing, however, made my presence valuable. Nor could the younger brother be sent while the elder remained behind. Brother Cain would one day command House Heine’s territorial knights, so dangerous though it was, he had little choice but to accompany us.

“Meeka wanted to come too.”

“That would definitely be a problem. If something happened, it’d be a disaster.”

“We all tried to convince her, saying it wasn’t possible. She kept asking, ‘Why can Julius go then?’ until the very end.”

I would have to make it up to her later; I did not want Sister-in-law Meeka to dislike me. Brother Cain had been drawn into the expedition because of me, so I had to remain focused and ensure that everyone returned safely.

“I’m sorry. Even Brother Cain—”

“Don’t worry about me. It’s a brother’s job to protect his little brother. Although, it doesn’t seem like you need my help, Julius. Maybe I’m the one who’ll need protecting?”

“Of course not!”

I hurriedly denied it. If that actually happened, it would be a disaster. I must prevent that at all costs. Hopefully, the investigation ends without incident.

Lionel distributed the hot cookies on the spot. The expedition members sampled them in surprise, since knowing their effect beforehand would help everyone prepare for the conditions in the mountains.

An unexpected development followed: the knights stripped down and began an endurance contest to “test the hot cookies’ effectiveness”. What was this athletic-club mentality? Then again, these were House Heine’s territorial knights. I told them to report the results later and left them to it.

There were other things I needed to do, so I hurried to the workshop.

Fortunately, Rosalia was already in the workshop. The sudden mountain expedition had thrown the entire estate into confusion, causing her usual schedule to be suspended.

“Rosalia, this is an emergency. I need your help to make a new magic tool.”

Her eyes and mouth opened wide with excitement. Rosalia truly loved magic tools. I would not have been surprised if she one day declared that she wanted to marry one. As her brother, I could hardly permit that. Perhaps if I built a fully automated humanoid magic tool… No, that was a terrible idea.

“What kind of magic tool is it?”

“It’s a magic-stone hand warmer. Keep it in your pocket, and it will warm your body.”

“If I hug it while I sleep, it will keep me warm all night!”

“True, but wouldn’t you rather hug Mira, your living hot-water bottle?”

“Kyu! Kyu!”

Mira chirped as though asserting, “That’s right!” Wait—when had Mira arrived? I had not even noticed. Had they been hiding somewhere?

“First, I’ll draw the blueprint. Rosalia, could you gather these materials while I work? Nero, Lelie and Mira, please help as well.”

“Understood!”

“I’ll prepare them at once.”

“Understood.”

“Kyu!”

While no one was there to interrupt me, I quickly drew the blueprint with my fountain pen. Making the pen had been worthwhile; not having to dip it into ink every few strokes was wonderfully convenient.

“I’ve gathered them!”

“Thank you. I’ve finished the blueprint as well.”

“Huh?”

Rosalia was not the only one who froze; Nero and Lelie did as well. Mira alone remained unfazed, headbutting me as though demanding praise. By the time I had stroked Mira, the others had recovered.

“We don’t have much time, but we need twenty-four magic-stone hand warmers. I’ll teach Rosalia now, so you two please support us. Mira, I’m counting on you to cheer us on.”

“Understood.”

“Kyu!”

That settled the roles. I remembered producing large numbers of magic-stone hand warmers as quest items in the snowy country. Since I had made them before, reproducing them was easy; designing one from scratch in the available time would have been impossible.

I began teaching Rosalia as we worked. Each warmer was shaped like a flattened egg, roughly the size of an adult’s fist. A heat-generating magic circle sat inside, surrounded by one-horned-bird feathers that dispersed the warmth gradually. We wrapped the assembly in Daikan Frog skin, fitted it into a metal casing and connected the magic circle to the magic stone.

“Open this section and insert the magic stone. The warmer heats while the stone is inside and cools once it is removed.”

“There’s no switch, is there?”

“That’s right. A switch would be more convenient, so I’ll leave that improvement to Rosalia. For now, quantity comes first.”

“Understood.”

Rosalia and I worked together while Nero and Lelie replenished our materials whenever supplies ran low. Mira eventually fell asleep on the sofa, exhausted by the strenuous task of cheering us on.

Thanks to everyone’s efforts, all twenty-four magic-stone hand warmers were finished by evening. Wanting them tested immediately, I took Rosalia back to the territorial knights’ quarters.

We were greeted by the sight of half-naked, muscular men exercising. What in the world was this? I instinctively covered Rosalia’s eyes.

“Lionel, what in the world is this?”

“My apologies, Lord Julius, Lady Rosalia. You lot—put your clothes on at once!”

“Yes, sir!”

What exactly was going on? Apparently, the knights had been so impressed by the warmth spreading through their bodies that they expressed their gratitude by exercising—shirtless. Even now they still felt warm, which suggested that two cookies per person per day would be sufficient.

At that dosage, the existing supply of hot cookies would be sufficient. I would not have to make another batch that night, which was a relief.

“By the way, Lord Julius, what are you holding?”

“Oh, this is a magic-stone hand warmer. Rosalia and I made them for the investigation.”

“…That is a magic tool, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”

Lionel looked confused. Rosalia and I exchanged puzzled looks as well. Did we do something wrong?

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