Chapter 300: Magic Stone Warmer

To summarize Lionel’s report, a total of twenty knights will head to investigate the Cassius Mountains. Joining them will be myself, Nero, my Cain-niisan, and Lionel—making four additional members. Giles and Christopher insisted on joining as well, but they were firmly told that adding more young participants was out of the question, leaving them dejected.

Normally, there would be no reason for Nero, Cain-niisan, and me to join the expedition. However, I have the “Blessing of the Snow Spirit,” which makes my participation valuable. Also, it wouldn’t look good if I, the younger brother, went without my older brother. Especially since Cain-niisan will one day lead the Heine Frontier Knights, meaning that, even though it’s dangerous, he has no choice but to come.

“Mika 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’ll have to make it up to her later. I don’t want to be disliked by Sister-in-law Mika. Still, because of me, Cain-niisan is now dragged into this. I’ll have to stay focused and ensure we return safely.

“I’m sorry. Even Cain-niisan—”

“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 presented the hot cookies I made to everyone on the spot. The knights were surprised. Those joining the expedition sampled the hot cookies. Knowing in advance how effective they are will help in preparing for the snowy mountain conditions.

However, there was an unexpected turn of events. They decided to strip down and start a contest of endurance to “test the performance” of the hot cookies. What’s with this sports team mentality? Oh, right, this is the knight order. I guess that makes sense. I just told them, “Let me know the results later,” and left the scene.

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

Conveniently, Rosalia was in the workshop. The sudden decision to investigate the snowy mountains had thrown the entire mansion into chaos, and as a result, Rosalia was free to move around. This was fortunate.

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

Her eyes and mouth opened wide, glowing with excitement. Rosalia really loves magic tools. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day she said, “I want to marry a magic tool.” As her brother, I doubt I could let her marry a magic tool. Well, maybe if I made a fully automated humanoid magic tool, there might be a chance… no, that’s a terrible idea.

“What kind of magic tool is it?”

“It’s a magic stone heater. You keep it in your pocket, and it keeps your body warm.”

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

“That’s true, but wouldn’t it be better for you to hug Mira the hot water bottle instead?”

“Kyuu! Kyuu!”

Mira chirped as if to assert her presence, almost saying, “That’s right!” Wait, when did Mira get here? I didn’t notice. Had she been hiding somewhere?

“First, I’ll draw up the blueprint. While I’m doing that, Rosalia, can you gather these materials? Nero, Lelie, and Mira, please help as well.”

“Understood!”

“I’ll prepare them right away.”

“Understood.”

“Kyuu!”

Alright, then while there’s no one to disturb me, I’ll quickly draw up the blueprint. As I pulled the paper closer, I began drawing the design with my fountain pen. It was a good thing I made the fountain pen. It saves me the hassle of dipping in ink every time, super convenient.

“I’ve gathered them!”  

“Thank you. I also finished the blueprint.”  

“Huh?”

Not just Rosalia, but the other two froze as well. The only one who didn’t freeze was Mira, who headbutted me as if saying, “Praise me, praise me.” While I was patting Mira, everyone else snapped out of it.

“We don’t have much time, but I want to make a total of 24 magic stone heaters. I’ll teach Rosalia right away, so you two please help out. Mira, I’m counting on you to cheer us on.”  

“Understood.”  

“Kyuu!”

Alright, this should do it. I remember making a large number of magic stone heaters as quest items in the snowy country. Since I’ve made them before, I can easily make them again. If I had to design it from scratch, it would’ve been impossible.

I began making them together while teaching Rosalia. The shape is a flattened egg, about the size of an adult’s fist. Inside, I embedded a magic circle for heat generation, and around it, I placed feathers from a one-horned bird to ensure the heat spreads gradually. I wrapped it with the skin of a Daikan frog and placed it inside a metal container. All that’s left is to connect the wiring so that the magic circle links with the magic stone, and it’s complete.

“You open this part to insert the magic stone. Once you put it in, the temperature will rise. On the contrary, if you take it out, the temperature will drop.”  

“There’s no switch, is there?”  

“That’s right. It might be more convenient if there were a switch. Let’s leave that as a task for Rosalia. Right now, we just need quantity.”  

“Understood.”

The two of us worked together to make the magic stone heaters. Whenever we were about to run out of materials, Nero and Lelie quickly prepared more for us. Mira, tired from cheering us on, had fallen asleep on the sofa. She had been cheering really hard, after all.

Thanks to those efforts, by the evening we had completed all 24 magic stone heaters. I thought it would be best to have their usability tested as soon as possible, so I took Rosalia with me and headed back to the knights’ quarters.

There, I was met with the sight of muscular men working out, half-naked. What in the world is this scene? I instinctively covered Rosalia’s eyes.

“Lionel, what in the world is this?”  

“My apologies, Julius-sama, Lady Rosalia. Hey, you lot, put on your clothes already!”  

“Sir, yes, sir!”

What is this… what exactly is going on here? According to the explanation, the knights were so impressed with how warm their bodies became that they decided to show their gratitude by working out. Shirtless. Apparently, their bodies were still warm even at this time. It seems like having two a day will be enough to manage.

With this, there should be plenty of hot cookies to go around. It looks like there won’t be a need to make any extra ones tonight. That’s a relief.

“By the way, Lord Julius, what is that you’re holding?”  

“Oh, this is a magic stone heater. I made it with Rosalia to be used for this investigation.”  

“…That’s a magical device, 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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