Kays Translations

Chapter 314: The Biography of Julius

Brother Cain’s comment—‘There should be plenty of basic stamina-recovery potions stored with House Heine’s territorial knights’—made Sister-in-law Meeka’s eyes light up. Rosalia was staring at me with equally sparkling eyes.

"I cannot permit anyone to use magic potions without a valid reason. I am, after all, a magic pharmacist personally appointed by His Majesty the King. Naturally, if you are genuinely exhausted, I will allow you to drink one."

The five of them nodded vigorously. Brother Cain, Nero and Lelie had joined in, and even the head chef was nodding. I should prepare extra basic stamina-recovery potions this morning. Fortunately, I had gathered plenty of ingredients and was cultivating more in the greenhouse, so occasional use should be manageable.

"I only thought of it as a refreshing drink, though…"

I muttered this as I left the dining room and headed towards the workshop. When Nero responded, I turned in surprise, but fortunately Rosalia and the others did not seem to have heard me.

“Refreshing beverage?”

“Oh, that’s just my thought. Don’t worry about it.”

I hurriedly explained myself to the puzzled Nero. This world had nothing resembling a modern refreshment drink—apart from the basic stamina-recovery potion I had made. A sports drink that was easier to consume might be useful. Sugar and salt should be enough for the base, and honey would improve the taste.

“Lord Julius, have you come up with something new again?”

“How did you know?”

“No, just a feeling…”

“Hmm…”

Nero and Mira regarded me with faint exasperation. Was my expression really that obvious? Still, this would not be a magic potion. Anyone could make it!

…Wait. I should postpone the idea. If I added another burden to Brother Alex and Sister-in-law Daniela, they might retaliate by making me help with the work.

“Yeah, I’ll put it off for now.”

“I see.”

“So, let’s put away that notebook you’re holding.”

Nero reluctantly returned the notebook to his pocket. Recording my activities seemed to have become a hobby. I did not mind the notes themselves, but I wished he would not publicise them. At this rate, he might someday publish The Biography of Lord Julius. That sounded entirely possible. I needed to stop him.

As soon as I reached the workshop, I began wrapping the gifts. I placed the glass pen and magic-stone hand warmer in separate wooden boxes. Packing them together would risk breaking the pen, which would be disastrous—and terribly inauspicious.

I handled the glass pen with particular care, setting it on a small jewellery display cushion inside the box before wrapping the box in beautiful paper. Naturally, I added a ribbon.

“It’s so beautiful!”

“Kyu!”

“Thank you, Rosalia.”

Rosalia and Mira both seemed delighted by it. I had considered giving Lady Fabienne a fountain pen as well, but decided to save that for another occasion. During my next visit, I would ask what kind of fountain pen she preferred and use her answer to create one especially for her.

I wrapped the magic-stone hand warmer in the same fashion. It would be extremely useful in the coming season, keeping her warm both during the day and at night. Lady Fabienne did not have a living hot-water bottle like Mira, after all.

“Kyu?”

“It’s nothing, Mira.”

With Mira tilting their head beside me, I headed towards the training ground. Rosalia intended to continue working in the workshop. There was little for her to do at the training ground, so that seemed like a sensible use of her time.

As expected—or rather, as had been obvious—the training ground presented a sorry sight.

"Brother Cain, Sister-in-law Meeka."

“Julius, you came too. As you can see.”

Brother Cain smiled wryly. Sister-in-law Meeka seemed uncertain whether she ought to laugh, leaving her mouth slightly twisted. I thought she should simply laugh without restraint.

“Lord Julius!”

“Giles, Christopher. It looks like you two are alright.”

“Yes, it seems so. Apparently, yesterday’s celebration was quite a big deal…”

Most of the people present at the training ground were children or younger knights. The few adult knights who had appeared looked apologetic; they had probably been unable to stop the celebration.

This was a serious problem. Perhaps the others could perform their duties if someone woke them, but even so, this was going too far.

With a royal princess staying at the mansion, it was disappointing to see the lord of the northern frontier and so many senior retainers in this condition. Deep snow made an attack unlikely, but there still had to be limits.

"Brother Cain, once you command the territorial knights, please make sure this never happens again."

“…”

"Brother Cain?"

“I-I understand. I’ll do something. I’ll definitely do something.”

I was beginning to worry. Did Brother Cain secretly want to join the drinkers instead? For now, I would have to rely on Sister-in-law Meeka.

"Sister-in-law Meeka, you’ll keep him under control, won’t you?"

“Huh?”

Oh no. Now I was truly anxious. We needed clear rules while Father was still healthy. At the very least, celebrations should be staggered over several days and attendance limited so that enough people always remained fit for duty.

After checking the current situation with the knights, I discussed the investigation with Giles and Christopher. When we started talking about fighting the Snow Worm, they leaned in and listened intently. It seems they really wanted to fight as knights themselves.

Naturally, I made it clear that Nero and I had only observed the actual fighting from a distance. I did not want them to misunderstand. I needed everyone to know that I would not fight monsters at my age—although my previous battles with Snow Wolves made that claim rather unconvincing.

However, I must say, there is a significant difference in danger between Snow Wolves and Snow Worms. Snow Wolves can be fought by one person, but Snow Worms require multiple people to handle.

It would be troublesome if my defeat of the Snow Wolves caused people to treat Snow Worms as equally manageable. I could probably defeat a Snow Worm alone, but that was a secret.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter