Kays Translations

Chapter 331: Basic Sustained Mana-Restoration Potion

With Mother and the others waiting outside, I could not ask the driver to circle the estate again without arousing suspicion. I had to bring Fabienne back to her senses.

“Fabienne, we have arrived at the estate. Pull yourself together.”

As I spoke, I quietly used cooling magic to lower her body temperature. Her unfocused eyes gradually cleared.

“Ah-choo!”

“Sorry. Did I make you too cold?”

Fabienne's eyes cleared, and she stared at me in surprise. It was safer to answer honestly before matters became more complicated.

“I used magic to cool you down.”

“I see… Then what was that just now?”

“Well, Mother and Rosalia are waiting to greet us. We should leave the carriage quickly.”

“Oh! Of course…”

Fabienne hurriedly straightened her clothes. Her maid helped her while Nero adjusted mine.

“Lord Julius.”

“It was an accident. You must believe me.”

“…I am relieved Lady Fabienne did not notice.”

“So am I…”

I was grateful that Fabienne had not realised where my hand had landed when I caught her. Had she noticed, I might have faced Mother with a bright-red handprint across my cheek.

Once we were presentable, I escorted Fabienne from the carriage.

“We are home, Mother.”

“We are home.”

“Welcome back. You returned sooner than I expected.”

“Welcome home, Brother Julius, Sister-in-law Fabienne.”

They greeted us with smiles. Apparently, they had not noticed anything suspicious. What a relief.

“The stock of Hot Cookies was running low, so we came back to make another batch before it was too late.”

“I see. Still, I was beginning to wonder why neither of you would leave the carriage.”

Mother's smile remained perfectly pleasant, but the pressure in her gaze was steadily increasing. This was dangerous. I needed to proceed carefully.

Worse, Fabienne appeared to remember what had happened in the carriage and began trembling slightly.

“We became absorbed in discussing potions and lost track of time.”

“Did you?”

She did not believe me at all. Fortunately, Rosalia was present, so Mother did not question us further. I still dreaded what might happen later.

After enduring Mother's gaze and catching my breath in the salon, I went to the compounding room with Fabienne.

“First, I will make a basic sustained mana-restoration potion.”

“May I watch?”

“Of course. Although…”

The ingredients were unpleasant, but a magic pharmacist eventually had to become accustomed to such materials.

She tilted her head at my hesitation. For a moment, I wondered whether I should show her after all.

“These are the ingredients.”

I presented the prepared powders. At least their original forms were no longer recognisable. Fabienne watched curiously as I lifted the first bottle.

“From left to right: powdered yellow-frog mucus, powdered lizard tail, and powdered shed snakeskin.”

Fabienne carefully returned the bottle to the table, her expression going blank. That was probably a normal reaction. Even Nero had become expressionless.

“I see… Those can all be used in potions?”

“Yes. Almost anything can become an ingredient if it is prepared correctly. Take your time getting used to them.”

Fabienne nodded silently. I should have begun her first lesson with less alarming ingredients.

I heated distilled water, extinguished the flame, and added a little cool water to lower the temperature. Then I immersed fresh mana grass and stirred slowly to extract its essence.

“This is mana grass. The fresher it is, the stronger the effect, and the less bitterness it produces.”

“You can keep it fresh because you grow it in the greenhouse.”

“Exactly.”

Once the essence had been fully extracted, I simmered the liquid until it became concentrated. I then added the powders and stirred until they dissolved.

I should adjust the flavour now. Left alone, it would taste far too earthy.

I added grated apple, honey, and a generous amount of mana. The result was a slightly syrupy, olive-green liquid. It did not look inviting, but it should taste pleasant.

Basic Sustained Mana-Restoration Potion: High quality. Continuously restores a small amount of mana over a long period. Flavoured with apple and honey.

Good. As long as Fabienne could overcome its appearance, there should be no problem.

“It is finished. It may not look attractive, but the quality and flavour are both excellent.”

“Um…”

I had never seen Fabienne make such a complicated expression. At least I had spared her the actual frogs, lizards, and snakes.

“You do not have to drink it if you would rather not. House Heine's territorial mages would certainly find a use for it.”

“No, I will drink it!”

Closing her eyes, Fabienne swallowed the potion in one draught. Next time, I should make it a more inviting colour—perhaps pink.

“Apple and honey!”

Her astonished cry made it clear that the flavour had surpassed all her fears.

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