Chapter 375: Fluffy, Silky, and Soft

As soon as I got out of the bath, I dried Mira. It would have been troublesome to dry her with a warm air blower, so I used magic to dry her instead. This way, I can freely adjust the airflow and temperature, making it much faster to dry her.

“You’re quite skilled. As expected of someone called a sage.”

“Ah, not really… Do you think so too, Fabienne?”

“Isn’t it so?”

“Personally, I don’t think it’s all that special.”

Everyone keeps calling me a sage, but what exactly is the standard for that? Do they just call anyone who can use a little magic a sage? Maybe it’s just a form of politeness. If that’s the case, I’ll try not to worry too much about it.

“Kyuu, kyuu!”

“Hey, Mira! I’m not picking on Fabienne, okay?”

Thinking that Fabienne was in trouble, Mira suddenly headbutted me with great force. It seems that Mira really likes Fabienne. This is a good sign.

Fabienne, who had been lost in thought, suddenly had an enlightened expression.

“It must have been troubling for you, Julius-sama. I’m sorry.”

“No, it wasn’t really troubling, but being given such a title… it’s a bit overwhelming, to say the least.”

“Julius-sama, you truly have the skill to deserve such a title. But I do understand that it can be intimidating when everyone calls you that. If I were in your position, I would probably feel the same way.”

It seems that both Fabienne and Mira understood. Mira’s headbutt stopped. Meanwhile, Mira’s fur dried. It was fluffy, smooth, and soft. I couldn’t resist nuzzling her.

“Kyuu.”

“It’s fine, just a little bit~”

“Julius-sama, I’d like to try it too.”

“Um, me too…”

We took turns nuzzling and picking up Mira, thoroughly enjoying her.

When we went to the salon near the bath, we found Rosalia there. Upon seeing Mira looking all clean, her eyes sparkled, and she jumped toward her. Mira, too, seemed happy to be embraced by Rosalia, and they began playing together. It was wonderful to see how close they had become. They were like true siblings now.

That night, I slept with Mira and Fabienne. Of course, I didn’t do anything inappropriate. Mira was between us, after all.

The next day, after breakfast, I immediately headed to the alchemy room. I was going to pick up the reinforced glass. In addition to the usual group, I also noticed Alex-niisan was there.

“Oniisan, are you sure you’re not overdoing it? We can handle the test ourselves, you know. You can stay at the guild and work if you prefer.”

“That’s harsh, Julius. Do you really want to get rid of me that badly?”

“…”

That’s exactly right. If the only witnesses are the knights and us, we could just pretend nothing happened. But if Big Brother is watching, it won’t be so easy. Still, I can’t refuse. He looks like he’s having fun. Maybe he gets lonely being alone?

“So this is the reinforced glass coated with the magic potion. It looks just like regular glass.”

“The coating is designed so that it doesn’t change the appearance, since colored glass can be inconvenient.”

“That’s true. It might not be much of a problem for things like tableware or magical tools, but if it’s for window glass, clear glass is definitely better.”

I took the reinforced glass in my hand and checked it. It seems that the magic resistance effect has been successfully applied. Come to think of it, I haven’t heard the word ‘apply’ much before. Could it be that such a technique didn’t exist until now?

“Alex-niisan, is it possible to apply some effect, like with this reinforced glass, at a later stage?”

“It is possible. For example, you can apply fire-element magic to weapons. But I don’t know exactly how it’s done.”

“Isn’t it done by blacksmiths?”

“I don’t know that either. I’ve heard that such items sometimes appear at royal family-sponsored exhibitions.”

I see, so the origin is unknown. It might be something like an out-of-place artifact that current technology can’t replicate. It seems best to avoid casually applying effects for now.

And the idea that just applying a magic potion can add an effect… I can already see a future full of chaos.

I had the servant carry the box with the reinforced glass and made my way to the knight’s training grounds. As usual, morning training was underway.

As soon as we arrived, Lionel called out to us. It seems he had been waiting.

“Good morning, Alex-sama, Julius-sama, Fabienne-sama… Could it be that you’re planning to train?”

“Good morning, Lionel. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.”

Alex-niisan gave a wry smile, having been caught off guard. Recently, he had been too busy with the guild’s work to visit the training grounds. As the heir apparent, he likely doesn’t need much in terms of martial power, but Lionel probably thinks a little exercise wouldn’t hurt, for health’s sake.

“Good morning, Lionel. Oniisan came to observe the test for the reinforced glass.”

“I see, so that’s what this is about!”

You’re really quick to understand, huh?! Why does that make you so happy? Could it be… that with Alex-niisan here, you’re thinking, “If anything happens, I can just let Alex-sama handle the report, so I’m lucky!”? Grrr.

“This reinforced glass is the same hardness as what the mages created. And it’s been coated with a potion that enhances magical resistance.”

Lionel took the reinforced glass, checked both sides, held it up to the light, and then flicked it with his finger, making a ringing sound.

“It just looks like regular glass.”

“Heh heh, pretty amazing, right? I’m really looking forward to the magic resistance test!”

Alex-niisan and Lionel looked at me with wry smiles. Why? Oh, Fabienne, Nero, and Mira all had the same look on their faces. Could it be that I’m the only one excited for the test?

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