Kays Translations

Chapter 392: It’s Okay Even on Rainy Days

After watching Rosalia take Mira and Lilie somewhere, we decided to return to the alchemy room. We didn’t get as much rest as I had hoped, but I wonder if Fabienne is okay.

“Fabienne, do you want to rest a little longer before we head back to the alchemy room?”

“No, I’m fine. Seeing Rosalia complete her magic tool made me realize I can’t afford to fall behind.”

“Alright then, let’s head to the alchemy room.”

It seems Fabienne is more competitive than I had thought. Or maybe she’s just being considerate of me? She’s a kind girl, after all. I personally think she could express herself a little more freely.

As soon as we arrived at the alchemy room, we checked the materials that had been coated with the water-repellent agent. They all seemed to be completely dry. This meant we could proceed with testing without any issues. I asked Nero to gather a few servants and have them carry the test materials out to the garden.

“Julius-sama, how should we conduct the test?”

“Carrying water from the well would be a hassle… Oh, I know! Let’s make it rain. As long as we limit the area, it should be fine.”

“…Huh?”

Ah, Fabienne’s eyes and mouth just turned perfectly round. That surprised expression is unfairly cute. And from her reaction, I immediately realized that making it rain was a bad idea. What should I do? Nero’s gaze also turned damp and heavy, like the humidity during the rainy season. That was the “You’re about to do something ridiculous again, aren’t you?” look.

“Yeah… Making it rain is probably a bad idea. In that case, let’s use a sprinkler magic tool instead.”

“That sounds like a much better idea.”

“I’ll bring it right away.”

Nero quickly rushed back into the mansion, probably to fetch the sprinkler. But was it really that bad of an idea?

“Was making it rain really a problem?”

“…I’ve never heard of a spell like that before. Julius-sama, you can really make it rain?”

“…Yeah.”

An awkward silence filled the air. Good thing I didn’t go through with it. I had almost left another legendary story in the annals of the Heine Count’s family. I learned my lesson—not to casually manipulate the weather.

While I was reflecting on this, Nero returned with the sprinkler. He seemed to have rushed quite a bit, as he was slightly out of breath.

“Nero, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. More importantly… you didn’t use magic, did you?”

“Don’t worry, Fabienne stopped me.”

Upon hearing that, Nero’s face looked visibly relieved. …Wait, does that mean he doesn’t trust me? I had mixed feelings about that, but I focused on setting up the sprinkler. We placed the test materials within its range and activated the magic tool.

The sprinkler spun in circles, spraying water like rain. On a warm, sunny day like this, it felt refreshing to have the cool water misting around us. Both Fabienne and Nero had blissful expressions, as if they were saying, “Ahh, this is so refreshing.”

“Hmm, I can’t tell from a distance.”

“Indeed. It would be better if we could observe it up close.”

We temporarily stopped the device and checked the materials. It looked like all of them repelled water without any issues.

The water-repellent effect seemed to be working just fine. Now, the final step was to actually wear the treated materials and see if they felt uncomfortable. This part would require personal testing.

“Alright, next, let’s actually put this on and test it.”

“Julius-sama, in that case, I’ll do it.”

“I feel bad making Nero take on all the burden.”

“That’s not the case at all. If you end up soaking wet, I’ll be the one who gets scolded.”

Since Nero stubbornly refused to back down, I decided to let him do it. Fabienne remained silent. What I was about to do was probably a bad idea. But as the one who came up with it, I really wanted to test it myself.

As I was pouring water on Nero, who was wearing the water-repellent material, Rosalia and the others arrived. Not the best timing. And to make things worse, Mother was with them.

“Oniisan, what are you doing?”

“Julius, you…”

“N-No, it’s not what it looks like! We’re testing a new material right now.”

“Hmm?”

Ah, that “hmm?” was completely monotone—Mother clearly didn’t believe me. If I don’t explain properly, this could lead to misunderstandings. I quickly called Nero back and explained what we were doing.

Mother seemed interested in the water-repellent material and carefully observed how it repelled water.

“This is fascinating. With this, you wouldn’t have to get wet if it suddenly started raining. A cloak type that can be easily thrown on would be ideal.”

“I see, so that would have been better.”

I had unconsciously been influenced by my old-world thinking and made it into a wearable raincoat instead of a drape-over type. Rather than assuming people would wear it from the start of the rain, it’s also important to have something they can quickly put on in an emergency.

If we were to sell it, we should offer both the wearable type and the drape-over type. Selling the water-repellent agent itself is an option, but if it gets used in unintended ways, it could be problematic. It would be easier to control if we only sold pre-treated finished products. Whether we actually sell it or not is another matter.

“Mother, do you think this would sell?”

“Of course. Especially nobles—they’d definitely buy it. It’s far better than having their clothes ruined by the rain.”

“Nero, what do you think?”

“If it’s in this flexible design, I think people who work outdoors would want it. However, I am a bit concerned about how it traps heat. It does get quite warm inside.”

“I see.”

It prevents getting wet from the rain, but inside, you might end up drenched in sweat. That wouldn’t be much different from getting wet in the first place. Would it be difficult for workers to use? In that case, should we narrow the target market to nobles? That would mean we wouldn’t need to produce as many.

“I’ll ask Alex-niisan about it over dinner.”

“That sounds like a good idea. If it’s completed, I’d like one as well.”

“Of course. I plan to prepare one for everyone.”

At my words, Rosalia and Mira looked delighted. They were probably imagining how they could go outside even on rainy days. I really need to figure out a way to deal with the heat issue.

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