Chapter 398: A New Discovery

The magic crystal stones I obtained this time amount to three. Since I’ve already retrieved the one I found earlier, I now have a total of four magic crystal stones in my possession. With four of them, they should be more than sufficient as an energy source for the greenhouse’s magic tools.

“Julius-sama, what do you plan to do with these magic crystal stones?”

“Oh, I hadn’t told you yet, Fabienne. These magic crystal stones can store magical power, as you saw earlier. I plan to use them for the magic tools in the greenhouse.”

“In the greenhouse?”

“Yes. Quite a few magic tools will be installed in the greenhouse. I want to reduce the consumption of magic stones as much as possible. With these, as long as I recharge them with magical power before bed, they can be used repeatedly.”

Fabienne nodded in agreement. It seems she understood. Of course, I would be the one replenishing the magical power. In the Heine Count’s family, I probably have the highest amount of magical power. Since I’m also in charge of managing the magic tools, I’m the most suitable for the task.

Since the greenhouse hasn’t been completed yet, there’s not much I can do at the moment. But for now, I should at least make a pedestal to install the magic crystal stones. Rosalia has gone to visit Mother, so now would be a good time to work.

I take out an iron plate and begin shaping it. The magic crystal stones will be fixed onto the pedestal, and magic power can be infused into them by placing a hand on top. I ask Nero to bring me the seven-colored magic crystal I had stored in my room. When Fabienne sees it, she lets out a delighted exclamation.

“It’s so beautiful! I can’t believe it’s the same thing.”

“I actually wanted to give it to you as a present, but it’s too eye-catching, so I had to give up on that idea.”

“I see…”

Fabienne’s eyes droop slightly, looking very disappointed. I feel a pang of guilt. But wearing a gemstone that shifts through seven colors would undoubtedly attract attention. Keeping it in her room and looking at it privately wouldn’t be an issue, though. That’s it.

“Fabienne, if you like it that much, I’ll give you a small piece. But you mustn’t show it to anyone else, okay?”

“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly accept that…”

Fabienne hesitates, but I smile at her and break off a piece of the magic crystal stone. It forms a nice, small fragment. I use a polishing tool to refine its shape and hand it to Fabienne. Even this small piece should contain a considerable amount of magical power.

“It’s small, but it should still be useful. If you ever run out of magical power, just grip it tightly, and the magic will flow into your body.”

When I offer the magic crystal fragment, Fabienne cautiously takes it. She gazes at it as if it were something precious. If she keeps it close to her at all times, it might help in an emergency. Though, of course, I hope such a day never comes.

“I will treasure it.”

“Please do. Now, I need to get back to my work.”

I hammer away at the iron plate, shaping it into a pedestal. With this setup, I can concentrate magic power in one place. I test it by infusing magic into a green magic crystal stone. While its color remains unchanged, its glow clearly becomes brighter, indicating it’s now filled with magical power.

“This is a new discovery. Even if magic is replenished later, the original manifested color doesn’t change. This means I won’t have to deal with seven-colored magic crystals anymore.”

“It’s glowing so much! If this were turned into jewelry, it would be stunning.”

“It would definitely attract a lot of attention. I bet Mother would want one.”

If it’s the most elegant lady in this area, then Mother wouldn’t lose even to this brilliance. But since I’ve already fixed it to the pedestal, it can’t be turned into an ornament anymore.

I also need to be careful when I find more magic crystals. If Mother finds out, she might say she wants one. Magic crystals are meant to be used as rechargeable batteries for magic tools.

As a test, I connected it to an existing magic tool to check its performance as a power source, and it functioned without any issues. It’s definitely usable. Of course, after that, I also charged the remaining magic crystals with magic power. When Fabienne saw me charging them without any trouble, she asked:

“Julius-sama, is your magic power really okay? It looked like you poured in quite a significant amount…”

“I’m fine, no problem. I still have plenty of magic power left.”

I smiled reassuringly so Fabienne wouldn’t worry. Of course, I wasn’t lying. This level of magic consumption is nothing. I could handle about ten more. Though she looked relieved, there was also a hint of fear on her face. Nero had the same expression.

Could it be that they think I’m some kind of monster? That would be bad.

Thinking it wouldn’t be good to continue working here, I invited the two of them to the kitchen. Naturally, Mira came along as well. As if recognizing the path, Mira’s tail wagged happily. Maybe this was the route she took when begging for dried fruits.

“Head chef, there’s something I’d like you to try out.”

“Kyu.”

“Oh, Julius-sama and Mira-sama. And Fabienne-sama is with you as well.”

In the kitchen, preparations for dinner were being carried out at a rapid pace. Did we come at a bad time? Just as I was wondering what to do, the head chef took some dried fruits from a cupboard near the entrance. Mira, as if demanding them immediately, clung to the chef’s legs.

So she really did come just to beg for dried fruits.

“Julius-sama, the others are busy, but I have no problem assisting you. Delegating to my subordinates is also part of my job, after all.”

The head chef forced a smile. He probably wanted to give instructions here and there, but he was holding himself back. If that’s the case, then I suppose I can go ahead and ask.

And so, I decided to have him try out the potato dish I had thought of earlier in the day.

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