Kays Translations

Chapter 424: Rain

I carefully checked the distance to the target. I did not need perfect accuracy, but it would be best to narrow the affected area as much as possible. This should be about right.

“Julius-sama, what exactly are you planning to do?”

“Well, I was thinking of making it rain over that burning area. Like how we water the herb garden.”

All four fell silent. Huh? I did not think I had said anything strange. Did no one else think the same way? Rain over the burning area would extinguish the flames and prevent them from spreading. It was an obvious solution.

“Can you really do that?”

“Huh? I’m just going to make it rain.”

Ah, their mouths were hanging open. This must have been one of those spells I was not supposed to use casually. Even so, it would make the Eastern Margrave’s battle much easier.

The worst outcome would be for the Eastern Margrave’s army to lose. Recovery would take time, and the Big Apes could strengthen their forces in the meantime. That might drive the Forest Wolves out of the woods again.

“I’ll warn you now: don’t tell anyone what happens next. If you do, I’ll make you drink a disgusting magic potion. Understood?”

All four turned pale, covered their mouths and nodded repeatedly. Did they truly hate the idea that much? I was not fond of foul-tasting potions either, but as someone who made magic potions, I had complicated feelings. The potion itself was innocent, even if it made an effective threat.

I extended a hand towards the rising black smoke. The range was right, and so was the distance. If the rain continued too long, the ground would become difficult to traverse, so I would stop as soon as the fire was out.

“Squall.”

A dark cloud suddenly formed above the smoke, and heavy rain began to fall. Even from here, the downpour was clearly visible. The soldiers would be soaked, but once the flames were extinguished, I could dry them with wind magic.

“No way… really?”

“I can’t believe it…”

While Ijidol and Nero stared dumbfounded, Giles and Christopher dropped to their knees and began praying to me. Stop that.

With mixed feelings, I watched the distant scene. The black smoke gradually faded; the fire appeared to be out. I quickly waved my hand and ended the spell, then sent a warm wind across the same area to dry the soldiers. That should do it.

“Julius, it looks like the fire has been put out safely.”

“Yes. The mages should be able to rejoin the attack now. Oh, the Eastern Margrave’s army is concentrating its attacks on the leader. At this rate, its defeat is only a matter of time.”

“That’s good to hear. But, we still don’t know how the battle will turn out, do we?”

“Yeah, that’s true. But we can’t stay here the whole time.”

What should we do now? It would soon be noon. Could we eat up here? No, probably not. Having lunch in such a high, unstable place with nothing around us would be some kind of punishment.

“Hey, wouldn’t it be better if Julius just took them down with magic in a flash?”

“That’s a good idea… Wait, you fool! I’m not falling for that. You only want to see more magic, don’t you, Ijidol?”

“N-No, that’s not it!”

Ijidol denied it in a flat voice while looking away. He had certainly grown bold. When had he become such a sly child? Could it be my influence? No, surely Axel’s bad habits were to blame.

“Oh, it looks as though they’ve defeated the leader. The rest is merely a clean-up operation. They should be fine now.”

“That’s good. Now we can take our time with lunch. Should we eat in the capital, or go back to the mansion?”

“Let’s eat in the capital, since we’re here.”

No one objected. As long as we informed the estate that we would eat in the territorial capital, there should be no problem. No one had told us to return before lunch.

Axel and Caro were still at the estate, so Fabienne would not have to eat alone.

But it might be a good idea to buy a souvenir.

We descended from the clock tower and rejoined the knights. When we mentioned lunch, they immediately began making arrangements. Until everything was ready, we decided to buy Fabienne a souvenir.

“What should we get for Fabienne?”

“How about giving her an invitation for an outing? Today’s main purpose was the magic-tool workshop, after all. You could invite Fabienne to tour the territorial capital with you tomorrow.”

Nero made the suggestion with a perfectly serious expression. Yes, that sounded right. Along with the invitation, I would give her a fine bracelet.

We entered a jewellery shop and pooled every scrap of taste we possessed in search of a present. It would have helped to have someone more familiar with women’s preferences, such as Brother Alex.

We ate lunch at a newly opened Chinese-style restaurant. The food looked exactly like the Chinese dishes I remembered, which unsettled me slightly. A reincarnator must have introduced it—there was no other explanation. Even the flavours were familiar.

“This is… interesting.”

“Did it not suit your taste?”

“No, it’s really delicious. I just hadn’t seen food like this before, so I was surprised. I didn’t know there was such a dish.”

I understood; everyone reacted the same way. They ate with wide eyes, fascinated by the unfamiliar dishes. Perhaps Japanese food existed somewhere in this world as well. Would it eventually reach this kingdom? As for cooking it myself… no. If I could cook too, that would be going far beyond reasonable.

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