Kays Translations

Chapter 426: Double Date

The next day, as planned, I went sightseeing around the territorial capital with Fabienne under the pretext of showing her the city. It was supposed to be a date for just the two of us, but for some reason, Caro and Axel came along as well. Both wore the same sort of inconspicuous clothes as we did.

“Um, what exactly is going on here…?”

“Haha…”

Axel gave an apologetic laugh, and I could only smile wryly in return. Marchioness Mulan had undoubtedly told them to accompany us. That was fine, but did we really have to share the same carriage? In the end, our outing had become a double date.

“Kyuu!”

“That’s right. Mira is here too.”

Mira raised a paw, making sure we understood that they were part of the outing as well. I had dressed Mira in clothes that concealed the wings on their back and pulled a hood over their head so the horns would not stand out. Dressing pets in clothes was apparently uncommon here, but once I made an outfit for Mira, everyone became extremely interested.

I sincerely hoped this would not start a fashion for dressing pets in clothes. It would be fine… right?

“You look adorable, Mira-chan.”

“Kyuu!”

Mira bounced happily on Fabienne’s lap, delighted by the compliment. Fabienne looked equally pleased as she gently stroked their fur.

“Are those clothes really all right? I’m worried Mira-chan might get too hot.”

Even while voicing her concern, Caro was already petting Mira. At this point, Mira had become everyone’s adorable source of comfort. There was no trace left of the majestic holy dragon they had once appeared to be. Mira did not seem bothered, so perhaps this was fine.

“There’s no need to worry. I’ve been giving Mira Cold Cookies.”

“Cold Cookies?”

Come to think of it, I had never told them about those. At House Heine, Cold Cookies had practically become a standard remedy, so I had forgotten that they still needed an explanation. As soon as I mentioned them, everyone wanted to try one.

“They look like ordinary cookies… and they taste like cookies too.”

“Yeah. They’re cookies—and very good ones. Ijidol would love them.”

“But they aren’t merely sweets. They’re magic medicine.”

“That’s hard to believe.”

“I agree. It seems impossible.”

It was not especially hot yet, so perhaps the effect was difficult to notice. Once the sun climbed higher, they would understand.

Our carriage continued towards the centre of the territorial capital, with Nero driving from the coachman’s bench. He had apparently researched the local sights the previous day and had been brimming with enthusiasm since morning.

We decided to begin by climbing the clock tower. From what they had said yesterday, Caro and Axel had only ever visited the base. I also wanted Fabienne to see the magnificent view from the top.

“This is incredible. There’s forest as far as the eye can see.”

“So this is the view from up here. And that bell is enormous when you see it this close.”

“It’s been quite a while since I climbed all the way to the top, but I’m relieved that the view hasn’t changed.”

We all admired the scenery from the highest floor. Fabienne might have been slightly frightened, because the hand holding mine trembled faintly. Even when we rode Mira, we rarely flew higher than a three-storey building, so her unease was understandable.

“Julius-sama, you seem very interested in that direction.”

“N-No, not at all.”

Fabienne had noticed where I was looking. She narrowed her eyes towards the same point, as though trying to see whatever had caught my attention. There should have been nothing unusual visible to her, unless she possessed a skill such as Clairvoyance.

“That direction leads into the same forest we can see from here. Since it stretches all the way towards the eastern frontier, it must continue for an enormous distance. Come to think of it, isn’t that where the subjugation force went?”

Everyone turned to look the same way. That was the direction in which I had cast Squall yesterday. The Eastern Margrave’s army had already defeated the Big Ape leader, but I wanted to make certain that no other conspicuous monsters remained. I could not see any. Everything should be fine now.

“Can you see something, Julius?”

“No, nothing at all. The operation is probably already over, and the area should be safe.”

“Yes. I hope things return to normal soon…”

Caro must have been deeply worried; this was her family’s territory, after all. Marquis and Marchioness Mulan had spoken very little about the fighting, perhaps because they did not want us to worry. I wondered whether they would share the news with us once the Eastern Margrave’s report arrived.

After the clock tower, we visited the fountain plaza near the centre of the territorial capital. Anyone could enter freely, and it was said to be the city’s most famous attraction. The plaza was already crowded, while food stalls stood some distance away, probably so they would not spoil the scenery.

“That fountain is enormous. I’ve never seen one this large.”

“The water pressure is incredible. Is it powered by some kind of magic tool?”

“Probably. Maintaining all of this with magic alone would be an enormous burden.”

The water shifted through a succession of shapes like a performance. The central jet constantly surged upwards, while water poured endlessly from the urn held by a goddess statue like a waterfall. I wondered how much water the fountain consumed.

“I heard that the magic tool powering this fountain was made by the finest magic-tool artisan in the territorial capital. The artisan has already passed away, but the workshop still exists.”

“Wait. Could it be the magic-tool workshop we visited yesterday…?”

The workshop we had visited was large and employed many artisans. Rather than developing new products, however, most of them had seemed occupied with manufacturing established, popular designs.

I should have looked around more carefully. There might have been artisans developing new magic tools as well.

“What did you think of them? Were they all highly skilled?”

“Well… I was so absorbed in making my own magic tools that I didn’t really pay attention.”

“Hehe. That’s just like you, Julius.”

Everyone laughed when Caro said that. She was right—it did sound like me. I tended to become so absorbed in a task that I lost sight of everything around me. I really needed to pay more attention. Otherwise, I might overlook valuable opportunities to learn.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter