Kays Translations

Chapter 439: Lack of Exercise

Leon was now compounding potions with practised hands. It felt as though he no longer needed much guidance from me. Once I taught him the recipes we had developed so far, my work here would be complete – but was it truly safe to do that?

The flavoured elementary healing potion was only an extension of the existing recipe, so there was little difficulty in teaching it. A completely new magic potion, however, was another matter.

As usual, I could say that the recipe came from knowledge passed down by my grandmother, but would Leon believe that explanation? After all, he called me Master and trusted me far too deeply.

“What’s wrong, Master?”

“Nothing serious. I was only thinking that you ought to get some exercise from time to time.”

Leon pulled a face. He clearly disliked the suggestion. Working indoors did not excuse someone from exercise, so I should at least make him run.

“Once you’ve finished that potion, we’ll go to the training ground for a run.”

“Do I truly have to?”

“Yes. Both Lady Hilda and Caro are worried that you aren’t getting enough exercise.”

“…Understood.”

Leon nodded reluctantly. Just how much did he dislike exercise? The weather was very hot, so I could sympathise to some extent. I would have him eat a Cold Cookie before we went to the training ground.

House Mulan’s training ground had shower magic tools, so he could wash away the sweat immediately afterwards.

We headed to the training ground and began running at once. The knights there started whispering when they saw us, probably because Leon exercising was such an unusual sight. We were not moving quickly, yet he was already panting and struggling to keep pace.

“Leon, did you exercise at the Royal Academy?”

“O-of course. Hah… hah… We had self-defence lessons, so… hah…”

“Did those lessons include any physical conditioning?”

“No… I don’t think so. The young ladies were there too…”

That would not do. They probably could not make noble young ladies run laps at the Royal Academy, so the lessons must have focused on stationary self-defence drills. Those could teach technique, but they would not build stamina. What should I do?

“Leon, from now on, we’ll exercise together every morning.”

“But that will reduce the time available for compounding potions…”

“If you refuse, I won’t teach you any new recipes.”

“I’ll do it! I’ll give it everything I have, Master!”

His loyalty was certainly impressive. I wanted Leon to become a healthy magic pharmacist. All that remained was deciding on an appropriate routine. Perhaps I could use the same exercises as Ijidol. His morning training was designed for mages and was not excessively demanding, so even Leon ought to manage it.

After several breaks, we finally completed the planned run. Leon’s stamina was astonishingly poor, barely comparable to that of an average young lady. At this rate, he might even have difficulty finding a spouse in the future. As his master, I would have to do something.

After showering, we moved to a nearby rest area, where Leon collapsed.

“I… I can’t go any farther…”

“You did well. If you keep this up, you’ll eventually have the stamina of an average person. Now, about the new magic potion…”

“Yes!”

Leon sprang upright. Perhaps if I dangled a magic potion in front of him, he would run forever. I wondered whether I should test that once. Nero stared at Leon in disbelief.

“The magic potions I make were originally taught to me by my grandmother.”

“Commander Giovanni told me the same thing. Lady Margaret, the renowned magic pharmacist, is your grandmother, isn’t she?”

“That’s right. My grandmother secretly taught me how to make magic potions.”

Leon nodded, apparently satisfied. It felt a little wrong to mislead him, but he had accepted the explanation completely. This meant I did not need to claim the recipes as my own. Even so, I had to be careful.

“If I teach you this recipe, you would effectively become one of Lady Margaret’s disciples as well.”

“Me… one of Lady Margaret’s disciples…!”

He was deeply moved. Good, good. Nero, who knew the truth behind the story, stared at me in exasperation, but I ignored him. This explanation was for the best. If I claimed the recipe as my own, it would cause problems. But if I was merely passing on a method taught by my grandmother, there should be no issue. The existence of the magic-potion recipe book itself would remain secret.

“I want you to pass the method on properly in the future as well.”

“Leave it to me, Master! Then Lady Fabienne would also be one of Lady Margaret’s disciples, correct?”

“I suppose she would.”

I did not remember ever explaining it that way to Fabienne, but it should be fine. Fabienne would surely understand the situation without needing it spelt out. I trusted her.

With the explanation prepared, I could teach Leon a new magic potion without hesitation, presenting it as one of Lady Margaret’s recipes.

Leon’s exhaustion had vanished. I took the newly energised apprentice back to the compounding room and decided to begin with a basic stamina-recovery potion, which would be particularly useful for someone with so little stamina.

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