Kays Translations

Chapter 445: To the Draken Margraviate

The mana stagnation had been found within the Draken Margraviate, so our first destination would be the House Draken estate.

We would reorganise there before continuing to the site.

“The departure is sudden, but we will leave for the Draken Margraviate tomorrow. Make your preparations.”

With Marquis Mulan’s closing words, the meeting ended.

First I needed to prepare plant nutrient to help the World Tree seed grow. We could not afford to take chances, so I would make the highest-quality batch possible.

“Julius-sama, please be careful on your journey.”

“Of course. I will not do anything that would make you sad. Absolutely not.”

Marquis Mulan’s announced party contained no female members. He had probably considered the possibility of a monster attack. Since the proposal had been mine, I was required to go. Nero, Axel and Ijidol would accompany me under the pretext of serving as my guards, while Giles and Christopher would join us as well.

“Lord Leon may try to come too.”

“He may. Is the site dangerous?”

“It appears safe at present, but monsters lived there until recently. We cannot know what might happen. Leon is not well suited to combat.”

I felt slightly guilty saying that and gave a wry smile.

The monster subjugation had only just ended, but the region had never been known for unusually heavy monster activity, so the risk should be low. There would probably be no fighting.

Fabienne looked somewhat reassured, and the crease between her brows eased.

Fabienne must have suspected that I was not entirely normal. Deep down, she probably believed I would survive whatever happened. The same could not be said for everyone else.

While Fabienne and I were compounding magic potions, Leon entered with a visibly pleased expression.

“Master, listen! I’ve received permission to accompany you!”

“That’s wonderful. I’m glad you received permission.”

“I persuaded them by explaining that the expedition is necessary for the future development of magic potions.”

“I see.”

If he had used that argument, he must be prepared to see the matter through even if the journey proved difficult. I respected his determination. In that case, I would make Leon a high-quality basic stamina-recovery potion. With it, the road would not defeat him. Heh heh heh.

At dinner, Marquis Mulan again announced the party travelling to the Draken Margraviate. Fabienne, Mira and Caro would remain at the Mulan estate.

Caro had apparently wanted to come, but Axel must have persuaded her to stay. She looked somewhat exhausted, which told me how that conversation had gone.

“We have added another person. Should we inform House Draken first?”

“That will not be necessary, Father. The House Draken estate has plenty of rooms. One or two additional guests will make no difference.”

“I see. If Hilda says so, it should be fine. If anyone complains, I will blame Leon.”

“What?!”

Laughter filled the dining room. House Mulan was a close-knit family, much like House Heine. Their meals were generally full of laughter.

With Leon added, we discussed our supplies. Each of us would carry elementary healing potions and other magic potions, and we also packed emergency rations.

It was probably Leon’s first camping trip. His restless excitement was impossible to miss.

The next morning, our carriage departed for the Draken Margraviate. If all went smoothly, we would reach its territorial capital by evening.

The region was covered in lush forest. I had heard that most of the timber cut there was shipped to the royal capital.

“With this many trees, we shouldn’t have trouble finding firewood.”

“This region receives little snow, so we use relatively little firewood during winter. Each year, much of what we gather is shipped to the royal capital and the northern territories. It brings in considerable revenue.”

“I see. The firewood industry is well developed here. The Heine Margraviate struggles to secure enough firewood every year, so demand must be high.”

Producing firewood required planting replacement trees. I had never expected the plant nutrient I developed to help tree growth in another territory. It was a curious connection.

I gazed at the endless forest while considering that.

“Do you think monsters might appear?”

“Ijidol, do you want to fight monsters that badly?”

Axel’s voice was cheerfully teasing. Was he the battle fanatic here? Avoiding monsters altogether would be best. If anything happened, Fabienne would worry.

“No. It’s just that monsters attacked us the last time we entered the forest, remember? I thought it might happen again.”

He was probably overthinking it. We had simply been unlucky that time. It was not as though monsters attacked us whenever we travelled… or did they? Was my encounter rate unusually high, or was that normal?

I had never been attacked by monsters while completely alone, and I wanted to believe everyone else could say the same. It seemed unfair to conclude that I attracted them.

After hearing Axel and Ijidol’s exchange, Leon repeatedly glanced out of the window. Nevertheless, we reached the House Draken estate without encountering a single monster.

As expected, I was not the one drawing trouble.

“Thank you for coming, everyone. Oh, Leon, you came as well? No matter. The knights of House Draken are all elite.”

Just as Lady Hilda had said, Margrave Draken did not object to the size of our group. Laughing heartily, he introduced us to his wife and his heir, Lady Hilda’s fiancé.

After exchanging greetings, we headed to the salon for a strategy meeting.

As befitted a frontier estate, Margrave Draken’s residence had a rugged, practical design that vaguely reminded me of the House Heine estate. It was probably built to withstand an attack in an emergency. A mansion intended only for display had no place on the frontier.

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