Chapter 519: Returning to the Kingdom of Raven
Before dinner, I made sure to introduce Giovanni-sama to Fabienne and gather the latest information on magical potions from the capital.
It seemed the royal palace alchemists were really putting in the effort. Nowadays, they even went to the Guild of Magical Potions to give guidance, working tirelessly to spread high-quality, delicious potions. Thanks to their efforts, apparently, properly made potions were now circulating in the areas near the capital.
Good, good… that’s exactly what I wanted to hear. Slowly but surely, real magical potions were beginning to take root. I had thought it would be impossible to spread them widely before I graduated from the academy, but now… it seemed like it might actually be doable. Of course, it was still only in certain areas, but progress was progress.
After dinner, as planned, it was time for everyone to take a bath.
At this point, I figured, why not go all out? I framed it as a chance to strengthen family bonds and dragged Father, Mother, and even my older brother Alex into it. Naturally, everyone wore swimsuits, so there was no problem at all.
Mira and my sister-in-law Daniela were especially playful, running around like children let loose. I even saw sister-in-law Daniela crying tears of joy, murmuring, “I never thought a day like this would come…”
After the baths, I demonstrated the improved Dry-wind device, and it was very well received. My parents, of course, enjoyed it, but even the household staff who were watching got caught up in the excitement. I remember Rosalia’s face lighting up with sheer happiness. After all, she had made almost all the components herself.
She seemed proud of having created a magical tool that could genuinely help people. She had become a truly competent magical tool artisan. With this, I could finally focus fully on my magical potions without worry.
From now on, Rosalia would probably handle the production and dissemination of the improved Dry-wind device herself. I was looking forward to seeing how it would spread when we returned from the Raven Kingdom.
Later, the night was spent checking our final preparations. The materials we could bring were limited, so for everything else, we could only hope to find them in the Raven Kingdom. Surely, not all the lands where medicinal herbs grew were completely tainted by the Bone Dragons… right?
The borderlands around the kingdom were covered in lush green forests. If anywhere, that area would surely yield the materials needed for our potions.
What concerned me most at the moment was the extent of contamination caused by the Bone Dragons. I hoped I could handle it with the potions I already knew.
In the worst-case scenario, I might have to use purification magic. But I had never seen anyone actually use it… and that was the problem. If I had to rely on it, I needed to figure out ahead of time whether anyone there could actually wield it.
“Julius-sama, I have finished my preparations.”
“Same here. I just wrapped everything up.”
“You seemed to be wearing a rather serious expression.”
“Haha… making Fabienne worry like that means I still have a long way to go.”
I tried to laugh it off, but it came out more like a strained smile. Fabienne’s brows furrowed in concern. I pulled her close and held her tight, then guided her to the sofa.
“I was thinking about what contaminated land might really be like. I’m sure the Raven Kingdom has measures in place, but it seems they’re not going as smoothly as they hoped.”
“Contaminated land… I wonder what kind of methods they are using to handle it.”
“Hmmm… I wonder if they’re using purification magic?”
Fabienne stared at me intently. So did Nero. Their faces were serious. That look meant, “What on earth are you talking about?” Apparently, neither of them knew anything about it. At this point, I decided it wasn’t wise to continue the conversation.
“Purification magic… what exactly is that?”
“Ah, well… it’s magic that cleanses the land, I guess? I just thought it would be convenient if such a spell existed.”
Both of them tilted their heads. They didn’t quite get it. Could it be that no one had ever actually attempted to restore contaminated lands?
I would have liked to ask Giovanni-sama, but asking directly didn’t seem like a good idea. I had a very bad feeling about that.
In the end, I decided to distract their suspicious eyes and get some sleep. Tonight, I would sleep next to Mira. We wouldn’t have another chance to be together for a while. Rosalia had wanted the same, but Mother had stopped her. At her age, it was understandable.
The next morning, after breakfast, we set off for the Raven Kingdom. Most of the packing for the carriage had already been done the day before, so all that remained were our personal belongings. It seemed even those had been loaded while we ate breakfast.
There were five carriages in total. Giovanni-sama wasn’t the only royal alchemist accompanying us; three others went as well. The Spencer Kingdom couldn’t spare more because palace alchemists were essential at home.
The guards were all elite knights. Since this was at the Raven Kingdom’s request, there were more guards than last time. That meant only Lionel was sent from the borders by the Margrave Heine.
“I hate to ask, but Lionel… are you sure you’re okay?”
“No need for concern. My deputy commander will competently handle the role in my absence.”
“That’s good to hear, I guess…”
I wanted to know why only the knight commander himself had been sent. Wouldn’t the deputy commander have sufficed? Lionel must have insisted on going himself.
Perhaps there was also an aspect of training the deputy commander. Maybe it was time to pass the role of commander to a younger knight. Although, he still looked fully capable of continuing his duties for years to come.
“Lionel, I entrust Julius and Fabienne to you.”
“Yes, sir! Leave it to me!”
Lionel’s reply to Father was firm and unwavering. Perhaps he was there to guard me as well. That seemed just like him. The deputy commander would have been overwhelmed by this responsibility.
I would have liked to bring Gile and Christopher along, but that would have been too many people. Any more could have become a burden on the Raven Kingdom.
Even so, they must be investing a large amount of money into rebuilding efforts. That they still requested help from the Spencer Kingdom suggested the situation might be more critical than I imagined.
I’d better give this my all. I have to do my best.