Chapter 520: The Gramophone
Before the gates of the Heine Frontier Territory, many people still lingered, reluctant to part ways. Alex-niisan and Sister-in-law Daniela both reminded me again and again to give their warm regards to Sophia-sama and Erwin-sama.
Sister-in-law Daniela had probably wanted to come with us as well. But this time, no such request had been made. She looked disappointed, yet she had her duties at the Heine household. At this point, the Heine Trading Company could no longer run smoothly without her skill. Besides, Alex-niisan would surely grow lonely without her around.
“Mira, I’m heading out.”
“Kyu….”
Even though I had held her tightly last night—over and over—I hugged her once more. For a whole month, I would be separated from this warmth. Maybe I should have made a stuffed toy ahead of time…? When I finally let go, Mira was immediately swept into Fabienne’s arms for her own round of tight cuddles.
“Rosalia, I’m leaving Mira in your care. Mira, I’m leaving Rosalia to you.”
“Of course.”
“Kyu!”
Her last reply rang out bright and strong. Perhaps Mira, in her own way, was trying not to make things harder for us. I really would have to bring her a souvenir when we return from the Raven Kingdom.
The carriage bound for the Raven Kingdom set off, and we waved until we could no longer see one another.
Inside the Heine carriage rode myself, Fabienne, Nero, and Lionel. The remaining carriages carried Giovanni-sama, members of the royal palace potion-maker corps, and several attendants.
“I’ve gotten used to traveling by carriage, but it’s still boring during the long stretches.”
“I did bring a few books, but there is only so much we can read.”
“It would be great if we could listen to music at times like these, but I still haven’t made a magic tool for that…”
Smiling, I said this lightly—but something felt off. Hm? What was with this atmosphere? All three of them were staring at me, mouths half open. …Don’t tell me I wasn’t supposed to bring up making a gramophone? The principle was simple enough; with the proper materials, I could put one together anytime.
After all, a magic tool that produced the “chime” sound already existed. Shouldn’t anyone think to expand on that? Now I was curious what other magic tool artisans were thinking when they worked.
“Julius-sama… from how you’re speaking, it sounds as though you already know exactly how to make it…”
Lionel frowned, clearly perplexed. I could have glossed over it, but with this familiar group, I always felt safe saying anything—and so my caution slipped.
“Yeah. If I want to make one, I can.”
The three fell silent in stunned disbelief. At present, hiring a musical troupe was the only way to hear music at all; the thought of capturing it through a magic tool must have been unimaginable. This might even become a small cultural shock. Perhaps I should handle this topic carefully.
“A magic tool that lets you listen to music… that does sound intriguing.”
“Indeed. If such a thing spreads, music may cease to be a privilege of nobles and reach the common folk as well.”
“In that case, we’d run into disputes over rights. It could take work away from the troupes.”
“That is possible. But if we can manage that issue, I would like one myself.”
Nero replied while jotting notes rapidly into his notebook. Of course he would react that way. But if it’s gone into the Nero Notebook, that means he’ll eventually discuss it with Alex-niisan and Sister-in-law Daniela. Maybe I could just leave the whole matter to them.
We’d be using the troupes’ performances anyway, so giving the performers a percentage of the profits from successful recordings—or guaranteeing priority invitations to perform in noble households—might balance things out. And they’d need to perform for the recording process itself. It might even serve as good publicity for them.
Talking about it made me want to create one immediately. So, at the next town, I purchased the materials and assembled the device inside the carriage. I was glad I’d packed my magic-tool crafting set—just in case. I hadn’t expected to use it this soon.
“All right, it’s finished.”
“Julius-sama, you truly are skilled. Even with the reduced shaking of Alex-sama’s improved carriage, you managed to draw such delicate magic circles.”
“Really? Ah, well… now that you mention it, it probably would’ve been impossible in the old carriage. I’m grateful to Alex-niisan for building this new model.”
Thinking back, the old carriages had been terrible—so shaky you could barely think straight. After experiencing the new model once, no one would ever want to go back. I truly owed Alex-niisan for this.
“Well then, let’s try it out.”
“By the way, Julius-sama, what do you call this magic tool?”
Nero asked this with a notebook in hand. A quick glance showed a surprisingly accurate sketch of the gramophone. He was good—maybe he had talent in the visual arts. Lionel, seated beside him, leaned forward with interest.
“This is called a gramophone, a magic tool that can record sound. The technique is called ‘recording.’”
“Recording… I see.”
Nero’s pencil danced quickly across the page. Lately, he had taken quite a liking to pencils. Maybe I should teach him some drawing techniques—pencil art had depth, and it might become a fun hobby for him.
“How do you use it?”
“You press this switch to start the recording. Then speak toward this amplification horn, and it captures the sound. Like this. ‘Hello.’”
I pressed the switch and tested it. I had designed it to allow several recordings; for now, that was more than enough. Once the proper recording was chosen, applying a layer of glaze would fix the sound permanently.
“When the recording is done, press this other switch. Just a little click.”
‘Hello.’
I wasn’t sure how to describe the look on everyone’s faces. They stared at the gramophone as though it were some sort of monster, eyes wide enough to fall out. Hearing my voice emerge perfectly from the device must have been a shock.
“A-amazing… It’s exactly Julius-sama’s voice! Ah—you just pressed the recording switch again, didn’t you?”
‘A-amazing… It’s exactly Julius-sama’s voice! Ah—you just pressed the recording switch again, didn’t you?’
“Julius-sama!”
Fabienne, cheeks flushed bright red, smacked me repeatedly in flustered protest. The carriage grew lively with chatter and laughter.
And thanks to the gramophone, the long journey to the Raven Kingdom became far more enjoyable.
By the way, the song Fabienne sang for me? I have absolutely no intention of erasing that recording.