Chapter 525: Adorable Jealousy
As a result of the discussion over dinner, the departure from here was postponed by two or three days. In the meantime, we would venture into the forest to gather materials for the magical potions.
During the day, we would focus on collecting these ingredients, and at night, I would have some free time. That would be the perfect window to craft additional phonographs.
“Professor Julius, what kind of materials do you think we’ll need?”
“Basic ingredients are never too plentiful,” Julius replied. “Herbs, antidotal plants, mana herbs… and, by the way, are there any monsters in the nearby forest?”
“They appear now and then, but nothing too serious,” Erwin answered. “Any monster we encounter can be easily defeated with a weapon. Don’t worry—we’ll make sure everyone has proper escorts.”
Well, even if there were powerful monsters, that wouldn’t be a problem. We could easily sweep them aside. Besides, our escort would include Lionel, the captain of the knights. Falling behind was simply not an option.
For safety’s sake, should I leave Fabienne behind? No… it would be far safer for her to stay near me. I couldn’t—and wouldn’t—leave her alone. Such is the possessiveness…!
“Julius-sama?”
“Fabienne, I promise I’ll always protect you.”
“Y-yes,” she murmured, her face flushing red as she looked down.
The moment she averted her eyes, I felt my rationality snap back into place. Glancing around, I noticed everyone was watching us with warm smiles. If I had to sum up their thoughts, it would probably be: ‘Look at those two, so innocent and fresh.’ Well, it’s fine—they’re still young.
“Ahem… If you happen to defeat any monsters, could you also collect magical stones?”
“They’ll likely be small and not very useful… but I see. You want them for crafting magical tools,” Erwin said, nodding in understanding.
Not exactly, but that explanation would suffice. Smaller magical stones are softer and easier to crush, though still incredibly hard. That would make them slightly more manageable for our purposes.
“Right, that’s the plan. Also, I’d like to work on crafting a magical phonograph tonight. Could I ask you to send someone for the materials?”
“Of course,” Sophia said with a smile. “Just tell the servants whatever you need.”
Perfect. I would request everything we needed today itself.
After dinner, bath time arrived. Fabienne seemed to be joining Sophia-sama in the bath, leaving the rest of us men to soak in a somewhat grimy, male-only bath. A little oasis for the mind would have been nice.
Once the baths were finished and we were relaxing in our rooms, a hurried knocking sounded at the door—Danda-dan!—erratic and impatient.
Fabienne should have returned from the bath by now, but she wouldn’t knock like that.
When Nero opened the door, in came Fabienne and Sophia-sama. Fabienne’s brows were furrowed in a troubled expression, while Sophia-sama’s face was flushed, her excitement palpable. What was going on?
“Julius, I hear these shampoo and conditioner products were made by you? And this drying device too?”
“Ah, well, yes, that’s correct,” I replied.
Ah, so they liked them. Their faces practically screamed ‘I want this!’ Perhaps it wasn’t mentioned in the letter from Sister-in-law Daniela? After all, sales had just begun in the Heine Frontier Territory. It made sense that Sophia-sama hadn’t been informed yet.
“I always thought Fabienne’s hair was incredibly beautiful and wondered what her secret was. Then I tried it myself, and now…my hair looks this gorgeous!”
Sophia-sama ran her fingers through her hair effortlessly. In the light of the room, it gleamed with the same ethereal beauty as Fabienne’s, almost dreamlike in its silk-like shine. She looked genuinely thrilled. She really liked it.
“If you like it, I can make a version just for you, Sophia-sama. If you provide a perfume, I can infuse your favorite scent into it. Just let me know. When I craft the phonograph, I can make the drying device at the same time.”
“Really? Thank you! We’ll cover the cost, so please don’t hesitate to request anything you need.”
“Thank you very much.”
With that, the expenses were officially on their side. That had been a little unclear before, so it was satisfying to have it resolved.
Sophia-sama seemed satisfied as well, walking back with light, cheerful steps. She would probably show it to Erwin-sama next. Then perhaps the night’s grand exercise session… no, that would have to wait until after the ceremony. Adults can be so cunning.
“Julius-sama.”
“Hm? What is it, Fabienne?”
For some reason, Fabienne crept closer to me. The night’s grand exercise session wasn’t happening just yet, but she fidgeted with her hair, clearly jealous that I had watched Sophia-sama leave.
I hadn’t intended anything of the sort, but I couldn’t exactly say, “I was thinking about the night’s exercise session.”
So, I had Fabienne sit on the sofa and continued stroking her hair until she was satisfied. Such a cute little jealousy.
The next morning, after breakfast, we all set out for the nearby forest to collect materials. As expected, Sophia-sama and Erwin-sama accompanied us. Erwin-sama seemed a little sleep-deprived, judging by the dark circles under his eyes—but that wasn’t my fault, of course.
“By the way, have Giovanni-sama and the others collected materials in the forest before?”
“Of course. When we were younger, we gathered ingredients with our own hands. Everyone else did as well,” Giovanni replied.
“Then there shouldn’t be any problems.”
The other members nodded behind Giovanni-sama. With such experienced guidance, we’d likely gather materials faster than expected. Of course, there was a limit to how much could be stored. Once we reached that limit, we would head to the royal castle as quickly as possible.