Chapter 530: Forbidden Words

The servants brought out tea and cake. Fabienne and I gratefully accepted the offering, savoring the warmth and sweetness. Nero, as usual, seemed more focused on practical matters, already questioning the servants about where things were kept.

Since I had brought a kettle, I could boil water at any time, and I could summon fresh water with magic.

The only information Nero probably needed right now was where the tea and food were located. Even so, we had brought enough provisions from the Heine Frontier Count’s Estate to last for some time, so we wouldn’t run into shortages anytime soon.

“Fabienne, are you tired from the long journey?” I asked.

“I am not tired at all,” she replied smoothly. “The new carriage was remarkably stable, and there was music along the way. It has been the most comfortable journey so far. And Julius-sama, are you feeling fatigued?”

“That’s good to hear. I’m not tired either. What about Nero?”

After Nero had returned from questioning the servants about the affairs of the Raven Kingdom, I guided him to the sofa. He sank into it with that slightly troubled expression he always wore, a subtle mixture of hesitance and politeness.

Nero always seemed to hold back. I kept telling him that when it was just the three of us, he didn’t need to worry, but old habits die hard.

“I’m not tired either,” Nero said. “Are we going to start gathering information now?”

“That’s the plan. I was going to postpone if everyone was too tired, but it looks like we can move forward now.”

“In that case, I shall fetch Lionel,” he said, stepping out of the room.

Lionel and the royal court’s magical apothecaries had rooms nearby, so he would return quickly. While we enjoyed our cake, Nero soon came back with Lionel in tow. We seated them and made sure they had tea and cake before speaking.

“I’d like to start gathering information from the Raven Kingdom’s magical apothecaries. Is it alright if we go now?”

“Of course. I’ve already informed them. They said the magical tool workshop also wishes to meet with you, Julius-sama,” Lionel replied.

“Ah, that’s right. We might get useful information there too. We should drop by afterward,” I said thoughtfully.

The magical tool workshop likely had matters related to the Holy Sword. They might have results or observations from recent experiments they wanted to share. I was curious about whether they had attempted any purification using the Holy Sword and what outcomes they had achieved.

After confirming that Nero and Lionel had rested properly, we were about to leave when there was a knock at the door. Nero opened it, and there stood Sophia-sama, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, wearing an apologetic expression.

“Sophia-sama, what brings you here?” I asked.

“I’m sorry to bother you while you’re resting… um, I have a small request,” she said hesitantly.

“Ah, this is about the phonograph, isn’t it?”

I had a vague idea of the situation. Surely, she had shown the phonograph to the king or queen, and they had looked eager. Feeling embarrassed afterward, she must have come to ask for another one. I hadn’t expected her to reveal it so soon—it seemed she simply wanted to share her pride.

“Yes. I’ll pay, of course, but could you make one more?”

“Certainly. I’ll make it with pleasure. You don’t need to pay. Consider it a token of my gratitude for your wonderful hospitality,” I said.

“Oh… that’s too much,” she murmured.

“It’s fine. If you insist, I’d be grateful if you could gather the materials for the magical tool,” I added.

Sophia-sama, still hesitant, agreed to gather the materials. Fortunately, the required items weren’t expensive and could be obtained easily at the magical tool workshop.

“Understood. I’ll arrange everything immediately. Thank you,” she said, taking the paper with the list of materials. Without delay, she headed to the workshop, bowing in thanks before leaving.

Once we saw her off, we set out to gather information ourselves. First stop: the magical apothecaries. I wondered if Emily and John were doing well.

“Should we invite Giovanni-sama and the others?” Fabienne asked.

“They’ve already gone to the apothecaries, it seems. No one is in their rooms,” Lionel replied with a wry smile.

As usual, Giovanni’s team moved swiftly. Lionel had apparently been discreetly monitoring the movements of those in nearby rooms—such assistance was invaluable, sparing us unnecessary effort.

We arrived at the alchemy chamber slightly after Giovanni-sama and his companions. The room was abuzz with excitement. What could they be so animated about? Could it be that they had discovered a way to restore the tainted land? Fabienne and I exchanged a glance—perhaps we were thinking the same thing.

“Hello, it’s been a while, Emily-san, John-san. Did you make any discoveries?” I asked.

“Julius-sama, we’ve been waiting for you! We heard you had arrived, and apparently you instructed us to gather magical materials from the frontier. It was a huge help—the supplies for our experiments were nearly depleted,” Emily said eagerly.

That was… not at all what I expected. They were so absorbed in their research that they had diverted everyday materials for experiments. I needed to stop them quickly—if this continued, the citizens of the capital would suffer.

Looking closer, both Emily and John had pronounced bags under their eyes. Their high energy was clearly from staying up all night. They were teetering on the edge of exhaustion—clearly, the situation was dire.

“It seems our request to Sophia-sama for materials was worthwhile. So, what is the current status?”

Immediately, the chamber fell silent. Oh no. I had accidentally uttered a forbidden word. Perhaps Giovanni-sama had been easing into the conversation to avoid it, and I had ruined it entirely.

I felt like someone who had carefully set a trap for prey, only to fall into it themselves—utterly ungraceful.

What now? This atmosphere clearly indicated that the situation was beyond casual handling. There was no point in holding anything back.