Chapter 532: Shattering the Magic Stones

Guided by Lionel, we moved deeper into the lodgings. The rooms here seemed designed to accommodate several people at once. Judging by the spacing between the doors, each room was reasonably spacious. There was no unpleasant smell—everything was spotlessly clean. I was relieved. At least Fabienne wouldn’t have to endure anything uncomfortable.

We continued on until we reached a larger room at the far end. It appeared to be a common area, a place where any knight could freely come and go—a space meant for rest and relaxation.

Our sudden appearance drew attention at once. Knights looked up with open curiosity, murmuring among themselves as they tried to figure out who we were and why we were here. Among them, I spotted familiar faces—the guards from the Kingdom of Spencer.

“Why, if it isn’t Julius-sama and Fabienne-sama. And Lionel-dono as well. …Has something happened?”

Seeing the three of us arrive together, they seemed to grasp immediately that this was no casual visit. That saved time. Maybe they’d already heard something from His Majesty of Spencer or from my sister-in-law Daniela—probably about one of my latest blunders.

“We’ve come to ask a favor,” I said. “Would you be willing to lend us your strength?”

As we spoke, the rest of the guards gradually gathered around us. With this many people, we might actually manage. Though question marks practically hovered over their heads, they nodded without hesitation.

“Of course. We were just discussing how we might be of use during our stay here,” one of them replied. “So, what exactly would you like us to do?”

“I’d like you to grind magic stones into powder.”

“Powder… magic stones?” His brow furrowed. “That’s not something I’ve ever heard of.”

As expected, no one seemed accustomed to the idea of pulverizing magic stones. No wonder they were staring at me as if I’d proposed taming some rare beast.

To win their cooperation, I explained the method—how the stones could be broken down.

“I see,” he said slowly. “Smaller magic stones are slightly softer. So you strike a large stone against the smaller ones, crushing them little by little into powder. Understood. If this becomes an ingredient for a potion that will save this country, then we’ll gladly take on the task.”

“Hey—keep it down!”

Whether it was because he finally understood, or because he was happy to have something meaningful to do, his voice had grown louder than necessary. Loud enough, in fact, for the knights of the Raven Kingdom resting in the same room to overhear. They began to approach as well.

“Um, excuse me… did you just say ‘a potion that will save this country’?”

“I heard it too. If there’s anything we can do to help, please allow us to assist!”

Whoa, whoa—too loud! Their voices echoed, drawing even more knights over.

The Raven Kingdom’s knights surely had duties of their own. I couldn’t allow this to interfere with their assigned work.

“I truly appreciate the sentiment,” I said carefully, “but please prioritize the duties you’ve been given. If it turns out that we can’t manage on our own, then I’ll ask for your help again.”

“I-I see. Forgive us for putting you in an awkward position.”

“What a remarkable man… Just as the rumors said.”

For some reason, the knights looked deeply moved, their shoulders trembling with emotion. Who was spreading these strange rumors, anyway? Sophia-sama? Or perhaps Erwin-sama? Either way, this was getting troublesome. When I turned back with a wry smile, I saw the guards trembling in much the same way.

Could it be that knights, as a group, were unusually emotional? I’d always assumed that calm, composed individuals were favored in their ranks. Maybe that had just been my misconception.

More importantly—

You all might be about to glimpse a special kind of hell. Are you really going to be all right?

“Then, at the very least, may we observe the work?” one of them asked.

“Of course. Though once you see it, you might decide you’d rather not,” I replied. “Oh, and let me be absolutely clear—don’t even think about doing this outside your scheduled hours. Once your work is finished, make sure you rest properly.”

Once everyone agreed, we borrowed a corner of the indoor training hall and turned it into a temporary worksite. There was no risk of the magic stone dust being carried away by the wind here. While we moved, Lionel had already gone to fetch the magic stones and iron plates.

“We’ll be using this area,” I said. “Just in case, I’ll apply a soundproofing spell so it doesn’t get too noisy. If it’s still loud, don’t hesitate to tell me. I’ll deal with it.”

If they complained about the noise, I’d have no choice but to build a soundproof room. If I shaped earthen walls into a sponge-like structure, it might work… though making a soundproof magic tool might be faster.

As I mulled over these thoughts, Lionel returned. It seemed he’d also managed to borrow a fairly large magic stone that looked easy to handle. As expected of Lionel.

“Good work, Lionel,” I said. “Let’s demonstrate how to crush the stones.”

By now, the Raven Kingdom’s knights had figured out what was about to happen. I’d skipped the explanation, thinking it would be faster to show them directly.

I scattered several small magic stones across the iron plate, then slammed a large magic stone down onto them.

Bang! Bang! The sharp, metallic noise rang out. Earplugs were definitely going to be necessary. I’d head to the magic tool workshop and make some right away. After striking them several times, a faint amount of magic stone powder finally appeared on the plate.

Yeah… this was brutal. It felt like a life sentence of magic stone crushing.

“This is the kind of work I’d like you to do,” I said. “As you can see, it’s extremely demanding. Please take breaks as needed—don’t overdo it. I’ll also go make earplugs immediately.”

“Julius-sama, leave it to us,” one of the guards said confidently. “Compared to our daily training, this is nothing.”

“Indeed. There’s no need for concern at all.”

Thank goodness. They were motivated. Honestly, even though I was the one asking, I’d thought this might be too much. It wasn’t the sort of task one should impose on others.

The guards began the work at once. We couldn’t waste time either—it was already time for us to move on to the next task.