Chapter 536: Knowing When to Let Go Is the Key to Everything

Before the meal could cool, I decided to begin at once. Offering a quiet prayer to the goddess, I lifted my spoon and started with the golden-hued soup that looked so inviting it almost glowed.

Yes—there was no doubt about it. It was delicious. Countless ingredients had melted together within the broth, creating a depth of flavor that felt like a rich blend of meat and vegetables, as if someone had turned them into a nourishing elixir. It was packed with nutrients, warmth spreading as it seeped into every corner of my body, soaking into my very organs. I could feel it—right down to my core.

“Um… Julius-sama, I heard that you can create a magic potion capable of restoring corrupted land to its original state. Is that truly so?”

Sophia-sama asked hesitantly. I supposed it was only natural. Ever since we traveled from the frontier town to the royal capital, I hadn’t brought up the matter myself. She might have thought it a forbidden topic, something not to be touched lightly. And yet, as a princess of this kingdom, she must have felt she had no choice but to ask.

“Well… half of that is true,” I answered carefully. “There is a magic medicine called Purification Powder. However, whether it will truly be effective is something we won’t know until we actually use it. I’m sorry if I gave you false hope.”

“No, please don’t concern yourself with that. Just knowing there is a possibility is more than enough.”

Sophia-sama smiled gently, her gaze filled with concern for me rather than herself. I wished I could have said, right then and there, that everything would definitely return to normal. But I didn’t want to disappoint everyone if it failed. If that happened… I’d be forced to use the final option.

The trump card that was almost guaranteed to end in disaster—using purification magic myself. I really didn’t want to do that. I could already imagine people calling me a messenger of the gods or something equally troublesome.

“Julius-sama, I’ve received permission from His Majesty the King to use the Holy Sword. Starting tomorrow, I intend to devote myself to producing magic stone powder.”

“Oh… yes…”

Erwin-sama said this with an extraordinarily bright smile. All I had wanted was to borrow the Holy Sword. I never imagined Erwin-sama himself would take on the task of making magic stone powder. Was he… bored? The hero of the Raven Kingdom? No, that couldn’t be right.

“Um, Sophia-sama… is this really all right?”

“Hm, once Erwin-sama sets his mind on something, he rarely listens to reason,” she replied with a wry smile. “At this point, I believe the only thing to do is wait until he grows tired of it.”

She let out a small, resigned laugh. Judging by her expression, she had already given up. The two of them must have known each other for a long time. I could easily imagine that even during the bone dragon incident, Erwin-sama had stubbornly insisted on going to defeat it himself.

Well, there was no helping it now. If that was the case, I might as well embrace it and have Erwin-sama work to his heart’s content. Operation: Double the Magic Stone Powder Production. And I’d better prepare some highly effective stomach medicine for the guards, just in case.

Soft piano music drifted through the dining room, played at just the right volume—not enough to interrupt conversation. Of course, it was coming from the phonograph I had gifted them. And the recording? A piece I had played myself. Did they like it, I wondered?

“Sophia-sama, you’re free to have any music you like recorded onto the phonograph.”

“Oh my, but I’m quite fond of the pieces you performed yourself, Julius-sama. His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen seemed to enjoy them as well. You may even be asked to record more.”

What—?! How did it come to this…? I wasn’t a musician. I couldn’t believe there was such value in music played by someone like me. This was bad. Now that I’d heard this, I’d have no choice but to include it as a demo recording. I’d need to borrow a piano later. Sigh…

“I love the music you play too, Julius-sama. Do you dislike it?”

Fabienne, seated beside me, tilted her head as she asked. She loved the music I played. My heart skipped a beat—but I wasn’t a musician. Just an apothecary. I couldn’t let my guard down.

“No, I wouldn’t say I dislike it. It’s just… it’s not my profession. I feel like I’d be disrespecting the real professionals.”

“That’s not true at all. If you held a concert, I’m sure many people would come.”

“I’m not holding one, okay?”

Fabienne puffed out her cheeks in displeasure. Don’t tell me she was serious. I was pretty sure my face had gone stiff by now. I felt bad for her, but that was simply impossible.

“That’s such a shame.”

“…Well, if it’s just for you, Fabienne, I’ll play for you.”

“Really?!”

Her face lit up instantly with a radiant smile. It seemed she simply wanted to hear me play live. Crisis averted. Ah—and now Sophia-sama and Erwin-sama were looking at me with hopeful eyes as well.

Since I’d be borrowing a piano anyway, it might be wise to stay on everyone’s good side for now.

“Um… Sophia-sama, Erwin-sama, would you like to join us as well?”

“I’d be delighted.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Both of them smiled warmly. Please, let this be the final number of listeners. I should invite Nero and Lionel too—better that than have them sulking later.

After that, as expected, the topic returned to the Purification Powder, and I was asked several questions. I told them that most of the materials were already prepared, but they insisted on knowing the details, so I explained.

The necessary ingredients were magic stone powder, medicinal herbs, antidote grass, and mana grass. Essentially, it was like mixing a healing potion with a mana recovery potion, then adding magic stone powder. Since most of the materials were relatively easy to obtain, both of them looked visibly relieved.

The reason Purification Powder had never been created before was likely the magic stone powder. No one would even consider turning magic stones into powder—and even if they did, the stone’s value would be completely lost. Unless you knew, as I did, that it could still be used as a material, no one would ever attempt it.

Aside from magic stone powder, the only ingredient that might become scarce was mana grass. It was rarely found unless one ventured deep into the forest. Thankfully, Giovanni-sama and his people had gathered a fair amount, so we should be fine for a while.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t asked how large the contaminated area was.

“Sophia-sama, roughly how large is the affected area?”

“The mountain where the bone dragon appeared, and the surrounding region.”

“So an entire mountain is ruined… and the foothills are affected as well. I see.”

“Do you think it can be managed?”

“If we take our time and purify it steadily, I believe we can manage somehow. It may take a while, though.”

Sophia-sama nodded with a serious expression. From my words, she had grasped that this would be a long-term effort. Ideally, I wanted to finish everything within the one-month deadline. In the end, it all depended on how effective the Purification Powder would be.

If even a small amount could purify a wide area, we could finish quickly. But if its effectiveness was weak, we might have to spread it again and again. In that case… one month wouldn’t be nearly enough.