Chapter 552: A Tea Party with the Gardeners

Perhaps they had noticed us wandering restlessly around the building where the gardeners worked. A moment later, one of them stepped outside. She was a young woman, likely in her early twenties, her demeanor alert yet cautious as she regarded us.

“Um… may I help you with something?”

“We were just passing nearby and thought we might ask a few questions,” I replied gently, careful to sound nonthreatening. “We’re not suspicious people. I am Julius Heine from the Kingdom of Spencer. This is my fiancée, Fabienne, and these are my attendant, Nero, and my guard, Lionel.”

“Julius… Heine?” Her eyes widened. “Don’t tell me—you’re the one who created the God-Given Miracle Powder?!”

“It’s called Purification Powder,” I corrected her.

I smiled as naturally as I could, but inside, my emotional life points were hovering dangerously close to zero. I fought desperately not to let a strained grimace slip onto my face.

Who was it that spread that ridiculous name in the first place? I really needed to make sure the proper name—Purification Powder—became the standard.

“P-Please, come this way!” she said hurriedly. “It’s a bit cramped, but at least we can offer you some tea.”

With that, she scurried back inside at a near run. I hadn’t meant to make such a fuss. It was supposed to be nothing more than a casual greeting.

So as not to make the gardeners feel rushed or pressured, we followed after her at an unhurried pace.

“You really have become quite famous,” Fabienne murmured beside me.

“It seems that way. Though it’s still just Purification Powder,” I said.

“Are you sure they aren’t deliberately calling it the ‘God-Given Miracle Powder’?” she asked. “That name gives people hope. It tells them there’s something to believe in.”

She might be right. If so, then perhaps it was the royal family themselves who were actively spreading that name. And if that was their policy, there was no place for me to interfere. In the end, things would unfold as they would.

As we reached the entrance, the door opened from the inside. It appeared the same gardener had come to welcome us in.

Inside was a space that smelled richly of wood, reminiscent of a cozy log cabin. It seemed to serve as a rest area, furnished with a sturdy wooden table and matching benches, all lovingly crafted.

This place has a nice atmosphere, I thought. It made me want to recreate something like it back home. Though if I did, I’d want to go all out with a proper log house—maybe even hang up a hammock. The dream expanded in my mind all on its own.

Once we were seated, herbal tea was brought out almost immediately. So the Kingdom of Raven had a culture of drinking herbal tea as well.

“Thank you very much,” I said. “This herbal tea looks wonderful.”

“Oh, you recognize it?” the gardener replied with a smile. “Sophia-sama taught us how to make this blend.”

“I… see.”

Sophia-sama, huh. Then the one who taught her was probably Sister-in-law Daniela—and the one who taught Daniela was me. Which meant that the reason herbal tea was being served here at all… was entirely my fault. Oh no.

As we sipped our tea, a few more gardeners wandered over, curious and cautious, clearly assessing the situation.

Building trust came first. With that in mind, I steered the conversation toward Purification Powder and explained its purpose and effects.

Perhaps because we were sharing tea, the mood softened quickly. Time flowed gently, the atmosphere warm and relaxed. Maybe now was the right moment to ask.

“I believe we’ve made some progress toward purifying the corrupted land,” I began. “That means the next step will be the full-scale restoration of the mountains. Have you heard anything about this on your end?”

“Yes, of course,” one of the gardeners answered. “Sophia-sama and Erwin-sama visited us recently and spoke to us about it.”

As she said this, a faint shadow crossed her face. It seemed that, even now, the outlook was still uncertain. If that was the case, then perhaps they would listen to what I had to say. After all, it appeared the gardeners would be lending their strength to the mountain restoration.

“I’ve been thinking about how I might help as well,” I said. “I’d like to work together with all of you. What do you think?”

“Would that truly be possible?” another gardener exclaimed. “If Julius-sama himself is willing to help us, there could be nothing more reassuring!”

A chorus of excited voices erupted around the table.

Good, good. The opening move landed perfectly. From here on, I would need to steadily build trust and prepare for the day when it truly mattered.

As I quietly savored my success, I noticed Fabienne, Nero, and Lionel watching me with complicated expressions.

Since we already had a tea engagement scheduled with Sophia-sama, we took our leave for the day. Naturally, we promised to return. Waving goodbye to the gardeners, who looked genuinely reluctant to see us go, we headed back toward the royal castle.

“Julius-sama,” Fabienne said softly, “you meant what you said earlier, didn’t you?”

“Of course,” I replied. “I can’t afford to stand out too much in the Kingdom of Raven anymore. If I did, it would undermine the prestige of their royal family.”

“Do you really think so…?”

She didn’t look convinced. That was understandable. No matter how composed she seemed, Fabienne was still underage—still, in some ways, a child. Her perspective differed from mine, shaped as it was by long years of adulthood and a familiarity with both the light and dark sides of the world.

“Still, Julius-sama,” Lionel added, “are you certain this will work? Wouldn’t it be better if your name were involved, at least to some extent?”

“Hm… I’ll think about it.”

If my name got involved even a little, it might turn into a repeat of the Purification Powder fiasco. It was true that I had taught the method, but at this point it felt like my name alone was running off on its own.

Ideally, the names of the alchemists who worked alongside me, or the researchers who conducted the field tests, should have been recognized as well.

The moment we returned to our room, an invitation for tea from Sophia-sama arrived. Was someone watching our movements from somewhere? Well, given our status, it was probably unavoidable. Since Lionel didn’t raise any objections, it was likely harmless. If there had been any killing intent, I would have sensed it myself.

Guided by a servant, we headed to the salon where Sophia-sama was waiting. The tea had already been prepared, and it appeared she was alone. Perhaps Erwin-sama was busy crushing magic stones—no, shaving them down with the holy sword.

At the moment, that was the most efficient method, after all.

Still, I couldn’t help thinking that Erwin-sama didn’t need to do that work personally. He could have delegated it to someone else. Or perhaps… he couldn’t entrust the holy sword to anyone but himself.

If that was the case, then it couldn’t be helped.