Kays Translations

Chapter 56: Full of Energy!

That afternoon, I headed to the knight order’s training grounds as planned. Rosalia had gone to a friend’s tea party. She carried the lamp magic tool she had made, evidently intending to show it off.

The bottles in the wooden crate clinked as I walked. A mock battle was underway, and shouts rang across the training field. The spectacle was impressive.

Rather than interrupt the exercise, I first visited the new shower-house construction site.

The outer structure was already complete. That was remarkably fast.

“Thank you for your hard work,” I told the master builder. “Construction is progressing much faster than I expected.”

“Good day, Lord Julius. The knights are pressing us to finish as soon as possible.”

The man smiled awkwardly. I felt sorry for him. Our knights were evidently applying too much pressure.

I considered offering him one of the improved stamina potions, but I didn’t yet want the experimental drink circulating outside the knight order. Perhaps another time.

He showed me the interior, and we discussed the placement of the magic tools. The master builder was surprised to learn that I had designed and constructed the mechanisms myself.

He was curious about the shower, so I invited him to use the finished facility.

If craftsmen began speaking about showers, the idea might spread throughout the margraviate. Better hygiene would reduce the risk of disease, which made wider adoption desirable.

On my way back to the training field, I inspected the soap. It was drying well and should be ready by the time the shower rooms opened.

Could we eventually make inexpensive soap available to ordinary residents? Perhaps—but existing soap makers might object if I disrupted their livelihoods. I would need to proceed carefully.

When I reached the field, the knights had begun their break. Despite the deepening autumn, they were drenched in sweat. If they remained in wet clothing, someone might catch a chill.

The shower rooms needed to be completed soon so they could wash, dry themselves, and change after training.

“Lord Julius, I apologise for not noticing your arrival.”

One of the resting knights hurried over.

“It’s fine. I inspected the shower building and the soap first. Both are progressing much faster than expected.”

“Everyone has been praying for their completion.”

“That’s an exaggeration. More importantly, don’t pressure the craftsmen so hard that someone is injured. The soap should also be ready soon, so don’t exhaust the mages by trying to dry it too quickly.”

The surrounding knights gave embarrassed smiles.

I hadn’t realised how eagerly they wanted showers and soap. Had I understood earlier, I could at least have taught them the soap-making process sooner.

“By the way, I brought something for you.”

“What is it?”

I removed a red bottle from the crate. The knights recognised it immediately.

“Is that the elementary stamina-recovery potion?”

“Yes, but it differs from the first version. It’s weaker and much easier to drink. Would anyone like to try one?”

They accepted without hesitation. Apparently, no one doubted a potion I had made. Was that trust reassuring or alarming?

Each knight opened a bottle. A succession of pops echoed beneath the autumn sky.

“Cheers!”

They placed their free hands on their hips and drank deeply. Smiles spread across their faces.

“Ah! I feel refreshed and full of energy!”

“This is excellent. My fatigue has disappeared.”

“I could finish all the clean-up work at once!”

Their excitement increased, though it was far more natural than the frenzy caused by the first version.

Other knights heard the commotion, came over, drank the potion, and became equally enthusiastic.

“This seems much safer,” I said.

“Lord Julius, I could drink this every day. I would certainly want one after every mission.”

“We can’t drink alcohol while on duty, but this should be acceptable.”

The response was excellent. If the potion prevented fatigue from destroying concentration during a mission, it could improve safety.

It wasn’t especially difficult to make, though the large amount of sugar would make each bottle moderately expensive.

“I’ll prepare supplies for long-distance missions.”

“Could we buy bottles for personal use as well?”

“I can’t mass-produce enough for that. I still need to make healing potions and other medicines.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

The knights looked genuinely disappointed.

When I graduated from the academy and became a recognised magic pharmacist, perhaps the potion could be produced commercially. I didn’t intend to brew every bottle myself. A licensed workshop or company could follow the recipe.

I planned to sell potion recipes just as I sold magic-tool blueprints. Licensing them would spread improved medicines far faster than making everything alone.

Reforming this world’s magic potions was the mission entrusted to me, after all.

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