Chapter 606: Farewell for a Short While 

After taking a bath together with Fabienne and Mira, I drifted off to sleep in an extremely satisfied state.

Of course, Fabienne and I slept in separate rooms.

Mira, however, curled up beside me as usual.

It had been quite some time since I’d last slept next to her, and somehow her body felt warmer than before. She radiated a pleasant heat almost like a living hot-water bottle, making the bed feel especially cozy.

The next morning, after finishing breakfast, we departed for the Amber Barony as planned.

This time, because we had various luggage and gifts to transport, we traveled by carriage rather than on horseback.

Mira seemed slightly dissatisfied that she wouldn’t be serving as my mount today, but fortunately, bringing her along inside the carriage itself was enough to keep her from sulking.

“Julius-sama, Fabienne-sama, we’ll soon arrive at House Amber.”

At the coachman’s announcement, I parted the curtain slightly and looked outside.

Standing before the estate gates were already the figures of Baron and Baroness Amber.

Well, we had been separated for nearly an entire month.

They must have been terribly worried.

Naturally, Father’s letter should have reached them already.

Still, I strongly suspected that letter hadn’t included every detail of what happened. There had simply been too many matters that couldn’t safely be written down.

Which meant it would fall to me to carefully explain things while skillfully avoiding certain subjects.

…Yeah. I was definitely going to slip up somewhere if left alone.

I’d need Fabienne’s help.

“Fabienne,” I said quietly, lowering my voice, “there are probably going to be parts I can’t explain very well. Help me smooth things over if necessary.”

“Understood,” she replied with a graceful nod. “Though I don’t think Father and Mother will pry too deeply.”

“I think so too. Honestly, I’m more worried about myself blurting out unnecessary things.”

When I scratched my cheek awkwardly, Fabienne let out a soft laugh.

That was fair.

I really did have a tendency to say far more than I should.

If Fabienne could tactfully rein me in, I’d be extremely grateful.

The carriage finally came to a stop.

Stepping down first, I offered Fabienne my hand and helped her descend elegantly after me.

“Welcome, Julius-sama. And welcome home, Fabienne,” Baron Amber greeted warmly. “Seeing both of you return safely puts my mind at ease.”

“Kyuu!”

“And welcome to you as well, Mira-sama.”

Baron Amber smiled warmly at Mira as she raised a paw from within Fabienne’s arms, proudly asserting her presence.

Maybe, in her own way, she was trying to greet Fabienne’s parents properly.

Led by Baron and Baroness Amber, we made our way to the salon, where servants were already preparing tea.

At Fabienne’s instruction, Nero carefully carried the gramophone he had been holding and placed it atop a shelf a short distance away.

Without hesitation, Fabienne expertly started the machine.

Music immediately flowed throughout the salon.

The rich, majestic melody spread through the room as though vast plains and sweeping lands themselves had come alive within the air.

“So this is the gramophone mentioned in the letter,” Baron Amber said in astonishment. “I had read that it played music, but… this sounds as though a full orchestra is performing before us.”

“Yes, it truly does,” Baroness Amber agreed in wonder. “How extraordinary…”

Both of them were absolutely delighted.

Seeing their reactions, I found myself wanting to gift them one immediately.

Once I returned home, it looked like I’d be starting mass production of gramophones.

Heh.

Now that sounded fun.

From there, Fabienne and I took turns recounting everything that had happened in the Raven Kingdom.

When they heard how we had worked together to help completely restore the devastated nation, both Baron and Baroness Amber widened their eyes in amazement and joy.

“So that’s what happened…” Baron Amber murmured. “I never imagined you would end up saving an entire neighboring kingdom.”

“My father did warn me rather firmly that I’d gone too far,” I admitted with a wry smile.

“Hahaha! I can certainly understand how the Heine Frontier Count feels,” the baron laughed heartily. “You’ve become quite a prominent figure even within the Raven Kingdom now. Thinking about the future must surely give him headaches.”

…Well, he wasn’t wrong.

Still, it wasn’t as though I had restored the Raven Kingdom alone.

The royal court alchemists from the Spencer Kingdom—Giovanni included—had contributed enormously as well.

“Because of that,” I said, “I’m planning to avoid standing out as much as possible from now on. Apparently Father is also counting on Fabienne to stop me whenever necessary.”

“That’s quite the responsibility,” Baron Amber said with a bitter smile. “Allowing Julius-sama the freedom to pursue what he wishes while simultaneously preventing matters from escalating into chaos… That’s hardly a simple task.”

The baron laughed awkwardly as he spoke.

Apparently, even he believed the role assigned to Fabienne was exceptionally difficult.

Regrettably…

I agreed completely.

If I were truly easy to stop, someone would have succeeded by now.

We continued talking about life in the Raven Kingdom, sharing stories of our daily experiences there, and before long, the time for lunch had arrived.

At that point, it felt inappropriate to impose any further.

Preparing lunch for guests would undoubtedly place a considerable burden on the household.

“Though I regret to leave so soon, I believe it’s about time for us to take our leave.”

“Oh my, is it already that late?” Baroness Amber said in surprise. “The time passed in the blink of an eye.”

“Once things settle down, please write to us,” Baron Amber said warmly. “By then, I’ll have various preparations completed on our side as well.”

“Of course,” Fabienne replied with a graceful smile. “I look forward to the day we meet again.”

Knowing Fabienne, a letter would probably arrive before long.

I needed to finish as much preparation as possible before then.

After departing the Amber estate, we headed straight back toward the Heine Frontier Count household.

If we returned too late, everyone would probably start worrying again.

When we arrived back at the mansion, Rosalia was already waiting for us.

Apparently, she had been eagerly anticipating learning how to make gramophones from me.

Her eyes were already sparkling brilliantly with excitement.

“Welcome back,” she said immediately. “Shall we head to the workshop at once?”

“No, lunch comes first, doesn’t it?” I replied. “You haven’t eaten yet either, right?”

“…Ah.”

Rosalia blinked.

“That’s correct. It’s nearly lunchtime already.”

She visibly drooped in disappointment.

Chuckling softly, I reached over and patted her head.

According to Mother, Rosalia had repeatedly gone to the entrance hall to check whether we had returned yet.

Apparently, she had looked exactly like a loyal dog waiting for its owner to come home.

…Maybe I’d made her wait a little too long.