Chapter 33: Contract with Willem

“Phew, I apologize… But Isamu-san and Eto are also at fault!”

“Oh, I’m truly sorry. I got carried away and forgot to lock the door, haha…”

It took ten minutes for Annemarie to calm down after her loud scream. Isamu apologized to her again.

Due to the immediate response of the Knights and the Lord’s family to Annemarie’s sudden scream, the situation had escalated considerably.

Among those affected, it was Eto who had the worst luck. He happened to be naked and in the bath at that very moment. Explaining the rationale behind being naked in the backyard during broad daylight, where there were no baths, would have been difficult, and he was almost at risk of being labeled a pervert.

Eventually, it was the resounding voice of the lord’s wife and daughter, which responded to the word “beauty” in the context of the supreme culture of Isamu’s country, instantly declaring the matter settled. It was decided that a bath would be built in the lord’s mansion in the near future, and they would provide instructions on how to use it. Given Nicolette’s personality, “the near future” probably meant today.

“Well, Lord’s place is quite an amusing place, isn’t it?”

The man sitting beside Annemarie drinking tea said cheerfully.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Willem-san, for showing you such an embarrassing scene…”

“Hey, Isamu, what’s embarrassing about it? In the first place, it’s because of you…”

“Hahaha, and, on top of it, everyone gets along well!”

Eto, who couldn’t accept that his nakedness was considered embarrassing, protested to Isamu.

Seeing this, Willem seemed even happier.

In the first place, Annemarie had visited the workshop for the sake of Willem. She had gone to convey her intention to recruit him as an exclusive retainer of the Lord. But she couldn’t discuss matters related to ability skills at a street stall, so she had brought him along. However, before they could talk, Eto’s “indecent exposure incident” had already resulted in the label of being “merry companions.”

“Alright, I’ll explain the situation to Willem once again.”

After clearing her throat, Annemarie began to explain in a serious tone.

– Isamu is a Wanderer.

– That he can read magic circles.

– That new activation circles have already been realized.

– That previously, he couldn’t read functional circles, but lately, he has found some that he can read.

– That, based on these, new magic tools have been developed.

At first, Willem was greatly surprised to hear that Isamu was a wanderer. But knowing that he could read magic circles and that the new magic tools were developed based on what he had acquired, he was left speechless.

“So, we have decided to sell this completed magic tool, but we can’t disclose Isamu-san’s ability skills publicly. Therefore, Willem, we’d like you to become the exclusive artifact hunter for our house. We’d like to present it as though this magic tool was created by combining the ancient magic circles you brought back with our research. Fortunately, everything is true except for the fact that Isamu understood the meaning and put it together.”

Annemarie finished explaining the gist of the situation.

Willem was unable to comprehend the amount of information and the depth of the content, so it was understandable that he closed his eyes and pressed his index fingers to his temples.

Although it is true that Isamu is a wanderer, he is the first in the world to develop a new magic tool that is not a copy, and the fact that he understands the meaning of the magic circle is already a fairy tale.

Annemarie and Eto were surprised because they had experienced them one by one, but Willem must have been surprised because he had to hear them all at once.

“Huh, there are so many things I want to ask and say, but I can’t answer them one after the other…  I understand that it will be exclusive and that I will be given an explanation of the new magic tools.”

“Understood. I have already received the contract from my father, so we’ll sign it later.”

“Thank you. By the way, what should I do once I become an exclusive employee?”

“Basically, nothing will change from what you’re doing now. Continue to acquire as many magic circles as you can. You can choose to explore on your own or commission adventurers. In the case of the latter, we will scrutinize the expenses in advance, but the Klaufeldt family will cover the costs. You’re also free to exchange and trade magic circles with others. However, there are some rules you need to follow.”

“Rules?”

“Yes. You must check all acquired magic circles with Isamu-san without exception. You must not part with anything Isamu-san can read. You must not part with anything Isamu-san hasn’t confirmed. These three rules must be followed without exception. Our goal is the deciphering of magic circles using Isamu-san’s ability skills and the development of magic tools based on them, so please refrain from any actions that hinder that goal. Naturally, there’s also a confidentiality obligation concerning Isamu-san’s ability skills and our objectives.”

“I see. The rules are simple and make perfect sense. Understood. Oh, speaking of which, will you teach me how to read the magic circles?”

“You’ll gradually learn it later, I think. Right, Isamu-san?”

“Yes. At the moment, there are too few samples to teach, but once we have more, we’d like you to learn it gradually.”

“Is that so? Thank you! Hehe, it’s wonderful… I could only see the form until now, but I might even understand the meaning… I might truly come to understand the beauty of magic circles. It’s like a dream come true for me. Please, I’m counting on you.”

“So, starting tomorrow, you should come to our research workshop.”

“Understood. Should I bring the magic circles I have on hand tomorrow for Isamu-san to check?”

“That’s right. But there’s quite a large number, isn’t there? Would it be quicker if I came to see them?”

“Since these will become important data and potential assets in the future, let’s transport all of them to the workshop. We’ll arrange for someone and a carriage from the mansion tomorrow morning, so please begin the preparations.”

“Understood. I’m really looking forward to it… Isamu-san, Eto-san, I’m counting on you from now on!”

“Us too. We’re excited to see what kind of magic circles you’ll discover.”

“That’s right. With more magic circles you can read, we can create various things. It’s like getting our hands on a treasure trove.”

Willem shook hands with Isamu and Eto alternately.

With Willem joining them, the Magic Algorithm Research Institute had gained a new weapon—a source of acquiring magic circles. That night, Isamu was in the mansion’s washing area. Of course, he was preparing the bath.

They didn’t have the habit of taking a bath, but there was still the practice of wiping oneself clean to maintain hygiene, which was common in this world. In commoner households, there were no dedicated rooms for this, and people would wipe themselves in their bedrooms, etc. However, in noble or affluent homes, there were often dedicated rooms designed to dispose of water properly. During the summer, people would even bathe there. The Klaufeldt house’s washing area had a space of about four and a half tatami mats, and Isamu’s homemade makeshift bathtub and the setup of the heating magic tool had just been completed.

“Here, I’ll fill it with water and warm it up with this magic tool. While I can draw the water, it’s quite a hassle, so I’ll use magic to fill it this time,”

Having finished the setup, Isamu proceeded to fill the bath with water using a Water Ball spell, as he did during the experiment earlier in the day.

“Water, emerge from the void and gather into my hand, Water Ball,”

With three repetitions of the spell in less than a minute, the bathtub was quickly filled to about 70% of its capacity.

“You’ve become quite proficient with your magic, Isamu-san. I noticed this when you washed vegetables a few days ago…”

“Haha, thank you. I’ve practiced using Full Enhancement for the entire body, and I feel like I’ve become more flexible, in a good way, in using magic.”

About ten days ago, Isamu had gained the ability to control magic power on par with the average person, and he had been dedicating his time to fine-tuning existing spells rather than learning new ones. For instance, when he washed vegetables, he used a spell to make the water rotate.

In reality, using manifest magic in this way, making further adjustments to it, was not very common. In fact, most people couldn’t do it because they didn’t understand the meanings of magic words. With his knowledge of the meanings of magic words, Isamu casually incorporated the words he learned and continued to create variations of fundamental magic day by day.

“Yeah, this temperature should be just right. I’ll stop the magic tool for now, so when you think it’s not warm enough, start it up. It should heat up quickly. Oh, and while it’s running, please, under no circumstances, touch it! It becomes quite hot…”

“I understand. Just to review, this hot water, um… is the bathtub mainly for soaking, right?”

“Yes, there are various customs, but I recommend using the bathtub primarily for warming up. If you wash your body outside, the hot water stays clean, and multiple people can use it.”

“Thank you. However, I’m quite nervous because I’m not used to this…”

“Don’t worry. Once you soak in the hot water, that nervousness will melt away. Well then, I’ll be waiting in the living room, so please take your time. Let me know your thoughts later.”

This way, Nicolette bathed first, followed by Annemarie.

Two hours later, in the living room, both mother and daughter were completely enchanted by the bath’s magic.

“Isamu-san! Baths are wonderful! I really regret not knowing this until now… Thank you for teaching us!”

Blushing even more as she got excited, Annemarie fervently exclaimed.

“Absolutely. Once you experience this comfort, there’s no turning back. Your skin becomes smooth and radiant… we’ll have to thank Isamu-san again. You should try it later. It’s really the best!”

Nicolette, too, seemed to enjoy it a lot, as she went on a proselytizing mission, even to someone who didn’t seem very interested in taking a bath.

“Haha, I’m glad you liked it. For now, I’ll leave the bath and heater as they are, but it’s probably a good idea to prepare a proper bathtub. It should be capable of storing water and should have a drainage system for when you’re done using it. In my country, we had wooden ones like this as well as metal and stone bathtubs.”

“Understood. Anne, let’s call the carpenters and furniture shopkeepers tomorrow. We’ll get it arranged right away.”

“Yes, Mother. I’ll have them delivered first thing in the morning.”

This marked a historic moment, as it was the budding of bathing culture in Ethersia.

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