Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 59: The King Falls Ill
“Bring those things over quickly!”
As Owen was inspecting the steam-powered boring machine, Jita urged one of his apprentices to fetch something from the forge.
Soon, the apprentice returned carrying five solid iron rods in his arms.
Drawing one out, Jita eagerly handed it to Owen and asked with anticipation:
“Marquis, shall we give it a test?”
Oh? They’d already cast some iron rods in advance.
Gitta clearly understood the purpose of the steam boring machine — he was truly reliable and efficient.
Owen took the hefty iron rod and weighed it in his hand. It was uniformly thick, polished smooth, and gleamed with a shiny metallic luster.
“Of course. Fire up the steam engine!”
The nearby apprentices immediately sprang into action, adding water to the boiler. Fanny assisted by using her magic to heat the charcoal.
Once the water came to a boil, Jita switched out the boring bit on the machine, oiled the parts, then secured one iron rod into place, positioning the drill head precisely at its center.
When everything was ready, Owen personally pulled the valve.
The steam engine came to life, transmitting power through the centrifugal governor. The boring bit began rotating slowly, then quickly reached a stable speed.
“Begin drilling.”
Owen instructed.
Following the order, Jita operated the base mechanism to control the drill’s depth into the rod.
As the drill bit touched the metal, lubricant oil was squeezed out of the borehole, accompanied by fine bubbles and spiraling metal shavings.
Just like that, the solid iron rod was bored through right before everyone’s eyes — transformed into a musket barrel.
Unlike last time when Owen had demonstrated the milling machine himself, this time the entire drilling operation was handled by Jita, while Owen simply observed.
After all, Owen already fully understood the machine’s schematics and usage, and he also had milling experience. His hands would’ve been steady, but this was Jita’s moment.
While the machine was still running, Jita went ahead and processed the remaining four rods as well.
After a period of industrious work, five musket barrels were completed.
After a detailed inspection by the blacksmiths, all five barrels passed quality checks and could now be used for firearm production.
When the steam engine was shut down, Jita stepped in front of Owen and bowed respectfully again.
“Marquis, what do you think?”
“Excellent!”
Owen said with great satisfaction, patting Jita on the shoulder.
“You didn’t disappoint me, Jita.”
Meanwhile, in the Royal Capital Junhui City, within the palace of the Dawn Kingdom…
Ever since the crown prince had followed the Holy Knights north to the Red Sand Fortress, the aging king had been deeply troubled. It wasn’t even winter yet, and he had already grown restless, unable to sleep or eat properly — until he finally fell ill.
At first, he could still walk around. But as his condition worsened, he became bedridden, unable to receive visitors.
At least… that’s what was officially announced.
King Wells of Dawn had four children:
- Crown Prince Legovis
- Second, Princess Trist
- Third, Prince White
- Fourth, Princess Emily
Only Princess Emily, the youngest at six years old, was still a minor. The other three were already adults.
Princess Trist was betrothed to the eldest son of Duke Connie of Lion Roar City in the southern region, and her marriage was scheduled to take place soon.
As for the question of who would inherit the throne, the nobility had split into two rival factions — those supporting the Crown Prince, and those backing the Third Prince.
Although the king’s body had been considered relatively strong before, with expectations he might remain on the throne for at least another decade, now that he was gravely ill, tensions between the two factions had reignited — and the threat of civil unrest loomed.
Among them, the nobles of the Crown Prince’s faction were the most anxious. One of the leading count had already written urging him to return immediately.
However, Legovis (the Crown Prince) insisted on heading north to the battlefield. This drove the nobles to near panic — why was the prince so obsessed with earning military merit?
In a secluded corner of the royal palace’s back garden, a young maid crept in with nervous eyes darting around, clearly searching for someone.
“I’m over here.”
A figure stepped out from behind a tree — Third Prince White. He had been waiting for some time, a dark expression clouding his face.
“Your Highness!”
The startled maid instinctively called out “Third Prince,” then quickly lowered her voice in alarm.
“…Your Highness.”
White didn’t seem to care.
He had already scouted the area in advance — no one should be passing by at this time.
“Take this. It’s the medicine for next week. Add it to the potion Father drinks every day.”
White handed her a small packet of powder.
The maid carefully tucked it into her clothes and bowed respectfully.
“I’ll complete the task.”
Having given the instructions, White suddenly stepped forward, pulling her into his arms, his right hand roving expertly over her body.
Leaning close to her ear, he whispered:
“Don’t worry. Once this is all over, I promise you’ll have more wealth than you could spend in a lifetime.”
The maid’s face flushed instantly as she let White fondle her.
“Your Highness… I want to stay by your side forever, to serve you.”
Hearing that, White smiled in satisfaction and gave her cheek a kiss.
“No problem. When the time comes, I’ll personally appoint you to serve me.”
Estimating that enough time had passed, White let go of the maid.
“Alright, go back now — don’t arouse suspicion.”
“Yes.”
As the maid’s figure disappeared, White’s expression turned cold and sinister once again.
In truth, he had no affection for the maid. At first, she was just a plaything. But since this scheme needed an executor, he had no hesitation in using her.
Truthfully, White didn’t need to deliver the poison himself.
But that was his nature — if he didn’t oversee things personally, he felt uneasy. He was constantly suspicious that those around him might betray him.
That’s why, whenever the maid administered the medicine to the king, White would linger nearby, making sure the potion was drunk with his own eyes before leaving.
“Princess Emily! Please don’t run off like that again — you scared us!”
Just then, a voice rang out nearby, and White instantly grew alert.
A little girl, pouting in frustration, walked past him.
“Hmph! Why won’t you let me visit Big Brother? He went to Red Sand Fortress, I want to go too!”
“Oh, Princess Emily, please let it go…”
A servant scurried after her, trying to reason with the child.
“Emily, that’s not good behavior.”
White stepped forward at just the right moment.
“Ah! Prince!”
The servant quickly bowed and moved to stand beside the princess.
Emily stopped and looked up at White silently. She didn’t like him. Though they were siblings, they rarely interacted.
Squatting in front of her, White said:
“Legovis went to fight the undead at Red Sand Fortress — it’s not a place to play. You can’t be so willful.”
“Got it!”
Emily replied with a frown, then turned and walked off. The servant quickly followed.
Watching his younger sister walk away, White slowly stood up, his eyes narrowing — who knows what he was thinking.