The last fun of winter vacation

“Ah! As it turned out, I heard from my little brother that you were a famous person! I haven’t been to the capital for a long time, so now I know.”

Closing his arranged suitcase, Kleio picked out a suitable answer.

“I feel that he exaggerated. Don’t you know well that the newspaper in the capital is fond of inflating even the small stories?”

Honestly, it was likely a newspaper was something that Trude had never read a single page of before. However, when the boy wizard brought it up gracefully, he had no choice but to pretend to agree. While listening to them, Cel laughed and snacked on walnuts. The level 4 swordswoman broke the walnut shells with her bare hands.

“Yes, yes. Right. Newspapers overstate things, those bad fellows.”

The subtle talk went over the innocent knight’s head as he delivered the rest of the estate’s news. The older knights were calm, but those selected like Trude had already packed their luggage and said goodbye to their families.

“Ah! The new duke! He distributed the black crystals from the spiders fairly to both soldiers and knights, but because of you, that amount was reduced.”

Kleio had heard the story of what had happened when his level was raised. The berserk ether had melted not only the demons but also their mana stones. The boy bowed his head awkwardly as Trude patted him on the back.

“No, it’s no problem! Well done, it’s a big deal because you’re so strong, man!”

Trude was short but strong, as well as a master of the bow and a level 4 knight. He knocked firmly on Kleio’s back, then laughed with Cel as the boy swayed uneasily.

“Stop, I’ll catch him.”

“Huh, this one. You should eat well.”

“Thank you for your concern. In the meantime, can you introduce me to a chef who is good with the local food in the Tristein territory?”

“Why is that?”

“The food of this manor is a great delicacy I want to bring back to the capital.”

“Haha, this kid knows his food! Yes, our manor’s food is the best! Let’s see… Got it! Next door to us, let me introduce you to them!”

At that, Lysa came in like lightning.

“Trude! Did you lie about where you went and came here instead? The north wall patrol will be ready within five minutes for practice!”

“Ah, I know.”

“It seems that Mietsu, our guest, does three times more work than you. What do you feel about that, huh? What will our name be like if this is how we behave in the capital?”

The two vanished like a storm. Cel pushed the finished walnuts in front of Kleio, resting her chin comfortably on her hands.

“By the way, isn’t it surprising that Mietsu is settling down here a bit?”

“He can’t leave people in trouble alone.”

Not all of the knights were headed for the capital. Vice-captain Rotan, for example, decided to bury his bones here. He said it was his oath to protect the duchy’s fortress. Even so, their number of personnel had lessened, so Mietsu’s stay was of great help.

“Indeed, it’s like Professor Rosa’s blood. Arthur is also with him. Even though he belatedly found out his teacher was an elite knight who was expelled, it’s amazing that his attitude doesn’t change at all.”

Cel knew Mietsu’s identity more accurately than anyone else, as one who was stationed in the banquet hall. She had been rather busy these days because of Melchior, checking if there were any issues with the soldiers she was training.

‘In the meantime, I think she conducted a background investigation on Mietsu.’

“Cel, he’s the lord you chose. Isn’t that good?”

“Haha, that title is a little unfamiliar. Right. It’s better to be bold and personable.”

“…When he contacted you, did Melchior do anything?”

“Nothing at all. There are no signs of sanctions imposed on my property or on the Viscount Kision. All of them are people I’ve known for a long time.”

If Melchior had put in a secret intelligence agent, there was no way to defend against it. Cel knew that, but it was like she was on an adventure. Cel brushed off the walnut shells from her hands, her movements light, but the weight of the responsibility she bore was heavy. She was a funding source for training illegal soldiers. Cel, who might endanger her entire family if she were discovered, was now only eighteen-years-old. A new question arose in Kleio’s mind.

“…Maybe, couldn’t Melchior give you the right you want?”

Now that the royal family owned the tiplaum mine, their wealth overflowed even though before that, the tax revenue had been gradually decreasing. If Cel had been on his side from the start, there would’ve been plenty of room for negotiation.

“Are you kidding? That guy makes you pay for what you can’t afford. Those loyal to him give him everything; look at Tasserton.”

“Isn’t Tasserton rather a special case?”

If Aslan’s political inclination were to reinforce the anachronistic kingship, Arthur had no choice but to be influenced by egalitarianism because of the circumstances, and Melchior was trying to maintain the status quo in the middle.

‘The prince is compassionate but conservative. It doesn’t seem he fits with Cel any more than Aslan, but why does she hate him?’

“No. If he doesn’t give that kind of loyalty with all his life and soul, Melchior won’t make anyone his own. I heard that the head of the secret intelligence department is also an ardent believer in the prince. I’m the daughter of a businesswoman. What’s weird about investing less for a bigger gain?”

“The probability of losing money is too great for that.”

The two measured the princes of the kingdom as if they were measuring investing stocks.

“You didn’t learn from Dione? Hoping for dramatic gains without risk. Besides, I also have my pride. I have to work with the guy who wants my abilities the most. Then, why do you choose him? You could’ve been Melchior’s promising aide.”

Kleio was unable to tell her it was because of the author’s will. He stroked his chin, pretending to be in thought.

“Well… I don’t have such an objective reason. I was wondering if it would be better to choose a guy who sees me as someone like them. Anyway, I’m also a commoner.”

Cel’s silvery eyes turned cold.

“Yes, you know. The strangeness of the prince.”

“What strangeness?”

‘Where should we start?’

“That gaze when he looks down on people is terrible. He looks at humanity with a gaze of regret.”

Kleio admired her eyes. That was the most accurate way to describe a person who remembered his eight lives.

“Whether the royal family treats asylum seekers poorly, or that one pretends to be a man, I can overcome it all. But I can’t stand that strange attitude of looking at others from the vantage of an immortal.”

After catching her breath for a while, Cel continued.

“For such a subject, his appearance is terribly beautiful but deceptive.”

“…Your insight is better than your swordsmanship. I admire you, Celeste.”

“Hmm. Are you going to serve as a sage on the day our prince is inaugurated?”

Cel playfully smacked Kleio’s arm, detracting from the serious atmosphere.

***

When they returned to the capital, it was already March. After bidding their farewells at the central station, all of them headed home. Now they had less than a month left of their vacation.

‘It was a really busy vacation.’

Kleio returned home with the chef Trude had introduced him to. As it turned out, he was a young man working as a kitchen assistant at the only inn in Moralt where he had stayed on the first day. He promised to pay him three times the amount he was currently receiving and cut a check for a month’s salary in the name of transportation expenses. After seeing the number written on the check, the young man immediately packed up and was at the train station the following day. Mrs. Canton expressed discomfort at Kleio’s impulsive behavior, but she stopped nagging him when he told her he really wanted to eat Tristein’s cooking. Whatever he wanted to eat was a great welcome.

***

After returning from his practice, Kleio was stuck in the Asel mansion. After a week, Dione finally visited him to inform him of the book’s progress and bring him a manuscript.

“This is the manuscript Levy saw. It was typed on a typewriter, so it is easy to read. After you check once, I will reflect on the revisions and separate the series. This is a sketch of the cover, so look at it and give your opinion.”

Kleio flinched at the word manuscript but soon hid his emotions as he thanked her. He looked it over as he laid down. Since he had his Memory function, he was able to compare it with the version in his head. At the end of two weeks, Behemoth began pulling the hem of his pajamas in order to get him out of bed, as he had been sending and receiving corrections from his servants.

“Meooow! (If you’re a human, act like it!)”

After being reprimanded (and attacked) by Behemoth, Kleio ate a breakfast prepared by Mrs. Canton, copied the edited manuscript, and went to see Professor Maria.

“Please review it and return it.”

Professor Maria, having received the proofread, smiled brightly, making even Kleio oddly excited. It was the joy of publication he hadn’t experienced in a long time. He also made an appointment with Professor Zebedee on the same day, not wanting to have to go twice. As soon as they met, he told the dean his ether level had risen. The old professor, his eyes wide, jumped up with his arms waving despite his age. Kleio calmed the excited professor and asked for a recommendation for Professor Maria’s book.

He nodded without even listening to the details.

.

.

.

After finishing his work, Kleio washed up, changing into his pajamas, and sunk into the sofa in front of the fireplace. The weather in March wasn’t as cold as it had been, but there was still a chill in the air. It would be nice if the sun were out, but Lundane’s March wasn’t a season full of sunlight. Kleio, who had been resting for a long time, took out a handful of rubies from his safe as he suddenly remembered. Everything was burdensome, but he still desired a heating pad. The fireplace was somewhat lacking.

He went through a few books on mana stone processing, but it wasn’t helpful to Kleio, who was focused on aesthetics over function. In order to make the heating pad, the rubies had to be woven in the form of a heated wire and fixed between at least two layers of fabric. There were no examples of it being processed as such.

‘Ha, to think I would be so close but so far.’

What if it didn’t work? He had a lot of rubies in the vault, so he decided to continue.

‘The rubies can be added at appropriate intervals. Wrapping the top and bottom in a thin felt and covering the top with flannel… I think it will feel good.’

Kleio took out a paper and prepared a simple blueprint, planning on using tiplaum as the material for the heating wires. But where would he get the key strategic resources that the royal family had monopolized? As Kleio scoured his vault and subspace wallet, he caught a glowing piece of metal.

‘Right! I had a sneak peek during the field trip!’

He was caught by Frida while he made a phone call, so he couldn’t return the piece of tiplaum, but had accidentally taken it. He had completely forgotten, but somehow he had benefited from not organizing his subspace wallet sooner.

‘After melting this, pull it into a wire shape and weave the rubies together… If I write the magic formula only at the start, there is no need to hurt the gem.’

It seemed like a solid plan. Kleio opened a small circle and unfolded [Fever]. It was a waste of ether, but it would be quicker than finding a reliable blacksmith.

‘When the prototype goes live, let’s take this design and leave it to Dione’s shop to produce. They will do it nicely.’

It would be better once the build quality was sorted out.

‘It would be better to show my gratitude in receiving something like this, but I have Vlad to be concerned over.’

At first, Baronet Asel had been resentful, but he was able to accomplish a lot now, thanks to his son attending the Capital Defense Forces Academy.

‘Well, did I do that?’

Kleio decided not to think deeply about things he didn’t choose and couldn’t change.