Uncomfortable Cohabitation (13)
I got thoroughly scolded over the cigarettes. Reluctantly, I decided to give them up.
Smoking had felt good, but considering the risks, quitting seemed the wiser choice. Of course, given the nature of alchemy, the harmful aspects of tobacco might well have been stripped away — the way the poppy had been refined until only its beneficial effects remained, and those enhanced. But that hadn't been confirmed, so caution was the right call.
Sister Mary had only been looking out for my health. I ought to listen.
She said the experiments would be conducted at the temple, so I diligently manufactured cigarettes and supplied them.
"I'll take these with me again today."
Sister Mary carefully gathered up the finished cigarettes.
"Yeah, yeah. Do whatever you want."
"Julian? Don't tell me you're still sulking."
"No? Not at all?"
Sister Mary looked at me and sighed. I'd denied it, but the truth was I was a little put out. I knew she was worried about me and acting for my sake, yet I still felt constrained — and uncomfortable.
I understood. And I knew how much Sister Mary did for me, so I tried to go along with it. But… not being able to try something I'd made myself was a real shame.
Priest Daniel watched the two of us warily, reading the room.
"Yuli, you're acting like a child."
My sister's offhand remark as she passed by sank deep into my chest. Looking back on it, my behavior really had been childish. She'd told me not to smoke, and I'd thrown a tantrum over it, hadn't I?
It was the behavior of a complete brat.
"W-what?!"
My words stuck in my throat. I had nothing to say.
My sister had hit the nail on the head. I finally saw just how childish I was being.
I clamped my mouth shut and hung my head.
Anything more I said here would only sound like a kid's whining.
Just endure it. No — I was the one in the wrong… just let it go.
"Julian? Come on, stop being mad. It was my fault."
Sister Mary's words backed me into a corner.
"Th-that's not it, I told you!"
"I know, I know."
With a look that said she understood everything, Sister Mary took my hand and began stroking it gently.
No, it really isn't like that!
Life in the Capital had stretched past three months into the fourth, and winter had arrived.
At first, with so many new things to discover, a wide variety of materials available, and the temple's support behind me, I'd managed a reasonably decent life. But I was starting to grow tired of it.
The medicinal herbs and raw materials I could obtain were diverse enough, yet I produced no results. Failure was inevitable, of course — but in the process, a great deal of money had vanished into thin air.
So until a flash of inspiration struck, I shifted course toward leisurely refining existing formulas. That went nowhere either.
Even with the church's backing, watching so much money disappear into nothing left me hollow and empty, and I stopped researching altogether.
Of course, there had been a few successes.
In the case of the cigarettes, no side effects had been found, and the opinion emerged that they might be usable as a kind of aromatic herb — though everyone agreed it wouldn't hurt to wait for long-term confirmation before deciding. There were no side effects, but the question of addictiveness remained unanswered, so we resolved to be careful.
I'd also found the formula for Black Iron, which had eluded me before. By substituting a stone called red iron ore — or fossil stone — in place of clay in the iron formula, the combination succeeded.
I hadn't had a blacksmith appraise the Black Iron yet, but Maximilian and Priest Daniel both judged that its mana conductivity had increased and its durability seemed stronger. So on the day I cracked the formula, I refined every last piece of Black Iron the young master had purchased.
Something about making equipment with it once we returned to the territory, or so he said.
Broadly speaking, that was the state of my alchemy work.
Two months had also passed since the underground waterway incident in the Capital, and the investigation results were in.
It had been the work of a foreign nation — a neighboring country, no less. The fact that a nation sharing a border had orchestrated it had thrown the kingdom into a state of emergency.
Diplomatic protests had been lodged, but in the end only a few underlings had been cut loose and sacrificed.
Maximilian said he had something to discuss regarding the matter.
"So you've gathered us all here — what's this about?"
"I-I'm sorry. It seems I'll need to head back soon."
Hm? Back to the territory?
"You're returning to your territory?"
"Yes. Now that we've uncovered Lindel's underhanded scheme, the border will need reinforcing."
The border…
"L-Lindel, as in…"
"Yes — the barbarian nation that borders our territory."
Ah. Put that way, it made sense…
Hadn't there been raids on our village in the past?
"Village in danger?"
My sister seemed worried about home.
"We don't know that yet. And please don't worry too much. I'll go and protect it myself."
Maximilian said it with a gallant expression. It was a reassuring thing to hear…
"Which means the mansion will be left empty."
Sister Mary pointed it out.
"Not at all. You're welcome to continue using it if you wish."
He said so, but that would be difficult. Freely using a house whose master was gone? That would be shameless.
"Of course, I won't be leaving immediately. Traveling in winter is hard."
"Meaning…"
"I'll return the moment the weather turns."
I see…
Well, keeping a Knight Class warrior like Maximilian cooped up in the Capital would be a waste.
"Thank you for telling us in advance."
Sister Mary said so and bowed her head.
"Not at all. I'm the one who should apologize."
But what was I supposed to do?
"Hmm…"
"What about you, Julian?"
Priest Daniel asked with a worried look.
"You're from that region, aren't you? Aren't you concerned for your family?"
"I am worried, yes."
But would there really be an invasion large enough to threaten the village?
Not knowing was the problem.
"If you wish it, Julian, we can station Holy Knights there."
Holy Knights…
"Or we could send priests instead."
If priests or Holy Knights were deployed, defending the territory would become that much easier, and the village's safety would be secured as well.
"I have no intention of borrowing the church's hand for this."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Asking for help over something like this feels a bit… off."
It felt like using the church's power for personal ends. Financial support and materials could be justified as research funding — after all, the results would eventually be published under the church's name, bringing it credit and prestige. But dispatching priests or Holy Knights was a different matter entirely.
"Then what is it that's troubling you so?"
Seeing Priest Daniel's concern, a small smile tugged at my lips.
"Nothing much. I've more or less finished what I needed to do in the Capital, so I was thinking of heading back myself."
With my power, I could protect the village — and help Maximilian as well.
"You mean to return as well, Miss Julian?"
"Yes, well… wouldn't it help if I came along?"
At my words, three of them looked startled. Only my sister remained unfazed…
If I were nearby, I could manufacture Fram with alchemy and keep them supplied, and I could provide poisons as well. Even without that, I could contribute plenty through magic or Holy Magic.
And that wasn't all. If I went back, Sister Mary and Priest Daniel would follow, and my sister would be there too — a force that couldn't be dismissed.
Everyone had gone quiet, and I found myself reading the room. Maximilian's silence, in particular, was bothering me.
"W-well, the village I live in is very close to the border, you see? So I'm worried."
Priest Daniel looked back and forth between Maximilian and me, then smiled.
"So you really are worried."
"Yes, well…"
The Instructor was in the village, but he was alone… and I already felt guilty for having taken my sister — who was originally supposed to help defend the place — away with me.
Maximilian, lost in thought, gave no answer.
Sister Mary said that if that was the case, the temple would need to be informed, and Priest Daniel brought up the idea of purchasing a carriage, given the sheer volume of iron we had.
"Miss Julian, you don't need to travel with me."
Maximilian said something strange.
"Pardon?"
"Barbarians of that caliber can be stopped well enough by me and the territory's soldiers working together."
What was this man saying right now?
"Didn't you say you intended to see the world for about five years? Is it really all right for you to turn back like this?"
Ah… he was worried about me. He knew the purpose of my journey, and that was why he was saying this.
"Well, it's a shame, but what can I do? I'm worried about my family too…"
Strangely, I felt almost no regret. Worry outweighed any sense of loss.
The villagers I could call family, the Instructor who would have to defend the village alone, the foster parents who had raised me — all of them weighed on my mind.
And… though there was no need to worry about him, I was worried about Maximilian too.
Listening to the way he talked, it sounded as though he fully intended to stand on the front lines himself.
Was it a strong sense of responsibility… or just stubbornness?
That considerate heart of his, looking out for me, made me happy. But it also left me a little sad.
He never once asked if I could help. That hurt.
Was it because I wouldn't be of any use? Or because I'd be a burden? Or some other reason entirely?
I was too embarrassed to ask him directly, but it nagged at me all the same, and it ached.
If he'd just said, "Help me," I would have answered yes with a glad heart…
"Are you truly certain?"
Did he really not want me coming along? The way he kept trying to leave me behind was starting to irritate me and make me restless. So I offered a plan of my own.
"Traveling in winter is a bit rough, but if we set out early and stop somewhere along the way, that could work too."
Maximilian still wore an expression that said he wasn't pleased.
"And… nothing might happen at all, right?"
Maximilian let out a long, heavy sigh.
"If that's what you wish, Miss Julian…"
The look of reluctant acceptance didn't sit well with me, but… it was enough.
"Well, we're not leaving right away, so let's take our time thinking it over."
It would be at least two months before the weather turned, and even if we did travel in winter, with so much cargo we'd need a carriage.
"Yes. Let's take our time."
At last, Maximilian smiled.
Mm. A handsome face looks better smiling than fretting, after all.