Published: September 6, 2025
“Don’t just stand there dawdling—help out. If you’re civil official apprentices, you should at least be able to handle some of the preliminary preparations for the mixing.”
Ferdinand assigned tasks not only to me and Wilfried but also to the civil official apprentices among his close aides, all while drawing up the blueprints on the table. Since Raimund had already reported to him, he seemed to have fully memorized the method.
“Now then, we were told to make these for Rosemine, but how many magic tools are actually needed? Isn’t some also required for the original recipients?”
As various civil official apprentices washed the equipment for the mixing in Waschen, Ferdinand asked me this question, and I thought for a moment, saying “Hmm…”
“Actually, I originally intended to give them to Lady Leticia. Since Lord Ferdinand is so strict, I planned to include some words of encouragement, or pleas asking her not to be scolded any further.”
“Ah, that might indeed be necessary.”
Wilfried, who seemed to have been burdened with assignments during the two years I was asleep, gazed off somewhat distant while washing in Waschen alongside the other apprentices.
“When I attended my uncle’s lectures with Rosemine, I thought the same—there are many assignments, and the standards demanded are very strict.”
“Brother Wilfried agrees with that, right? Praise is essential, after all.”
I laid out the candidate phrases I intended to record onto the magic tool for Leticia. Ferdinand frowned upon hearing this, and Justox chuckled softly, saying, “That’s Lady Leticia’s letter, isn’t it?” Since Justox seemed to understand the letter’s content, I nodded in agreement.
“If Zelgius has a close relationship with Lady Leticia’s chief attendant, it might be better to register the newly made magic tool under Zelgius’s mana. Lady Leticia is separated from her family to become an adopted daughter, isn’t she? If possible, I want you to record her parents’ voices. The voice of one’s family is the greatest source of encouragement.”
“…I see. So, if we prepare one with your voice, one with her family’s voice, one for me to give you, and one spare, four should suffice.”
Handing a sheet with the material measurements written on it, the apprentices began measuring. Ferdinand and I proceeded to finely chop the materials and separate their attributes, preparing them one after another to facilitate the mixing.
“Ugh, the speed of these preparations is on another level.”
“We’ve never prepared materials this meticulously before. Matching the quality of materials is an advanced technique.”
Though Hartmut had managed well when taught to make healing potions, neither Filine nor Roderich could help much; the same was true for senior civil officials like Ignatz, who were astonished upon witnessing Ferdinand’s mixing for the first time.
“Eh? You’re doing all this at once?”
“Yes. I was taught this is convenient for saving time. By doing so, the quality matching of the materials is completed all at once. …Done, Lord Ferdinand.”
I handed over the prepared materials with matched quality to Ferdinand. Justox smiled quietly while doing the same, addressing Ignatz and others.
“The key is experience. You all lack the number of mixing attempts and ingenuity overwhelmingly.”
“I’ve made my own healing potions, so naturally, I’ve increased my mixing attempts.”
Including making Yureve, I think I have more mixing experience than civil official apprentices my age. Also, since Ferdinand was the first to teach me, the efficient and rational unreasonable demands contributed to this.
“Unlike the lectures, Ferdinand’s mixing incorporates various innovations for efficiency. Simply watching it is educational.”
As Ignatz and the others watched intently, Ferdinand transformed the stave and proceeded with mixing while using a time-shortening magic circle from the start.
…Hmm, I still can’t use the time-shortening magic circle from the very beginning.