On the night of the entrance exams, I was in my room using the skill Transmutation to create porcelain vases and plates.
Our family is generally a small, low-ranking noble, so we don’t have many visitors. However, I don’t mind being looked down upon, but I can’t stand it when my father is disrespected.
At the Ashwood estate, there are porcelain vases, plates, and glassware, similar to what I’m making now.
At the very least, these are rare items that other nobles don’t have.
[Level Up]
[Transmutation Skill Level Increased]
“Oh, finally leveled up.”
This is the first level-up message in a while.
Now I’m at level two hundred. I want to report this to Lord Deuro soon, but I’ll hold off for now.
[Transmutation Level 5: Can transform the rank of the target]
Huh?
This… wait… what!?!
This is… really dangerous, isn’t it?!
I can’t just test this out easily.
But, it seems like I could use it on the Lightstar guys without feeling guilty.
Ah, speaking of which, Jaze has a rank of F and is blessed with the Farmer attribute. Since F is the lowest rank, it can’t be lowered any further.
Well, the current head of the Lightstar family is at rank B with the Sword Master blessing, so I could test it on him. But will I even meet him?
The next day, Lord Dardale visited. He lives next door in the former baron’s mansion, and the wall has been knocked down so that they can pass directly to each other, so calling it a visit is a bit of a stretch…
Lord Dardale pretended to look troubled and said he had something to consult with me about.
“What kind of consultation is it?”
“Yes, recently there has been an increase in people complaining of poor health in the eastern region. I came to consult with you, Lord , about it.”
When I heard the east, something immediately came to mind.
Not long ago, the brewery in Ashwood territory was ransacked, and poison was even added to the alcohol. At that time, the sake yeast had been stolen.
The alcohol made from that yeast isn’t problematic if consumed in small amounts, but if overconsumed, it causes vision problems, joint pain, and a sense of fatigue.
None of these are life-threatening, and if you stop drinking for five to ten days, the poison will be expelled from the body, and things will return to normal.
In simple terms, it serves as a warning to heavy drinkers: don’t drink too much.
“What do you want me to do about it?”
“Could you possibly cure these people’s illnesses?”
“Well… even if you say that…”
“I believe that, with your ability to cure Lady Brynhilde’s illness, you can also calm the strange illness in the east.”
It’s known that my grandmother was on her deathbed, but now she’s walking around healthily, so Lord Dardale must think I did something to help her.
It’s troublesome to be blindly trusted, but this could be an opportunity.
“Can’t a priest’s healing magic work?”
“It has a temporary effect, but unfortunately, the illness recurs after two or three months.”
Healing magic isn’t all-powerful. It can heal injuries, but it doesn’t have much effect on illnesses.
However, if the illness is caused by the poisoned alcohol made from the stolen yeast, it’s not an illness but rather poisoning. Even if the poison is cured, as long as the poison continues to be ingested, the symptoms will recur again and again. There’s no resistance to it.
“Please tell me about the timing and symptoms.”
“Yes, the exact time of the outbreak is uncertain, but around last winter, more people started complaining about feeling unwell.”
If it was almost a year ago, it coincides with the time a new alcohol appeared in Viscount Fiart’s territory. It might be the alcohol made with the stolen yeast.
“The symptoms are a decline in vision, joint pain, and a feeling of fatigue.”
These are the same symptoms caused by the alcohol made from the stolen yeast. The cause is almost certainly the same.
“What about the age group and gender?”
“The symptoms have been seen across most age groups. They appear to affect people from their late teens onward.”
Although there’s no legal drinking age in this country, children don’t typically drink much. It makes sense that it would affect people in their late teens and older.
“Seven to eight out of ten affected are men.”
While women also drink, men tend to drink much more. Since those with smaller alcohol consumption are less likely to show symptoms, it makes sense that men are more affected.
“Are there any cases outside of the eastern region?”
“There are also people in the royal capital who are complaining of the symptoms.”
“You were planning to visit the main temple after the school entrance results came out, right?”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
“Could you gather those who have relapsed with these symptoms when you go? Just a few dozen will do.”
“I understand. I’ll make the arrangements. Thank you for your help.”
Lord Dardale bowed deeply and left.
“Well, let’s see how this turns out…”
While waiting for the results of the entrance exams, I spent my days with my usual routine and sightseeing in the royal capital.
The prices in the capital are generally high. A jar of salt (about one kilogram) in Axel territory costs about 3,000 G-Gazelles, but in the royal capital, it’s 5,000 G.
Bread that costs about 10 G in Axel territory is 15 G in the capital.
Everything else is similarly expensive, around 1.3 to 2 times the price.
There are many noble estates in the royal capital, so they say there are “noble prices” for items.
In places where nobility don’t frequent, it seems you can buy things much cheaper.
Also, I noticed that many of the carriages in the capital have wheels with tires.
The tires are produced in Axel territory. Most carriages in Axel territory use wheels with tires, and they seem to be selling well.
On the day before the entrance exam results were announced, our family was invited to dine at the Bayerlein Duke’s residence.
The Bayerlein Duke’s residence is located on the eastern side of the noble district, quite far from the Roxfall mansion.
“To attend the academy, it would be quite far from the Roxfall mansion. It would be closer if you stayed at this mansion.”
“Well, that’s fine with me!”
Grandfather and grandmother were working together to get me to stay at the Bayerlein mansion.
Indeed, commuting from the Bayerlein mansion would significantly reduce travel time.
However, if I stayed at the Bayerlein mansion, temple knights would inevitably be assigned to guard me.
Grandfather doesn’t particularly like the temple, so he probably wouldn’t allow a barracks for the temple knights to be built on the grounds.
Even if I tried to buy the mansion next door, the area is filled with estates of high-ranking nobles.
I’m sure this would cause a lot of trouble.
“That would make Rosemary happy as well.”
Rosemary is the daughter of Lord Alexander. She would be my cousin, I suppose.
Currently thirteen years old, Rosemary is enrolled in the magic department of the academy.
However, I’m not particularly liked by Rosemary, so I don’t think she’d be happy about it.
“I’m not happy about it,” Rosemary muttered, turning her face away.
This was the first time I met Rosemary since coming to the royal capital, and it was our second meeting today, but she acted the same way the last time.
“Marie-chan, don’t say that.”
“I don’t care.”
When grandmother scolded her, Rosemary stood up and left the dining hall.
It’s a difficult age for her, but since there’s no real harm in it, I decided not to worry about it.
Lord Alexander and his wife, Lady Teresa, quickly apologized, but I reassured them that it was fine.
And, honestly, I wasn’t planning on accepting their offer. If that’s the case, it would be better for me to just stay in the academy’s dormitory.
Of course, I won’t actually stay in the dormitory.
I gently declined their offer.
After all, my father had gone to the trouble of renovating the royal capital mansion for me. There was no way I could choose not to use that mansion.
