Chapter 36: Dinner at the Duke's Residence and Healing Magic
"Leon-sama, let's start with a bath first."
As soon as Roger returned, he said that without wasting a moment. He only thinks about efficiency. I wondered if he could have a little small talk or something. As I headed towards the bathroom, a bath with the perfect temperature was prepared.
Did Roger arrange it? He might be capable of doing his job after all.
With Roger's assistance, I took a bath and changed into the luxurious clothes prepared for me.
"Leon-sama, please have a seat here while I set your hair."
"Yeah, Roger, your work efficiency is really impressive."
In order to get along with Roger, whom I will be interacting with more often from now on, I decided to start by praising him.
"It's natural for it to be part of my job."
Roger casually replied as usual, but I feel like his expression softened a little. It's a face other than his usual expressionless one! Maybe it's better to straightforwardly praise him from now on.
I'm glad we seem to be able to get along at least a little. I wouldn't like it if it was an awkward atmosphere all the time.
"I'm done. Let's go to the dining hall."
With that, I headed towards the dining hall. In the dining hall, there were three people: Richard-sama, his wife Catherine-sama, and Frederick-sama. Julian-sama, Frederick-sama's older brother, seemed to be absent today.
And even though Frederick-sama should be at the Knight Academy, he appears to be at the duke's residence again. I wonder if it's a matter related to Frederick-sama too?
"Thank you for inviting me today."
"I apologize for summoning you here. Let's enjoy dinner first."
We then passed the time peacefully, engaging in idle chatter.
And as dinner was coming to an end, Richard-sama slowly began to talk about the main topic.
"I called you here today because I wanted to talk about the matter concerning the Duke's territory, as mentioned in the letter. My eldest son, Christoph, has inherited the Duke's title, and Christoph's eldest son, Lucian, is the same age as you, Leon. He will be moving to the mansion in the royal capital to attend the Royal Academy. So, while going to pick up Lucian, I would like you to meet Christoph and visit the Duke's territory as well. I have already informed Christoph about you in the letter, so there's no need to worry."
"Yes, I don't mind going to the Duke's territory. I've been wanting to see places other than the royal capital."
There's no way I can refuse such an invitation. I hope Christoph-sama and the others are good people. Well, if they're people from this duke's household, I might not have to worry too much.
"That's good to hear. I will inform you about the details of the schedule later."
"Yes, thank you very much."
"Oh, and there's one more thing. Leon, I suppose you don't have clothes suitable for a nobleman, right? Tomorrow, a tailor will come, so it would be a good opportunity to have some made for you."
"That's very kind, but... I wonder how much it would cost. The clothes made by a tailor who comes to the Duke's house seem ridiculously expensive.
It's custom-made, right? I'm fine with second-hand clothes..."
"I appreciate your concern, but I can't afford something too expensive..."
"Oh, don't worry about the price. The Duke's family will cover everything, so rest assured."
Huh!? Actually, it's scarier to have someone pay for something so expensive...
"No, it's an expensive item, so I'll pay for it myself. I have some money as well."
"It's fine, it's fine, don't worry about it."
Even if you say that, I'm still worried! Can't I do something as a gesture of thanks?
If I have something to give... I can make magical tools, but I don't have the materials. Maybe healing magic? It could be a gesture of thanks for someone who's injured or sick.
"Please let me at least show my gratitude. I can use healing magic, and if I have the materials, I can make magical tools."
"Wait a moment, have you ever made magical tools? Those are all made in the Royal Magical Tool Workshop."
Ah!! Was that supposed to be a secret? I hurriedly covered my mouth, but it was already too late.
But now that I think about it, everyone already knows about my full attributes, so maybe there's no need to hide it. Is it okay to talk about it?
I'm sorry, Marcel-san! I apologized to Marcel-san in my mind and decided to tell him about making magical tools.
"Marcel-san has a workshop nearby, and I've been making them there. Um, please make sure Marcel-san doesn't get into trouble because of this..."
"Marcel-dono, huh? I remember Frederick saying he was with him when they met. Could it be... that all the magical tools registered recently were created by Leon-kun!?"
"Yes... but I couldn't register them myself, so Marcel-san registered them under his name."
"I see... I wondered how you could come up with so many inventions. And they were all new technologies. It's said that magical tool research has made great progress. Many of them are planned to be released soon."
So, it was actually a matter of curiosity! And it became such a big deal!
Maybe I'm more unconventional than I think... I feel a little down.
Because I know about more convenient machines, no matter what magical tool I come up with, it doesn't feel that amazing to me.
...I should be more careful.
"I apologize, I was surprised and got carried away. Leon-kun, for now, it's better to stop developing magical tools. If you come up with something, I'll arrange the mana stones and magic iron for your personal use. However, wait until you graduate from the Royal School before registering them."
"Yes. Marcel-san told me as well, so for now, I'm thinking of giving up on magic tool development."
"That's fine then. So, it was about a word of thanks."
"Yes, but if magic tools are no good, then the only thing I can do is use healing magic..."
But personally, I think I can even cure illnesses. The only problem is that I haven't tested it on humans yet. I've only healed minor injuries.
"I haven't really tried healing magic much, so I don't know how far I can heal, but I was able to cure a sick cow the other day, so there's a possibility of curing illnesses."
"What!? Is that true!? You truly are an apostle..."
I couldn't make out what he was saying towards the end, speaking in a low voice.
"Huh? What did you say?"
"Oh, it's nothing. But there's something I'd like to ask of you. Can you heal Alban?"
According to Lord Richard's story, the butler, Alban-san, has been unwell for about six weeks now, and he's gradually growing weaker.
Alban-san's son and the other servants are currently doing their best to take over his work. It seems to be quite a burden since the handover hasn't been completed yet.
"The Alban family has been serving as butlers for many generations. I consider Alban and the others as part of my family. Even if it doesn't work, could you please examine him?"
"Yes. I'm not sure if I can be of help, but I'll do my best."
"Thank you."
Lord Richard said that and bowed his head. If the Duke's family, Lord Richard, bows his head, I absolutely cannot fail...
Feeling quite pressured, I clenched my fist with determination.
After that, Lord Richard said it would be fine to examine Alban tomorrow, but I thought it would be better to do it as soon as possible, so I was guided to Alban's location.
It seems that Lord Richard and Lord Frederick are coming along as well. Although Alban usually resides in the servants' quarters, for the sake of easy care, he is currently in a guest room.
Led by Roger, we walked for a while and finally reached a certain guest room. It seems that Alban is here.
Roger knocked on the door and called out from outside.
"Lord Richard, Lord Frederick, and Leon-sama are here."
Upon hearing that, I sensed some commotion and movement inside for a short while, and the door opened. The room seems to be heavily scented with herbs, perhaps they are using a lot of herbal remedies. It seems that the treatment methods for illnesses are not very advanced in this world.
"We apologize for the wait."
The one who opened the door seemed to be one of the mansion's servants. I wonder if they take turns taking care of Alban.
When we entered the room, Mr. Alban, who was lying in bed, was struggling to get up.
He seems much thinner and worn out than when I last saw him.
"Master Daitan-sama, Frederick-sama, Leon-sama, I apologize for my unsightly appearance. Cough, cough, cough."
Mr. Alban managed to sit up and started speaking, but it seemed to choke him when he tried to voice his words.
"Alban, I don't find your appearance unsightly. Besides, there's no need for you to force yourself to get up. Just rest."
"That's right, it's better not to strain your body."
As Lord Richard and Frederick-sama said so, Mr. Alban lay back down on the bed. It must be quite painful for him.
"Leon, how is it? Can you heal him?"
Frederick-sama asked me in a low voice. I replied in a low voice as well.
"I still don't know. But I'll give it a try."
Saying that, I approached Mr. Alban's bed.
"Mr. Alban, I'm going to use healing magic on you. There's no guarantee that it will cure you, but may I give it a try?"
"Yes. If there's even a slight chance of recovery... please."
"Understood. Please relax."
When I touched Mr. Alban's forehead, it was quite hot. He had a high fever. And then there was the coughing. He seemed to be in a lot of discomfort earlier, and even now, his breathing seemed labored.
I don't have any medical knowledge, so I don't know the specifics, but it might be pneumonia or tuberculosis. In any case, it seems that the virus is causing inflammation in the lungs.
In that case, I should focus on the upper body and imagine eliminating the harmful viruses and bacteria in the body. I can't come up with a detailed image, so it will probably require a considerable amount of magical power, but I hope I can do what I can with the increasing amount of magical power I have.
Lately, my magical power has been increasing to more than a hundred times what it was when I first started using magic. I should be able to do it.
I took a deep breath to calm my mind and gathered my determination.
Alright! With the image from earlier in my mind, I activated my magical power towards Mr. Alban's body.
And then Mr. Alban's body was enveloped in light.
Ugh, it's taking a lot of magical power... but it's not over yet, I haven't completely eliminated the virus...
Strangely enough, when the light of healing magic surrounds the body, I can somehow sense where the problem lies and have a vague idea of when it will be completely healed. This might also be one of my special abilities.
While thinking about such things, I continued to channel my magical power.
Not yet... just a bit more... It's done!
Huff, huff, huff... I had very little magical power left, but I managed to remain standing. It was a close call.
I'll need more magical power to cure an illness...
I managed to catch my breath and called out to Mr. Alban.
"Mr. Alban, it's done. How are you feeling?"
Mr. Alban slowly sat up, stood up, and began walking around the room.
"It's amazing!! I don't feel any difficulty in breathing that was so painful before, and my body feels light! Thank you so much, Lord Leon. I will never forget this favor. If there's anything you need, I will definitely help you."
"I'm glad you're better. It's not that big of a deal, though."
Mr. Alban's complexion has improved significantly, so he should be fine now. That's a relief.
As I was about to leave the room, feeling truly relieved, I turned around and saw a stunned Mr. Richard and Mr. Frederick.
Huh? Aren't they happy for me?
"What's the matter with both of you?"
"Ah, uh, no, we're just surprised that it really got cured..."
"Yeah, Leon, you're really amazing..."
Both of them are still in a daze. I managed to bring them back to reality somehow and decided to leave the room.
Roger's expression also changed, and he seemed quite surprised, so I must have done something out of the ordinary... Well, it's too late now.
"Leon, you must keep the fact that you can cure illnesses an absolute secret. If this is known, your life will be in great danger. Also, I will consult with His Majesty about this ability. There might be requests for treatment, but are you okay with using healing magic if a request comes?"
Well, if it's true that I can cure diseases that couldn't be cured before, those in power will definitely target me... That's scary!
Let's keep it a secret. I'll use it secretly only when someone I know gets sick.
And consulting with His Majesty means the king, right? It's becoming quite something... Well, Mr. Richard and the others are from the Duke's household, so it's not a big deal to them...
If the requests can help many people with my power, there's no reason to refuse, right? Requests from the royal family and the nobles mean they will also consider my safety.
But can I trust the royal family? Well, if Mr. Richard trusts them, then I'll believe it's okay.
"I won't spread this ability around. As for the requests, I'll accept them if my safety is guaranteed."
"Really! Thank you!"
Maybe there's someone among the royal family or important people who has a sick person...?
"Well, rest well for today. The tailor will come tomorrow, so make sure to place many orders. I've already informed Roger of the minimum number of orders, so don't hesitate."
"Yes, thank you very much."
"Leon, see you next time."
"Yes, good night."
With that, the conversation came to an end, and we returned to our respective rooms.