Chapter 26.1

Well, I have money.

The money comes in from so many different places that it’s hard to count.

The royalties were paid to me for using the theory I researched, and I have permission to use expensive utilities.

It’s less but I also get the salary of a physician on the base too.

I’m not sure how to calculate the money, so I’m grateful for the guild’s offer to entrust the patent application and property management to their professional staff.

Well, that’s why my savings are increasing like the domino effect.

But I bought the research equipment I wanted…

I don’t want to be particularly extravagant either…

So I decided to honestly spend my money as I desired.

“Therefore, I’m thinking of taking a vacation to the eastern foothills for a few days.”

“Huh?”

My room at night.

I was talking with Caesar on the bed as I used his arm as a pillow.

He answered and looked at me with a questioning face and cleared his throat.

“Wasn’t I researching environmentally polluted water? It seems perfect for my research. The eastern foothills are good for experimenting.”

“…I understand that part, but you’re going alone?

“Ah, well. There doesn’t seem to be any danger there.”

The eastern foothills are not far from this base.

There are plenty of water sources, such as melted snow.

“I heard so, but it seems that the quality of the water flowing from the eastern foothills is getting worse and worse. I want to find out the cause.”

Fine sand is constantly blowing around here, and the water can also be affected by it.

Not only that, but the water is getting dirty as well.

There is a river flowing from the foothills near the base, but it seems that the taste of the water is strange at times.

Thanks to that, when the storage of rainwater is insufficient, it seems that you have to go to a river a little further away to get water.

Since alchemy uses a lot of distilled water, it’s inconvenient if the water is dirty, and above all, I want to drink a lot of delicious water.

My research is to create water that’s purer and safer for the human body by repeating filters made by chemical reactions with several chemicals and materials, and passing them through.

I need equipment that’s considerably expensive for this project, and since I have money…

I want to use it properly rather than letting it rot.

“No way.”

A sharp voice was heard from beside me, and I unintentionally raised my voice.

“W-why!”

“Because it’s dangerous. If you cross the eastern mountain, you’re in the neighbouring country. You don’t know what’s over there.”

“It’s okay. I’ll bring a treatment device. Oh, and I made a tool that transmits a danger signal before this.”

“That’s not the problem! Wait until I can go with you.”

“…Wait, but I thought you couldn’t take a vacation, Lord Caesar.”

Caesar choked and stared at me with resentment in his eyes.

I know.

Caesar is the leader, and despite the truce, this is a base.

It’s difficult for him to be able to take one day off, let alone for him to be able to take enough for this trip.

“Previously, Lord Caesar said I can’t go back to the royal capital, so I postponed it.”

“It’s dangerous to go alone.”

“It’s not dangerous! Even when I moved here, I was alone in the carriage.”

How old does this man think I am?

I’m already an adult man.

“Lord Caesar, aren’t you being a little too overprotective of me?”

He listened with a reproachful look.

“How am I overprotective?”

“I’m also forbidden to enter the large communal bath in the Knight’s building.”

“T-that’s obvious!! Are you an idiot!?”

When I was shouted at with a strong grip on my arm, I couldn’t help but feel intimidated.

Why do you have to call me an idiot?

Previously, I was dragged out when I was in the public bath in the Knight’s building, and then he banned me from entering and exiting.

He said that I’m not a knight, so don’t use it.

Not only in a small bathroom, but I also have the desire to be in a big bath occasionally, I felt irritated from those words.

“Huhh!? What do you mean by idiot!? I am definitely better at studies than Lord Caesar!”

“That’s not what I meant! I’m calling you an idiot because you don’t understand that.”

I was angry from being repeatedly attacked by the word idiot and stared into Caesar as if blaming him.

Seeing that, Caesar narrowed his eyes slightly…and said it again.

“Anyways, it’s a no!”

“……Hmph!”

That day, the talk with Caesar ended there.

I wasn’t convinced and decided to sleep facing the wall when I left the knight’s arm pillow.

He tried to talk to me several times, but while I was ignoring him, I felt drowsy.

…However, the eastern foothills, it’s not as dangerous as he said it’d be.

It used to be a battlefield a while ago, but now nothing is happening after the truce.

There are several villages because of the water source, and above all, there are people who come to this base every day to deliver crops.

Well, it might be dangerous if you go to the top of the mountain

though…

For the time being, let’s go to the kitchen tomorrow and talk to the residents of the village at the foothills.

”

”

When I thought about this, I lost consciousness.