Chapter 69

In the capital city from which the crown prince had departed, early summer was turning into full summer.

The citizens walking along the streets were dressed lightly, their faces beaded with sweat as they walked.

Hammer sounds of house repairs and reconstructions echoed throughout the city, as homes destroyed by the monsters gradually returned to their original state.

At the site where Macard's woodworking shop had been, local housewives continued to sell Chinese buns. However, with the arrival of summer, sales of the buns had declined.

The housewives helping at the sales stand had gathered at the Junius household, leaving one person to watch the store.

Julia looked around at the housewives, her business partners, gathered in the dining room.

"Indeed, as Ricardo said, selling only Chinese buns won't work in the summer."

The other housewives nodded.

"Let's think about what we can sell in the summer. Does anyone have any ideas?"

Beata spoke up.

"How about selling water cooled with cold storage aquamarine?"

"That's a good idea... but water can't be sold at a high price."

One of the housewives agreed but pointed out a problem.

"By the way, Ricardo made a storage amethyst that can create ice. Can we use it for something?"

Julia explained about the freezing storage amethyst.

"How about selling water with ice floating in it?"

Beata suggested, and the housewives agreed.

"If water sells, we could also sell juice made from fruits in season."

"That's a good idea."

"Hey, shouldn't we ask Ricardo for his opinion?"

One of the housewives suggested.

Julia called Ricardo, who was playing outside with Serge and the others. Today, he hadn't gone to the Magicians' Guild and was making a cold storage amethyst in his room, but Serge and the others had dragged him out to play.

When Ricardo entered the dining room, the housewives looked at him expectantly.

"Ricardo, what do you want to eat on a hot summer day?"

"Well... cold noodles, maybe."

"What's that?"

In this world, there was a type of pasta made from flour, but there were no Chinese noodles. No one had thought to use lye in noodle-making.

When Ricardo explained cold noodles, the housewives nodded in understanding.

"In short, it's a dish where cold noodles are topped with a cold sauce and various ingredients."

The housewives started chattering.

"Since we don't know how to make Chinese noodles, let's try using pasta."

"But that would be cold pasta..."

"...Cold pasta... That might be okay."

Ricardo preferred cold noodles, but then he had an idea that he might be able to make Chinese noodles. The lye used in Chinese noodles was the same as the soda ash used in glass-making, though his memory of this was vague.

However, he remembered being impressed when he heard that lye and soda ash had the same components.

He decided to find soda ash later and try making Chinese noodles.

"Hey, is there anything else you want to eat?"

Beata asked.

"Well, for this season... shaved ice, maybe."

"What's that?"

"It's where you shave ice into a snow-like texture and pour sweet syrup over it."

"How do you shave the ice?"

"A special machine is needed."

Among the housewives, one of their husbands was a metalworker, so they discussed asking him to make a manual shaved ice machine.

After the manual shaved ice machine was completed, they made and tasted shaved ice.

"It's cold and delicious."

"The syrup made from these Jukre fruits is exquisite."

The housewives were excited.

Incidentally, they also made and tasted cold pasta and cold noodles. The housewives praised them highly, but it was difficult to sell them with the current equipment of the Chinese bun shop.

They would have to wait for the new store under construction to be completed.

In the end, they decided to sell water with ice, cold juice, and shaved ice, which became very popular among the citizens of the capital.

Especially the shaved ice, which even the nobles came to eat. The royal carriage even parked near the shop, causing traffic problems.

Although it was a problem, it was the royal carriage, so no one could complain. After a discussion between the troubled Julia and the guards, they decided to park the carriage in a nearby square and deliver the shaved ice there.

Incidentally, the identity of the person in the royal carriage was not revealed to outsiders, and rumors spread that it was the younger princes of Crown Prince Gaius. The rumor was half true, as sometimes King Althibald and his concubines also came.

Greta also liked the shaved ice and started inviting Ricardo.

Greta, with a wooden deep bowl filled with shaved ice and yellow syrup, looked very happy as she scooped it up with a wooden spoon.

"Mr. Ricardo, you're very good at teaching."

As a former teacher, Ricardo was happy to hear this. However, he wondered if it was the same when compared to magicians.

Thinking of his colleagues and Uncle Alessandro, he often doubted if they really wanted to teach.

Magicians were secretive and did not put effort into training successors, which is why magic seemed not to have developed since the time of Sage Manuel.

"Greta, you can use most of the basic magic, right? Don't you know which type of magic you're good at?"

"I seem to be good at [Wind] and [Water] magic."

"I see... Then, it might be better to learn [Wind] magic from Tania and [Water] magic from Councilor Isarco."

Ricardo, who was good at [Fire] and [Earth] magic, said this, and Greta looked sad.

"N-no, I can't. I have to learn from Mr. Ricardo."

Seeing her desperate expression, Ricardo tried to explain.

"I'm not good at [Wind] and [Water] magic, though."

"But I want to learn from Mr. Ricardo."

Realizing she had said something strange, Greta blushed.

Ricardo was not particularly handsome, and he couldn't understand why Greta liked him, but he was somewhat pleased.

Many noble families lived in the capital.

The custom of noble children and wives living in the capital was strong, dating back to the time when the royal authority was strong. Additionally, the capital had the most prestigious school, the Royal Vizel Academy, where building connections was a tradition.

Greta was a student in the elementary division of the Royal Vizel Academy. However, she had already earned the credits needed to graduate, so she no longer needed to attend.

Noble girls often only attended the elementary division and then started bridal training. On the other hand, noble boys, after graduating from the elementary division, studied in their territories until they were fifteen, then returned to the capital to study in specialized divisions.

Incidentally, Greta's older brother, Silvano, had returned from the territory and was studying estate management in the business administration division of the Royal Vizel Academy.

As Ricardo and Greta walked towards the Magicians' Guild, they were called by a girl and a slightly older boy, both around Greta's age.

"Greta, it's been a while."

Greta, who initially looked displeased, quickly returned to her usual expression.

"Katya, are you coming back from the academy?"

"Hmph, don't mock me. I've already earned my elementary credits. I'm going to eat something called shaved ice with Salvatore."

Katya was the daughter of the Naspetti conglomerate, one of the four major merchants in the capital, and a student in the same elementary division as Greta. The other, Salvatore, was the son of the Chief Court Magician, Vittorio.

Salvatore was a prodigy said to appear once in a hundred years and had already mastered advanced magic at his age.

"Who is this?"

Katya asked, looking at Ricardo.

"This is my magic teacher, Mr. Ricardo."

"Ricardo... I haven't heard that name before."

Salvatore looked at Ricardo with a sharp gaze.

"I've heard of him. He's the magician who defeated the Underworld Wolf with Councilor Isarco. He's so young."

Ricardo's name seemed to be known among magicians, but he was thought to be Isarco's disciple and was mentioned as an afterthought.

"This is the eldest son of Chief Court Magician Vittorio, Salvatore."

Katya introduced Salvatore.

Ricardo knew his name. He was said to be a standout talent among boys of the same age.

"By the way, why are you learning magic?"

"I'm aiming for the Advanced Magic Education Academy."

Hearing this, Katya frowned.

"What? Stop joking. I've never heard that Greta has any talent for magic."

In the elementary division, the basics of magic were taught. At that time, students learned methods for controlling magic power and practiced basic lower-level magic, but Greta was no different from the average student.

She was supposed to have no special talent.

"Hey, you. Does Greta really have a talent for magic?"

Katya asked Ricardo for confirmation.

"I can't tell if she has talent, but I think she'll be able to use advanced magic by the time she enters the Advanced Magic Education Academy."

Ricardo thought Greta had the talent to work hard, even if she didn't have a special talent for magic.

"Is that true?"

Katya and Greta didn't seem to get along well.

Ricardo was intrigued by Salvatore's presence.

He was slightly taller than Ricardo, moved with agility, and his eyes sparkled with intelligence. He seemed to be the prodigy he was rumored to be.

Ten years later, the two would be known as the twin pillars of the kingdom's magicians, but at this time, they were just two young magicians whose names were starting to become known.

For the next few days, Ricardo spent time on Greta's studies and training for the [Thunder Vortex Steel Bullet].

The day before the agreed date with the crown prince, Ricardo prepared for the magic realm exploration and set out from the capital.

He took a stagecoach to the capital of the Yorgul territory, Yaro, and then walked to Yorgul Castle.

Ricardo's attire included a hip holster with a magic gun and a backpack with Monta inside, which didn't look like he was heading to the magic realm.

This was because he had stored necessary items in a storage aquamarine, but the sight of a lightly dressed boy heading towards the magic realm seemed strange.

Monta, who insisted on going to the magic realm, was with him. He had changed his usual shoulder bag to a backpack because it might get in the way during combat.

"Hey, Monta. Why do you want to go to the magic realm?"

"I think there are very delicious fruits in the magic realm."

Monta's speech had improved, but the content was hopeless.

"Really, that's the reason?"

"Fruits are important."

Monta said proudly. Ricardo sighed.

Monta was wearing a collar. He had seen a neighborhood cat wearing a collar and wanted one too. The red leather collar had a storage amethyst attached to it.

It contained Monta's food. He was worried in case Monta got lost in the magic realm.

Upon arriving at Yorgul Castle, Ricardo was led to the crown prince.

"Good to see you, Ricardo."

The crown prince greeted him with a fierce expression. If it were their first meeting, Ricardo would have been startled.

Then, he was introduced to those who would accompany him to the magic realm.

Five elite members of the Magic Realm Gate Guard and monster hunters, including the Silver Ridge Team, who had worked with Ricardo to defeat the demon tree Tamiel.

There were also two magicians and two swordsmen from the 'Wind Slash Hunters' party.

The crown prince had wanted to gather more forces, but he gave up when he realized the king had sent a few supervisors.

"Your Highness, aren't there too few magicians?"

Ricardo confirmed his concern.

"Don't worry. Look at the belts of the gate guards."

The gate guards had [Wind] magic color guns on their belts. The five magic color guns Ricardo had made at the crown prince's request.

"Is the plan to make up for the lack of magicians with magic color guns?"

"Yes, it's a last resort. I would have preferred more excellent magicians, but it can't be helped."

Seeing Ricardo and the crown prince talking familiarly, the 'Wind Slash Hunters' members, who didn't know Ricardo, looked at him with a 'Who is this kid?' expression.

That night, they stayed at Yorgul Castle and rekindled their friendship with the Silver Ridge Team. They had been exterminating monsters in the countryside after completing their mission for Bernardo.

"It was an easy job, but it didn't pay much."

Their leader, Amadeo, said.

The next morning, Ricardo and the others set out. The supervisors assigned to the crown prince seemed to have given up on following them when they learned their destination was the magic realm.

They entered through the First Magic Realm Gate. Ricardo, who had never entered through the First Magic Realm Gate, observed the surroundings with interest. The magic realm entered through this gate was mostly populated by beast-type monsters.

There were many relatively easy-to-defeat monsters, making it a popular spot for monster hunters.

There were no trees around the gate, as they had been cut down by the Magic Realm Gate Guard. On the grassy area, the shapes of demon rats and headbutting rabbits could be seen.

As they moved further in, shrubs began to appear, and the greenery gradually thickened.

A tusked boar appeared. The monster hunters spread out and readied their weapons.

"Wait, leave it to the gate guards."

At the crown prince's command, the gate guards moved forward. Their equipment included shields on their backs, magic color guns, and spears.

The soldiers planted the butts of their spears in the ground and released them, then held their shields in their left hands and drew their magic color guns.

The tusked boar charged. One of the soldiers pulled the trigger of the magic color gun. The shock wave hit the tusked boar's hind legs, rupturing the blood vessels and causing paralysis.

The tusked boar fell and rolled on the ground. Another soldier pulled the trigger, hitting the boar's head and causing brain concussion, making the boar's eyes roll.

The soldier picked up the spear he had planted in the ground and thrust it into the tusked boar's throat. Another soldier also picked up his spear and thrust it into the tusked boar's chest.

The tusked boar struggled and then stopped its heart.

"Hey, what kind of magic gun is that?"

"The power is different from what I heard."

A voice rose from among the monster hunters.

Ricardo nodded, impressed by the well-trained soldiers. With this, they could probably manage even with fewer magicians.