Intermission 02: A Special Plan Written by the Head Magician

A grave aura filled the magicians' wing on that day.

At the centre of the room was the room's owner, the head magician Cecily Tierney...... Her nickname was 『Mentor』and it felt as if she was looking at documents with bloodlust. A lot of books were piled on both sides of her like a cage.

The eerie aura didn't match up with the beautiful early afternoon weather we were having. I seriously want her to give me a break, I thought, but I didn't know what would happen to me if I said that out loud. She might put me in a grip hold; I really didn't want that to happen. Therefore, all I could do was remain silent. The other magicians are probably not talking for the same reason. I can't be sure though; since I can't speak.

The day before yesterday, my little master Cordelia-sama left these words with me before she departed for the fief, "I'm leaving things here to you, alright?" She'll probably reach the fief tomorrow, I thought, but I actually wanted to go with her. I wanted to pass on staying at the magicians' wing. At least, it'll be great if the aura of this place returns to normal, even if temporary.

(It seems like she'll get angry over anything right now.)

A sudden scream filled the room, "I DID ITTTTT!!!" when I thought of coming up with a reason to confine myself in a different room. Needless to say, it was the Mentor's voice.

"Fufufu, this is perfect! With this, we can announce Master's plan......!"

"Mentor, you look like you're going to collapse before you announce anything! Please sleep. You have terrible eye bags."

"Oh yeah, I didn't sleep because it's a waste of time...... That's right, Ronnie. Go buy me something sweet from Claire's Candy Shop."

"What do you mean 『That's right』!?"

Why was I made into a gofer when I gave advice to my boss? This is unreasonable.

But Mentor ordered me around as if it was the natural.

"You're not going to listen to the request of a pretty girl?"

"The pretty girl is Mentor's grandchild...... Gahh."

I didn't say anything wrong; Mentor had a 10-year-old grandchild, so it was more suited to call her 『lady』rather than『girl』, even if she was in a frenzy just before. So calling her a girl might be rude...... I had thought, but Mentor was throwing a bunch of papers at me for some reason. It hit me straight in the face. It hurts. Did she reinforce the paper to protect it, or to increase the attack power......? Either way, my nose hurts.

"It's Ronnie's fault this time."

"Yeah, you shouldn't have said that."

The magician Onee-samas, who were doing their work, said that. Why?

But, I knew that I wouldn't have any allies if I express my opinions. So, I picked up the paper that was thrown. I'll be the one who cleans up afterwards anyway if it just gets left here.

Then I noticed...... What's with this research?

"Plan for a bathtub with an automatic water heater......?"

In short, it was a draft for a bathtub. It was a strange, but peaceful sentence.

I thought and read the title out, then Mentor said, "Thanks for asking," as her black-framed eyes shone.

...... No, Mentor. You should really sleep. You'll definitely collapse. But she began talking passionately.

"I noticed this when I tried Ojou-sama's experiment. That, if we want a good result with the experiment, then we first need to build a bathing facility."

"...... Excuse me?"

"The floating sensation in the bathtub is amazing. At first, I wondered why I had to soak in the bathtub, but the warm water felt perfect. But people won't understand if we just tell them that. So, I read foreign articles to explain it more properly. After that, I found a research paper documenting that thermal effects from bathing increase metabolism; that's more important than beauty. Also, the water pressure effects weren't overlooked either. That's right...... The more I researched, the more I regretted that I never thought about soaking in warm water before now. Even though the feeling of soaking itself is wonderful, it felt amazing to add fragrances to clear your mind. I've never thought something like 'I'm younger than my grandchild'. And, I can't go back to how I used to bathe...... I can't do it anymore!"

"It's long, so please just tell me the gist of it."

"So...... In short, 『Ojou-sama is lovely! 』. I want to make something like this for Ojou-sama; not a bathtub that I could only call a 『bowl』."

Mentor looked smug as she took a book in her hand. I wanted to tell her, "This bathtub can fit hundreds of people inside." There was no way something that big could fit inside the mansion, no matter how big it was. Who would enter such a bath that was designed like a temple? Nah, Mentor probably would.

"Which world is this bath from? It's too big."

"I think this is still not enough, compared to what Ojou-sama is doing...... Well, the real one would be about this big."

She said and showed him something she'd actually drawn.

I see, if it's this then it would be about the same size as the bathhouse the servants use...... I couldn't say something like that. It looked at least two times bigger than the bathhouse.

"Are there several bathtubs because the effects of the water in each are different?"

"That's right. I thought it would be better this way because it seems like Ojou-sama has thought of a lot of ideas for things to add to the bath, and not everyone is suited for the same things."

"Well, you're certainly right...... But can you make such an amazing thing for the servants? Or is this only for Ojou-sama's use?"

"What are you saying? This is part of the research facility. The servants are only testers. This is a contribution to Ojou-sama's experiment. It's equipment for that...... And, I want to appeal to Master. I'm designing a nice bathtub for Ojou-sama's use."

No, she probably just wanted to use the bath. Definitely. Her claim was too unreasonable.

I thought, but Mentor will probably come up with a reasonable excuse for it while she waits for the master to return.

Or perhaps I should say she had probably already thought of a decent explanation and it was just buried in the pile of documents.

It was honestly unreasonable. She probably wasn't hesitating because it held no disadvantages towards the master. Unlike me, Mentor had an annoying position, so she probably wouldn't speak out this actively if it didn't contain any advantages for the master...... Probably.

However, I was curious about them, since Mentor was putting so much effort into planning. Are bathtubs that great? A specialist in water quality is raving about them so much. It's impossible not to get interested.

"But, what will you do about the budget? How will you collect funds for it?"

Mentor laughed when I asked something obvious.

Ah, this, I have a bad feeling about this.

"Apart from the shape of the bathroom...... To tell you the truth, I'd already given up on getting permission for improving the water-heating. It's used for laundry; converting water into hot water easier by using the heating devices of the greenhouse. But you were assigned to Ojou-sama when I thought about asking for the development of such a device, so I postponed it...... Ronnie, I'm ordering you in the name of the head magician. Finish the development research for this device by the time the master and Ojou-sama return."

"...... Seriously?"

"But I'll get you to go buy some sweets before you start."

She spoke without hesitation; yes. It wasn't that easy. Instead, wouldn't it be too late to start regretting the time I use to go buy sweets. But, Mentor's eyes weren't laughing. Crap, she's serious.

"It's also an experiment to maintain the strength of the servants. You can do it, can't you Ronnie?"

Was yes the only answer? I can't; I don't have the guts to say that. Even if I think I can do it if I try......

I wonder if she'll make a men's bathroom also......?

My shoulders dropped, and a devil's hand patted it.

"Anyways, here. It's the sweets list. Go buy them."

The Onee-samas were laughing, and they handed me the errands list instead of encouraging me...... Yup, I know. When I first came here I'd thought, 'They're beautiful,' but it didn't even take half a day for those thoughts to disappear. Yup. I won't cry. I don't regret getting a job here, and if I had to choose, then I'd still choose to work here.

...... But, I wanted to go with Ojou-sama after all. I'll try to negotiate with her directly.

By the way, the negotiations by Mentor were settled quite quickly when the master returned in the near future.

Naïve, you're too naïve master. Honey and sugar aren't enough for how naïve you are. 1)They use sweet to describe him... Like he's too soft.

But...... Well, I was one to talk since I stayed up all night finishing what Mentor assigned me because I thought it would make Ojou-sama happy.

References

1.↑They use sweet to describe him... Like he's too soft.