Chapter 04
“I came to give you this.”
Roana opened her pouch, revealing the green coffee beans she had carefully refined overnight.
“Aren’t these seeds of the Adanta fruit?”
As expected of a well-informed mage, Gerald recognized them at a glance.
“Why would you give me something like this…?”
He looked at Roana with clear suspicion.
Roana simply smiled brightly and said what she had prepared.
“Did you know there’s an undiscovered secret in the seeds of the Adanta fruit?”
For a moment, undisguisable curiosity flashed across Gerald’s face.
Mages, at their core, were no different from the scientists in Roana’s previous world. They were fascinated by the unknown and would risk anything to uncover the truth.
“A secret…?”
“In legends, it’s said that humans who ate Adanta seeds suddenly attacked other races. But that’s just a legend. The fruit actually has a different effect.”
Roana dropped a few seeds into Gerald’s hand.
He alternated his gaze between her and the beans in his palm, still doubtful.
“And what kind of effect would that be?”
“Don’t you ever feel drowsy when you have to work late into the night on your research?”
“Well… yes, but what does that have to do with this fruit?”
“I can’t explain everything right now, but the Adanta fruit can help with academic research. Would you like to try it?”
Roana popped one bean into her mouth herself. She forced a smile as she endured the bitterness, then swallowed.
Even after seeing that, Gerald hesitated for a long time. But as a mage, curiosity ultimately won.
He cautiously brought the beans to his mouth, chewed—
“—Ugh! This tastes awful!”
He cried out mid-chew.
“It’s fine. Just chew and swallow.”
Roana quickly covered his mouth with both hands to stop him from spitting it out.
“Mmph—!”
Grimacing, Gerald forced himself to chew and swallow.
“…What exactly is supposed to happen?”
“For now, just calm down and go about your day as usual. Then come see me in the evening.”
“Why would I come to you?”
“You will.”
Roana smiled meaningfully.
Leaving Gerald behind, she returned to her annex and spent a leisurely afternoon. She also made sure to remove the pulp from the coffee cherries in preparation for his visit.
That evening, someone knocked urgently on the door of her annex.
“Who is—”
“What did you do to me?!”
Before she could finish, Gerald burst in, clearly agitated.
“I told you—you’d come to me.”
“This—what is this?!”
He ran his hands through his hair in confusion.
“How did the Adanta seeds feel?”
“How did they feel?!”
Gerald lifted his head sharply and began speaking rapidly.
“My mind is clearer than usual, I’m full of energy, and ideas keep coming to me nonstop! Just now, I even solved a formula I’ve been stuck on for months! And even after working all day, I’m not tired at all—in fact, I feel great! What is this?!”
Yep. That’s what we call a caffeine overdose.
Instead of telling him the truth, Roana smiled politely.
“They enhance concentration and stimulate creativity. That’s the natural effect of Adanta seeds.”
Gerald’s eyes widened.
“Is that true?”
“You experienced it yourself, didn’t you?”
“…Incredible.”
Roana carefully observed his reaction.
This is my chance.
She had been waiting for this moment.
“If you process the Adanta fruit, you can make something called coffee. It tastes much better and becomes even more effective.”
“It tastes better?”
Of all things, that caught his attention the most.
“But to make this ‘coffee,’ I’ll need your help. It requires complex machinery.”
Gerald seemed to realize something.
“So that’s why you came to me yesterday? To make me do the labor for your coffee?”
“You don’t have to put it so bluntly… but yes, that’s right.”
Roana nodded, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
“So, what do you think? Will you help me?”
“Let me hear what exactly needs to be done first.”
He gave a cautious answer.
Roana sat him down at a table and explained the entire process of turning green beans into roasted coffee beans, using gestures, sketches, and detailed descriptions of the necessary tools.
“Do you understand?”
“I understand, but…”
He trailed off.
“Frankly, it seems pointless. Even if it tastes better, why go through all that trouble?”
The process of turning coffee fruit into beans was long and tedious. It made sense that people in this world hadn’t discovered coffee yet.
Even Roana wondered who in their right mind first thought of extracting coffee this way.
Whoever it was… they must’ve been insane.
Still, thanks to them, humanity could enjoy the fragrant drink.
Roana sighed and looked at Gerald, who remained unconvinced.
It tastes amazing, but there’s no way to explain it without actually having it…
After a moment of thought, she reached out and placed her hand on his.
“Will you trust me, just this once?”
“No.”
Gerald answered without hesitation.
“How can I trust someone I’ve only known for a day?”
Strangely, he was very reasonable in moments like this.
“Fine, then let me rephrase. Don’t you want a more intense experience? If the seeds are processed, their effects become even stronger. Don’t you want peak concentration and overflowing creativity for your research?”
Conflict flickered across his face—but not for long.
“…I do.”
Roana beamed.
“Then please make the tools I described. For a mage like you, it won’t be difficult, right?”
“This ‘coffee’ had better be worth it.”
Gerald pulled his hand away and stood.
“Making the tools won’t take long. I’ll see you in a week.”
“Thank you.”
Roana nodded enthusiastically.
Klaus was in his office, reading reports submitted by his retainers.
Emboldened by the arrival of a new bride, the retainers had begun making increasingly unreasonable demands.
Of course, Klaus had no intention of granting them. If anything, he planned to use this opportunity to rein them in.
—I’ll live quietly, as if I don’t exist.
True to her word, the woman had done absolutely nothing since their marriage. She made no attempt to control the maids or interfere in the affairs of the household.
The periodic reports about her only described a leisurely, almost idle lifestyle.
As he thought about her, Klaus realized he hadn’t yet received a report on her activities over the past few days.
Though it’s probably the same routine.
She never left the garden or the annex.
“Today’s report.”
“Yes?”
“My wife’s report.”
“Ah, I’ll bring it right away.”
Edward handed him the documents. As Klaus read, one eyebrow lifted.
“A mage?”
Amid the repetitive notes about the garden and annex, one unusual detail stood out.
“She visited Sir Gerald’s annex five days ago.”
Edward spoke carefully, watching Klaus’s reaction.
Fortunately, Klaus didn’t seem displeased.
“Why would she visit a mage? There’s nothing to gain from it.”
It was a simple question.
The Bruggen Ducal House funded Gerald’s research out of respect, and he, in turn, enhanced their prestige by residing there. But that was the extent of their relationship.
Mages never involved themselves in a noble house’s affairs.
“What did she do there?”
Edward hesitated.
“Well… we’re not entirely sure.”
“You’re not sure? You’re supposed to be watching her.”
“We were! But nothing happened. She didn’t even enter his residence—just exchanged a few words and left.”
“…Strange.”
Klaus muttered quietly.
For a month, she had lived quietly—almost invisibly. And now, suddenly, she had done something inexplicable.
What is she planning?
Curiosity and suspicion stirred within him.
“Shall I summon Sir Gerald and ask him—”
“No.”
Klaus shook his head.
“It’s faster to ask the person involved.”
He set the documents down and stood.
“I was about to take a walk anyway.”
Running a hand through his dark hair, he looked out the window.
In the distant garden, he spotted Roana bustling about like a busy squirrel, with Ize following close behind.
