Some Exercise

Letter after letter left Weissenburg, making its way into the hands of the people working across Wessen Territory.

In his letters, Frederick explained the circumstances of his unexpected injury and gave instructions for the work ahead.

Although there was nothing seriously wrong with him, everyone insisted that he keep resting. They even forbade him from practicing magic.

For the past few days, he had been sneaking outside under the pretense of going for a walk to recreate the explosion from that night. He scaled everything down and kept the magic far away from himself to stay safe while experimenting.

He had made a little progress, but after he was discovered, that too was forbidden.

After an initial scramble, the people working in each area had gained experience, and everything was now running smoothly.

The older generation taking the lead and the younger generation serving as their assistants were all doing a good job of handling their work.

Even the ordinary clerks were full of enthusiasm, spurred on by the year-end bonuses. And recent news had only added to their motivation: Wessen Territory was about to build a new city, upgrade four cities, and construct more than twenty towns, with officials for these new settlements to be selected from among those who performed well in their current jobs. It was like dangling a delicious scallion pancake in front of everyone.

The rivers had risen considerably after the torrential rains, so the shelved plan for water transport was back on. A water-transport relay camp was also being set up outside Weissenburg, and they expected to finish moving all the refugees within half a month.

After Frederick received George, whom the Grand Duke of Mainz had sent over, and assigned him a plot of land for a glass workshop, he suddenly realized he had nothing to do.

The paper workshop was building a small production line for experiments. Katie, of all people, had plenty of experience directing workers—who knew where she had acquired it? She had the entire worksite running like clockwork.

Now, every morning before heading to work, Katie stopped by the kitchen to make Frederick some snacks.

That day, she first sautéed onions in olive oil until fragrant. Then she added the southern rice Lady Sophie had sent over and stir-fried it before adding water and cooking it into rice. Finally, she wrapped cheese inside rice balls and deep-fried them until golden. And with that, a delicious batch of fried rice balls was ready.

"Very nice." Richard Nahl walked into the dining room, came over to Frederick, and grabbed a fried rice ball. He finished it in two bites. "Better than the ones Mafia made."

Frederick quickly shielded the rest. They were Katie's, meant for him. Even his master wasn't allowed to steal them.

Richard Nahl snatched a second one and ate as he continued, "The other day, I was walking down the street and got hungry, so I bought a few fried rice balls from a little girl selling them in a basket."

"Mafia sold me one first. I thought it was delicious, so I wanted to buy a few more. Guess what happened next?"

"I'm not guessing!" Frederick said, pouting. "You're definitely going to make me give you one before you tell me."

Richard Nahl smiled and went on. "Mafia handed me the whole basket of fried rice balls. Then she pulled a little dagger from the bottom of the basket, rushed into the street, and stabbed a fat man in the kidney."

"As she ran past me, she even shouted, 'Run!' as if I were her accomplice."

Frederick said, speechless, "She was setting you up and using you as a human shield."

"Yeah." A goofy grin spread across Richard Nahl's face. "But I didn't mind."

"Back then, Mafia's father had been assassinated by several families working together. That was her first act of revenge..."

Just then, Psyche said, "And then this bastard led the gangsters straight to Mafia and staged a hero-saves-beauty act."

Frederick was speechless. But the worst was yet to come.

Psyche continued, "Mafia was thirteen that year."

Frederick picked up the plate of fried rice balls and moved it farther away.

Richard Nahl immediately changed the subject. "Katie told me you're looking for a craftsman who can grind lenses. The Doge of Venice owes me a favor, so I'll write to him and ask him to send a few over."

"I also had someone take the book you wrote, The Nature of Light, along with the letter. It isn't very long, so they should be able to copy it by next year and put it up for sale."

Frederick promptly offered his master a fried rice ball in thanks.

Richard Nahl munched on it and continued, "Listen, you shouldn't spend all your time holed up in your study. You need to get out and have some fun. Kids should play more games."

Frederick pursed his lips. "What's there to play these days?"

There was little entertainment in this era. Even a Rubik's Cube could keep the Grand Duke of Mainz hooked, and the games nobles usually played weren't suitable for children.

Richard Nahl said, "If you can't play by yourself, then find more people to play with."

Frederick's eyes suddenly lit up. He turned to Tarot and said, "Go get Basf in a bit, and find a leatherworker and a carpenter too."

Tarot immediately agreed.

She hadn't been in the best spirits lately. She hadn't gone with them to Oak Village because she'd returned to Weissenburg to prepare Frederick's winter clothes. But something had happened to her master while she was away, and as the maid responsible for looking after him, she felt guilty.

Seeing Frederick's reaction, Richard Nahl knew he was about to come up with something new.

The carpenter and leatherworker arrived first. The castle had its own carpentry and leatherworking shops, so they were there as soon as they were called.

Basf arrived soon after. The moment he walked in, he asked, "Principal, have you got another money-making venture for me?!"

Frederick smiled. "Yes. We're going to make some sports to pass the time."

Since Richard Nahl and the others wouldn't let him work lately, he might as well come up with some sports. That way, the people in the territory would have something to do in their spare time, and group activities could foster a sense of shared pride and unity.

Frederick gestured to Basf as he asked, "Can you make sturdy, inexpensive hollow rubber balls about this big?"

"They need to withstand impacts and bounce."

Basf thought for a moment. "No problem. We can press out two hemispheres with a mold and glue them together."

Frederick nodded. "Good. Make a note of it and start by making a few."

Then he drew a diagram and told the carpenter, "Make a few tables this big, with smooth tops and a net this high in the middle. Paint this part white and this part a dark color..."

"Then make a few pairs of these wooden paddles, with handles like this..."

Frederick quickly finished explaining how to make all the equipment for table tennis, except that the balls would be made of rubber.

No one knew what it was all for, but they made a note of it anyway.

Next, Frederick drew another diagram and said to Basf, the leatherworker, and the carpenter, "Now make a ball this big. It needs to be sturdy, and there should be a tube here for pumping it up."

"Cover the outside of the ball with pieces of soft leather sewn together like this. Make it sturdy, and leave a slit here to insert the tube."

"Make a bellows with a tube attached to the outlet, and make sure it fits the tube on the ball."

"Then make two wooden frames this big, so we can hang sturdy fishing nets on them like this."

There was no way to make a proper valve for a soccer ball yet, so they would have to use a knotted air tube instead.

The playing fields would be easy enough to sort out. On both banks of the river between the northern edge of Weissenburg City and Weissenburg University, there were broad stretches of flat grassland originally used for cavalry drills and soldier training. There was room to set up several soccer fields.