After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 17
Chapter 17: Water Cutter
“Is it just spraying water thinly?”
“Yes, as thin as possible, like a thread, but at maximum speed. If you collide that thin and fast water flow with something, it can cut through most objects.”
The Queen’s eyes widened in surprise. In this world, water is considered gentle, nurturing, and healing. The idea that it could cut through objects is quite unthinkable for the people here.
However, having lived in modern Japan, I am familiar with the technology of water cutters. If you spray water through a precise nozzle at high pressure, you can cleanly cut materials such as plastic, glass, and even metal. It’s not something widely known, but a factory I dealt with had such equipment.
When I conveyed this idea, Liese didn’t believe me at first. However, for the sake of my earnest request, she unleashed a serious water flow just once and directed it onto the handle of a spoon. The silver handle cleanly cut in half. Liese’s face was a mix of tears and laughter when she saw it.
Once we experienced the effectiveness of the experiment, the rest was easy. Liese already had strong magical power, and her precision control was outstanding. With a bit of practice, the water flow became even more precise and faster. Yesterday, she had finally cut a whole bale of volcanic rock in half.
“This is also created by Liese.”
I took out several coasters from my inner pocket and spread them on the table. They were thin slices of marble with beautiful wood-like patterns.
“It’s nicely polished.”
“No, this is without any polishing. It’s the cross-section cut by Liese’s water magic. You can’t achieve this with ordinary stone cutting.”
While explaining, I placed another thin marble coaster on the table. Similar to the previous one, it had complex holes pierced by Liese’s water magic. When held up to the light, the holes formed letters that spelled out “Elisabeth.”
“It’s wonderful.”
“Liese made this for the Queen. And this one too.”
I placed a similar coaster next to it. Engraved letters spelled out “Beatrix,” the name of the second princess, who was said to be likely to become the queen.
“Such precise control can only be done by Liese. With her magical power, she should be able to cut even larger things. For example, the foundation stones of stone buildings…”
“That’s enough.”
Just as I was promoting Liese so enthusiastically, the Queen interrupted. The expression of surprise she had just a moment ago was now replaced with the face of a ruler.
“Countess Annaliese von Froidenstadt.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I order you. You are not allowed to return to your territory. Tomorrow afternoon, immediately report to the royal palace. I will gather the directors of each ministry and the generals of the national army for interviews. Be prepared.”
“Your Majesty, but…”
“In the current kingdom, we cannot afford to leave a mage with such potential in a mere local territory. Devote this power to the country. This is a royal decree.”
“…Yes.”
“What’s the matter, Annaliese!”
“…Yes, Your Majesty! I humbly accept Your Majesty’s gracious command!”
Liese’s alto trembled with emotion, and tears overflowed from her eyes. Yes, she must have grown up watching her mother, the hero, from behind. Just like her mother, she must have wished to be of service to the queen. She suppressed those feelings due to the handicap of being a water mage, but now they were surfacing.
While saluting, Liese, with tears still streaming down her face, felt the gentle touch of the Queen’s palm on her back. Unexpectedly, Queen Elisabeth directed her gaze towards me.
“Young man, what is your name?”
“Yes, my name is Ludwig.”
“As expected of Hero Hildegarde, my dear friend. Extraordinary individuals have emerged, not only in her daughter but also in her son. I’ll remember that name… By the way, have you been baptized?”
“Yes, six months ago.”
“I see… I look forward to the results.”
Saying that, Queen Elisabeth, with an unsmiling face, stared at me intently.
—
Two weeks after the graduation party.
A fierce competition for Liese took place between the Ministry of Engineering, the National Army, and the Ministry of Agriculture, but in the end, she chose to join the national army, just like her mother. The difference was that, considering her aptitude, she aimed for the engineering corps rather than the combat units. Although a month ago, she had calmly stated that she would return to her local territory, now she left with a delighted expression.
“Lutz, it seems you played a significant role at the graduation party.”
At the dinner table where Liese was absent, my mother teased me in a playful tone.
“I’m sorry, I stood out a bit too much…”
“Thank you, Lutz…”
When I looked at my mother, who suddenly changed the tone of her voice, she seemed to have a tearful expression.
“I didn’t do anything… That power was originally something Liese had and trained. But, Lutz, if you hadn’t properly seen through her power and proposed the optimal way to use it, Liese would probably be on a carriage heading to her territory by now. It’s thanks to your efforts that a girl with so much potential, even with the water attribute, didn’t end up buried. ”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Well, the results were good, so I’ll admit it honestly. Thinking that, I looked at my mother, and the face that seemed about to cry had returned to her usual mischievous one. Seriously, she’s a busy person.
“By the way, since then, Queen Elisabeth has been asking a lot about you, Lutz. About your future plans, whether you have decided on a prospective bride, and such. She’s completely locked onto you.”
“What do you mean, locked onto…”
“Well, you see, there’s the highly anticipated second princess in the royal family, right? The chosen stallion hasn’t been decided yet. Maybe she’s considering Lutz as a potential match. If things go well, you might even aim for the position of king consort, hehe!”
No, I’d appreciate it if you could spare me that future scenario.