“And that will keep one comfortable?”
“It will. Here, give it a try.”
I placed the newly made hat atop Conly’s head.
“Oh, it’s a bit chilly.”
“If you wear this outside, the heat won’t bother you.”
“This is quite lovely.”
“Isn’t it? So now that you’ve got it, let’s go for a stroll!”
Informing Sheila that we were headed out somehow resulted in her, Ville, and Loks all joining us. Naturally, I had to make magic hats for them as well. While I was busy enchanting, Sheila and Colny delighted in their new headwear.
“These truly do keep you cool.”
“I thought the same thing, mother. Now we can go out regardless of the heat.”
Ville and Loks both intended to join the club as well. In the summer, head coverings were a matter of course for men just as much for women. Not to mention they wore jackets more than women did, which seemed downright infernal.
I’d recommend any jacket-clad gentleman try one of these cooling hats. Any takers?
We took a carriage to the royal capital’s commercial district, reminding me of the last time we all went shopping together.
First on the list was a gentlemen’s clothier so Ville and Loks could buy new hats.
“All right, we’re going to take a quick look around.”
“The three of you can wait for us in a café.”
We separated in the square, as the two brothers said the shop was no place for women. Our little trio went on to a café—one that turned out to be very packed.
“This is quite a crowd, considering the heat,” I remarked.
“That’s why so many shops make sure their seats are in some form of shade,” Sheila told me.
“I see.”
Just as she had said, lots of establishments had large cloth canopies set up over their outdoor seats. They were aiming for people looking to get out of the burning rays.
While Colny and Sheila both had juice from some citrus-adjacent fruit, I enjoyed the light clink of ice cubes in a glass of tea. Both very good choices for a summer refreshment. Savoring my drink, I gazed across the square, when I heard Loks’s distant shout.
“Lera! We need you!”
The next moment, I saw him running our way. The three of us exchanged glances, wondering what this could be about.
The bill had been settled when our drinks had arrived. Sheila signed a chit, which told the café to send an invoice to her house.
Without stopping, Loks ran up to me, grabbed my hand, and took off again. “Over here!”
Wha? Wait. Where are we going?
“Loks, what is the meaning of this?!” Sheila asked, chasing after us.
“Lord Fezgahn suddenly collapsed!” Loks answered, still running. “Lera’s good with healing magic, so I thought she should help!”
Hm? Fezgahn. That’s the black knight’s house? He said lord, so that probably means the father? And said black knight father collapsed? What happened?
I had a lot of question marks floating through my head, but for the time being, I let Loks lead me across the square to the hat shop he and Ville had gone to. Inside, I found a store that screamed rich and noble clientele. The wares were finely arranged, and a number of very comfy-looking chairs were placed throughout. In one of them was a very handsome old man.
Ah! It’s the guy who glared at me at that one ball. Oh, that’s right. Colny told me he was the black knight’s father.
A few strands of his carefully groomed hair had fallen out of place, drifting over his agonized face. His beard was also finely maintained.
Wait, that’s not important right now.
“What happened to him?”
“We don’t know. All of sudden, he just—”
“Father!”
There was a familiar voice at the entrance. It was the black knight. I turned and saw him, dressed in slick getup similar to his father’s. I looked back at his father. I had a pretty good idea what was wrong.
“Pardon me.”
A mana search showed what I expected—it was the heat. His internal temperature was hitting heat stroke numbers. He was conscious, but hardly responsive. He didn’t need any help taking in liquids, so I started by cooling his body.
But first we also needed to loosen his clothes. “Ville, could you remove the marquess’s coat and loosen his collar?”
“Got it.”
Even if it was one meant for summer, wearing a three piece suit, tie included, in this heat was pretty dumb. But if you told me that was just how nobles were, I wouldn’t be able to say you were wrong. People here still didn’t understand how scary heatstroke was.
Ville loosened the lord’s clothes around his neck and torso, allowing me to direct a cold breeze inside. A sudden chill was likely to startle him, so I lowered the temperature gradually.
“Could you prepare some water mixed with a bit of salt and sugar?” I asked. “In a large bottle, add two tablespoons of sugar, a pinch or two of salt, and a little bit of citrus juice.”
I got my response from the black knight.
“I’ll get it immediately.”
There were several cafés nearby, so getting some water was a simple task.
While keeping an eye on his temperature, I surrounded his body with some water a few degrees warmer than the wind. By controlling it with magic, I made sure his clothes and the chair stayed dry. Magic sure made some things easier. I slowly lowered the temperature of the water. Anytime it became lukewarm, I removed it and magically cooled it off. It was like I was circulating the coolant of a human engine.
“Wh-Wha...”
Oh, he can speak now.
All he needed now was to hydrate and get a bit more rest. While I managed his heat, the black knight returned with a bottle. Except the water was lukewarm, so I chilled that too. I moved some of the liquid into a glass borrowed from the shop, then handed it to the black knight father.
“Please drink it all. There’s more in the bottle, and you’ll need to drink that as well.”
“I... So I will...”
With his temperature lowered, he was much more responsive. His hands were trembling, so I helped him hold the glass. With little trouble, he downed all the liquid.
“You’ll be fine as long as you don’t push yourself,” I said.
“I’ll make certain I repay this debt.”
I didn’t need to be repaid when I did so little. But since this guy was a powerful noble, refusing in the wrong way might only make things worse. I gave him a vague response and an ambiguous smile. My past life in Japan made me very good at both those things!
After the black knight father got a bit more rest, I left the shop with Ville and Loks, both bearing new hats. Outside, Sheila and Colny were anxiously waiting. I was about to explain everything when the black knight spoke up.
“Miss Lowell, you have my thanks for saving my father.”
“I didn’t do much. But next time you go out on a hot day like this, I would recommend some lighter garb.”
Both Loks and Ville were dressed a bit too light by noble standards. However, their fine make meant that they were at least considered luxury. It was like what Ville had worn at the academy festival: a jacket, shirt, and slacks. No tie, and the jacket and shirt were both thin materials with decent airflow. The black knight father had a shirt, vest, jacket, and a constricting tie. That’s pretty hot.
Unsurprisingly, I got a noncommittal response from the black knight. I sometimes wondered if these people lived by subsisting off pride. Did he really think collapsing was a better alternative to dressing a bit lighter? It wasn’t just that he had collapsed—he had been risking his life. So I made that pretty clear.
“If he doesn’t care for lighter clothes, then please refrain from going outside, and instead spend days like this indoors. Otherwise, he will die.”
His symptoms hadn’t been too bad thanks to the quick response, but he had been in real danger. The mention of death was enough to jolt not just the black knight, but everyone present. Still, that was the truth of it.
“I’ll exercise caution,” the black knight said.
“Take care,” I replied.
That man would probably find a lecture from his son much more convincing than the same coming from a young girl he had never met. The issue still remained as to whether or not he would believe that his life was at stake.
Upon arriving back at the Aspozat residence, I found myself tasked with enchanting the brothers’ new hats. On top of theirs, they also bought one for Thand, so I did that too. These hot days weren’t ideal for outings.
A huntless summer / is a sad, lonely summer / take me to Peylon.
Yeah, I’m not great at haikus. Point was, finally getting my summer break only to be barred from Peylon was a huge letdown.
“Besides, I feel like we could be of some help!” Colny said, evidently feeling the same way.
“That’s right!”
“Yet they won’t let us go! Honestly!”
“That’s right!”
“Why don’t we just go there ourselves?!”
“That’s right—wait. We can’t do that.”
“It’s not every day I hear something sensible from you, Lera.”
That’s going a bit far. Is she going to tell me teasing me is a form of stress relief next?