Chapter 7: Grandfather’s legacy(2).

The place I teleported to was a familiar, nostalgic sight.

“…Grandfather and Grandmother’s house…!”

Looking around, I saw a grand wooden mansion standing before me. This was their hidden retreat on the outskirts of the capital, an inheritance left to me along with the teleportation pendant. That’s why I left the ducal estate with the plan to live here.

I glanced around further.

The mansion was tucked away at the end of a winding alley in the capital, quiet and free of passersby.

“Good thing no one saw me use teleportation magic.”

If anyone had been here, my sudden appearance would’ve startled them.

“My dear hidden retreat. Shall we go inside?”

There was no keyhole on the door’s knob.

Smiling, I opened my hand to look at the pendant’s stone.

“It’s also the key to the door, isn’t it…?”

Grandfather had taught me that.

I set the Magic Bag, brought via the magic circle, on the ground.

As Grandfather instructed, I fitted the pendant’s stone into the round indentation on the door’s knob. The stone glowed sky-blue, and with a creak, the knob turned. The long-sealed lock was undone. Now, I could come and go freely.

“…It’s open…!”

My face lit up with joy.

A familiar voice came from inside.

“Well, well? Is the master of the house back, nya?”

Soft footsteps pattered. The door creaked open from within.

There stood a black-and-white tabby Cait Sith—a bipedal cat spirit named Cain.

“Oh, Christina-nya! It’s been a while, nya!”

Beaming with delight, he trotted toward me and leapt into my arms. I hurriedly caught him.

Cait Siths, with their slight lisp, called me “Christina-nya.” The sound was so nostalgic that I couldn’t help but smile. I mention “Cait Siths” because, as I’ll explain later, another one lives in this mansion.

“Cain, as energetic as ever.”

“Of course, nya! We’re tasked with keeping this place in top shape, nya! Oh, right, I gotta tell Abel that Christina-nya’s here, nya!”

He flailed his legs, pointing toward a door deeper inside.

“You’re right. I need to say hi to him, too!”

Holding Cain, I stepped into the mansion.

I stopped before a door adorned with a magic circle, which had a round indentation the same size as the one on the front door’s knob.

“Let’s fit it here…”

The magic circle glowed blue, unlocking the seal. The door swung outward. Bright sunlight poured in, making me squint.

“‘Welcome back, Christina.’”

For a moment, I thought I heard Grandfather and Grandmother’s voices in my mind.

As my eyes adjusted to the light, I opened them fully and saw a ginger tabby Cait Sith standing before me, eyes glistening.

“Christina-nya…!”

“Abel!”

I set Cain down and reached out to the ginger Cait Sith named Abel.

“It’s been so long, Abel!”

“Christina-nya!”

He leapt into my arms, and I caught and held him tightly.

“Look, look! Christina-nya!”

Abel urged me to look outside, calling my name excitedly.

“My, it’s just like when Grandfather and Grandmother were here!”

A vast farm stretched before me. It wasn’t visible from outside the mansion—or rather, it didn’t exist there. Through spatial magic, this wondrous, infinite magical realm, which Grandfather called the Farm Utopia, unfolded with sprawling herb fields, vegetable patches, and orchards. Managed by spatial magic, the Farm Utopia was a land of eternal spring.

Herbs could be harvested anytime, as could vegetables and fruits of any season. This was possible because Abel, the Farm Utopia’s caretaker, diligently tended it with care.

“Hey, hey! We kept everything ready for whenever Christina-nya came back, nya! Aren’t we great? Great?”

Abel turned his round eyes to me, begging for praise.

“You’re amazing, Abel. Thank you.”

I thanked him and kissed his forehead.

A disgruntled voice came from below.

“That’s not fair, just Abel! I worked hard keeping the mansion clean, too, nya! Ready for whenever Christina-nya returned, nya!”

Cain puffed out his cheeks, tugging at my dress’s hem to pull me back inside.

“W-Wait, Cain!”

I was dragged into the mansion, starting with the spacious living room.

“See? Not a speck of dust, sparkling clean, nya!”

He ran a finger along the windowsill to show off.

Then, with a proud “Hmph,” he put his hands on his hips, puffing out his chest adorably.

“You’re right, Cain. You’ve done a great job.”

I set Abel down and kissed Cain’s tabby forehead.

“Hmph, that’s not all, nya!”

He grabbed my hand, pulling me to the kitchen.

“Look! Perfect maintenance of advanced magical devices, nya!”

There stood a Cold Storage for refrigeration, a Dry Storage for dry goods, a Wine Cellar for liquors, a Warm Storage for heat preservation, and even a Geschirrspüler dishwasher—all looking as pristine as when Grandfather and Grandmother used them.

The magical devices in this mansion weren’t ordinary; some didn’t even exist elsewhere. They were custom-made by Grandfather’s friend, a brilliant magical device craftsman, as exceptional as Grandfather was an alchemical mage.

I tested the Cold Storage, Dry Storage, and Wine Cellar, opening them one by one. They were empty but cool and fully operational.

“See, this works, too, nya!”

Next, Cain led me to the utility room.

There sat a Wash Machine, a Sewing Machine, and a Staubsauger vacuum cleaner.

All gleamed, surely ready for immediate use, like the storage devices.

“And the important stuff’s over here!”

Cain took my hand, pulling me along.

“The alchemy room…!”

“Right, nya! We kept this sparkling clean for use anytime, nya!”

The alchemy room came into view.

“Wow…!”

Beakers and test tubes sparkled in the sunlight streaming through the window.

A Zentrifuge centrifuge and a Brenner distiller stood ready.

They must be fully functional, like the kitchen devices. I fondly recalled the days when Grandfather taught me alchemy here as a child.