Rorschach wanted to pull the newspaper out to read it, which meant he had to unwrap the sausage first.

Fortunately, despite the grease stains, the headline was still clear. It stated that the entire nation of Valois had entered a state of emergency. Various towns and cities had each established new authorities; some formed their own assemblies, some centered their power on the courts, and others simply retained their old systems.

Amidst the chaos, different regions sought to protect themselves by setting up camps, building fortifications, and training militias. Several cities signed mutual protection pacts, while others, unwilling to pay the damn taxes, declared autonomy and kicked the tax collectors out of town.

Since the newspaper was published in Bayern, its coverage and analysis of the Holy Kingdom’s situation were completely uninhibited and tinged with schadenfreude. This was especially evident in its reporting that the Speaker of the National Assembly had invited Charles XVI to give a speech, urging all regions of the Kingdom to rally closely around the Royal Capital, complete their tax payments on time and in full, crack down on grain exports, and prioritize supplying the residents of the Royal Capital.

The article ended there. After all, you don’t need a very large piece of paper to wrap a sausage.

Rorschach hadn’t expected the Holy Kingdom to become so inept it couldn’t even collect taxes after the National Assembly came to power. He remembered that the New Coins were backed by tax revenue, which meant...

’In a word: screwed. Here’s wishing the greatest Alchemist of our age, the Minister of Finance beyond his time, Mr. Nekker, a smooth escape!’

"Is our procurement of raw materials from Valois still going smoothly?"

Andre was surprised Rorschach would suddenly ask such a question after reading a food wrapper. He was only in charge of the Transmutation Dust Extractor and wasn’t familiar with the factory’s primary business, but the purple soda was still being produced in a steady stream, so he guessed everything was fine.

Andre nodded. "I only know production is going smoothly. But Mr. Hasse has complained that the price of the concentrate is getting higher and higher, and they’re demanding immediate payment in real gold and silver."

’Looks like the Nixingen uncle-and-nephew pair aren’t having an easy time either. But with the whole situation like this, there was nothing Rorschach could do, having already moved his main assets to Bayern. The continuous cash flow from the Lansite factory was the best help he could provide.’

Checkpoints had become more numerous throughout Bayern. They were now on the main road running north to south, and it wasn’t just the major cities that required inspections for entry and exit. Even some of the larger towns had set up roadblocks, so the carriage moved in fits and starts.

They finally reached Wertzburg at night. Fortunately, Andre’s mother had prepared more than enough food, enough to stuff both young men.

’There’s a certain kind of "hungry" called "my mom thinks I’m starving," but wasn’t this a bit too much? It was enough for the two of them, with some to spare for the coachman.’

Andre sighed. "My mom told me to eat a lot and do some physical labor."

"Huh? Why?" Rorschach didn’t quite understand her reasoning.

"She asked around. The girls here all like well-built guys. She’s hoping I can... as soon as possible..."

’Pressure to get married exists in every world... By the standards of the day, Bart and Amelia were a model couple. Meanwhile, Rorschach and Andre were young men whose "prime" was fading.’

’Ugh, traditional values...’

"Tell her that Mages always marry late, and that love will only distract you from your magical research. As long as you stay single until you’re thirty, your Magical Power will increase immensely." ’By then, even if he isn’t a Great Mage, he’ll be a mage of great power.’

"My mom said she doesn’t care about other Mages; she just wants me to start a family as soon as possible. She even used Lord Bart as an example." Andre lowered his head, dejected. He had come home to relax, but this vacation had been anything but. If it weren’t for the fact that the Collector still needed him to watch over it, he might have just decided to stay in Wertzburg permanently.

’What a familiar routine! Rorschach shuddered and cursed inwardly, ’Damn you, Bart!’’

"In that case, tell her that according to Bayern custom, people find their sweethearts on May Day. Tell your mom to calm down and be patient."

"On May Day..."

"On that day, you can either fake being sick and stay in bed, or you can study Magic with me. There’s always an excuse." ’It was a strategy to consolidate the marriage pressure into a specific timeframe for a concentrated response. A pity this method would only work once; its effectiveness would diminish with age.’

Two long sighs were heard as they stepped out of the carriage.

...

Bart had been in high spirits lately. He kissed his wife goodbye and happily returned to his post.

After his grand wedding, he’d become something of a celebrity. Everyone had a great impression of the young master of Balderom because this "Prince Consort" would cordially greet people on the street and, as the Town Mage, would genuinely provide cheap Potions and use Small Spells to solve all sorts of problems.

Although Bart’s goal was to win the hearts of the people and make a run for a council seat, one must judge by deeds, not intentions. The guy had kept it up for nearly a year; he could definitely be nominated for "Bayern’s National Son-in-Law," "The Empire’s Ten Most Inspiring People," or "The Empire’s Top Ten Town Mages"...

CLICK. The door of the Mage Tower opened, and Andre welcomed him inside. Bart was quite satisfied with the young man; compared to his previous assistant from the merchant’s guild, this Apprentice’s knowledge base and personal qualities were far superior.

"Thank you," Bart nodded in response. ’It’s a pity Andre’s Magic Talent is limited and was discovered so late,’ he thought. ’He’ll probably spend his entire life just barely managing to become an Official Mage. That’ll be his limit.’

Andre looked hesitant. "A guest has come to the Mage Tower—Rorschach Mage arrived in Wertzburg with me last night. But he insisted on staying in your Mage Tower instead of an inn, so without notifying you, he..."

"It’s fine, I’ll go and see him." With that, Bart headed for the guest rooms.

"No, he... insisted on sleeping in the bathtub... so you’ll need to find him in the bathroom."

"Huh?" This caught Bart completely by surprise. When his knock on the bathroom door went unanswered, he slowly pushed it open...

Bart turned to his apprentice. "If I see anything I shouldn’t, I’m just closing the door, and we’ll pretend nothing happened. You’re forbidden from mentioning this to Rorschach."

Rorschach was sound asleep in the bathtub, still wearing velvet pajamas, so there was nothing indecent for Bart to see. But there did seem to be something he shouldn’t be seeing:

The entire bathroom was covered in self-charging, magic-gathering Magic Arrays, all leading toward Rorschach. He was soaking in a diluted Alchemy Potion, and his eyelashes, hair, and the area around the bathtub were covered in tiny, iridescent crystals.

’What kind of ritual is this?’ Bart was startled. "Rorschach?"

"Hm? Oh, Bart... long time no see. Is it morning or noon?" His eyes were bleary as he struggled to climb out of the tub, splashing the Alchemy Potion all over the floor.

Sleeping in a bathtub was, of course, not comfortable. Rorschach cast a Healing Magic spell on himself to save his numb limbs and aching spine. Then, looking at the mess on himself and in the room, he cleaned up all the liquid with a wave of his hand.

Bart witnessed Rorschach’s fluid display and sighed in admiration. "Your Casting Skill has improved again."

In response, Rorschach observed his friend, looking him up and down before struggling to say, "You... seem more... affable." ’He couldn’t just say his friend got fat, right?’ he thought. ’But it was to be expected. At least it proved that Bart had successfully gained back the weight he’d lost after his fight with the "Dragon."’

"Why were you sleeping in the bathtub? And all these Magic Circuits... what are they for?"

"To gather enough Magic Power to... help me sleep. It’s a long story."

Bart waited for him to continue, but Rorschach just sighed and said, "Which is why I’m not going to tell it. I’m here to see you about something important."