Chapter 168 Operation Start
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I had effectively thrown down the gauntlet before the Archbishop and the Queen—the two figures who governed both the sacred and secular spheres of the Canaria Kingdom¹—but everything after that point was pure chaos. Now that I’d mouthed off, I had to follow through with every ounce of my being.
Starting early the next morning, I raced through the royal capital to kick off the operation for the mass production of the Ddo-Buddy². My first steps involved commissioning a blacksmith for the time-intensive task of crafting the molds, placing a formal request with the Adventurer’s Guild to gather Red Slime’s bodily fluid³, and arranging the procurement of Akanashi Tree’s sap⁴ through the Tasogare Merchant Guild⁵.
At the Tasogare Merchant Guild, we also hammered out the details for product transportation. From there, I headed straight to the Badcage⁶ manor with Sera-chan. I coordinated with Tina regarding a collection point for the finished goods and requested that they handle the logistics of liaising with the Church, who would be responsible for transport once we crossed into Coalmine territory.
On my way back, I stopped by the workshop of my alchemy mentor, the old man Kogima, to commission his help in crafting the Ddo-Buddies. Finally, I returned to the Cathedral to finalize the coordination between the Tasogare Merchant Guild and the Badcage family, while also arranging an initial meeting with the Sacred Artificer⁷.
I had been dreading this, thinking to myself, ‘Man, this is a drag, I really don’t want to deal with them,’ but the Sacred Artificer turned out to be a woman with short-trimmed, violet hair. She wore dowdy, thick ‘bottle-bottom’ glasses that somehow managed to look bizarrely stylish on her.
”Hello there~! I’m Nina-Mailse, the Sacred Artificer currently stationed in the Holy City. You can call me Nina or Neena, whichever you prefer. Believe it or not, I’m quite the elite when it comes to serving the Saint~”
”Ah, right. Well, Nina, looking forward to working with you,” I said.
Nina had a somewhat airy, ditzy vibe and didn’t look like an expert at all. Still, ‘attached to the Saint,’ huh… I didn’t know exactly what that position entailed, but she was certainly someone situated near the core of the Church of Demon-Subjugation⁸.
She might be the ideal contact for learning about ‘Sacred Tools’ or ‘Relics’ that manifest effects magic items simply can’t replicate. Well, since she’s also here to study our techniques, I suppose we can call it a fair trade.
”Wow~! I finally get to meet you~! I was honestly starting to wonder if I’d been forgotten!”
”Sorry, I’ve had quite a lot on my plate. By the way, this isn’t the first time we’ve met, is it?” I asked.
”Oh, so you noticed? That’s right~! I was actually present as one of the Inquisitors⁹ during that previous ‘Ddo-Buddy Trial.’ I’ve been dying to pick your brain since then~!”
”I see. Well, sorry, but I’m going to be completely buried in Ddo-Buddy production for a while. Is it okay if I answer your questions after the war is over?”
”Sure, I’ve already heard from the Archbishop~! He told me this was a golden opportunity to put you in our debt, so I should work my absolute hardest!”
”Oh… well, please try to go easy on me… By the way, Nina, what faction do you belong to? The ‘Saint Faction’?” I asked.
”Hmm, well, officially I’m ‘Saint Faction,’ emotionally I’m ‘Salvation Faction,’ but personally, I’d say I’m part of the ‘Seeker Faction’~”
”‘Seeker Faction’…? That’s a new one to me.”
”It’s a Theological Faction¹⁰ that seminary students occasionally call themselves. Well, you don’t really need to dwell on that part too much~” Nina replied.
”I see.”
While we chatted, we eventually reached the Canarias Convent, which had been fully converted into a Ddo-Buddy production plant. Inside the room designated as the workshop, the usual crew—along with the old man Kogima, who had arrived with surprising speed—were already hard at work.
”Good grief, to think a man of my caliber would end up forced to help his idiot apprentice make these idiotic magic tools…!”
”Now, now, Kogima-san, you’re doing a wonderful job. As expected of Kento-san’s master, noja,” Mother Shireen said.
”I-is that so? Well, it’s surely because Mother Shireen is such an excellent teacher, ssu!”
With a visible grin spreading across his face, the old man diligently crafted Ddo-Buddies while receiving instructions from Shireen—the same woman who was once said to have roses blooming from her backside. Yeah… looking at that description, it sounds like some kind of nightmare…
”What are you doing acting all lovestruck at your age, old man…? I’ll tell your wife, Josephine-san, you know?” I said.
”Y-you brat, Kento! You unfilial apprentice! Just… please, anything but that, ssu!”
”Oh dear, oh dear~”
As a son-in-law who married into the family, the old man is completely incapable of standing up to his wife. Threatening him like this is the best way to ensure he works himself to the bone. By the way, his wife was actually the one who finally convinced him to help, so if she asks, I’ll be happy to provide a full report. Forgive me, old man.
”We’re super busy~!”
”We’re super busy, no~!”
”We might be super busy, kamo~!”
”Sorry, you three. I didn’t mean to dump such a huge production increase on you so suddenly…” I said.
Stirring a massive cauldron they’d hauled in from somewhere were the three sisters: Tetra, Metra, and Netra. They were busy blending the Red Slime fluid and Akanashi sap into the mixture commonly known as Ddo Pleasure-Aid Fluid¹¹.
”Nope, it’s totally fine~!”
”This much is well within our capacity, no~!”
”We’re definitely expecting a reward, kamo~!”
”Ah, right. The compensation will likely be handled by the Archbishop, so…”
”That’s not the kind of reward I’m talking about, kamo!”
I decided to pretend I hadn’t heard Netra’s remark and approached Sister Amelia, who was overseeing the inspection process, to introduce Nina.
”Amelia, this is the Sacred Artificer, Nina-Mailse. Although, have you two already met?” I asked.
”Yes, Kento-san. Nina-san came by this workshop once before for a tour.”
”Hehe~! I look forward to officially joining the crew as a staff member~! I’m going to work like a beast~!”
”That’s very encouraging. Um, Nina, should I have you handle the molding process alongside my master and the others?” I asked.
”That sounds best. As long as one can use Holy Hardening Magic¹², it’s the most straightforward task. Shall we have Mother Shireen supervise her while she gets started?” Amelia replied.
”Understood~!”
”Then I’ll take care of the inspections with Amelia… Once the molds I ordered are ready, we can start scaling up the staff…”
”Yes, let’s do our absolute best, Kento-san.”
And so, the grand operation to flood the Coalmine Kingdom with Ddo-Buddies and bring the war to a close got off to a smooth start.
Along the way, the old man Kogima almost fell head-over-heels for Mother Shireen, a development to which Sister Netra reacted with sharp sensitivity.
There was also the time Sister Tetra got a massive nosebleed while looking at the mountain of Ddo-Buddies, and when Sister Metra accidentally let her ‘Slime-kun’—which she was attempting to use for ‘triple-wielding’—escape the lab.
Nina started having conversations with fairies, and the Archbishop would occasionally peek his head in, only to pretend he hadn’t seen anything and quietly slip back out, closing the door behind him.
It was a series of truly exhausting hardships, but I’ll save the details for another time. It was a death march that likely rivaled—or even surpassed—anything happening on the actual front lines.
Regardless, the staggering volume of Ddo-Buddies we produced was systematically loaded onto carriages and dispatched, one after another, to conquer the Coalmine Kingdom…
* * *
”Oh, did it just move?”
”It definitely moved, didn’t it~!”
End of flashback. To tell the truth, the production of Ddo-Buddies for the war effort isn’t actually finished yet. Right now, in these fleeting moments before I head out to work, is my precious relaxation time—the only thing keeping me sane.
”There, there. Good girl… Papa is going to go work his tail off making Ddo-Buddies for you, Mama, and everyone else~!”
I said this while affectionately nuzzling my cheek against the swollen belly of Lily, my beloved experimental slave. Calling it a ‘Ddo-Buddy’ is beyond terrible for prenatal care, but since she’s being born as my child, she’ll just have to deal with it.
I fully intend to keep providing for my family with the proceeds from Ddo-Buddies. …Though, what will I do if it’s a girl? Fortunately, I managed to set up a separate production plant, so I should be able to keep the nature of my business a secret while she’s still small.
But I’m terrified of the day she grows up and realizes that Ddo-Buddies put food in her mouth, Ddo-Buddies paid for her school, and Ddo-Buddies were the reason she was raised in comfort.
If she ever tells me, “I hate you, Papa!” I honestly don’t think I’ll ever recover. No, seriously, what should I do? Is it too late for me to start making normal magic tools at this point…?
”Come now, Master, isn’t it almost time for you to head out?” Lily asked.
”Ah, yeah. Right. Well, I’m off.”
I gave her belly and her lips a kiss before stepping out of the house. Yeah, I’ve got plenty of anxieties, but for now, I need to focus on the mission. I just hope the Ddo-Buddies do their job effectively and end this war as soon as possible…
—
Summary:
Kento spearheads a massive logistical campaign to mass-produce Ddo-Buddies, coordinating with multiple guilds and the Badcage family. He meets Nina-Mailse, a ditzy but elite Sacred Artificer from the Church who joins the production line at the convent. The workshop descends into a humorous ‘death march’ as everyone from Kento’s master to the sisters pushes for maximum output. Kento reflects on his life with the pregnant Lily, worrying about how his daughter will view his adult-goods empire one day.
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Character Insight:
Kento’s transition from a niche shopkeeper to a war-ending industrialist showcases his pragmatism, yet his internal monologue reveals a deep-seated fear of social stigma, particularly regarding his future daughter. Nina-Mailse introduces a new dynamic, suggesting that even the high-ranking members of the Church are more interested in Kento’s revolutionary ‘tech’ than they are in judging the morality of his products.
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Behind the Scene:
The author leans heavily into the absurdity of the situation by having high-ranking religious figures like the Mother Superior and a Sacred Artificer participate in the mass production of ‘adult pleasure aids’ for the greater good.”
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T/L:
Notes:
• Sera – A young, earnest salesperson from the Tasogare Merchant Guild, Kento’s supplier. She is characterized by her braided brown hair, large round glasses, and freckles. She’s serious about her job and easily flustered, especially by Kento’s adult goods business. Looks like Onodera from certain series.
• Kogima – Kento’s alchemy master. A middle-aged man who is a henpecked husband to his wife, Josephine.
• Nina-Mailse – A Sacred Artificer from the Holy City. She has short violet hair and wears thick glasses that somehow look stylish. She is attached to the Saint.
• Shireen – A high-ranking nun at the convent who tends to modify product specifications on a whim.
• Kento – The owner of the magic tool shop ‘Harvest,’ which discretely sells adult goods. He’s a former overworked, ordinary salaryman from modern Japan who was suddenly transported (isekai’d) to this fantasy world. He has dark hair and an unremarkable appearance, typically wearing a plain, slightly suspicious-looking shop owner’s clothes looks like Kazuma Satou from certain series. He has a minimal amount of magic power, enough to craft his specialty items.
• Metra – One of the triplets. Thick navy hair covering her eyes. Beautiful facial features.
• Netra – One of the triplets. Thick navy hair covering her eyes. Beautiful facial features. Shows interest in Kento.
• Tetra – One of the triplets. Thick navy hair covering her eyes. Beautiful facial features.
• Amelia – The Sister of the Church of Demon-Subjugating, who usually buys from Kento, has light blue hair.
• Lily – the sl*ve and primary experiment subject for the magic shop, ‘Harvest.’ She has striking pink hair, Blue eyes, medium breasts, which the Protagonist associates with being ‘wanton’. She has a working knowledge of magic, which she kept hidden from the slave trader.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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