Chapter 293 Harvest Plan – Test Subject꞉ The Maid ①
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
In the end, I spent the rest of that day getting an earful. Queen Cecile, the Imperial Guard Captain Merluza, and the maid Muse-san took turns drilling it into my head: do not, under any circumstances, let a word of this “Subject Recruitment” plan leak. After lecturing me on the dangers until my ears rang, we finally disbanded. But not before Her Majesty got in one last word.
”I’ll be sending Muse to you shortly,” Queen Cecile said. “Have her consult with Lily first. If you don’t run this through your legal wife, there’s no telling what kind of drama will explode. And you? Don’t you dare breathe a word until a final decision is made! Understood!?”
I nodded along. At first, I figured Her Majesty was just being a massive worrywart, but by the time she was done, I realized this was no joke. She was dead serious. It’s hard not to take someone seriously when their face looks that terrifying.
A few days later, Muse-san showed up at the shop exactly as promised. She and Lily locked themselves away for a solid half-day of intense discussions. Me? I was kicked out of my own office to mind the counter. It felt a little backwards, considering it’s my shop, but I wasn’t about to argue.
”Is it safe to come in yet?” I asked, peeking through the door.
”Yes,” Lily replied. “We’ve covered the broad strokes. Now we just wait for the applicants to start rolling in.”
”It was a very productive talk,” Muse-san added, giving Lily a sharp, professional bow. “Lily-san, I am truly grateful. If you hadn’t done all that legwork beforehand, I doubt we would have made this much progress. Thank you.”
I watched them, a bit stunned. Lily had actually been preparing for this? And even with that head start, it still took them five hours? I shuddered to think how long it would’ve taken if she hadn’t.
I had plenty of questions and even more smart-aleck remarks ready to go, but I’m a man who values his life. I kept my mouth shut and picked up my daughter, Momo, instead. A wise man doesn’t go looking for trouble. My happy place was right here, buried in Momo’s soft, squishy tummy-at least until she started playfully drumming on my chin with her feet.
”Alright, enough,” Lily said, pulling me back to reality. “Stop hiding behind the baby. It’s time to work.”
”Wait, now? I just finished a marathon shift at the register,” I complained.
”Well, I suppose we can eat dinner first,” Lily said.
”Dinner? What are we even doing?” I asked.
”The experiment, obviously,” Lily said. “Muse-san is staying over tonight.”
”Ah… right. Got it.”
I tried to act cool, but I was definitely blinking in surprise as I looked at Muse-san. She was in her usual maid uniform-not the frilly “Welcome home, Master!” type you’d see in a themed cafe, but a dignified, classical set.
”I shall be in your care,” Muse-san said, bowing again.
She can be a bit stuck-up and icy at times, but in that moment, she really did look like the quintessential loyal servant. She was so composed that I almost lost my nerve. I wanted to ask her if she was really okay with testing out aphrodisiacs, but the question stayed stuck in my throat through the entire dinner.
She didn’t seem phased at all, though. She actually showed a bit of a cute side while we ate, her eyes sparkling as she asked for the recipe. “I simply must have Her Majesty try this,” she murmured to herself.
By the way, we had omurice ¹. You can’t have a maid over and not serve omurice; it’s basically a law. I’ll have to convince her to do the “Moe Moe Kyun ²♡” routine for the Queen the next time the boss is feeling stressed.
When the sun went down and the house got quiet, Muse-san didn’t show a hint of hesitation. “I believe it is time to begin,” she said, and walked straight into the “laboratory.” Even as she sat on the edge of the bed, her face was a mask of pure professionalism.
”Okay, so, first things first,” I started, “I need to go over how we run these tests…”
I felt incredibly awkward, but I tried to push through the standard safety speech I give to all our volunteers. Muse-san just raised a hand, her palm flat and her fingers perfectly aligned.
”Lily-san has already explained the procedure to me,” Muse-san said. “You may begin immediately.”
”Oh. Okay. If you’re ready, then.” I cleared my throat and grabbed my notes. “What are we starting with today?”
”Let’s see,” I continued. “Since it’s the first run, we’ll keep it light. ‘Harlot’s Pastime ³.’ It’s one of our top sellers. We’re actually ramping up production to export a huge batch to Sylvaol.”
”The one that produces a scent meant to entice men,” Muse-san noted. “I have never had a use for such things, so I have no experience with its effects. I see. Hmm…”
”W-what’s with that look?” I asked.
She narrowed her eyes, studying me with a gaze that felt heavy. When a beautiful woman looks at you like that, it’s intimidating. Between her black hair, dark eyes, and that somber uniform, she had a serious presence.
Back at the palace, she actually carries more weight than Merluza, and he’s a lion beastman who looks like he could crush a boulder. But the second you look away, she practically disappears. “The Queen’s Shadow” really is the only way to describe her.
And yet, here she was, about to be my test subject. I knew it was technically “orders from the top,” and I knew she knew my inventory, but still…
”It is nothing,” Muse-san said quietly. “I simply thought… you seem quite accustomed to this.”
”Hey, I didn’t pick this one to be a creep! If you’re uncomfortable, we can just call it off,” I said.
”Do I look uncomfortable to you?” she asked.
”Well, yeah. A little,” I replied.
She pouted-just a tiny bit. Her face barely moved, but I could read her mood perfectly. I don’t know if she was being more expressive than usual or if I’ve just been yelled at by enough women lately to develop a sixth sense for it.
”It is not a matter of my personal feelings,” Muse-san said. “But if I gave that impression, I apologize.”
”No, you don’t need to apologize. I just thought… maybe you’re nervous?” I asked.
”Enough!” Muse-san snapped. “Just get on with it!”
”Right! Sorry! Here!”
Clearly annoyed now, she practically demanded the drug. I scrambled to hand over the vial, and she downed the whole thing in one aggressive gulp.
”Down the hatch, I guess,” I muttered.
”Stop the small talk and start your notes,” Muse-san said. “You are supposed to be monitoring the efficacy, aren’t you?”
”Yeah, yeah, I’m on it.”
I felt like a kid getting scolded by a teacher as I fumbled for my pen. I noted the time and kept a close eye on her. I’d set the dosage a bit high, so I expected some reaction, but it was still within safe limits.
”Does this one work instantly?” she asked.
”That’s a secret. If I tell you, you might start imagining things,” I said. “Just describe what you’re feeling as it happens. How do you feel right now?”
”…”
She narrowed her eyes at me again. This time, I didn’t need a sixth sense. She was absolutely mortified. Of course she was. Asking a young woman to narrate exactly how she’s getting turned on is pretty much the definition of cruel and unusual punishment. I started to feel a bit like a jerk, but then she spoke up.
”My current state… I suppose you could call it a mix of tension and excitement,” Muse-san said. “Lord Harvest, you are aware that I have dedicated my life to Queen Cecile’s cause?”
”Eh? Oh, you mean the thing about how she’s staying single until Prince Roland is grown?” I asked.
”Exactly,” she said.
I was caught off guard. She was basically telling me that just like the Queen-who had given up on romance to avoid any mess with the throne-Muse-san was “pure.” She had zero experience with men.
”Therefore, being alone in a bedroom with a man is a situation that puts me under extreme stress,” Muse-san explained.
”Ah… yeah. I can see why,” I said.
”At the same time,” she continued, her voice wavering slightly, “I am a woman. And as a woman, I have my own… fantasies. Expectations about men, and about what happens between them.”
”I… I see. Right. That makes sense,” I stammered.
”So, my current mood is tension and excitement,” she said, her ears turning a deep, vivid red as she glared at me. “My heart feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest. My hands are shaking. My legs feel weak, and my fingertips are cold. And… there is a heavy, shameful heat coiling deep in my gut. It’s… tightening. Is that enough data for you?”
She was looking right at me now, her face flushed with a mix of arousal and sheer indignity. It was the most honest, visceral feedback I’d ever gotten.
”Yes,” I squeaked, trying my best to sound like a professional and not a guy who was currently terrified of a maid. “Thank you very much for the… extremely thorough data.”
I did my best to look small and stay quiet, trying to maintain a calm face so I wouldn’t humiliate her any more than I already had. It was the only way I was going to survive the night.
—
Summary:
After being scolded by the Queen, the protagonist must host the maid Muse-san for an aphrodisiac experiment. Lily and Muse-san spend hours planning the logistics of the shop’s subject recruitment. The chapter ends with Muse-san taking the ‘Harlot’s Pastime’ drug and honestly describing her symptoms of arousal and anxiety.
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Trivia:
- The ‘legal wife’ Lily is technically a slave.
- The drug ‘Harlot’s Pastime’ is being mass-produced for export to Sylvaol.
- Muse-san is a ‘pure’ virgin, following the Queen’s example of celibacy.
- Merluza is a lion beastman, establishing the diverse fantasy races present
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Character Insight:
Muse-san reveals her extreme internal conflict: her biological desires as a woman vs. her sworn duty and the celibacy she shares with her Queen. This vulnerability cracks her stoic ‘shadow’ persona.
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Behind the Scenes:
The use of omurice and ‘Moe Moe Kyun’ are meta-references to Japanese maid cafe culture, grounding the isekai’s ‘Adult Goods Shop’ theme in familiar Earth tropes.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Merluza – The Captain of the Royal Guard, a veteran soldier and Lion Beast-person. She testifies to the military necessity and effectiveness of the ‘Tremble Ddo-Buddy’ (which she calls ‘Bob’) for female beast-person soldiers, ensuring job performance isn’t compromised by ‘heat’. Have dull yellow hair, large feline ears, wearing armor, and large scar over the right eye.
• Cecile – A high-ranking, powerful woman in the capital who possesses the authority to regulate business and commerce, particularly concerning moral or public order issues. She is currently investigating Kento’s shop, ‘Harvest.’ Have long golden hair, elegant, and wearing expensive white dress with gold accesories.
• Muse – Cecile’s trusted attendant and chief maid, Muse handles sensitive, discreet tasks like espionage and product acquisition. Have sharp, black eyes, wearing maid uniform, and have expressionless face.
• 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.
• Momo – The newborn daughter of Kento and Lily. She has pink hair and her father’s ear and eyebrow shapes.
• Roland – he younger brother of Queen Cecile and the heir apparent to the Canaria throne. Clean, golden-blonde hair, same color as the Queen, innocent, beautiful face that could be mistaken for a girl but dressed in a boy’s formal wear.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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