Chapter 389 Breeding Plan
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The Ddo-Buddy Mansion¹ was finally finished, which meant everything was in place for the four children to be born. With Project Harvest² wrapped up, the blueprint for the revival of the East-West Trade Route was finally taking shape.
The remaining hurdles were the predicted shortage of monster materials – necessitating a breeding plan for the Pororo Snails³ – and the complications surrounding the North-South Trade Route, which was developing much faster than anticipated.
The key to both these endeavors was Viscount Ray Nixfen. I had entrusted the cross-dressing beauty with the expansion of our factories and the management of the monster breeding grounds. Currently, Ray and her father, Master Tail, were studying production and quality control under my direction.
Sometimes we worked at the Canarias Convent, which had essentially been converted into our primary factory, and other times we utilized the old testing grounds. From today onward, however, the basement of the Ddo-Buddy Mansion was at our disposal.
I spent the morning playing with my darling daughter, Momo, while waiting for Ray and Tail to arrive… but the scheduled time came and went without a sign of them. This world is a bit more relaxed about punctuality than my old one, so I decided to be patient.
But still…
”I-I’m so sorry, Kento! I’m late!”
Ray finally arrived about an hour behind schedule. She looked mortified, bowing her head repeatedly in apology. I didn’t truly mind since it gave me more time with Momo, but this was uncharacteristic for someone as diligent as her.
”Don’t sweat it,” I said. “But where’s your father?”
”Ugh… well, about that…” Ray stammered.
She had come alone. I couldn’t see Master Tail anywhere. They were supposed to be working as a team during this training, and I had specifically requested that they both attend today.
”Did something happen?” I asked.
”No, nothing serious,” Ray replied. “It’s just… well… he has a bit of a hangover.”
”Excuse me?”
I blinked, stunned. Master Tail was the former Viscount Nixfen, a man who seemed like the walking embodiment of a master craftsman. I couldn’t imagine a man like him blowing off a scheduled meeting because he’d had one too many. Then again, maybe he was the type who couldn’t hold his liquor – that would actually fit the “grumpy artisan” trope quite well.
”I am so, so sorry!” Ray said. “He doesn’t usually drink, so I think he just didn’t know his limit.”
”Did he find some incredible vintage or something?”
”No, not exactly… he was drinking with Duke Badcage.”
”Ah… that explains it,” I muttered.
The moment she mentioned the name, I understood the situation completely. Duke Badcage was the father of my dear Tina – I practically considered him my father-in-law. And since Master Tail was Ray’s father…
”Yesterday, they went to see the Duke and Lady Tina to ask about the factory,” Ray explained. “You mentioned they were producing Harvest goods in the Badcage territory, remember?”
”Right. I thought their management style would be a good reference for him. So they finally got around to talking yesterday?”
”Yeah. He said he learned a lot. But afterward, they were invited to dinner, and… well… the conversation turned to the child in Tina’s belly, then it turned to you, then it turned to me…”
”I see…”
I could see it now. It was hard to imagine those two clinking glasses, but they had clearly been bonding over the “shared trauma” of their daughters being swept up by the same man. I felt a pang of guilt – or maybe it was just awkwardness.
”Well, I suppose that was inevitable,” I said. “Tell Master Tail not to worry. I’ll prepare some hangover medicine… and maybe pick out some better booze for him next time.”
”I’m so sorry! Honestly, Father is such a handful. I’ll make sure this never happens again.”
”No, let’s give him a pass,” I replied. “In fact, tell him he’s allowed a few more slips. I’m planning to introduce him to Aerith’s father soon, too.”
It was a clumsy attempt at a joke, but sincerity was all I had. I began mentally preparing to introduce him to the fathers of my other companions, like Aerith or even Slop, the father of my future dog-girl, Laika.
But then I tried to imagine the day I would have to face a man like myself as a father, and I felt so nauseous I had to drop the thought. Being a father to a daughter is clearly a brutal business.
”So, um… what should we do?” Ray asked. “Father mentioned he had a lot of questions he wanted to go over.”
”We’ll have to save those for another day,” I said. “I have plenty to discuss with you, and we’ve got a mountain of work to get through.”
”Ahaha… please go easy on me,” Ray said with a nervous laugh.
We moved down to the basement of the Ddo-Buddy Mansion. Ray scanned the interior with genuine interest. The girls and Her Majesty had obsessed over every detail, and it seemed their effort was apparent to anyone with a discerning eye. Ray looked truly impressed.
”Now then…”
Once we reached the workspace, I briefed her on the North-South Trade Route moving faster than expected. I also mentioned that Her Majesty and the Archbishop had given a quiet green light for monster breeding – provided we kept it strictly off the record.
”I see. It’s a gray zone, but manageable,” Ray noted. “Still, if Her Majesty is backing us, we have to give it our all.”
”Think you can handle the pace?” I asked. “I hate to rush you, but if it’s too much, just say the word. I’ll find another way.”
”Hmm, as far as production goes, Father is fired up, so I think we’ll be fine. But breeding monsters at the same time… neither of us knows the first thing about that. Don’t expect miracles. It would be a huge help if we had someone reliable to consult.”
”You’re right,” I admitted. “I’ll look into finding a specialist.”
In truth, I had two experts in mind. The first was my alchemy mentor, Master Kogima Pigole. He was the leading authority on monster materials and the man who taught me the basics. Without him, Ddo-Buddy wouldn’t exist.
However, while he was a genius at research, breeding was a different beast entirely. He might even have moral objections to it. Then again, the man’s research was already pretty shady; he might have been dabbling in it for years. The real problem was that he hated leaving home. Any breeding project would have to take place in the Nixfen territory, and I couldn’t see my Master – who absolutely doted on his family – agreeing to a solo assignment away from home.
The other candidate was Kushe, the Chief Royal Mage of Coalmine. With her… flexible… ethics, she’d probably jump at the chance to experiment. Unlike my Master, she was quite proactive. She wasn’t a monster specialist, but she was a brilliant researcher. I had a feeling she’d figure it out one way or another.
But she brought her own set of problems. She was a mage from a foreign country. She was assisting us with the Stampede recovery for now, but Coalmine would eventually demand their Chief Mage back. Leaking ethically questionable research to a foreign power was a massive risk.
Then there was our own Royal Mage, Satsuki, or her senior, Marsetta… but this isn’t really their field. Regardless, Kushe, Satsuki, and Marsetta were all still tied up with the reconstruction in Count Kudoah’s territory. Nothing could happen until they returned.
For the time being, I asked Ray to continue her studies for the production ramp-up. I requested that she pick up the pace and told her to take about a dozen Pororo Snails back with her when she eventually returns to the Nixfen lands.
”So, that’s the plan,” I said. “Sorry for dumping all this on you.”
”I don’t mind,” Ray replied. “I owe you, Kento. Besides, being part of something this big is exciting. I honestly thought I’d spend my whole life in the sticks, just keeping the family business afloat.”
”There’s something noble in that, too,” I said.
”You think so? Maybe. Hehe… thanks, Kento.”
I felt like I’d done enough for one day. Next, I needed to coordinate with the Sylvaol merchants and the Twilight Merchant Guild regarding the trade route… or so I thought, until I felt a persistent tug on my sleeve.
”Did I forget something?” I asked, turning back.
”Um… well…”
Ray’s face was flushed a deep shade of crimson. It was painfully clear that she wasn’t looking for a “study session” involving textbooks.
”Since I’m already here… I was hoping you could show me how these Harvest products… actually work.”
—
Summary:
Kento prepares for business expansion and monster breeding with Ray Nixfen. A humorous side plot reveals that Ray’s father and Tina’s father bonded over drinks while lamenting Kento’s involvement with their daughters. The chapter ends with Ray requesting a ‘private lesson’ on the adult goods produced by the shop.
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Trivia:
- Ray Nixfen is a woman who cross-dresses as a man for her role as Viscount.
- The ‘Harvest’ goods are specifically adult-oriented products.
- Kogima Pigole is Kento’s alchemy master and is highly devoted to his family.
- Kushe is the Chief Mage of a different country (Coalmine), making her recruitment politically sensitive.
- The Pororo Snails are the primary source for the shop’s special materials
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Character Insight:
Kento shows significant empathy for the fathers of his lovers, acknowledging the difficulty of being a ‘girl dad.’ Ray moves from a strictly professional stance to a more personal, romantic one by the end of the chapter.
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Behind the Scenes:
The author uses brackets like to clarify gender for characters who cross-dress or have ambiguous appearances, maintaining a meta-layer of communication with the reader.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Nixfen – A viscount aristocrat who has started manufacturing and selling adult goods similar to Kento’s products in the Royal Capital’s pleasure district. He is described as a ‘pretty boy’ or ‘gentle-looking man’ (yasao) but is a territory-holding noble likely trained in combat.
• Tail – Former Viscount Nixfen and Ray’s father. A master craftsman with rugged, calloused, and scarred hands. Stern expression, socially awkward, and proud of his family’s ‘specialized’ trade.
• Ray – A Viscount with flaxen-gold hair in a men’s wolf cut. Possesses a sweet mask and a prince-like aura. It is revealed at the end that Ray is actually a woman. She has started manufacturing and selling adult goods similar to Kento’s products in the Royal Capital’s pleasure district.
• Momo – The newborn daughter of Kento and Lily. She has pink hair and her father’s ear and eyebrow shapes.
• 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.
• Aerith – A wolf beast-person and Ouka’s daughter. She is intensely attracted to Kento’s creative genius and is not shy about showing her interest. Have gray fur hair and tail, wearing elegant dress.
• Laika – The beastwoman dog.
• Slop – Leader of the hound-kin pack; Laika’s father. Has orange hair and fluffy tail.
• Kogima – Kento’s alchemy master. A middle-aged man who is a henpecked husband to his wife, Josephine.
• Kushe – The Chief Mage of the Coalmine Kingdom. She has dark green hair grown out haphazardly and wears a mage robe loosely over her shoulders. She has a blunt, informal, and somewhat insensitive personality, focused on her ‘thinking experiments.’
• Marsetta – A senior court mage and specialist in magical weaponry. She has disheveled hair tied back, wears glasses, and has deep dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. She hasn’t eaten in two days and is under heavy pressure to find a countermeasure for the enemy’s weapons.
• Satsuki – A talented Court Mage who was forced to analyze the shop’s adult magic tools. Miranda’s granddaughter. Now she’s the new worker at Harvest, a development she finds both humiliating and surprisingly fulfilling due to the rapid progress in her research under Kento’s guidance. Has long black hair, palace mage robe, and staff.
• Suu – Secretary for the Royal Capital Beast-person Mutual Aid Association and a cat beast-person. Sample No. 19 in Kento’s report. She steps up as the first witness for the defense. Wears glasses and a tight suit.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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