Chapter 511 Before Work
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”That… that was brutal. I am never, ever agreeing to a ‘Trial Course’¹ again…”
It was the day after I’d sang my disciple Nina-Mailse’s praises until she was breathless. She still hadn’t managed to get out of bed.
She lay there with her head nestled in the crook of my arm, mumble-venting her grievances.
”Heh, is that so? Well, look at you, getting all wise on me.”
”You’re the one who did this to me! What are you laughing at…?” Nina asked.
She wasn’t wearing her glasses, so she probably couldn’t see a thing. She shot me a glare that was meant to be sharp, but coming from her, it wasn’t the least bit intimidating.
I leaned down and pressed a kiss to the furrow in her brow.
”Well… I mean… if the Master insists, I suppose I could be talked into it once in a while…” she whispered.
Man, she’s a sucker for affection.
”So, what am I supposed to be doing today?” Nina asked. “For now, we’re just… waiting for a response from ‘Alex’s’ client, right?”
”Yeah, that’s the gist of it,” I said.
As we’d confirmed yesterday, the resurrection of Warrior Alex was officially on the back burner. The tech was there, but without knowing how it held up over the long term, I wasn’t about to perform the procedure without the client’s explicit okay.
”As for you, I’d like you to keep focusing on product development for the Wielope Empire.”
”Got it,” Nina replied. “Is it okay if I also spend some time streamlining the production lines? We’ve got so many new items that even the girls at the convent are struggling to keep up.”
”That’d actually be a huge help. But are you sure you can handle it alone? I’ve cut back Satsuki’s hours, and Amelia’s schedule is anyone’s guess right now. If you hit a wall, bring it to me.”
”I’ll be fine! Besides, the convent girls are there, and I didn’t spend all that time you were… ‘ignoring’ me… sitting on my hands. I’ve learned a thing or two.”
For a while now, Nina had been working alongside my Love-Mage, Satsuki, developing goods specifically for the Wielope Empire to the east. Since Nina was born and raised there, she knew their customs—and their particular brand of s*xual morality—inside and out.
In fact, ever since the Night Light Wand—an adult toy disguised as a bedside lamp—she’d successfully brought several other products to market.
There were the Anl Pearls disguised as a necklace (marketed as the Lady’s Rosario) and the perfume-bottled aphrodisiac (Pink Fragrance), among others. She told me she was also working on toys disguised as makeup kits, sewing kits, and knitting supplies.
I’d provided the core concepts, but the aesthetic design and actual development were thanks to her, Satsuki, and—of course—our Love-Wolf, Aerith.
Aerith’s family runs the Merchant Guild Garou, and they’ve always been experts at selling high-end jewelry to the aristocracy. Since they already carry our inventory, these crossover products were right up their alley.
Because of their expertise, the camouflage on these items was ingenious. They looked like stylish accessories even if you were just using them for their intended “fake” purpose.
Apparently, they were even developing vanity cases and jewelry boxes specifically designed to store the goods. They were leaning hard into the design aspect, even going so far as to brainstorm smuggler features like false bottoms or puzzle-locks.
I did wonder briefly what kind of rabbit hole they were falling down, but they were dead serious. Maybe it was because women were handling everything from design to distribution, but their passion for the project sometimes eclipsed even my own.
”By the way, how are sales?” I asked. “I heard from the Tasogare Guild—from Sera-chan—that things were going well, but…”
”Oh, they’re better than well. I actually got a letter from my mother and sister back home asking about them.”
”…! You’re back in touch with your family?”
”No. Not since I told them I was being transferred to the Kingdom of Canaria before we left the Holy City,” Nina said. “They don’t even know I’m involved in the development. But now that trade routes are open again, it seems even my old ‘I moved away’ letters finally made it to them.”
Nina was from the Wielope Empire, but she’d been handed over to the Holy Figure at a young age. I’d always heard she was estranged from her family.
If they were actually taking the time to write to her, our shop must be the talk of the town.
”And what did the letter say?” I asked. “Did they write to you specifically because they’re running low on stock over there?”
”No, they’re more interested in the… ‘domestic’ versions from this side. Word is that the Emperor himself has taken a liking to them, so the nobles and the wealthy are all desperate to get their hands on the authentic stuff.”
”Right, I think I heard a rumor about that…. Still, a letter to a daughter you haven’t seen in years, and it’s all about s*x toys?”
”Wait, are you actually worried about me?” Nina asked. “I’m fine, really. They did ask how I was doing. It’s just that political policy shifted so abruptly in Wielope. Things are a bit chaotic, and people need ‘leverage’ or information to maintain their connections.”
”…I see. Yeah, that makes sense. Sounds like they’ve got their hands full over there.”
”Totally,” Nina replied.
I stroked her hair as we talked. Nina leaned into my hand, nuzzling against me like a pampered cat.
She hadn’t just gotten better at teasing me; she’d mastered this “sweet and needy” routine, too. I don’t remember teaching her that…
…Then again, maybe someone else did. We were both still completely naked.
When she acted this defenselessly cute, I couldn’t help but feel a certain urging in my gut. But I had to hold back. For now.
”By the way, did they mention any grumbling about the policy shifts?” I asked. “Or the troop withdrawals from the other countries? I’m trying to get a feel for the mood inside the Empire.”
”Hmm…? I don’t know…. I don’t have the full picture, but as far as my family goes… well, as long as you live in the Capital, I don’t think anyone really cares.”
”…Is that how it is?”
”Life doesn’t really change for them,” Nina said. “Whether the Empire expands or stops expanding, they don’t get any richer or poorer. The Empire doesn’t invade just to pillage, anyway.”
”Usually, they just swap out the people at the top and annex the place. The only real difference is that trade picks up. The currency gets standardized, taxes go down… that sort of thing.”
Nina sounded like she couldn’t care less. I wasn’t sure if that was the standard citizen’s view, but I suppose if you aren’t living in a border territory with skin in the game, the grand machinations of an Empire feel pretty distant.
Then again, if Nina had come from a family of merchants or soldiers, she might have felt differently. But she was raised in the Church.
In any case, I’d heard what I needed to hear. I pulled her close and breathed in the scent of her hair.
”Mmph… ♡ B-by the way, Master… what are you going to do until you hear back from ‘Alex’s’ client?”
”Me? Hmm…. I suppose it’s about time I had a little chat with those merchants from Sylvaol…”
”Ah, those guys.”
”Wait, you know about them too?” I asked.
”Well, ‘know’ might be a stretch, but they’ve been haunting the Archbishop’s office lately,” Nina said.
”Heh…. I guess that’s one way to try and get a lead on my products.”
”They’ve been everywhere—the Tasogare Guild, the Garou Guild, the Beast-person Association, the Church… basically anywhere they can get a foot in the door. They seem pretty desperate for a piece of what you’re selling, Master.”
”Well, I have been ignoring them to keep them on the hook,” I said. “If they’re that hungry, we should be able to strike a very favorable deal.”
”Master… you have such a wicked look on your face right now.”
How rude. There’s nothing wrong with a merchant smiling before a big negotiation.
I didn’t say that out loud, though. Instead, I kept that same smile on my face as I kissed the tip of her nose.
And then, to make sure I had plenty of vigor for the workday ahead, I decided to put in a little extra overtime…
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Summary:
The morning after an intense night, Nina and the Master discuss her new responsibilities within the shop. She plans to streamline production lines and continues her specialized product development for the Wielope Empire. Nina reveals that her estranged family has contacted her, signaling the massive success and popularity of their adult goods even in the Imperial Capital. They discuss the current political climate of the Empire, which seems stable despite a shift in expansionist policy. The Master also learns that merchants from Sylvaol are desperately seeking his products through various guilds and the Church. He decides to finally engage them in business, ending the morning with one final intimate moment with Nina.
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Trivia:
- Nina’s family seeking information: This suggests the products are becoming political leverage, not just toys.
- Sylvaol merchants: Their persistence across multiple organizations hints at high stakes for future trade negotiations.
- Alex’s resurrection: The mention of ‘durability’ suggests the soul or body might have complications if the process isn’t perfect
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Character Insight:
Nina has transitioned from a student to a vital business asset, managing production and cultural adaptation. Her willingness to act ‘spoiled’ shows a deepening emotional trust with the Master.
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Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The Wielope Empire’s conquest style is bureaucratic and economic rather than purely destructive, focusing on annexation and tax standardization.
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TL Notes:
The term ‘Trial Course’ was kept as a euphemism to maintain the original playful/spicy tone of the web novel.
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Glossary:
Notes:
• Nina-Mailse – Nina (also known as Nina‑Mailse) is a short‑haired, violet‑haired Sacred Artificer from the Holy City, formerly a Purist Ward of the Wielope Empire who left fundamentalism. She wears thick bottle‑bottom glasses, has a sharp mind, is loyal to the Saint, quietly rebellious, may become Kento’s apprentice in the Church of Demon‑Subjugation, now serves as the protagonist’s disciple and a new shop user.
• Nina – Nina (also known as Nina‑Mailse) is a short‑haired, violet‑haired Sacred Artificer from the Holy City, formerly a Purist Ward of the Wielope Empire who left fundamentalism. She wears thick bottle‑bottom glasses, has a sharp mind, is loyal to the Saint, quietly rebellious, may become Kento’s apprentice in the Church of Demon‑Subjugation, now serves as the protagonist’s disciple and a new shop user.
• Satsuki – Long‑haired court mage in staff‑and‑robes, Miranda’s granddaughter and ex‑top Academy student, lives alone as a prickly tsundere companion to Kento and now a Harvest worker. She plays professor‑student with the modest, easily embarrassed Love‑Mage protagonist, helps the shop with research, Dildo‑Buddy prototype design, and manufacturing insight, and is a friend of Amelia who has just conceived.
• Amelia – Light‑blue‑haired Sister of the Canarias convent, a saintly, shy nun and Kento’s lover, wears his ring on her left finger. She blushes with red‑tinted ears and neck, has a voluptuous figure—among the shop’s women she ranks among the top one or two in breast size—and quietly runs soup kitchens and shop stock in the traditional habit. The only sister not yet pregnant, she visited the protagonist to conceive a child, driven by strong religious conviction.
• Aerith – Gray‑fur wolf‑beast with a sleek tail and elegant dress, Ouka’s daughter and Love‑wolf tribe member of the Merchant Guild Garou. Mother of twins Kaine and Heine, she openly pursues Kento’s creative genius and is one of the protagonist’s lovers, driven by intense physical urges.
• Sera – Young earnest salesperson of the Tasogare Merchant Guild, she supplies Kento and is known for her braided brown hair, large round glasses, freckles, and serious demeanor that flusters easily—especially around his adult‑goods shop. She also serves as Harvest’s dedicated contact, being helpful, cheerful, and diligent.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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