Chapter 407 Preparation ①
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The Wielope Empire¹ is targeting Sister Amelia and the Holy Figure², Loire-Rose. When Her Majesty the Queen gave me the news, I found myself wrapped in a calm that felt almost eerie.
A flash of white-hot emotion had surged through me, swelling until something inside just… snapped. It must have looked strange; Her Majesty seemed genuinely worried about me. But I suppose that’s just how the mind works – when an emotion gets too heavy to carry, it ends up anchoring you instead.
I will protect Amelia. I don’t care what it takes. But I can’t just turn a blind eye to Loire-Rose, either. If the Holy Figure were to be replaced, there’s no guarantee her successor would be willing to overlook my shop’s… unique inventory.
Worse yet, the bond between the Canaria Kingdom and the Church would likely shatter. If the new Holy Figure leaned toward the Wielope Empire – which they almost certainly would – we’d be in deep. Nobody wants to end up assassinated like their predecessor.
In a perfect world, Amelia would receive the Holy Figure’s blessing, and the alliance between the Kingdom and the Church would go public. Plan B would be to keep things exactly as they are until the trend of treating Amelia like a living saint just dies down.
Actually, Plan B might be the better play. Regardless, their safety comes first. That means stopping this assassination by any means necessary – though, when it comes to actual combat, I’m essentially dead weight.
If this were a war like back in the Coalmine Kingdom, I could just sell a mountain of Ddo-Buddies³ and call it a day. But you can’t exactly fend off a professional assassin by brandishing a vibrator. It’s frustrating how powerless I am here.
All I can do is stay out of the way. Her Majesty, her maid Muse, and Captain Merluza of the Elite Guard are going to be swamped for a while. Our “experiments” at the shop are on hold, and while the three of them looked heartbroken about it, I promised them a special reward once this is all over.
Then there’s the convent. For the sake of their sister Amelia and the Holy Figure they serve, the nuns are going to have to mobilize. Our manufacturing plant is going to be running on a skeleton crew for the foreseeable future.
”Man, what a mess…” I muttered.
”Something on your mind?”
As I sat there scratching my head in frustration, my lovely elf, Tania, eased herself down onto the seat next to me. Her belly was quite prominent now; there was no mistaking the pregnancy.
”Yeah… just thinking about the whole Amelia situation,” I replied.
I’d already filled the girls in. I worried the stress might be bad for the baby, but Amelia is a dear friend to them – family, really. If I’d kept them in the dark, I have a feeling I’d never have heard the end of it.
”Well, I’m happy to listen, if it helps…” Tania said quietly.
”Mmm. But before that, can I say hi?” I asked.
”Hehe. Go right ahead.”
With her permission, I began rubbing her swollen stomach. I nuzzled against her, planting kisses all over while giving my best “Daddy’s here!” greeting. I could feel the tension draining out of me, replaced by her soft, steady warmth.
”You know, you don’t have to keep telling the baby,” she teased. “It’ll be a long time before they’re even born, let alone talking.”
”No way. I’ve got to start the training now. I’m not letting anyone beat me to the punch this time. We’re rivals, remember?”
When our daughter Momo finally spoke her first word, it was “Mama.” It took another week of begging before I got a “Papa.” I swore right then and there: next time, I’m winning.
”Fine, fine. I’ll admit defeat,” Tania said, after a pause. “I’ll even help you out when the time comes.”
She looked exasperated, but she pulled my head into her lap anyway. Her chest felt… maybe a tiny bit softer? Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. Either way, I savored the feeling as she gently stroked my hair.
”By the way,” she said, “another elf stopped me on the street today.”
”Again? Tell me if they’re bothering you, okay?”
”No, it’s fine. The elves who live among humans are a strange bunch, but they’ve all been friendly. Today, one of them was very intensely asking me for tips on how to ‘catch’ a human man.”
Tania chuckled softly. Lately, she’s become a bit of a celebrity among the local elves. A pregnant elf is an incredibly rare sight – not just to humans, but to the long-lived elves themselves.
Usually, elves don’t bother much with procreating. Even when they do, the odds of actually conceiving are abysmal. When Tania and I started trying, we figured it might take decades, if it happened at all.
”I’d think any human guy would jump at the chance if an elf so much as looked at him,” I muttered.
”It’s more complicated than that. She was worried about how to truly connect with someone who will age and die in the blink of an eye. She was quite troubled.”
”…Right. Sorry. That’s a heavy topic.”
”Don’t be. It’s our burden to carry,” Tania replied. “Elves are complicated creatures. In human terms, I suppose you’d say our love is ‘too heavy.’ Most men end up running away, saying they didn’t sign up for something so intense once things get serious.”
The hand stroking my hair was still gentle, but the arm holding me tightened just a fraction. I hugged her back as firmly as I could without bothering the baby. She rewarded me with a shower of bonus kisses.
”Goodness. Thanks to you, I’m already wanting a second one, and the first isn’t even out yet,” she whispered.
”Don’t be in such a rush. I’ll get you pregnant with a second, third, and fourth as soon as you’re ready.”
”Is that a promise?”
I must have hit a nerve, because she started showering me with even more passionate kisses – nipping at my ears, my neck, my fingers. Ever since she got pregnant, she’s been hanging out with Laika so much that her way of showing affection is starting to feel a bit… feral.
”So, what advice did you give that elf anyway?” I asked.
”Hm? Well, these things are mostly down to fate. I couldn’t exactly tell her to go find a shady magic shop owner for an ‘experiment’… so I just recommended some of our products.”
”…How does that solve anything?”
”It helps more than you’d think. At the very least, it keeps them from confusing lust with love. I think we’ve found a new regular. You have that to look forward to.”
I wasn’t exactly planning on adding more elf wives to the collection… but I guess I can just “enjoy the harassment” for now. We stayed like that for a while, just flirting and enjoying each other’s company.
”Phew… So, do you feel any better about your problems?” Tania asked.
”Eh? Oh, yeah… I guess so. Just the usual – worrying about Amelia, the factory shutting down, that sort of thing.”
The words just spilled out. I’m really no match for her. This used to be Lily’s specialty, but it looks like Tania’s picking up the slack. Actually, Lily probably coached her. I can practically hear her saying, “Just let him bury his face in your chest; that’ll fix him.”
”Well, as for the factory, I could always step up my own production to help out -“
”Denied. Absolutely not. No way,” I cut her off.
”Why so blunt?”
”Because I’m already worried enough as it is! No more overworking. Period.”
”Fine, fine. But listen… all we have to do is protect Amelia and the Holy Figure, right? There might be a way to handle that if we play our cards right.”
”…You’re not going to do anything reckless, right?”
”Of course not. If anyone’s going to be doing the hard work, Kento, it’s you.”
Tania cupped my face in her hands and looked deep into my eyes. I didn’t quite catch her meaning, but if there’s something I can do, I’m going to give it everything I’ve got. I tried to nod, but she held me still, leaning in for one more gentle kiss.
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Summary:
Kento learns of an assassination plot by the Wielope Empire against Sister Amelia and the Holy Figure. While he feels powerless as a merchant, he finds comfort in his pregnant wife Tania. They discuss the difficulties elves face in loving short-lived humans.
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Trivia:
- The nuns at the convent act as Kento’s manufacturing factory for adult goods.
- Kento previously sold ‘Ddo-Buddies’ during the Coalmine Kingdom conflict.
- Momo’s first word was ‘Mama,’ creating a playful rivalry for Kento.
- Elves have a very low conception rate, making Tania’s pregnancy a rare miracle
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Character Insight:
Kento demonstrates a protective but realistic nature, acknowledging his lack of combat skill. Tania shows growing emotional intelligence and ‘beast-like’ affection as her pregnancy progresses.
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Behind the Scenes:
The term ‘heavy love’ (ai ga omoi) is a common trope in Japanese media referring to obsessive or burdensome levels of affection.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Loire-Rose – The current Saintess, possessing a divine appearance yet a modern, playful, and irreverent attitude that clashes with Church tradition. She has white hair, pale skin, blue eyes, and wears clergy robes.
• Amelia – The Sister of the Church of Demon-Subjugating, who usually buys from Kento, has light blue hair.
• 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.
• 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.
• Tania – An Elf adventurer who, despite her race’s reputation for low sex drive, is secretly quite passionate. She initially seemed ‘wasted’ (emotionally dry) to her friend Raika, but was easily introduced to the pleasure-items sold at ‘Harvest.’ She is easily embarrassed and attempts to maintain a dignified facade, despite her recent, frequent purchases. She wears practical but light armor over a simple cloth tunic and short pants, highlighting her grace and agility. Her primary relationship is one of friendly senior-junior with Raika.
• Momo – The newborn daughter of Kento and Lily. She has pink hair and her father’s ear and eyebrow shapes.
• Laika – The beastwoman dog.
• 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.
• 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.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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