Chapter 79 The Court Mage’s Secret Double Life and the Enthusiastic New Worker
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The morning for Satsuki¹, the new worker at the magic item shop Harvest, began early. Waking up in the apartment she rented in the Royal Capital, far from her parents, she washed her face and rinsed her mouth, then carefully combed her long, proud black hair.
”Fuwaah…”
She yawned widely, tidying her bedhead and polishing her hair until it shone. Even yesterday, after a full day’s work, she had stayed up late developing the magic heating device. Naturally, she got home late and collapsed onto her bed, sleeping like a log.
But, as frustrating as it was, these were fulfilling days. The pace of her research was far quicker when Kento taught her than when she was tinkering alone with those indecent magic items. Satsuki unconsciously hummed a tune while preparing her breakfast.
”Hmm-hmm-hmmn.”
Today’s breakfast was sliced store-bought baguette with a stir-fry of meat, eggs, and vegetables sandwiched inside. This stir-fry, in fact, was a leftover from the free meal she was allowed to take home from Harvest yesterday. Kento had called it “Chanpuru²,” though apparently it wasn’t official Chanpuru without “tofu,” a detail that Satsuki didn’t quite grasp.
Though she wondered why a magic item shop even offered free meals, she didn’t complain because the food—despite looking hastily made—was strangely delicious. Furthermore, it saved her money on food, and for Satsuki, who tended to neglect meals when she was engrossed in research, it was a gratefully received system.
”Alright then…”
She quickly finished her sandwich, put on her usual robe, and grabbed her usual staff. These were her favorites, purchased with her first Court Mage salary. She was dressed as an undeniable, highly skilled magic user for all to see.
Puffing out her chest, her first destination was the Royal Palace. Although she was currently working as a technician at Harvest, her primary occupation remained that of a Court Mage. Reporting on her progress was mandatory, and more importantly, the Palace represented the cutting edge of magic research in the Canaria Kingdom. Attending daily was a professional necessity, a duty, to ensure she didn’t fall behind the times.
”Good morning.”
”Oh, you really are an early bird, aren’t you? So, how’s the ‘Ddo-Buddy’ making going?”
A senior female mage, who seemed to have pulled an all-nighter herself at the Palace, greeted her with a half-smile. She wasn’t a bad senior, but she had an irritating habit of teasing Satsuki like this.
”It’s not good or bad, just… nothing to report,” Satsuki replied coolly.
”Don’t be so prickly³. I’m actually envious! Imagine being one of the first to get your hands on the latest adult magic items from that store.”
The senior continued, still half-smiling but clearly serious. Because of Her Majesty the Queen’s keen interest, adult magic items had completely saturated the female staff within the Palace.
Sighing at that fact, Satsuki completed a few tasks, and then, at last, headed for Harvest. She was, of course, sneaking through the back alleys. On days like this, she thought, her usual impressive attire was both a blessing and a curse.
”Good morning.”
”Ah, good morning, Lady Satsuki.”
Stepping in through the back entrance, she was greeted by Lily, the experimental slave. Despite being called a slave, her actions were practically unconstrained; rather, she was one of the few people who could actually make Kento listen. Satsuki had quickly realized that the true master of this shop was Lily.
”What’s on the agenda for today’s work, Lily-san?” Satsuki inquired.
”Hmm, thanks to you, Lady Satsuki, we have some breathing room. You’re free to focus solely on the magic heating device development, but…”
Lily glanced toward the only bed in the room. Lying there, sleeping like the dead, was none other than the shop owner, Kento.
”It was a trap, wasn’t it?” Satsuki stated.
”It was a trap,” Lily confirmed.
”Is he an idiot?” Satsuki pressed.
”He’s an idiot,” Lily deadpanned.
He had accepted an “invitation” from Aerith-jou of the Garou Merchant Guild last night and trotted right out—interrupting his work with Satsuki on the heating device.
Aerith-jou had claimed it was a “celebration” because the Tremble-Ddo-Buddy had successfully gone back on sale, but Kento had been fully aware that yesterday was the very peak of her estrus cycle.
In fact, Aerith-jou probably hadn’t even tried to hide it; the invitation allegedly included a handwritten line saying, “Please stay until morning, darling ♥.” The one who went was reckless, but the one who called him was just as bad.
”I mean, everyone here, are you all right with this, Lily-san?” Satsuki asked, genuinely perplexed.
She simply couldn’t comprehend the mindset of the women gathered at this shop. They all seemed to be romantically involved with Kento, yet they would casually send him off to another woman. I would never be able to tolerate that, she thought privately.
”I am a slave, so I’m not in a position to interfere with my Master’s relationships,” Lily said, shrugging slightly. “But if I had to say, I just can’t bring myself to look away from such an interesting person, nor can I bring myself to completely tie him down.”
Looking around, Satsuki saw the other members nodding slightly in agreement. Tania, the magic user ancestor of their country; Laika, the dog beastkin who was an A-Rank Adventurer; Sister Amelia of the Church of Demon-Subjugation. Each of them was a woman of distinction, a person Satsuki could respect in her own way.
As Satsuki wrestled with her increasingly complicated thoughts, Lily bustled over to Kento’s bed and began to gently shake his body. Satsuki watched the scene but quickly averted her eyes in a fluster when Lily tried to give the groggy Kento an energy tonic via a mouth-to-mouth transfer.
* * *
”Yeah, my bad, my bad.” Kento rubbed his eyes.
”If you really mean that, then could you please stop playing with fire while I’m around?” Satsuki sighed, directing a frigid glare at him. He approached the workbench, showing no hint of remorse. Satsuki couldn’t help but sigh again at the sight of a stray piece of hair sticking straight up from his bedhead—especially with Lily fussily trying to fix it for him. It was a sight she couldn’t stand to look at.
”So, um, we decided to go with a metal exterior in the end, right?” Kento asked.
”Yes. We need to be careful about it getting too hot, but metal is suitable for on-site production, and we really can’t compromise on durability,” Satsuki explained.
”I see. Well, if the mineral expert says so, I have no argument,” Kento conceded.
They immediately dove into discussing the magic heating device. As development progressed, Kento naturally took charge of the internal structure while Satsuki handled the external design. They each applied their own ingenuity, constantly searching for the best possible configuration.
However, Kento occasionally made conceptual leaps that Satsuki struggled to follow. For instance, moments like this:
”Hmm, in that case, let’s make it capable of igniting things, too. Since the exterior is metal, there’s no risk of it catching fire,” Kento suggested.
”I told you that’s impossible because it increases the manufacturing hassle! Don’t bring it up again!” Satsuki shot back, exasperated.
”No, I kind of want to give it the function of a flamethrowing weapon. It feels like a waste to distribute it only for heating,” Kento countered.
”Even so, even the Fire Rat’s Hide⁴ wouldn’t be able to generate that much firepower, would it?” Satsuki pondered aloud.
”We can spray oil! We could even throw an oil jar. Flame Frog oil burns well even in small amounts,” Kento proposed enthusiastically.
”Hmm, it’s true I’ve heard such weapons existed before magic became widespread, but…”
It was an idea that would never have occurred to Satsuki, who could accomplish most things with magic alone. After much deliberation, they ultimately decided to prepare two separate blueprints. The final decision would be left to the military high command.
Satsuki was annoyed by the extra work, but she was also aware of her own growing interest. She wasn’t sure how meaningful it would be to have common soldiers attempting to mimic the actions of Magic Soldiers⁵.
Yet, she couldn’t dismiss the idea: In the snowy north, during a blizzard, a sudden guerrilla attack—what if they could subject an enemy soldier to that attack at point-blank range? It was a near-fanciful scenario, but not entirely impossible, and the battlefield imagery it conjured was vivid.
Her invention, one she was personally involved in, would contribute to the defense of the nation. For Satsuki, who had been forced to analyze obscene magic items, that was an impossibly attractive concept.
”Well, the development funds are plentiful, so let’s do as much as we can,” Kento said, shrugging it off.
”Just make sure you stick to the deadline!” Satsuki warned.
”Leave it to me!” Kento assured her.
Lily’s earlier words, “I just can’t bring myself to look away from such an interesting person,” made a little more sense now. That understanding complicated Satsuki’s feelings.
”Oh, by the way, what about a name for this magic heating device? How about ‘Zutto Hot-kun⁶‘?” Kento asked, oblivious.
”What is it with you and that absolutely disastrous naming sense?” Satsuki groaned.
Correction. Satsuki realized she still couldn’t understand this shop, or Kento, after all…””
—
Summary:
Satsuki’s secret life as a Palace Mage and an adult shop worker continues to clash. Her frustration boils over when she discovers Kento ditched work to spend the night with Aerith-jou—a messy, open secret that Lily treats as normal. The women of Harvest bafflingly allow this, which confuses Satsuki’s rigid sense of fidelity. Despite Kento’s slacking, their work on the new magic heater device progresses, and Kento introduces a shocking idea: weaponizing the heater as a flamethrower. Satsuki is reluctantly intrigued, feeling a pull toward her duty to the kingdom, even if her partner is a chaotic slacker with terrible taste in names.
—
Character Insight:
Satsuki is rigid and dutiful, deeply uncomfortable with the casual, polyamorous relationships at Harvest. Her disgust is a cover for a deeper feeling of confusion and perhaps even envy at the freedom the other women possess. Her dedication to the heater project shows her inner desire to escape the ‘shame’ of the adult magic shop by contributing to a noble cause.
—
Behind the Scene:
The comedic setup is the contrast between Satsuki’s serious, professional background and the absurdly casual, highly sexualized environment of Harvest. Kento’s ‘idiot’ status is a running gag, and his ability to distract the Court Mage with genuinely innovative (if chaotic) ideas is a key part of his charm and the shop’s success. The inclusion of the ‘Chanpuru’ meal grounds the fantastical setting with a touch of real-world, domestic life.
—
T/L:
¹ Satsuki’s name is rendered here without any honorifics to match the general tone of the English narrative. ↩
² Chanpuru is a famous stir-fry dish from Okinawan cuisine, often made with bitter melon, tofu, and other ingredients. Kento’s version, lacking tofu, is humorously considered ‘inauthentic.’ ↩
³ The Japanese phrase Tsunken shinasan na (ツンケンしなさんな) is a very direct and slightly rough way of telling someone to ‘stop being so aloof,’ ‘prickly,’ or ‘cold.’ ↩
⁴ The Fire Rat’s Hide (火鼠の皮) likely refers to a magical or mythological material in this world, similar to mythical creatures whose materials are used in high-level items. ↩
⁵ The Japanese uses Madou-hei (魔導兵), which specifically means ‘Magic Soldiers’ or ‘Magic-wielding Troops,’ differentiating them from regular soldiers. ↩
⁶ Zutto Hot-kun (ずっとホットくん) is a pun. Zutto Hot means ‘Always Hot,’ and -kun is a common, slightly affectionate male honorific, making the name sound endearingly (and disastrously) childish and literal. ↩
Notes:
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Amelia – The Sister of the Church of Demon-Subjugating, who usually buys from Kento, has light blue hair.
• Laika – The beastwoman dog.
• 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.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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