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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Wow! Senior! Hello!”
“Hello…”
Avril, exhaustion etched on her face, gave a weak smile and waved at Milia, who greeted her with bright enthusiasm.
Had I overworked them too much?
I had pushed them relentlessly to learn quickly, and they looked terrible. Jericho, in particular, looked like his soul had left his body as he listlessly poked at his steak.
“Johann, is that guy… dead?”
“No, just tired.”
Yes, just tired. Meow.
Though he looked more like an alcoholic suffering from withdrawal, it was a win-win situation.
He had a job, and he was being forced to quit drinking.
It was a perfect job, almost like he had saved a country in his past life. Once the withdrawal symptoms subsided, he would look more… human.
I had even placed a magical restriction on him, so he couldn’t drink even if he wanted to. His recovery was guaranteed.
“Milia, don’t develop a taste for alcohol. You’ll end up like that.”
“Okay! I’ll never drink!”
“Good girl.”
“M-Me too…”
I patted Milia and Elisa on their heads.
“Using people as cautionary tales…”
“If you have the energy to talk, finish your food. We have to get back to work.”
“There’s… more work…?”
He looked completely broken. I looked at Karina, who was sitting at the end of the table, elegantly cutting her steak into small pieces.
The sight of the small pieces of steak disappearing into her mouth was both elegant and… sensual.
The way her… assets pressed against the table as she leaned forward to take a bite was… distracting. It was hard to look away. It was a man’s primal instinct.
There was no need to glare at me like that.
I averted my gaze under Renny’s sharp glare and looked at the four new recruits… or rather, employees.
They were too exhausted to even look at Karina, let alone react to her presence. They were just shoveling food into their mouths.
The fact that they were Theology students, yet none of them were shedding tears of gratitude, praying, or fainting at the sight of Karina was proof of their exhaustion.
…Come to think of it, if they weren’t Theology students, they would probably be dead by now.
“Johann, are you listening?”
“Sorry, what did you say?”
“The festival is coming up. Are you going to be escorting Karina the entire time? No time off?”
“…It’s unlikely.”
“That’s too bad…”
“I know…”
Why were they sighing?
I offered some words of comfort and thought about the festival.
Saint Sabrina’s Day.
An annual city-wide festival in Kalon, and also Karina’s first official public appearance as the Saintess. She had a packed schedule.
A speech in the town square, reciting prayers at various events, awarding the winner of the martial arts tournament…
She would be busy throughout the festival, which meant Renny and I would be glued to her side.
The Halphas Cult would likely try something. They had attempted to assassinate Karina during the festival in the original story.
While the city guard would be providing additional security, I couldn’t rely on them entirely. They were notoriously incompetent, known for their “salary theft” in the original story.
My trust in the city guard was practically non-existent.
“Don’t be too disappointed. We can all go to the night market together.”
She had no official duties at night.
“Really?”
“Her schedule ends in the evening, so we can all go to the night market and watch the fireworks.”
Karina’s voice was filled with anticipation.
Despite the hectic schedule, she seemed to be looking forward to the night market and fireworks. I had to make sure everything went smoothly.
“I’m going to the workshop. I’m in the final stages of development.”
“Ah, that thing?”
Renny, who had seen the device I was working on, seemed excited. I had promised to make one for her.
“You’re giving it to me first, right?”
“Yes.”
“Huh? What about me, Johann?”
“It’s a combat device, so it’s not suitable for you. It’s too heavy.”
“Hmph… Fine.”
Milia looked disappointed and turned away. It made sense, it was a combat device, after all. She looked like a child who didn’t get a present.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“Okay! See you later!”
“See you later.”
“No… distractions…?”
“You know what will happen if I catch you slacking off.”
“This place is hell…”
I glared at the exhausted Jericho and stood up. Time to leave.
I had to finish the prototype.
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The weight was just right.
It should be durable enough to withstand anything short of Aura-enhanced or mithril weapons.
I examined the newly completed device, turning it over in my hands. It was almost finished, but it wasn’t perfect yet. I needed to check for any flaws or mistakes.
I didn’t think I had made any mistakes during the crafting process… but the real test would be in its practical application.
I equipped the device.
The bracer, designed to protect the hand and wrist, fit perfectly. It was custom-made, after all.
“The fit is good.”
I had experimented with various leathers and settled on shadow panther hide as the base material.
The soft, supple texture made it comfortable to wear, and the flexibility of the leather allowed for a full range of motion.
Time for a functionality test.
I left the workshop and stood about fifteen meters away from a scarecrow I had placed in the front yard. That was the maximum range I had envisioned during the design phase.
“I hope it works.”
I extended my arm.
I flipped my hand palm up and pressed the switch on the underside of the bracer.
“…I missed.”
I pressed the button on my wrist to retract the grappling hook. The harpoon, attached to a wire, retracted smoothly, like a tape measure, and returned to its housing on the bracer.
One more time.
Another miss. Was I not used to it yet?
One more time.
I aimed carefully, trying to maintain a horizontal trajectory, but it still missed.
Not enough force? Tension? Center of gravity?
One last time.
I moved closer, reducing the distance. Ten meters. The grappling hook embedded itself perfectly in the scarecrow’s chest.
So it worked within ten meters.
I would have to test it at various distances to collect accurate data.
The effective range turned out to be about twelve meters.
A decent range, but still a bit… underwhelming.
Time to disassemble it and analyze the flaws.
“Jo~hann!”
“What is it, Milia?”
“I’m bored, so I came to watch!”
She was just bored. I chuckled, watching her enter the workshop.
She would probably sit in her usual spot and read a book. I moved the battered scarecrow aside and entered the workshop.
As expected, Milia was curled up on the plush sofa I had made for her, reading a book.
“Milia, your skirt is riding up.”
“Wow~ Johann, you’re so naughty~”
She adjusted her skirt with a flat tone. She wasn’t embarrassed, she just didn’t want to hear me lecture her. She placed a bookmark in her book and looked at me.
“Johann, do you… feel anything?”
“No.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Really, really?”
Why was she being so persistent? She pouted and turned away, clearly upset by my answer.
“You don’t understand my feelings…”
“Is that so?”
“And you’re not even paying attention…”
“Yes, yes.”
“Are you… impotent…?”
What?
I stared at her in disbelief. She was looking at me with a serious expression. Don’t look down there. I’m not.
I’m perfectly capable.
“…How did you arrive at that conclusion?”
How did I end up being called impotent? The unexpected accusation caught me off guard. That was a bit much.
“B-But you’re surrounded by so many women, and you don’t react at all…”
“I’m just… maintaining professional boundaries.”
Getting involved with any of them would make my life incredibly complicated, potentially hindering my progress towards the true ending.
That was my greatest fear.
Missing the true ending because of an unexpected variable.
And even if I did want to date someone, I didn’t have the time. I would be spending most of my time with Karina, and I doubted anyone would be okay with that.
“You don’t have to maintain boundaries with me…”
“Stop saying strange things and read your book. I have to work.”
“Hmph. But you don’t hate me, right?”
“No.”
Why was she like this?
I looked down at Milia, who had settled into my lap and resumed reading.
…Whatever.
I put on my work gloves.
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