[Saturday afternoon, the second week of March.]
While Yunia and Ludmila devote their weekend to enhancing their magical abilities, another person here is using this precious holiday to strengthen something else.
Wealth.
“Ta-da, what do you think?”
“Already finished packing?”
“Of course, naturally!”
Evangeline smiled, pointing at the fully packaged magic pants.
The magic pants I’d mass-produced by Friday were set to be distributed to the Academy undergraduates the following week.
However, Evangeline had continued packing during her weekend, sacrificing her time off.
Naturally, this wasn’t free.
During designated lecture hours, she could cover it under mana theory classes and related practical work, but working for the Academy students over the weekend was a different story.
“How much is the Academy paying you?”
“About what commoners in the Di Ercy Empire earn in a month.”
From the Empire’s perspective, it’s pocket money.
However, for an undergraduate, there aren’t many jobs that pay that amount in a day, especially if one is a Princess.
But.
“Here you go.”
“Ooh.”
That’s more like a student worker scholarship from the Academy for Evangeline, while the real backer of her weekend work came from elsewhere.
“If we sell this, you could get at least ten times that.”
“Any more work for me? I can also help pack mana bread.”
“We haven’t started making mana bread yet, so there’s nothing to pack.”
In a few hours, Evangeline made enough money from packing magic pants to buy a carriage.
In terms of hourly earnings, only hunters who hunt B-rank or higher beasts might make more.
“Oh, right…”
Evangeline looked disheartened. She saw her ‘best side job’ as anything she could do for me, so without that, she’d have to use her time a bit less productively.
Though she could consider Academy classes as an investment to eventually secure a scholarship, Evangeline was in a position where she needed to strategically allocate her remaining time to increase her tuition funds and Empire’s budget.
“Don’t rush too much.”
I placed a hand on Evangeline’s head.
“I’ll see if I can set up a factory for mass-producing magic pants in your Empire.”
“Really?!”
Evangeline’s eyes sparkled.
“Wait, but… is that alright?”
“Considering the production costs and profits of magic pants, repurposing existing facilities is a good option. But building a new factory would create jobs, wouldn’t it?”
“Well, obviously, but…!” “I’ll talk to either Yurha Silverstar or Alhena Silverstar to see if they can help set up a factory. They’re sharp, so when you present it to the Empire, you can say you worked hard to convince them.”
“…”
Evangeline fidgeted with her fingers, staying silent. She looked down, embarrassed yet grateful.
“I, well…”
“You don’t have to feel like you have nothing to offer in return.”
I lifted the downcast Evangeline up.
“Kyaa?!”
“Think of it as the price for being my stress-relief doll.”
“Did you just say that out loud?”
“Even if I say there’s no need to repay me, you wouldn’t listen, right?”
“…Hmph.”
Evangeline raised her hands in surrender.
“So, you’re saying I can act shamelessly, then?”
“By all means. Ah, should I give you a reason to be a bit less shameless?”
“What reason?”
“I’m looking to gain experience in mana massages. Would you be willing to participate in my research? The research fee would be quite rewarding.”
“So that’s the excuse you’re making?”
“Nothing wrong with it, right?”
Although both of us understood each other well, respecting each other’s pride and boundaries was important.
“Fine, go ahead, do as you please.”
“Alright, like this then.”
Maintaining the position, I adjusted my hold, lifting her like a doll and supporting her from below.
“Are you a p*rvert?”
Evangeline narrowed her eyes at my hand, which was placed near the inside of her thigh, just short of her backside.
“Can we agree it’s unavoidable physical contact for the research?”
“What kind of research, exactly?”
“Oh, you know, researching how to extend the body through mana massage.”
“When it’s Yunia or Ludmila, you’re figuring out how to make things plump and curvy, but with me, it’s height?”
“You don’t want to grow taller?”
“No, it’s not that, but…”
Evangeline pouted before letting out a sigh.
“Hah, whatever. This is only because we’re in my room; otherwise, I’d never go along with this.”
With that, she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, crossing her legs behind my waist to cling tightly.
“One gold for ten minutes.”
“That’s cheap. I thought it would be one gold per minute.”
“…Should I make it that?”
“Kidding.”
I sat down on her bed, allowing Evangeline to relax, putting her at ease.
“Just so you know, I don’t go around being generous to just anyone. I only do this for someone I want to bring into my harem and make them mine.”
“Then?”
“For someone I want to make one of my women, I’d treat them like this
“Hah, really….”
Evangeline gave a soft laugh, meeting my eyes.
“Can you really say that to an Imperial princess?”
“Even if it were the real Goddess herself, if she caught my interest, I’d add her to my harem.”
“…You really don’t hold back, do you?”
Evangeline stayed close, even as she muttered in mock annoyance.
“Oh, right. You should be careful.”
“Hm?”
“I get these magic DMs sometimes.”
“Magic… DMs?”
It sounded suspiciously like a modern social media message—there were certainly hints of contemporary life, even here, thanks to the magic network.
“Yeah. Unlike you all, I’m one of the few who uses magic SNS at the Old School Building.”
If you put “magic” in front of anything, it seems it can adapt modern elements into this world. It feels more like an era around 2020 than anything fully modern.
“I get anonymous messages asking if I can smuggle out magic pants. They offer a hefty price, asking if I can get one just for them.”
“Academy undergraduates?”
“Academy undergraduates get them for free, but they must have brothers or fathers. And sons who want to impress their parents would go to great lengths.”
Evangeline drew an imaginary crown above her head with her hand.
“The more responsibilities they shoulder, the more willing they are to use any means necessary.”
“…”
“I know. I’m the same, after all.”
Evangeline held me tightly, her hands resting gently on my back.
“But… I don’t act like this with just anyone. It’s because it’s you.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“I’m not joking.”
“I didn’t take it as a joke.”
“…Hmph.”
Evangeline turned her head, her face flushed.
“Honestly, going to these lengths for someone so small.”
“Small, yes, but beautiful, so it doesn’t matter.”
“What?”
“After all, what matters is the face you’ll be looking at all your life, not the body. You only need to see the body when making babies.”
“You really don’t hold back.”
Evangeline pressed her hands against my face, squishing it slightly.
“Even when it comes to making children, a small woman like me would go through so much pain. Especially if men grow bigger because of those magic pants you developed—I might not survive.”
“We won’t know unless we try, right?”
“I’ve never experienced it myself, but as a princess, I’ve seen reports on people injured or worse.”
For someone else, it might be an uncomfortable topic, but as a member of the Imperial family, Evangeline probably had access to various national statistics.
Not just polished data for public dissemination but raw statistics that those who run the country need to know.
“Imagine if all women had to deal with someone like Dean Ederson Lionheart, or, well…”
Evangeline looked down for a moment.
“…Someone like you. They’d be ruined.”
“And if they weren’t?”
“What?”
“There are… ways.”
I leaned close and whispered softly into her ear.
“…!!”
At my words, Evangeline shot up and put some distance between us.
“W-What…?”
Then she glanced down, measuring with her fingers, raising her hand to her navel.
“I-Is that… really possible?”
“Of course. The human body is amazing, and magic is even more so.”
I hadn’t expected to discuss this at the Academy, but it’s not impossible.
“There’s a certain magic among the Light Attribute spells that helps ‘adjust’ the body for a fair match.”
“A fair match…?”
“It allows for… elasticity.”
I held up one hand, fingers gathered close, and covered it with my other hand.
“It’s like… stretching to make it fit.”
“E-Elasticity…?”
“Yes. With magic, you can accept it without any pain or harm.”
It’s one of the world’s secrets.
“How do you think beastfolk came to be?”
“…Huh?”
“Did they start as beastfolk, or were they born from the union of humans and magical creatures?”
“W-Wait, you’re saying…?”
“If a five-meter magical beast with intelligence and human form had offspring, how do you think it happened?”
In ancient times…
“There was magic that allowed one to face a much larger opponent without harm.”
There was an era where different species shared love, and the God of Light worked miracles so that life could be born from that love.
No matter the size…
As long as there was love, there was no pain or injury.
