10. Condom (2)

“We’ve crossed a big mountain.”

“Thanks to Lily. Until now, I and the alchemists were like teaching fish how to swim.”

A bitter smile flashed across Jane’s lips.

I shook my head vigorously and said to her:

“It was just luck. And this is only the beginning.”

Although we’d synthesized the slime rubber for the condom material, Jane’s work was far from over.

She needed to observe property changes based on core additive ratios, discuss manufacturing methods with me,

determine condom sizes, and even handcraft some samples.

Moreover, since we couldn’t make everything ourselves, we had to select outsourcing partners and send samples to gauge reactions.

As I listed the remaining tasks one by one, Jane turned slightly pale and let out a small sigh.

“Right. There’s still so much left to do.”

“But you should take it easy sometimes.”

“Huh?”

I liked seeing Jane immersed in her experiments.

A sexy woman focused on her work.

Mmm.

But I didn’t want her to be immersed only in experiments.

Even though we shared the same space, I still felt lonely.

At my grumbling, Jane’s eyebrows twitched.

It almost seemed like she was asking, “You’re saying this?” which stung a little.

Because when I get absorbed in work, I hardly pay attention to my surroundings either.

“I have a lot to say, but I’ll let it slide for now.”

“Your mercy knows no bounds.”

I exaggerated my gratitude like a vassal pardoned by the king.

Jane made me pay for my cheekiness by pinching both my cheeks hard.

“Owwww.”

“You’re not resisting, are you?”

“A-E-I-O…”

“No, that sounds like resistance.”

“Hing-da A-E-I-O.”

I denied Jane’s suspicion with a deliberately garbled pronunciation.

Jane let out a puff of laughter and released my cheeks, which I rubbed soothingly.

Anyway, the biggest problem-the raw materials-had been solved.

With newfound ease in her expression, Jane began showing interest in what I was doing.

“Why do you draw the lines differently like this?”

“For clarity. The thick solid lines here show the part’s outline, and the dashed lines represent hidden sections.”

“Hmm… It’s much more systematic than I thought.”

Jane seemed fascinated by the sketches.

But as the blueprint neared completion, her eyes grew wider.

“Lily, were you nobility?”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head at her sudden question about nobility.

Nobility? Me? I might’ve been a slave’s descendant…

“Not just anyone can learn such specialized knowledge.”

“Not at all.”

“Then was your family wealthy?”

I shook my head at Jane’s increasingly off-track guesses.

But I didn’t mention my gloomy past life.

That I was poor, struggled through university,

and was practically shoved into a small company right after graduation.

I didn’t want to dampen Jane’s mood by bringing up those hardships.

After a while, Jane, still speculating about my past, raised another question.

“Lily, even if you draw the blueprint like this, won’t the craftsmen fail to understand it?”

“Then we’ll just teach them how to read it.”

At my casual reply, Jane frowned.

Staring at her face, I quietly marveled.

It reminded me of Xi Shi of the Yue Kingdom, whose frown was said to be captivating.

After a moment of contemplation, Jane pressed her temples as if she had a headache.

“Well… Never mind. It’s better to experience it firsthand.”

“Huh?”

She seemed to have a lot more to say.

But Jane never gave me an answer.

“Why does this part go here?”

“Ah, that’s…”

Her blatant topic shift only deepened my curiosity.

But under the barrage of questions that followed, I soon forgot about it like a fool.

***

Though not as extreme as Korea’s four seasons-spring, suuuuummer, fall, and wiiiiinter-the Kingdom of Albion still has distinct weather changes.

Comparatively, it’s similar to Western Europe: cool summers and warm winters.

When I first planned the condom production facility, I estimated the blueprint would be finished by autumn.

Without computers or standardized specifications, I had to build everything from scratch-well, not quite from scratch, but from three or four steps onward.

But an unexpected variable drastically changed the situation.

Namely, the presence of the kingdom’s youngest and most talented court mage-Jane Batory-by my side.

Like Doraemon pulling tools out of thin air, she conjured pencils and drafting instruments for me.

After hearing a brief explanation, she even started helping with my tasks.

And thus, I welcomed my human computer.

No need for manual calculations-just input numbers, and the answer pops out instantly.

At this rate, the blueprint work might finish before summer even begins.

Meaning, I’ll run out of things to do.

Seems like it’s time to resume neglected chores like shop cleaning and Jane’s care.

Amidst these wandering thoughts, a fundamental question arose:

Is all this effort really necessary?

Who knows how many people will buy condoms? Is setting up mass production facilities the right move?

What if I’m just being stubborn, and Jane is humoring my whims?

“Why worry about that?”

“W-well…”

“It’s true you started this project because you wanted to. But I’m continuing it because it benefits me too. Didn’t you say this was for me in the first place?”

“We could just make them by hand instead of designing all this.”

“True. But then production would be slower, right?”

“Will there really be enough demand? What if you lose money?”

Jane lightly pinched my earlobe.

She kneaded it gently-not enough to hurt-and sighed.

“There are plenty of people outside the kingdom. And condoms aren’t just for contraception, remember? Like preventing STDs.”

“Ah.”

Just like that, Jane neatly resolved my doubts.

***

After coming upstairs from the lab to greet a guest, Jane didn’t return downstairs immediately.

Instead, she sat in a sunny spot to enjoy a short break.

Jane took a sip of chilled tea.

“Haah…”

Lately, Jane had a new concern.

Since starting work, Lily had grown a bit cocky.

“I don’t like it.” “Me?” “Tch.”

She’d begun saying such things casually.

Even her morning wake-up routine changed.

At first, she’d knock shyly and whisper for me to wake up.

Now, she just taps the door and heads straight to the lab.

Of course, outsiders might click their tongues, saying the master and slave were becoming more alike.

But the shameless Jane felt a bit wistful.

Even bratty Lily was unbearably cute, making her unable to resist kisses.

Jane didn’t regret allowing Lily to work.

But that rising arrogance needed to be checked.

“What should I do?”

To be honest, Jane was secretly pleased.

Even after intimate moments with Lily, something remained unsatisfied.

To put it bluntly-sadism.

A wicked desire to torment Lily until she burst into tears.

And now, Lily was handing her the perfect excuse.

Like a fool hopping carelessly on a tightrope.

Unaware of the predator watching her every move.

Jane vowed to exploit any misstep to torment her thoroughly.

Her imagination rapidly spiraled.

“Haah…”

Though she sipped the cool tea again, Jane’s quiet sigh was scalding.

When they visited the monster breeding grounds underground, Lily particularly hated the pepino.

At first, mistaking it for a sea cucumber, she’d been delighted.

But upon realizing her error, her face twisted in disgust.

Recalling Lily’s grimace, Jane smirked darkly.

“What else did she hate?”

Now, Jane began listing things Lily disliked.

She remembered how Lily absolutely loathed having her butt touched.

“Let’s put a pepino in her butt.”

Something she hates + something she hates = a sobbing mess.

Pleased with this conclusion-one that would give Lily hypertension-Jane nodded.

It might be excessive punishment.

But it couldn’t be helped.

If she learned her lesson now, she wouldn’t make mistakes in front of others later.

Even Jane couldn’t change Lily’s slave status despite her Jewel Eye.

All she could do was show Lily how cruel the world could be.

Of course, it was no secret that 80% of this was personal desire.

“Euuugh…”

Right on cue, Lily emerged from the lab, shuddering.

Jane, lost in malicious and lewd thoughts, casually patted the seat beside her.

She poured another cup of chilled tea.

“Come sit.”

“Okay~”

Lily settled beside Jane, rubbing her tired eyelids.

Then she naturally picked up the teacup.

“Something to say?”

“Ah, no…”

Noticing the lingering gaze, Jane asked casually.

But Lily just shook her head.

Evenings were still chilly, but daytime had grown warm enough to sweat slightly.

Thus, their outfits had lightened too.

Though it just meant skipping the camisole over their underwear.

Still, Jane clearly felt Lily’s sticky gaze.

“Hmm… Maybe I’ll observe a bit longer.”

Jane wasn’t fully satisfied with Lily’s clumsy desire.

But her mood improved nonetheless.

She decided to postpone her wicked plans slightly.

“Huh?”

“Nothing.”

Unaware she’d narrowly escaped a predator’s jaws, Lily innocently gulped her tea.

Jane simply watched, snickering to herself.