Chapter 44
“Phew, that should about do it.”
After noon on the second day, Lisbeth swiftly completed her daily cleaning duties. As a personal maid, even her auxiliary tasks were considerably lighter than those of a regular maid.
Having performed a final check, Lisbeth exited the freshly cleaned room, ready to await Staros’s arrival.
“Oh? Lisbeth, you’re so fast! I didn’t expect you to be done already.”
After waiting for about ten minutes, Staros finally appeared before the room Lisbeth had cleaned. Witnessing this, Lisbeth shook her head.
“You’re just too slow. You knew what we had to do today, yet you’re still late. That’s not good at all.”
“Oh, it’s fine. Olivia isn’t around all day anyway. As long as Hilda and the others don’t discover us, there won’t be any problems.”
Seemingly sensing Lisbeth’s reproach, Staros waved her hand apologetically.
However, with Staros now present, Lisbeth simply nodded. “Well, you’re right. As long as you’re here, that’s what matters.”
Although a smile graced Lisbeth’s face, a cold sneer had already formed in her heart. She was well aware of Chris and the others’ plan.
Therefore, to facilitate their scheme, Hilda was destined to be absent.
Unaware that the plan had already been exposed, Staros stretched languidly. “Alright, let’s go!” she declared to Lisbeth. “The breast enhancement potion and the anti-sagging elixir are waiting for us!”
“Alright, alright, I know you’re excited, but could you please lower your voice?”
With their decision made, Lisbeth and Staros proceeded towards Olivia’s laboratory. Unbeknownst to them, however, a bat soared in the air behind them, silently observing their every move.
****
Meanwhile—
“Demon Lord, it appears Staros has successfully deceived Lisbeth and is now leading her towards Olivia’s laboratory. At least for the current stage, our plan is a success.”
“Indeed. Now, all that remains is to see what Lisbeth will do.”
Within a private chamber in the Demon Lord’s Castle, Hilda, Chris, and Olivia were meticulously monitoring Lisbeth and Staros’s every action.
Chris sat upon a chair, her beautiful eyes fixed with curiosity on the transparent glass before her. The screen displayed none other than Lisbeth and Staros, currently en route to Olivia’s laboratory.
“Truly, Olivia is remarkable. To think she could even create such a convenient surveillance familiar.”
“Thank you for your praise, Demon Lord. However, this item still possesses too many flaws and is far from perfect.”
Upon hearing Chris’s words, Olivia swiftly bowed, expressing her gratitude.
Meanwhile, Chris turned back, questioning slowly with a puzzled expression. “Hmm? I don’t see any problems with it. With something so convenient, couldn’t I constantly monitor Lisbeth’s every move?”
“No, this item is not quite that versatile. Allow me to explain.”
“Oh?”
As Olivia spoke, she approached Chris and pointed to the transparent glass displaying the surveillance feed.
“Firstly, the glass that acts as the screen isn’t ordinary glass. It’s a magical artifact of extremely high purity, forged through magical tempering. While it displays surveillance footage exceptionally well, its production cost is exorbitant, and it’s highly fragile. It typically shatters after more than ten hours of use.”
“Secondly, the familiar used as the surveillance medium requires an immense amount of magical power to create. Furthermore, the magic crystal embedded within it, which acts as the image intermediary, is just like the glass: incredibly expensive and extremely fragile. Thus, unless one is monitoring an individual of the highest caliber, the cost-effectiveness of this surveillance familiar is quite low.”
“I see, so that’s how it is. It certainly can’t be used for long-term surveillance then.”
Upon hearing Olivia’s explanation, Chris nodded, a hint of disappointment in her expression. “Even so, creating such a device is quite impressive, Olivia. I still look forward to your future improvements on this magical artifact.”
“However, you’ve repeatedly mentioned the exorbitant cost. Approximately how much does one of these surveillance familiars cost?”
“Hmm, let me calculate. First, the transmission glass alone costs thirty thousand gold coins. Then there’s the fee for hiring an Archmage to infuse it with magic, and the cost of the magic crystal. All together, it comes to about one hundred thousand gold coins, I believe?”
“One hundred thousand!? That expensive!?”
The moment Olivia uttered that figure, both Chris and Hilda were utterly stunned. It was hardly surprising, as the annual income for an average demon family was only around ten gold coins.
To spend one hundred thousand gold coins merely to create such a device was undeniably exorbitant.
“Olivia, this is far too expensive, no matter how you look at it. The Demon Lord’s Castle hasn’t had much funding these past few years due to constant warfare. So, when it comes to the annual magic item development budget, please don’t bankrupt us!”
“Yes, I understand. Rest assured, Demon Lord.”
Seeing Olivia nod, Chris sighed and nodded reluctantly. Then she asked, “And Olivia, does that breast enhancement potion actually exist? Don’t misunderstand, I’m simply asking; I have no desire for such a thing myself.”
“After all, even without it, in ten years—no, in five years—my chest will be as ample as Mother’s!”
“Ah… no… Demon Lord, you’re…”
Witnessing Chris’s unwitting self-betrayal, Hilda and Olivia silently covered their faces.
Seeing their reactions, Chris’s face flushed as she angrily pointed at them. “What kind of reactions are those?! I said I’m not interested, not interested! I was just simply asking if such a potion existed!”
“Ah, Demon Lord, please calm yourself. Such a potion indeed exists, and it’s located in the very laboratory Staros is headed to. However, despite that, I have no intention of simply handing it over to her.”
“Huh?”
****
While Chris was speaking, Lisbeth and Staros had already reached Olivia’s laboratory. Gazing at the half-open, pure silver door before them, both Lisbeth and Staros instinctively took a deep breath.
“This must be it. Lisbeth, are you ready?”
“Yes, of course, there’s no problem. But there aren’t any traps inside, are there?”
“I wouldn’t know. Don’t let Olivia’s usual demeanor fool you; when she gets truly mad, she’s more terrifying than anyone. So that damned bespectacled magician might very well have hidden some extra surprises in her laboratory.”
Upon hearing Staros’s words, Lisbeth instinctively swallowed hard. After all, she knew that Olivia, two hundred years in the future, was an incredibly formidable individual.
If she truly had set traps, it would be no laughing matter.
A shiver ran down Lisbeth’s spine at the thought. She gently closed her eyes and spoke to Clotilde, who was attached to her hand. “Little Sword, if anything truly goes wrong later, you absolutely must come out and save me.”
“Huh? There shouldn’t be any problems, right? Olivia specifically told you about today’s test. It would be utterly pointless for her to set traps to ensnare you here, wouldn’t it?”
“No, no, no. While that’s true, considering Staros’s tendency to offend people with her mouth, Olivia might very well have set traps specifically for her.”
Just as Lisbeth enjoyed calling Hilda an old hag, Staros’s recent remark about Olivia made Lisbeth suspect that Staros was about to face serious misfortune.
As Lisbeth and Clotilde were still conversing, Staros turned to Lisbeth. “Well then, Lisbeth, if there are no issues, shall I open the door?”
“Yes, open it.”
Although a flicker of unease still lingered within Lisbeth, she was not one to retreat now. Seeing Lisbeth nod, Staros forcefully pushed open the laboratory door.
Since no magical lights had been activated inside, the entire laboratory remained cloaked in darkness.
Witnessing the scene, Staros snapped her fingers. Immediately, a sphere of light materialized in her hand. She then addressed Lisbeth, who stood behind her.
“Alright, I’ll go in first. Just follow me.”
“Understood.”
WHOOSH!
Huh!?
After speaking, Staros cautiously stepped into the laboratory. However, the moment her foot had barely crossed the threshold, the sound of lights illuminating suddenly echoed through the room.
The next second, as Lisbeth and Staros regained their senses, the previously pitch-black laboratory was now ablaze with light.