CH 19

7:00 AM.

As the time to wake up arrives, my consciousness awakens naturally.

When I try to get up at this time, my mind switches on its own.

It’s a skill I acquired since I started working, but thanks to it, I have never been late before.

On my way to the workshop in the morning, I told Yuren-kun about it…

“Aren’t you too serious?”

“Huh? Do you think so?”

“Definitely. Your body is used to the waking time for work, right?”

“But you wake up early too, Yuren-kun?”

He often greets me when I’m walking in the hallway.

It’s impossible if we don’t wake up at the same time, around the same time, right?

“I am usually not that early. I can only do it now because I have a purpose for waking up early.”

“Is that so? Is work that busy?”

“No, it’s not about work…it’s nothing.”

Yuren-kun started saying something but stopped halfway and fell silent.

For some reason, he seemed embarrassed, and his ears turned slightly red.

I tilted my head in confusion.

“I’m good…Is Aria properly getting enough rest?”

“Of course. I always finish at the same time every day.”

“Well, if that’s the case…by the way, how about Irina? Is she getting in the way?”

“No way, she’s not a bother at all! She’s been a huge help.”

Since that day, the Princess has come to help every day.

And she learned faster than I expected.

She already had a basic knowledge of Transmutation Art, and she even reviewed things I taught her later.

If she had the talent to run Transmutation Circles, she would have had a promising future.

It was a shame in that sense.

“I see. That’s good if she’s not getting in the way. I heard that good reports are likely to come soon?”

“Yeah, several prototypes have been completed, and we’re moving on to the next experiment from today.”

“I see. Tell me about it sometime.”

“Sure.”

With that promise made, I headed to the workshop and Yuren-kun to his job as a prince.

❂❂❂❂❂❂

Standing in front of the Transmutation Circle were the Princess and myself.

We faced each other and expressed our enthusiasm.

“Aria-oneesama! I’ll do my best to assist you today too!”

“Yes, please do. Thank you.”

“No, no, Onee-sama.”

“Huh?”

The princess continued with a slightly exasperated expression.

“Here, I am Onee-sama’s assistant! You don’t need to use polite language for an assistant.”

“I-Is that so…?”

After all, the other party is a princess.

Unlike Yuren-kun, who I’ve known since childhood, I just met her a few days ago, so I felt hesitant.

I was just letting it slide thinking…

“Then please call me Irina at least!”

“Irina-sama?”

“No need for ‘sama’!”

“Uh…”

She’s pretty forceful.

At first, she seemed gentle and energetic, but as I got used to her, her powerful side came out more.

Of course, it’s not unpleasant, but…

“Um, Princess…”

“It’s Irina!”

“…Irina-chan.”

It feels oddly embarrassing.

My face is getting so hot that I want to hide it.

“Is it Irina-chan?”

“W-Well, this is my limit.”

“No, it’s more than enough.”

The princess smiles happily with a slight smile.

I think this every time, but this smile is really unfair.

“You don’t need to be formal either?”

“P-Please let me get used to it first.”

I wonder if this pushiness is like his Majesty.

Or is it her Okaa-san?

Come to think of it, I’ve never met the queen, is she out now?

I’ll ask if I get the chance.

“Then, Irina-chan, let’s start the preparation.”

“Yes!”

Today is different from the usual transmutation.

Or rather, we won’t be transmuting today.

The prototype of the finished product is already prepared.

We finished preparing and headed to the room where the Head Department is.

Knock knock――

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, welcome. Princess Irina is with you, right?”

“Hello, Laura-san.”

“Yes, hello. Is the purpose of the visit what we discussed yesterday?”

I and Irina-chan nod simultaneously.

“We’ve already cleared it up, so feel free to come and go. Here’s the key.”

“Thank you so much.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Can I come and check on you later?”

“Of course.”

After finishing our conversation, we headed to our destination.

If you head west from the palace, there is a building made of transparent glass.

Inside, there is a vegetable garden, and it is one of the facilities managed by the Transmutation Masters.

Here, we can cultivate wheat to transmute it, adjusting the environment finely.

“Let’s plant them in order. We want to change the environment, so let’s keep a certain distance.”

“Okay, I’ll start from over there.”

“Thank you.”

It’s a dirty job, and I want the Princess to watch and learn, but I’ve come to understand in recent days.

The Princess is a little stubborn and won’t change her mind once she’s decided on something.

“I wonder if that’s similar to Yuren-kun’s personality?”

He’s also a bit stubborn or rather, hates to lose.

Feeling like true siblings, we plant the wheat seeds we made.

Each seed is tailored to its environment.

We actually adjust the cultivation to fit that particular environment.

And let’s change the state of the soil in some areas.

Then, another thing.

“Onee-sama! This is a growth accelerator.”

“Thank you.”

If we grow it by ordinary means, it can take months.

I can’t just wait, so I prepared a secret weapon.

It’s a growth accelerator created by a special formulation through transmutation.

With this, the plants grow in no time.

If it’s wheat, it should reach the size of a harvest after a week or so.

It’s groundbreaking, but the fatal flaw is that the plant cannot withstand the rapid growth and quickly withers.

It’s nothing more than a tool for experiments.

“That’s it!”

“We just have to wait now.”

Let’s wait with about one-tenth of our expectations.