there were magic tools that she had never seen before.

    ‘is it a product that franto is developing?’

    in fact, she only knew it was a magic tool because of the mana stone embedded in it, but she couldn’t guess what it was for just by its appearance. there were numerous kinds and sizes of magic tools neatly placed, such as round eggs, beads attached together, or just like a thin stick or string.

    ‘i guess i could get a rough idea by looking at the magical formula.’

    it was high time to decide whether she should touch the strange objects or not.

    “seira, you are here.”

    seira looked back at the voice that called out to her. louis stood by the door, holding a mug in each hand.

    “i looked around freely without asking,” seira blurted out. “is this a place i wasn’t supposed to be?”

    “that can’t be. it’s only natural between lovers to share even the most intimate places.”

    ‘the most intimate place…?’

    it wasn’t wrong since this was louis’ private laboratory where security was ridiculously tight. it just sounded a little strange again this time.

    he stood beside her and handed her one of the mugs he brought. in the large glass, a cold pink tea was swirling.

    “it’s a contraceptive tea. i heard it’s better to drink it together, so i also brewed my own.”

    “thank you for your concern, louis,” seira replied with a big smile, and then sipped her tea.

    louis, who drank his share of cold tea, reached for the display case. the object that was closest floated and landed on his hand smoothly.

    “it looks pretty cute, don’t you think?”

    it was small and round like a bird’s egg, and the light pink surface had a glossy exterior.

    “what’s that?”

    “hmm? is this your first time seeing this?”

    at louis’ question, seira took a closer look at the display case. however, none of the items were familiar to her either.

    “i have no idea. there are very few magic tools in askan.”

    “i see.”

    louis alternately looked at the magic tool and her, as if surprised.

    “seira’s partners must have not been interested in this.”

    it wasn’t until she heard what he said that she noticed. the harness displayed was used to…

    “these are sex toys.”

    “yes,” louis confirmed with a devilish smile, “they are one of franto’s biggest sources of income. this tiny one is as expensive as a telegram.”

    seira’s jaw dropped.

    “what? i don’t think i need to spend that much to have sex…” she blurted out in bewilderment.

    it occurred to her that the efforts that louis and other researchers would make were formidable to develop a magic tool that she herself thought was useless.

    “you had to, of course. there is nothing more important in life than pleasure itself. such an amazing invention.”

    quickly changing her words, seira gulped down her cold tea in embarrassment.

    “ah… cold.”

    having emptied her share, she even took the empty glass from his hand and put it down on the bedside table. then, as she turned towards louis, seira saw him covering his face with his palm.

    ‘what’s wrong with him?’

    she could even hear a very long and audible sigh from him.

    ‘i wonder if i spoke too harshly?’

    wizards used to get very angry or hurt by unexpected things. it was said to be because they had a tendency to think about it too much, especially if someone talked about their main research field recklessly, it was easy to make enemies with them.

    ‘i keep forgetting that louis is a wizard.’

    surprisingly, louis was very different in many ways from the wizards she knew.

    what about zion? as he thought it was a waste of time to choose clothes, he always wore dark robes, and his stamina was weak because he hated to move.

    louis, on the other hand, seemed to put a lot of effort into grooming and making himself look good. judging from his muscles, he didn’t seem to neglect physical training too.

    “louis…?”

    as she carefully called him while looking around, his hand that was covering his face, fell down. she didn’t know how he felt, but his expression wasn’t much different from usual.

    ‘okay… is it?’

    “oh, i’m sorry. it’s a little different from what i expected.”

    “it’s not what you expected?” seira asked, “what’s wrong?”

    “your reaction.”

    seira’s head turned to the side as she found it difficult to grasp the context of the mood.

    “anyway, you seem to have no aversion to things like this.”

    how could she be repulsed by something she didn’t even know what was used for?

    “yes, well, it’s not bad,” she casually answered.

    “then would you like to try it?”

    he strode forward and bent down with his hand on the table where the mug was placed. louis was eyeing her at a similar level.

    “if you’re also interested in sex toys.”

    “…!”