Lilia was intrigued by Norton's proposal and asked, "So, can I—"
"—Of course you can," Norton interjected eagerly. "But not right now, because the prototypes are still at the academy. Let's wait until tomorrow."
"Tomorrow, then..." Lilia said with a hint of concern on her face, but she nodded and agreed to Norton's invitation nonetheless.
The next day followed the usual morning routine of demanding clothes, being washed by Maya, and indulging in a feeding from Maya's neck. However, the breakfast table had an unexpected addition—Lilia, who was normally reclusive but had agreed to go out with Norton today. The atmosphere at breakfast was tense due to her presence.
Lilia, already over forty years old, found herself sent to Norton due to bad luck in the Nirakot family; hundreds of vampire couples had no offspring. Though she was much older, Lilia didn't have the upper hand in this unspoken rivalry. She kept her head down, timidly eating her breakfast, not daring to look at Anne or Avril.
Anne, with her orange short hair and valiant demeanor, wasn't one to bully the weak. However, Avril, educated as a noblewoman and inspired by her aunt Lady Windsor, was eager to eliminate any competition. As they sat in the carriage, Avril remarked to Anne, "Don't you think it's a bit crowded today?" which only made Lilia more uneasy.
Ultimately, such matters were Norton's to decide. As the Count of Kastain, he merely shrugged and then glared at Maya. "Go sit outside," he ordered.
Maya, caught off guard, whimpered. It was only April, and the morning air was still chilly. Sitting outside would mean facing the elements and the ghastly visage of the ghost driver.
Nevertheless, as a servant, Maya had no choice but to obey once Norton gave the order. This temporarily resolved the internal tension, allowing them to reach the academy without incident. However, what happened next infuriated Avril even more and made Anne feel uncomfortable.
Norton declined their invitation to accompany them to class and instead decided to visit the academy's alchemy lab with Lilia. After stating his decision, he didn't wait for the others to respond and promptly left with Lilia.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"Is this... really okay?" Lilia felt a bit uneasy as Norton held her hand, recalling the looks from the other girls that scared her.
"Don't worry, it's fine. After all, we arranged this beforehand," Norton reassured her while leading her through the academy, nodding at teachers and students they passed. The academy members, amused by Norton's frequent female company, greeted him with a mix of curiosity and teasing.
The more this happened, the more embarrassed Lilia felt. By the time they reached the alchemy lab's entrance, her face was flushed, and she was too shy to move.
Norton couldn't help but wonder if all the Nirakot family women were like this, but he knew it was not his place to comment. Instead, he feigned ignorance of her discomfort and inquired pretend-concernedly, "Are you tired? You seem unwell. Do you not go out often?"
"...Hmm," Lilia murmured softly in response. Norton continued, "Luckily, we're here." As he spoke, he touched a finger to the magic circle at the lab entrance. With a ripple of magic, the door opened, and Norton led Lilia inside. The door closed behind them.
Seeing the empty laboratory, Lilia finally felt more at ease, soon becoming engrossed in its contents—a greenhouse, vegetables, soil, and several skeletons wielding farming tools... farming?!
"Is this your experiment?" Lilia was puzzled, finding it different from what she had expected.
"Of course, but this is just a basic experiment," Norton explained. "Though it may seem trivial, you can't say it's useless. With skeletal farmers, lands that require extensive manpower to cultivate can be managed, yielding more food—since these skeletons don't eat, our investment is zero, yet there's always a return."
"More food means more skeletons, leading to more farmers, more fields... Such a virtuous cycle could sustain a larger population on a given territory."
As Norton spoke, Lilia nodded along, though her brows furrowed progressively deeper. When he finished, she shared her thoughts: "It all sounds good on paper, but it's not quite what I imagined..."
"Naturally, this is an ancillary experiment. Our main goal is a fully automated undead industrial system," Norton clarified, leading Lilia further into the lab. Beyond the greenhouse was a production workshop where skeleton soldiers operated coke-fired steel furnaces. On one side were raw iron ores and on the other, steel ingots.
Beside the furnace was a stamping press and a set of molds, also operated by skeleton soldiers. They used steel produced by the first group of skeletons to forge standardized steel armor. Lilia noted that this armor, produced by meticulous skeleton soldiers, was indeed of higher quality than items ordered from human workshops.
"Now this is interesting," Lilia acknowledged.
"No, this is still foundational," Norton chuckled, leading Lilia further along.