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When Aresia first moved in, her dorm room was standard for the school—nowhere near the luxury of a noble estate, yet not significantly different. It was all part of the steep accommodation fees.
Since then, Aresia’s dorm has undergone quite the transformation.
Originally, she’d set up a special experimental area in her dorm, intended for brewing various potions. However, upon renting the school’s laboratory, she had the dormitory area altered quite a bit. There were things that didn’t fit the overall style, like cabinets for potion ingredients, scattered papers, and parts. Overall, it was somewhat messy.
Aresia wondered if Duchess Grysenna approved of her room now. The Duchess was quite refined, with high standards for living. If she were to see Aresia’s room, she probably wouldn’t be pleased.
Indeed, Grysenna was displeased, but not with Aresia. Aresia, after all, was just who she was—how could one expect an heiress and someone not accustomed to such tasks to tidy up a room?
The blame for the messy room should be on the school; they didn’t allow servants. The Duchess didn’t voice her displeasure to the school, as these rules had long been in place, and when royalty and princesses arrived, there was no room for protest.
She quickly had her attendants tidy up while she personally attended to Aresia’s skincare.
During the skincare routine, Grysenna noticed some minor injuries on Aresia’s hands, likely from the laboratory mishaps. It made Grysenna ache with concern.
“One shouldn’t strive so much here at school. Take care of yourself; I’ll mend these.”
The Duchess didn’t expect much from Aresia; it would be futile. The people of the Duke’s estate, where inheriting wasn’t necessary, had no ambitious goals for the aristocratic child. Aresia, in essence, had no burdens and could enjoy life.
“I understand.”
Seeing Grysenna’s concern, Aresia complied, wearing protective gear during experiments, ensuring prompt treatment for injuries, avoiding such incidents in the future.
As Grysenna tended to her, the attendants tidied up. The mess wasn’t entirely Aresia’s fault; she had brought many items to her dorm, magical artifacts acquired on her journey, challenging for the attendants to organize. They hesitated to rearrange even the scattered papers; however, the Duchess had brought items for Aresia and needed a space for them.
Once the room was sorted, the Duchess rushed Aresia for her appointment about the Beast Companion Contract.
“Your father has been quite enthusiastic, sending several magical creatures to pick you up and offering eggs for you to choose your pet. Any preferences? Mom would gladly assist.”
As for the Duke, Grysenna’s husband, he occasionally visited, maintaining a loving bond despite their infrequent meetings.
During the arrival, the Duke brought magical beasts acquired from auctions. Although they didn’t match perfectly and were somewhat disorderly, each one was well-groomed. Few knew that the Duke’s estate had started using magical beasts for transport; they were obedient, following instructions even if the contractor wasn’t present. They were careful and rarely caused trouble, unlike ordinary animals, allowing for various combinations, whether in pairs or groups, a certain uniqueness.
Aresia declined; school wasn’t the right place for a companion. She’d wait for the right moment.
“Wait for your father or brother to find a powerful one to protect you!”
The Duchess visited primarily regarding matters at the textile factory, where her child was overseeing operations. Grysenna had been busy there and now handed over responsibility. Her visit included checking on the factory and its arrangements.
Aresia shook her head; the factory was being managed well, profits compensating for any losses. It was all sorted.
“I’ve made my arrangements.”
The textile factory’s scale was growing, and Grysenna felt the need for a reliable manager.
“Not with your father’s land; we’ll have a separate branch in the Duchy’s, Holy Lotean City.”
As the Holy Lotean City was far away, setting up a factory there wouldn’t affect the market. In fact, establishing a branch within the Duchy would incur lower costs, aiding the Duchy’s economy directly. Selling silk directly to neighboring cities would capture the market sooner, saving the hassle of transporting goods to Holy Lotean City.
Grysenna was cautious not to give Aresia too much pocket money due to her daughter’s unconventional spending habits. Aresia had delved into magic and pursued a research-oriented path for a mage. Though Grysenna supported her as a mage, she wasn’t sure about the expenses associated with this field, providing Aresia enough support but not excessively.
Aresia was content with the profits from the textile factory. At this stage, she didn’t require money, planning to fund her own experiments without relying on the Duke’s estate. Her research was promising and had the potential to generate significant income without needing external support.
She decided not to argue further with Grysenna and obediently complied.
Grysenna stayed until she had lunch with Aresia in the cafeteria, assessing its food quality before bidding farewell reluctantly.
Aresia escorted her to the school gates, where Grysenna, noticing the bright sun outside, urged her to rest in the dorm instead of wandering around.
“Take care of yourself. I’ll visit again once you’re less busy.”
“It’s fine; I’ll come back during the holidays.”
Originally, Aresia hadn’t planned to return home, but now, seeing her mother’s visit, she had no doubts. Moreover, Aresia had cast a soul magic spell while they were alone, ensuring an added layer of security. She knew the risk of exposing her time-traveling status and was keen to avoid it.
Once Grysenna departed, Aresia went to rest in the dorm but chose to head to the laboratory instead.
Jokingly, Aresia wasn’t the obedient, compliant child. Despite her mother’s persuasion, she was fully engrossed in her experiments in the lab.
In the laboratory, she had assembled half of the magical mechanical arms.
These weren’t singular arms but eight expandable mechanical components. The central control box resembled an octagonal shape, giving the overall structure a resemblance to an eight-legged octopus.
The creator drew inspiration from a supervillain in a movie for this mechanical arm’s design and operation. The control box was worn on the back, connected to the user’s magical link. It allowed remote manipulation of the arms. While not directly connected to the body’s nervous system, it mimicked the user’s movements. It was a far cry from the movie’s scenario of machines controlling human bodies; these arms lacked intelligence.
These arms weren’t attached to the body; they were controlled through the control box, executing repetitive tasks on the operating table. Despite the complexity of the assembly and the scarcity of materials for the control box, Aresia managed it through unconventional methods, compromising the magical world’s norms. This resulted in reduced efficiency, clumsiness, but it sufficed for her current needs.
This octopus-like mechanical arm’s core was the control box, and the assembly of its eight arms was ongoing.
Aresia had to decide whether to focus on perfecting the control box, which presented design challenges and required considerable effort to manufacture, or to assemble the parts of the arms. Each of these numerous parts was crafted from magically fused materials, assembling them akin to a massive puzzle, a test of patience.
Feeling a bit impatient, Aresia continued without an assistant, determined not to let others see this, as it could potentially cause a headache for the Duke.
Time went by, and Aresia is still engross in her reseach.
It seems like after this semester final trial exam, this eight-armed octopus-like mechanical arm will be finished.
That’s why choosing to complete the mechanical arms first was necessary. With this set of mechanical arms, any challenging task of endurance could be entirely handed over to it.