The time for the decisive battle has come.
From today onwards, I will be quite busy.
It’s the day the Tigr Academy’s exams begin.
In fact, the exam itself isn’t a big deal.
No, the exam was rather like a break.
The problem comes afterward.
Once the exam is over, I have to prepare to go to Beriton again for the International Magic Competition, and I also needed to conduct a market research on the ‘Elixir of Recovery from Fatigue’ before that if possible.
Moreover, adjustments for the space linked through the Moonlight Stone are necessary, and the finishing touches on Yerna’s burn ointment are waiting.
After all that, I finally need to prepare for the move…
All of this is scheduled to take place after the exam.
“I have a mountain of things to do.”
Luke stretched widely, thinking of all these plans.
“Ugh…”
While pulling his tail out from the prone position, his body relaxed from the shoulders and arms down to the tip of his tail, with drowsiness creeping in and naturally leading to a yawn.
“Yawn.”
As Luke opened his eyes while yawning and looked around, he saw that the room had become more desolate compared to just a few days ago.
The blanket and pillow he used were patched together, and the wallpaper was torn haphazardly. The marks from cosmetics rolling on the floor were just left there.
It would be embarrassing for anyone to see, but he had no intention to fix it.
Yerna had said that it seemed likely they would find a new house sometime this month, so she suggested that it would be better to live a bit carelessly until they move and then furnish everything anew.
Well, considering efficiency, that makes sense.
So Luke decided to ignore such trivial matters and looked out the window.
The house was a bit lacking, but the weather outside was just wonderful.
It was truly a pleasant morning.
——–
Luke opened the door to his room, roughly combing the fur on his tail with his hand.
The morning, just as it always was until he stepped out of his room, had one difference.
That was the presence of a small teddy bear, Liv, who greeted him from the table.
Liv was pouring the tea diluted with Luke’s Elixir of Recovery from Fatigue into a mug.
Given the aroma of the tea, it would have been better to pour it into a teacup with a wider opening, but unfortunately, all the tea cups had broken due to the commotion two days ago.
Luke accepted the tea that Liv poured into the cup and said.
“Mm, it smells good, well made.”
“……”
Then, as if to express gratitude, Liv behaved politely.
Seeing Liv like that, Luke waved his hand, implying there was no need for such formality, and Liv quickly relaxed.
Luke brought the cup back to his face, observing Liv’s demeanor.
The aroma of the tea that Liv poured was still quite pleasant.
As expected of a golem of the commander class, with exceptional learning ability.
Luke quietly took a sip.
Perhaps having cooled it a bit in advance, the temperature was just right, so he didn’t burn his tongue.
This kind of sensitivity was truly nice.
“Good.”
Feeling a sense of vitality wash away even the little fatigue remaining in his body, Luke smiled pleasantly.
At Luke’s praise, Liv also bowed her head in acknowledgment.
Luke, while sipping the tea, asked Liv.
“Liv, has Yerna already left?”
– Nodding, nodding.
“I see. Is there any special message?”
– Nodding, nodding.
“Got it. Then, could you prepare the bath for me? I need to be able to take it right after my tea time.”
– Nodding.
With a nod, Liv immediately jumped off the table with a fluffy towel and headed to the bathroom.
She was going to lay out the towel for after the bath and prepare the water in the tub.
That was the result of the learning from just yesterday.
Watching her, Luke suddenly called out to Liv as if he remembered something.
“Oh right. Liv, once you’re done with that, could you also prepare to go to the academy?”
– Nodding, nodding.
Liv nodded as if that wouldn’t be a problem and entered the bathroom.
“Thanks for your hard work!”
With a satisfied smile on his face, Luke enjoyed his tea time.
If he had to prepare all this alone, it would have taken quite a bit of morning time, but thanks to Liv, he could use his time more efficiently.
At this rate, she could easily be compared to any ordinary family’s butler.
“Really nice.”
It was a very comfortable and satisfying morning.
At this rate, there might come a day when he couldn’t live without Liv.
———
Thanks to Liv, who greatly saved him time on the morning preparations, Luke strolled leisurely down the road with a more relaxed pace than usual.
Due to the magic density in the city, he no longer did dawn meditation, and as a result, he found it difficult to have this kind of leisure in the mornings.
Especially on days when Yerna left early.
However, Liv wasn’t perfect either.
The excessive mana consumption issue compared to her size and output was indeed a significant concern for Luke.
And, regarding that issue, Luke contemplated three solutions.
First, setting a maximum activity time for Liv.
There was no need for Liv to be active all the time.
If Liv could act freely for 24 hours, it would be difficult with the current household mana supply.
Moreover, the nightmares from the past mana density could possibly resurface.
Well, now, thanks to the mana shielding system installed at home, he wouldn’t suddenly receive a bill for 3 million guilds like before, but still, the costs would be quite high.
Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, Liv was to switch to a standby mode that would stop her physical abilities while maintaining her consciousness.
However, in cases of essential situations or emergencies, she was allowed the discretion to operate.
Second, limiting Liv’s output.
Although Liv was created to produce firepower comparable to a sword master considering her past as living armor, there was hardly any need for such output in modern times.
Yerna had pointed out the issue of Liv’s excessive physical capabilities as well.
So, a method to limit her output was implemented.
This would prevent her from breaking objects or rampaging with excessive output in daily life.
In fact, a similar process had already been done previously when Liv was transferred into a teddy bear, but it seemed lacking.
Thus, this time, a triple-layered structure limit was introduced, enabling her to produce stronger output in stages but also reducing her maximum activity time.
As long as at least one limit is activated, the sword energy, ‘Sword Aura,’ cannot be used, but sword energy is originally an ability meant to harm someone.
Therefore, it’s better to keep it deactivated most of the time.
As long as he could take out the sword from its sheath only when necessary, that would be enough.
In emergencies, it was set to contact him, allowing him to deactivate it remotely, so there shouldn’t be any issues.
Third, equipping Liv with a mana storage device.
Previously, mana accumulation had not been a consideration for Liv.
After all, mana had no monetary value back then, and considering her activities in the relatively abundant mana environment of the Arinseian royal family, there was no need to fit a device for mana accumulation into her design.
However, modern times make mana usage exceedingly diverse, and without consistent supply, depletion occurs anywhere.
Thus, a mana storage device was essential for Liv’s stable life in the present day.
Moreover, if she could operate while pre-charged in places like the forest or near the World Tree, where mana is provided for free, it would save money equivalent to the amount of mana used.
But that would mean he would have to take Liv to the forest every time he went to soak up mana… Well, that much was easy.
Besides, Liv was just the right size to fit in a bag.
Trying to integrate all those functions into the small teddy bear’s interior as quickly as possible took him the entire previous day…
Luke slightly opened his school bag containing Liv and murmured in a small voice.
“Liv, is it okay inside the bag? Are you comfortable?”
– Nodding, nodding.
“I’m glad to hear that. Just hang in there a little longer.”
Luke smiled at Liv and closed the bag again.
He couldn’t leave her behind at home because he needed to check if the three systems he finished last night worked properly.
Originally, one has to watch the progress of magic for at least a day.
Of course, he had concentrated on the work so as not to make mistakes, but if any magical defects were to occur in a situation he was uncertain of, leading to losing mana core… That would be a terrifying scenario.
To Luke, Liv had become a friend he never wanted to lose again.
As he thought that, Luke suddenly spoke to Liv.
“Oh, at school, try not to move around too freely if possible. If the kids show too much interest, it could get troublesome. Especially, in the classroom, try to endure a little even if it feels cramped.”
– Nodding.
Thinking about the potential damage to Liv’s mouth if the kids became too overly interested and took hold of her, it was, of course, better to do it that way.
