Reborn As A Demon Queen With A Big D!
028: New Projects

Alice was busy with her sketchbook, drawing dozens of underwear designs for women. Well… men could wear them too if they were into this kind of thing. It was business, after all. And it was going to be a big one.

Nevertheless, Alice was genuinely impressed by the ingenious technology of this world. One of the craftsmen in the House of Artisan had recently figured out how to mine graphite, process it into a long, slender stick, and insert it into a hollowed flight feather casing.

It wasn’t just any ordinary feather, of course. The casing was made from the molted feathers of bird-type beastkind, which they shed twice a year.

The Fuglinn Clan consisted of many bird-type subspecies, depending on their genes and lineage. Some of them had humanoid forms and walked on talon-like feet while keeping their beastly appearance, especially with their heads and a pair of wings on their backs. Most of them, however, were humanoid harpy subspecies. They had human heads and torsos, winged arms, and powerful talons for walking and perching.

They were thrilled when Lady Morwenna bought their molted feathers at high prices. That sly fox really was the perfect madam for the House of Artisan.

Alice hummed cheerfully as she neared the end of her sketch.

“Young Lady Alice…” Momo’s voice called from the front door, followed by a few knocks. “I brought you the raw material samples.”

Alice put down her feathered pencil and dashed to the door. Her eyes sparkled with excitement when she saw a crate full of exotic furs, lustrous wool, pelts, colorful feathers, and more.

“Woah, there’s so many! Are you sure it’s okay to have them for free?!”

“It’s alright. These raw materials are actually byproducts of larger parts. The wildlife in the Great Jungle is much bigger compared to anywhere else.”

“Oh, really?! I can't wait to visit the Great Jungle myself!”

“Err… it's already under the control of the Holy Church though.”

“Oh, right…” Alice pouted. She vowed to liberate the Great Jungle someday. “But anyway… Please come in, I want to show you something!”

She tugged Momo’s free hand, pulling her into the workshop. The little demoness grabbed her sketchbook and eagerly showed off the design to the fox girl.

“Ta-da! This will be my next invention while I work on the Love Nectar Extractors, and more to come!”

Momo gave a wry smile. The underwear designs were bold yet elegant. She was clearly astonished by Alice’s wild and unfiltered imagination at such a young age.

“Are these… women’s underwear?”

“Yep! You got it! They’ll be made from soft fabric for the inner layer and firm yet elastic material on the outside. It’ll shape the breasts nicely!”

“But… isn’t the usual model already good enough? And besides, we don’t really show it to anyone either.”

Alice clicked her tongue a few times. “No. That’s the wrong perspective, my dear Momo. Women will do anything to make themselves look pretty, inside and out… especially when they want to impress their partners in bed.”

Momo’s face flushed as her imagination ran wild.

“Err, okay. So… when are you going to begin the production? Will you need more materials by then?”

“Not for now. I don’t have any talent in tailoring. But I know some succubi seamstresses in the House of Artisans who can teach me. Still, if there are any Beastkind who want to learn and join me, they’re very welcome!”

“Really?!” Momo’s eyes sparkled. “The girls from the Fuglinn Clan would be so happy to hear that. They love beautiful outfits and sparkly things.”

‘So basically, they’re just birds with sentient intelligence and humanoid form. I can’t wait to meet them!’ Alice was genuinely excited.

“That would be lovely! I’d even hire them as my employees if they’re interested! Hehehe!”

“I’ll invite one of them later,” Alice said. “So, shall I give you a quick crash course about these materials?”

“Please do! I need to know their attributes as well!”

“Okay… Let's begin with this brown fur. It’s harvested from a Giant Woolly Monkey. They will shed their fur during summer, and we exchanged their fur with food that we cultivated.”

“But, hold on. Just how big is this monkey again?”

“They could easily tower over this house, I guess? They are generally docile and very intelligent creatures!”

“Oh! That's so cool! It's so smooth to the touch, yet very tough when being pulled unlike normal fur. It has a thick base that you could harvest the fur as it is without actually killing the creature and harvesting its pelt entirely.”

“Correct! This dense, and tough layer is actually their matted fur, not their skin. They regularly replace the old fur as they grow older. You have keen eyes, young lady Alice!” Momo ruffled Alice's hair a few times.

“Urgh… Could you just call me Alice, please?.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. You don't like it?”

“It's not like that… I just think that it's already time for us to use our given name without honorifics.” Alice glanced at the fox girl shyly.

Momo chuckled, she's so happy to finally be able to get closer with her. “Alright then, Alice! Fufufu.”

As the two of them discussed the designs, sizes, and materials for the underwear, the front door creaked open.

“Is that… Miss Catharina? Why didn’t she knock first?”

Alice’s cheerful expression turned serious all of a sudden. She could sense Catharina’s unique presence… and someone unfamiliar.

“Alice?”

“Wait here. I need to speak with Catharina.”

“Oh, okay…” Momo tilted her head, slightly puzzled. She was curious, but didn’t want to be rude.

Alice made her way to the living room and was stunned to see a young girl in Catharina’s arms.

“Mission accomplished, I presume?”

“Yes. I eliminated the princes, consorts, and high-ranking nobles in a single night.”

“And this girl?” Alice gently ran her fingers through the girl’s green hair. She noticed the long ears that had been sliced immediately. “An elf?”

Catharina nodded. “She’s a branded slave. If I had killed her that night, her slaver would’ve been alerted. The slaver would investigate the scene the following day… And that would have compromised my identity since they could breach their slave’s memories even after they have died.”

Alice sighed, deep in thought. Elves were one of the oldest races on the Azgaar Continent, along with demons. They had long been coveted by nobles and slave merchants. Their numbers were small, scattered across the land, living in hidden villages. But that's what makes them highly priced. Furthermore, killing branded slaves is strictly forbidden by law after all and Catharina would be hunted by bounty hunters, or worse… Demon Hunters.

“A loose end, huh? What will become of her? Are you going to keep her? We could teach her how to disguise herself if she wants to.”

Catharina gazed softly at the girl’s face. It reminded her of Alice when she was just a baby. “Let’s ask Lady Andariel first. Don’t worry, I’ll take full responsibility for her.”

“Alright. I’m entertaining a guest right now. I’ll head to her mansion afterward, and we’ll talk about the girl more.”

After a nod, Catharina went with her way towards Andariel's mansion. Alice promptly returned to the workshop.

“Is everything alright?” Momo asked, genuinely concerned after she overheard their conversation with her keen ears.

“Yes. Nothing to worry about!” Alice smiled cheerfully. “Let's continue!”