"Artifact creation is divided into four aspects. They are: the materials used, the design of the artifact, the artifact's affinity, and the magical runes."
"The harmonious combination of these aspects is essential in the creation of artifacts. The more balanced and profound each aspect is, the greater the final power created."
"One of the great challenges of this era in artifact crafting lies in high-quality magical materials, which have become increasingly scarce in recent times. Therefore, it doesn't matter if the creator possesses great knowledge in enchantments, runes, and artifact design—without materials of equal quality to reach balance with the other aspects, the final result will always fall short."
A soft, beautiful voice narrated, while Puss, seated beside her, listened attentively.
The one speaking was Vivianne, giving instructions in a gentle, calm, and loving tone.
Her eyes were full of warmth and happiness as she spoke, for she deeply loved the one listening.
Finishing, she slowly closed the book, stood up, pouted a little, and kissed softly… the several sleeping children.
She then quietly called Puss to follow her out, and the two left the room, where many children slept peacefully.
This had become the routine that Puss and Vivianne had established.
In the morning, the children went to private school, giving her free time to take her feline student to the workshop and give him practical lessons.
There, she taught him for about two hours.
They would then return to her home, where Puss helped with the household chores that had piled up due to the hands-on artifact crafting lessons she gave him. After that, he would head off to do whatever he wanted.
At night, he would return just in time for the children's bedtime, be magically shrunk by Vivianne, play with them until they were tired, and then the two of them would tuck the little ones in. After a silly bedtime story, Vivianne would begin her theoretical lessons on artifact creation, reading from a manual she had written herself.
If the children didn't fall asleep during the silly story, they surely did during Vivianne's soft, soothing voice giving those boring theoretical lessons. Even Puss wanted to sleep at that point, but he had to force himself to pay attention.
That was the routine they had established, and this was only the second day they were following it.
Because of Vivianne's focus on being a mother, she didn't want to spend too much time teaching him even for money, as it would delay her duties with the children. Especially since, after occasionally working for Puss over the years, she was already financially stable.
Thus, by Puss's initiative, they had come to this arrangement where he would help her reduce her workload, and she would teach him at the same time—a deal that pleased the little fairy greatly.
She even refused payment, offering to teach for free under this routine, but Puss had no shortage of money and liked Vivianne very much, so he insisted on paying her, which she eventually accepted.
At that moment, the two left the house and sat side by side, shoulder to shoulder, in a small wooden boat just outside.
Vivianne reached into her neckline, pulled out a cigarette and a lighter.
"Want one?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, gracias…" Puss calmly waved his paw, refusing.
Even though he now knew that the cigarettes made by the fairy herself supposedly did no harm—according to her—Puss was still mentally resistant to smoking. He had never liked it, in this life or the previous one.
"Hum… more for me," Vivianne shrugged indifferently.
Silence stretched for a moment, and Puss couldn't help but scratch his neck, struggling with a question he was afraid to ask.
"You want to know who the children's father is?" she suddenly said, startling him.
"You read minds?!" Puss asked, shocked.
The fairy merely rolled her eyes.
"Of course not, but I can see that question miles away on your face every time you look at the kids and then at me." She laughed playfully, covering her mouth.
Puss stuck his hand under his hat and scratched his cat ear, embarrassed.
"Well, I guess women really are very perceptive… so?" Though a little embarrassed, he couldn't help but look at her and raise an eyebrow.
It might have been rude if he'd asked outright, but since she brought up the topic herself, he figured it was fine to continue.
Vivianne chuckled softly.
"Well, it wasn't from a baby's first laugh, like you thought at first," she said, amused as she recalled what he'd said the first time they met—making Puss smile at her side, unashamed. "But it also wasn't in the way I said it was…"
She admitted, smiling playfully, and explained:
"...I used a magical material called the Water of Fertility, and became pregnant on my own. Although it's possible for a fairy of my race to conceive with a partner, I still haven't… well, done 'that' with any man," she explained, laughing softly and fearlessly—but her beautiful pointed ears, flushed pink, betrayed a hint of embarrassment.
Puss was surprised and couldn't help but stare at her in mild shock, swallowing hard. Her beautiful face, with her blushing ears, was truly enchanting.
And considering he was shrunk to her size, feeling the warmth of her charming, alluring body so close to his, and the sweet floral scent she carried, he was completely captivated by her charm.
Being stared at like that, though she felt a bit of shyness in her heart, Vivianne simply tucked a strand of her golden hair behind her ear and rolled her lovely blue eyes gracefully, a gentle smile forming on her lips. But she didn't stop him—she let him look as much as he wanted.
After admiring her for a little longer, he ended up letting it slip.
"I thought that with your hundreds of years of life, you would've enjoyed those pleasures of life by now," Puss said, surprised by her revelation that she was still pure.
Although she had already had several children and no longer had her proof of chastity, her words alone were enough for Puss to believe her — after all, she was a very trustworthy little fairy.
Vivianne, who had been shy just a moment ago, immediately glared at him fiercely, grinding her teeth.
"What do you mean by hundreds of years old, you bastard!" She looked at him as if she wanted to spit fire. "I'm a very young fairy, okay?! In fairy age, I'm still a young and pure, beautiful fairy!" Huffing irritably, she crossed her arms, pouted, and turned her face away.
She complained inwardly that this guy really didn't know how to be delicate with a beautiful woman like her.
Puss chuckled in amusement, not the least bit affected by her tantrum.
"Don't be like that. You're the mother of eleven children, but you're still so beautiful and charming, with a long lifespan ahead of you. You don't need to worry about things like age," he praised her sincerely, without even blinking, which only made Vivianne's pointy ears turn even redder.
"Okay, now you've turned into a flirt? Aren't you afraid I'll fall for your charm and leave you to take care of eleven kids?" she joked, not taking the flirting seriously.
Puss laughed softly.
"Well, I don't think it would be a problem taking care of them. They're very lively, and I like them a lot." He didn't back down in the face of her teasing threat.
His answer made her blush spread from her ears to her cheeks, and she cast him a charming look.
Unable to resist such a captivating gaze, he reached out a paw and gently placed it on her face.
Vivianne trembled slightly but didn't pull away, closing her beautiful eyes as Puss leaned in and softly took her lips with his.
The kiss deepened slowly, becoming fiercer and wilder, until he pulled her onto his lap, hugging her curvy body tightly against his.
The cigarette she still held in her hand — which she hadn't even had time to smoke — fell to the ground as the kiss deepened. With what little rationality he had left, Puss stepped on it with his boot, putting out the flame.
But while one flame was extinguished, another was ignited — and the heat between them only grew stronger and stronger.
Time passed, and eventually, their passionate embrace slowed down. Puss was lying on the bench, breathless Vivianne resting on top of him, blushing as she looked into his eyes.
She gently traced circles on his chest, feeling the muscles usually hidden beneath his orange fur.
Well, despite the suggestive description, nothing more happened between them — they only kissed and caressed each other's bodies a little.
Perhaps things could have gone further — after all, they were two adults attracted to one another. Well, Puss wasn't technically an adult, but his mind as a reincarnator and his cat age made up for that. Unfortunately, they were still outside the house, and although the streets were fairly deserted, they weren't completely empty, so they couldn't get too carried away there.
Even so, Puss was very satisfied. After all, in his natural size, it was still a bit less comfortable to wrap his arms around his women, like with Elizabeth or his other romantic encounters.
Although the women's proportions appeared more impressive compared to his small size, it still lacked a certain intimacy — the feeling of completely enveloping them in his arms, as he did with Vivianne now.
The only other time he'd been able to enjoy such a sensation in this life was with the cat that belonged to a prostitute he'd once been with. After all, as two cats, they were the same size.
Vivianne was now the second, and he enjoyed it a lot. Not that he disliked being small and sleeping nestled in the chests of his lovers — they were just different experiences.
At that moment, the fairy was gazing at him softly, her expression complicated.
"Were you serious when you said the children wouldn't be a problem?" she asked timidly, but with a firm gaze.
She had grown fond of Puss over the past few days, especially seeing how gentle and playful he was with the children, never once showing impatience. That alone had won her motherly heart.
But that didn't mean he would truly accept the children as part of his life and take responsibility for them. It was one thing to play with a friend's kids — another thing entirely to take on responsibility for them.
Even though she had grown to like the handsome, charming, powerful, and wealthy orange cat, that didn't mean she would jump into his arms and forget her responsibilities as a mother. In her heart, the children's happiness came before her own — and her own happiness could only come if they were happy too.
That's why she had never sought a partner before. After all, few would accept the responsibility of her many children. And in truth, many wouldn't even believe she was still a virgin, even if she said so — at most, they'd only be after her body, seeing her as a lover rather than someone to commit to.
Of course, even if a man wasn't like that, she was an independent and strong fairy, very hard to win over. Puss was the first to meet all her expectations, but the children were still the most important thing to her, so she had to ask firmly about his intentions.
If it were only a carnal relationship without feelings, she would withdraw right away, keeping things strictly professional between them and never bringing up matters of the heart again.
The real reason she had so many children was because the Pixie fairy race — her race — had very few members left, on the brink of extinction. That's why she took on the responsibility of reviving the race when she obtained the Water of Fertility.
And when her first child was born, it was the happiest day of her life. From then on, she'd had many tiring days, but also incredibly joyful ones.
The children had filled a loneliness she hadn't even known she carried through her long years of life. They had become her safe harbor, her responsibility, and the most precious things in her life.
So now, standing before Puss, she looked at him firmly, waiting for the answer that would shape their relationship from this moment on.