While a peaceful tea party unfolded in the Land of Death within the Demon Realm, Nebula stood in the subspace behind Kaito's house, nodding in satisfaction as she inspected her freshly fired wares.
"It turned out quite complex because of how much I fussed over the details, but the firing was perfect," Nebula remarked.
"Yes! Tahaa... Truly, Nebula-san, you’re incredible," Canalis added. "We’ll handle all the family crest services ourselves, except for Marquis Daughter Elis's, but this new method produces much clearer results than conventional techniques."
"The effort was certainly worth it. Though, I must say, successfully firing such large-scale pottery is thanks to the modifications you made to the kiln, Canalis-san. Since my own capabilities are limited right now, I am constantly indebted to your assistance. Thank you, as always."
Nebula smiled and stepped closer to Canalis, lightly patting her head. At the gesture, Canalis remained expressionless, but tears of deep emotion began to stream from her eyes.
To Canalis, a self-proclaimed hardcore enthusiast for Nebula, being of use to her was the pinnacle of happiness. To receive praise from the woman she revered—to be told she was "being useful" and to have her head patted while being thanked—was a joy beyond words.
...Incidentally, at that exact moment, a certain god who was a friend of Canalis in another world abruptly stood up and began shadowboxing toward the void. The ecstatic Canalis would only realize the significance of this once the fists polished by that shadowboxing were eventually driven home.
Back at the mansion, Lilia had just finished her work for the day. She was contemplating getting some training in while she had the time when Nebula came to visit her office.
"Good afternoon, Lilia-san. My apologies for interrupting."
"Good afternoon. I’ve just finished a segment of my work, so you’ve come at a good time. Is something the matter?"
"Yes. I’ve completed the prototype for Nifty’s family crest service that we discussed before. I was hoping you would take a look at it..."
"Ah, the sample using my family's crest?"
Lilia had already been briefed on Nifty’s plan to offer custom pottery featuring family crests. She had readily agreed when Nebula asked to use the crest of the Ducal House of Albert as the trial design for the prototype.
Once Lilia gave her a nod of confirmation, Nebula withdrew a massive plate—exceeding a meter in diameter—from her Magic Box and set it on the table.
"Here it is."
"M-my... that certainly is a massive piece," Lilia said, eyes widening.
"Larger items make for a better display, so I decided to go with a large plate for the prototype."
"I see. But wait... this is... how magnificent. Is this not just our crest, but the Sky Castle and the Royal Capital as well?"
"Correct. I wanted a theme associated with the Ducal House of Albert, so I included the castle and the capital. Centering the crest provides a nice balance."
The plate Nebula had fired featured the Albert crest prominently in the center, with the Sky Castle and the Sinfonia Royal Capital rendered beautifully in the background. Lilia gazed at it with genuine admiration at first, but her expression slowly began to drain of color.
"...U-um, Nebula-san? Surely... you didn’t paint this after it was fired? Are you saying this design was already finished as a pattern the moment it left the kiln?"
"Yes. No coloring was done afterward. This is exactly how it emerged from the firing process."
Lilia wasn't a pottery collector, nor did she have an especially deep interest in the craft. However, she was the head of a noble house. Her social obligations required her to see fine pottery frequently, and over time, she had refined both her knowledge and her aesthetic eye.
Because of that, she understood. She realized that the plate Nebula had fired was a technical impossibility by any current standards.
"Th-this... it feels similar to Sinfonia’s Five-colored Pottery, but there are clearly more than five colors here, aren't there?"
"Yes. Using Five-colored Pottery as a reference, I developed a new manufacturing method and a unique glaze of my own," Nebula explained. "At this stage, I can fire vivid patterns with up to ten distinct colors without any bleeding. Since this is the prototype, I used the full ten, but ten colors is quite difficult. I plan to set the limit at seven-colored pottery when we offer the service through Nifty."
"...I-I-I see... This will revolutionize the entire pottery industry in the Kingdom of Sinfonia. Nebula-san, is this glaze something special that requires rare ingredients?"
"Not at all. It’s easily made with just a bit of ingenuity using common materials. I have no intention of monopolizing the technology, so if you wish, I can provide papers detailing the manufacturing method and the glaze recipe. You’re free to use them however you like, Lilia-san."
"H-hahih..."
As a side note, the agreement was that Lilia would keep the finished prototype. Since it featured the crest of the Ducal House of Albert so prominently, it couldn't exactly be given to anyone else. It was only natural that Lilia should take custody of it... but a plate utilizing a revolutionary new technology that could overturn the world of pottery... and a secret recipe for a process that enabled simultaneous coloring of five or more colors, handed over so casually... Lilia felt as if she had been politely handed a massive, ticking bomb.
"Nebula-san... out of curiosity, why did you decide to challenge such a difficult—or rather, such an unprecedented manufacturing method as ten colors?"
"When we were discussing Nifty’s ceramics, Master mentioned that it would be beautiful if we could create something like an expanded version of Five-colored Pottery with more colors. If it is Master’s wish, then I, as an Absolute One, shall fulfill it! Therefore, after consulting with Canalis-san, we decided to push our development in that direction."
"...Is... that so?"
Hearing Nebula’s response, Lilia wore an indescribable expression. She forced herself to swallow the words: That person probably just said the first thing that popped into his head and didn't think about the consequences at all.
Serious-senpai: "Just when I thought I was getting hit out of nowhere, the Stomach Pain Warrior was getting hit too. I thought Elis was a prodigy, but the Strongest Stomach Pain Warrior is clearly in a league of her own when it comes to sheer stomach pain power..."