Hearing Roselle's words, Alaric gave him a sympathetic glance.
Phantom of the Opera was one of the works Roselle had "borrowed" from his past life. If Bernadette and Bornova were unaware of this, it wouldn't matter, but Bernadette was studying her father's language. Whether she knew now or not, she'd figure it out eventually. Joining them for the opera would indeed be awkward.
"Copy now, regret later," Alaric shook his head, commenting.
Roselle's expression grew even more awkward. He coughed lightly. "Ahem, boss, let's talk business... like the biological laboratory."
Alaric glanced at him, chuckling, but decided not to tease further. "You're going to talk work in those bear pajamas?"
"What? These are parent-child outfits Bernadette designed for me and Bornova, based on my old manuscripts!" Roselle's embarrassment vanished, replaced by pride, as if he wanted the world to know about his daughter's gift.
Alaric just smiled, saying nothing.
Roselle, caught up in his enthusiasm, gradually faltered under Alaric's gaze. He coughed again. "Er, you're right. This isn't exactly professional for work talk. Come in, have some tea. Give me two minutes to change."
He ushered Alaric inside, poured him tea, and dashed upstairs to swap outfits.
Barely half a minute later, Roselle reappeared in formal attire, looking sharp, holding a thick proposal. "Here's my vision for the biological laboratory. I think we should focus on two areas: mass-producing and popularizing Beyonder artifacts, developing a tech tree unique to this world's Beyonder characteristics. And…" Roselle, ever the expert, launched into his ideas with gusto. "We could try bypassing traditional energy sources like oil. For most civilizations, that's tough, but with our world's pre-civilization as a reference, we might leap straight to a nuclear-based tech tree…"
"As for initial research projects, I've got a few proposals…"
Alaric listened quietly, occasionally chiming in. While he couldn't match Roselle's expertise, his creative ideas offered fresh directions for technological development.
By the time their discussion wrapped up, night had fallen. Bernadette and Bornova had returned home, sitting at a distance, doing their own tasks while sneaking curious glances at the pair.
"The biological laboratory is in your hands, then. I trust you'll deliver results I'm happy with," Alaric said, sipping his tea with a smile.
"Suddenly feeling the pressure, boss. If I don't produce results, you won't… kill me, right?" Roselle asked, half-joking, half-probing, with a mock-fearful look.
"Would I do that? Am I some heartless boss?" Alaric grinned. "At worst, I'll reassign you, maybe extend your 'employment' a bit... say, another century of free labor."
"Sounds like something you'd do," Roselle muttered, then added, "So, I'll handle things with Stiano?"
"Who else?" Alaric countered.
"Boss, aren't you worried I'll team up with Stiano and sideline you? Like, hide research results?" Roselle asked, curious with a hint of probing.
"Go ahead and try. I don't mind," Alaric said, smiling.
Roselle's expression turned sheepish. "Just kidding, just kidding! I wouldn't do that. No benefit for me."
"If you ever develop a tech tree strong enough to challenge me, I'd be thrilled," Alaric said, his smile carrying a deeper meaning. "Roselle, I know you don't like being under anyone's thumb. I'm not planning to keep you leashed forever. When I no longer need you, or when someone can take your place, you're free."
Roselle's expression shifted, a mix of emotions. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "So, if I train a successor, I can retire?"
"Of course," Alaric nodded.
Roselle seemed to relax, then his face changed again. "What about my parents then?"
"I'm a generous boss. Retirees get perks," Alaric said with a smile.
Roselle let out a genuine sigh of relief, downing his tea and wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "Boss, you're not mad?"
"Did I just meet you yesterday?" Alaric shot him a look, chuckling. "You just want freedom, not to stab me in the back. What's wrong with that?"
"You're actually this open-minded?" Roselle muttered. He admitted he'd had thoughts... not of betraying Alaric, but of finding a way to stop working for him.
Roselle's nature craved freedom. Working for Alaric short-term was fine, but a lifetime? That was tough to swallow.
"I've always been open-minded. You're the one slapping a villain filter on me," Alaric said, exasperated, standing up. "That's it for today. I won't interrupt your family time further. But next time I visit, Roselle, your work progress better not be zero."
"Got it, got it. I'll talk to the Evernight Goddess tomorrow about the laboratory, aim to get the facility set up this month, recruit researchers, and start projects," Roselle nodded eagerly.
Before leaving, Alaric glanced at the two kids nearby, huddled over a book... OnCapital, of all things. He smirked.
He didn't mind Roselle retiring someday, as long as he finished everything Alaric wanted done first.
***
Hi guys, Elenea here. I hope you're all doing well.
I wanted to let you know that I'm currently working on one of the best projects you might ever read. This project is set in the world of Fairy Tail with some combined elements from the Yu-Gi-Oh! series.
I'm confident you won't regret giving it a try, so don't hesitate to visit my second account's page (elenea) and start reading it.
[Fairy Tail: My Magic is a Yu Gi Oh Deck?]
Synopsis:
Getting isekai'd into the world of Fairy Tail sounds amazing with all the magic and beautiful girls in it...
But do you know what's even more fun than that?
Getting isekai'd with a Yu-Gi-Oh deck!
(No knowledge of Yu-Gi-Oh is needed, so don't worry.)
...
If you like it feel free to giving it a try.