Chapter 23: How to Steal the Mage's Woman [7]
Once again, I found myself heading to the terrace today.
It had been a week since I started checking if Luna was there and then leaving.
But today, Luna was nowhere to be seen.
[Guardian, Luna Stadtfeld is not here.]
'Ah… Did she already give up?'
I hadn't expected her to give up so quickly.
I thought she'd last at least a month…
'No perseverance, no perseverance at all… Kids these days…'
[...]
Back in my day, huh? I waited two weeks, staying up all night, just to buy a game!
Click! Click! Click!
'Well, nothing I can do about it. Might as well enjoy the view while I'm here. Ah…'
[She's looking this way.]
From a distance, Luna was walking over gracefully.
Since she had already seen me, I didn't feel the need to run away.
She greeted me when she reached me.
"Hello."
"…Hello."
After exchanging greetings, she naturally walked past me and headed to the terrace, standing in her usual spot to gaze at the sunset.
'Good. She'll keep coming for a while longer.'
[Aren't you going in?]
'Hmm… Let's wait and see a bit longer.'
I left Luna on the terrace and walked back to the dormitory.
***
As soon as I returned to the dorm, I opened my status window.
-[Fire Attribute Lv.0], [Water Attribute Lv.0], [Wind Attribute Lv.0], [Earth Attribute Lv.0], [Lightning Attribute Lv.0]-
I pondered over the five attributes.
It was time to learn an attribute.
It had been a week since I arrived here, and I had received 20,000 Enels.
The exact amount needed to unlock a primary and secondary attribute.
"Hmm… Which one should I start with?"
[Personally, I think Wind Attribute would be a good choice.]
"Right, it uses less mana, doesn't it?"
[Yes. Since your ultimate goal isn't magic, it's better to start with something that consumes less mana.]
"Alright. Armonia, unlock Wind Attribute for me. Let's take it up to Level 5 while we're at it."
[Understood.]
Wind Attribute reached Level 5.
I decided to test it by visualizing the magic circle for Wind Attribute.
In an instant, a shimmering green circle appeared in front of me.
"Wow, this is on a whole different level compared to other Wind Attribute users!"
[Thanks to your Magic Circle Mastery skill, the magic circle feels incredibly stable.]
Wind Attribute was notoriously difficult to stabilize, but the Magic Circle Mastery skill covered for that.
Learning Wind Attribute first was a wise choice.
The only downside was that while creating the circle was easy with the skill, maintaining it was tough due to the low attribute level.
Once I stopped concentrating, the magic circle wobbled violently before dispersing and disappearing.
"For now, let's just focus on Wind Attribute and think about the others later."
[Understood.]
"Next up…"
-[Sexual Intercourse Lv.2], [Oral Lv.3], [Empathy Lv.1], [Pheromones Lv.1], [Hand Technique Lv.555]-
The long-awaited sexual skills.
That Hand Technique skill is so distracting every time I see it…
If I had OCD, I might've gone insane by now…
I forced myself to look away from the Hand Technique and focused on the two skills in the front row.
-[Sexual Intercourse Lv.2], [Oral Lv.3]-
"…I went crazy with Viola, and that's all I got?"
I'd been at it since Krel and even more so in Kiboutos, but it only went up to 2 and 3.
[Skills don't level up just by performing actions. You need to achieve something meaningful.]
"I see. Well, I need to level up something, at least."
Luna isn't as easy a target as Viola.
Even if I find her weakness and subdue her, I need a card that can actually help.
Hand Technique is undoubtedly a powerful skill.
But while I could probably knock her out with just Hand Technique, that kind of pleasure might fuel her disgust once she regains her senses.
That kind of move is no different from going all-in at a casino.
I don't just want Luna's body.
I want both her body and her heart.
"Empathy and Pheromones don't seem like things you can level up through effort, right?"
[There are ways to level them up, but for you, using Enel would be more efficient.]
"Let's take both to Level 5 for now."
[Understood.]
As expected, nothing happened.
Unlike the Wind Attribute I'd just learned, there was no way to feel any noticeable difference.
At Level 5, the effects were probably too subtle to expect much…
I flopped onto the bed and pulled the blanket over me.
"Well, they're probably passive skills with weak effects anyway. Time to sleep."
[Good night.]
That night, I dreamed of Viola appearing in my dream, repeatedly saying, "Guardian, let's do it!"
***
The next day, after the Basic Attribute class ended, I was about to leave the classroom when Sonya approached me.
"Student, do you have a moment?"
"Ah, yes. What's up?"
"Can we talk for a bit?"
Sonya led me to a corner of the classroom.
Luna, who had been sitting nearby, glanced at me before leaving the room.
Once the classroom was empty, Sonya spoke up.
"I'm really sorry about yesterday."
"Ah… It's really fine…"
It was good to have a one-on-one conversation, but it was also a bit annoying.
'Is she still hung up on what happened yesterday…?'
[It seems your demeanour yesterday really hurt her feelings.]
'If she's that sorry, she should let me touch her chest.'
[...]
I'm not joking, I really want to touch her chest.
It's been over a week since I arrived here, and I've built up quite a bit of tension.
Last night's dream about Viola might've been related to that.
If I got the chance to be with Sonya, I'd probably forget all about being annoyed.
'…Armonia.'
[Yes.]
'I… I want to do it….'
[As long as it doesn't interfere with your mission, you're free to act as you wish.]
'Yes!'
I couldn't do it right now, but I felt a surge of motivation.
Seeing my sudden bright smile, Sonya tilted her head and smiled back.
"Huh? Did something funny just come to mind?"
"Ah, no, not really…"
"?"
"I'm just happy to be talking with you like this, Professor."
"Oh my."
Sonya laughed and lightly tapped my shoulder.
"Don't tease an old lady like me."
"Huh? Are you married?"
"Of course. How old do you think I am…? Do I look so unattractive that I couldn't get married?"
"No, I just thought you weren't old enough to be married."
"Oh my, thank you…"
A woman who looked to be in her late twenties at most was married?
Well, in this world's setting, people probably marry earlier, but still.
Suddenly, Sonya leaned closer to me and sniffed cutely.
"?"
"Student, are you wearing cologne?"
"No, I don't use that kind of stuff."
"Ah… That's strange. You smell really nice…"
The Pheromones' effect was kicking in.
'Awesome! It's working!'
[It seems the effect is subtle but noticeable the closer someone is to you.]
'I see, so staying close is key.'
But when I saw the other female students in the classroom today, I didn't notice any significant changes.
It probably only works at extremely close range.
They didn't seem keen on getting close to me anyway.
Did it work on Luna?
Well, that's not important right now.
Sonya suddenly spoke up as if she'd just remembered something.
"Ah, right! I called you over but didn't say why… Sorry. The thing is…"
Sonya was here to recruit me for a club.
She introduced it as the Lightning Magic Research Club.
It was a small club with almost no members at the moment, she explained.
She shamelessly asked for my help…
I complained internally.
'Ah, I barely got out of the last one…'
The last one was about joining the Magic Circle Research Club.
That fell through because of me.
A guy named Louis kept trying to recruit me in front of others, but I kept refusing.
As a result, when Louis said he wouldn't join either, the others gave up easily.
I don't know why they're so eager to recruit me.
[It's best to hear the details first.]
'Okay…'
Following Armonia's advice, I listened to her reasoning.
"I noticed yesterday that you respect Maximilian Winter. This club was founded during his time at the school. Would you like to join?"
"Well… I'd like to, but I'm a bit shy around people."
"It's okay! I'm in charge of the club. I'll help you make friends."
This is annoying… So annoying… But…
'If I'm going to do it, I might as well join. Whatever…'
[It's not related to your mission, but since it's a small club, it might be a good opportunity to test the effects of the skills you've levelled up.]
'Great!'
Imagining being alone with two people in a confined space reignited my motivation.
I responded to Sonya.
"Alright. I'll join."
***
The place Sonya led me to was a small clubroom, about 10 pyeong in size.
And there…
"Hello."
"..."
"Hello…"
Luna greeted me, while Louis looked at me with displeasure.
'…Why are these two here?'
[...]
Louis and Luna were sitting in chairs, staring at me.
"These are the new members. Ah! Since you're in the same class, you probably already know each other."
"Haha… Yeah."
Come to think of it, Luna was late yesterday, probably because of this.
'So that's why she was late yesterday.'
[But why are there only two people here?]
'Well, maybe that jerk Louis wanted it to be just the two of them.'
Sonya formally introduced the club.
"This is the Lightning Magic Research Club, and our goal is…"
In short, it was a club where we studied and improved upon existing Lightning Attribute magic.
Since Lightning Attribute magic had low recognition, the idea was to have students gather and research it together.
Last year's second and third years were too busy with their schedules to participate.
"Participation here is always voluntary. Feel free to come and participate as you like."
Club activities were only for about an hour after school on weekdays, with no activities on weekends.
The clubroom had a rectangular table that could seat six people.
Luna and Louis sat side by side, while Sonya and I sat across from them.
"..."
"..."
I was sitting face-to-face with Luna.
She didn't say anything, just kept staring at me.
"Since we're all here, let's try drawing the Lightning Attribute magic circle from yesterday."
Sonya took out a stick and drew a small magic circle on the table.
It was about the size of a palm.
The yellow magic circle emitted a threatening electric current.
"This is a magic circle that only uses the attribute and output. Try drawing one."
"""Okay."""
As soon as Sonya finished speaking, I quickly completed the magic circle with my finger.
"Wow! How can you draw it so beautifully? Amazing! But…"
Sonya complimented the shape of my magic circle but wore a disappointed expression.
The magic circle I drew was pure white.
Unlike the yellow magic circles drawn by Luna, Louis, and Sonya, my white magic circle didn't look threatening at all.
"Even though it's a proper magic circle, it turning out white like this means…"
"Haha, it seems Student has no talent for Lightning Attribute."
Louis started explaining, mocking me with information I didn't want to know.
He said that drawing a white magic circle, even when following the proper method, meant I had zero talent for that attribute.
'Damn it, thanks for the explanation, jerk…'
[He still holds a grudge, which makes him a tricky opponent.]
He found a chance to provoke me and started going on and on.
But the little brat showed no signs of stopping.
"It's a shame, Student. Talent is something you can't help."
I'd bet all my Enel that this kid has the [Taunting] trait.
I bowed my head and spoke through the communication link.
'Sigh… Armonia.'
[Yes.]
'Unlock Lightning Attribute up to Level 5.'
[Understood.]
The two girls were focused on Louis, who was taunting me.
"Well, if you work hard on other areas, you might at least avoid being last."
"Louis… That's enough."
"Luna, it's important to face reality quickly…"
*Zap!*
While Louis was talking, an electric spark suddenly shot straight to his forehead.
"Gah!?"
A small burn mark appeared on Louis's forehead, and smoke began to rise.
"Ugh, what the…?!"
"What…"
"Oh my!"
The three of them looked shocked, their eyes turning toward the source of the spark.
In front of me, a small but threatening golden magic circle was emitting sparks.
I smirked at Louis. @@novelbin@@
"Thanks for your concern, Louis. It seems I've gained some talent after all."
***
Hey readers!
Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 20+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.
🔹patreon.com/aarvan🔹
Thanks for being awesome! ❤️
What do you think?
Total Responses: 0