[Spirit of Lust] Chapter 199: Aether sickness. (Patreon)

And then suddenly two days until the deadline and William was bedridden with a strong cold and a head-splitting headache. The reason?”

“Ishtar?” Ruth asked him. She was sitting at the edge of his bed, looking over him with the back of her hand on his forehead to check his fever.

Will groaned and tried to answer, but his mouth failed him.

“That’s what he says,” Anna answered for him. She was standing close to Ruth with a worried frown. “Nanami says it’s aether related and not a common cold.”

Will’s body felt heavy, his muscles ached and his throat was raw. The girls’ words sounded farther than they truly were, his vision blurred every other minute and his body burned from head to toe. And everything because Ishtar had thrown a frustrated tantrum.

‘I’m sorry…’

It was probably the fourth or fifth time she apologized. For everything Will was feeling, Ishtar had to carry the brunt of it as well. Such was the nature of their bond.

“I don’t get it. Did something happen to Ishtar?” Ruth asked again, gently stroking Will’s cheek. It did little to take the pain away, but it helped soothe the spirit. Will closed his eyes and nuzzled into her touch.

“So… It happened last night,” Anna began. “We were in the living room. Reina and I were watching TV while Will and Nanami worked on their potion project. Then all of a sudden the sex doll Ishtar was practicing on flew from one side of the room to the other and Will fell on his knees clutching his head. We almost had a heart attack.”

‘I’m sorry…’

Sixth time.

Will thought he heard a knock on the door, but it sounded low, dull and very, very far away. Besides, all the girls had their keys to his place and he felt no stranger pass through the barrier. Or maybe his illness had made him miss the alarm?

‘Possible.’

Even Ishtar was keeping herself to as few words as possible.

Anna walked out of the room while Ruth stayed with him. She kissed his forehead and looked upon him with such care and worry that Will could believe he would start getting better if she stayed with him like that for a little longer.

Soon, Anna walked back into his room, this time followed by Nanami and… Aoi. Will’s eyes widened at seeing his teacher. She was glaring at him with such intensity he winced and flinched, making his body hurt more. Then, he closed his eyes and got ready for what was coming.

“You are a full blown idiot!” she shouted at him.

Wait. Him? No… It didn’t sound like it. She was shouting past him. To… Ishtar. Will kept his eyes closed, yet a satisfied smile crept to his face.

Aoi stood next to his bed and leaned down to touch his forehead. Will felt a pleasant cool sensation there. It didn’t seem like any sort of healing magic, but just her own aether.

“Nanami told me everything,” Aoi continued, though she lowered her voice. “Ishtar, you got frustrated that you weren’t making progress on your new trick, threw a hissy fit and ended up disrupting the aether within William’s body, didn’t you?”

‘I’m sorry…’

Seventh.

“My GOD. You know better than anyone the nature of your connection. Your soul and his are linked. An outburst of aether as intense as yours is bound to have consequences on a human body. Will is not ready for all that power yet.”

It was like throwing a pillow across the room when frustrated and angry and accidentally straining a back muscle from bending your arm the wrong way. Only in this case, Ishtar caused a small aether burst that fucked them both up on the inside.

“I already checked him and he should be fine, but… what do you think?” Nanami asked her aunt.

“Give him three or so days of rest and they’ll recover on their own,” Aoi said, sighing.

“Isn’t… the deadline for the potion in two days?” Anna asked.

Aoi flinched. “Right. The deal with Belphegor.”

“Will’s in no condition to be working on that, don’t you think?” Ruth said.

Aoi groaned. “I agree, and normally I would tell him to suck it up and rest, but… breaking a deal with one of the strongest beings in our world would set a bad precedent for us.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Anna asked. “He can heal himself with sex magic, can’t he? Could we just… sleep with him?”

“Healing uses aether, and the flow of his is completely messed up. This isn’t something he can heal by himself.”

“...And you don’t know healing magic, right, Nanami?” Ruth asked.

Nanami grimaced with guilt and shook her head.

Aoi sighed. “I don’t know healing magic either, but… there might be something I can do.”

“Really?” the girls asked brightly.

“I’m saying maybe!” Aoi insisted. “And also… I… would have to spend the night with him.”

Will found it amusing that none of the girls sounded particularly upset or bothered by her proposition. Instead…

“But I thought you said sex wouldn’t work,” Ruth said.

“I didn’t say I was going to have sex with him!” Aoi quickly explained. He could hear the embarrassment in her voice. “I would simply have to stay by his side overnight. I can’t heal him, but I could help guide his aether towards the correct flow. Hasten the natural healing process, in a way.”

“Please do, aunty!” Nanami said. “I can’t bear to see him so… sickly.”

“Yeah.” Ruth ran a gentle hand along his hair and the back of her fingers brushed his forehead. “It’s so clear he’s in pain. He can’t even talk back.”

Will began to feel sleepy. Too much noise in the room, too many voices and things to pay attention to.

“...I guess I should do it. He’s practically helpless right now.” Aoi sighed. “So… this doesn’t bother you?”

“Not at all,” Anna said, giggling. “But still, let me confirm it with the others. I’m sure they won’t object, either.”

Will didn’t hear another word. He fell soundly asleep, his heart, at least, light with the knowledge that his teacher was there in case something happened.