Index - A Gamer Adventure - Chapter 1-20 (Patreon)

A lot of men would have questioned my manliness if they knew that I was paying attention to anything other than the amazing view I had stumbled upon in the library, two very sexy women, their state of undress matching their great beauty, their limbs tangled in a beautiful tango. But in my defense, two glowing, floating sentences, invisible everyone except me, was an excellent reason for my distraction. 

[Successful Voyeur Activity: +100 Experience]

[Achievement: Patience. Wait two decades before gaining first experience point. +500 Experience, +10 Wisdom]

Of course, it was difficult to understand its total magnitude without knowing my particular background. Not when more than ninety percent of the population had the ability to gain discrete experience points which then turned into sudden boosts of power, greatly increasing their capabilities, while the remaining few had to do it the hard way, studying tirelessly to enhance their abilities. Melius, these people had been called, increasing their skills and abilities through the points they have collected through killing monsters. 

Nobody knew why something like that was possible. Some claimed it was a gift from gods, others theorized it was somehow linked to endless hordes of monsters that turned otherwise beautiful planes into blackened seas of death, interrupted only by occasional town or city. Some fringe religions even claimed that it was somehow linked to Demon Kings, and every single Melius was cursed by the demons -not a popular theory considering the only reason that people were still alive against the monsters was the Melia, especially the elite warriors that had been lucky enough to have a high enough level cap. Everyone had a different level cap, with no way of learning it before hitting to a point, causing a Melius unable to register an experience point gain. 

That level cap neatly tied into my status as a disabled Melius. Or my supposed status, invalidated by the floating letters in front of me.

As the firstborn of a noble family, I was tested when I was five, revealing that, unsurprisingly, I was a Melius. It wasn’t entirely impossible for a noble family to have an Invalid child, but it was not expected by default. But things had taken an unexpected turn when I killed a small monster that had been captured by our family hunters, only to receive no experience. It caused a huge commotion. Repeated tries, or experiments with different monsters, changed nothing. No matter the creature, no matter the circumstances, I never gained a single experience point. 

Experts, after making my father spend endless riches, deduced that I was the most unlucky Melius ever, born with a level cap of 1, meaning I would never learn a Skill, or earn a Stat Point. I was supposed to live my life as nothing. No skill points, no stats above one, no skills, and certainly no hope… 

My father used his influence to record me as an Invalid, meaning I was supposed to belong to that particular unlucky minority that was supposed to improve themselves through endless practice. Still better than being a cursed Melius that never leveled up. Less damaging to family reputation, at least.  

But those two glowing sentences changed everything. 

Everything.

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****

Considering that my whole life had been turned sideways just a moment ago, even with my suddenly increased mental prowess, the shocked gasp that escaped my mouth was excusable. Unfortunately, it alerted the two beautiful ladies that had been sharing an intimate kiss to my presence. Their heads raised, and I managed to recognize them, far faster than any other time I was able to recognize anyone. Cornelia, of the House Antony, and Marianne, of the House Louis, two of the most popular women that currently graced the halls of the Silver Tower, the premier learning institute of the Empire. Two strong, deadly women with strong lineages, which made their panic completely understandable. 

“Who is there,” called Cornelia, her voice sharp in anger, the uncrowned queen of the school, a famed fire mage with a temper to match. I couldn’t help but record every single detail as she hurriedly wrapped her arms around her breasts, though they were not sufficient to hide them from the view, a decent portion spilling out of her arms. Marianne was different, her face colored with panic, and her arms were enough -if barely- to cover her more modest assets. And just like that, another sentence appeared in my field of view. 

[Achievement: Double Trouble. See two pairs of chest at the same time. +100 Experience, + 1 Perception]

At that point, the most logical thing would be to escape silently, trusting to the endless shelves of books to hide my figure. But I didn’t do that, because I had been already noticed before I could take action, courtesy of my abominably low intelligence stat, which governed the flexibility of thought. By the time I realized I was supposed to be moving, I was already pinned down by Cornelia’s gaze, her green eyes flickering darkly, suggesting that she was already preparing a spell. 

Again, I was slow to react while they fixed their clothes before cornering me. But for the first time in my life, I was annoyed by it. Because only now, I really understood the difference between the others and me, which I lacked the wisdom to appreciate. The stained glass that prevented my perception was suddenly broken, giving me the first taste of clarity. 

It was too bad that it was the clarity of death.  

“I’m going to kill you, you twerp,” Cornelia whispered in a tone that made me shiver, the flame that flickering in her hands making her even more intimidating. “When I’m done with you, no one would even find your bones-” she added before her words had been interrupted by a desperate shout. 

It was my shout, I absentmindedly realized it was me that was shouting, even as the pain threatened to bury the momentary clarity I had. From the corner of my eye, I could see my health-bar diving dangerously close to zero. It was already blinking red. 

Luckily, her companion grabbed Cornelia’s hand before my health dipped below zero. “Stop, it’s the Mule!” she called, reminding me my nickname, which, for the first time in my life, caused anger to spark in my heart, because for the first time, I understood what it meant. “Don’t kill him. It’s not like he’ll remember anything.” 

“Damnation!” Cornelia called as she took a step back in shock. Without her hand, I collapsed on the ground, and I could see my health bar draining even further. “Do something!” she called. 

I saw Marianne’s hand glowing blue before a coolness spread through my body, breaking my concentration. It didn’t prevent from the darkness covering my view though. The last thing I had seen was three glowing sentences, promising that everything was going to be different.

[Achievement: Survive the Fury. Narrowly escape death as a direct consequence of being caught while peeking. +500 Experience, +1 Endurance]

[!Level up]

[Achievement: Patient Leveler. Wait for two decades before leveling up. +5 to all stats]

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     

Waking up was a weird experience. Despite the persistent pain on my cheek, I felt like I was reborn, that I was walking unencumbered for the first time after wading through the mud for the first time. I would have thought that I was in a dream, but even in my dreams, my thoughts flowed with a clarity that I had never experienced before. 

I was in uncharted territory. The closest I had been to this when my mother had pitied me, and cast status enhancement spells on me, which raised all of my stats by five for a glorious minute before disappearing forever, leaving me a fleeting memory of heaven that never left me. 

Still, I couldn’t help but tremble with fear as I brought my status window, afraid that the clarity will dispel like a puff of cloud the moment I bring my status window, that damnable screen that was filled with ones, reminding me that I was cursed. But this time, the view was different. 

[Level: 2    Experience: 1200 / 3000

Strength: 6    Charisma: 6

Precision: 6    Perception: 7

Agility: 6     Manipulation: 6

Speed: 6       Intelligence: 6

Endurance: 7      Wisdom: 16

HP: 59 / 62    Mana: 82 / 82             ]

I couldn’t help but feel excited as I examined the scores in front of me. In less than a minute, the curse that ruined my life was dispelled, I was free. Free to life. Free to grow. 

At that moment, I was thankful to my Wisdom stat, because I had no doubt that, without a significant score on it, I would be shooting my lungs about my curse being broken, that I could be something more than that damnable Invalid Mule, capable of something else than collecting discarded books while lacking the intelligence to even sort them correctly. 

But my newly enhanced Wisdom stopped me, my mind sorting a lifetime of barely-remembered knowledge in a revolutionary manner. I barely remembered the details years after, but parts of a discussion between two experts, considering the probability that I could gain experience with anything other than monster kills had been considered, but ultimately dismissed. Not much, but enough to convince me that keeping my shut might be the better idea. 

Only then, I remembered to glance around, checking where I was. I was afraid that I had been in the medical ward, which would mean I would be examined before leaving. It would have been impossible to hide all the changes that my body had gone through. With my stats upgraded, a night’s sleep was enough to put some muscles to my twig arms, and add some color to my pasty skin. 

Luckily, I was in my room, which was a small room in the depths of the castle, in an abandoned wing, barely bigger than a wardrobe, a dirty, ruined cot only furniture in there. Only after my revolutionary mental shift, I could truly process how insulting it was to live in there, but I still welcomed it. After, it kept me out of view. 

I couldn’t help but wonder just how much of my life had been spent as being kept out of view. My childhood had passed locked in a room, various experts my only companions, then my father arranged me a ‘job’ as a librarian assistant. Not a bad job for a supposedly Abnormal child. Of course, now, I was realizing that it wasn’t my father’s mercy that drove him to arrange it. Any job in Silver Tower was prestigious enough to prevent too many questions. and more importantly, with four hundred miles between the Silver Tower Complex and my family estate, too far away for any news reach back to my family’s social circle. 

But to me, it had been a cruel exile, forever stuck in Level 1 between the best and the brightest students of the Empire and the Free Cities, my life filled with meaningless menial work, broken only by one of the students decided to prank me due to boredom. Though, the latter didn’t happen much, because there was no great pride found in tricking the ‘Mule’, a nickname referring my endless menial tasks and my slowness of mind. 

“No more,” I murmured, unable to prevent excitement from slipping to my tone. I was finally awake, and ready to take what the world owed me for twenty years of humiliation! 

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****    

Of course, before making the world pay for my humiliation, I needed to validate the reason for my experience gain. With my improved deduction capabilities, it wasn’t hard to theorize that the sexuality of the situation had been a major part of it, but I needed to test the exact conditions to 

But before that, I needed to select my skills. Excitement burst in my heart as I realized, for the first time in my life, selecting a skill was an option. I called for skills tab, and met with an empty list, three lines of writing below it breaking the pattern. 

[Select one of the following skills: Basic Subterfuge, Basic Resistance, Basic Concealment] 

Again, quite different than what was supposed to be normal, combat filled option list, but I welcomed the change. While it was tempting to have the ability to beat up the assholes that humiliated me for years, I needed to keep my changes as hidden as possible, meaning my selection was between concealment and subterfuge. 

[Basic Subterfuge (0/25)] 

It wasn’t an easy choice, but I went with basic subterfuge, because I needed to hide the changes I was going through, and the ability to trick others would prove invaluable. Acting was critical for my survival.

I have never heard a skill that didn’t focus on combat and similar activities, but since none of the experts were able to identify my problem during my youth, it wasn’t too wild to believe my condition was unique. And needed to keep that hidden since I had no intention of spending another ten years of my life under the examination of so-called experts. 

I donned by librarian assistant robe, which conveniently covered my whole body loosely. It even had a hood to cover my face. Then, I took a deep breath, trying to suppress a sudden excitement that thumped into my heart. For the first time in my life, I felt alive, doing something other than obediently following other people’s direct orders, like I was nothing more than a wound-up toy.  

The moment I stepped in the corridor was different. I smelled the mold and the dust that covered the corridor, my increased stats allowing me to process just how disgusting those smells were, but even then, it made me only happier, like a recently-recovered blind person enjoying the sight of a dumpster. 

A desire to let out a laugh filled my chest, different than all the times that I had been trying to copy the others when they laughed, usually me as the butt of the joke. I suppressed that particular desire, not wanting to alert anyone to the sudden change of my status, though I had a feeling that if it wasn’t for my ridiculous increase in the wisdom stat, I would have missed that particular detail under the rush of excitement. 

I started to come across other people closer I got to the library. I had passed just a few people when another line of fiery letters appeared on my sight. 

[Subterfuge +1]

Excellent, I thought, surprised, but definitely not dissatisfied, with the increase speed of the skill. I remembered hearing that real-life situations were much better to enable skill progress, a swing against a deadly monster was more valuable than a thousand swings in the courtyard. And apparently, the likely consequences of getting noticed was enough to qualify my situation as dangerous. 

Missing such an amazing opportunity would be definitely wasteful, so I decided to get ‘lost’ during my walk towards the library. For anyone else, getting lost while walking towards the location of employment of last two years would be incredulous, but for my past self with all one stats and no skills, it was something that happened in a startling frequency. 

I spent almost an hour wandering in the corridors, which helped my subterfuge skill to reach the rank of ten, but unfortunately, that number stayed the same for the last five minutes, suggesting that I needed more dangerous situations to test it. Or maybe, I added a moment later, it required more interactive situations. 

The sensation of a hand, wrapping tightly around my biceps, pulled me from my thoughts. I turned towards my assailant, only to meet with the face of a servant that I occasionally saw in the halls. “Lost again,” he murmured, but didn’t wait for an answer before starting to drag me towards the library. “Fucking nobles,” he murmured. “Every single one is a parasite, even the Invalid ones, wasting food while they should be given to monsters.” 

I quirked my eyebrow as I listened to the rumblings of the servant, curious to see that my supposed shared status as an Invalid not quelling his anger. Maybe because my past self’s capabilities were abysmal even in Invalid standards. He was careful to hide his mumbling whenever another student or servant closed in, but apparently, I didn’t count. I might have ignored it, but maintaining my silence added another five points to my subterfuge skill. Tempted, I pressed the skills button as the servant deposited me at the entrance, checking my full status. 

Things were finally looking up for me… 

—————

[Level: 2        Experience: 1200 / 3000

Strength: 6    Charisma: 6

Precision: 6    Perception: 7

Agility: 6     Manipulation: 6

Speed: 6       Intelligence: 6

Endurance: 7      Wisdom: 16

HP: 59 / 62    Mana: 82 / 82             ]

SKILLS

[Basic Subterfuge (15/25)     ]

Stepping inside the library once again was an interesting experience. For the last three years, I have spent almost all of my awake time in here, the the library of the Silver Tower. But for the first time, I had the ability to soak in its impressive sight, to understand the significance of the mass that was here. Endless lines of shelves, each filled with thick, leather-bound tomes, representing the biggest repository of information known to mankind. 

And it wasn’t just magical knowledge that it contained. It supposedly kept at least a copy of each book in existence, representing humanity’s collective wisdom. Ironically, only my own spark of wisdom allowed me to fully comprehend the treasures that I had been carrying for the last three years. With my abysmal stats, previously stuck to one, I failed to realize the importance of it, though even if I did, not like I would have been able to benefit. With an intelligence score of 1, learning how to tie my shoes was a miracle. Recognizing the individual letters, I was able to learn only after years of private lessons.  

But, having a better understanding of everything wasn’t always positive. For example, I also realized the true importance of the Silver Library. The state of our world had made it a necessity. When losing towns and villages to the monster hordes wasn’t worthy of anything other than marketplace gossip, ensuring the safety of information was good thinking. 

Luckily, protected by the walls of the biggest magical school in the world, I didn’t have a reason to worry about the dangers of the wild, at least not in the short term.  

I took a deep breath before walking forward towards the main desk, while trying to copy my unbalanced shambling, thanking the deities that I had the chance to select subterfuge as my first skill. It was the only edge I had to keep my new status under wraps until I could understand the limits and the impacts. The first years of my life were filled with experiments, and I had no intention to restart them. The experience had been harrowing enough for my idiot past, and I had no intention to risk it once again. 

When I arrived at my destination, I was happy to note that the head librarian was away. The head librarian was a sharp woman in her forties, a battlefield veteran to the boot, and I wasn’t sure that my new acting skills would be enough to avoid her sharp attention. Even with my spotty recollection, I could remember her as a dangerous woman, and it was impossible to guess how she would react if she noticed my expanded capabilities.  

One of her senior assistants manning the main desk instead. A shortish, brown-haired guy that I failed to remember. Luckily it was just expected of me. I stood in front of him silently until I caught his attention. 

“What are you waiting for, you log, go collect the discarded books,” he murmured in annoyance, not bothering to give me anything other than a glance, which suited me just fine. Until I could maximize my subterfuge skills, the fewer interactions I had with people, the better. Well, fewer interactions, discounting the one unique context that gave me my first experience points. I still wasn’t completely sure that was the only way I could gain experience, but that was one experiment I had no complications to run. 

I grabbed the nearest empty cart and drove it towards the back of the library, to a section where the discarded copies of the less valuable books held, well-away from the majority of students and other employees. And while I hoped that I would come across a scene similar to one that gave me the first taste of power, I also knew that it wasn’t very likely, especially in the middle of the day, when the library was in its most crowded. 

I was searching for a small alcove where I could read undisturbed, discovering more about my new status. Luckily, working for years in the library, netted me a few spots where I could hide to read a book or two. And I knew that no one would be looking for me thanks to my reputation. 

Reading a book with my enhanced stats was an unbelievable experience. Previously, each letter was a puzzle that I struggle to decipher, and any sentence longer than eight words might as well be a mountain in terms of the challenge it represented. Now, words jumped from the page, sentences forming easily digestible sections that I could decipher with a glance. Truly a magical experience. 

I had used my obscure location and newly enhanced reading skills, trying to discover more about my new condition and my power levels. Apparently, I managed to luck myself into a set of respectable stats. From what I have read, it seemed that the stat increase could be only driven by Achievements, and everyone had their own unique set of achievements, meaning stat increase was inherently driven by luck. 

Moreover, my stats, with a minimum of six for each, was below average compared to the general population, but still workable in terms of usual standards, while my wisdom score was quite a bit above average. It seemed that a score of five was what an Abnormal had on average, and ten was what they could reach ultimately. And while there was no limit for the Melius, most didn’t surpass the twenties, meaning sixteen for Wisdom was quite respectable. 

“Finally something going right in my fucking life,” I murmured when I realized that. After twenty years of torture, I was long due for some good news. That didn’t mean that I wouldn’t focus on enhancing my stats, but the real priority was my Level, which would unlock more skills. Yes, it was possible to learn things without skill, but only through extended practice that would take weeks and months, something skills that not only shortened significantly, but also allowed to break limits that would otherwise limit those. 

With my newfound attraction towards reading, I barely realized the passage of time until the library became too dark to read. Only then I realized that it was pushing close to the sunset, and the section I was currently in wasn’t important enough to have a lot of lamps, and using one of those risked to give my position. With a sigh, I grabbed my cart, pulled several books from the shelves to give the impression that I had been working, and slowly drove back towards the main desk. It was for the best if I didn’t disappear completely from the view of my coworker. The less attention I got, the better. 

I had been planning to drop the books on the usual desk, letting the others sort the stuff, but a sharp hiss derailed me from my plans. I barely kept myself from turning towards the source, recognizing her from the last night. Marianne of the Blue, the most accomplished student of healing arts in the Silver Tower. Her focus on the gentler side of the magic was the only reason I was still alive. If it wasn’t for her last-minute intervention, I would have ended up dead due to my pitiful amount of HP at that point in time. And most importantly, she was part of the reason I unlocked the first lock on the road to true power. 

Still, just because she saved my life and unlocked true potential didn’t mean that she would get away without a consequence for her involvement in my near-death experience. After everything that happened to me, I wasn’t feeling particularly generous. But my current position wasn’t conductive for that particular payback, so I continued my trek. Common sense told me to take a turn towards the more crowded parts of the library. 

Instead, I took a left turn, taking a path leading to another rarely-visited part of the library. If it had been Cornelia who was behind me, I wouldn’t dare to take such a risk, but considering Marianne was the one who saved my life, risks were more manageable. 

Her footsteps following me after my turn made me certain that our encounter was not accidental. Still, dashing away was not an option. I needed to make sure about my status, and she was an excellent target for it. So, I continued walking, acting like I wasn’t hearing her footsteps. My old self definitely wouldn’t have noticed, after all. 

Only when Marianne was directly behind me when I decided to stop. But she failed to notice my sudden movement in time, and collided with my back before she could react. It wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but the line of writing in front of me went a long way to mollify that mistake. 

[+10 Experience]

I was rather certain that the experience wasn’t about the accident itself, as they weren’t exactly rare in my history. No, I had a feeling that the sudden gain was about the pair of firm globes, pressing against my back rather distinctively. She really had an amazing chest.  

The best thing to do would be pulling back, and act stupid until Marianne could walk away. But I needed to validate my assumptions about experience gain. Luckily, there was no one around, leaving me free to act creatively. I have turned back rapidly, so that before she could react, I was face to face with my stalker. She opened her mouth in shock, trying to pull back, but I was quicker. I faked yelping in panic as I waved my arms, and my hands accidentally ended up on her chest! Such misfortune! 

[+50 Experience]

I had been expecting her to pull back rather rapidly, but I hadn’t been expecting her feet to tangle into her robe, destroying her balance. She started falling back, and panic rose in my heart. Even in my idiot state -mostly due to sheer experience- I had known about the dangers of head-first falling. I tried to grab her as quick as I could, not wanting to injure one of the most important students of the school. 

Since my hands were already there, grabbing her robe was purely reflex.  

Her robe was probably made from magically-enhanced silk or similar material, strong enough to resist the sudden pull. But the same couldn’t be said for the fancy lace ties on the front. I watched with a detached fascination as the front of her robe ripped, giving me a glimpse of what was underneath. A lacy corset that gently wrapped her curves, ending low enough to create a rather impressive cleavage. 

[+50 Experience]

The smart thing to do was to gently help her stand up while marking the experiment as a success. After all, the experience I had gained was nothing to scoff at, considering the others had to risk their lives in the wilderness against the monsters to make the similar gains, where the smallest mistake might result in death. And, in a school filled with female students and servants, I would no doubt have other opportunities. 

But riding in the exaltation of another experience burst, I was more willing to take risks. So, when her arms reached towards the front of her robe in a blind panic, trying to cover her body, I decided to push for more. “Sorry,” I murmured in panic as I let go of her robe, leaning to my recently-maximized subterfuge skill to make it seem like I was an idiot, panicking against what had just happened. 

Thanks to the angle of her body, she started falling once more. And, her hands were too far away to reach back to soften her fall. “Help, you idiot,” she yelped in panic. Who I was to disregard the heartful cry of a beautiful maiden -guessing- asking for my help. So, my right hand darted towards her chest, and grabbed the edge of her corset. 

She let out a gasp as the corset cut into her back due to sudden spot, but I really welcomed the next noise. A certain ripping sound, proving that her corset was weaker than her robe. This time, I reacted before she could react, leaning forward to wrap my hand around her waist. I was quick enough to prevent her from falling, but wasn’t quick enough to save her corset. As a result, the ripped remains of her corset was in my right hand while I lowered her on the ground with my left. 

[+100 Experience]

[Achievement: Manufactured Mishap. Proactively create an accident that ends up in a visual feast. +200 Experience, +1 Manipulation]

I didn’t exactly know why a smile popped into my face. My guess was it was a close call between another stat increase, and the amazing sight in front of my eyes. The outrage grew in her face as she opened her mouth to cry, but a sudden comprehension stopped her. She must have realized that a cry would pull the others to our location, increasing the number of people who had captured the amazing sight of her voluptuous breasts. 

I spent a second to commit the amazing view of her curvy body on my memory while trying to guess just what portion I could cover by my hand. At most half, I was guessing. 

Another inspiration struck at that moment. Did I have to keep that question on a theoretical level?

For a moment, I was shocked by my own decision. I was tangled in a very interesting situation with Marianne, with her clothes destroyed by the earlier situation I had engineered. With my left arm trapped under her, I was the perfect excuse, so I pushed a silly expression to my face, and started falling forward with an exaggerated movement. Her panic was positively delicious. 

I let my knee to hit first, receiving a sudden spike of pain thanks to the stone floor. Then, when I tried to put my right hand on the ground, it accidentally ended up on her chest, my fingers sinking deep into her chest. It was a miracle I managed to keep myself from laughing against her shocked expression. 

[+200 Experience] 

I didn’t blame her when she pushed my right arm away with a strength that was boosted by her panic, but that move left me without support once again, and I started falling towards her once more, her panic growing stronger as our faces got closer. She tried to reach to my chest before the contact, but she was too slow, which made me guess that Agility wasn’t one of her best stats. But her stat distribution wasn’t as important as my lips pressing against hers. 

[+400 Experience] 

The experience boost was almost as welcome as the sensation I got from her beautiful lips, though I didn’t have much to savor the sensation, as I felt two hands on my chest, followed by a rather painful push on my chest, too strong to be just physical. 

[HP 52/62]

It wasn’t too deadly thanks to my recent power boost, but just a day ago, it would have pushed me near death. So, once again I relied on my subterfuge skill, gasping pathetically like I was on the edge of the underworld. “Oh for god's sake,” she exclaimed, her panic tinged with exasperation as she stood up. A second later, she was leaning towards me, her hands glowing blue as a healing spell spread through my body. Meanwhile, I was enjoying the spectacular view of her breasts, hanging freely. 

[HP 62/62]

[+100 Experience]

[Achievement: False Flag. Garner the sympathy of a woman you recently angered. +500 Experience, +2 Charisma]

“Pain, gone,” I murmured, trying to sound surprised. 

“Idiot,” she murmured in exasperation as she stood up. She glanced to her corset for a moment before giving it up as a lost cause, and focused on closing her robe despite its ripped state. I continued lying on the ground in fake pain, enjoying the accidental flashes as she tried to fix her robe. A minute later, she sighed in desperation and murmured a small chant, and her robe repaired itself. Not enough to pass a detailed examination, cluing me that it wasn’t one of the areas she was strong in. She sent one last glare towards me, she stuffed the remains of her corset into her robe and dashed away, leaving me alone. 

I just lay on the ground, amused by the fact that she didn’t have the time to mention why she was following me in the first place. I wondered whether I would be able to set up a similar accident the next time. 

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****    

I spent the next hour after my encounter with Marianne to cart books around, trying to be visible while acting like my usual bumbling self. I was very aware of the fragility of my position, and the less attention I had on my actions, the better. After the earlier risk I had taken, it was only prudent. 

But there was one important detail that was tickling my mind. 

[Experience 2810/3000]

Just a dash more experience points, and I would have another level. And while patience was a virtue, after spending twenty years of my life in a static condition, stuck in a rut, waiting for another day sounded like torture. Which was why I kept my eyes open, looking for another opportunity to gain some experience points. 

Of course, that wasn’t all I had done. Seeing Marianne’s spell raised another ambition in me, casting magic. So, as I walked around the library, I had been also doing my best to pull my mana to the surface. I wasn’t expecting to start coughing fireballs and spitting tornados without a corresponding skill, but simpler things should be a possibility. So whenever there was no one around, I reached for my mana, trying to do something. 

Probably thanks to my extremely high wisdom stat, and an overall respectable level of my other mental aspects, after a couple of hours of dedicated practice, I was able to create a weak telekinesis effect. From what I had read, such an achievement would have taken weeks for the others, but also it was usually done by children who were yet to reach their puberty, so, whether it was a success was arguable. 

The effect was stronger than I was expecting, enough to throw away a book violently, but on the negative side, I had learned that fact because of my limited control, actually slamming a book to a wall, hard enough to destroy it. Luckily, there was no one around to see it.

Still, however weak and unwieldy, I had access to magic, and it would doubtlessly come useful. That spell devoured a significant portion of my remaining mana, but I didn’t let it bother me. The benefits were too important to ignore. 

That opportunity came soon after, in the form of a student with a distinctive pale blond hair, cut in shoulder-length student, sitting alone in a concealed desk, her attention firmly on the book in front of her. Helga, I recognized her. Disjointed memories of other students insulting and bullying her came soon after, because she was not only a foreigner, but also she belonged to a merchant family, and not a particularly rich one either. The only reason she was able to gain admission to Silver Tower was because of her prodigious talent, passing many of the noble students. 

Of course, that fact hadn’t been noted with good humor by the other students, who weren’t very happy about being shown-off by a foreign commoner. And, to her unluckiness, her strength lied more on the research and other academic topics than combat, preventing her from responding effectively to her bullies. The other thing I remembered was she never treated me badly, though she had been dismissive enough. 

If I was a nice man, I would have let her, a fellow bullying victim who had been suffering like I had been, to study in peace. Unfortunately for her, I was not a nice person. 

I stood far away, making sure to put two large bookshelves between us, enough to catch a glimpse of her while making sure I wouldn’t be observed. It wasn’t ideal, considering my telekinesis ability was highly sensitive to distance, but keeping hidden was more important than accurate spellcasting in my situation. 

My heartbeat picked up speed, only partially about the danger I was in. The rest was the anticipation about what I would find. Helga was a beautiful girl, but her body was a total mystery due to her habit of wearing loose clothing. Most students had thought that it was because she was quite fat, expressed by their regular insults. But there was a voice inside suggesting me that it might not be as accurate. And I couldn’t wait to see if it was true… 

A deep breath later, I used my nascent arcane abilities to reach towards her, trying to focus on the top button that was holding her robe in place. With that, I hit my first snag, namely her aura, interfering with my spell. The books had warned me about that, but I had been hoping that her lack of alertness would blunt its effects enough to give me a movement area. Unfortunately, that didn’t work as much as I had hoped, or maybe my magical power was worse than I had been hoping for, or maybe, due to constant bullying, she had a stronger resistance active subconsciously. 

Regardless of the reason, it was a barrier that I needed to overcome, so I focused on my spell, putting extra power behind it. And it worked… In a fashion…

My aim was to unlatch a few of her buttons, which I succeed. What I wasn’t planning for was the violent speed of my success, only parting her robe violently, making her buttons fly around, but also managed to achieve a similar effect on the blouse she was wearing underneath, though this time, only up to halfway. 

Still, it was enough to reveal the corset she was wearing underneath, confirming my suspicions. The body she was hiding underneath was truly beautiful, enough to send my heart overdrive. Though my elation wasn’t only about that. 

[+50 Experience] 

[Achievement: Malfunctioning Magic. Use an uncontrolled magic spell for your personal benefit. +200 Experience, +1 Precision]

[Level Up!]

I wasn’t expecting her to react as quickly as she did, though. Her first reflex was to crouch behind the table while her eyes roamed the room rapidly. Trying to use the situation to my advantage before I retreated, I tried to push her once more, but this time, my spell fizzled long before it even neared her body. Either she was even stronger than I had been expecting, or I vastly overestimated my fledging strength. 

Regardless of the situation, it was the time to pull back. The last thing before I pulled back from my vantage point was her buttons, attaching them back to her robe with a bare wave of her hand, showing just how much I still needed to improve. 

I was driving my cart in my usual idiot disguise when I heard rapid footsteps closing to my direction, making me panic slightly. I knew that she hadn’t seen me, meaning she probably felt the direction the spell was coming from. Yet another complication to take care in my future actions. 

I couldn’t help but feel intimidated when she suddenly appeared in front of me, her expression bleak. “Have you seen anyone here,” she barked, and I raised a trembling finger towards distance while using my recently maximized basic acting skills to a maximum degree. Luckily, she didn’t have a reason to suspect me, and followed my direction with anger sharp on her face. 

I let out a relaxed sigh before smiling. I had just gained another level! And from the skill selection, the decision was almost trivial to pick Basic Arcana Magic. For most, it was a tool that was underused due to its limited combat applications, but in my situation, it was too useful to miss… 

—————

[Level: 3        Experience: 3010 / 6000

Strength: 6    Charisma: 8

Precision: 7    Perception: 7

Agility: 6     Manipulation: 7

Speed: 6       Intelligence: 6

Endurance: 7      Wisdom: 16

HP: 96 / 96    Mana: 20 / 135             ]

SKILLS

[Basic Subterfuge (25/25)     ]

Basic Arcana [1/25]

SPELLS AND ABILITIES

[

Minor Telekinesis

]

After my encounter with Helga, I decided to sneak out of the library and go directly to my room. The close-call I had with Helga spooked me, so I decided walking away was a more prudent choice for the moment. Though, I made sure to sneak one of the beginner books on the arcane magic with me. My near discovery with Helga showed me that wisdom stat wasn’t an all-around cure for all kind of information, and I actually needed more information to prevent another half-assed plan exploding on me. 

While my existence as I grew up had been a horrible, lonely existence, it also came with certain advantages, such as the absolute absence of any kind of friendship, meaning no one bothered to look for my presence when I decided to skip the dining hall. Going to the library was a risk, but I only took it because people were too used to my presence to really pay attention. I wasn’t willing to risk my acting skills against the sharp eyes of all kind of soldiers, especially if someone decided to bully me in the dining hall, which happened far more than I would have liked to admit. 

Walking around carelessly was one thing, but trying to trick everyone in a crowded hall was a different thing while they watched my reaction.

The danger was compounded by the fact that the room was not filled with the students with the magical focus like it was in the library. According to what I had read, the students with a magic specialty rarely bothered to pick sensory skills, relying on spells to enhance them under the combat situations. I wasn’t willing to take the same risk for the students on leadership or ranger track, not before I could enhance my Subterfuge skill to a reliable degree. 

The next few hours were split between reading on magic and trying to enhance my arcana skill, only to increase it by a measly one point. The culprit was easy to discover, the lack of risk. Unfortunately, without some arcana ability, improving my spells was a slow-yielding chore, destroying my plans. I sighed, and decided to focus on the theoretical side while leaving the skill enhancement for tomorrow. 

At least, that was my initial decision. But when I found myself twisting and turning in my uncomfortable bed, unable to catch a wink of sleep, I decided to revise that plan. I wasn’t able to sleep, because I couldn’t prevent myself from mentally calling my status screen, a part of it burning in an annoying light. 

 Basic Arcana [2/25]

It shouldn’t be a real problem, as after spending years without gaining a level, or even thinking it was possible, I had gained two levels in rapid succession, a speed that was unheard of, even for the first few levels. That should have been satisfactory enough to let me sleep. 

But it wasn’t, not when a part of my heart shouted me to leverage the situation before it got lost just as quick, ignoring the pleadings of my brain. I yearned to maximize my arcana skill with the same speed I had improved my subterfuge skill. 

In the end, I failed to resist the temptation, like a man lost in a desert, gorging himself with water despite knowing the dangers of his greedy approach. Sometimes, the temptation was impossible to resist. 

A sigh escaped my mouth as I stood up, my mind already on how to explain if I get caught during the process. The library was open at night, but it rarely had any students, therefore only a couple assistants worked each night, in rotation. Mine was last night, so I needed an excuse. 

A brief search around the clutter gave me the perfect excuse, a parchment, written by the Head Librarian, ordering me to sort out the history section. It must be from the first few weeks, when they were still hopeful that I would be able to learn about being a librarian. For anyone else, it wouldn’t have worked, but for once, my reputation worked to my benefit. It would be very believable for old me to find an expired order, only to follow it without realizing it. 

With my problem solved, I quickly donned my librarian robe, and stepped on the corridor with purpose. 

The first observer I had was a servant, carrying a tray filled with food. The smell tickled my nose, and my stomach chose me to remind that I had yet to eat anything with a loud gurgle. “Perfect, the mule is starving,” the servant murmured sarcastically as he tried to pass me. 

After my stat boosts, giving me a new perspective about everything that had been happening in my life, I found myself with a short temper against my bullies. And finally, I had a chance to push back. Not explicitly, which admittedly removed some fun of the situation, but a telekinetic push, delivered with a negligent wave of my hand, was sufficient revenge for now. 

It wasn’t a particularly strong push, nor it was well-controlled, but the second part worked for my benefit, unbalancing his tray, making it tumble off his hands. A string of angry curses left his mouth, quite a few targeting my supposed curse spreading around, but he was too busy trying to salvage to late-night dinner he had been carrying to stop me, and I continued my journey; a smile on my face because suddenly, I had another skill point in my skill. 

[+1 Arcana]

When I arrived at the library, he wasn’t the only servant that was cursing the supposed bad luck I had brought. Some of them tripped, while the others lost the hold on the items they were carrying. Any student would have been reported to Headmaster, who had little patience for the pranks on the staff, but one benefit of my reputation was I was suspicion-proof. It was an asshole move, I would admit, but the resulting increase in my arcane skill was well-worth it. And after all the mocking and humiliation that came from the staff during my tenure, I wasn’t feeling particularly merciful. 

For me, the next hour I spent in the library turned out to be very useful. I have started testing my abilities on two boys from rival houses, working tables that was not exactly close to each other. I started it with a subtle telekinetic prob while making sure I was standing just in front of the other boy, so when my target turned towards me, he was quick to dismiss me in favor of blaming his rival. 

It was even easier when he retaliated, his magical signature conveniently hiding my own small prod. It didn’t take long for the boys to start a prank war, unaware that both of their assaults had some additions from a third party, and in the end, they broke into a fistfight in the middle of the library, each loudly blaming the other for starting it. I retreated, a smirk on my lips, and seven more points on my arcana skills. Targeting people with actual magical capabilities was making my magical skill increase even faster, I realized. 

At that point, I was planning to call it an early night. I walked towards the depths of the library, searching for some interesting books that I could borrow that wouldn’t raise any alarm. To do that, I moved much deeper into the library, until an unfamiliar sensation stopped me. 

I stopped, trying to expand my magical senses until I could grasp the reason for that sudden sensation. A minute of focus later, a shimmering barrier appeared in front of me as I attuned my senses, giving me an impression of a tripwire. A simple alarm ward, I reasoned, combining my readings with the impressions generated by my skill, all filtered through my wisdom and intelligence. The question was, who was responsible. 

Destroying the ward was not an option without alerting its owner, and I didn’t even know where to start to for partial dismantling. The smart thing would be to turn back, not risk angering whomever that had put the barrier. 

And I would have done that, if it wasn’t for a moan that was strangely familiar, one that made remember a very special moment in my life, one I managed to place it rather easily. Cornelia. 

“That naughty minx,” I murmured in surprise, though this time, I had enough presence of mind to keep my voice low. The last thing I needed was to be burned once again. But the lure of gaining more experience, as well as feasting on her beauty, was too tempting to miss, and I wouldn’t say no to seeing Marianne’s amazing body as well, hopefully accompanying Cornelia once again. 

First, I moved back and forth, looking for an easy vantage point, but it turned out to be fruitless. Then, I turned my attention to the translucent ward that barred my way, taking note of its spherical shape, and comparing it with the size and the shape of the library. Thanks to the endless days I had traversed the library, doing backbreaking physical work, I had managed to memorize the library with great accuracy, and my wisdom allowed me to recall that map without an error. 

Combining those two facts, I realized that I could bypass the ward from this side as long as I kept close to the wall on the other side. I walked, keeping my attention on the ward to avoid an accidental trigger. And as a happy note, it increased my arcana skill by two, probably factoring in the fact that I would be risking death if I got noticed by Cornelia. 

[Basic Arcana 10/25] 

After a short search, I managed to find a nice and snug vantage point that gave me a direct view of Cornelia and Marianne, proving that they hadn’t paid the same attention to the rear of their position. After a brief search, I managed to find a gap between the books that gave me an almost unrestricted view of her bodies. 

And what a view it was. Trusting the effectiveness of their ward, the girls didn’t see a problem partially undressing, their robes bunched around their waist, their breasts only concealed by each other’s hands, and occasionally, their lips. It wasn’t a surprise that I quickly built up a raging erection, and this time, I had enough time and opportunity to address it. 

[+100 Experience] 

I pulled my shaft from my pants rather urgently, the desire burning inside me as it did never before. Maybe it was an effect of my level-up system, or maybe it was because of my increased stats, allowing me to feel my emotions in an intensity that I never felt before, or maybe even it was my physical stats, finally enhancing my body to a point that I would feel such needs. Whatever it was, it was less important than the amazing view as Cornelia’s face disappeared in the embrace of Marianne’s bountiful bosom, triggering her silent cries. 

Too silent, I absentmindedly noted as my fingers started dancing on my shaft. Apparently, they remembered to put a silencing charm after Cornelia’s errant moan. More power me, as safer they felt in their position, less attention they would pay to their environment. I pumped my shaft mercilessly, the unfamiliar sensation filling my body with a rapid speed… 

Beset with an unfamiliar sensation, it took less than a minute for me to reach a climax, a sensation of pleasure filling my body. I managed to keep myself from moaning in pleasure, if only because of the memory of Cornelia’s burning hand, digging into my skin.   

[+200 Experience]

[Achievement: Obscured Ogler. Stay hidden and unnoticed while triggering a situation of self-inflicted ecstasy. +300 Experience, +1 Perception]

[Achievement: Speedy Shooter. Take less than a minute to reach a climax under self-care. +100 Experience, +1 Endurance]

I took a few deep breaths, enjoying not only the pleasure of the aftermath, but also the power spreading through my body, sharpening my perception and toughening my body. If that was the way everyone felt when they increased in power, I could easily see why they thought the Abnormals were cursed, or why they pitied the people with low-level cap. 

But sociological impacts of the leveling was easy to ignore when I watched as Cornelia pushed Marianne against a desk, hiking up her robe with a great hurry. A pull later, Marianne’s panties fell down, giving me a glimpse of the treasure between her legs before Cornelia dived down there. 

[+200 Experience] 

I was happy with receiving another experience burst, clearly linked to their change of position. So, the safest strategy would be to wait until they finished, and maybe polish another one if my manhood managed to recover before they finished. But once again, the temptation for more skills and the increased experience was impossible to resist. 

I took a deep breath, bringing my whole focus to create a small telekinetic point, and I extended it as far as I could. The power I put on it was the smallest I could manage, and I was betting everything on the fact that both girls were too distracted to notice what I was doing. That was what had happened with Helga, after all, failing to notice my manipulations until I lost control of the spell and ripped off her clothes. 

And my favorite gals were lost in pleasure, which was what I was banking on. With that in mind, I pushed my small probe on Marianne’s naked breasts, gently squeezing her nipple, which made her to open her mouth to let out another silent cry, but her eyes stayed closed, meaning she wasn’t suspicious. Maybe she didn’t realize it wasn’t Cornelia’s hand but a spell, or maybe she just assumed Cornelia was responsible for it. They definitely seemed kinky enough to use magic for things like that.  

[+100 Experience] 

[+1 Arcana]

The approval of my internal system was definitely appreciated, as well as the sudden burst of magical knowledge, slightly increasing the finesse I could wield my magic. I squeezed once more, but this time, without a corresponding experience burst. Maybe variety was needed, I thought as I slowly transformed the shape of my mental construct to something similar to a hand, cupping her breast in a way that was more attention-grabbing than a simple, fleeting squeeze. 

[+100 Experience] 

I saw Marianne’s mouth opening, and while I couldn’t hear what she said, the way her mouth moved was suspiciously close to the word more. Happy that my little addition was appreciated, I let my magical probe to explore her body more freely, the expression of ecstasy on Marianne’s face intensifying with each passing moment. 

Meanwhile, my body had managed to recover, my shaft back to full mast. My hand was back to pumping, though without the utter novelty of the sensation, it took longer for me to reach the climax. Not that it was a bit problematic, as not only there was an amazing view that I enjoyed in front of me, but also I was gaining quite a bit of experience and skill points from the experience. Seeing Marianne shuddering with a climax triggered me for a second time, but also I managed to earn more than five hundred experience and several points of arcana skill. 

[Achievement: Hidden Helper. Be a gentleman and help a lady reach ecstasy without taking the credit! +500 Experience, +1 Manipulation]

It seemed that the system had a sense of humor. Still, that was unimportant compared to the fact that I was near another level up. I prayed all the gods that Cornelia wasn’t selfless enough to leave after bringing her partner to climax. 

My prayers were answered when Cornelia stood up and dropped her robe on the ground, revealing that she hadn’t been wearing anything underneath. Apparently, she came prepared for her midnight tryst. Once again, I prepared my telekinetic hand, ready to subject Cornelia the same treatment Marianne had been subject to, but something changed my mind. 

In particular, the position Marianne had taken. 

Instead of crouching like Cornelia did, Marianne chose to bend from her waist as she brought her lips to Cornelia’s nether lips. But the thing that took my attention was the way her robe stayed bunched around her waist, leaving her bottom bare, and facing towards me. 

I wasn’t sure I would dare to take the opportunity if it was Cornelia in the position, but Marianne had shown that she was both slower to react, and more merciful. Still, I was really careful as I brought my probe to her glistening slit, and gently twisting her clit. 

[+200 Experience]

The result was spectacular. Marianne’s body rocked with pleasure, and Cornelia’s body followed it a moment later. Apparently, the joy of the moment made Marianne more active, something Cornelia was clearly enjoyed. 

I kept the pressure the same until I watched Cornelia’s hands to grab Marianne’s hair, pulling her tighter into her embrace. At that point, I was reasonably sure that Marianne had other problems than the exact shape of her pleasure, and added a small buzzing to my probe, still teasing her clit. 

The result was spectacular, as Marianne raised her head for a moment, her silent cries creating a unique erotic view. Luckily, before Cornelia started to get suspicious, Marianne lowered her head and resumed her task, leaving me free to magically explore her most magical spot. 

I was tempted to transform my probe into a cylindrical shape before exploring her insides, but one thing held me back. As a noble lady, she was probably virgin, meaning that would create a huge web to untangle, and I didn’t want to give her a reason to rip my head of if I get caught. 

But it was a restriction that allowed me a lot of range. Once again I brought my probe on Marianne’s breasts, this time in a more spread-out tingling sensation, leveraging the expanded capabilities of my skill boost. I thought I saw Marianne trembling a bit, but it was a subtle thing, and it might also be about Cornelia’s hands meeting with her hair in a sharp tug. 

[+100 Experience]

With the system’s approval of my achievement, I continued my activities, letting the probe to spread over her body while wishing that it was my hands that danced freely on her soft skin. But at least, I had remote access to her body, which was a good substitute until I could have access to the real one. 

A few minutes later, without a warning, Marianne collapsed onto her knees, trembling with obvious pleasure. 

[+500 Experience] 

I would have liked to hang around more, to push even more, but when I saw a questioning expression on Cornelia’s face, I decided that retreat was a part of the valor. I didn’t know whether her questions would allow her to discover my outside assistance, but I wasn’t willing to stay around to discover that. Cornelia’s first reaction had left a memorable impression.

I called my status window as I walked back to the more crowded areas of the library. I had earned more than enough from my endeavor. Not only I had completely developed my arcana abilities, but also gained enough experience for an almost full level. 

All was well…

———

[Level: 3        Experience: 5810 / 6000

Strength: 6    Charisma: 8

Precision: 7    Perception: 8

Agility: 6     Manipulation: 8

Speed: 6       Intelligence: 6

Endurance: 8      Wisdom: 16

HP: 99 / 99    Mana: 110 / 141             ]

SKILLS

[Basic Subterfuge (25/25)     

Basic Arcana [22/25]        ]

———

I woke up with the first rays of sunrise, feeling a ravenous hunger, which constituted a big problem. Not only there was still a couple hour until the dining hall started to serve, but also I would still run the risk of being noticed by one of the students with a well-developed observation if I waited for the dinner. 

The simplest way to counter that was to visit the kitchen, hoping that one of the servants would take pity and feed me, but that carried its own complications. It wasn’t just the students just bullied me. Servants were happy to join when they realized there would be no consequence as long as they kept it non-physical, giving them a metaphorical way to hit back to the aristocracy that oppressed them for all their life. So, going to the kitchen meant that there would be a lot of leers and insults, and I didn’t want to suffer them more than necessary. I had suffered a fair share of them until now, and didn’t want more when I was finally strong enough to not to take their shit anymore. 

Then a sudden realization hit me. Why not put my subterfuge skills into the job? It shouldn’t be too hard to act like a different student, especially since it had been rare for someone to look at my face beforehand. With my expanded capabilities, tricking a bunch of servants them shouldn’t be too hard. I turned to my wardrobe -a pitiful collection of damaged and dirty clothing, as servants long stopped helping me with my chores unless forced otherwise. Luckily, there was a group of students that dressed like that due to their daily activities, combined with their relatively lower status. 

I wasn’t limited to the clothes in my wardrobe, of course. Arcane spells allowed a wide range of tricks, some of which I managed to decipher already. Which meant that not only could magically-repair my clothes to create a decent approximation of a ranger uniform, but also I could have a different hair and eye color, with a distinctive illusion of a wound on my chin.

Thirty minutes later, I was walking towards the kitchen in a completely new identity, dressed as a poor approximation of ranger, with a forged note in my hand with a copied signature from one of the other documents. It wasn’t a perfect disguise, and I wouldn’t dare to use it under the sunshine even against the servants, but I was hoping that relative darkness of the corridors would assist me in my plot. 

I arrived at the kitchen, only to find it bustling with a great cacophony of activity as the servants prepared for the breakfast. I glanced around, trying to identify the best target to reach. And then I noticed a man that was barking orders to the others around him, but dressed in the same way. I was betting for a small-time servant trying to prove himself to be management quality. 

I walked towards him with determined steps, once in my life, not hunched forward like I was trying to disappear. “Master Ranger asks for some additional supplies for today's expedition,” I said as I pushed the list towards him. He looked at it, his expression panicking slightly. 

After a moment’s silence, he stood straighter, and started spitting orders to the people around him. “You, bring me two packs of dried meat, and someone brings me three packs of dried fruits.” Then, he pointed at another man, who looked less than enthusiastic about being ordered. “You bring me four dozen travel bread…” 

He must have been more successful in his ambitions than I had first thought, because it took just two minutes for them to prepare me a burlap filled with everything I asked for. “Excellent,” I said, trying to copy gruff but to the point voice of a ranger. 

“No problem, milord, is there anything else I could do for you,” he asked, his voice smarmy enough to raise my hackles. I shrugged, then started walking towards the door with rapid steps. The reason, I could see the head chef walking towards us with a stormy expression, clearly unhappy with the intrusion to his domain, compounded by the fact that I talked one of his subordinates rather than him. I made no motion of noticing him, but quickened my steps enough that when he arrived my previous position, I was about to leave the kitchens. From the corner of my eyes, I could see he started talking with the man, clearly admonishing him for giving supplies without asking him, then I turned, leaving the kitchen behind. 

After a hurried dash, I was back in my room, letting out a relaxed sigh as the door closed behind me. That was close, and the fact that the head chef noticed me was a good sign that my Subterfuge skills were not high enough to avoid detection. I needed to improve it further in the earliest chance. Luckily, I was about to gain another level, and hopefully, it would allow me to do so. 

And on the plus side, I had enough food to last me for at least a week. Even two, if I eat conservatively. Dried meat and hard bread wasn’t exactly a feast, but it sustained me while allowing me to stay away from the view. I nibbled some food while dispelling the spells over me, my hair color turning back to its natural brown. 

I focused on reading a book on basic arcana spells that I had swiped from the library for the next hour, but soon, it was time to work once more. I was quick to prepare and leave my room, wanting to go there as early as possible. I didn’t know whether the Head Librarian was back, but if she was, I want to be in the library earlier than her. The less reason she had to watch me, the better… 

I was one of the earliest workers in the library. I just grabbed a cart without talking with anyone and drove it towards the less-visited part of the library. After a few minutes, then the assistant of the Head Librarian took the main desk, cluing me on the fact that the Head Librarian was still away. 

 My morning passed in a predictable routine, occasionally walk around like I was working while spending most of my time hidden between two shelves, reading as much as I could. I had a lot to learn…

Of course, I kept my eyes open for any opportunities that would net me some experience. I needed barely less than two hundred experience points, and then I would unlock a new level. Unfortunately, the night arrived without an opportunity. There was no Marianne following me, giving me easy opportunities to sneak a grope, nor I could see Helga with her busty beauty, hidden in the depths of the library, allowing me to use magic without being noticed by the others. 

I was preparing to leave when my luck had turned. I saw Cornelia stepping through the entrance, her efforts to make herself look inconspicuous making her even more noticeable, at least to me. Thanks to my earlier observations, I knew exactly how to read her signs of arousal. She looked around for a while, carefully watching her surroundings, making me afraid that I would be noticed if I continued to examine her. Another late-night encounter, I thought with a smirk, excited with the prospect of another level-up.  

Luckily, I didn’t have to watch her, not when I knew where she would be in a few minutes. I disappeared behind the shelves before alerting her to my position. And since I was there early, I had enough time to move the stuff around, creating a superior observation point where I could actually sit while enjoying the show. 

Several minutes later, Cornelia had walked into the exact same spot she had been the last night, murmuring a careful spell while she drew several quick symbols on the table with her finger, and leaving a shiny aftermath. I was impressed. It wasn’t exactly trivial to create a ward, even a simple one like hers, without a specially-prepared anchor. 

But it seemed that the preparations for the night were just the beginning. Cornelia reached to her bag, and pulled out a ribbon from her bag. I looked at it curiously, as it looked like silk, not the cheapest material to find after most of the production areas had been destroyed by monster attacks, especially one that painted bright red. Then she pulled a small riding crop, curiously, in bright red as well. Fitting to her flame queen theme, but I was starting to get a suspicion for their purpose, which got stronger and stronger as she pulled more items from her bag. I couldn’t help but feel curious, however, as Marianne didn’t give me the impression that she would be enjoying stuff like that.   

Though it didn’t take long for my curiosity to turn into total shock. The reason, who had just walked into the opening. Like yesterday, a familiar blonde figure stepped to my field of vision. But it wasn’t the same blonde that I had seen with Cornelia. 

It was Helga. 

It was a miracle that I managed to keep myself from gasping. Not seeing Marianne here had been quite a shock, as from what I had been gathering from their talks, I was willing to bet that those two loved each other enough to risk total disgrace. But despite that, Cornelia had been clearly waiting for Helga, if her lack of surprise was any indicator. 

Cornelia didn’t say anything, just reached for her robe, and pulled it off with a smooth motion, revealing a leather corset underneath, stylized like leather armor with, but with a lot of strategic absences to highlight her sexiness. Of course, again in bright red. She was really playing to her moniker as the Crimson Queen. 

[+50 Experience]

[Achievement: Prepared Peeper. Observe a tantalizing view from a prepared position. +200 Experience, +1 Wisdom]

Level UP!

[Select one of the following skills: Advanced Subterfuge, Basic Speech, Basic Concealment] 

I was tempted to choose speech or concealment, as both of them had the potential to be really useful for my needs, but in the end, I had to go with the subterfuge. I didn’t trust myself to avoid the Head Librarian’s attention otherwise. And as the morning showed, subterfuge unlocked some interesting options, by acting like the others. I chose the subterfuge, and then turned my attention back to the action, curious about the exact details of the surprising situation in front of me. 

“Good evening,” Helga said, which just increased my curiosity about the situation. Not because of her words, but the tone she used, sharp and cold, suggesting that she wasn’t really happy about her situation. The situation was getting more and more curious. Though hearing what she had said had been a welcome surprise. Apparently, I was close enough to stay inside the silencing field Cornelia had set up.

“Take care of your tone,” Cornelia countered sharply, followed by a dark smirk. “Unless you want a session to remember.” A moment later, she raised her hand, and a tendril of electricity flickered between her fingers. 

Helga looked like she wanted to answer, but chose to do the smart thing, and ducked her head, avoiding Cornelia’s gaze. I approved, as I knew from firsthand that how quick was Cornelia to escalate into uncontrolled violence. At least, in the current condition, it seemed to be limited to controlled violence. 

“We’re going to go with the usual rules tonight,” Cornelia said with a smirk. She took a step towards Helga, and caressed her cheek with the riding crop with a contrasting gentleness. “Last for ten minutes, and you earn a whole gold piece,” she said. A gold piece was nothing for a noble, but for a peasant, it represented more money than they could imagine. For a merchant family like Helga's, it wasn’t an amount to ignore, but certainly, it wasn’t enough to justify her indignity, unless her family business was in truly dire straits.  

Helga just nodded, and reached for the buttons of her robe, her fingers moving in a familiar rapidness. A moment later, she pushed her robe on the ground, revealing that, underneath, she was garbed in her birthday suit. 

[+100 Experience] 

I licked my lips as I drank the sight of her body, even more spectacular than what I could glimpse after my magical malfunction. Her breasts were large enough that my palms would fail to cover them, but firm despite their weight. Her stomach was smooth, but I could glimpse muscles underneath that suggested a fitness surprising for a mage. There was an unkempt bush between her legs that hid quite a bit of the detail, but her legs, toned and firm, was enough reward to ignore that fact for now. 

“Where were we,” Cornelia said as she gently dragged her crop on her breasts after a small break where she enjoyed the sight in front of her. “Yes, we were talking about the rules. Last twenty minutes, and you earn another scroll,” she added. From the way Helga’s eyes shined, I could understand that it was an important one, probably a hidden source from Cornelia’s family library. “And if you can last for a full thirty minutes without admitting defeat, I’ll teach you a spell. Clear?”

Helga nodded, trying and failing to hide her fear. Cornelia giggled amusedly. “It’s amusing to think that you will be able to last that long. Good luck. Today, you just need to say, Mistress, this pathetic slave is at her limit, please have mercy, to make me stop.” Helga’s chin stiffened in a way that suggested she was squeezing her teeth painfully, but she still nodded. “Repeat it, just to make sure you can remember it,” she added. 

“Mistress,” Helga managed to spat out from her thinned lips, her hands squeezed enough to become completely white. “This pathetic slave is at her limit, please have mercy.” 

“Good work,” Cornelia said, patting her head in a completely patronizing manner. “Now, stand here, eagle pose.” 

Helga just followed her directions, seemingly understanding her fate. When she was in her position, Cornelia waved her hands, and a few whispers later, the ribbons she had prepared wrapped themselves around Helga’s arms and legs, immobilizing her like a particularly delicious doe fallen into a huntress’ trap. Meanwhile, Cornelia reached for her bag and pulled an hourglass, and placed it on the table to measure the time. 

“Let’s start with something easy,” Cornelia said, and her naked hand landed on Helga’s hip, the sharp voice echoing in the opening, showing the confidence Cornelia had on her silencing spell. Helga just stayed silent, looking at Cornelia. From the angle I had, I wasn’t able to see her expression, but from the way Helga blanched, it didn’t seem to be particularly friendly. 

[+50 Experience] 

With that done, Cornelia took a step forward, her ass danced beautifully, covered only by a thong, once again, crimson. I pulled my shaft free, slowly playing with myself as I watched. For the next few minutes, I have done nothing but watch while Cornelia’s hands landed on Helga’s body, again and again, marking her pale body with several pink patches, though it only made her sexier. Occasional insults also accompanied her slaps, mainly insulting Helga’s lowborn status, mixed in with occasional financial insult. Helga’s expression was just as delicious, a mixture of defiance and fear. Though it was a pity that I wasn’t the source of that expression. 

“Ten minutes,” Cornelia said with an amused stretch, marking the end of the first section, of which I have earned another five hundred experience points. Not bad, but watching without contribution didn’t seem to net that much. “You have earned one huge gold coin for your success.” 

While Helga took a series to deep breaths to control herself, Cornelia walked back to the table, and restarted the flow of sand by turning the hourglass. But when Cornelia grabbed her riding crop instead of raising her naked hand. When that landed on her skin harshly, a pained gasp escaped Helga’s mouth for the first time. I suddenly had a suspicion whether she would be able to last another ten minutes. It would be a pity if I earned just a thousand from such an amazing opportunity. But that meant I needed to take action. But how to do it without being noticed.

Then, it clicked to me. It didn’t have to stay unnoticed. Helga was already suffering under Cornelia’s assault, and from what I had understood from their interaction, Helga didn’t have right to ask about what Cornelia was doing, nor she seemed to have any intention of doing so. 

So, I conjured another magical appendage, this time formed similar to Cornelia’s crop, and waited until Cornelia’s whip started to soar through the air. I timed it perfectly, and it landed on Helga’s skin the moment after Cornelia’s did, triggering a loud cry off her. 

[+100 Experience] 

Despite the approval of the system, I had neglected to repeat the action the next time, checking them to see whether it created any alarm. Cornelia slammed the whip on her skin once more with her usual joy, though this time, Helga managed to keep her mouth closed. And since I managed to avoid the detection of both parties, there was nothing to prevent from repeating the same action. 

[+ 10 Experience]

While the lackluster gain was a bit annoying, it seemed to fit the pattern. Repeating the same action had a much lower impact, which probably linked to risk factor. But small wasn’t the same with unimportant, as since I gained it with each repeat, it amounted to quite a bit of experience, especially when combined with the bonuses I received whenever Cornelia decided to do something different, such as biting Helga’s breast without a warning, enough to leave a mark that would last for a few days, which netted me another nifty hundred experience points. 

Helga’s proud expression as she tried to hide the effect of pain to a limited effect had a unique sexiness to it. I could easily see why Cornelia was enjoying the treatment, which could be easily read on her face as she stepped back, enjoying her achievement, unaware that she owed some of her success to my intervention. 

I decided to spice things up a bit, so when her crop landed on Helga’s breast, I created a mirror image of it, landing on the other one, for the first time, extracting a loud cry from Helga. I should have tried to pace myself, but the moment caught me in its grip as well, and I started to escalate my involvement. 

With my new approach, I had another seven hundred experience halfway the second part, and the achievement was enough to make Cornelia start dripping. However, there was one rather big problem. Helga’s expression was getting more and more worn out. I needed to find a way to enhance her resistance if I wanted to get the full benefit of this amazing opportunity. 

It would be a pity to cut short such an amazing moment… 

——

[Level: 4        Experience: 7520 / 10000

Strength: 6    Charisma: 8

Precision: 7    Perception: 8

Agility: 6     Manipulation: 8

Speed: 6       Intelligence: 6

Endurance: 8      Wisdom: 17

HP: 132 / 132    Mana: 150 / 188             ]

SKILLS

[Advanced Subterfuge (25/50)     

Basic Arcana [22/25]        ]

———

It was a pity that I didn’t know any healing spell, as it would be the simplest way to enhance Helga’s resistance. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option, and considering the disastrous results when I first attempted telekinesis, using her as a target for my first spell didn’t make much sense. I needed an alternative.

While I was busy trying to come up with a better way, Cornelia’s crop landed on Helga’s skin once more, this time directly on her nipple, and Helga let out a cry, even louder and needier than the previous times. I even saw her lips opening like she was about to say something, and considering the situation didn’t exactly lean for casual discussion, I feared that it was a sign of her crumbling resistance. 

Cornelia must have reached the same conclusion, because the next time her crop touched Helga’s body, it was a soft caress rather than another blow. “Pity,” she murmured in excitement as she drew a small circle around Helga’s breast. “Today, you seem to be even weaker than the usual. Even your failing family would be ashamed of you, a pathetic mage, an outcast, and now, even failing at whoring.” 

A hiss escaped Helga’s mouth against the insult, her dazed glare sharpening. For a moment, I steeled myself, expecting Helga to use a spell to blast Cornelia back. And I wasn’t the only one that thought it, as Cornelia took a hurried step backward, and a shimmering disk appeared in front of her. 

“Scared much, princess,” Helga whispered with abject amusement, stretching each word like they were covered with honey and berries. 

For a moment, Cornelia said nothing, the way her fingers tightened around the whip to turn them white the only indicator of her anger. She stood motionless as the shield slowly dissolved. 

Helga’s pride and satisfaction dissolved with the shield , realizing the enormity of the mistake she had just committed, but the determination was back on her face soon after. I was impressed. Her lips stayed shit, preventing herself from muttering not only the safety phrase, but even a word of mercy that would blunt Cornelia’s anger. It was a mistake in my view, as Cornelia didn’t look like she was in complete control, and it had taken much less provocation for her to try burning me to a crisp. And for Helga, there was no Marianne to blunt her anger. 

My sudden pity towards Helga mixed into my desire to extend the situation as much as possible. So much that I instinctively reached for my nascent arcana abilities while Cornelia’s whip sheared the air, the loudest to date. A shimmering barrier appeared over Helga’s skin, both less intense and smaller than the one Cornelia conjured. But its feebleness only worked for my benefit, as it was quietly destroyed the moment Cornelia’s whip connected with it, allowing it to contact with Helga’s skin. 

[+3 Arcana]

[+100 Experience]

Both the increase of my arcana skill and figuring out a new spell was welcome changes, but the benefits of my reflexive action weren’t limited to enhancing my magical capabilities. Destroying the shield bled a significant part of Cornelia’s hit, and added to the fact that I hadn’t been enhancing her blows anymore, Helga just let out a pained gasp rather than an unrestrained cry. Helga looked surprised, but only for a moment, quietly shifting back to determination once more as Cornelia raised her whip for a repeat. 

Ten times Cornelia’s whip sheared through the air unrestrained, tinged with anger, sometimes on her back, sometimes on her chest, and ten times I managed to conjure a barrier to reduce the damage. But despite that, Helga’s lips parted like she was about to say something. Cornelia stopped, and Helga whispered. “Time’s up,” she said, followed by the last piece of sand in Cornelia’s hourglass.  

[Achievement: Cloaked Conjurer. Help a lady to resist enmity via magic without revealing yourself. +400 Experience, +2 Intelligence]

[+500 Experience]

Cornelia stopped, but her nakedness allowed me to see her arm trembling badly, like she was conflicted whether to just continue, ignoring her loss of control. Anger scoured her mind. She took a deep breath. I could see that it intensified her anger, but it wasn’t the only impact it had. It also transformed her anger from a boiling hot rage to a simmering desire. “That’s enough for tonight,” she tersely spat, and turned her back, her glee and enjoyment suddenly absent. “I’m not in the mood anymore.” 

With a flash of wisdom, I understood that she did that, not because she enjoyed delivering pain -at least, not only that- but the sense of control it gave her. And her out of control reaction to Helga’s little taunt destroyed the impression she had just built up. To make things worse, Helga successfully resisted Cornelia's out-of-control response, removing the only factor of enjoyment she might have taken from the situation. 

Helga slackened in the grasp of the ribbons that kept her upright, relaxing as she realized that she had managed to survive the consequences of arrogance. Cornelia said nothing as she pulled her robe on, then silently put everything in her bag other than the ribbons that kept Helga immobile. She looked at Helga, then her robe, obviously considering whether it would be too petty to take it, tasking Helga to find a way to return to her room naked. 

In the end, Cornelia placed a parchment on the table, and put a piece of gold over it to pin it in place. A wave of her hand, and the ribbons flew towards her bag, depriving Helga of her support, who just collapsed on the floor. Another wave dispelled the wards, and Cornelia started to walk away. 

“Same time next week?” Helga asked, but the glee on her face was too obvious for it to be just a question. She was clearly gloating her victory, however small. I approved the sentiment, even though it was a shortsighted move in terms of the long view. 

Cornelia gave no indication that she heard of it, and disappeared amongst the shelves. Helga just lay on the floor, ignoring the possibility of a surprise guest. 

I was struck with a sudden inclination. Would I let Helga go, or somehow push the situation for my benefit? What would be the risk of the situation? 

But as she continued to lay on the ground, breathing, her marred but beautiful body in a complete display, her curves covered with an attractive sheen, there was only one decision I could take. 

I needed a strategy to approach. There was a lot of things I could do. The simplest thing to do was to stumble at her while she was still naked, but there was little benefit for that. I would see her naked, which didn’t add anything to the situation, and while watching her trying to fix her clothes in panic would have been amusing, she might also react violently to my presence, and despite my level and high skills, I had no illusion where my combat capabilities lie. It would take only a moment for her to eviscerate me. 

I tried to come up with an alternative approach as I sneaked towards the other side of the library. Regardless of the context, I couldn’t have let her think that I had a chance to peek on her in her vulnerable state. But it still left the context of approach. Stumbling at her location after she finished dressing, and using her distress to help her would be the most logical choice. Unfortunately, my idiot persona worked against me on this context. A week ago, I wouldn’t have noticed it no matter how obvious, doing otherwise would cause her to pay attention to me, which was a recipe to disaster. 

Then again, being myself wasn’t the only option, right? 

I smirked at my sudden flash of insight. After all, I was still wearing the same pants and shirt I had in the morning, while I convinced the kitchen staff that I was a student at the ranger section. And while it was rare to see the students that didn’t focus on magical disciplines in the library, it wasn’t impossible. In a hidden corner, I quickly removed my robe, and a couple spells later, I had reddish hair, green eyes, and a distinctive scar on my chin. 

But the real change came from the way I positioned my body. Gone was the slouched shoulders, replaced by the subtle grace of a ranger driven by unnatural grace of their unique balance. My physical stats weren’t high enough for that, but luckily, subterfuge was enough to cover the rest. 

When I walked back towards Helga’s location, I made sure to create enough commotion by slamming the books close. Not only it alerted her, but also it gave me an excuse for why I was in this section. I hoped that the sudden fire she had against Cornelia wasn’t a temporary reaction, because my whole approach relied on her engaging my presence with a similar fire.

Even with the forewarning, when I saw Helga, she was barely closing the last button of her robe. She looked at me with fearful eyes, understandable considering her vulnerable state, and her lack of friendly acquaintance. “Hello,” I said, doing my best to put a moment’s tremble in my voice to betray nervousness, while a nervous smile flickered on my lips, both completely artificial. By showing vulnerability, I hoped to reduce her fear. I didn’t want her to retreat instantly. 

“Can I help you?” she said, but her tone wasn’t the same terse one that she used against other magic students. 

“Actually, yes,” I said, trying to sound genuine. “I was looking for a book on the basics of the arcana magic, but I’m a bit lost.” 

“Magic?” she said, surprised. “You’re a student of magical arts?” 

“Ranger, actually” I answered. “But I was trying to find some stuff on arcana magic. I’m considering relative merits of having a more diverse skill set, if I get lucky enough to unlock a magical skill,” I followed, giving her a reason for my presence. 

“I see,” she murmured. 

“You could just call me an idiot,” I said as I took a step towards her, small enough to not to be threatening. “You don’t have to mince your words.”

“No,” she said with a blush. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s an unconventional idea, though. Most people prefer to focus on one side of the skill tree to maximize the impact.” 

“Really?” I said, trying to sound earnest. “I would have thought the advantages from the extended utility will be beneficial enough that at least some people are willing to focus on a more balanced approach.” While I listened to her, I pulled a chair while keeping my eyes on her.  

She threw a hesitant glance towards the chair, clearly wanting to dash away, but also caught flatfooted by the fact that someone was interacting with her without clear antagonism and insults. But then, her exhaustion won, and she pulled a chair for herself as well. “Partially,” she said, starting her explanation. “But it has more drawbacks. Not only it would prevent you from mastering the critical skills for your main job, therefore reducing effectiveness, but you would also have to focus on the stats that don’t benefit your usual tasks.” 

“But stats are acquired more or less randomly.” 

“That’s true, unless you’re one of the noble houses with hundreds of years of recorded achievements list to speed up your growth,” she said, a trace of bitterness slipping through her voice. A deserved one, considering she had been humiliating herself to get just a glimpse of that information. “But more time you spent on your activities, more chance you would have gaining another stat point. You really don’t want to have invested in magic unless you have at least seven in intelligence or wisdom, for example.” 

“So, I wasn’t wrong, you’re calling me an idiot,” I snapped. 

“No-” she said, shocked, but I cut her off. 

“Relax,” I said, with a sudden snicker while erasing any hint of anger from my face. “I’m just joking around. You mages should be even more repressed than the gossip suggests if you missed that.” I said. 

“Something like that,” she said dismissively, which was understandable. The constant bullying campaign stemming from institutionalized classist behavior wasn’t the best conversation grease. “I’m sorry, but I need to run. But it was nice meeting you,” she said, standing up. 

“Did we meet? I don’t even know your name,” I said, and she blushed. 

“Helga,” she said curtly. 

“Orlin,” I answered, and her face alighted in shock. 

“You’re not from the Empire as well,” she said, surprised. 

“Technically, I’m, but not in any practical purpose,” I said, quickly creating a background for myself. “I’m from one of the migrating tribes that are tasked to destroy the monster buildups in the northern plains to prevent another incursion like Seven Month Carnage.” 

“Then, why are you here?” she asked. 

“I was a part of the envoy that had been sent, and since the old geezers would take a few weeks to finish, I managed to get permission to join a few classes in the meanwhile, as a gesture of goodwill.” 

“You’re not a student,” she asked, trying to hide her obvious disappointment. I barely held back a smirk. It was clear that she managed to develop a small crush in a matter of minutes, which wasn’t a surprise. Not only I had a decently muscular body thanks to my high and well-rounded physical stats, but my charisma and manipulation was nothing to scoff at either, and their impact was further impacted by my advanced subterfuge skill. My positive approach, something she lacked due to her outcast status, managed to put the final nail in her coffin. 

“Unfortunately,” I explained. “My family could never afford the cost of the Silver Halls, and it’s practically impossible to get the scholarship as a ranger, especially if you’re not one of the cronies of these so-called noble houses.” She looked downcast, and I chose that moment to sink the dagger. “I know it’s a bit forward, but would you mind hanging together in the library while I’m here,” I said. After a pause, I added with an exaggerated panic. “To have more discussions about the magic, of course,” I quickly added, like I was trying to cover for a slip of tongue.  

“That would be nice,” she said, a genuine smile appearing on her face for the first time. I felt like an asshole, kicking a wounded kitten, but in the end, I didn’t have the option to hold back. And considering the sacrifices she was willing to make for more power, I had a feeling that she would have understood even if I spoke her openly. “I need to go,” she murmured as she stood up. 

“Are you okay,” I said. “You seem to be having pain while trying to stand up.” 

“It’s nothing,” she spat out in a way that would have alerted me that she had a secret if I hadn’t already known. “Just a little accident while trying to reach for a book.” 

“That’s what happens when you ignore your physical stats,” I countered, which put a smile on her face once more. “Do you need any assistance. I could help you to walk back to your room,” I offered. 

“You better not,” she said. “It’s better if we avoid attention. The students here have a group mentality, and wouldn’t appreciate me talking with a ranger, especially in the library.” 

“I understand,” I said with a wink. “That would be our little secret.” I stood up as well, and before she could start moving, grabbed her hand and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. “It was a pleasure to meet you, milady. I can’t wait for our next meeting.” 

She said nothing as she dashed away, but the sudden blush on her face suggested that she enjoyed the attention. I smiled, not only I had managed to make a hot girl develop a crush, but I had also earned a nifty reward in the process. 

[+5 Subterfuge]

[+ 300 Experience]

[Achievement: Charmed Cutie. Impress a girl with your charming words until she develops a crush. +200 Experience, +2 Charisma]

[Achievement: False Flag. Seduce a girl under a fake identity. +400 Experience, +1 Charisma, +2 Manipulation]

I continued to sit on my seat after Helga’s departure, enjoying the sudden burst of warmth on my body as my stats earned a significant jump. I couldn’t help but smile at the state of my stats, half of them already ten or above, and the rest not far behind. From all I had read, it seemed to be a spectacular achievement. Gods were really rewarding me for all my suffering. 

I let myself let out a relaxed sigh. Even if the worst happened and I got capped at level five, I would have enough power to go back to my family and earn my post. Five levels were not much, pretty much disgrace level for a noble, but with those stats, I would be able to perform well above my level would suggest. I wouldn’t be a powerhouse by any stretch, and I certainly wouldn’t be able to take my post as the head of the family, but I would be able to live a decent life. 

But for some reason, that thought filled me with disgust. No, after everything I had suffered behind the closed doors, I didn’t want to return there for a mediocre life. I either returned to take everything under my control, or I didn’t return at all. Finally tasting the power and freedom, I had no intention of restricting myself. And leaving the Silver Tower behind would mean sacrificing the only chance I had to discover the reason for my situation secretly. 

With a renewed enthusiasm, I changed back to my robe, once again disguising myself as the useless assistant. After tasting the ease I could interact with someone without the weight of my history, the robe felt heavier. With a sigh, I pulled my cart from its hidden location, and returned to the main area, spending the next half hour working, trying to be seen around, while looking for another opportunity. This time, I tried to interact with the people as much as possible without being too obvious, trying to raise my subterfuge skill further, unfortunately, that didn’t work. Apparently, it was already high enough that passive observation was no longer an effective tool. 

I was halfway to my room when I saw my next inspiration. Two maids, carrying a bunch of stuff towards the ladies’ room. “Could I dare to do that,” I murmured, shocked by the insanity of my own plan. It was supposed to be a difficult thing, but with my basic magic skill maxed, combined with my high manipulation and subterfuge skill, it might be just possible, especially since the maid uniforms were loose enough to hide the features of my body. 

The first task was to acquire a uniform. In my room, I donned my worst clothes, and with a few illusion spells later, I was indistinguishable from one of the manual helpers. In effect, I was invisible as I walked towards the laundry room with a basket in hand, filled with scraps. From there, I carefully swiped a maid uniform without being seen, and ten minutes later, I was back in my room, trying to illusion long hair that still looked realistic when I shook my head.

[+1 Subterfuge]

It took me another hour to fix my clothing enough to look convincing as a woman, a task that I would have failed miserably without the constant insights provided by my skill, on how to stand, how to move, how to avoid the glares of men, and another hundred small topics. 

And with my disguise in place, there was only one destination to maximize the benefits… 

The luck still seemed to follow me, as I saw an older woman, either in her fifties or sixties, struggling to carry a bucket of steaming hot water. More importantly, she had a specially-colored collar on her neck, denoting that she was a private servant belonging to a house. I counted myself lucky, because those colors belonged to House Louis, the house of my dear savior Marianne.

“Do you need any help,” I asked, but only after walking closer to her, using the tone as another tool to conceal my tone. 

“Yes,” she said, as she placed the bucket of water on the floor. She looked at me in appreciation as she breathed hard. “One of the other maids was supposed to help me, but I have no idea where that airhead is. Probably frolicking with that servant that was sending her looks all day long. Youngsters, no respects or sense these days…” she said. I just nodded, ignoring her burst, and lifted the bucket. 

She started walking, and I followed, until I was in front of a door that was marked with a huge Coat of Arms, a shield with a huge kraken, marking the House Louis’ seafaring past. “Why are you carrying water, I thought that the student rooms had hot water from the taps.” 

“Yes, but this is boiled with special herbs and oils to create a relaxing effect, and it is supposed to increase the speed of healing. Perfect after a difficult day. But it smells horrible while boiling, so it needs to be done in a storage room.”

“Sounds a bit wasteful,” I said as I poured the water on the bath, which was still only half-filled. 

[+1 Subterfuge] 

 “Nobles,” the maid whispered resolutely before returning to normal volume. When she started walking back, I just followed her. I was disappointed to see that Marianne wasn’t already in the bath, but still, the interaction while I faked being a woman was enough to increase my subterfuge, which was better than nothing. So, I listened to her chatter, occasionally nodding, allowing me to learn more about the various noble houses and their relationship. She was under the impression that she was sharing idle gossip, I was able to make some interesting conclusions. 

“Thank you, youngster. You deserved a copper for your help,” she said as she patted my shoulder as I dumped the last bucket into the bath, filling the room with a thick cloud of steam. “I can handle the rest, though the moisture is going to kill my knees.” 

“I can help if you want,” I said before I could fully consider the risks, tempted with the possibilities.  

“Really,” she gasped in appreciation. “And here I was thinking that all youngsters cared was avoiding work and flirting with lowlife boys. It’s amazing to see that there are still some that respect the older people like they supposed to.” She smiled happily. “What’s your name?” 

“Selina,” I answered, giving the first name that came into my mind. 

“Mine is Griselda,” she answered. “Have you served a noble lady in the bath before?” 

“I did, but if you quickly explain your lady’s preferences, just to make sure I follow them.” 

“Will you be able to remember them all?” she asked, suspicious. 

“I have a good memory,” I said. She looked disbelieving, but went through a long list of things to do and things to avoid, which took a better part of ten minutes, which I recounted back without error, courtesy of my enhanced mental stats.  

“Impressive,” she said with a nod. “You can find a towel to change behind that screen. Change quickly. I will bring Lady Marianne in a few minutes, and you can help her undress.” She took a step forward before suddenly turning back. “And, don’t forget. Only one glass of wine for Lady Marianne. She doesn’t handle her alcohol well.” With that, she left, leaving me behind with a mixture of fear and anticipation… 

[Subterfuge +3]

———

[Level: 4        Experience: 8620 / 10000

Strength: 6    Charisma: 11

Precision: 7    Perception: 8

Agility: 6     Manipulation: 10

Speed: 6       Intelligence: 8

Endurance: 8      Wisdom: 17

HP: 132 / 132    Mana: 180 / 216             ]

SKILLS

[Advanced Subterfuge (34/50)     

Basic Arcana [25/25]        ]

———

The extent of the situation I had committed myself in occurred to me as the servant left the room. Walking around in disguise was one thing, and even working in tandem with other servants was not a huge challenge, but helping a girl in the bath was an incomparable risk, especially since I couldn’t just beat a hasty retreat if I got discovered. Marianne was predominantly a healer, but still, she was strong enough to defeat me easily. 

“Concentrate,” I murmured to myself, slapping myself on the cheek for the good measure. I could have escaped by dashing out while muttering some kind of excuse, but that would mean missing out on the experience, which had the potential to be even more than watching Cornelia and Helga together. I needed power, and I needed it as quick as possible. 

The decision made, I dashed towards the corner that held the towels. I needed to change into an appropriate attire before Marianne’s arrival, it would be a disaster if she caught me naked. I dressed faster than I ever did in my life, and soon I was wrapped with two layers of towels, with some scraps strategically pushed to my chest, and another towel even tighter around my waist to prevent an accident. Then, just for a good measure, I applied another layer of magical disguise on my face. 

But a look at the mirror told me that my disguise wasn’t convincing enough without a long, flowing skirt to hide my features. I needed something to obscure the view. 

A glance around the room gave me the answer. A set of heated stones, with a bucket of water next to it. I quickly dashed there, and poured a cup of water on the stones, turning them into a hot cloud of steam. But I hit another snag when I poured the second cup, barely wisps coming out of the stones. They weren’t hot enough! 

I didn’t have enough time to heat them through the traditional manner, so I reached for my magical abilities. I drew as much as mana I could handle, and tried to shove it into the stone while trying to keep the concept of hotness in mind. Another flicker of steam left the stone, but that was it. The second and the third repeats ended up the same, leaving me gasping in a sudden sense of exhaustion, with more than a third of my mana spent, the curse of lacking the appropriate skill. 

[-70 Mana]

Luckily, slowly heating up a stone was the simplest task that could be done through fire magic, and I had already read to have a conceptual understanding of it. After spending another third of my mana, the room was filled with a thick layer of steam. 

And not a moment too early, as I just finished dumping the last cup of water and moved to the location I was supposed to wait for Marianne, the door opened, and a figure that was starting to get more and more familiar with each passing day stepped in the room. She said nothing, didn’t even look at me other than a passing glance, and walked towards the seat. She was wearing a simple dress that left her arms naked, again blue. 

I smiled at another lucky turn. In the traditional noble approach, Marianne paid no attention to a servant, just moved in her usual manner, and expected to be served. And as long as I continue to serve her, there would be no issue. 

She stood next to the wardrobe that held her stuff, and waited. Following my instructions, I walked behind her, and started untying the strings behind her clothes. The strings were tied in a complicated knot, but following the earlier directions, I managed to untie them without an issue. She raised her arms, and I pulled the dress off. 

Only for my eyes to meet with her naked back, supported by a glimpse of her beautiful breasts due to my superior position. She turned enough to send a glance at me, and I turned immediately to properly fold and hang her dress, therefore avoiding her taking an extended glare to my face.

[+2 Subterfuge]

My mistake didn’t merit more than a second of interest. When I turned back, she was already walking towards the bath, her naked ass swaying attractively with each step, the thick layer of mist making the situation even more attractive. I moved forward to fulfill the next set of instructions, so that I was already next to the bath when she arrived. I presented my hand, and she grabbed it as she slowly lowered herself in the bath, bubbly water hiding her spectacular body from the view. 

[+100 Experience] 

I was doing my best to act natural while following the instructions, trying to avoid her attention as much as possible. I pulled the wine bottle from the icy bucket that was resting, and filled her glass with it, then filled a second glass with the cold water from the pitcher. 

Then, I chose to deviate from the instruction. The old maid had expressly underlined that the water glass should be placed closer to her lady than the wine glass, as she had a tendency to reach the nearest glass while distracted by the warmth of the bath, which was why I placed the wine glass in the spot instead. Drunker she got, less attentive she would become. 

Still, I kept my breath in as she reached for it. Luckily, she neither commented nor tried to look at me as she sipped the glass. When she placed the glass back in its place, she rose in the tub, enough to give another glimpse of her breasts. She sank back into the water after putting it in place, but as a side effect, my towel was starting to get really uncomfortable. 

Next few minutes passed in silence, where she rested under the embrace of the water, her eyes shut, occasionally reaching for the glass for another sip. And since she was keeping her eyes wide shut, I saw no risk in tweaking the situation a bit, topping up her glass whenever she placed it back on, making her think that she was still in the first glass. 

[Achievement: Intentional Impairment. Engineer a situation sneakily with alcohol to reduce the risk of a situation. +400 Experience, +1 Intelligence. +1 Agility]

“Wash me,” she after several minutes of silence, a moment after the achievement appeared in my field of vision, the slight slurring on her voice aligned with the conclusion of the system. 

I was ready, a soft bath glove on my right hand when she raised her right arm, and gently started to caress her skin. My attention was fully on her body, but for a change, for business purposes rather than trying to enjoy her nakedness. My enhanced capabilities were helpful in reading her micro-expressions, ensuring that, when I finished rubbing her arm, I had a solid idea about the optimal pressure and strength I need to put behind my touches. 

And it worked even better than I had been hoping for, when I finished her second arm and moved to her shoulders, her moans had a suspiciously lively quality that reminded me the unique moment I had the pleasure of watching in the library. The fact that I had been constantly refilling her glass wasn’t a surprise as well, though with my both hands occupied, I started using my telekinesis to do that. It was difficult to do without using my hands to guide the spell, but I managed to do it successfully. 

[+200 Experience]

“Are you feeling alright, milady,” I whispered, intentionally breaking another direction the old maid had given me. Never address her without being addressed first. She just hummed in satisfaction, and I smirked, happy with the level of mellowness she achieved. I could move onto the next stage of my plan. 

My hand started to follow a wider route as it went back and forth on her shoulder, first covering her collarbone with the soft texture of the bubbles from high-quality soap. With each repeat, the range widened, until I was caressing the edges of her breasts, but that caused her to stiffen slightly. It was an unconscious reaction, as her eyes were still closed, and she was still moaning calmly, but I chose to take it as a warning. 

“Do you want me to rub your feet, milady,” I asked as my hands returned to the safer territories. “I am educated in various techniques to increase your relaxation.” No words left her mouth, but her murmur was a clear indication of her approval. 

“Do you want me to place a hot towel on your face, milady,” I added. “It’s treated with the herbs, and it will increase the effectiveness of the massage.” 

I realized that I started to tread in dangerous waters when she opened one eye and looked at me. I brought the full extent of the capabilities of my subterfuge skill to give the impression of a young and demure maid, trying to make her mistress happy. It must have been successful, because she nodded instead of blasting me with a combat spell, which would be the inevitable end if she had suspected of my disguise. She might be the calmer and merciful one of the pair, but I would be the first to admit that the situation had warranted it. 

I grabbed a towel, and gently pushed a sliver of energy to make it warmer, being extremely careful, both not to alert her, and not to burn the towel with my amateurish fire magic. Once I made sure that it was warm enough, I sprinkled it with some of the perfumed water that was placed next to the bath, and placed it over her eyes. 

I moved on the other end of the bath and pushed my hands into the water, and gently pulled her foot out of the water. I sat on the floor with my feet gathered under me, preventing any possibility of an accidental reveal, and pulled her foot on my lap before pressing both thumbs on her soles, and started…

But the moan that escaped her mouth surprised me, though, from her expression, I wasn’t the only one that was surprised. Her hand twitched towards the towel as she blushed, but she chose to reach for the wine instead of pulling off the towel, obscuring her expression. 

It was interesting that she tried to hide her reaction from a ‘maid’, though it was likely because there was no hiding the source of her moan. But if she wanted to act like it never happened, I was happy to comply. I restarted the massage, and she just lay on her back, enjoying the massage, but this time, she kept her grip around the glass of wine. 

That provided an interesting challenge, continuously delivering the massage while using my telekinetic ability smooth enough to slowly refill the glass without making her notice the unbalance. I actually had to create a magical platform, allowing the wine to slide silently without causing a splash, and she continued drinking. 

The pleasure combined with the alcohol-induced haze had some more interesting effects on her. A moan escaped her mouth as I continued to rub her foot, barely loud enough to be heard. Her hand rose once more, but this time with a more purposeful manner. I felt alarmed when I felt the sudden rush of magic, but relaxed when it took the now-familiar form of silencing field. Though, without an anchor, the ward displayed limited effectiveness, something I had noticed when I heard her next moan, only partially muffled. 

Moreover, it was amusing that she thought it would be effective, because even if her voice had been masked completely, there was no hiding her facial expression, shouting her enjoyment as effectively as her moans. I turned my attention from her body, my hands continuing their jobs in autopilot. 

It didn’t take long for her body to add another dimension to her displays of arousal. Her back arched nicely, which made her breasts peek through the bubbles, the view spectacular. Her enjoyment was a reward in itself, though I couldn’t say that I didn’t appreciate the bonus that came as a result. 

[+300 Experience]

I chose that moment to finally switch from one foot to another. The moment I noticed Marianne reaching for her towel, I lowered my eyes, but continued to watch her from the corner of my eye, noticing that she was examining my face before sighing. She clearly thought that I hadn’t noticed her rather enthusiastic enjoyment of my massage. I was willing to bet that the only reason she thought that was my supposed identity as a servant, which, in her mind, was stupid enough to miss the implications. Or at least, she was willing to believe that in her confused state. 

I restarted the massage, and she put the towel over her eyes once again, and her back arching immediately after, once again treating me with the amazing view of her breasts. Her moans came soon after, each louder than the previous one. But the fact that she started trembling with a manner that cannot be mistaken for anything else, I was truly surprised. I certainly wasn’t expecting her to be that sensitive in her feet. 

From her total loss of control as the orgasm danced on her body, I was willing to believe that she wasn’t aware of that particular nugget as well. Which made sense if her experience came from Cornelia. She was too meek to instigate such a thing in her own, and Cornelia distinctly lacked the personality to do something as subservient as paying attention to her feet. 

It was convenient that Marianne was busy trying to catch her breath, because I had another thing that deserved my attention. 

[+300 Experience]

[Achievement: Magnificent Massage. Trigger a rather unique rush of pleasure through a safe-spot massage. +500 Experience, +1 Precision. +1 Perception]

Level UP!

[Select one of the following skills: Basic Fire Magic, Basic Speech, Basic Concealment] 

Earning yet another level was an amazing feeling. It was a pity that I couldn’t talk to anyone about it, as I probably broke the school record by gaining four levels in less than four days. 

While patting my own back was enjoyable, I had more important concerns to address, such as which skill to choose. Common sense recommended Fire Magic, the most destructive school of magic, always in favor in combat applications -which was a lot considering the monster-filled state of the world- but direct assault didn’t have any value in my current situation. No, I needed something to reinforce my approach, which was already paying amazing dividends, like Speech. 

And luckily, I was in a perfect position to test my newly acquired skill, with a target most receptive, her mind addled with pleasure. “Milady, could you raise your leg a bit more, so I can move onto your calves,” I said. 

She didn’t even pause before raising her leg. Unfortunately, it didn’t give me a sudden burst of improvement. Probably because she was far too gone to actually consider the implications of something like that. Still, while the loss of opportunity to enhance my skills was a letdown, her explicit permission to her body was more than enough as compensation. 

[+200 Experience]

[+1 Subterfuge]

I slowly started to massage her calves, stretching the moment to enjoy the sight of her breasts, but that proved to be a mistake. Her sensitivity there turned out to be much less than her feet, and even worse, drunk with my own achievement, I was late to notice that detail. “That’s enough,” she called as she pulled off the towel from her face. 

“But, mistress-” I started, another mistake as she instantly cut me off. 

“Don’t talk back to me, peasant,” she said sharply, her anger flaring in an instant, excessive even for a noble. She was trying to compensate for her earlier loss of control, though even discounting her situation, her anger was as threatening as a mouse. She stood up, uncaring of her nakedness, her whole body glistening with droplets, begging me to push her down and teach her about the subtleties of disrespect. Soon… 

She stepped out of the bath, stopping only lean down and pick the water glass, and since her back was turned at me while she did that, giving me an amazing view of her most intimate spots. I crossed my legs, because, at that moment, even the emergency towel I had used started to fail. 

[+100 Experience]

Then she walked towards the small pit with a drain to remove excess water, with several buckets already filled with warm water waiting for her. I dashed faster than her, and when she arrived, I was already there, doing my best to give the impression of a meek servant, scared due to her display of anger. 

[+1 Subterfuge]

It seemed to have worked, as her expression turned her usual dismissive one, though she wasn’t good enough to hide the expression of relief from my eyes, clearly happy that her enjoyment from a servant’s hands went unremarked. 

With her crisis of anger resolved, the rest of the activities flowed without another notable event. She opened her arms, and I wrapped a fluffy towel around her body, which, unfortunately, cut the amazing view I had been enjoying, then I accompanied her to her bedroom, where the old maid was waiting for us, jumping up her feet the moment she heard the door opening. I let her take from there, not wanting to get away from the concealing presence of the steam, afraid to reveal a certain very important detail about my anatomy. 

The moment the door was closed, I dashed towards the dressing area, and put the disguise around as quick as I could manage. Which proved to be a good decision, as before I could disappear, the door opened once more, and the old maid entered the room, walking towards me with purposeful steps. 

“Didn’t I tell you that she was to have only a glass of wine,” she said sharply, though I could see that her anger lacked passion, almost monotone. 

“I’m sorry,” I said, putting a slight hitch to my voice, indicating distress. “But the mistress asked me to, and I couldn’t…” I said, letting my words to trail out. 

[+1 Speech]

“It’s okay,” she said exasperatedly after examining me for a while, mercy clear on her eyes. “But be more careful the next time,” she added. 

“The next time?” I said, this time, my surprise completely honest. 

“Yes, the next time,” the old maid said with a slight nod. “My mistress indicated that your service was adequate, and she wants you as her bath attendant,” she said. 

I froze. Luckily, it was a natural reaction for my current personality as well, which gave me a couple of seconds to examine the opportunity. The safest thing to do was to inform her that it was my last day at the university, and I was being transferred back to the family estates of the family I had been serving. 

But what was safety against the continuous access to Marianne’s sweet nakedness…

“That would do,” I said, quickly come up with a lie. “I’m usually free in the evenings, so as long as I got an early warning, I should be arranged. Though that’s the only thing I can do, as I have my charge to attend.” 

“You already have a mistress,” she said, suspicious. “But you are not wearing house colors.” 

“There’s a reason for that,” I quickly explained. “I’m a servant of house Gaius.” 

“Gaius?” she repeated in confusion. “There is no current student from House Gaius,” she murmured in confusion before her face lighted with realization. “Unless you’re serving the Mule,” she said, her pity towards me mixing with a clear dismissal. 

That dismissal towards my real identity might have made me angry if she wasn’t the enabler for the amazing time I had just spent. “Yes, though mostly I work undercover to do the things he supposed to.” 

“Why?” she asked. 

“It’s the only way the school would allow him to keep employ,” I said. “The house is far enough to be isolated from the casual rumors, and the fact that their heir is working in the Silver Tower despite his Abnormal status allowing them a modicum of pride.” 

[+2 Speech] 

“It’s a pity,” she said, but not caring about the intricacies of my situation. “But it’s your lucky turn, because if you keep the mistress happy, I’m sure that she would eventually make you a part of her household. You certainly kept her satisfied tonight.” 

I barely kept myself from cackling against her eerily accurate statement about what happened behind the closed doors. “Whatever the mistress pleases,” I said, playing the part of the dutiful servant. 

“Good, then where I could find you,” she asked. 

“I usually bustle all around the place during the day, and I have a small room outside of the walls,” I quickly explained, trying to find a reason for my indiscoverable state during the day. “But you can pass a note to young master when he was in the library, and he would pass it to me. He is a sweetheart on things like that.” 

[+2 Speech]

“Okay,” she murmured after a moment of confusion, making me glad that I had picked the speech as my new area of expertise. I doubted that the web of bullshit I weaved would have stuck otherwise. “But always make sure to check with him at sunset. The mistress prefers to have her baths in the evening, you can’t miss any of them.” 

[Achievement. Unintended Uniform. Find a job that brings unique side benefits under a fake identity without aiming to. +2 Charisma. +300 Experience] 

“Thank you for the opportunity,” I said as I bowed, though it was to hide my thirsty smile. 

“Good, now, drain the bath and scrub the floors before leaving,” she said, before turning back and leaving. I didn’t complain, because it gave me an excuse to train the flexibility of my telekinesis, not to mention 

I was going to have so much fun at my new job…

———

[Level: 5        Experience: 10920 / 15000

Strength: 6    Charisma: 12

Precision: 8    Perception: 9

Agility: 7     Manipulation: 10

Speed: 6       Intelligence: 8

Endurance: 8      Wisdom: 17

HP: 175 / 175    Mana: 130 / 280             ]

SKILLS

[Advanced Subterfuge (40/50)     

Basic Arcana [25/25]        

Basic Speech 5/25        ]

———

I was back in the library, doing my mind-numbingly boring menial tasks. I couldn’t say I disliked the opportunity though, as it gave me the excuse to think about more important things, such as the close calls I had experienced the previous day. During those events, I had stretched my abilities to the limit, both magical and mundane, risking everything, though the reward I received was above my expectations as well, giving me a job with an amazing perk, continuous access to Marianne’s naked curves…

 For that reason, I had picked a few books on anatomy and medicine, trying to get some hints on how to improve my massage technique. While it was tempting to get a few skills on the topic. My performance was satisfactory, but there was no harm in enhancing it further.

But the situation with Marianne wasn’t my only noteworthy achievement, I thought as I glanced towards the table where Helga was sitting, her eyes turning towards the corridor with an unexpected frequency. Apparently, I had managed to impress her quite a bit, or more accurately, our mysterious ranger did. She was even sitting on a table close to the corridor rather than skulking in a hidden one to avoid any student that might be struck with the idea of bullying her. 

It was interesting just how much a crush affected her usual behavior. I would have expected her to act more jaded, but it seemed that the continuous isolation left her hungry for positive interactions, however fleeting. It would be a pity if she missed meeting with the one that she had been waiting for didn’t appear, I decided. And I had walked around enough that I could disappear for a couple of hours without raising suspicion. 

So, the Mule disappeared behind the shelves, and after careful layering of several soft illusions, Ranger Orlin stepped in his place, with his reddish hair, strikingly-wounded face, and easygoing charm. 

I started walking around the shelves, looking like I was looking for a book, while drove closer and closer to Helga’s position. I wanted her to think that she noticed me first. It was a small leverage, but that kind of small things had a tendency to compound if managed carefully.  

I had been expecting her to notice me after a couple of minutes, after I had came closer to her, but I saw her standing up in seconds after my appearance, showing that she was paying even more attention to her surroundings than I had been expecting, or maybe she had a better observation skill. “Orlin,” she called, barely able to hide the enthusiasm in her tone. 

“Helga,” I said in response, letting a smile bloom, which widened hers even further. I closed in, and then, bent my knees slightly, and opened my hands in expectation, though I was careful to angle my body correctly, so it followed the traditions of Northern Lands which she belonged rather than the Empire. 

Her blush was positively cute as she put her hand on my palm, which only intensified when I brought it to my face and pressed my lips on her second knuckle, rather than fourth, a subtle indication of interest according to tradition. My research on Northern traditions turned out to be quite useful. 

“So, what are you doing in the library this early,” I said. “Weren’t you supposed to be in a class?” 

“I don’t have any today,” she said, with a slight bitterness. She either had one, but dropped because of the constant bullying, or failed to take a class she wanted to because of the professor not giving her a seat if her tone was any indicator. 

Regardless of the reason, I needed to pull her away from the negativity. “It’s my fortune, then,” I said, accompanied by the most attractive smirk I could manage, bringing all my charisma to the forefront. “Because it gave me the opportunity to spend some more time with a radiant beauty like you, and a genius too.” 

I had a feeling that without my charisma to boost my stats, the only thing that cheesy line would earn was a hasty escape, or a slap if she was in a particularly bad mood. Instead, she sputtered a struck answer as her breathing quickened. “Thanks,” she barely managed to bring out. 

“Excellent,” I said. “You wouldn’t mind helping me look some books on Arcane Magic, do you?” I said, and before she could say anything, held her hand and started walking, dragging her with me. Funny enough, she was about to resist it until she realized I was moving deeper into the library, towards the areas that lacked any student. Usually, a girl would resist being pulled into such an area, but her desire to avoid her bullies were stronger than her common sense. 

For the next few minutes, we have walked between the shelves, or more accurately, I dragged her with me while she tried to process casual yet intimate contact we were sharing. As we walked, I started to ask her questions about the various books, which slowly evolved into a discussion about the fundamentals of magical theory. 

With the discussion back on the areas where she shows a stronger aptitude, she was quick to shed her crippling shyness. Her blush still remained, so did occasional stammer, but she was actively contributing to the discussion, explaining the fundamentals of magic. She kept the discussion at the absolute basics, not knowing I had Arcana skill, but even then, there were occasional comments and interpretations that was novel for me. 

As we talked, I realized the ruse that could benefit me in more ways than one. After picking a few books, I led her towards a desk, and deliberately sit on the corner of the desk, leading her to do same to create a more casual and intimate environment than the distant chairs would create. 

Then, slowly, I started to make seemingly unintentional slips in the discussion, not enough to reveal the full extent of my wisdom, but enough to suggest that I had already taken Arcana skill and achieved quite a bit progress without maximizing the basic version. 

But even then, I had to push the envelope quite a bit for her to notice that fact. “You’re not trying to decide whether to take the Arcana skill,” she said with a shocked manner. “You already have it.” 

“Guilty as charged,” I said with a smirk. “You’re even smarter than I had assumed, catching me this quickly,” I added, as flattery never hurt, especially when backed with a healthy dose of manipulation and some speech. 

“I guess so,” she murmured before her gaze sharpening. “But why did you lie?”

“It was supposed to be a secret, as my people have rather strict ideas on daring to learn magical skills when you’re not from one of the noble bloodlines, claiming to be cursed otherwise. It will cost me a lot if they realize that I had dared to take one.” 

[+1 Speech]

Her expression softened as she was caught by the similarity between her struggle and my fake one. “I understand,” she said. “But you owe me one for that omission,” she added in a way that was supposed to be whimsical excitement but came across choppy and shaky. She was really bad at flirting. 

Luckily for her, I wasn’t. “Of course,” I said before leaning forward, and continuing with a whisper as the distance between my lips and her ear dwindled dangerously. “Whatever you wish for, milady.” When I pulled back, her face was bright red. “Are you okay?” I asked cluelessly, putting my hand gently on her cheek. “You look like you have a fever.” 

“Just a little cold,” she answered, jumping at the provided opening with both feet. “Anyway, since you already have some background, I can help you study magic.” 

“Really?” I said with enthusiasm I didn’t need to fake. “You would do that for me? Smart, beautiful, and kind! You’re godsend!” I said as I hugged her. 

“It’s nothing,” she tried to stammer, overwhelmed by my response. 

“Believe me, it’s not,” I said, squeezing her harder, which had the added benefit of familiarizing her with my muscles while I enjoyed the pressure of her breasts on my chest. She really had a spectacular body. 

[+1 Speech]

[+20 Experience]

 But after letting her go, I pushed a serious expression on my face. “But we need to keep it secret. It would hurt me a lot if got away that I had been studying magic. I managed to disappear today only by claiming I was going for a hunt.” 

“That’s okay,” she said. “We can meet here and I will help you.” 

“Thank you,” I said, caressing her cheek gently. Another rather forward action, even by the relatively lax standards of the Northern lands, but she only smiled at the closeness. 

“So, what can you do,” she asked. 

“Only this two,” I said, and quickly showed my telekinesis and my shield, but I made sure to cast them in a lower capability, much noisier than I could manage, though I didn’t skimp on the general finesse and strength. 

“Not bad,” she said. “But you need to be more careful while balancing the energy matrix of the spell…” she added, launching a lengthy explanation, impressively detailed, and actually effective enough to bring my understanding of the subject to a higher level. 

“Really, tell me more,” I said after she finished, and meanwhile, put my hand on her knee in an absentminded manner. She blushed, but didn’t ask me to pull it away, instead started another lesson on fundamentals of magic. 

The next hour passed in a serious academic mood, broken occasionally by my casual touches, exploring the safer spots of her body, her knees, shoulders, back, and very rarely, lower parts of her thighs. She started to react with less panic after each touch, but her quickening breath was enough to assuage my fears about the effectiveness of my strategy. And while I had some close-calls, my newly enhanced speech capabilities managed to bridge the gap. 

[+2 Subterfuge]

[+3 Speech]

But like everything beautiful, it also had some limits. While it was fun to spend time with her, some distance would only intensify her feelings. “Thank you very much,” I said as once again I placed my hand on her thigh. “But I need to return. I still need to visit the forest and hunt something. It would be suspicious if I return from the hunt empty-handed.” 

“You’re right,” she answered, though reluctant. 

“Don’t worry,” I said with a chuckle. “We can meet tomorrow in here as well. The same place, and at the same time?” 

“That would be wonderful,” she murmured. 

“See you then,” I said and leaned to kiss her cheek, though, at the last second, I felt a bit more mischievous. I feinted like I was going left while reaching her right, and she turned to her left panickedly, presenting her lips to my reach for the perfect accidental kiss while trying to avoid the same. 

[+100 Experience]

[Achievement: Plotted Peck. Carefully engineer an accidental romantic kiss, fit for ballads. +300 Experience, +1 Precision. +1 Manipulation]

I kept the kiss lingering for a moment, then pulled back, leaving Helga in dazed confusion, though a smile was pushing on her face. “I’m so sorry,” I said with an exaggerated panic. “I would have never done something like that with you if it wasn’t a complete accident,” I added, stressing the word never. 

“Why?” she said with a sudden sharpness. “Is there something wrong with me?” she added, her good mood instantly evaporating at my sudden vehemence, so much that she didn’t pay any attention to the fact that she had just let a near-stranger kiss her. 

“Of course not,” I said, suddenly abandoning my exaggerated denial in favor of a husky tone while I took a step forward, closing the distance once more. “You are a beautiful woman, and you deserve a kiss better than the ridiculous touch that we just shared…” I leaned forward while she failed to keep in line with the sudden reversal. “Like this,” I whispered before my hand slid into her hair, and our lips touched. 

This time, it wasn’t a passive, fleeting kiss. No, I brought my full range of the capabilities out while my hands landed on her back, trying to read her reaction. Luckily, she was too shocked to hide her reaction, allowing me to quickly correct the various aspects of my reaction. 

And my lips weren’t the only source of pleasure for her. My hands on her back, dancing in the patterns, using the pressure points and sensitive spots taught by my research on massage points. I could feel her body trembling as she struggled not to melt, a losing battle she nevertheless tried to fight. 

Soon, her lips joined the dance, but in a small, fleeting manner. They opened and closed, trying to follow my rhythm, but always at least one step behind, failing to bring the appropriate result. I was tempted to push her down, sprawled on the desk, to test how much it would take to overwhelm her crush. 

Unfortunately, that had a big risk of exploding to my face, so I pulled back, a smirk on my face. “It was much better, right?” I said as I gently caressed her chin while leaning forward like I was about to kiss her for the third time. 

“Yes,” she murmured, her lips parting slightly in preparation for our kiss, but this time, I changed direction at the last second, and in a twisted reflection of the kiss, placed a soft, lingering one on her cheek. “See you tomorrow,” I said before I left, leaving a confused girl in my wake. 

[+400 Experience]

———

Orion’s job was over after I left Helga behind, so I shelved him in a trip to the depths of the library, the Mule coming out once more. 

I picked my cart, piled with books, and started walking around. During my passage, I realized that Helga was absent, probably too overwhelmed with what had happened, choosing to disappear back to her room instead of trying to study. 

With my favorite target absent, I started walking around the library, occasionally using telekinesis or another spell to mess with the students or the other workers, enthusiastic about experimenting with my newfound talents. It was incredible just how much I improved in during an hour of training. 

Nothing short of a small miracle considering my arcana skill was currently maxed out. It made me understand how Helga managed to get a spot in the magical section of the school despite her foreigner and commoner status. Another sign that just how wasteful that kind of approaches could be. 

More importantly, it made me change my intentions towards her. Initially, she was just a convenient target to enhance my power, but the fact that she could help me that much in less than an hour meant that she was an untapped treasure. I needed to find a way to acquire her long term, and not just as Orion the Ranger, but with my real identity. 

It was a long term objective, as I had no intention to reveal anything to someone else before I was strong enough to defend myself, or sleek enough to avoid any adverse attention. I needed to keep a low profile as long as I could manage. 

Unfortunately, as much as I wished it to be, I hadn’t had the option of concealing myself passively while scavenging for opportunities. While the future opportunities of Marianne and Helga were more than enough for my prospects, there was something I needed to address to maintain my tenuous hold on them. Or more accurately, someone. 

Cornelia. 

She had a strong hold over both Marianne and Helga, which meant that no matter how elaborate my plan, how strong my hold, I couldn’t predict when she would interject and break my plans. I had no information on her, not even why she was risking to have her dalliances in the library rather than in her room. Was it just a fetishistic preference, or did it have a more important reason? 

But luckily, I had recently come up with a way to learn it. 

When I saw Cornelia entering the library, I took it as a sign to get away. Following her to see whether she would bring me another opportunity to earn some experience, but the lack of information was too dangerous in my case. I needed to learn what makes Cornelia tick.

I sneaked out of the library an hour before the supposed end of my shift, and after a brief stop at my room, I was once again wearing my maid costume, and started walking in the wing where it held the rooms for the female students. Though, this time, I made sure to apply a different face. With a few extra lines on the face, graying hair, and a slouched walk, I was replicating the sight of a forty years old maid perfectly. 

This time, I had more confidence in my walk, not only I had a better command of the layout, but also my skills in speech and subterfuge were sufficiently high, enough to dismiss the suspicion of any maid. Most of them were Abnormals, and the rest, I doubted that any of them had enough in their stats to penetrate my improved disguise. 

I started looking around to find someone to help me. A minute later, I succeed, in the form of a young maid skulking in the shadows, trying to avoid work. I had a feeling that she wasn’t very bright, trying to hide in such an obvious location, though it worked well for my intentions. “Greetings, youngster,” I called her, who flinched when she realized that her scheme had failed. “Do you have a minute or two to answer my questions?” 

“Of course,” she said with relaxation when she realized I wasn’t planning to order her to do some kind of menial work. “How can I help you, honored elder,” she said. 

“My lady is about to join the halls of this esteemed institution, and they asked me to come early to pick her room and everything. So, I wanted to learn about how everything operates. Would it be a bother for a smart young girl to guide her elder.” 

[+1 Subterfuge]

Excited to find flattery rather than admonishment she had been expecting, she was quick to launch a detailed explanation about how everything worked. Funny enough, half of the information she provided was inaccurate, conflicting with itself, forcing me to keep a mental tally of everything and crosscheck the results. Still, after fifteen minutes, I had managed to learn quite a bit about how they operated, including a lot of casual secrets about the maids. 

“And how about the students,” I gently prodded. “After all, I need to pick a nice room for my ward, and neighbors are important.” 

“I don’t know, we’re not supposed to talk about the nobles…” she murmured, but when I twirled my fingers and a silver coin appeared between them, her tune changed. “But on the other hand, your mission is also important. It’s hard to decide.” The amount of silver in my hand doubled. Her hand moved in an eerie quickness, her greed overcoming her limits. 

[+2 Speech]

“Now, the first thing to know…” she started, and I listened… 

———

[Level: 5        Experience: 11740 / 15000

Strength: 6    Charisma: 12

Precision: 9    Perception: 9

Agility: 7     Manipulation: 11

Speed: 6       Intelligence: 8

Endurance: 8      Wisdom: 17

HP: 180 / 180    Mana: 240 / 285             ]

SKILLS

[Advanced Subterfuge (43/50)     

Basic Arcana [25/25]        

Basic Speech 12/25        ]

———

My undercover interrogation session with the young maid had worked even better than I had expected to. Not only I had managed to learn a lot about the way the servants operated, which would make my disguises even more convincing, but also I had managed to gather quite a few interesting nuggets of information about the students. Some casual, like the fact that Cornelia having two maids serving her, one younger one that handled the menial tasks, and an old matron that mostly sat around, raining orders to other servants. 

Some were more interesting. Like the fact that she had, during a midnight walk -which she had been dallying with another servant or a guard if her sudden blush was any indicator- had seen Cornelia and the old maid fighting, or more accurately Cornelia shouting aggressively while the old matron ignoring her in an obvious dismissive attitude. A weird balance of power, but the implications I wasn’t able to guess without more information. 

Luckily, my undercover interrogation also gave me the tools to investigate the reasons for it. The maid was more than happy to inform me that the younger maid was having some friendly walks with one of the guards, and she even saw her disappear with him a few minutes ago. 

So, after leaving my unwitting informant behind, I searched for a corner, and after a few more illusions, I was dressed in the colors of House Antony, with my general looks and hair colors the same with the younger maid. Unfortunately, I hadn’t seen her, neither I had enough finesse to copy a face without fault even if I did, but I kept my head down as I walked towards Cornelia’s rooms, willing to bet that no one would pay too much attention to me. 

A minute later, I was at the door. A magical probe revealed that it was warded, but it wasn’t a particularly strong one, relying on the fact that no one would dare to enter the room of such an important house without an invitation. Even better, it had an intentionally weak part, to allow someone carrying a keystone to enter without triggering the alarm. 

A bad assumption, as I quietly expanded my magical reach, and copied the necessary pattern, which staggered the ward just enough for me to open the door and sneak inside. When I pulled my energy back, the protective veil was back on, a touch weaker than it was supposed to be, but I was willing to bet that Cornelia wouldn’t take notice of such a small change. 

I threw a glance around the room. Cornelia’s room was better than Marianne’s in both size and furnishing, which only highlighted the relative difference of power between them. House Louis was just a minor one, while House Antony was a major one, and seemingly with a corresponding enjoyment of unnecessary opulence. And it was just the first room, with a few seats, just to greet visitors. 

While I would have liked to enjoy the comforts it provided, I didn’t know when someone, either Cornelia or one of the maids, would return, so I initiated my search. Predictably, the first room, open for all visitors, didn’t have anything interesting, so I moved onto the next room, which was another sitting room, but in a more private setting. I didn’t spend too much time there either. I was tempted to swipe one of the candlesticks, made from pure silver, expensive enough to address a lot of my monetary needs, but that would be too suspicious. They were all stamped with the house crest. 

But the real treasure was the bedroom, which laid behind another ward, this time stronger, more intricate. And unlike the previous one, it didn’t have an intentional weak point to allow the keystone-bearers to pass without raising an alarm. As a result, it was much more difficult to bypass without triggering. Conveniently, there was no one around, which gave me enough time to slip through it before raising an alarm, only because it was a simple design, not constructed to resist against another magic user, lacking any kind of trap that might create a backlash in case of a careless touch. 

After a deep breath, I mentally reached for the strings of magic that held the ward together, carefully unfolding them, occasionally building temporary arcane holds to maintain its structural integrity, my palms sweaty with stress. It took twenty minutes, and more than two-thirds of my mana pool, to create a safe passage that would allow me to pass. 

Another difficult choice awaited me. I either turned back and left, wasting the effort I had put in there, or slip inside, hoping that I would be able to unravel the same thing easier while leaving. And I had just a few seconds to decide it. 

In the end, I took the step forward. I needed to have a better grasp of Cornelia, lest she upended everything I worked for without even knowing. I dismissed my temporary magical scaffolding bit by bit, letting the ward fall back its previous state, providing full coverage for the room. 

“Finally,” I murmured as I looked around Cornelia’s bedroom. I would have liked to be surprised by the richness of the furnishings -rare wood, gold platings, and paintings I didn’t recognize but looked very expensive-, but after seeing the rest of her rooms, I couldn’t say that I was impressed. 

I tried to apply one of the tricks I had learned from Helga, gathered my magic and then let it spread like a bubble, trying to find something worthwhile. Unfortunately, it failed spectacularly, not because it wasn’t able to find anything, but because there were too many magical items in the room. And I was afraid to put anything more than the absolute minimum behind it in fear of triggering the ward, making things even more difficult. 

In the end, I decided to write it off as a loss, and observed the room, relying on the more primitive approach of using my own eyes. The first thing I noticed was her desk, with several books, and expensive-looking parchments furled open, all covered with several active runes, denoting their high value. It wasn’t exactly cheap to produce parchments strong enough to hold active runes, and they were used for valuable things.  

Moreover, I recognized some of the books, as they belonged to the private wing of the library, where it held the ones with actual precious knowledge, but the access to it was highly regulated. I was surprised that she had been allowed to remove them from the library. Apparently, being a part of an important family had even bigger benefits than I first assumed.

The other books, I failed to recognize, but since their spines with marked with the crest of House Antony, it wasn’t a huge deductive leap to accurately guess their sources. I wondered whether this information was what Helga was looking for, remembering the scroll exchange that went between them. I was tempted to steal one of them, but that would alert Cornelia about the uninvited guest in her room, and I didn’t want to jeopardize my access. And while copying would be a nice compromise, there were too many targets, especially since I didn’t know what Helga was looking for. 

With that path shelved, I started going around the room, carefully opening her drawers, hoping to find a secret that would give me some kind of advantage on her. Maybe a letter, or if I’m incredibly lucky, a personal diary. Unfortunately, with each drawer I pulled open, my hopes dwindled. Maybe sneaking into her room wasn’t as well thought out as I had first envisioned. It certainly didn’t bring the treasures I had been hoping for. 

The next drawer I had opened turned out to be holding her underwear, some of them in a particularly spicy variety. I snorted as I pocketed one of the particularly interesting ones, black, more lace than fabric, and see-through. Not that I had any plans of actively using them, but having them was enough. At least, I could console myself by claiming it wasn’t completely worthless!

[Achievement: Thief of Treasures. Risk your life to acquire a treasure worthy of everything. +500 Experience. +2 Agility]

I couldn’t help but let out a snort. Who would have guessed that the system had a sense of humor, which threw a lot of questions about its source, especially curious since none of the books that I had read had mentioned something like that. So, it was either a secret, or something unique to my case. Still, the resulting boost was no means unwelcome, as I could feel my body starting to move with an unfamiliar lightness, my balance significantly better. 

And funny enough, I couldn’t even say the reward was excessive, as a mistake would bring the wrath of Cornelia to my head, a woman that almost killed me because I stumbled on her in a compromising position while she was in public. There was no telling what she would do if she caught me in her room, sneaking around, looking for her secrets… 

I tested the system by trying to steal a few more things, but it turned out to be a one-off thing. I would still try it in a different room, but that was for a different time. 

I was reaching for another drawer, indistinguishable from the rest, when I felt a flicker of magic. I instantly pulled back, and probed it with magical senses instead. “Pits of hell,” I murmured as I examined the results. I had finally found the drawer I had been looking for, which would have been good news if it wasn’t for the wards around it. At least three interlocking ones, managing to erase almost all magical presence while conveniently making the trick I had pulled on the door impossible. The wards had keyholes, for the lack of a better term, but different from the main entrance, the locks were designed with magic in mind. It wasn’t enough to have the correct keystone, they also required the correct pattern to be known. Even if it was possible to unravel them without the stones, which I wasn’t sure, it would require a much higher skill than I currently had. 

But I didn’t have enough time to lament that fact, because the ward around the room suddenly started fluctuating. Simultaneously, I felt the door opening. I did the only thing I could, opened the door of the nearest wardrobe, and sneaked inside, closing the door the moment the other one started to open. 

The sheer magnitude of my luckiness hit me with the full weight of a rabid dragon. It was a close call, and without the burst of agility I had experienced, I doubted that I would have been successfully sneaking my way into the wardrobe and close it behind me without making a discernible sound. 

The safe thing was to close the door and ensure my concealment. Still, there was the question of the identity of the intruder, so I kept the door ajar, once again ignoring the requirements of common sense. 

The intruder turned out to be an old woman, dressed in as the other servants, stepped into the room, marked with the colors of House Antony. A curious development, a maid breaking into the privacy of her mistress. Combined with the gossips about their fights, it created an even more interesting picture. 

But I was more interested in the way she was moving. For once, she had a straight, confident gait as she walked, something that would fit better to a minor noble rather than a servant, especially one that was currently invading the privacy of her mistress. Even if she didn’t know about Cornelia’s impending arrival, the way she systemically went through the same drawers I had gone through, but she went through its contents with impudence, uncaring of the mess she left in her wake. 

I felt excited as she neared the warded drawer that had stymied me quite a bit. She wouldn’t have been able to open it, of course, but the reaction to her attempt might have given me some clues. 

Before that could happen, the sound of door slamming reached my ear, followed by a set of hurried steps. When the bedroom opened in the same aggressive manner, I wasn’t surprised when it revealed Cornelia, her face contorted with anger. 

I couldn’t help but admire the maid when she turned towards Cornelia, in a shocking display of calmness. I doubted that I would be able to stay as calm, especially when facing Cornelia, even angrier than the night that almost ended with my death. “Can I help you, mistress Cornelia,” she said calmly, but even more interestingly, I managed to catch a hint of amusement on her tone, which made me even more curious. 

“What are you doing in my room,” Cornelia said, the words leaving her mouth in a slow, methodical rhythm, one might trick a passerby to think that she was calmer, but I could sense the oppressive waves of magic that was rolling off her with each word. It also had the added benefit of showing me the gulf of power between us. 

“I’m going through the periodical cleaning of your room as I’m ordered, milady,” she said, still calm. 

“Fuck your orders,” Cornelia said, slamming her hand on the door. When she pulled back, there was a scorch mark on the door. “Didn’t I tell you that you will stay away from my room, you old shrew.” 

“Be careful, milady. Such displays are not befitting the presumptive heiress of your esteemed house,” she told haughtily. 

“Don’t patronize me, you old crone, I ordered you to get out of my room,” Cornelia said, but still unmoved. 

“And should I remind you that the orders from the Lord of the House always take the precedence, and he ordered me to keep your rooms in good order.” 

“Not the lord, but the regent,” Cornelia said as she took a step forward, her hand covered in flames. “Don’t dare to call that bastard the lord of the house in front of me again, you pathetic bat!”

The last thing I expected was for the maid to look even smugger, tinged with satisfaction. She said nothing as Cornelia closed in, and stood in front of her. I didn’t know exactly why the maid was goading Cornelia, but it was clear that it was somehow linked to inheritance, otherwise, there wouldn’t be that much needling on the correct form of the titles. 

Cornelia managed to suppress her anger before physically harming the maid, which weirdly enough, made her look disappointed. “I would leave if you desire so, milady,” the maid said as she walked out. “But you need to be more careful to keep your room in order if you are determined to reject my help. We wouldn’t want to be known that the heiress of our glorious House is a slob, would be?” With that, she left the room, leaving the door open. 

Cornelia closed with a wave of her hand, magically slamming it shut. The silencing ward came up just a moment later, and then a shimmering shield appeared in the middle of the room, absorbing the bolts of fire she started to throw, each accompanied by a furious cry. 

I would have liked to say that I watched her display of anger calmly, but that would be a lie. All it would take for her to check her wardrobe, and I would be dead… A fear that stayed close to the surface during the several long minutes that Cornelia rained flames on the surface, proving that her nickname, Queen of Flames, was not just an empty boast. 

Luckily, neither anger nor mana was boundless, even for Cornelia. After a while, she dispelled the shield, and sat on her bed, breathing heavily, occasionally muttering, too quiet for me to hear, but from her expression, I guessed that they were curses. But even that didn’t last long. She moved to open the warded drawer, the one that I wasn’t even able to start trying. 

She pressed her ring on the center, then flared her magic in a weird, unbalanced way, which was likely a pattern to complete the physical part of the key. It seemed that she took the security of that particular drawer very seriously. After the drawer was open, she carefully pulled a stack of paper, either letters or legal documents, and quickly counted them. All must be there, as she was considerably calmer as she put them back on and reengaged the defensive wards. 

She returned to her bed, and her back was turned as she reached for the strings that held her robe together. I lamented the fact that I was missing an amazing view. When she finished unfastening it, she pushed it off her shoulders, and it fell on the ground, and my annoyance evaporated with it as I examined her beautiful figure, drabbed in a sexy corset and equally sexy panties. 

[+100 Experience]

Still, the burst of experience I received wasn’t the only interesting about it. Even from my restricted angle, it was obvious that her corset wasn’t correctly placed, with half of its strings untied. Apparently, Cornelia’s annoyance wasn’t just at the presumption of her maid, but also for her timing, cutting her fun-time prematurely. With Marianne, I guessed, based on the fact that she was wearing something softly sexy rather than danger-and-domination themed one she had been wearing while her extended encounter with Helga. 

I had been expecting her to fix her underwear before wearing her robe once more, which was why I was pleasantly surprised when, after a brief struggle with its thin straps, her corset followed the same path with her robe, and ended up on the floor, giving me the full view of her naked back. 

[+100 Experience]

It was the first time I had the pleasure of examining her body without distraction. Tall, lithe, yet curvy where it counted, under the shimmering light of her room, she looked like a masterpiece, like a sword wrapped with a scabbard inlaid with rubies, sharp, beautiful, but with a potential to turn deadly in any moment. Though, the threat only made my boner harder as I watched her to remove her panties. 

[+100 Experience]

I had been cautiously hoping that the next thing she had in mind was to have a nice shower, though a part of me treating that cautious part like a traitor. While missing out on the show would leave me with blue balls, it would also make things significantly easier. 

But it turned out that my twisted yet beautiful luck was working overtime, as she chose to throw herself on her bed, with a perfect angle to give me an excellent view of the treasure between her legs, a rather tantalizing view even before her fingers joined the battle, and started caressing her folds in a surprising urgency, like she was using the rush of pleasure to counter her stress. A good strategy, and it was certainly working out for me.

[+200 Experience] 

And what kind of man I would be if I didn’t use such a beautiful opportunity to its full extent. I pulled my shaft out while trying to make no sound, and started caressing it. Gently, as I was afraid of the possibility of alerting her if I used a more frantic pace, but luckily, the beautiful sight in front of me left no need for such assistance. The adrenaline from the fear of getting caught was just the sprinkles on top. 

Under these factors, it wasn’t a surprise when I arrived at the finish line before Cornelia despite her head-start, leaving my mark on the interior of her wardrobe. Soon, Cornelia shuddered for a moment, marking the completion of her objective, but it was a short one, consisting just a shudder or two before she stood up, and walked out of her room after picking a towel, probably for a relaxing bath.   

[+300 Experience]

And she didn’t bother reestablishing the complicated ward on the door, putting an extremely simple one in place instead, just enough to prevent her maid from going around. After listening for a minute, making sure that there was no one in the living room to notice my retreat, I escaped from the room, letting out a relaxed breath only after I managed to find a corner, and transform into a generic servant with no house colors. 

Still, all included, I couldn’t say that I was dissatisfied with the results. Even with the exhaustion from my almost depleted mana and the stress from several close calls, my expedition resulted in a generous bundle of information, with a few secrets included. 

Now, I just needed to find a way to use them… 

———

[Level: 5        Experience: 13040 / 15000

Strength: 6    Charisma: 12

Precision: 9    Perception: 9

Agility: 9     Manipulation: 11

Speed: 6       Intelligence: 8

Endurance: 8      Wisdom: 17

HP: 190 / 190    Mana: 45 / 285             ]

SKILLS

[Advanced Subterfuge (43/50)     

Basic Arcana [25/25]        

Basic Speech 12/25        ]

———

After leaving Cornelia’s room, I used the first opportunity I had to change into my other, more permanent, maid identity. I would have preferred to change back into my own identity, as walking around in a dress wasn’t something I particularly enjoyed, but it would be hard to explain why the ‘Mule’ was walking around in the section for the elite portion of the female students. 

It turned out to be a prudent choice, as I was distracted by a familiar voice. “Selina,” she called, though I would be able to recognize her even if I hadn’t been able to recognize her voice. Only one person knew the name of this fake identity. 

“Madame Griselda,” I said as I turned, curtsying respectfully, a motion which she waved off. 

“So lucky,” she murmured. “I was just trying to find you, but neither you nor your employer was around.” 

“He’s probably lost,” I answered. With the contempt she had in her voice while mentioning my real identity, I didn’t think she would have any trouble believing that particular lie. I wasn’t really angry at her though, how could I be, when she gave me such an amazing gift the last time. “So, why were you looking for me?”

“Mistress has arrived from the library early, and asking for a bath, and sent me to find you” she explained. “I know that it’s a bit sudden, but if you don’t have any other task-” she continued until I cut her off. 

“I will be delighted,” I answered, giving the first true answer of the night to her. I didn’t think that I would have been able to contain my excitement if it wasn’t for my well-developed subterfuge skill. I had a feeling that Marianne’s sudden arrival had been linked to Cornelia’s disappearance, cutting their private time short. “I have already completed all my other tasks.”

“Excellent. Let’s go and prepare the bath.” 

I didn’t exactly welcome her presence in that phase, not with the additional preparations I needed to complete. “I already know everything other than how to prepare that herbal water. Let’s go prepare that, and I can handle everything else.” 

“Such a reliable youngster,” she said happily. “The bath water is already boiling in the same room.” 

“Then there is nothing preventing you from getting a couple of hours of rest, is there? Actually, why don’t you just take the night off? I can attend her for the rest of the night.” 

[+1 Speech]

“You would do that for me?” she said happily. “Still…” 

The fight between her desire for an early night and her sense of responsibility was obvious. I had a feeling that, without any external involvement, the latter would come out victorious. Luckily, nothing was preventing me from being that external force. “Don’t you trust me?” I added, doing my best to sound fragile, even managing to push a tear from the side of my eyes. Her suddenly growing eyes implied success before she managed to speak.

[+1 Speech]

“Of course I trust you,” she answered in hurry. I softened my expression. “Mistress is very satisfied with your service as well,” she continued in a more leisure pace, unaware of the type of satisfaction her mistress had experienced.

“Excellent,” I answered. “Why don’t you go and rest, so that you’ll be able to attend her, fresh as a daisy.” 

She had left, but only after giving me a detailed breakdown of Marianne’s nightly ritual, which I memorized in just one repeat, making her relax even more about relying on me about her charge. When she left, I went to the preparation room, where a huge cauldron was filled with hot, simmering water. I filled two buckets, carrying them with a near-dashing pace, wanting to finish the preparations before Marianne lost her patience and decided to resolve her need in a solitary manner.

Several minutes and three rounds of buckets later, I was in Marianne’s bathroom, once again dressed in my towels, the room filled with steam for good measure. After one last check to make sure everything in place, I stepped out, and knocked on the door of her bedroom. “The bath is ready, my lady,” I called, doing my best to sound tricky. 

She said nothing, just let out a dissatisfied grunt to notify she had heard me. I dashed back to the bathroom, just in case she decided to call me in her bedroom. An interesting proposition for sure, but I wasn’t ready to be seen by her without the protective curtain of the steam to blunt the edges. My disguise was good, but not that good. 

When Marianne walked into the room, wearing a loose dressing-gown, barely held together by a sash, I could read a few emotions on her lovely face. The first was the annoyance. The reason didn’t take long to confirm. “The next time, I expect you to wait in front of my door,” she said with a sharp tone, with all the entitlement of a noblewoman used to get everything she demanded from the lower classes. 

“Of course, mistress,” I answered, raising my voice to hide my desire to laugh out loud, because it wasn’t only anger I could hear in her tone. There was a strain hidden underneath, one that reminded me of the early stages of her encounter with Cornelia, before the redhead cut loose and satisfied her needs. A task that fell under my purview after my ‘accidental’ success during her last bath. 

And the strain of her voice wasn’t the only indicator. With a pull, she got rid of her loosely tied sash, giving me a glimpse of her voluptuous body. Even better, the limited view thanks to the steam cloud hung between us, the view had gained an exotic quality, the resulting beauty enough to strain the capabilities of the towel wrapped around my waist that secured my secret. 

[+50 Experience]

When she started walking, her gown flowed behind her, adding to the mystique, but after a shrug of her shoulders, the gown fell on the ground, leaving her in her birthday suit as she covered the rest of the distance with the bath. 

[+100 Experience]

Showing off my amazing maid skills, I was already at the edge of the bath before her arrival, my arm raised to help her. She grabbed my hand as her feet touched the bubbles that covered the surface of the water, and helped her to lower herself, no matter how much it hurt to hide that spectacular body in the concealing embrace of the water. 

I wore the bathing glove on my right hand with some soap while she soaked in the water. She reached for her wine glass, already filled with a generous amount, and took a sip that noticeably changed the amount inside. 

I planned to let her wait a few minutes as she sipped some more wine, mellowing her further in collaboration with the gentle caress of the hot water, but she changed my mind when she sent a glance to my way, biting her lips at the last second to prevent herself from saying something. Likely asking me to start quicker, I presumed. As a humble servant, who I was to disappoint?

I gently grabbed her right arm, the one that wasn’t currently occupied with the wine glass, and started rubbing with my gloved hand, while the naked one supported from below. At first, the delivery was restricted to the glove, but soon, the fingers of my naked hand joined the dance, slowly going back and forth in a rhythmic pattern to support the massage. 

Even more, when I reached higher parts of her arm, I positioned my left hand carefully, resulting in the back of my hand, resting ‘accidentally’ on her breast. She flinched a bit on my touch and turned to me, but I kept my eyes on her arm, not giving the slightest indication that I had noticed her gaze. A while later, she took another sip and returned her position, her eyes closed to enjoy the massage, implicitly accepting my touch. 

[+100 Experience] 

Satisfied with the result, I continued to dally on the upper part of her arm, while continuing to rub her breasts gently, not just for pleasure but also to make her get used to my touch. However, only after shifting into her other arm, I had realized that, in the excitement of the moment, I failed to attend a rather important task, sneakily refilling her wine glass. When I turned towards her, the wine glass was already empty, resting on the side. 

“Another glass, mistress,” I asked, hoping to fix the issue, but I just received a shook of her head in return. A pity, as her tipsiness would have increased the ease of my task. But a moment later, I shrugged, as the challenge would make the eventual result only tastier. 

With that decision in mind, I have subjected her other arm the same stretched out treatment while she enjoyed the gentle embrace of the water, ignoring the signs of her impatience. There was a certain pleasure in watching her as she struggled not to order me to hurry up, not wanting to risk what she thought as successful concealment of her intentions. It was interesting just how easy for her to convince her to the obviousness of the servant class… 

[+1 Subterfuge]

Still, internalized class discrimination in the society wasn’t the topic I needed to focus right now, not when I had a unique access to such a voluptuous beauty, especially when she occasionally bristled in the water, which raised her breasts above the protective cloud the bubbles, tempting me to dismiss the caution and sink my fingers into their beautiful expanse. But I held back, focusing on slowly eroding her resistance through pleasure. 

[+200 Experience]

After another extended treatment of her shoulders, I moved onto her back. On there, I decided to mix things up a bit by applying some of the knowledge I had gained from medical books. After a cursory pass with the glove, I have removed the bath glove from my hand, and pressed my thumbs on both sides of her neck, on the first knot of her spine, and started dragging them down, my other fingers caressing her back to enhance the sensation. 

Thanks to my stats, it wasn’t exactly difficult to read her body language to fine-tune the pressure and the pattern of the caress I was applying on her back. I dragged my fingers down in a glacial pace, enjoying the softness of her skin while earning a moan of her. With the confirmation that I was on the right track, I focused on her back for a while, until she was straining to keep her moans inside. 

I put back the bath glove before moving back to her shoulders, but this time, focusing on the front side while my hands dipped dangerously close to the curves of her breasts. No reaction from her. In the second pass, I made sure the caress the edge, the exact move that had alerted her the previous time despite her tipsiness, but this time, it went without a reaction as well. She had been mellowed enough. 

It was the time to give her a full-frontal treatment, I decided as my gloved hand sank into the water, and made a pass over her breast. It was a neutral, clinical pass, easy to defend in case it angered her, but once again, it went unmentioned, with no reaction from her side, her eyes closed. When I made another pass, this time with more pressure, she reacted by a subtle pressing of her lips, but contrary to the last time, it only invigorated to go further, recognizing the sign of a held-back moan. 

I continued caressing her breasts exclusively with my gloved hand, just in case of an adverse reaction, couldn’t help but feel amazed at the benefits of a well-constructed identity. 

[+1 Subterfuge]

[+300 Experience] 

As the seconds stacked tall enough to create a pile of minutes, I decided it was the time to push further. Perhaps it was ill-advised, but the glove I was wearing was limiting the sensations, giving me just a taste, making me long for more. My left hand started listening to the orders of my brain as it slowly sunk into the water, and sank into her breast. 

[+250 Experience]

The feeling I was getting was heavenly, but there was still one important issue, namely, why a maid was holding her breast for such a long time. I decided to go with a simple explanation, and used my grip to raise her breast, my gloved hand washing the underside of it. Her breasts, despite their largeness, was firm and shapely enough to not to need such a treatment, but she must have been more lost in the pleasures of the flesh, because a moan, a rather throaty one, was the only reaction from her. 

I let out a relaxed breath at her reaction. It was one thing to know the implicit reason for my presence, and another to get implicit permission to push even further. My naked fingers started dancing on her breasts, paying lip-service to the excuse of creating the reach, while the gloved hand hungrily danced on the bottom of her breasts. 

I decided to leave another layer of caution behind and positioned my hand directly above my hand. Her nipple, hardened with arousal, started to press on my palm, tempting me to twist it toyingly. Unfortunately, that was out of the question, so I limited myself to gently increase the pressure of my palm, adding a touch of friction to the balance. Something she enjoyed, if the sudden arching of her back was any indicator. 

[+300 Experience]

But even as she started showing increased signs of arousals, her eyes stayed firmly closed, probably not wanting to be distracted from the heated daydream that was playing in her mind. Why not spice things up more, I thought as a sudden inspiration struck me. Yes, both of my hands were currently busy, not to mention using my other appendage was completely out of question, but luckily, magic was always ready to provide an answer. 

It was difficult, trying to use magic this close to another accomplished student, but her rather distracted state helped me a lot, and the lessons I learned from Helga was enough to bridge the gap. I took a deep breath before slowly shaping up my mana into telekinetic force, creating an almost unnoticeable disturbance on the depths of water, just an inch away from where her legs met each other. The water started twirling as an orb, which delivered an invisible message to her most sensitive spots. 

Almost, but not quite, evidenced by the increased frequency of moans, not to mention they were a touch louder as well. It was a moan that begged for a final climax. 

[+500 Experience]

She was on the edge of an orgasm, and it would take a hard push into the soft flesh of her breasts, or a quickening of the small water trick I was using. And since she was already on the edge, plagued with an unmet orgasm, giving her the release she was seeking would be the nice thing to do. 

Naturally, I slowed down. 

It was amusing to watch her expression after I dispelled the water trick. A moment’s confusion found itself between layers of pleasure as she tried to understand the reason for the sudden loss of pleasure. And I chose that exact moment to move down even further to her stomach. Even with her eyes closed, I could read her internal argument from her expression, considering ordering me to go back to my previous post. 

I could easily imagine that order leaving Cornelia’s lips, but Marianne was not as forward, even to a servant that was supposed to follow her orders. But it was convenient for me, because it gave me the excuse to dally around her stomach, my arm occasionally rubbing against her nipple under the guise of an accident, keeping her arousal up, but not to a point where she would find the climax she was seeking. 

[+500 Experience]

Level UP!

[Select one of the following skills: Advanced Arcana, Basic Fire Magic, Basic Politics] 

While another level was always welcome, I couldn’t help but feel intrigued by the skill selection. The magical ones were quite clear, but politics was an interesting one. I hadn't seen anything remotely close in all the books I had read in the library. On the other hand, it didn’t mean much, as I was still limited to the public parts of the library, which meant that anything remotely controversial wouldn’t have a place there. And I could imagine a skill like politics hidden in the depths of the library, accessible only for the most influential noble families. Considering the interesting ways I had managed to use subterfuge, I could only begin to guess the potential for the political one. 

I was tempted to choose it as my new skill, but at this point, I could ill-afford to take the risk of it turning out useless. In my circumstances, there was little application for it. I chose to improve my Arcana skill instead, wanting to maximize the benefit from my sessions with Helga. And frankly, arcana magic had too many applications for me to actually ignore. 

With that resolved, I barely held back a laugh when I pulled back, only to create a panicked expression on her face. “It’s time for your legs, milady,” I said preemptively, reminding her that we were still halfway in. 

[+3 Speech]  

It was nice for the system to acknowledge the trick I pulled with a double-increase of my speech skill. I walked with deliberate slowness, and when I took my new spot, her leg was already up, waiting for my attention. 

Since her eyes closed, there was nothing preventing me from smirking darkly as I put my thumbs on the soles of her feet, and started rubbing both of them at the same time. Her reaction was divine. Her back arched once more, in an angle sharp enough to raise her body outside the confines of the pool, enough to give me a glimpse of her most sacred place, making me thankful that I had used a second towel to prevent a view that would have exposed the ruse. 

[+200 Experience]

The amazing view she presented tempted me to give her the release she had been looking for, but not enough to break my commitment to the drawn-out route. The minutes passed as I massaged her feet first, then slowly climbing up to her calves, followed by her thighs. I enjoyed the experience, but it was a tense enjoyment, as the situation forced me to stretch my newly expanded abilities to its limits to keep her in that sweet spot, grabbed the tight embrace of pleasure, making it hard for her to think, but never enough to allow her to reach the climax, keeping her on the edge. 

The shape of her face as I pulled back was simply masterful, an interesting mixture of shock and disappointment trying to worm itself to her pleasure-addled expression. 

[Achievement: Measured Massage. Deliver an extended treatment carefully balanced along the edge without toppling at either side. +300 Experience, +1 Precision, +1 Manipulation, +1 Perception] 

[+300 Experience]

“Please stand up, mistress,” I asked, but despite the subservient meaning, the tone was anything but so. My voice was laced with the best-implied command I could manage, stretching my speech and manipulation to the limit. It worked for a while, as she stood up, and with my help, stepped out of the bath. I grabbed her hand, and led her towards the showering area to rinse her off. 

She started to recover after the shower, though she was still tense with her unmet orgasm. She opened her mouth as I closed in once more, holding a fluffy towel in my hands. “You still look tense, mistress,” I said, keeping my eyes away from her face as appropriate. Of course, that had nothing to do with the amazing view I had as I slowly dried her body. “Maybe a massage would be helpful,” I added as I wrapped the towel around her torso. 

[+1 Speech]

[+200 Experience]

“A good idea,” she answered calmly and started walking, but her blush betrayed her nervousness. I stayed a step behind her, watching her hips sway with each step. The view was amazing, because I had intentionally picked a small towel for her, barely covering her generous hips, giving me an amazing view. 

[+100 Experience]

There were unexpected perks to being a servant. 

———

[Level: 6        Experience: 16140 / 21000

Strength: 6    Charisma: 12

Precision: 10    Perception: 10

Agility: 9     Manipulation: 12

Speed: 6       Intelligence: 8

Endurance: 8      Wisdom: 17

HP: 234 / 234    Mana: 280 / 354             ]

SKILLS

[Advanced Subterfuge (45/50)     

Advanced Arcana [25/50]        

Basic Speech 18/25        ]

———

Walking behind Marianne was a pleasure, especially when she was dressed only in a short towel, a tempting sway on her hips, enhanced further by her unmet desire. Of course, it wasn’t comparable to the view that followed once she stood next to her bed, and let the towel fell on the floor. The amazing view of her behind filled my vision, supported by a glimpse of her glistening nether lips as she crawled on the bed, lying prone. 

[+100 Experience]

Her lack of concern for a maid’s presence was definitely useful, enough to make her take a revealing and vulnerable position without the slightest concern. As much as I would have liked to keep her beautiful breasts in my field of vision constantly, I wasn’t ready to be on her sight without the comfortable steam cover. 

My eyes devoured the contours of her body as I closed the distance, enthusiastically noting the details of her body now that she was bereft of the protection provided by the cloud of steam. When I stood above her, just inches away, I was tempted to examine her curves for hours, but her tenseness was obvious even for the naked eye. It wasn’t the best time to take a risk, I decided and started working. 

And it wasn’t like my work was a chore, I noted as my hands landed on her back, going back and forth along her spine, repeating the earlier trick from the bath, this time without a restriction. Her reaction was instant, in the form of a small moan, one that she suffocated halfway, but enough to confirm her intention. 

[+200 Experience]  

I watched as her eyes flickered open. Her neck turned, allowing her gaze to meet my face, but it didn’t take long for them to close once more as I continued my obvious act, trusting my disguise to hold despite the unfavorable visibility, betting on the fact that her distraction shone brighter than the lights of the room.  

[+1 Subterfuge]

I continued my task of slowly caressing her back, but I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious about the possibility of an accidental discovery, which was a real possibility under the bright lights of the room. I had managed to slip successfully once, but it wasn’t a reason to retake that risk, especially when I was going to push the situation much further. “Milady, would you like me to dim the lights a bit, a darker room would be more relaxing,” I suggested, making sure that my voice trembled with a sufficient dose of fear, as it was appropriate for a commoner maid to feel insecure when daring to notify their betters about their opinion without prompting, no matter how simple or sensible. 

[+1 Speech]

I relaxed even more when she waved her hand without even opening her eyes, and the lights in the room dimmed considerably. Only a candle left in the room, flickering just a few feet away, filling the room with moving shadows to give a mystic feeling, allowing me to cut loose. 

Though, it was also annoying a bit, because her careless display of magic in an area that wasn’t her primary focus drove my deficiencies to the surface. I knew that I shouldn’t feel impatient. It had been just a few days since I had unlocked the secrets of my power, and feeling disappointed just because I was yet to overcome the people with years of opportunity to improve theirs was misguided at best. I needed at least another week to do that!

And it wasn’t like I was restricted to direct confrontation to hit back, evidenced by the fact that I was in her most private room, caressing her naked body. Of course, it would have been if I didn’t have to hide behind the identity of a female maid, but one couldn’t have everything. Not yet, at least.  

The darkness served more than just assisting my disguise, as her moans were considerably more frequent when my hands started dancing over her body once more. The darkness helped to enhance her sensations, yet another useful detail about her body which would allow me to play her like a string instrument. 

[+200 Experience]

With the unexpected assistance of the darkness, it didn’t take long for her pleasure to rise to the earlier point, just a notch before the climax. I was watching that particular way she was biting her lips, so I chose that moment to slow my treatment once more. My hands danced up and down on her back for minutes, each second making her tenseness tighter and tighter, to a point that if I wasn’t disguised as a servant, she would be begging for my mercy. 

I chose that moment to move down on her body, caressing her plump cheeks with a fleeting touch. In another circumstance, I could imagine her exploding in anger for my daring to touch such a private location, but the extensions in her long-awaited meetings were enough to sway her on that point. I kept the pacing, betting on that her shyness overcoming her impatience. 

But I could see that it was a losing battle from the ways her hips rose, her legs parting slightly to give an unrestricted view of her most intimate place, which was dripping arousal. Adding to her almost constant moans, I could see that her resistance was about to collapse soon, one way or another… 

[+500 Experience]

The easiest thing to do would be to increase the pressure on the small of her back slightly, triggering her arousal. It should be enough, both the pleasure I had received, and the increase in my experience. Not only I gained another level, but I had also made significant headway for the next one. It should be enough. 

But it wasn’t. I opened my mouth, with the sudden realization that I would probably die because of my this newfound greed, if not today, quite soon. I also knew that I might not find another opportunity to ask that particular question if I missed this amazing opportunity, because she wouldn’t be caught in surprise by her own reaction. 

“Milady,” I murmured, making my voice trembling even more than the previous time. “I would like to ask a question, but I’m afraid if it might be a bit too presumptuous.” She grunted in reply, too far gone in the pleasure to answer, and I continued. “My previous lady was from the Northern Plains, and she had educated me in the various massage techniques to help her cope with stress…” 

“What kind of stress?” she said, the possibility I was implying enough to make her raise her head. 

I continued, acting like I hadn’t already noticed her understanding. “I didn’t mention it to other servants, afraid that they would find it shameful. They don’t exactly fit with the Empire’s traditions.” 

“I see,” Marianne murmured. “Did your mistress felt stressed a lot when her husband was away,” she asked as she put her head back on the bed. 

“Not particularly, no,” I answered. “On the contrary, she needed it more whenever the master was back home. For some reason, she never needed it when the master was away. She was usually busy leading the defense of the area, discussing with the commander of the guard for hours in her private chambers,” I added, acting as clueless as I could do while implying that my supposed mistress was cheating her husband while he was away. When Marianne said nothing, I was afraid that I had pushed my idiot act too far. 

[+1 Speech] 

The system warned me just as Marianne opened her mouth, informing me of my success. “I see, you may try,” she murmured, with a hint of excitement coloring her tone. Then, her tone shifted to threatening. “But if you tell it to a living soul about it, I’ll make sure no one finds your body.” 

“Of course, mistress,” I said, displaying a good mixture of fear and obedience. Even with everything, I doubted that I could have convinced her if it wasn’t for her unmet desire. 

[+1 Speech] 

“Excellent, you may start. But no word to anyone else,” she said. Luckily, her face was buried in her pillow, so she missed the sudden hunger in my face. 

“As you wish, mistress,” I said as I dragged my hands to her inner thighs, parting her legs wide, enough to give me the full view of her nether lips, ready for my attention. I gently rested my thumbs on the edge, where her lips began, and dragged down, making her shiver helplessly. Just a bit closer to the inside, and she would have exploded rather spectacularly, an ending I carefully avoided. Now that I had unrestricted access to her body, I wanted her tenser than a catapult about to go off before she reached the ending she deeply desired in an explosive manner. 

I repeated my last movement, caressing the edge of her lips, taking the exact same route the remove any doubt that it was just accidental. And now that she had a clear idea what the massage included, I pulled back, and focused on her inner thighs, rubbing back and forth, some of them bringing me closer, while others dragged my fingers away from her wetness. 

[+300 Experience]

It was a beautiful experience to watch her ass starting to rise in anticipation whenever my hands dragged closer to her bottom. She started trembling with each repeat, tempting me to push forward as a desire to watch her trembles from a point-blank range coiled around my heart. 

But watching her squirm was even more enjoyable as I focused on her inner thighs, listening to her gasp in arousal whenever my hand closed enough to dance on the edges of her wetness, each louder than the other. 

Ultimately, I decided to reward her, just because I pitied her, of course. It absolutely had no relation to the way the towel around my waist started to get too tight, the desire swelling high enough to drown my patience mercilessly. I waited until her hips rose, which gave me good access to her nether lips. I brought my thumbs over them, but not on the lateral edges. No, one of them landed on the edge of her clit, ready to draw circles around, while the other took a position at her entrance. 

She stiffened just a moment before my thumbs started their dance, anticipating the rush of pleasure she would receive. But the severity of her action was nothing compared to when I drew several circles in rapid succession, finally pushing her to the other end of the arousal. A moan left her mouth, stronger than any other that had left her mouth, and she started trembling beautifully, dimness of the room giving an otherworldly feeling to it. 

[+600 Experience]

It was too tempting to resist. I took a step back and broke my legs a bit, enough to reveal my shaft, beating it as quick as I could without making noise while enjoying the beautiful view in front of me. 

While it looked like she would continue laying without moving for a while, I needed an excuse in case she decided to surprise me. Just standing on her foot was not enough. With that in mind, I put my right hand on the sole of her feet, caressing gently. 

It was an amusing twist of fate when she turned to face me a minute later, I was at the edge of my own climax. “It was a decent massage,” she murmured, her voice decidedly mellow. 

I didn’t want to get away without reaching my own climax, so once again, my wits dominated any sense of self-preservation. “Do you want to stop it early, mistress,” I said with a clueless voice while wrapped the towel around my waist once more, a decidedly painful experience considering the erect state of my manhood. 

“It wasn’t all of it?” she asked, astonished. 

“Of course not, mistress,” I answered. It might not be the smartest thing to do, but I already started it, so there was no point in cutting it short. “The full course takes more than an hour, but in the end, the mistress usually ended up really relaxed.” 

“An hour, you say,” Marianne murmured, intrigued. “And you say your mistress looked even more relaxed than I am?” 

“Usually, she was too exhausted to even lift an arm, mistress,” I explained. “Sometimes too exhausted even to dress before sleeping.” When I noticed the shine in her eyes, I knew that I was successful. The notification that appeared in my field of vision was a nice confirmation nevertheless. 

[+1 Speech]

“We still have time,” Marianne murmured, in a disinterested tone so fake that I wouldn’t have believed even back in my idiot days. “Why don’t you show me the full range of your massage technique.” 

“It’s a bit harder than the previous portion, though, mistress. I just want to warn you about that.” 

Marianne chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, I’m no slouch in endurance. I can take your strength.” It would have been a rather accurate brag if I were an Abnormal like she assumed rather than a Melius with a strength of six, which, combined with my leveraged position, would mean that I could to whatever I could do, and she was helpless unless she relied on her magic. 

But it wasn’t the right time to educate her on that fact. “Could you please move to the side a bit, milady?” I asked. “I need to climb on the bed for the next part.” 

Another questioning glare found my way, but as usual, only to meet with the mask of a stupid but well-meaning maid. A satisfied expression was on her face when she buried in the pillow once more, suggesting her belief of total control over the situation. An amusing illusion that I, unfortunately, had to sustain. 

For now, at least. 

Still, as I climbed over her bed, my knees pressing on the soft surface at both sides of her naked body, that sacrifice hurt considerably less than any other situation. Wordlessly, I pressed my elbows to her back and started rubbing her back, optimizing the pressure based on her reaction while leveraging everything I had read about the human anatomy. 

Already riding the pleasure of her previous climax, it didn’t take long for her to fall under the sway of my follow-up treatment. I waited until she starred purring like a lost kitten that found its way next to a roaring fireplace. Then, I lowered my arms until my forearms were resting on her back, increasing the treatment area. And if, during that, my fingers caressed the edges of her rather generously-sized breasts, it must have been a total accident, no matter how many times it repeated.  

[+400 Experience] 

When her hips started to rise once more, it was time to push further. After a brief yet effective treatment of her neck and shoulders, I moved down, until her plumb bottom lay underneath my grasp. It was either now, or never, I decided as I pulled the towel away from my waist, and quickly constructed an illusion of towel instead. It wouldn’t have past the simplest muster under the normal circumstances, but a combination of the darkness and her distracted state should allow it to slip unnoticed even if she turned. 

[+1 Arcana]

With that completed, one of my hands busied itself treating my shaft, while the other focused on the plumpness, leveraging the excuse of the massage to acquaintance myself with the elasticity of her skin, occasionally traveling down to visit her nether lips, enjoying her ever-intensifying wetness. Soon, I started spending more time between her sopping wetness than her plump bottom, increasing her moans as a result. 

[+400 Experience]

Treating myself to pleasure while a sexy blonde moaned with pleasure underneath was sufficient, until one point when it wasn’t. The longer she lay with her face buried in the pillow, determine to focus on the pleasure, the more I felt invincible, like I could get away with anything. And of course, like every rational human would, I decided to put that feeling to test. 

And the test case was obvious. I lowered my shaft lower until it was snugly squeezed between her cheeks. I watched her carefully while continuing to deliver the same treatment, trying to see if she would react in an explosive manner. She failed to notice any difference. 

The next step was starting to move, but I knew that it was a rather dangerous push in the current situation. So, I brought my index and middle finger to her entrance, probing it in the excuse of a massage, slowly at first, but picking up speed every second she failed to show an adverse reaction. Soon, the first digits of my fingers disappeared inside, much to her jubilation, followed by a string of gasps. 

When I was sure that she was sufficiently distracted, I started moving my hips, her shapely bottom providing enough friction to make it pleasurable. It didn’t take long for her moans to increase even further, enjoying the presence of my shaft squeezed between her asscheeks, even if she was on the black about the exact source of the pleasure. 

When her moans quickened, so did my treatment, both my fingers and my shaft, increasing her pleasure even further. I was on the edge just as she was, too far gone to gather the patience to keep her just a step behind her climax. She started trembling as another orgasm hit her, even stronger than the previous one. 

The rocking of her body proved to be the last thing I needed. A climax of my own hit me with full force, and I started spraying my seed on her back, too distracted to take note of the risks. Luckily, she was even further gone, and didn’t let a whimper of protest as her back covered with a very generous amount of my seed. With eight points of endurance, my body was capable of releasing a surprising amount. 

[+1000 Experience]

[Achievement: Mischievous Massage. Sneakily leave a generous gift at the end of the treatment +500 Experience, +1 Speed, +1 Agility]

I didn’t have enough time to clean her body before she noticed, I realized, unless I somehow increased the time it took to recover her from. I quickly started spreading it on her back, hoping that when she asked, I could claim it to be a  With that, for the first time, I let my fingers cut free on her nether lips, bringing the extent of the capability that was possible with ten points of manipulation and eight points of precision, while using the full extent of my wisdom to read her reaction. 

The results were even more explosive than I hoped in my wildest dreams. Already sensitive from her last climax, her moans picked up instantly, and she started showing signs of an impending orgasm. I pushed my fingers as deep as her barrier allowed, even drunk in pleasure, not willing to take that particular step. 

But luckily, I had an alternative to test. The moment I finished spreading my cum on her back and her ass, I used my cum-covered fingers to probe her puckered hole. Unfortunately, there, I first my first snag. “Not there,” she managed to murmur. “Stop.” 

“As you wish, milady,” I said, and reluctantly pulled my finger out of her puckered hole. But in her slit, I stayed for several more beats, until she started rocking under the influence of another climax. 

[+500 Experience]

As much as I wanted to turn her over and continue the same treatment on her sensitive breasts, I was not in a position to ignore a direct order without a consequence, especially when I had already pushed the boundaries that much. Instead, I looked for something to cover the sharp smell of cum, and saw several bottles of fragrance on her table. I levitated one of them and used a few drops to suppress the smell before she could lift her head. 

When she gathered enough energy to turn, I was already on the side of her bed, my head lowered, stretching my acting capabilities to the limit to give the impression of a dutiful servant. “Do you want me to attend you for a quick shower, milady,” I said, keeping my voice perfectly even, like what had just happened was completely ordinary. And a small miracle happened, and she bought my act of cluelessness. 

[+1 Subterfuge]

“No, just help me to dress. I want to rest,” she murmured before burying her head on the pillow. When I came with her nightie, she barely had the strength to lift herself from the bed, and slipped her nightie on, uncaring of the nakedness she presented, which wasn’t that unreasonable considering everything that happened. The sight of her bountiful breasts still gave me some experience, though, which was always welcome. 

[+50 Experience]

“You can leave now,” she said as she threw herself on the bed once more. This time, I followed her command, as even though she looked like she was about to fall asleep before I could leave the room, actually dallying around until she could was too risky. I had done enough for the night, though it was unfortunate that I wasn’t able to gain another level. 

It wasn’t like I lacked the assistance to help me level up. 

———

[Level: 6        Experience: 20890 / 21000

Strength: 6    Charisma: 12

Precision: 10    Perception: 10

Agility: 10     Manipulation: 12

Speed: 7       Intelligence: 8

Endurance: 8      Wisdom: 17

HP: 246 / 246    Mana: 280 / 354             ]

SKILLS

[Advanced Subterfuge (47/50)     

Advanced Arcana [26/50]        

Basic Speech 22/25        ]

———

I was feeling cheerful as I returned to the library the next morning. Why wouldn’t I, after an amazing experience in Marianne’s room, I returned to my room for a long and relaxing sleep. My mood only improved when I saw that the Head Librarian was still away. With my improved subterfuge skill, I no longer feared to be outed. If my disguise was good enough to fake being a woman while attending another in the bath, faking the act of my idiot past wouldn’t be a problem, no matter the observer. 

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the various shenanigans that were going on. I couldn’t imagine Cornelia taking the risk of using the library as her forbidden-love den. I definitely wouldn’t dare to walk around in a ranger disguise in the library while she was here, meaning not only I would lose my voyeurism opportunities, but also I would lose my excuse to talk with Helga. 

Then, I saw her walking towards the depths of the library, and I was familiar with her mannerisms enough to catch a certain excitement in her steps. Today, I decided to join her early, because I had a lot of gaps in my arcana skill to fill. I wanted to see the speed of improvement with a dedicated teacher. And, spending time with her as much as possible before the Head Librarian returned was a prudent idea. 

I walked around several minutes, being ‘accidentally’ visible until one of the assistants ordered me to dust all the books on the back of the library. A clear attempt to make me keep away from the crowd, as all library books, including the relatively unimportant ones in the main section, were enchanted against basic challenges like dust and moisture. It fit my disguise not to question that order. Luckily, I had no intention of doing so in any case. 

The Mule disappeared in the depths of the library, and a minute later, Orlin the Ranger walked out… 

Since I already knew the general direction she went, it took only a few minutes for me to find Helga. Once again, she was dressed in her thick robes, making me curse the dressing habits of the students of magic, preferring thick, shapeless robes over anything else, just because it was the tradition. 

Luckily, I remembered how her body looked, so there was nothing preventing me to imagine the way her body stretched as she tried to reach for the top shelf, trying to get a book. Distracted by her task, she didn’t notice my presence. With the help of my agility, sneaking to her was quite easy. 

I kept my silence until I was close enough to hug her, leaned to her ear, and whispered. “Do you need any help, beautiful.” 

The result was spectacular. Startled by my presence, she turned in her adrenaline boosted speed, a fist-sized ball of lighting already gathered in her palm, ready to be released. Impressive conjuration speed, I noted, though the same couldn’t be said for her speed in aiming.   Before she could release the spell, I wrapped my hand around her forearm, and changed her aim. “Orlin?” she whispered in surprise as her lightning hit the ceiling, and discharged harmlessly against the ward. 

“Hello, beautiful,” I said even as I placed one of my hands on the small of her back, the other, which was around her forearm, moving up until our fingers were gently intertwined. 

For a moment, she was frozen, dumbfounded. The reason was hard to pinpoint, as it might be because of the passionate kiss that marked the end of our last encounter, it might be my enhanced charisma affecting her, or it might be our closeness, enough to restart our kiss by just leaning forward.

Then, her eyes grew in panic as she realized how close she had been to turn me into a charred mess. “I’m sorry Orlin!” she exclaimed, loud enough to make me pull back for a moment. “I almost attacked you! Please forgive me.” 

“There is nothing to forgive,” I answered as I reestablished our closeness. “But if you’re feeling bad, I have a rather good idea for an apology.” 

Her mouth opened reflexively before her brain could engage to catch the insinuation in my voice. But for me, the shiny pinkness of her lips was much more interesting than anything else she might say at the moment. So, I leaned forward, cutting her words short in a rather enjoyable manner for both of us. 

[+50 Experience]

I wasn’t surprised when she froze as our lips touched. Regardless, I continued to treat her lips with a soft, lingering kiss, my arm around her waist tightening enough to make our bodies touch, just enough to feel the rapid rise of her heartbeat. I didn’t want to scare her off, so I tried to act in a measured manner while my lips danced over hers, trying to coax a reaction. 

I hadn’t had to wait for long for the said reaction. First, her lips started to move in an attempt to match the rhythm of the mine. I let her succeed for a moment before picking up speed. She followed my lead without a delay, soon, our lips were following the invisible music of a heated dance. 

[+100 Experience] 

Level UP!

[Select one of the following skills: Advanced Speech, Basic Biomancy, Basic Lovemaking] 

Leveling up couldn’t come in a better moment, considering the situations I gained experience. At least, right now, I was in a situation where I could continue in autopilot while trying to decide which skill to pick next. I couldn’t say the same for the skill selection. Speech was an obvious option which helped me a lot, but under the circumstances, it was sufficient, and biomancy was something I hadn’t given the slightest thought. The only thing I knew was it was an inferior version of healing magic, allowing the users to affect the other lifeforms in return.   

At that moment, lovemaking seemed like an obvious choice, but funnily enough, it was the way Helga wrapped her arms around my neck to pull me deeper into the kiss that discouraged me from it. Reactions of both Marianne and Helga showed that my advanced stats already gave a sufficient edge to me on the topic, and considering the incredible jump with the other skills, I feared that sex would lose its excitement. 

With an impulsive decision, I skipped speech as well, roughly for the same reasons, and picked biomancy, despite knowing very little about it. What was life without a little risk, after all? 

Then, I felt Helga’s tongue pushing against my lips, bringing me fully back to the moment. I parted my lips, allowing her tongue to slip inside my mouth, rewarding her for the initiative. While her tongue ravaged my mouth, I decided to shelve the considerations for my new skills for a later moment. The present called for my undivided attention. 

I tightened my grip around her waist, smashing her chest against mine, enjoying the firmness of her chest against my muscles. Simultaneously, I finally counter-attacked her presence in my mouth. The battle stayed balanced for a moment before she retreated, which turned into a total rout. I followed, restarting the skirmish, but this time in her mouth. 

When she pulled back to take a breath, I chose to bring my lips down, sucking her neck in a way that turned her attempts to take a breath into a sharp gasp. When her arms around my body tightened further, I decided to take it as an invitation to push further. My lips stayed on her skin as I moved down on the length of her neck, leaving lingering kisses, each earning its own moan. 

[+300 Experience] 

Unfortunately, I felt her stiffen when I slid my hands downward. It was a small, unconscious move, but I decided to take it as a sign to pull back. It was better to leave her wanting rather than forcing her to draw a line. “Long time no see, beautiful,” I said with a satisfied smirk after pulling back. 

“We just talked yesterday,” she managed to whisper, blushing, though I didn’t think that it was about the question itself. More likely, it was about our continued closeness, our bodies pressing tight, her back against the shelf, and my arm still firmly around to prevent her escape. 

“It was a long night,” I said with a crooked smile, which increased her blush even further. I leaned forward slightly, but thanks to the distance between us, it brought me to a prime location to restart our kiss. Her lips parted open reflexively, but instead of continuing the kiss, I reached up and pulled the book she was trying to get when I arrived. When I passed it, a confused expression popped on her face before she remembered her objective when it was broken by my surprise appearance. 

“Thanks,” she murmured. 

“Always a pleasure,” I said as finally let her go, but our fingers were still intertwined as we walked to the large table, already loaded by the books. I only let her hand go to pull a chair for her, earning a shy smile as a reward. For myself, I chose to sit next to her rather than sitting across her, opening the book on arcana that I picked up on the way. “You don’t mind if I study next to you, or ask some questions when I get stuck, right?” 

The answer came in an instant, with noticeable urgency. “Of course not. You can ask whatever you want!”

“You’re as kind as you’re pretty,” I answered, squeezing her hand just for emphasis. She stammered a response impossible to decipher. Thankfully, the underlying sentiment was easier to decipher. 

It was an excellent opportunity to employ the tricks I learned from my latest adventure with Marianne, though in a much-reduced dosage. I started reading my book while letting my hand fall on her leg in an accidental manner. I didn’t expect her to believe that of course, but from the way her smile competed with her blush to catch up, it was clear that she had no intention of calling me off on that, which was enough. 

I let a few minutes to pass, through which I kept my hand intentionally immobile, letting her get used to our casual contact. It was sufficiently effective, as she was able to turn her attention on the book she was reading, but she had to backtrack several times, suggesting that she had trouble staying focused on what she was reading. 

Several minutes later, I squeezed her leg the moment I started speaking. “I don’t understand how to balance the structure on three runes. Wouldn’t it cause a continuous conflict that ultimately breaks the effect?” I asked, despite knowing its answer. I had three reasons for it. 

The first was to maintain the impression that I just had a few points on arcana. The second was her habits of teaching. Starved to contact due to the discrimination she experienced, she was more than happy to launch deep discussions on the topic, which came with some great insights. It would be much more effective if I had the option to actually hold a debate on the more complicated parts, but still, it was much better than anything else than I could do alone. 

The third reason was even simpler, making her get more and more used to having extended contact. In the second minute of her explanation, I started squeezing her leg softly. On fourth, my hand started moving up and down, but sticking around her knee. Around the ten-minute mark, when she finally finished her explanation, my ‘absentminded’ caresses ended up in her thigh. But the results of that moment was spectacular. 

[+100 Experience]

[+3 Arcana] 

I was about to return to my book when I was stuck with a sudden inspiration. “By the way, what do you know about biomancy,” I asked her, hoping to get a couple more questions in advance. 

“It’s an amazing skill, totally underrated by the research community!” she said with sudden jubilation. “They are willing to dismiss all the possibilities it represents just because it’s less effective on healing.” 

I wasn’t expecting such an enthusiastic reaction from her. “Do you have any focus on that?” I asked. 

“I wish,” she answered with a sigh. “Unfortunately, I’m having trouble leveling up enough to get the necessary steps for my status,” she mentioned absentmindedly. It took quite a bit of willpower to keep myself from asking her exact situation on her levels, which was a rather dangerous social blunder. Even the amount she admitted was a bit much. Even though she looked too excited to notice, I wasn’t willing to push her more on the subject. 

“Why is that?” I asked, which triggered another very long explanation on the various potential applications of biomancy on the transformation of non-human material, for a range of purposes from healing to combat support. It was hard for me to keep up even with my skill points, which was rapidly increasing as her explanation continued, and my rather impressive stats. I even kept my hand in place during her explanation not to distract her, because her explanations were working wonders. 

As she went through her explanation, I couldn’t help but theorize about her skill configuration. For a moment, I entertained the probability that she lied to me about not using any biomancy, but I discarded that quickly. She wasn’t good at lying enough to slip that past me. She probably had a generic skill relating to the theory, assisting her to generate a more accurate understanding. 

In the end, she talked another thirty minutes on biomancy, occasionally slipping back to wider issues on magic, but the results were worth the loss of time. Towards the end, after making sure that nothing would distract her from her academic zeal, my hand continued its journey on her leg. 

[+100 Experience]

[+2 Arcana]

[+7 Biomancy]

“How it is possible,” I said after she finished her explanation, which left her blushed and short of breath. 

“What?” she asked. 

“For a girl to be this beautiful and smart,” I answered, watching in amusement as the blush spread to her face once more. She opened her mouth, but unlike the academic explanation, her words were not spilling out in a great hurry. Instead, they were shuffling inside her mouth, fighting not to be the first one to leave the confines of her lips, still puffy from our earlier kiss. 

“You’re just adorable,” I said as I slipped my fingers through her hair, moving through a smooth caress, then transitioning to her shoulder from the tips. While I was doing that, she was leaning forward, so all it took was a gentle pull to restart our kiss. 

This time, she didn’t hesitate even for a moment, the vigor of her lips overcoming even mine. If that wasn’t a sign to push further, I didn’t know what it was. Since my hand was already on her shoulder, it only took a quick journey to slip down to her chest, gently cupping her breasts, fighting the temptation to fully sink into the soft flesh of her breasts. 

But then, her arms found my neck once more, her hold tight enough to hurt. As far as signals went, I couldn’t imagine a more direct one without moving into a more vulgar territory. I would have hated to disappoint such a beautiful woman. A moan escaped her mouth as my fingers sank deeper into her breasts, loud enough to alert passerby’s, but luckily, my lips were in a prime position to suppress that moan, turning it into a delicious vibration instead. 

Meanwhile, my other hand had nothing to do. Idleness was a shameful quality, so I put it on her hips, sinking softly to her skin. I half-expected her to flinch, remembering the painful state of her bottom after Cornelia’s treatment, but she either healed up quickly enough, or she managed to get the help of one of the healers, because she didn’t react my hand adversely. I squeezed her ass even harder, forcing another moan off her lips, which I suppressed just as quick. 

[+500 Experience]

Trying to push further was an attractive idea, but also quite risky. Yes, we were in an unfrequented area of the library, but unfrequented didn’t guarantee complete seclusion. I trusted my abilities to give me an advance warning enough to erase the signs of a kiss, I couldn’t guarantee the same if we were in a deeper state of undress. With great reluctance I pulled away from her sweet lips, leaving her panting. 

She kept our gaze connected for a moment before the situation sank into her mind. Her eyes slid away as the redness of her face intensified even further, to a point that made me worried that she might faint. The difference between the girl that subjected herself to not-so-tender mercies of Cornelia without a hint of shame, and the one that was about to faint just because a sweet kiss was unbelievable. 

I couldn’t help but feel bad a bit, but not too much, because unlike the others, I didn’t lie to her too badly. I just acted like a stranger, albeit a dark and mysterious one from a far-off land that would disappear in a few days. It might not be much, but it was enough to relax my conscience. 

“I don’t understand how the energy transference affects the construction of a dual-superstructure for a ward,” I added, raising one of the points that were bugging me from the last part of our discussion. It was far more complicated for a ranger restricted to basic arcana and one digit wisdom to even understand its implications, but I bet on the fact she would welcome a distraction to focus anything other than our most-recent kiss. 

She didn’t surprise me, and launched another detailed explanation that I felt trouble following even with my current state. But the rapid increase in my skills were worth it, but I couldn’t help but think it was unnatural. Her insights were incredible, but not enough to level me up that quickly. 

Then it struck me. Technically, I was still in danger. Not only I was acting like a different person, but also I was misrepresenting the danger I was in. The System must be able to detect it somehow, which raised more questions about its origins. Maybe the temples were right, and each Melius had a divine messenger on their shoulder, rewarding them for the challenges they met. Though if that was true, mine seemed to be an especially perverted one. 

With a sexy blonde in front of me, metaphysical questions weren’t the best target to spend my time on, I realized when she asked me a question. Thankfully, I was good enough in multitasking to catch the question, and promptly answered in a level of detail sufficient for my supposed knowledge. The discussion continued in the same vein for a couple more hours, with her showing off the depths of her knowledge, and with me rewarding her with lingering kisses, and enthusiastic gropes which occasionally slipped under her robe. The rewards of the session was amazing. 

[+2000 Experience]

[+14 Arcana]

[+9 Biomancy]

[Speech +2]

[Subterfuge +1]

While I wanted to continue the session for more, I couldn’t risk one of the kinder assistants to start worrying about my disappearance and start searching. “Getting the attention of such a beautiful teacher has been an amazing experience, but I need to go before the rest of the group starts wondering where I disappeared.” 

“So soon,” she answered. 

“It has been more than three hours,” I answered. 

“But there is no clock around,” she asked. “And you don’t have a window large enough to see the sun.” 

I had a feeling that it was just a convenient excuse to distract herself from disappointment rather than a genuine question, but I still answered. I pointed at the small ray of light, spreading from a small window at the top. “The change of the angle from rays of light is enough,” I answered. “On the wild, you learn how to pay attention to a lot of things.” 

Without a warning, I leaned forward and captured her lips in another lingering kiss, with my hands joining the fray soon after. Her reaction was even more heated than the last time, signaling that I might even get lucky if I played my cards right. Unfortunately, I was out of time, so I pulled back soon after, leaving her panting with arousal. 

[+200 Experience]

I walked away without saying anything, then, just before disappearing amongst the shelves, I turned back, and whispered. “See you tomorrow, beautiful.” Then, I disappeared, trying to suppress the disappointment from leaving such a beautiful girl behind to go and arrange books… 

———

[Level: 7        Experience: 24240 / 28000

Strength: 6    Charisma: 12

Precision: 10    Perception: 10

Agility: 10     Manipulation: 12

Speed: 7       Intelligence: 8

Endurance: 8      Wisdom: 17

HP: 287 / 287    Mana: 360 / 413             ]

SKILLS

[Advanced Subterfuge (48/50)     

Advanced Arcana [45/50]        

Basic Speech 24/25

Basic Biomancy 16/25        ]

———

I was walking in the library, once again dressed in my least favorite disguise, made worse by the fact that technically, it was my real identity, trying to look busy. I had been expecting to have a casual walk around the library while waiting for the workday to end, hoping that Marianne would call her new ‘maid’ for another massage session, or failing that, deciding to have another encounter with Cornelia in the library. But my plans went awry in an unwelcome manner when the assistant of the head librarian burst into the opening, and started raining orders with great urgency. 

“What’s going on,” asked one of the others, unhappy with the sudden intrusion. 

“I tell you what’s going on,” he shouted. “I learned that she is coming back tomorrow.” No one asked who he was referring, the underlining terror in his voice could only refer to one person. The head librarian, one of the most famous war heroes of the Empire, and the undisputed ruler of the library, was coming back. And everyone knew that they would be on the hook if there was even one thing that was out of order in the library. 

It wasn’t hard to slip away in the chaos, as no one would remember to look for me as they burst into a flurry of activity, some for cleaning the floors, the others to make sure the books were in the correct order. It wasn’t hard to understand why. The head librarian had no mercy when it came to any disruption in her domain, and if something was out of place, the staff would be on the hook for it. 

But even as I faded away, I had to fight against disappointment. Because with her arrival, not only I would have to throw away my ranger identity, afraid of being caught, but also Cornelia would no doubt stop her library adventures. Arrogant she was, but not enough to intrude into the head librarian’s domain, especially in such a vulgar manner. Even her family couldn’t have saved her from the consequences. 

An important detail started to worm itself into my mind. I needed to talk with Helga before I shelved my ranger identity for good. While silently disappearing would have no cost to me, it didn’t sit right to me to leave Helga waiting desperately for Orlin to appear. I owed her enough to explain it to her. 

This time, I was careful to pick and even more secluded corner to put on my disguise, in case one of the frenzied library workers dropped in. I even put a simple proximity ward as a safety measure. While doing that, I couldn’t help but wonder just how easily I could control the mana flow to form a ward, not even needing to use an anchor. Another evidence of just how important the skills were. Without them, I doubted I could replicate that feat without months of dedicated study, and even then, it was in doubt. 

The same applied to the magical parts of my disguise. Just a moment’s concentration was enough to put the spell on, something I was sure that even a master of arcana couldn’t replicate easily, because the magical ability was just a part of creating magical disguises. Shaping them was a significant part of the challenge, and thankfully, my subterfuge skill was ready to assist me in that area. 

But just as I was about to put the last touches in my illusionary disguise, an exhausted look, I remembered arcana wasn’t my only magical skill anymore. I carefully gathered my mana, just a dash of it, and spread it into my body, to look like I was exhausted. 

[HP -20]

A pained yelp escaped my mouth as I lost control of the spell. Apparently, experimenting with an unfamiliar spell while targeting myself was unwise. Who could have guessed? 

While it was tempting to play around to get it right, I was rather short on time, so once again, I went back to my illusion skills to give the impression that I was slightly exhausted, then dashed towards the last location I had seen Helga. 

Luckily, she was still at the last place I had left her, a book open in front of her. She didn’t look like she was paying attention though, the dreamy look on her face suggested her mind was on something other than the dusty tome open in front of her. From her rather persistent blush, and her shy smile, I could make an accurate guess about her dreams. 

Unfortunately, I needed to break her from her happy daydreams. I walked into the opening. Helga looked up, distracted by my sudden intrusion. When she saw me, she smiled at first, then noticed my haphazard state. “Orlin, is something wrong?” 

“Yeah,” I answered as I walked near her, but didn’t bother sitting next to her. “I have just talked with the caravan master. We’re going to leave early morning, tomorrow.” 

Helga said nothing, but her hand, clamping onto mine, tight enough to actually hurt despite the obvious difference in strength and endurance, conveyed her desperate sadness more than words could. I sat on the seat next to her, allowing her to process the situation. At least, I owed her that much. There was no hiding the tears that were slipping from her eyes. “So soon,” she murmured minutes later, a whisper so low that it required me to stretch my enhanced hearing to the maximum to catch a glimpse of it. 

I gently caressed her hair and pulled her to my chest, which made spill her tears even faster. I could understand where she was coming from. Like me, she was alone for years in the Silver Tower, but unlike my previous state, she had an understanding of what that loneliness meant. 

“Unfortunately, things end,” I murmured. “Being nomads give us a different understanding of relationships. In our tribe, we don’t measure the relationships based on its longevity, because we never know whether we would survive enough to meet again. We believe everything is valued by the impact it created, feelings it awakened, and memories that remained. And what we have a beautiful one.” 

[+1 Speech]

My words only made her cry harder, but it wasn’t a bad thing. Instead, I let her continue to cry as she got louder and louder, trying to process the shock. It was the most emotional I saw her being, which told me that my actions might have larger impacts than I might have thought. It wasn’t enough to change anything in my master strategy, but maybe some little tweaks were necessary. 

My self-inspection didn’t survive for long. She started kissing me without a warning, pulling my attention back to the present in a memorable manner. This time, I followed her rhythm, my arms gently wrapped around her neck. She deserved that much consideration. The kiss stretched for a long while, conveying everything she wanted to say but couldn’t find the words for.

[+200 Experience]

[Achievement: Sensual Sendoff. A beautiful, emotional kiss that conveys feeling after an emotional farewell talk. +300 Experience, +2 Charisma]

When she pulled away from the kiss and jumped up on her feet, I thought that she had been overwhelmed with emotions and wanted to get away. And when she started walking away, it seemed that my assumption was correct. At that moment, I decided to let her go, allowing her to process the departure however she wished. The least I could do after the bastardy I had subjected her to. 

But two steps later, I realized that she was still holding my hand, trying to pull me along. In a rare development, I was stuck in place, surprised by the sudden development. “Come on, let’s walk,” she said as she tugged her hand once more, a sudden determination on her face overcoming sadness in her tear-streaked face. 

“Where,” I couldn’t help but ask. 

“A hidden place, to make a memory both of us would remember fondly forever, one that would burn bright in our memories,” she said. That clued me what was about to happen, and I followed her. It didn’t take long for me to recognize the path we were taking. Ironically, to the same location Cornelia had subjected her to the bondage. 

While we walked, I could feel her casting several spells, each targeting her own face. When she next turned to me, at the same opening I watched her resist Cornelia’s crop to get scraps of information as a reward, her face was clean, tear tracks and redness gone, replaced by a soft make-up. A utilitarian application of magic, I took note in amusement for a moment, before she clamped on my lips once more, this time with a lot of tongue, promising passion and desire… 

When she pulled back for a moment, I didn’t think that she had changed her mind, because I could feel her gathering magic in the familiar shape of a proximity ward, which she established in a speed that would surpass mine, but not with a great margin, which gave me confidence that I was finally showing some decent improvement in my magical abilities. 

But constructing wards weren’t the only thing she was doing. She used one of her hands to create shapes into the air in temporary anchors, while the other danced over the buttons of her robe, determined to free her body from its restrictive cover. As a gentleman, I did the kind thing and followed her lead, my cloak and shirt meeting with the floor at the same time with her robe. 

She licked her lips with lust as she examined my chest, its tanned looks a part of the illusion I had set up, but the muscles were all real, another gift of my enhanced stats. I waited until she completed the second ward, ensuring not a wisp of sound would escape its confines. Meanwhile, I carefully examined the hidden spots which I used earlier to great benefit, ensuring that they were empty. 

When the construction of the ward finished, she jumped at me with a palpable desire, throwing her shirt away, revealing a utilitarian corset underneath. Her body deserved something sexier, but I didn’t make it a problem. After all, it wasn’t going to stay on for long. 

She hit my body with great speed, but I was ready, and it didn’t even shake me. Her legs wrapped around my waist to keep her afloat while her lips met with mine with a desire that surpassed even her previous kiss. Her grip around my waist was tight enough to keep her in place without slipping, and her arms were around my neck for further support, but nevertheless, I placed my hands on her bottom. 

Purely to help her, of course. What ulterior motive could I have in putting my hands into her plump bottom? And if my hands had slipped under her skirt while doing that, I could guarantee that it was an accident. 

But as our tongues battled for supremacy, one of my hands decided to get a solo adventure. It climbed upward until it found the strings that kept her corset together, and pulled them open one by one, in a sensuous pace that contrasted greatly with her frantic kisses, every little caress on a recently freed section of her back increasing her pace further, something I was happy to match. 

Her corset stayed in place even after it was completely untied, pinned in place between our pressing bodies. Something I wanted to find a solution. In the end, I decided to stick with the basics, and slipped my hand into her short hair, and pulled her head back. A moan escaped her mouth as she pulled back, and her corset slid away, finally revealing her beautiful breasts on my reach.

[+500 Experience]

 I decided to do what the situation begged me to do, and buried my face in her bosom, generous in size and nakedness, enjoying the warmth of her skin most intimately. That close, I could hear her heartbeat, but frankly, I found the prospect of testing the softness of her breasts more interesting, especially after seeing their gravity-defying achievement to stay up. My hands were busy, but my lips were still available for the test, so I clamped around her breast, extracting a moan of her. A cry left her mouth when my teeth joined the test, but it didn’t exactly convey unhappiness. 

“They are amazing,” I murmured in astonishment as I pulled back for a moment. My compliment worked wonders on her face, her arousal pushing away the last scraps of hesitance. 

Even as I captured her lips once more, I took a step towards the nearest shelf, and pushed her until her back pressed tightly against it, just enough to allow her to loosen the grip of her legs without losing the position. 

But then, I realized one thing, that I needed to break off the kiss to ask her to loosen her legs, so that I could remove her skirt. Luckily, there was an easier way. I grabbed the zipper, and pulled it down, and when it reached the bottom, I continued pulling, but created a small ethereal blade, a trick that had been taught by the same busty blonde that was currently coiled around me, and cut rest of the distance. 

Her skirt fell on the floor, followed by her panties just a moment later. She must have hated it, because the next second, she took revenge, grabbing a hold of my pants, and melting both it and my underwear in a superior display of magic. Something I could do, but not based on the capability I revealed to her. She pulled back, a smug smile on her lips, finding a rather amusing amount of pride in her achievement.

Though her smugness melted into a panic when I shifted her a bit, aligning my shaft to her entrance. “Are you sure?” I asked her, giving her the choice, something she deserved to have under the circumstances. It didn’t take long for her to construct her determination from the uneven stones of panic. 

No answer left her mouth, but then again, it wasn’t really necessary, not when she restarted our kiss while choosing to lower herself, my shaft sliding into her wetness, I couldn’t help but moan in pleasure, as it was a sensation I had never tasted before. She lowered herself until her barrier prevented the passage, which then I destroyed with a sharp push. 

She was mine! 

[+2500 Experience] 

[Achievement: Salacious Study. Take the virginity of a sexy bookworm in the second biggest library of the world. +1000 Experience, +4 Intelligence]

Level UP!

[Select one of the following skills: Basic Observation, Advanced Biomancy, Basic Melee] 

Normally, the impressive gains of the system would have garnered significant amount attention from me, especially the skill selection, not to mention the library of the Silver Tower being the second biggest library was a very intriguing detail with a lot of implications, it was supposed to be the biggest one. But there was a limit to my patience, and having a sexy bookworm on my lap, determinedly pushing herself even deeper onto my shaft, giving me a tour of her untouched territory definitely registered as one. My attention wavering, I blindly picked the last skill on the list, and then turned my attention to more important topics. 

Such as, giving my favorite blonde the best experience of her life. Carefully reading her expression, I helped her to raise herself back up, her walls, unfamiliar to a foreign presence, trying to squeeze me to death, but only managing to make the experience even more pleasurable. Our kiss oscillated between sensual sweetness and burning passion rapidly enough to give me a whiplash, but it made the moment even more special. 

I pulled back to get a better view of her expression, which was a delicious mixture of pain and arousal as she wrapped her arms tighter around my neck, trying to push herself even deeper in her determination, trying to devour my shaft. I decided to help her a bit, and pushed my hips upward in a sharp motion, forcing myself deeper despite her tightness. 

A pained yelp escaped her mouth, but there was no hiding the fact that she enjoyed the sensation immensely. And since her back was still against the shelf enough to provide extra support, there was no point in keeping my hands on her hips, while they could be assigned for more fruitful tasks. I grabbed her breasts, and squeezed them mercilessly. From everything I had seen, it wasn’t unfair to say that her tastes fell on the rougher side. Whether it was about her personality, or it was an effect of her deal with Cornelia, I didn’t know. Nor I had time to ponder, because the next notification the system gave me. 

[+150 Experience] 25% experience penalty due to level equality with the target  

That was unfortunate, I thought, using the full extent of my willpower to not to mutter those words loudly, as that way, ridiculous misunderstandings lay. The fact that I had limits on the experience gain was unwelcome, though made sense. Otherwise, there was nothing preventing me from being locked into a room with any random woman, and quite a bit of food and water, to infinitely grind level. 

But once again, I shelved the thought, focusing on the delicate art of pleasure, my sole target being the sexiness wrapped around my presence. I rocked back and forth inside her, each push loosening her further, allowing me to slide deeper and deeper. Soon, she pushed her weight against the shelf, enjoying my presence with her eyes closed. I used the opportunity to enjoy her curvy body, covered by a thin sheen of sweat, her heartbeat strong enough to make her chest ripple… 

She was beautiful. 

I shifted my hands back to her hips, this time, not to keep her up, but to align her perfectly before attempting a total invasion. She moaned painfully even as her eyes jerked open, but her only response to connect for another kiss, our tongues battling once more. Even when the frequency of my pushes increased, she kept the kiss connected, though the twirls of her tongue getting more and more desperate. It wasn’t hard to recognize the signals of an impending orgasm. 

When she clamped around me without a warning, my only reaction was to wrap my arm around her waist. Once again I walked while carrying her around my waist, but this time, each step moved my girth inside her, which, combined with her arousal, making her cry so loudly that I feared about whether the silencing ward would be able to hold her presence. 

[+750 Experience] 25% Penalty!

I actually stopped for a moment to check the ward, but her magical abilities proved strong enough to match her sexiness, so I continued my walk, each step creating another explosion of pleasure for her. Then, I sat on the table, with her still on my lap, giving her the control of the situation. 

I was surprised when she started jumping up and down on my lap with a reckless abandon, surprising me with her display of initiative. For some reason, I was expecting her to be more hesitant when the situation was left to her control, but I was no way dissatisfied. Her hips moved faster with each repeat, like she was testing her rapidly expanding limits, and the sound of flesh hitting flesh filled the opening. 

In her hurry, it didn’t take long for her to start trembling with another climax, her eyes clouded with pleasure. Once again I wrapped my arms around her waist, this time pushing her on the table, pushing into her franticly, as I could feel my own climax closing in. 

I impaled her again and again, watching her pleasure-filled face, subtly changing with each repeat, while her walls wrapped me snugly. It was truly heaven. It was a pity that I hadn’t had any more time with her, that I needed to disappear after today. And even for this session, it was obvious that she was drowning under the effects of the unfamiliar pleasure. Another orgasm, I thought that she might handle, but anymore, and I wasn’t sure that she could return back to her room, which would create a scandal that neither of us could handle. 

With that in mind, I didn’t resist the sensation to explode when she tightened with a third orgasm, though I managed to pull out, spraying her spectacular breasts with my seed, not wanting to leave her filled with my seed. With an endurance of eight, I wasn’t willing to bet on chance of not impregnating her. 

[+1500 Experience] 25% Penalty!

I sat on the chair, trying to catch my breath as I watched her trembling in pleasure, fighting against unconsciousness, while I fought against the temptation of sliding inside her once more. 

She managed to push herself to a sitting position, and captured my lips in one last, lingering kiss, one surprisingly somber considering what had just happened. “Go,” she murmured. “I want to stay inside your memory like this, in all my exhausted glory.”

“As you wish, beautiful,” I said, and stood up, but before leaving, captured her lips for one last lingering kiss, promising that I would remember her. I knew that it wasn’t honest, but at least, she would have the special memory of our first time for an eternity… I pulled my shirt on, and created the illusion of a pant before leaving the opening. “Goodbye,” I whispered, then disappeared in the depths of the library…  

———

[Level: 8        Experience: 31140 / 36000 

Strength: 6    Charisma: 14

Precision: 10    Perception: 10

Agility: 10     Manipulation: 12

Speed: 7       Intelligence: 12

Endurance: 8      Wisdom: 17

HP: 308 / 328    Mana: 460 / 520             ]

SKILLS

[Advanced Subterfuge (48/50)     

Advanced Arcana [45/50]        

Basic Speech 25/25

Basic Biomancy 16/25    

Basic Melee 0/25        ]

———

It has been a week since the Head Librarian arrived. A week since I discarded my ranger identity, cutting away the most satisfying interaction that was available for me. A week since her indomitable presence destroyed any opportunity for a carnal encounter in the library for horny students, destroying my voyeur activities as well. While in the library, I stayed in my Mule personality all day, afraid of awakening the suspicion of her steely eyes. 

I still didn’t know if Cornelia had managed to find another location for the encounter. I tried to find out, using subtle inquires while dressed as a maid, but until to date, I wasn’t able to find any solid evidence. Even Marianne didn’t call me, or more accurately, her faithful but dim maid Selena, for another bath, cutting that path as well. Meanwhile, Helga was always in the library, throwing herself on her studies with an enhanced fervor, trying to fight sadness through overworking. Luckily, with the Head Librarian in place, nobody dared to mess with Helga, afraid of getting the attention of Iron Lady. 

The only benefit was I was able to maximize every skill I had, other than melee, which I picked accidentally during the middle of tasting Helga for the first time. I even made great strides in using my biomancy abilities, giving me the ability to heal myself, albeit slowly and with a significant mana cost, and making changes on my body and my face, enhancing my subterfuge capabilities even further. 

I wasn’t able to increase my stats in any way though, which didn’t surprise me. There was no way that such an obvious thing hadn’t been tried before, and it would have created a big event if it actually worked like that. 

But these weren’t the only thing I had done. For the first time since I had gained my powers, I strayed outside, scouting the surrounding areas of the Silver Halls, fighter and ranger part of the school. There was a large forest in that area, specifically for training purposes, consistently under high-level patrols to ensure that no dangerous monster lived there. It was even separated into several sections, each for a different level of capability. 

For a week, I watched as the usage patterns, which hours were the busiest, how people gained admission, which parts people were allowed solo, and many other small details. Luckily, I had a lot of disguises for that. Thanks to all the improvements in my magical capabilities, I no longer needed a secluded area and several minutes to create a workable disguise. A second in a concealed area gave was enough for me to layer the illusions into an unbreakable structure that would pass the muster for any reasonable assessment. 

Though scouting wasn’t the only thing I had done. I also managed to sneak into the storage room disguised as a servant, an unimportant one that held the broken equipment, too damaged to be worth the effort of repair. But I had an excess of mana, and after a few tries, I was in possession of a cheap set of well-maintained equipment. A chain mail complete with its helmet, a longsword, and to complete the set, a buckler. 

I even managed to steal a used permission form before it was burned by the guards, allowing me to forge a fake one, giving me admission to the safest part of the forest, with the added exception that I was to be allowed there during both day and night. Very rarely there was anyone in the forest during the night, as with the limited vision greatly increased the risk of an ambush from one of the monsters. And during the night, there was no guarantee that a stronger monster hadn’t infested the forest.  

Under the right circumstances, even a class one monster could kill someone that it was supposedly harmless against. I hoped that my high perception, supported by a proximity ward, would be enough to offset the disadvantages. After all, going there during the day, a time where it was crawling with students hoping to farm a few more experience points to get another level, was not an option. I couldn’t afford the risk of getting caught.  

I walked into my room, and a servant, carrying a large sack left the room. Another stop in a dark corner, and a young warrior continued his way, a sword on his belt, a buckler on his arm, his shining sword and his proud look all shouting a green warrior with little experience. A common view, as many minor houses had spent minor fortunes to get them in the Silver Halls, who then walked around like they were at the king of the world until they angered someone strong, teaching the difference between the pretenders and the real deal. 

For my current purposes, unlikeable and easily forgettable worked just fine. Just to enhance the impression, I even used by biomancy to temporarily reduce my height a couple of inches, loose clothes hiding my muscles, weakening the personality I reflected even more. 

At the entrance of the forest, I passed the permission to the guard wordlessly, distinctly turning my nose up to them, following the finest noble tradition, and then walked into the forest. I walked into the shadowy part of the forest, without a light source with me, hoping that two moons shining in the sky, one full, the other half, making it bright enough for me to see around, though not as much as without the crimson light of the third one. 

I maintained my pompous walk until there were several trees between me and them, cutting off the path, then dropped my pompous walk, replaced by a soft prowl, the sword in hand, but also ready to send a blast of pure magic if things get dicey. Just to keep things extra safe, I established a proximity ward around, preventing sneak attacks. 

My luck seemed to be working, because the first monster that I met was a dire rabbit, a class zero creature that was two feet tall and four feet long, relying on its agility and stealth to do the job, as it lacked any other quality. One of the best targets for leveling for the weaker people, as especially during the day, on an open field, it was one of the easiest threats to handle. Its teeth, longer than three inches, was a big threat, but it was just a bad matchup against me. It jumped at me from behind, but I was much faster, and pushed my sword to its threat halfway.

[+1 Melee]

Realistically, I wasn’t expecting any experience, but I wouldn’t be sad if something had changed and I received some. Not that I really needed it, as even if everything had been normal, even a class one creature would have given me a couple of points of experience at best at my current level, and a for class zero one like a dire rabbit, even one experience was unlikely. That was how classification worked. If a creature killed gives a hundred experience to a level five slayer, it was categorized as class five, and if a level seven received a hundred experience, it was classified as class seven. 

But it was extremely hard to push through higher levels, because not only more experience was needed to advance higher levels, but also the monsters got stronger faster than their class might indicate at first glance. A level three warrior could kill a class three creature without a low chance of dangerous injury under equal circumstances, but it was reverse for a class ten. The monster would win nine out of ten fair battles, most without a considerable damage. 

That was one of the reasons nobles were almost only ones that were able to push through level ten, and only the major noble families had the resources to push their members over twenty without excessive risks, supporting their hunt with a small army, though only if they were lucky enough to have members with a level cap over twenty. It wasn’t unheard that a noble family to collapse in a generation, because lady luck decided to give them a generation limited to single digits. No matter the support structure, it was hard to maintain a strong estate by a bunch of level sevens.  

I was distracted by another dire rabbit assault, which was a bit surprising, because they weren’t really smart, they usually avoided people with bloodied swords. Still, it took just a slash to destroy it. I might be just a beginner in sword fighting, but I had ten points in both agility and precision, meaning a class one creature was nothing more than an excuse to practice my technique. 

Encouraged by the effectiveness, I started moving deeper and deeper into the forest, killing dozens of dire rabbits, but didn’t bother picking anything off them, because they were effectively worthless, even their meat was horrible, only consumed by peasants in times of hardship. There were a lot of those rabbits and they bred quickly, which was the only reason of their continuing survival. Their females gave birth each week, with their litter reaching full size in a few weeks. With that numbers, it wasn’t hard to imagine them actually invading the world without other monsters hunting them for sustenance.

As I moved deeper into the forest, I had to fight a few dire foxes, class two monsters quite a bit more dangerous than dire rabbits. For once, they had teeth long and sharp enough to kill a low level warrior if caught unprepared, but also they had a rudimentary understanding of tactics, using foliage and other physical objects to sneak before covering the last dash. Unfortunately, the proximity ward turned their effort into a waste, and they fell to a swing or two. That rhythm, I maintained for almost an hour, with a rather decent return in terms of skill. 

[+7 Melee]

Just as it happened with my magical skills, it was impressive just how a few skill points changed everything about the way I fought. My swings flew sharpers, my stances more balanced, my timing more precise. 

I was planning to extend my expedition, but then a rather impressive figure passed nearby, quite a bit over six feet, and carrying a sword even taller, its enchantment thick enough to be felt . But not even for a moment, I had though it was a man. She wore a shirt instead of armor, and even though it was a loose, shapeless shirt, it failed to hide her rather impressive bosom. 

But she swung her great sword with an amazing expertise, suggesting that she was either had a very high level, or was lucky enough to get a specialized combat skill. Melee allowed its user to master a lot of weapons, but sword mastery was obviously superior in terms of effect at the same skill point. There was no exact calculation on it, but approximately, expert melee provided the same benefits as advanced sword mastery, meaning that it wasn’t very preferable. Luckily, while I picked melee accidentally, it fit to my situation much better. 

I needed to sit on my place, but I couldn’t help but feel intrigued as she cut through the small and medium sized creatures, not even stopping for a breath. But then she disappeared between the trees, and I decided to return. While following a sexy warrior strong enough to kick ass was a tempting idea, she was noisy enough to get the attention of the others, and the last thing I needed was someone trying to talk to me in this disguise. 

I left the forest, and after another break, I was once again a servant carrying a huge sack. When I arrived back to my room, I was planning to dress back to my unloved library assistant identity, but a note slipped under the door, from Marianne’s maid, asking Selene’s help to prepare another bath. 

“It was about time,” I murmured with excitement as I quickly dressed into my female disguise. I was starting to worry that I had pushed Marianne too much during our last session. I found the old maid in the storage room, boiling the herbal water, and after a quick talk, once again I sent her for an early night, promising to tend Marianne for the rest of the night. 

I had some very interesting ideas on how to tend her. 

After two repeats, preparing the bath required no thought, especially since the completely mastered arcana and subterfuge increased my capabilities much more. I even had a reasonably convinced that my illusionary disguise would hold naked unless she started to get handy. As while I could hide my manhood from her eyes, but illusions didn’t work on touch. But I wasn’t worried about that, as I doubted Marianne would have any concerns on somehow making a servant to feel good. It was all about her pleasure, well to her knowledge, at least. 

I walked to her bedroom after finishing the preparations in the bath, only to find her sitting on the bed, wearing just a dressing gown, loose enough to reveal that it was the only piece of clothing on her. A book was in her hand, but I was familiar with her expression enough to recognize she wasn’t paying attention to it. Combined with the restless tapping of her feet, it suggested some interesting things. “The bath is ready, mistress.” 

[+60 Experience]

The notification I just received was very good news. Not because it gave me a lot of bonus, but it told me that Marianne was higher level than Helga, meaning I would still receive complete reward for my efforts. 

“About time,” she said, quite a bit louder than necessary, but surprisingly, it wasn’t an angry exclamation, which would be the emotion I would have expected to see in a spoiled noble girl bored while waiting. But then she started to walk quite bit faster than the usual, uncaring of the way the front of her dressing gown sliding open even further, it gave me a better idea about the reason for her touchiness. 

It seemed that Cornelia failed to find an alternative location for their private encounters. 

Excellent, I thought as she opened her arms, and I freed her body from her robe, leaving her in her birthday suit, and she walked towards the bath with the same hurry she displayed earlier. I followed her in the same pace, so when she sank into the bubbly water, I was in my usual place behind her, with the bath glove in my hand. 

Her arousal was palpable, begging for me to mess with her like the previous time, making her suffer under a slow tease. But that would be too easy. After our last encounter I had gained a new skill, and I couldn’t wait to test it on her. 

Under normal circumstances, trying to use a biomancy spell on her would be a horrible idea. She was famous for her prowess with healing magic, which made her uniquely qualified to detect my manipulations on her body, however weak they were. But unfortunately for her, two facts worked against her. She didn’t expect any magic from a poor maid, doing her best to help her mistress; and more importantly, arousal had a tendency to make her distracted. After all, she managed to miss how I had been pleasuring myself in her rather plump bottom the last time. 

With decision made, my attention back on my job. After the progress of the last time, I didn’t spend much time on washing her arms or her neck, and quickly moved onto her shoulders, rubbing them with wide back and forth moves that allowed me plenty of contact with her breasts, touching them just the way she liked, something I had ample opportunities to learn. 

[+300 Experience]

And her moans suggested that she enjoyed my ‘accidental’ touches quite a bit. I continued in the same vein, each move allowing me to move deeper and deeper onto her chest, her moans getting louder and louder. It was clear that she stopped trying to hold her moans back, which made sense after the way our last encounter ended. Why should she feel self-conscious about a few little moans after I had finger-banged her into multiple orgasms. 

But her obvious arousal gave me the opportunity to test my expanded magical abilities. Carefully, I have molded some mana, and cast a spell on her to increase her sensitiveness, a spell that I invented by reversing the working principals of a painkiller spell. The intelligence boost from my latest achievement worked wonders, allowing me to successfully apply the tricks I had learned from Helga. 

No matter how measured, I was still taking a significant risk, so when instead of an angry shout, another moan left Marianne’s mouth, I realized that my spell had successfully affected my target. Powered by the realization, I let the glove to slip away from my hand, and started caressing her breasts with both hands, throwing away the pretense of helping her to bathe. 

“Yes, squeeze them harder!” Marianne murmured with a great fervor, signaling her enjoyment of the choice. Encouraged by her response, I sank my fingers in the depths of her breasts, increasing the enjoyment we both received from the situation. I couldn’t help but smirk as my fingers sank deeper and deeper into her large globes, finally fulfilling one of my dreams. 

[+1000 Experience]

I certainly hadn’t been expecting her to start shuddering with a surprise orgasm. I either miscalculated the effects of the spell, or her breasts were even more sensitive than my wildest hopes. Regardless of the reason, it was a positive surprise, so I moved to the other side of the bath while she trembled silently, enjoying the aftershocks of her orgasm. 

It wasn’t a spectacular orgasm when compared to the others she experienced after the extended edge play she had enjoyed -and suffered- the last time, so her recovery didn’t take long. But when she opened her eyes, I was already rubbing her feet dutifully. 

“You’re really good at this,” she commented even as she leaned back, after everything, uncaring that it revealed the white skin of her breasts, marred red by my enthusiastic massage. 

“Thank you, mistress,” I said in a fake obedience, my eyes on the ground, which also helped to hide my smirk. A good thing, as my smirk conveyed an unmistakable sense of dark satisfaction which would have jolted her out of her dazed state. “My previous mistress was really diligent on baths and massages, and she taught me well.” 

“She should be proud, you have magic hands,” Marianne said, unaware of the literal truth she had stumbled upon. I continued her massage, and soon, her moans started to increase. 

“Thank you mistress,” I repeated. “You honor this little servant with your kind words.” 

“Nonsense,” she said, followed by another moan. “It’s nothing less than you deserve. Actually, I’m going to tell Griselda to give you a silver coin, for your discretion and your exemplar services.” 

Once again, I thanked her with the appropriate glee of a servant who just managed to get a small fortune. But I found her referring to my discretion interesting. It seemed that after that fateful massage, she spooked enough to check the maid gossip network. I was lucky that she didn’t went any deeper, because it would have revealed the non-existence of a maid named Selene, forcing me to throw away yet another identity. Not a huge deal on the larger scheme of the things, unless the worst somehow happened and she managed to trace it back to me, but still inconvenient. 

Luckily, it wasn’t a concern for now, not that it meant that she would escape the punishment she just earned. She managed to worry me, even if just for a moment, and there should be a cost attached to it… 

“Should I continue, mistress,” I murmured. “Or would you like to receive another massage. Maybe we can even move into the second phase.” 

That managed to jolt her out of her relaxed state. “The second phase?” she murmured in shock. “You’re telling me that the previous one  wasn’t the complete massage.” 

“No mistress, I had to cut it short because you were feeling exhausted. But I can show the rest of it as well if you’re in the mood.” 

She chose to stand in the bath in lieu of an answer, then stepped out of the bath while I dashed out, towel ready. She opened her arms, fully displaying her nakedness while I dried herself quickly. She didn’t even bother to wrap the towel around herself, and started to walk towards her room, completely naked, the dance of her hips spectacular. 

[+400 Experience]

It was going to be fun… 

———

[Level: 8        Experience: 32900 / 36000 

Strength: 6    Charisma: 14

Precision: 10    Perception: 10

Agility: 10    Manipulation: 12

Speed: 7       Intelligence: 12

Endurance: 8      Wisdom: 17

HP: 328 / 328    Mana: 510 / 520             ]

SKILLS

[Advanced Subterfuge (50/50)     

Advanced Arcana [50/50]        

Basic Speech 25/25

Basic Biomancy 25/25    

Basic Melee 8/25        ]

———

I couldn’t help but feel infected by Marianne’s excitement on the way to her bathroom. She didn’t say anything, but also, she didn’t need to. The spring on her steps, the way her walk quickened, and occasional fleeting glances she sent back like she was trying to make sure that I was following her were enough. The way her body swayed with sexy energy despite her hurry, driven unconsciously by her arousal, was just another piece of evidence I welcomed, and an erotic marvel to watch. Something the system agreed wholeheartedly. 

[+200 Experience]

As she stood next to her bed, she waved her hand, and extinguished all the lights in the room, except a small ball of flickering light, filling the room with shadows and mysteries. The view was no less heavenly as she stretched her body on her bed, her damp skin shimmering under the flickering lights, once again straining the cover of the towel. But thanks to the lesson with Helga and my week-long training, my illusion abilities were at another level. 

I loosened the second towel that kept my boner in check, putting an illusion to hide the resulting tent. Marianne was too distracted to notice the usage of magic around her, so she busied herself in sinking her face on the pillow, leaving her naked body under my hands. 

But she chose to speak before I could climb onto her bed. “There are some massage oils on the small table next to the mirror,” she informed. I didn’t say anything, not that she expected me to. After all, one of the traits of a good servant was to understand the desires of their mistress without excessive questions. 

And I know exactly what she desired, but it was unfortunate that it wasn’t yet the time to give her that. After picking up the oil bottles, I sent them a small wave of magic, using my biomancy to get a better understanding of their qualities. It was one of the disregarded benefits of biomancy, to analyze and manipulate the material produced by plants and animals, even long after their extraction. Most nobles found such things inferior. Why shouldn’t they, when they could just hire a commoner alchemist to do the same things for a few pieces of silver instead. 

Of course, by doing so, they surrendered the ability to manipulate these materials at will, an ability I had every intention of abusing. It took just a few seconds for me to analyze them and learn of their effects, and another few seconds to increase some aspects of it, such as the subtle sensation of heat they produced, or the additional sensitivity they created on any skin they were applied. 

Marianne had no idea what she was about to experience. 

I climbed on her bed, the small bottles next to me, carefully placed on the bed with their tops firmly shut. One of them, I picked, dousing my hands with a generous dab. Then, I put my hands on the softness of her back, moving along her spine in a tortuously slow pace. For the first ten minutes, she was subjected to relatively conservative treatment, enough to make her moan occasionally as she once again started journeying the road towards the climax, but I hadn’t done during the previous massage. And considering she just had one in the bath, I didn’t need my enhanced perception to know that she was slightly disappointed. 

And disappointing such a beautiful lay wasn’t the gentlemanly thing to do, I decided to pick up the pace. The movement of my hands quickened, subjecting her to alternating pressure, and before my hands even started to explore the sides of her breasts, her moans rose both in volume and in frequency. 

But I had too much to do to enjoy that small achievement. I changed position, so that I was sitting on her calves rather than her thighs, which gave me the access I needed. But I didn’t dive into my target instantly, instead, I focused on her thighs, which devoured my fingers in their thick sexiness. I treated the vast expanse with large circles, slowly moving onto her inner thighs, each repeat driving me closer to her nether lips, which was shining bright with her arousal. 

But this time, I had no intention of giving her an easy escape. My fingers danced on her entrance, only occasionally straying into the areas that gave her a jolt of pleasure, but as usual, never enough to push her through the barrier. Watching her squirm in a helpless pleasure was too amusing to miss. My fingers occasionally strayed into the confines of her slit, which earned a rather loud moan from her as well.  

[+800 Experience] 

From a technical perspective, the best thing to do was to keep the position for a length of time until she started to lose her coherence, but it came with one huge drawback. It required me to resist the temptation of her arousal-stained nether lips, begging me to test her obliviousness in an escalating manner, which might or might not include a certain throbbing part of my body. 

“If you may turn around, mistress,” I said with the usual inflectionless voice of my fake personality. She followed it in an instant, giving me a view of her face, wrapped with her soft blonde hair, her lips formed a pout to allow her to breathe easier, which had quickened to remove the heat she was under. Unfortunately, there was only one way to remove that heat, and she wasn’t going to receive it for a while. 

I folded a towel for her face, covering her eyes, which she actually unfolded further, covering most of her face with it, clearly hoping to use it to hide the effects of arousal from her body. Which was pretty ineffective, as her body was an open book to read. Still, it helped me to act in more freedom. But it wasn’t the only thing I had in mind to provide myself with that freedom of movement. While I covered her breasts with oil, I also constructed a small ward that I invented myself over her face. 

It was a simple thing, a very weak ward, once triggered, that would block the light for just a second. I invented it, not because it was a hard design that required my particular genius to create, but because it was almost completely useless. But, under the unique conditions I was in, it would block her sight for a second in the case that she removed her towel, allowing me to put things into order, avoiding a crisis. 

With that done, I started subjecting her chest the same treatment her back received, but in a more torturous manner. First, I started on her sides, then slowly focused on her stomach, once again with large circles that allowed me to caress the edge of her breasts. When it was time to move onto her breasts, she was already squirming helplessly under the effects of an orgasm that was denied for long. 

The strength of her wiggling only intensified as I focused on her oil-covered breasts, their already-high sensitivity enhanced even further. I stayed extra-careful, as I learned my lesson about her increased sensitivity on there. I acted slowly, every little caress causing her to squirm more. With each second, I started to take more liberty in playing with her breasts. Pushing them together, sinking my fingers deep into them, even twisting her nipples on occasion. 

[+1000 Experience]

But I didn’t stay there. Wanting to leverage her utter distraction further, I leaned forward to fulfill a desire that was filling my heart since the first night I had been bathed with that beautiful image. I leaned forward, and captured her nipple between my teeth. Softly at first, but seeing that she didn’t react negatively, I decided to push even further. My tongue joined the fray, wrapping around her nipple, my lips working overtime, and if her moans were any indicator, I wasn’t the only one that was enjoying the change in the circumstances. 

I decided to reward her enthusiastic acceptance, and placed my knee between her thighs, close enough to rub her nether lips. The blunt treatment was exactly what was needed to push her even closer to the climax without actually letting her arrive there. Once again, the jump in her moans signaled that it was working excellently. 

There was a limit I could resist the allure of her breasts. While covering them with bite marks would have been satisfying, but one of the things that would push her out of her haze, so the option was out. But she was still half-gone under the effect of her denied orgasm, I decided that it was the time to be adventurous once more. Since I had long removed the second towel to constrain my erection, I only needed to pull my towel to the side for the grand reveal. A small treatment which ensured that my shaft was covered with the same slippery, arousal enhancing liquid, I slid it between her breasts, then squeezed them to enhance the situation even further. 

Honestly, I was expecting just a moment’s pleasure from that risky move. In my mind, the unfamiliar effect of the move would jolt Marianne from the pleasure-filled haze she was deliciously suffering under, which would force me to use the second of darkness provided by the ward for frantic hiding. 

Surprisingly, it didn’t work like that. Instead of pulling the towel on her face in confusion, trying to see the source of the unfamiliar sensation, she continued to lay motionless, the slight increase in the volume of her cries the only difference. Encouraged by the opportunity, I started sliding in the prison created by these heavenly mounds of flesh, each push bringing me closer to a climax of my own. 

Under those circumstances, managing the level of her pleasure, under those circumstances, were extremely difficult. Too much pleasure, and she might climax, ruining all the effort I put in to push her towards a climax. Any less, and her haze would disperse enough for her to wonder about the nature of the weird cylindrical object trying to wear down a path in the pristine valley between her breasts. 

Previously pristine valley, if I were to be accurate, as the sensation from the situation, assisted by the effect of the massage oil that was having on me, was enough to push me towards a climax of my own. I pulled at the last second, spraying her breasts with my seed, but once again, it went unnoticed, probably dismissed as another dab of massage oil. Well, who was I to disappoint? I started spreading that on her breasts while continuing my not-so-kind massage. 

[+1500 Experience]

[Achievement: Precariously Painted Peaks. Manage to cover a world-class set of mounds with special paint, without getting noticed. +500 Experience, +2 Agility]

Level UP!

[Select one of the following skills: Basic Stealth, Advanced Biomancy, Basic Ranged] 

This time, I wasn’t as distracted as my last level-up, so I had enough time to consider the choice. And while both stealth and ranged combat sounded like decent options, the applications of biomancy, even at the basic level, was too interesting to not to further that area further. 

With that done, I once again focused on the busty beauty that was lying in front of me, waiting for an orgasm that was still far away. “It’s time to turn your back, mistress,” I said, as I had spent quite a bit of time with her beautiful breasts. Once again, it was time to focus on other areas. Even as I said that I dispelled the darkness ward, which surprisingly went unused. I couldn’t help but think about all the other implications it had. 

It was amusing to see an expression of begging in her eyes as she pulled the towel away, but even more amusing was the conflict she felt, keeping her mouth closed, feeling unable to ask me to work a bit quicker. With a grumbling expression, she once again lay on her back, her bottom slightly up, indicating that she was ready for much more. 

Unfortunately, I had to disappoint her. Instead of pushing her hard, I put my hands on the small of her back, caressing her body softly. Her moans didn’t take to rose, tainted by a pang of hunger I intended to let continue. I didn’t stay in the more secure areas forever, of course. Soon, my fingers were dancing between her lower cheeks, even caressing her puckered hole a bit. That temptation, I managed to resist; for tonight at least. 

It didn’t take my fingers to drift down to her entrance, probing it softly for a moment before moving upwards to her clitoris, creating a few soft circles which tempted her with the promise of the finish line, a promise that turned out to be empty when I chose to slow down just as she was speeding up. 

“Are you enjoying the massage, mistress,” I murmured. “It’s not to harsh for you, right?” 

“No,” she murmured in a muffled voice. “Actually, I wouldn’t mind if you were a bit harsher,” she said. 

“As you wish, mistress,” I said, and even as I said that, I pushed two of my fingers into her slit, while used my other hand to subject her bottom to a harsh, but pleasurable treatment. Her moans picked up speed, but I stayed limited. She started gasping soon after, stiffening under the anticipation for a final, but once again, it was false hope, as I chose that exact moment to slow down the treatment she was receiving. 

“Faster,” she murmured a few more minutes later, but there was a desperation in her tone that I decided to take it as a warning. I risked her wrath if I decided to extend that edge play for more. This time, I didn’t bother to answer with words, just changed the pacing of my fingers from a gentle rub to a frantic push, her warm juices squeaking nicely. Under the sudden change of pacing, her climax took seconds to achieve. 

[+1000 Experience]

However, that was just the beginning of what I termed as the second phase. My fingers stayed inside her, slamming in mercilessly despite her rising frustration. But meanwhile, my other hand started traveling up once more, until it slid under her body and grabbed her breasts. 

The resulting moan would be enough to bring a dead man back to life. Considering that, it shouldn’t be a surprise that my shaft jumped back to full hardness the instant my ears communicated that sound to my brain. I squeezed her breasts harder, enough to leave my mark, knowing that she could easily heal herself after the treatment. Soon, she was at the edge of arousal once more.  

I decided that it was the perfect time to experiment on my biomancy skill. Not only she was far too gone to notice the effects, but also I needed to improve it more. And what riskier situation than using that skill on a master of healing herself. I molded the mana carefully, in complete contrast to the frantic dance of my fingers, creating a temporary, but a complicated spell. I waited to a moment her moans were particularly loud, then let the magic spread onto her body. 

[+3 Biomancy]

And from there on, there was only one way of testing whether the spell worked. I discarded the last bit of constraint that was keeping my fingers in control, subjecting her body the most intensive assault my enhanced body could sustain, my perception giving a real-time breakdown of her responses, while my precision and manipulation providing me with the best way to leverage these openings.

[+800 Experience] 

Her moans rose to a point I hadn’t heard before, filled with pleasure and desperation, getting louder with each passing second. But, she didn’t climax, prevented by the nifty spell I managed to sneak in. 

For a moment, I lamented the fact that I didn’t have the chance to pull back and watch her from afar, as she needed my constant attention to keep her in that hyper-sensitive state. Still, I couldn’t say that it was a big sacrifice, not when my fingers danced in her ever-flowing arousal, while the others sinking deep into her breasts freely without a word of protest. 

She might be a bit slow to understand she was being played, but she was smart enough to realize there was something wrong with her state. “What’s going on,” she managed to slur in her dazed state. “I feel like I’m about to explode.” Luckily, it seemed that she was too distracted to muster the concentration for a magical assessment, which would put me a rather dangerous situation. 

“It’s the effect of the second phase, milady,” I explained, while my hands still continued their tasks without skipping a beat. “It takes a while to end, but the effects are worth it.” Then, in a sudden hit of insight, I decided to change the play a bit. “But if you want, I can move onto the third phase. It’s a bit harsher in the application, but should work in a few minutes.”

“Do it,” she exclaimed, not for the first time, committing to a mistake under the effects of her arousal. Unfortunately for her, I had no intention to let it slip in a moment of mercy. With two fingers still inside her entrance, blasting mercilessly, my thumb found her puckered hole, and still slippery with massage oil, it didn’t take too much effort to slip inside. 

“What are you-” she started, which soon turned into a helpless cry as I pushed more of my thumb into her hole, exploring another part of my discovery. 

“The third phase, mistress,” I said even as I sped up the treatment even more. But I needed to push even more if I were to prevent her from raising an argument against it. For that, I made a quick change in plans, and pulled my hand from her breasts, and leaned down until my head was between her legs, my tongue out. 

“You-” she started, but whatever she was about to say, died before she could utter a second word when my tongue found her slit, covered with her juices, and started beating it mercilessly. In her aroused state, her reactions were an open book, allowing me to optimize my approach pretty quickly. “Please-” she attempted once more, which collapsed soon after. 

“The third phase is working amazing, mistress,” I said, pulling back for a moment before returning my attempts to get a full comprehension of her taste. “And if I may say, your taste is delicious.” That was a rather extreme thing to say, but I was also aware that I had pushed my disguise more than it could bear. It was time for my maid to disappear. 

The third time she tried to open her mouth, I was even quicker to prevent. A second finger slipped into her asshole, which turned her attempt to a pained cry, as it was a rather untimely attempt from my part. But the pain was quickly drowned by pleasure if her reaction was any indicator.

I lost the track of time as I let myself under the control of my instincts, drilling her both holes at the same time, one with my tongue, one with my fingers, which soon turned into four, introducing her into anal play with a rather harsh lesson. I was distracted when a sudden explosion of a delicious aroma filled my tongue while she started to shudder so hard that, I would have thought that she was having a stroke if it wasn’t for my medical knowledge.  

[Achievement: Magnificent Massage. Bring a sexy lady to the land of unconsciousness with your skillful fingers. +500 Experience, +2 Endurance]

[+2500 Experience]

The climax caught me with surprise, as I was expecting the spell to hold. I pulled back, and examined her body, covered with sweat, rocking, but it was nothing compared to her face, her haughty expression replaced by a pleasure-filled one that would compete against the best courtesans. 

Still, there was the mystery of how she managed to climax. At first, I thought that the spell broke because I somehow constructed it wrong, but an examination showed that her pleasure reached to such a point that the spell failed to keep all of it back. And, since it was the last encounter maid Selena was going to have with her, what was the harm of having one last joke. I destroyed the spell, which flooded her system with a fresh dose of pleasure, enough to trigger another orgasm before even the first one subsided. 

As she started rocking, edging unconsciousness, I leaned forward and whispered into her ear even as I grabbed her hair rather harshly. “I hope you enjoyed the third phase, mistress.” She tried to answer, but it was at that moment the unconsciousness overcame her, and she collapsed. 

As I threw one last glance to her blemished body, I couldn’t help but pity losing my access. Unfortunately, I pushed my luck as much as I could. I quickly dressed and left, leaving her naked body sprawled on her bed, used and exhausted. 

[+1000 Experience]

I needed to find her maid, and explain about my ‘sudden transfer’, while also conveying her mistress’ strict orders about being left alone tomorrow in her room, with no one to enter. 

I wanted Marianne to wake up used and exhausted, enough time to process what had happened. And I couldn’t wait to see what she would do without a target to exact revenge… 

———

[Level: 9        Experience: 42400 / 45000 

Strength: 6    Charisma: 14

Precision: 10    Perception: 10

Agility: 12     Manipulation: 12

Speed: 7       Intelligence: 12

Endurance: 10      Wisdom: 17

HP: 405 / 405    Mana: 570 / 585             ]

SKILLS

[Advanced Subterfuge (50/50)     

Advanced Arcana [50/50]        

Advanced Biomancy [28/50]        

Basic Speech 25/25    

Basic Melee 8/25        ]

———

As I left Marianne’s maid behind, still dressed as Selena, after explaining to her that there had been an emergency decision taken by the house, calling me back to their estate, something she didn’t enjoy hearing. Regardless, I walked away, but my blood still flowing quickly in my veins. I needed some physical exercise to throw away the excess energy if I were to catch any sleep. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any convenient target for my favorite physical activity, now that the library was out of commission for that purpose. 

Luckily I had an alternative, though an inferior one. Physical combat. I stopped by my room and picked up a sword, though this time, I didn’t bother dressing in a fake warrior costume with all the armor, instead choosing a hooded cloak that would hide my identity as I sneaked into the forest. During my earlier visit, I have seen that the security there wasn’t exactly I would call alert, especially after the nightfall, where most students were smart enough to avoid the time that favored the monsters. They were still patrols around, of course, but they were aimed to prevent monsters from entering, not students from leaving. 

For me, the increased risk was an acceptable trade-off for reduced oversight. I was starting to get chafed by all those fake identities as I got stronger. Not enough to fore-swear their usage, but I could feel the temptation to be actually known, rather than acting as a scavenger. But before revealing myself fully, I needed to make sure my combat skills were appropriately in place.

Once again, I sneaked into the weakest forest, one that was filled with class zero dire rabbits, and class one dire foxes, intent on cutting another path through them, getting more skill points while simultaneously exhausting myself enough to be able to sleep. For more than half an hour, I continued, chasing and killing monsters, mostly by my sword, but also relying on my magic on occasion, trying to integrate some quick blasting spells to my combat routine, or curing occasional wound I received. It was tempted to drain my mana by casting life-spells on the creatures, earning a huge boost in my biomancy skill, but I still kept most of my mana pool untouched just in case. After all, I didn’t have anyone to support me if things went sideways.  

[+9 Melee]

[+2 Biomancy]

During that journey, my concentration was only broken when I saw the same warrior girl I had seen before, once again cutting a swathe through a pile of monsters, each blow felling at least two dire rabbits. 

For a moment, I just stood there, appreciating the view. Standing straight, she was tall enough to tower over me by several inches, and the great sword she carried just added the majesty she displayed. Her raven black hair shone under the moonlight, each swing making them flew with the wind. Her muscles, while showed, wasn’t large enough to detract from her sexiness, and they shone with a sweat thick enough to signify that she had been fighting here since I had last seen her hours ago. 

It was an interesting situation, not because she was able to down those weak monsters in one blow, as it was an achievement anyone could replicate, but because these rabbits were still attacking in a rush, which would have meant that she had to have some kind of magical effect driving them to attack. An interesting solution, considering that each kill resulted in one or two experience. A truly torturous way of leveling up. Also, it was dangerous, even in such a well-vetted area, because it wasn’t unheard of for perimeter wards to fail, and a stronger monster to slip in. And while a dire rabbit was manageable even when driven into a frenzy by magic, the same couldn’t be said for an elemental bear or something more dangerous. 

But still, I doubted that she was swinging her sword non-stop for the hours I was away. For once, even for a Melius with endurance focus, swinging that sword for hours was no small feat. But maintaining a proper mindset for the battle was even more difficult. And if one’s focus faltered in the dark, even the weakest monster could be deadly. 

My assessment was correct, it turned out, when I felt the dispersion of a magical field, and the rabbits froze for a moment, taking an account of their situation before dashing away in panic. She pressed her sword on the ground, leaning on it as she battled for her breath. 

It would be a lie if I claimed that I wasn’t tempted to stray into the blood-soaked opening and try to strike a conversation, but in the end, I decided otherwise. Even with my speech skill and charisma, approaching an alone lady exhausted in battle in the middle of a deserted forest was an unnecessary challenge, especially when I didn’t even need to train my speech. 

With that decision, I turned my back, and went deeper into the forest, which was easier than I had been expecting because of the small depopulation caused by the nameless battle maiden. 

After a minute of walking, I received the best confirmation I could about the accuracy of not spending all of my mana. I was cleaving another rabbit, an innocent creature if I discounted its teeth, strong enough to dent steel, its eyes, glowing with an eerie red, and its thirst for human blood; when I felt a warning flash from my proximity ward going off in a way, buzzing with a strength I never felt before. 

The same moment, I heard a soft noise, one that might be easily mistaken for the breeze. If it wasn’t for the proximity ward, I might have fallen for it even with my wisdom and perception stats. But with the warning, I decided to listen to my instincts and threw myself to the side while hastily constructing a shield, the strongest I could manage in less than a second. 

[-50 Mana]

[-30 HP]

It turned out to be a good decision, because a black paw appeared from nowhere, mid-swing, barely slowed down by the barrier as it swung close to my face. A cold sweat spread to my body when a part of my brain decided to assess just how close I had been to an early demise. Sometimes, high intelligence and wisdom carried its own side effects. 

I constructed another shield as I rolled on the ground, this time strong enough to hold back the follow-up attack, and observed the enemy in front of me that almost killed me. A curse escaped my mouth when I noticed my enemy, while it attacked my shield ineffectively. 

[-50 Mana]

A shadow wolf! 

I had no idea why a fucking class eleven creature was on the premises, nor I had time to speculate. I needed all of my attention to survive. I felt the time slow down as adrenaline was pumped into my veins. I tried to remember everything I could remember about them. 

They were nocturnal hunters, and had a reputation for killing the whole parties who dared to camp in the deeper parts of the forests. They were pretty rare, as they were territorial enough to not to allow another shadow creature in their domain. They were fast, strong, but all above, stealthy. 

Funny enough, the last part gave me confidence. I wouldn’t say that the shadow wolf was weak for its class. Its reputation as a party killer was well earned, hunting the stragglers one by one in the night, then melting back to shadows before the rest of the party could respond. 

Luckily, I was well-equipped enough to deal with it thanks to my unique set of skills. I had high enough perception to catch its sneak attacks with the help of my proximity ward, and my agility was high enough to allow me to avoid its lightning-fast dashes. While I would have preferred to have a higher speed, my precision was enough to allow a successful counter-attack. And most importantly, I could cast defensive spells instantly, without trying to coordinate with a mage. Fuck every book that claimed multi-classing was a bad idea. I was alive because of it.  

It attacked the shield that separated us, but once again, failed to penetrate through the barrier. It proved it smarts when, instead of trying to break through the shield by brute force, it turned into a dark cloud, mixing into the darkness, effectively becoming invisible. 

My grip on my sword tightened even as I molded some mana to my left hand, ready to go off. My perception was doing overtime while I waited for its assault. Just like before, it came in a flash. Unlike the last time, I was ready, coiled like a spring, and the moment I received the warning from my proximity ward, my sword flashed, meeting its paw halfway. 

The creature pushed me back even as it roared, and the screech of the metal reached my ears. Who could have guessed that the damaged sword I had stolen from a garbage can wouldn’t have lasted against a semi-legendary creature! But the sword was just a distraction, only there to delay it while I brought my hand under its chin, and sent a bolt of eldritch energy to the soft spot under its chin, putting as much as energy I could manage in a spell.  

[-165 Mana]

It proved fast enough to prevent it from stabbing to its brain, but it wasn’t a complete waste. When it pulled back, a part of its face was absent, and along with an eye. Most of its chin was gone as well, removing the threat of a bite attack along. However, it looked pissed, something that was confirmed a moment later when a furious roar reached my ear. 

And against its fury, I had a broken sword and a mana pool half empty. Trying to repeat the same tactic was tempting, but I wasn’t willing to bet against its adaptability. So instead of trying to sneak, it chose to rush in a furious assault. I rolled away at the last second, but it wasn’t without a cost. I carried a mark of its fury on my left shoulder, deep enough to be deadly if left untreated for a while. Still, I was alive, which was much more important than the alternatives. 

[-220 HP]

I could barely able to stand up when it came with the same furious rush. I sent another bolt of energy, but it just dodged, giving me a second to put another barrier around me. It collided with it, but failed to break through it, which made it roar once more. 

The scene repeated a couple of times, while I tried to come up with a spell it wouldn’t be able to avoid while doing the sufficient damage, but came blank. There was a reason most preferred elemental magic for pure combat purposes. Even my melee abilities were useless with my broken sword, with a reach barely longer than a bread knife, and a blunter tip. 

I was just contemplating a range of suicidal tactics to increase my chance of survival by a sliver when I heard a shout. “Catch.” Both I and the wolf turned towards the sound, and we saw the same female warrior I had observed earlier, but her presence took the back seat against a more important detail. Her greatsword, traveling towards us while turning like a wheel. 

The wolf dodged away easily, but I had a more interesting plan, and less suicidal than the others I could think of. I dispelled the barrier, and took a soft step forward, stretching my abilities to the limit as the sword passed the same space I was occupying just a second ago. My hand flashed, making me thankful for my precision, which, combined with my melee, allowed me to catch the sword midway.

I let its momentum force me to turn, but I directed towards the same area the wolf was trying to land. It realized the danger it was in, and tried to shift back to its shadow state, but it was too late. I swung the sword in a great cleave, aiming its legs… 

The result was spectacular. I was expecting it to wound one of its legs, deep enough to hurt its mobility if I was lucky enough. I certainly wasn’t expecting it to cut through its legs like a knife through the butter, effectively immobilizing it. The sword had some serious enchantment on it, I realized, enough to make it a true treasure. 

[+6 Melee]

It collapsed on the ground, helpless, but it was silent like it understood the fate it awaited him, and accepted. It was an alpha, and was willing to accept its fate with honor. One last chop would have ended it. 

I didn’t want to be the one to deliver that swing, however. While I was dealing with the creature, the surprise guest of the night closed in the distance, and looking at the creature with awed eyes. “A shadow wolf,” she murmured in fascination. 

“A rather interesting surprise, don’t you think, milady,” I said, feeling jovial now that the danger had passed. Then, without a word, I twisted the sword so that I was holding the tip, while the hilt was facing hers. “Thanks for the sword. It is magnificent.” 

“It is amazing, isn’t it,” she said with a sudden display of joy. “It’s the miracle that carried our house name for seven generations, and now it’s my turn,” she added, this time with a sense of challenge, like she expected me to push back. She probably received rather skeptical comments on a woman having such a lofty goal, I realized. She relaxed when I nodded respectively rather than making an issue. “Wouldn’t you like to finish it before giving it back,” she continued, gesturing towards my own broken sword. “Yours doesn’t seem to be up to the task.” 

“It certainly isn’t,” I added. “But rather than taking it myself, I would like to gift that kill for the gallant damsel who chose to save this knight in distress.” 

She giggled at my comment before turning a serious expression. “Are you serious?” she asked. I suddenly had a feeling that, if I tried to do that with a weaker creature, I would receive a rather angry retort about her not needing handouts, but a class eleven creature wasn’t something to be dismissed by pride. I could easily imagine certain nobles paying hundreds of golds for the privilege of delivering the killing blow, thus getting the experience. Of course, for me, the sacrifice was meaningless, considering that I would earn no experience from the deed. 

“Like a heart attack,” I said. “It’s nothing less than a magnificent lady like you, beautiful and courageous deserves.” She tried to look angry, which gave me another insight into her personality. Under normal circumstances, the same words would probably result in a beating. Luckily, the situation was rather far away from the land of normalcy. 

“If you insist,” she said as she took the sword. “But I insist that you get its carcass. Otherwise, it would be too much.” I nodded, and she swung her sword with great expertise, lobbing the head of the creature with a wide swing. She looked at the empty space in front of her, no doubt watching the notification that appeared in front of her with fascination. But she wasn’t the only one that 

[Achievement: Deadly Dowry. Leverage a deadly catch that brought you to the brink of the death to catch the attention of a dangerously sexy lady. +1000 Experience, +3 Strength]

The achievement had been a nice bonus, not that I needed assistance in deciphering her suspiciously curious glances towards my way. I ignored her for a moment, and used my biomancy to heal myself, at this level, it was still very ineffective for it, but I could stop the bleeding at least. 

[+1 Biomancy]

[-100 Mana]

[+15 HP]

But stepping the bleeding wasn’t the only reason I used the spell. She still didn’t know who I was, and the situation was as favorable as it could get to reveal a part of myself, and getting an ally, which had the potential to turn into ally with benefits if everything went well. 

“I wouldn’t have expected a mage skilled enough to take a shadow wolf in single combat. I thought your ilk chose to hide behind proud soldier for protection rather than risking their precious hide.” 

“You would find out that I’m a rather unusual mage, in more ways than one,” I said even as I let my hood to fall down, giving her an unrestricted view of my face. She might be the first one that saw it for a while, because I had started to use an illusion to hide it while I went around in Mule identity. I had to do it, because fourteen points of charisma were rather attention-grabbing. 

“It seems so,” she said, unaware that the night wasn’t enough to hide her blush from my eyes. “But I feel curious just how much.” 

“I would like to explain it, but I fear that the commission might bring some guards here, and I have some reasons to hide my prowess, the general distaste for mages who actually decide to fight instead of hiding behind the others only one of it,” I said, once again glad for my speech skill. I would have focused seducing her, but I expected guards to appear any second, and more I could carve off this monster, the better. 

“Interesting,” she murmured, her eyes alight with interest, in more ways than one. The situation was basically a cheat code for seduction, I had to admit. A handsome, mysterious warrior of a great aptitude, cloaked in dark, suggesting a greater mystery was too tempting to deny for a brave warrior like her. “Maybe we could meet tomorrow night and you can explain those mysteries better.” 

“Agreed. It’s a date,” I said, followed by a wink to reveal that the word choice was intentional. 

She blushed. “Good,” she murmured. “By the way, my name is Aviada,” she said. 

“A magnificent name for a magnificent name,” I said, enjoying her intensifying blush. “And I’m Caesar,” I answered, using my birth name for the first time in a long while. It tasted weird in my tongue, but for the first time in my life, it felt right, that I was finally strong enough to fulfill the implications of the name, which belonged to the biggest hero my city had ever produced. 

“An ambitious name for a mysterious stranger,” she said before disappearing behind the trees. After a brief pause where I repaired my sword, I started skinning my trophy. The more I could get before the guards arrived and I had to disappear, the better. 

After half an hour of tense skinning, and cutting, where I managed to extract every valuable part of the wolf, I had realized that there were no guards coming, which was curious. I didn’t expect them to respond instantly, but even if the wards somehow failed to warn them, they should have heard the battle, or at least, felt the magic I had used. The blast that took half of the monster’s face was not really sneaky, both visually and magically. 

But still, no guard came, and I burned the worthless remains of the wolf -relatively worthless, as they could easily be sold to several golds, but I currently lacked the opportunity to do so, and it might be hard to explain how the Mule suddenly came across a shadow wolf spleen or intestine. But the head, I took along with the skin, bones, and some highly-magical parts like its claws, my biomancy once again coming useful in processing them for storage. 

But burning and processing those took the rest of my mana, and when I returned to my room, I was completely exhausted. But despite my exhaustion, the sleep proved elusive. A part of it was my sudden brush with death. Just a moment’s delay, and I would have died. Still, the sudden appearance of the monster, and the guards’ suspicious absence was more important. Something told me that things were planned, and while I could be the target, my instincts told me otherwise. 

It seemed like I had a mystery to solve if I wanted to keep my new paramour alive… 

————

[Level: 9        Experience: 43400 / 45000 

Strength: 9    Charisma: 14

Precision: 10    Perception: 10

Agility: 12     Manipulation: 12

Speed: 7       Intelligence: 12

Endurance: 10      Wisdom: 17

HP: 187 / 450    Mana: 15 / 585             ]

SKILLS

[Advanced Subterfuge (50/50)     

Advanced Arcana [50/50]        

Advanced Biomancy [31/50]        

Basic Speech [25/25]    

Basic Melee [23/25]        ]

———

I woke up with the first rays of the sun, which was insufficient as rest, as while I recovered the mana I spent during my rest, I had to spend almost all of it recovering several hit points. It was tempting to sleep a few more hours to recover some more, until my library shift started, but another information-gathering task awaited me. 

[+4 Biomancy]

[-400 Mana]

[+113 HP]

Once again in my servant disguise, this time as a stable-helper, I slipped to the warrior section of the area, and worked there for a couple of hours. With my latest radical jump in strength, the work was rather easy even in my exhausted state, something I had appreciated a lot. 

More importantly, I had managed to collect a bit information about my mystery helper. It turned out, it was easy to make idle servants gossip about a sexy woman over six feet tall and an aggressive demeanor. Unfortunately, due to traditional roles expecting a noble lady not to dirty her hands with such nonsense, exacerbated by the said aggressive demeanor, there was a fair bit of resentment towards her, which meant that there was a lot of inaccurate and plain vicious gossip about her, and even for me, separating them was a difficult task.

Some claimed that she killed all of her brothers, while others claimed she hunted the men stupid enough to get near her for sport, while simultaneously claiming that she was a whore that had routine intercourse in the monsters in the forest, and a lot of other ridiculous claims. The only consistent thing was she was a part of a small house with a glorious past, and she decided to take the path of the warrior after the untimely death of her brothers to raise her house reputation, rather than doing what was expected of her and find a decent match, while focusing on the magical arts. 

The other undisputed fact was that her sword was a treasure onto itself. That, I had no trouble believing, because that monster of a sword had cut through a class eleven monster with just a cleave, with only a modest strength of six to support it. Yes, shadow wolves weren’t known for their defense, but only because of their scarier abilities. 

So, when I stood on the line, listening as the head librarian stood ahead of us, my mind was still on the task of separating useful information from garbage, when I noticed a slight limp in her steps. It was a simple thing, barely noticeable even with my perception, but it was enough to pull my attention. 

I started to watch her body language with my full attention, which was hard due to a rather thick robe she was wearing, but thanks to the wide variety of experience I had with loose-style female robes -both wearing them for disguise and peeling them off from sexy ladies- I was able to catch a limp on her steps, which she was trying to hide. 

That made me look even deeper, which allowed me to catch the other signs of a wound she was trying to hide. Curious, because she had a reputation for a highly-accomplished mage. I didn’t know whether she had any healing abilities, but it shouldn’t be hard to find a decent healer, which would keep it secret for her even if she wanted to keep it hidden. Which meant that it was either something recent, something she couldn’t ask any help for, or something that couldn’t be cured by a regular healer. 

Another mystery. It was a pity that this one, I couldn’t have risked trying to solve it. 

But there had been an unexpected side effect of my careful examination. It forced me to register all of her qualities, such as the rather lovely structure of her face, disrupted only by the tight way she gathered her lovely chestnut hair in a tight bun, stretching her skin to an unpleasant sharpness. Her lips, forcibly thinned to hide the fact that they were thick enough to be pouty. Her beautiful brown eyes, hidden behind a pair of edgy, intimidating glasses. 

And just like that, something clicked in me. I had been tricked by her demeanor and the mode of dress, registering her as an old lady past her prime, something her reputation as a war hero only reinforced. But now that I was examining her, I could see that she was a beautiful woman in her early thirties, using every little trick available to her to look stern rather than cute. 

[Achievement: Crack in Character. A new patch created by noticing an interesting detail. +100 Experience, +1 Perception]

Of course, that didn’t change the fact that she was a very accomplished mage, with a level close to thirty based on the stories on her achievements, and with a personality pricklier than a dire porcupine, which made trying to reach her a dangerous proposition. Still, I had a feeling that it wouldn’t keep my back if the situation presented itself. 

But that was something for the future. When she finished giving the tasks of the day, I once again slipped towards the less-visited parts of the library, busying myself with books of combat magic. The last night’s encounter proved to me that I was under-equipped in terms of combat spells, and desperately needed a variety over pure blasts and shields. 

After finishing my work, I was expecting to return to my room for a quick rest. Some of my mana had been replenished thanks to my leisure working pace in the library, but I wanted to sleep until it was the time to meet with Aviada to top it as much as I could manage. I wanted to be prepared for another surprise like the wolf. 

My surprises were yet to be over, however, when I noticed a familiar figure following me in a way that she thought as stealthily. Marianne, my favorite massage customer. She had a hood over her face, and a cloak around her body, but it was a terrible disguise. Her curly blonde hair peeked through, and there was no cloth in the world, enchanted or otherwise, that could hide her delicious curves. 

I was tempted to change my path towards a more crowded part, just to watch her trying to dodge the suspicious gazes of the passerby, but I had a feeling that Marianne wouldn’t be able to weather too many of those glares before skunking away, and I was curious about what she wanted to talk about. 

Instead, I took a turn towards a more deserted area that held the unused beddings and other types of inventory, giving her a chance to close in. I watched from the corner of my eyes as she closed in, but she lost her confidence in the last second. A ridiculous lack of courage, as thanks to experience modifier, I knew for a fact that she was stronger than level ten, but she still failed to close into an abnormal. Yes, she was a healer, but it didn’t justify it. 

I had to get lost, walking even deeper into the unused parts of the tower, for her to gather enough courage to confront me. And even then, it took a few minutes for her to take the decision to dwindle the distance. “Stop,” she finally called as her steps quickened, and I turned towards her, the blank look of the Mule on my face. 

In her hurry, her hood had fallen back, revealing her face, her pinkish color signaling the stress she was feeling. She took a deep breath, trying to gather her composure before starting to speak. “You’ll call your maid back to here!” she ordered. 

“What?” I answered, adding a thick tone of surprise that suggested I failed to comprehend her question. 

It was fun to watch her lose her wind against the unexpected wall of stupidity. She stilled for a second, restarting her thought process, and repeated, this time, much slower. “Your maid, Selena. Write home, and call her back.” 

“Why?” I said, but this time, I didn’t bother to sound like the Mule. I have dipped my head down, letting the shadows of the corner to hide my expression, and while she was distracted by the question, dispelled most of the subtle disguise that was hiding the effects of my charisma increase. 

“Because I order you to do,” she answered, like it was obvious. 

“Really,” I said while raising my head once more, but this time, there was no illusion that hid my expression. She flinched, stunned by the sudden change of the situation. “So, I have to bother writing back to home and angering my stepmother, just because you’re feeling horny,” I added, the smirk on my face widening with every single word that departed my lips. 

“W-what,” she stammered, missing the irony of mirroring my earlier phrase. 

“Come on, Marianne,” I said, taking a step towards her. Trying to process the new situation she found herself in, she struggled to process my words, but she took a step back nevertheless. “Isn’t Cornelia enough to fulfill your needs that you needed to bother my poor maid.” 

It would be a lie if I said that I didn’t enjoy the expression of shock that spread onto her face when I mentioned her secret paramour. Her face turned chalk-white as she realized that her most important secret was known by someone that was much-less Mule-like than she had assumed. 

Her shock soon turned into panic, and her hand jumped up, a ball of fire crackling in her palm, reminding me my closest brush with the death, even closer than the fight against the shadow wolf. But this time, I wasn’t a weakling barely strong enough to hurt a fly. My hand moved in a flash and pushed her wrist up, sending her attack haywire. “Rude,” I murmured. 

Her reaction was rather immediate. I felt a sudden shift of mana, indicating that she was preparing for a huge attack. I could have shielded myself, but that would reveal my magical aptitude as well, something I wanted to keep hidden as much as possible. Instead, I pulled my dagger, and pressed under her chin, sharp enough to remind its presence without actually drawing blood. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” 

Just like that, the pressure from her assault dispersed, and I pulled the knife away. She was trembling badly, but I wasn’t feeling charitable after her attempt to erase me from the face of the planet. She leaned against the wall, and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. From her reaction, I could see that she was even more removed from the danger than I had assumed, even when considering her specialization as a healer. 

“Are you well enough to talk, or should I try to find a seat for myself while waiting for you?” I said, not so charitably warning her. 

“But… You… Mule… How is it possible,” she murmured, with long breaks between the sentences, trying to process the fact that the idiotic but harmless worker she had seen around had such a dangerous secret in reality. 

“For reasons that would take too long to explain, I had to arrange being sent here to avoid assassination, and that idiot persona was a part of my disguise, because it was useful. You can’t believe the secrets you find when people think you’re stupid enough to mix up and down.” I stopped for a second, my smile gaining a dark quality. “Or in second thought, you know exactly what kind of secrets that might be found, don’t you, sweetie,” I added, caressing her cheek softly just to reiterate the situation. 

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked, clearly confused. 

“Because you can’t tell anyone,” I said, but even as I said that, I realized it sounded like something a third-rate villain might say before killing his victim, so I quickly amended. “Because the things I know about you are much more dangerous, so you would be an idiot to reveal that. I would just lose my cover, which, for reasons that would stay hidden for now, starting to outlive its usefulness. How would your family react if they knew your unholy relationship with a woman from a rival family?” 

My lengthy explanation was enough to push the situation for her. “What do you want?” she asked in surrender. 

“Don’t be down, sweetie, I don’t need anything from you,” I said, which made her react incredulously. “Don’t be too shocked, while there is quite a few I could force from you, I’m not in a habit of blackmailing helpless damsels.” Which was a bald-faced lie, as I had no complications about using the said blackmail to my benefit, but the way she reacted to the situation revealed that she was even easier to manipulate than I had first assumed. Why should I have an angry servant while I could have a devoted one instead? 

“So, you want nothing,” she reiterated, relief overcoming her surprise. 

“Well, I wouldn’t say no if you occasionally drop by for a quick chat. Boredom is the biggest problem in wearing the disguise of an idiot. And with my loyal maid gone, I don’t have anyone to talk to. Before she departed, we were talking for hours, where she told me about her day.” 

“She tells you about her day,” Marianne said, her panic invading her voice once more. 

“Yes,” I said, stretching the word like it was a particularly delicious piece of food. I let my gaze fell down, devouring her body. “She told me everything, including the rather interesting adventures she had during her latest job assisting a rather curious noble lady.” I made a show of zipping my mouth, signaling that it will stay a secret. 

“Thanks,” she murmured, but her voice was more stressed than relaxed. I understood where she was coming from. My commitment to stay silent wasn’t worth much with her information being worth so little. At least, that was what I had made it look like by revealing it in my own choice. 

“Of course, I shouldn’t have to say it, that it needs to be a two-sided act, even including Cornelia. If you choose to talk to her about anything about me, I might find myself explaining some of your adventures without her.” I stopped for a moment, then continued with a teasing manner. “But it shouldn’t worry you. Luckily, she is even-tempered enough to handle it, right?” 

That, despite the tenseness of the situation, managed to earn a snort from her. It wasn’t a perfect joke, but delivered by the supernaturally good timing and tone, enhanced by my speech skill, it worked wonders. It was an interesting tone, timing, and pacing of the words had even more important than the meaning they hold. 

“So, what now,” she said, calmed after her short laughter. 

“Nothing much, you’ll stop searching for Selena, as she had to leave for another task for the family, and I don’t want anyone to start asking about her linked to me. There was a reason she didn’t wear her family's allegiance openly. On that topic, even among the servants, you need to be more careful who to trust. You’re lucky that I don’t have any ulterior motives towards you,” I said, probably uttering the most bald-faced lie that had ever left my lips. 

“I understand,” she said in a slight annoyance for being patronized, which was my intention. Slight annoyance was much easier to manage than fear of one’s safety. 

“Excellent. Try to drop by occasionally, as it will get without Selena’s company,” I said and started walking away. But just before disappearing around the corner, and facing at her, who was watching me with confusion, still trying to process the sudden change in the situation. “And, feel free to drop by if you want to receive a massage from Selena’s master, satisfaction guaranteed.”

[Achievement: Foxy Flirting. Twist dangerous and threatening situation into not-so-innocent flirting. +200 Experience, +2 Manipulation] 

It was amusing to watch her dash away with panic, so much that I was tempted to follow her, applying a more direct method of seduction. Unfortunately, I still needed rest for tonight’s meeting, in case that shadow wolf wasn’t the only thing that was planned by the shadow planner. 

I wasn’t willing to believe that a shadow wolf accidentally sneaked into the level one forest the same night the guards decided to be suspiciously absent. 

When I went back to my room, I chose to take a small nap, ignoring the temptation to start playing with the trophy bones I had picked. Even without spending it frivolously, I would be around three-quarter mark after another nap. I didn’t even spend it to fully recover my HP, why should I waste it for a few pieces of bone. 

I left my room about an hour before the promised meeting time, once again dressed as a servant. My first stop was the armory, and I managed to steal a sword and a dagger without much difficulty, dismissing the fact that their absence would cause some headache for the quartermaster. Their count was, unlike the ones marked garbage, was limited. They weren’t masterpieces in any stretch of the word, and they didn’t have a scrap a magic of their creation, but they were quite a bit more reliable than the one I had picked from the garbage, even after the magical treatment. 

After that, I stayed in my servant guise while walking towards the female warrior section, waiting for Aviada to appear. Not because I wanted to talk to her, but because I wanted to see if her passage would trigger a spy. 

A few minutes later, Aviada appeared at the entrance, and started walking towards the forest. I didn’t have to wait for long, as one of the servants disappeared suspiciously the moment he had seen her, and a moment later, I felt a flare of magic. Even around the warrior halls, it wasn’t that uncommon enough to be noteworthy, but not enough to make the servant’s disappearance just a coincidence. 

With the conspiracy targeting my new friend confirmed, I quickened my steps towards the forest, just in case the planner in the shadow decided to act quicker than I feared. Aviada was too interesting to lose quickly. 

———

[Level: 9        Experience: 43700 / 45000 

Strength: 9    Charisma: 14

Precision: 10    Perception: 11

Agility: 12     Manipulation: 14

Speed: 7       Intelligence: 12

Endurance: 10      Wisdom: 17

HP: 370 / 450    Mana: 535 / 612             ]

SKILLS

[Advanced Subterfuge (50/50)     

Advanced Arcana [50/50]        

Advanced Biomancy [35/50]        

Basic Speech 25/25    

Basic Melee 23/25        ]

———

I wasn’t too far behind Aviada in entering the forest, but while she decided to stand as a part of the house, I had sneaked around the perimeter, sneaking through the ward rather easily. It wasn’t a weak ward, but the fact that it was mostly geared to contain monsters made my work much easier. 

After a pause where I removed my servant disguise and changed into my hooded cloak, I dashed towards the opening where we promised to meet, killing occasional dire rabbits and foxes with a swing of my sword. Melee fighting might not be as effective as magic in killing strong monsters, but it was much more efficient when targeting the weaker ones. Also, it allowed me to maximize my melee skill. 

[+2 Melee]

Thanks to my quick pace, I stepped into the opening soon after Aviada, but as I stepped in, I couldn’t help but do a double-take. The subtle, but extremely effective change in her attire had caught me surprised. She was still wearing the cloak she had been when she left her room, but it was unclasped, revealing what she had been wearing underneath. 

As the last night, she chose to wear a simple shirt rather than armor, but the shirt didn’t have the same cut. It was tighter, still easy to move in but enough to add a hint of sexiness, something that was further enhanced by the small dip in the chest area. It wasn’t a particularly deep cleavage, but with her chest size, it hadn’t had to be to look sexy. And the fact that she was carrying her bloodied sword with an obvious mastery just enhanced the impression. 

“How are you this fine evening, my noble savior,” I said, going with a classical noble opening, but with just enough derision to indicate it was a joke. 

“Rather well, mysterious warrior,” she said, the subtle pressure on the word of mysterious hinting that, unlike last night, she expected some explanation. 

I gave a mock bow, which made her chuckle. Then, when I started walking towards her, suddenly, I felt several triggers in my proximity ward, in the familiar presence of rabbits. The same motion I pulled my sword, I killed the closest one. Another swing killed one more. 

The reason for the sudden assault would have been obvious even if I couldn’t feel the presence of the lure spell. But more interesting, now that I was near her, I could feel that it wasn’t her that cast it, but the sword, making it even more precious than my initial assumption. 

A glance at her showed that she was busy watching me even as she killed her share of monsters. What she was expecting to see was obvious, so I decided to give it rather than pointlessly extending the situation. With a wave of my hand, I created ten different arcana bolts, each flying towards the target without missing, and killing them. An impressive-looking spell that required great magical expertise. Unfortunately, it didn’t do much damage, even struggling with class one creatures with stronger damage. On the plus side, it was cheap.   

[-5 Mana]

“Impressive,” she said even as I stopped feeling the effects of the lure spell. “It’s rare to see a mage that decides to learn the way of the sword, and even rarer to find one that could wield it half-decent, which makes you a curiosity,” she continued as she closed in. 

I might have taken insult to her arrogant way of talking, but the hint of interest underneath her tone went a long way to soothe my pride. “I aim to please,” I said with another exaggerated bow, but she continued watching me without a hint of humor. “Let’s just say that for reasons too long to explain, I had to fake being an Abnormal since I was a child. A drawback to it that I lacked the resources to guide my development, and being a master of both blade and magic seemed too attractive. When I finally managed to arrange to come to Silver Tower, it was too late to turn back, so I leaned in my unique situation further.” 

“Does it work,” she asked curiously. 

“That’s a loaded question. The utility it gives is certainly useful, but it comes with a rather big trade-off in maximum power. But all around, it works well for my lonesome road.” 

“I understand,” she said with a nod, which didn’t surprise me. After all, I had constructed the story based on the information I was able to gather this morning. The story was structured in a way that would get her sympathies, showing both self-sufficiency and courage while plagued by the kind of structural problems she experienced in her life. Even better, it true enough to sustain any examination she could bring to bear. 

For a moment, the silence stretched, then she said. “It must be disappointing, unable to live up to your promise,” she said. “Even with such a specialization, you were able to kill a shadow wolf alone. I can’t imagine how strong you would have been otherwise.” 

“I find it’s for to best not to focus too much on what might have happened if the dice of fate rolled differently. I am here, and I’m strong enough to defend myself and mine. The only annoyance is the role I had to take as a stupid library worker, but I’m used to it, at least. Also, I can’t say that I was able to kill a shadow wolf by myself. Your help was decisive.” 

“Nonsense,” she said, waving the compliment away. “I have seen the state of it when I arrived. It was just a matter of time before you killed it. And more importantly, you managed to avoid its ambush in the darkness, alone, at a time that you have no reason to expect such a danger. I doubt that there is a handful of the students that would manage such a feat in the school. I don’t doubt that there are even some teachers that would have fallen to it.”

I just nodded in appreciation. What she said was correct, though it was more about the match-up between my skill set and the strength of the monster. I certainly wouldn’t expect to survive against a more well-rounded monster in that caliber - not yet at least. “But that still leaves the question about who was responsible for its presence.” 

“What do you mean?” she asked. 

“It’s already unlikely for a shadow wolf to sneak through the wards around the school unless it was tempted by something.” She glanced towards her sword, but I cut her off. “No, the lure your sword has is not loud enough to be felt outside of the wards. But if I wasn’t closer, using magic, I have no doubt you would be its target,” I added, subtly reminding her that my presence saved her life, as some hidden appreciation wouldn’t hurt. 

“But if it wasn’t my sword, what was it?” she asked.

“That’s the question,” I said. “But the fact that it managed to sneak in without raising any alarm while guards were absent is definitely suspicious. Until we can find better evidence, it’s better to assume that it was a conspiracy aiming one of us, and try to stick into the crowds as much as possible.” 

“But that’s not possible,” she answered. “I have my reasons, but I can’t afford to slow down my leveling!” 

I could feel the strength of her determination as she spoke. Luckily, I had no intention of actually dissuading her. “Well, if you’re determined in that, maybe we could work together. It would be safer.” I could see she was dissatisfied with it, so I quickly moved to placate her. “I have no problems with you getting the lion’s share of the rabbits and other critters. I don’t really need the experience from them,” I added, reinforcing her impression that I had a very high level, which made any possible benefit from the rabbits even less important.

“That might actually work,” she murmured, looking thoughtful. Then, a smirk spread onto her face, adding a teasing quality to her face. “Of course, I need to make sure you’re good enough to keep up,” she added. 

Despite knowing just how ill-advised it was, I decided to answer her challenge by pulling out my sword. “To the first blood?” I asked. 

“That works,” she answered, but even as the answer left her lips, her sword was cutting the air with great speed. Unfortunately for her, I could see her readying for that surprise strike before she could even move, and leaned back slightly, enough to make the sword miss me in a hair’s breadth. 

That show of courage worked wonders in enhancing the hint of respect in her eyes. It was not without a reason. Only through the absolute confidence in my agility and perception, I was able to take that risk, because I had seen just how effective her sword had been on a class eleven monster. A mistake might cost me my life, but once again, I found such a risk was easy to take to impress such an unusual, yet impressive, specimen of femininity. 

She attacked once more, but this time, I parried. She looked dissatisfied by the path I took, but that was replaced by surprise when I changed the trajectory of my sword at the last moment, and rather than meeting the edge, pushed away on the blunt side. Or more accurately, tried to push as I found out that she was a great deal stronger than me. It was around fifteen, if I were to guess. 

If her smirk was any indicator, she was aware of the gulf between our strength, and had no complications to leverage that. Instead of letting her sword fly away, she kept them in contact, changing the angle to rub the edges together. I took a step back, but not before she took a huge chunk out of my sword. 

Intending to spice up the fight a bit, I raised my hand, about to send a few arcane bolts to her, to see how she would react, but the sight of sudden disappointment stopped me. Clearly, she was hoping for a martial only fight. Since impressing her was much more important than winning, I used the mana I had molded for a repair spell, dragging my finger along the edge of my sword to fix the edge, and reinforcing it a bit for the good measure. Just like that, the smile was back on her face. 

[-10 Mana]

“Handy,” she said cheekily before rushed towards me once more, this time much faster, showing that her strength wasn’t the only physical stat she had been focusing for. Her agility and speed weren’t anything to scoff either, though they were not at the level of her physical strength. 

Once again I pulled back. I was afraid of meeting her strength and superior technique, supported by her more than decent agility. Her better reach made the situation even worse. My enhanced melee helped, but only a little. The only thing that allowed me to put a decent resistance was my mental abilities, particularly the manipulation, tricking her with a number of feints, preventing her from fully focusing on the assault. 

But even then, the duel continued only because she wasn’t applying her maximum capacity. It was obvious that she was more than capable of taking the victory in a purely-physical contest. But at least, I was giving enough to make it fun for her. 

A minute passed with attacks and ripostes. I could see the beginnings of boredom on her face as she got a hang of my fighting style, and I chose that moment to push her sword with a display of agility I kept hidden, and stepped inside her guard. She could have killed me easily in that position, but wounding me slightly was out of option. 

My sword slashed for once before I pulled back. “Just a bit more,” I said, but while saying that, a flirting smile was on my face. The reason, the large gash I had left on her shirt, revealing a delicious view of her flat stomach. 

[+20 Experience]

For a moment, her expression was blank as she gazed at me, making me afraid that I had pushed the situation too much. But even then, I kept my smile steadily, and bringing all the charm that could be sustained by fourteen charisma. Luckily, it was enough, and a blush spread on her face, followed by a flirting smile that somehow managed to look intimidating at the same time. She charged with a skill that she hadn’t displayed before, and soon, I had a matching cut on my shirt. 

“Just a bit more,” she said, mirroring my phrase, and from there, the game was afoot. For the next few minutes, the duel continued with a renewed sense. It took a minute for my shirt to fell in tatters, leaving my upper body, and my brand-new muscles, in the display, but it wasn’t entirely one-sided. I had managed to leave chip away her shirt enough to leave the task of covering her breasts to her chest bindings, which was, from what I could see, quite tight. 

[+180 Experience]

[Achievement: Ferocious Flirting. Flirt through a combat situation risky enough to cause death in a mistaken move. +500 Experience, +2 Strength]

A smirk boomed on my face as I felt a renewed power filled my muscles, and I started pushing her more aggressively. My strength was still far from hers, but fresh two points were enough to enhance my strategic options significantly, especially since she wasn’t expecting it. When I parried her next assault, I made sure to put enough strength behind my blow to make her sword veer out of my way, leaving me free to cut into 

To her credit, she recovered quickly, but not fast enough to prevent me from leaving a vertical slash on her chest bindings. I wasn’t able to cut it completely, but it loosened enough for her glorious breasts to show their full potential, while also giving me a good view of her tanned breasts.  

[+200 Experience]

Her surprise lasted only for a second before she assaulted with a renewed vigor, revealing that just how much she had been underplaying her ability. Her blade swung with a skill that she hadn’t displayed before, and my sword flew away from my hand without the slightest resistance. 

She smirked as she brought the sword to my neck, creating a very small nick, but it hurt quite a bit despite its size, another indicator of the rather impressive value of her sword. Her chest puffed with the pride of her victory, which, under other circumstances, might have annoyed me quite a bit, but since my attention was more focused on the great view created by her move, I let the situation slide. She was aware of my gaze, and quite satisfied by it. 

[-5 HP] 

[+150 Experience]

“That wasn’t terrible,” I said with a challenging smirk. “But how about a more even fight, no weapons,” I added, which made her courage waver for a moment, but my speech skill wasn’t only useful for the situations I could talk. A quirk of my eyebrow gave the impression of an unintentional noting of her reluctance for a challenge that she wasn’t holding an overwhelming advantage. 

I wasn’t surprised when she pushed her sword into the ground with a renewed challenge on her face. “Let’s do it,” she murmured. I couldn’t help but smirk as I lunged forward, feinting an assault before pulling out at the last moment. She managed to react at the last second, but with significantly less skill than what she had for the sword fight, suggesting that she had picked a more specialized combat skill rather than picking melee. 

Another assault later, took a hold of her arm, but only for a moment, because I didn’t want to give her an opportunity to grab me. I didn’t want to convert the situation where she could bear her full strength. But while I was pulling back, I kept a hold of her shirt, which, thanks to all the cuts over it, came off with a ripping sound, leaving her chest-bindings as her only protection. 

Her arms rose to her chest in reflex, but a moment later, she let them fall, choosing to lunge towards me instead of trying to secure her modesty. The adrenaline was working even better than I could have hoped for, loosening any inhibition she might feel. 

[+100 Experience]

With another level so close to attain, once again, I was tempted to push my luck. During the next attack, I managed to twist after grabbing her arm, and took a position behind her, forcing her arm behind as well. A yelp escaped her mouth, but it was cut short when I pushed my shaft onto her tight ass, stripping the pretense of the situation. 

[+200 Experience]

Level UP!

[Select one of the following skills: Basic Stealth, Advanced Melee, Advanced Speech] 

I quickly selected melee before shifting my attention back to the situation. She was frozen, so I decided to introduce some movement to the situation, and started the dance of my hips. “Do you surrender?” I asked. 

“Never,” came the answer, but she was unable to hide a rather obvious sense of desire from her tone. I could feel that a rather fun event was about to happen. 

Naturally, the involvement of the conspirators chose that exact moment to come to the surface, in the form of a trickling in the proximity ward I had set up. “Duck,” I called her even as I raised my hand, glowing with a bright purple as a bunch of elemental hyenas burst into the opening, ready to attack.

I sent the bolt to them, disrupting their formation even as Aviada rolled for her sword. But despite the danger, I saw the opportunity to boost my experience. I ‘accidentally’ hooked my finger to her already-damaged chest bindings, and her momentum did the rest, leaving her half-naked, her breasts dangling under the effect of the sudden momentum change. 

[+150 Experience] 25% Penalty due to level equality!

I couldn’t exactly say that I was happy learning her level, as, from the way she fought, I had been willing to bet that she was stronger, but she probably just had a higher-than-average stat distribution, supported by a bunch of over-specialized skills. At least, the angry glare she sent me was promisingly playful as she took a defensive position. 

Watching the way the moonlight danced over her tanned skin was a promising idea, but unfortunately, I had more immediate concerns, such as, the pack of elemental hyenas that was ready to pounce.  

————

[Level: 10    Experience: 45200 / 55000 

Strength: 11    Charisma: 14

Precision: 10    Perception: 11

Agility: 12     Manipulation: 14

Speed: 7       Intelligence: 12

Endurance: 10      Wisdom: 17

HP: 380 / 500    Mana: 550 / 680             ]

SKILLS

[Advanced Subterfuge (50/50)     

Advanced Arcana [50/50]        

Advanced Biomancy [35/50]        

Advanced Melee 25/50

Basic Speech 25/25        ]

———

Things were about to get heated, but not in a way I might have preferred, I thought as I shielded myself and Aviada from a burst of fire, courtesy of the pack of elemental hyenas surrounding us. 

[-20 Mana] 

Taken alone, elemental hyenas weren’t exactly a challenge for my level. Compared to other class six creatures, they neither had the strength or the endurance to justify their rather high experience gain. As their name indicated, they had the ability to use elemental magic, but not in a level that would be truly staggering, even for someone around level five or six unless they had really terrible stats. 

The problem was their unique ability to link their casting power to create much stronger effects. So, larger the pack, more devastating their attacks became. The only thing that kept them from becoming a threat against the towns and cities was the fact that only very rarely a pack had more than a dozen members.

Luckily, it wasn’t one of those rare times, as I doubted that I would have been able to resist a fireball from a full pack, especially with the relative combat-weakness of arcana magic. Seven hyenas weren’t trivial by any stretch of the word, but it wasn’t too hard to handle as well for a level ten tag team, especially when one of them was equipped with a spectacular enchanted sword, while the other had an average stat score over ten. 

And the earlier arcana bolt I had sent worked in my benefit as well, distracting three of the hyenas enough to prevent them from joining the spell, hence the ease I could block their assault. But I could sense they are gathering their magical power for another spell. 

While they were doing that, I leveraged the proximity ward in place to get an instant sense of their formation. The three I had assaulted with the arcana bolt had pulled back towards the leader of the pack, which was easy to detect because the gathering mana was centering on it. Luckily for us, their pulling back had left their formation unbalanced, with two of them far enough from the rest. 

“Attack left, I’ll distract the others,” I ordered Aviada, as sharp and commanding as I could manage. We had the advantage, and I wanted to keep it. She said nothing as she charged forward, while I sent a wave of concussive force towards the main pack of the hyenas, forcing most of them to jump away. 

[-50 Mana]

Their spell fizzled. Without the contribution from the rest, the leader’s assault only managed to create a weak bolt of fire, which I pushed away negligently. Under normal circumstances, my strategy would be a horrible one for a level ten mage, wasting a huge chunk of mana for a temporary benefit. But I had two advantages that changed the situation. First was my mana poll, which was significantly higher than any other level ten thanks to my high stats. 

The second was Aviada, who already managed to slay two hyenas caught flatfooted by her assault. I watched her from the corner of my eyes, my attention split between the supernatural grace she displayed while destroying those monsters, and the way her sexy body coiled in the process. 

[+75 Experience] 25% Penalty!

The leader of the hyenas noticed the threat our approach represented as well, and responded with a bolt of lightning. Aviada charged the larger pack, ignoring the threat it posed, trusting me to handle it. I had no problems creating another shield, dispersing it. 

[-25 Mana]

The rest of the battle collapsed rather easily. Hyenas, even the elemental variety was rather cowardly, and seeing half of them dying without inflicting the slightest damage was enough to destroy their resolve. They tried to rush away, but I chose to cast another spell, binding them in place. Another wasteful spell, as it only held them in place for a moment, but it was enough for Aviada to finish them all but one. 

[-50 Mana]

The last one, realizing the danger Aviada was posing, decided to attack the seemingly weaker target, and dashed for me with great speed. Not fast enough that I couldn’t nail it with an arcana bolt, but I was aware the disdain Aviada had for magic, or more acutely, mages that did nothing but staying behind while raining spells, so I used telekinesis to grab my discarded sword instead. With my strength and its momentum, the last hyena hadn’t had a chance of survival, cleaved into two with a calculated swing. Unnecessarily brutal, but I had a feeling Aviada would appreciate it.  

[+1 Melee] 

“That was fun,” Aviada murmured as she pressed the tip of her bloodied sword on the ground, noting the cleaved presence of the last hyena. She stood like that for a moment, giving me the full view of her breasts, the view enhanced further by her breathing, then she brought her arm over her chest, a smirk on her face. 

“Watching you dispatch them was a true pleasure,” I said, letting my eyes dip down her chest pointedly. I had a good enough handle on her personality to know that trying to hide my gaze would earn no respect from her. And letting her take the experience of seven moderately-high class creatures without a word didn’t hurt either. 

She said nothing, but her seductive smile was answer enough. She walked towards her clothes, dispatched on the ground, and passed them to me. “Could you fix them for me,” she said. I did so without complaint, considering I was the one responsible for it. Of course, if I had the choice, I would have preferred her to stay like that, but it was the second assault, and it added some urgency to our situation. 

While I fixed it, she once again stabbed her sword to the ground and turned her back to me. But, rather than asking the bindings back, she raised her arms. As a gentleman, I had to help her, of course, so I started to wrap the bindings around her chest once more. If my hands touched the soft skin of her breasts, it was completely accidental! 

[+150 Experience] 25% Penalty! 

She turned back to me, and after the slight delay while she put her shirt back on, we were ready to talk. I could see that she had a serious expression on her face. “It confirms that yesterday’s assault was not an accident,” she said.

“Yes,” I answered, but my tone wasn’t as somber as her, which made her look confused. “It’s not as bad as I feared,” I continued. “It proves that whoever was involved, they don’t have the ability to pick the exact creature they let in. The likeliest possibility is that they weakened the wards on the outer walls, and bribed a few guards to look the other way.” 

“How do you know that?” she asked. 

“Would you have sent a pack of hyenas to fulfill a task which a shadow wolf failed?” I asked, and she just nodded. “I think the best thing to do for me to disappear, while you find a teacher or guard captain you trust, and tell them that you met with some extra-strong creatures in the training forest. That would force them to update the wards, which would make a repeat of the situation impossible.” 

“And the conspiracy?” 

“It’s best if we don’t mention it,” I explained. “We still don’t have any evidence, and it’s for the best if you don’t make an enemy of the guards. Them looking away is bad, but we don’t want them to get directly involved in the conspiracy as well.” 

It was a testament of the trust I had managed to generate in such a short amount of time that she just nodded in acceptance. Clearly, she had a distaste towards more concealed forms of doing business, and was more than happy to leave me on control. For a few minutes, I carefully went over all the things she needed to mention and avoid, handling the conspiracy far too important to prioritize flirting at that point.

“So,” she murmured, sounding no less disappointed than I was. “That’s it for tonight, I presume,” she said. 

“Unfortunately,” I answered. “And it’s best if we don’t meet here tomorrow, as there is no doubt that there will be a lot of guards around tomorrow.” She looked downcast, but I was quick to console. “But don’t worry, I’ll make sure that you’ll get a note about our next meeting. Until then, goodbye,” I added. 

I leaned close, and put a gentle kiss on her cheek. The unexpected closeness made her blush. “See you around, milady,” I said before walking away, feeling her gaze over me as I disappeared amongst the shadowy foliage. 

——————————————————

The next day, I was wandering around aimlessly in the library, trying to penetrate the mystery around the mysterious assaults against my newest possible paramour, but I managed to hit a barrier. 

I had been hoping that the servant from the last night who worked as the lookout would give me a clue on the identity of the instigators. Unfortunately, when I went in the morning, I learned that he had been found murdered at the spot of the breach, and the official statement claimed that he was a hidden mage that was responsible for opening the breach, who died when the first wave of creature had passed. 

I didn’t believe a word of it, of course. It was clear that the instigators and the guards in their employ -either bribed or a part of the scheme- covered the situation by sacrificing him. It was a masterful stroke, I decided, successfully shifting the blame while plugging a potential information leak. Too bad that it made my investigation significantly harder. 

Luckily, I saw a familiar face entering the library, promising to alleviate the mindless drudgery I had been experiencing. I saw Marianne browsing between the shelves, moving deeper as her face was scrunched with focus as she looked for a particular topic. And to make it even more fun, she was in the deeper parts of the library, not exactly as obscure as the location of her adventures with Cornelia, but hidden enough for a little chat. 

I sneaked close until I was sufficiently close. “May I help you?” I asked, making no attempt to hide my voice. 

She flinched as she rapidly turned, the way she stumbled suggesting that agility was not one of the stats she managed to increase. “You!” she said with a sharp tone, but luckily, she had enough presence of mind not to shout. 

“Long time no see,” I said with a cheerful manner even as I let the full impact of my charisma to the surface. “Is there anything I can do to help, like assisting you to find the book you’re looking for.” 

“Not likely,” she said but when I looked at with an amusing questioning. 

“Really,” I said. “Honey, I’m sorting those shelves for the last several years. Don’t you think there is a slight possibility that I might know where to find a few obscure books?” 

“Maybe you do,” she murmured, avoiding my gaze. I listened to her calmly as she rattled the names of several books in rapid succession. 

“I’ll be back in a minute, wait for me here,” I said, and jumped back to the library. The books she asked for were quite obscure, but luckily, she was looking at them at the correct section, so it didn’t take long for me to assemble them. When I walked in front of the same shelf a few minutes more, I had several books in my hands, and she was sitting a chair, looking uncomfortable. I was glad to see she hadn’t used the opportunity to get away. Misguided pride was always useful. “Everything you asked for, honey,” I said as I placed the books in front of her. 

I could see that she wasn’t entirely happy about her pet name, but also, she wasn’t in a position to antagonize me over it. She chose silence as she opened the first book, and started browsing, a not-so-subtle message, tying to indicate her busyness, likely hoping that I would just go away. 

I had no intention of letting the opportunity slip away. Instead, I turned back, making a show of reorganizing the shelves. My back was turned, but it wasn’t hard to conjure a small mirror in an obscure place, angled correctly, allowing me to watch her while keeping her obvious. 

The way her eyes darted between me and the small corridor between the shelves that led towards the more crowded areas of the library, assessing the merits of staying versus beating a hasty retreat. Her desire lay on the latter, but her pride didn’t allow her to take the former. Though the role of her underdeveloped sense of danger couldn’t be overstated, not knowing even in a relatively open location, things I could do. 

But first, I needed a way to ensure my ploy wouldn’t be destroyed by someone dropping by. It took all of my concentration to establish a weak proximity ward, barely more than a tripwire. I could have established something stronger, but it might have alerted Marianne. Or even worse, the head librarian might have noticed it despite the distance between us. Discovering the existence of her hidden femininity didn’t mean that she suddenly became any less threatening.

With that complete, I turned away from the shelves, and towards Marianne, who was looking the books in front of her with a deep concentration, so obviously fake that I would have known she had been watching me regardless. I didn’t call her on that, as her ploy forced her to stay silent as I walked towards her. 

The fact that she didn’t flinch when I put my hands on her shoulder was yet another evidence of her awareness. She tried to stand up, but with the strength difference between us so great, I was able to prevent that instantly. She could have used the magic of course, which I couldn’t have prevented without escalating into a battle, but it seemed that she was equally reluctant to take that step as well. 

“What are you doing,” she asked even as I started to squeeze her shoulders in a complex pattern. 

“Giving you a massage,” I said in such a natural, matter-of-fact tone that it surprised her into inactivity. “Without Selena, you’re looking really tense, so I decided to help you a bit.” It wasn’t even a lie. She was much tenser than the last time, likely the combined effect of a sudden lack of massages, her inability to get some quality time with Cornelia, all compounded by my knowledge of her secrets. 

I leveraged the full effect of my increased stats and everything I had learned during the sessions I was disguised as Selena to the maximum effect. Subjected to that, I wasn’t surprised when the first thing that left her mouth was a helpless whimper. “That’s enough,” she said, but that would have been more effective if it wasn’t interrupted by a moan when I destroyed a particularly tense knot on her shoulders. 

“Are you sure,” I asked even as I continued the systemic destruction of the knots on her back, each earning another moan. 

She stayed silent for a moment as she mulled on the answer. Well, not exactly silent, as occasional gasps and moans still escaped her lips. More accurately, no answer left her mouth while she considered her answer, each passing second swaying her decision a bit more. “A bit more wouldn’t hurt,” she whispered in a defeat, one easy to digest if her quickening gasps was any indicator. 

[+100 Experience]

After her explicit approval, I decided to move onto the next stage. I gently pushed her forward, my hands wandering along her spine, a journey ending on the small of her back. I was tempted to dip deeper, treating myself for another dose of her spectacular bottom, but I kept myself back. No need to push her too much in our first encounter -from her perspective. 

But being restricted to her back and shoulders didn’t mean that I was helpless. As her tenseness slowly decreased, the nature of my touches changed from clinical to sensual, something that she elected not to comment, too distracted by her pleasure. 

[+200 Experience]

The speed of her change was over my expectations, making me consider the relative merits of pushing for more, but a warning from my proximity ward invalidated that option without reaching the decision. Luckily, our uninvited visitor wasn’t walking towards us, meaning, I was able to take my tame pulling back, waiting until she was just at the edge of another loud moan before pulling back. 

“Much better, right?” I said with a proud look on my face. 

She opened her mouth, but stopped just as the first word was forming on her lips. I was willing to bet my ability to gain experience that she was about to order me to continue before realizing the position such a request would put her under. Instead, she nodded wordlessly, and turned back to the book that was still open in front of her. 

My attention was already on the shelves when another student walked into the same part we were in, and I walked away, distant enough to hide from Marianne while still keeping tabs on her. I watched as she sent a message through magic, an expensive spell, which cost quite a bit of mana even in short distances, therefore used only in emergencies. They were almost impossible to track. Luckily, I had a good idea about the identity of the recipient. 

——————

[Level: 10    Experience: 45725 / 55000 

Strength: 11    Charisma: 14

Precision: 10    Perception: 11

Agility: 12     Manipulation: 14

Speed: 7       Intelligence: 12

Endurance: 10      Wisdom: 17

HP: 500 / 500    Mana: 670 / 680             ]

SKILLS

Advanced Subterfuge [50/50]     

Advanced Arcana [50/50]        

Advanced Biomancy [37/50]        

Advanced Melee [26/50]

Basic Speech [25/25]       

———

After seeing Marianne sending that message, I made sure to stay around close enough to notice when she was leaving, but far enough to avoid being noticed, not wanting to discourage her from visiting her good friend Cornelia. It was good that I did, because only a minute later she stood up and moved for the door at a speed that could almost be described as dashing, proving the effectiveness of my massage tricks. 

I followed her of course, only stopping a moment to disguise myself as a non-descriptive servant on the way, my mind on the ways of breaking them quickly. A servant accidentally coming across them was an option, but not a good one, considering Cornelia’s response when I stumbled on them. That night, the only thing that saved me was their belief in my inability to speak about it. So, it wasn’t my preferred way of interdiction. 

That track of thought turned out to be useless when Marianne took a direction towards the outside, rather than the storage rooms like I was expecting to. Instead, she took a path that would directly lead to the training forests. 

The same place that was out of commission due to elemental hyena incident. 

I continued to follow her from a distance, but this time, not because I was needed to break the ploy, but to watch her reaction when she was being turned away. 

Soon, she arrived at the forest, only to find several guards around the perimeter, some already having arguments with the entitled students that weren’t very familiar with the concept of rejection. Marianne was no different in that aspect, of course, but her non-confrontational attitude prevented her from making a spectacular mess. 

Frustrated, she turned back, only to meet with Cornelia at the halfway. Another heated discussion started, mostly in whispers which I was too far away to hear, but their body language was easy to read. Cornelia, always as fiery as her hair color, wasn’t happy about being denied, and Marianne was doing her best to calm her down, but succeeding, she was not. 

Feeling adventurous, I decided to use their distraction to slip a spell on Marianne, one that would increase her arousal markedly, but hopefully not to a point that would make her check for external influences, which would make a great experience. After all, the situation she was in was already arousing.   

[+1 Biomancy]

[-14 Mana]

Marianne wasn’t able to prevent Cornelia to walk towards the guards. It was a loud, annoying, and ultimately, fruitless argument, and in the end, Cornelia was so annoyed that she even tried to grab Marianne to drag her along. Marianne pulled back, with enough presence of mind to realize the questions that would arise if she was seen like that. 

She followed Cornelia, but her earlier enthusiasm was absent, clearly would prefer to write-off the night instead of staying alone with Cornelia. Not surprising, considering Cornelia’s explosive anger and her sadistic tendencies. 

I decided to do the gentlemanly thing and help Marianne. I stopped following them, instead, changed my disguise from a servant to a maid. My destination: Cornelia’s rooms. 

The idea was simple. With her obvious internal political battle and the existence of secrets she was eager to hide, it was the best way to remove her out of the equation, not just for the day, but for a foreseeable future, making her too afraid to wander away, afraid of losing her secrets. 

The presence of maids was so common that sneaking into her room didn’t take any effort. The first ward at the entrance was stronger and the more intricate than the last time, but considering the monumental increase in my arcana skills, it didn’t take a moment to pass it. The second ward that blocked the entrance for her private room suffered the same fate. 

In her angry state, I had a feeling that Cornelia would settle for a sub-par location to hide, therefore risking not only her presence but also Marianne’s in the school. Everyone knew things like that happened behind the closed doors, but exposed publicly allowed everyone to target the victims sanctimoniously. 

I didn’t want to lose Marianne, not when I managed to train her perfectly. 

Still, being in her room without the obligation to erase my track was a huge benefit, so I went through her library, stealing several precious books and scrolls that belonged to her family, focusing on the topics that Helga was interested in. One benefit of spending years in the library, I had the ability to instantly appraise the value of any written item. I didn’t bother with money or other valuables. There were easier ways to acquire them. 

After that, I molded a generous amount of mana, some as a shield, some to form a kind of magical lockpick. The latter, I didn’t bother to form carefully. The wards on Cornelia’s box was still too strong, and even if they weren’t, my aim was to make her cautious enough to force her to stay in her room, not to send her to a crusade across the school, searching for her treasured secrets. 

In a manner of speaking, I showed the lockpick into the intricate web of wards that protected Cornelia’s most important secrets, then dashed away even as a flare of alarm rose, a magical push that alerted Cornelia that her secrets might not be a secret anymore. 

[Achievement: False Flag. Engineer a heist to block a rival from having fun. +500 Experience, +1 Manipulation, +1 Precision]

A strong rush of flame rose towards me, but my shield was already in place, diverting it long enough for me to get out. I dashed away, ignoring the panicked shouts of the maids, slipping to the first side corridor that wouldn’t have anyone around, changing into a servant. 

I changed my disguise four times until I could walk into my room, slipping the sack with the books underneath my bed. From outside, I could hear the commission going on. I needed to be careful with the disguises for a foreseeable future, I noted. But it was a worthy sacrifice. Not only I pushed Cornelia out of the equation for a while, but I also had the perfect bait for Helga. 

Considering the indignity she suffered from Cornelia’s hands just to get a peek to those secrets, I had a feeling that a fun reward awaited me… 

But I didn’t have much time to spend imagining that, as I needed to go back to the library. Unlike the past, Marianne knew a part of my secret, and there was a chance that she would get suspicious if I wasn’t around when she returned. Yet another change of clothes later, I went back to the library, to do the same mind-numbingly boring tasks. 

Unlike my expectations, Marianne didn’t return to the library. But it was okay, because she wasn’t the only blonde with something going on. Helga was in the library, in her usual position, in a forgotten but defensible corner of the library, with several thick tomes open in front of her. 

I could see a hint of depression on her face, which was understandable due to the ‘disappearance’ of her ranger friend, unaware that he was closer than she might think. A pity that revealing the truth wasn’t an option. 

But that didn’t mean that I couldn’t distract her in a different manner. A little mystery would go a long way to give her something other to do than pining after an imaginary person. First, I passed near her with my cart, close enough to see which books she was reading. With my intelligence and my knowledge about her ultimate research objectives, it wasn’t really difficult to guess which book she might want to pick next. 

I prepared three identical notes, all with a subtle spell that would trigger a few seconds after touching, and slipped them inside the three books she was most likely to pick next. A neat trick to impress and unbalance her at the same time. It was a simple note. 

‘Helga,

If you’re interested in having a better deal than what you currently have with Cornelia to support your research, come to the storage room six fifteen minutes after midnight. 

This is a one-time offer that will disappear if you reject, or mention it to anyone else.

Sincerely, 

A mysterious helper.’

With the notes discreetly slid inside the books, I pulled away to maintain the distance, waiting for her to take the bait. Her fast-reading shortened wait quite a bit. Several minutes later, she stood up, and picked one of the books I predicted. Her reaction when the note slipped out of the box was comical. I had to struggle to keep myself from laughing, which would have revealed my hiding spot between the shelves. 

The sudden flash of energy that devoured the note hadn’t exactly made her any calmer about the situation. She looked around, trying to see someone around, but I was hidden well enough to avoid detection. She looked around for a few times, trying to find the culprit. Failing that, she walked away, her dilemma visible on her face. 

I watched her walk away, curious what she would choose tonight… 

———

For the encounter with Helga, I picked a different set of clothes, predominantly black and gray, with a high collar that functioned as a mask when I lowered my head, its ability to hide my identity enhanced further with a hood. It wasn’t the best way of walking around without being noticed, but my aim was to sell the story of concealment rather than actually hiding myself. 

I arrived at the target location almost an hour before, subtly setting up several wards to dissuade any servant from walking in. I kept the wards as straightforward as possible. Helga would be quite alert, so, trying to slip an inventive ward that would affect her mood was an unnecessary risk. 

Not that I needed it. Not only I knew one of her deepest secrets, but also the thing that forced her to that was in my possession. The deck was sufficiently stacked to my side, making further magical assistance a bonus I could dismiss. So, after making sure that we were going to stay alone in the storage room, I pulled back into the shadows, waiting for her arrival. While waiting, I practiced a bit to find the perfect voice I should use. 

The door opened right on time, but before anyone entered the room, a subtle wave of magic spread through the entrance. A simple identification spell, trying -and failing- to be subtle. “No magic,” I called even as I reached and disrupted the spell, with more power than necessary to highlight the fact that I could afford to do so. After all, not only I had a higher level than her -knowledge courtesy of the system- but also I had a very high and balanced mental score, making my mana abnormally large for someone at my level. 

[-30 Mana]

No answer came. If it wasn’t for the wards, informing me that there was only one interloper, I might have beat a hasty retreat. Moreover, I was sufficiently familiar with her methodical but slow spellcasting enough to make sure that I had the correct visitor. Not that she had the option to convince someone else to assist her. She had enough trouble meeting with people that wouldn’t stab her in an opportune moment. 

Despite everything, there was a silent pride on her shoulders as she walked into the middle of the room, the robe tightly wrapped around her. “Who are you, and what do you want?” she asked with a mostly-stable voice, trying and failing to hide the inflictions underneath it. 

“My identity is unimportant for the moment,” I said with a throaty voice, one that suggested darkness, but also a mystery. “And on what I want, you have that backward. I have something you want.” With that, I kicked the scroll I had prepared for her, based on the same excerpts from the books I had stolen from Cornelia earlier the day. 

She didn’t immediately reach for it, which was a plus, showing her caution. Moreover, she hadn't immediately used magic, showing her obedience by following my earlier directive. “You can test the scroll,” I allowed, not wanting to escalate the situation unnecessarily before I could establish a more reasonable basis than being a formless voice in the dark. 

She was careful as she slowly prodded the scroll with arcana energies, methodically exploring to see if there was any trap, but ultimately, she spent far less time than she could, correctly deducing that if I wanted to harm her such a direct manner, I would have used something much more direct. Her eyes grew in shock as she slowly unfurled the scroll, taking an account of the content inside. “How…” she murmured. 

“I have my ways,” I answered, even as I stepped out of the shadows. I could see her stance stiffening, but it was the only outward expression she had given. 

“I’m assuming it’s not for free,” she said in resignation, which was a lesson she knew well. Nothing was for free in these halls. I nodded. “What’s the price for it?” 

“I want you,” I answered even as I let a crooked smile spread to my face, bringing the full impact of my charisma to the surface. But even that wasn’t enough for a bitter expression to spread to her face, mixed with resignation. She reached towards the top button of her robe. 

“Not like that,” I cut her off, sharply, acting like that misunderstanding was her mistake. 

“What do you mean?” she murmured, caught flat-footed by the sudden change. 

“I want your loyalty,” I said. She looked at me uncomprehendingly. “I’m watching you for a while. Despite the absolute lack of support, you have done a lot to survive, not hesitating to make the difficult calls when it’s necessary.” I waited for a bit. “But it’s not enough, is it?” 

“Maybe,” she murmured, not willing to admit. 

“How many levels you have gained since you joined the Silver Spires,” I asked. 

“What it is to you?” she lashed out, feeling angry at the mention of her level, which was understandable. I didn’t know her exact skills, but it was obvious they were more focused on the research rather than combat, the only reason she was able to get a scholarship in the first place. However, it also meant that it was almost impossible for her to grind alone. And she was a pariah, meaning no one supported her in the school. 

“Just a curiosity, but you don’t have to answer. It’s not hard to guess that you hadn’t gained a level since you joined the Silver Spires. How long it has been? Almost two years, right?” 

She flinched at the reminder. “It’s not that important,” she defended herself. “I can always maximize my level after I returned to my family.” 

“Yes, but then you won’t have access to the best library in the world,” I said. The second best according to one of my achievements, but that wasn’t a point that needed to be raised, not without being able to explain how I know. “Would you be okay to waste everything you have worked for, that making every humiliation that you endured to go to waste?” 

“And what,” she spat angrily as she gathered her arms around her chest. “Are you going to make all better?” 

“I can help you level up, and in return, I want not only full access to your research, but also your assistance on the tasks of my choosing.” 

I could feel pride and happiness emanating her when I mentioned her research. With everyone else treating her efforts as a waste, she clearly enjoyed the recognition I gave to them, making them a part of such an important bargain. “How can I be sure that you’re going to deliver what you promise,” she said, trying to make it sound like she was still against it, but I knew her tells enough to read her acceptance. 

“Well, then, what about a preliminary deal. I push you over level ten in three months, or you can call the deal off?” 

She caught herself nodding halfway in. “Maybe I’m already higher than that,” she tried to say, but her frustration made her lie obvious. I didn’t even bother to answer, just sent a glance towards her, which made her blush. “Do you think you can help me gain three levels,” she countered, this time underplaying her level by one. A good attempt, too bad for her that I had been cheating. 

“As long as you follow my words, that’s quite doable,” I said. After all, all I needed was to mortally wound a few hundred class five to eight creatures. I could easily forge a new permission slip when the forest was reopened into training sessions to a more dangerous area, and help her level up. 

“When?” she said. 

“Likely in a few days. The forests are currently closed due to an incident with the wards,” I said, giving a brief explanation of the rumors behind the sudden change, making sure to keep my voice to calm but impactful. But even as I gave the explanation, I could see her relax. My charisma and speech skill was really giving their worth, making her mellower by each passing moment. 

[Achievement: Patient Poacher. Take the first step of converting a target into a long-term loyal follower by sacrificing short-term fun. +500 Experience +1 Charisma, +1 Wisdom]

“I think we can call it a night, since we agreed,” I said, giving three more scrolls towards her, but this time, using my arcana abilities to make them float. “Take them as an advance,” I said, then started to walk towards the door, satisfied with the meaningful stride in my mission to convert my first long-term ally. 

“When are we going to talk next,” she said just as I was about to disappear at the doorway. 

“I’ll find you,” I said before slipping away, once again using the first opportunity to disguise myself into a servant. A minute later, Helga passed me, not even making a note of my presence, proving the effectiveness of my subterfuge skill once more. 

It was late, but I decided to take a brief walk outside before going to my room. Being in the same room with Helga brought some memories to the surface that should best be left untouched for an easy sleep, and the cold wind would work efficiently. 

And it was a good thing I did, because I noticed a familiar raven-haired figure walking towards the training forest, her sword strapped on her back. I didn’t bother to call her, assuming the guards would prevent her from entering. But that turned out to be a strategic mistake, because the perimeter guard acted like he hadn’t seen anything, but sent a small signal after she passed. 

“Damn it,” I murmured as I started looking around, trying to identify a spot I could slip between the guards. And seeing four figures, all heavily armed, using the same entrance to slip into the forest made that need even more immediate. 

I needed to hurry up! 

———

[Level: 10    Experience: 46725 / 55000 

Strength: 11    Charisma: 15

Precision: 11    Perception: 11

Agility: 12     Manipulation: 15

Speed: 7       Intelligence: 12

Endurance: 10      Wisdom: 18

HP: 510 / 510    Mana: 650 / 710             ]

SKILLS

[Advanced Subterfuge [50/50]     

Advanced Arcana [50/50]        

Advanced Biomancy [37/50]        

Advanced Melee [26/50]

Basic Speech [25/25]        

———

Unlike Aviada and the conspirators that were targeting her, I didn’t have an arrangement with the guards to turn the other way, so it took a while for me to find a spot where I could fade unseen. After passing the border, finding their tracks took another minute, delaying me further. I walked as fast as I could while following the tracks of four men in the middle of the night, afraid that I was too late. 

Luckily, I managed to arrive on time. I could see the men closing towards Aviada, their weapons weren’t drawn yet, but the same thing wasn’t true for Aviada. Even from the distance, I could see that she was ready to burst into action, but she held herself back. Even with her sword, one against four wasn’t the best odds to take. 

I moved closer, not only to be able to listen to them, but also to be near her in case things devolved into violence suddenly. But I was careful, because one of them had established a ward to keep the monsters aways, which unfortunately also worked against people. I needed to create a backdoor before sneaking into the perimeter. “Marcus,” I heard Aviada saying. “What do I owe the presence of your ugly mug at this hour. Were you looking to have quality time with your friends? I heard that couples occasionally use the forest for that purpose.” 

The men were facing the other way, but one of them stiffened at Aviada’s words, giving me a good idea which one was Marcus. Unfortunately, I still didn’t know who the fuck was Marcus, or what he was trying to do. “I came to protect you,” Marcus said, an obvious lie Aviada didn’t bother to weigh, her sword still at its half-raised position, ready to burst into action in any second. 

“Yes, that’s obvious,” Aviada said. “Four brave, strapping men, led by a former fiancee I humiliated by canceling the wedding after publicly beating him, following me in a dark forest… I never felt safer in my life.” I had to admit, I was impressed with Aviada, even against the obvious mortal danger, there was no stopping her.  

“Bitch,” the one that I identified as Marcus shouted, preparing to charge, and from the way Aviada smiled, she was counting on that. Unfortunately, one of the others, the only one without a visible armor, grabbed his arm and whispered something, keeping him back. “The only reason you won was because of the unfair advantage given by your sword.” 

“Is this what you tell yourself when you cry yourself to sleep every night while trying to forget your humiliation,” Aviada said, but this time, Marcus was expecting a taunt, and let it go with a shrug. Meanwhile, I managed to create a temporary gate on the protective field of the ward, slipping into the perimeter without alerting the mage. 

“You wish,” said Marcus. “I have no problems teaching you your place, permanently I mind you, but I’m feeling merciful. Relinquish your sword, and I’ll forget the damage on my reputation due to your cheating.” 

I heard one of his hangers snort in amusement, clearly not buying the impression Marcus was trying to sell, but that didn’t make him move. I didn’t know who Marcus was, but considering the number of guards he managed to suborn, it was likely quite rich. 

“Any time,” Aviada said, lifting sword even higher, its edge catching the glint of the moonlight. Combined with Aviada’s tall stature, and the ease she could handle her impressive sword, it was an impressive sight. Too impressive, because Marcus took a step back even as the others moved forward.  

“Not when you still have that cheating sword,” Marcus said. “I want a fair fight.” His sneer made it obvious that the meaning he assigned to fair greatly differed from the common usage. “You’re going to use this one instead,” he added, throwing a steel sword towards her. It was a terrible sword, rusty with several chinks around its horribly maintained edge. It was more effective as a blunt weapon than as a bladed one. 

“Are you sure?” asked the grunt in the middle, who had dressed as a mage. “What about the shadow wolf-” he tried to continue, but Marcus cut him off with an angry statement. 

“Cut it out. How many times I have to tell you that it was your imagination. There is no way she would be alive if a shadow wolf actually passed the breach, and even by a miracle she managed to kill it, she would have more than a couple of wounds as a result.” 

I nodded, glad to discover the people behind that particular mishap. Meanwhile, Aviada was carefully examining the additional muscle he brought with him, trying to decide whether to take her chances against four of them rather than languishing her sword, but in the end, she sank her sword to the ground, and picked the one Marcus had discarded instead. 

“I’m going to teach you a lesson, bitch! You’ll pay for humiliating me,” Marcus murmured as he raised his own sword, an enchanted masterwork, though obviously inferior to Aviada’s ancestral sword. With that, he charged forward, and their swords connected with a loud noise.  

The others spread out a bit, their hands on their weapons, ready to interject if things went bad. Aviada must be aware of it as well, because she was stronger and faster than her current display. She was trying not to give others an excuse to pull back. Marcus was a skilled warrior, but not on Aviada’s level. 

But their formation had a very important advantage. They were spread around, leaving their mage, the only one that could notice my spellcasting, alone. 

I took a breath before dashing forward, molding mana to create the quickest illusion I had to construct in my life. The mage noticed the surge of mana, but the veil of illusion hid him from the view, and his cry muffled by the silencing spell that followed. Both were simple spells that he could dispel in a second, but a second he didn’t have. My dagger was in hand when the distance between us dwindled into nothing, and the dagger sank into his throat, while my fingers pressed against his mouth, preventing him from shouting. 

[+3 Melee]

His fingers clamped around my wrist, trying to push me away, but even with the adrenaline, his strength was nothing. It didn’t take long for him to start moving, and I dropped him on the ground, another illusion allowing me to steal his guise. I modified the veil of illusion to hide the still-bleeding body on my feet, and continued to watch the battle. 

Aviada was still fighting defensively, and she didn’t have a scratch on her, but the same couldn’t be said for Marcus, who had two bleeding gashes, one on his arm, the other on his cheek. I started to gather mana, to be used in a surprise assault, while Aviada abandoned her defensive stance for a ferocious assault. Marcus’ sword flew away, but he managed to avoid the assault. Aviada rolled to get her enchanted sword. 

“What are you waiting for, you numbskulls!” Marcus shouted in anger. “Kill the bitch!” 

It was the sign I was waiting for. I turned all the mana I had gathered into a mana blast, and threw towards the nearest target. It wasn’t a spell that was preferred despite its strength, because it was slow to cast and easy to avoid, not to mention it didn’t work well with magical resistance of the monsters. 

But it was an excellent spell to get rid of a surprised human opponent, my target grunt realized a second before his head disintegrated into a pile of ash. I stopped maintaining the illusion over me, and Marcus’ eyes grew when he noticed two of his grunts were already fallen. 

A mistake, because Aviada used the opportunity to get rid of the other grunt, leaving Marcus with two-to-one odds, with him at a disadvantage. A bad matchup for a guy that needed three helpers just to feel confident enough to fight against Aviada. “Please,” he whined, his earlier confidence nowhere to be seen. “We can-” he tried to continue, but Aviada cut his words with a slash of her sword, separating his head from his body. 

[Achievement: Speedy Saviour. Arrive at the last minute to save the life of a paramour. +500 Experience, +2 Speed]

“That was interesting,” Aviada said as she looked at me, still breathing hard. 

“I’ll say,” I said. I thought about calling her on the unscheduled midnight trip, but after a moment, I decided to let it go. She didn’t have a personality that could take criticism, and for better or worse, the issue had been resolved. There was no need to create an argument that would break the mood when I was receiving a grateful look for saving her life. A more suspicious person would have explored the possibility of my involvement considering my lucky appearance, but luckily, Aviada had a more direct personality, which made the situation more fun. 

“So, what now,” she asked. 

“We need to put things in a way that would look like a fight between them,” I said, pointing at the four bodies lying in the different levels of dismemberment. Without saying anything else, I used my arcana abilities and levitated all four of them, shuffling them around it created a convincing crime scene, and another spell to remove the signs of our presence, including the footprints. I even changed the shapes of their wounds to make it more convincing. It wasn’t enough to trick a good ranger, but I was willing to bet that the guard that allowed them to pass would do his best to stick to the most obvious explanation, not willing to reveal his own involvement. 

[-85 Mana] 

[+2 Biomancy]

After that, we left the forest, keeping silent, partially to reduce the chance of getting caught, partially to give Aviada the time to process the situation. I was tempted to ask her to spend some time together, but unfortunately, that was not a possibility, not when there was a risk of escalation. Things were complicated enough without being caught out in a state of undress. 

“By the way, why are you dressed like a servant,” Aviada asked, not bothering to whisper since we were alone in the corridor. Another careless mistake, as just because she couldn’t see anyone didn’t mean that there was no one around. 

I sent a pulse to make sure we were alone before answering. “Nobody really notices a servant,” I explained, but chose not to elaborate further until we arrived at the crossroads. “As much as I would like to spend some time with you, tonight is not the best for that. I’ll see you in a few days, okay.” 

She nodded, and before she could say anything else, I turned and left, annoyed by the necessity of letting the damsel go after saving her from distress. Still, I had a better place in her mind. And hopefully, she would remember her gratitude in our next encounter. 

—————————

The next couple of days passed in a blur. Once again, I walked around the school, dressed as a maid, trying to get the latest information, but it turned out to be a challenge. The death of four students, two of them heirs to their houses, had managed to create quite a bit of stir. Thankfully, from what I could gather, the guard did the smart thing and used the story I had kindly prepared for him, which kept Aviada’s name out of the proceedings. All the gossip was about a duel gone wrong. 

With that closed, I decided to went back to the library, but not before I sat in my room, penning a rather long letter, using careful penmanship that wouldn’t go remiss in a love letter, except for the complicated diagrams underlying the magical calculations. In the letter, I had detailed a rather complicated issue I was having on creating arcana bolts that would be effective against high-resistance monsters without wasting too much mana. I still remembered the danger I had run against the shadow wolf. I would have likely died if I had missed my attack. 

But the technical challenge I was facing wasn’t the only reason for the detailed breakdown of my own experimentations, as I had no doubt that Helga would require only a day or two at most to discover most of the things I discovered. No, I wrote a detailed explanation simply because, it was complicated enough to show my credentials, which would impress her more. At the end of the letter, there were several instructions for her to take for our meeting as well.

I felt a strange mixture of stress and excitement as I joined the usual morning meeting of the library staff, listening to the head librarian to distribute the tasks for the day. A wrong move here would have ruined everything I had worked for, but I couldn’t help but watch her in appreciation since I had discovered the femininity that laid under her carefully-crafted serious facade. Too bad that I lacked the ability to make a move on her. 

Maybe soon. 

With that done, I once again moved to the back of the library, where I was once again tasked to gather the books that lay forgotten on the desks. One of the benefits of being known as an idiot, I was able to finish the tasks that were expected of me in a few minutes, and started walking around, searching for my targets. 

Helga, I was able to find first. I used the same trick, examining the books she was studying to deploy the letter I had written for her. She looked around when she received it, but unlike the last time, it was a look resigned to failure, not expecting to see anyone around. 

But the way her face brightened by every word on the letter was a sight to see. She was barely able to hold back shivers of excitement as she finished the letter, and dashed away to find the books she was looking for. The fact that she enjoyed the task I had given her was a positive development, meaning I would have more space to push in other areas before making her crack. 

That task complete, I moved onto my next one, namely, finding Marianne, which, unfortunately, took quite a bit longer than my first self-appointed task. It was well past noon when I finally saw Marianne in the library, walking towards the less-occupied parts with a clear determination. Feeling curious, I walked towards the main corridor, close enough to alert her to my presence, but she continued to walk despite her intensifying blush, her gaze occasionally lingering over me.  

She clearly wanted me to follow her, which meant I pointedly ignored her presence and continued my job, until a cough had disrupted my concentration. I turned towards the noise, only to see Marianne standing there. “Yes, sweetie,” I said as I turned a not-so-gentle smile towards her, carrying the full brunt of my rather impressive charisma score. 

“May I talk to you for a moment, M-” she started, only to come to a sudden stop. She didn’t know my real name, and she was smart enough to realize that referring to my unflattering nickname wasn’t the best way to start a discussion. “Please,” she added instead, trying to recover ground after her near-disaster. 

“Sure, go ahead,” I said confidently, because I knew there was no one else nearby, thanks to the low-powered proximity wards I had set up around us. Thanks to my growing strength, hiding my situation was not the number one priority anymore, because I had to option to claim that I had been hunting alone during the night, as I was finally strong enough to survive such an ordeal. But the fact that I could survive the impact hadn’t meant that I was willing to announce my situation to the whole school just yet, hence the wards. 

“Maybe in somewhere less crowded,” she whispered nervously as her eyes darted around. “Meet me around the storage rooms, the ones that are after the kitchen.” At that moment, I was glad for my observational capabilities, because, without it, I would be too afraid of a trap to follow her. But she was like an open book, and I could read everything through blue depths of her eyes. 

“Whatever you wish for, my queen,” I said, tackling an exaggerated bow to the end, which wasn’t a cure for the shyness she had been displaying. She managed to give a trembling nod before dashing away, leaving me free to return my task; even if it was for just a few minutes before I disappeared after her.

I wondered what awaited me at my destination… 

———

[Level: 10    Experience: 47225 / 55000 

Strength: 11    Charisma: 15

Precision: 11    Perception: 11

Agility: 12     Manipulation: 15

Speed: 9       Intelligence: 12

Endurance: 10      Wisdom: 18

HP: 530 / 530    Mana: 650 / 710             ]

SKILLS

[Advanced Subterfuge (50/50)     

Advanced Arcana [50/50]        

Advanced Biomancy [39/50]        

Advanced Melee 29/50

Basic Speech 25/25        ]