The Forest Stalker and the Mad Researcher
The moment Serena hooked her finger under the waistband of Hans's underwear and began to tug it down, she froze. Her pointed ears twitched sharply. A sudden, unnatural silence fell over the forest, as if every creature had held its breath at once. What was that?
Serena instinctively lifted her head. From the depths of the darkness, a chilling wave of cold energy rolled toward them like a tide. A faint blue light flickered in the shadows. Aura. The power used by human knights. Footsteps echoed—crunch, crunch—as Cecilia emerged from the gloom, slicing through the night. The blue aura flowing along her blade froze the surrounding air with icy menace.
Even upon spotting Hans and Serena, Cecilia didn't stop walking. Her eyes gleamed with a ferocity far more savage than when she cut down orcs. The silver-haired knight's gaze burned with lethal intent.
"......"
Serena swallowed hard. She's strong. For a human, her power was impressive. But more than that, those eyes—wild and rabid, like a hound ready to tear its prey apart at any second.
Cecilia leveled the tip of her sword at Serena and spoke in a voice as cold as frost. "Get away from my porter. He has to make dinner."
The reason was absurdly mundane—dinner? Yet the killing intent woven into her tone was anything but. Serena quickly ran the numbers in her head. If they fought here, she could probably win, but the forest would be wrecked. More importantly, the mood was completely ruined. She had no interest in enjoying sex with a murderous knight glaring daggers at them.
"Tsk."
Serena clicked her tongue in clear disappointment. She gracefully withdrew from Hans, straightening her clothes with elegant poise.
"Oh my, how frightening. So he already belongs to someone?" Serena feigned innocence with practiced ease. "I was simply trying to help what looked like a lost traveler."
A brazen lie. But her expression was the picture of wounded virtue—a good Samaritan who'd nearly been assaulted for her kindness. Her gaze lingered regretfully on the front of Hans's loosened pants. What a shame to leave behind such a magnificent treasure hidden inside.
"Too bad. You were so close to giving in... I'll see you next time, adventurer."
With a light leap, she bounded onto a tree branch. She shot Hans a playful wink.
"Let's meet again when there are no interruptions."
Leaving that tantalizing promise behind, Serena vanished into the woods like a fleeting breeze. Only Hans and Cecilia remained in the clearing.
"Haa..."
Hans lay sprawled on the ground and let out a massive sigh of relief. "I-I'm alive..."
He'd nearly been raped. Well, he had gotten hard, but still. When he turned his head, he found Cecilia staring down at him with a terrifying expression. She had sheathed her sword and now stood with her arms crossed, looking at him like he was an insect.
"......"
Hans hurriedly fastened his belt buckle.
"U-um... Cecilia? Thanks for saving—"
"You really are something else."
Cecilia cut him off sharply. "You said you were going to wash up, but instead you were rolling around with an elf? Did you enjoy yourself?"
Her voice dripped with thorns. Hans felt so wronged he thought he might explode. He brushed the dirt from his clothes and shot to his feet.
"It wasn't like that! She jumped me! Do you think I'm crazy? Hooking up with some woman I just met in the forest?" Hans shouted, his frustration boiling over. "And what does it matter to you anyway?! You rejected me, so why are you butting in?! Who I roll around with is none of your business!"
Cecilia was struck speechless by his retort. He was right. She had been the one to reject him. She'd dismissed him as an easy man. So why did this make her so angry? Even she couldn't explain it. Her face flushed bright red.
"W-who said I cared?! It's the food! My dinner is getting late, that's all!" Cecilia insisted stubbornly. "It's disgusting. You expect me to eat food made by hands that still smell like another woman?"
She jerked her chin toward the stream in the valley.
"Go wash. Right now."
Hans stood there dumbfounded for a moment before muttering in disbelief, "Wait... I just washed, and now you want me to wash again?"
But Cecilia's glare was utterly terrifying. She looked ready to cut him down if he refused. With no choice, Hans trudged back toward the stream without another word.
Splash.
He dipped his hands into the cold water and grumbled under his breath. Wow... she's seriously unhinged. He hadn't realized she was like this back at the academy. If he had, he would've avoided her like the plague instead of harboring a stupid crush. I must've been out of my mind, thinking a woman like her was a goddess...
Even as he complained, Hans scrubbed his hands and arms thoroughly, rubbing them raw as if trying to erase every trace of Serena. From behind, Cecilia watched with her arms still crossed, her gaze fixed on his wet back.
Idiot. Chasing after any tail that wags at you? She refused to acknowledge the jealousy twisting in her chest, convincing herself it was simply hunger making her irritable.
Back at the campsite, Hans hurriedly began cooking. It was already late evening. He skillfully chopped vegetables and stir-fried the meat. But Cecilia hovered right beside him the entire time, watching like a hawk. Like a mother-in-law.
"Hey, did you wash your hands properly? You're not cooking my food with hands that touched that woman, are you?"
"I washed them! Twice, even!!"
"Look at the way you're cutting those carrots. Where the hell is your head? Still thinking about that elf?"
"I told you no! The carrot was just crooked!"
Hans's hand trembled around the ladle. That's jealousy, right? Or is she just naturally awful? He couldn't tell. Normally Kane would've stepped in to mediate, but the old swordsman was sitting a good distance away, sipping alcohol and watching with a contented smile.
"Heh heh, the young ones are so full of energy. It's nice to see."
Kane thought the two were having a lovers' quarrel. Hans felt so unjustly accused he wanted to cry.
Finally, the stew was ready. Hans ladled it into a bowl and handed it to Cecilia.
"Here. No poison, I promise."
Cecilia accepted the bowl with obvious suspicion. She blew on it gently and took a cautious sip.
"......"
Her expression softened ever so slightly. It was delicious. As much as she hated to admit it, this guy's cooking skills were top-tier.
"Hmph. The seasoning's decent."
She muttered grumpily before devouring the rest with surprising speed. She must have been quite hungry. Watching her, Hans couldn't help but chuckle softly. She eats so well.
Even during the meal, Cecilia's eyes kept drifting to Hans's neck and forearms. Despite his thorough washing, the red marks from his tussle with Serena remained clearly visible. They kept bothering her.
Disgusting. I want to erase them. She fought the urge to scrub those offensive traces away with a handkerchief and instead focused intently on her spoon.
Near the imperial capital, at the Magic Tower. Specifically, in the Third Research Lab—the dampest, strangest corner where all the oddballs gathered.
Creak.
The door opened and a young woman stepped inside. She was the granddaughter of the Magic Tower Master and had just been assigned to the Third Research Lab as a new researcher.
"Hello! Starting today, I will be working in the Third Research Lab as—"
Her greeting was met only with cold indifference. The lab was filled with swirling purple smoke, and the pungent smell of chemicals stung the nose. The researchers barely glanced up from their experiments, whispering among themselves.
"Ah, the parachute hire?"
"The Tower Master's granddaughter, right? What a pain."
They immediately returned to their work. The newcomer stood there awkwardly. Her grandfather had described this place as a 'free and creative research environment,' but in reality, it was a gathering of social misfits.
Where is my assigned senior? I heard her name was Yuria.
That was when—
Bang!
A door in the corner flew open with a crash.
"No! This ratio is all wrong!"
A woman burst out screaming. Her red hair was a wild mess, and her white lab coat was covered in mysterious, multicolored chemical stains. The dark circles under her eyes reached all the way to her chin. It was Yuria.
With manic eyes, she began rummaging through the ingredient shelves.
"To seduce that beast, I need something stronger! Something that can completely distort visual information!"
She muttered to herself while grabbing random potion bottles and hurling them aside.
"Um... Senior? I started today and—"
"Move! Where did I put the mandrake root?!"
Yuria roughly shoved the newcomer aside and stormed past. Nothing existed in her field of vision anymore. Only one thing mattered: the man she'd met in Ludel—Hans. That beastly hip movement. The pleasure that had nearly melted her brain. And his lukewarm reaction when he'd looked at her flat chest.
It's humiliating. He didn't even get hard at the sight of my breasts? He didn't pounce on me in excitement?
Yuria ground her teeth. To repay that humiliation and taste that pleasure once more, she had thrown herself completely into her research.
"Found it!"
Yuria cheered as she discovered a dried root in the corner. She dashed back into the lab. The door slammed shut with another bang!, leaving the new researcher—and granddaughter of the Magic Tower Master—Evelyn staring blankly at the closed door.
…
Yuria was treating the newcomer like she was invisible while pursuing the greatest project of her life. During her last trip to Ludel, Hans's icy junior hadn't reacted even when she'd shown him her naked body. That stupid question—"Uh... why isn't it getting up?"—had shredded her pride to pieces. In the end, she'd had to slather mana gel all over it to force it erect before he finally took her like a beast.
How dare it not stand for my body? So it only works with drugs, huh?
Yuria shook a beaker with gritted teeth. Just wait. This time, I won't need to force it. I'll rewrite your entire brain.
The official name of her research was [Cognitive Dissonance and Rage Induction Potion for Large Monsters]. It was a tactical weapon designed to implant hallucinations in a monster's brain, making it attack allies or focus violently on a specific target. She'd reported it to the Tower Master that way, which was how she'd secured that ridiculous field trip approval last time. The price had been taking on the annoying granddaughter who had just spoken to her.
But the truth was different.
Once this potion is complete... just looking at my flat—no, my slender figure will excite you more than staring at massive breasts.
It was a hallucinogen that would manipulate the target's brain into perceiving a specific body part—namely, her meager chest—as the most sexually attractive symbol in the world. A pride-fueled project for Yuria.
"With a clear mind! I'll make you desperate to bury your face in my chest."
Yuria muttered to herself with a wicked grin.
"Um... Senior? What exactly is the research you're working on right now..."
When the clueless newcomer opened the door and asked, Yuria whirled around.
"Ugh, so noisy! I'm in the middle of a top-secret project concerning the empire's security and flat che—no, the empire's fate! Go over there and clean some beakers!"
Training the new hire? That was the last thing on her mind. Her top priority was getting another taste of Hans, even if it meant rewriting his brain to do it.
"Excuse me, Senior Yuria. Or rather, Miss Yuria."
Evelyn called out coldly.
"My name is Evelyn von Estel. I am the granddaughter of the Magic Tower Master. Are you not listening to me?"
She strode forward with sharp clicks of her heels and blocked Yuria's path.
"Put the experiment aside and give me proper training so I can learn my duties. Otherwise, I'll tell Grandfather everything."
"Out of my way!"
Yuria shoved Evelyn aside like a piece of luggage.
"Ack!"
Evelyn landed hard on her rear.
"Are you insane?! How dare you lay a hand on me?!"
"I don't care if you're the Tower Master's granddaughter or the emperor's daughter! Right now, my flat che—no, the fate of the empire is on the line!"
Yuria shouted with manic eyes.
"If you don't like it, tell him to fire me! I'm going to settle down with that guy anyway!"
Yuria stormed off like a hurricane. Evelyn, still sitting on the floor, stared blankly at the closed door. More than anger, she felt utter bewilderment.
"Settle down...? She's abandoning the Magic Tower for a man?"
Evelyn's curiosity stirred. She was a duke's daughter and the granddaughter of the Magic Tower Master. Back at the academy, most men had groveled at her feet. Yet here was an elite mage losing her mind over a single man.
"Ouch, my butt hurts."
Evelyn brushed herself off and stood up. A single sheet of paper on the floor caught her eye. It was an old field trip application form that Yuria had dropped.
[Destination: Ludel Village]
"Ludel...?"
The corner of Evelyn's mouth curved into a sly smile.
"How interesting. I wonder what could possibly be in that rural backwater."