Chapter 350
Chapter 350
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 350
Chapter Title: The Witch's Erotic Novel (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1.
Countess Lucy Yesod was renowned for having achieved accomplishments surpassing any previous Yesod in history, both in terms of wealth and magic.
The countess had been plagued by worries lately.
In her otherwise perfect life, her sole concern—needless to say—was her beloved daughter.
Diana Yesod's chronic laziness.
That said, things had been quite good recently.
Ever since she'd tearfully chased Diana out of the house.
Diana had diligently roamed outside for over a week, even holing up in her room to study all alone.
But.
"Diana..."
"I won't be having dinner tonight..."
"What's gotten into you lately? Are you feeling unwell?"
"No... I'm sorry. I'll turn in early."
Diana lay in bed with her back turned, responding in a feeble voice without even looking at Lucy.
Lucy considered stroking her shoulder but ultimately left the room quietly.
Diana's reclusive tendencies had flared up severely after a period of unprecedented diligence in various activities.
This was the root of her recent worries.
Not only did she refuse to leave the house, she skipped meals and even avoided tea time.
It was as if a second puberty or rebellion phase had hit; she was clearly avoiding Lucy.
"Haa..."
Perhaps she'd pushed her too hard lately, and it had backfired.
The countess let out a small sigh, blaming herself.
Of course, everything had been done for Diana's own good.
A witch's life is long.
Long and arduous.
One must devote a lifetime to magic that seems impossible to master.
No matter how thick the walls of frustration and failure, struggling to overcome them with sheer determination—that is the life of a witch.
Thus, it can't be solved by exceptional magical talent or intuition alone.
Accumulating experience in various fields and having leisure activities to rest when exhausted and weary are essential.
One must contemplate how delightful and beautiful this world is.
Even within those wanton pleasures lie subtle clues to profound mysteries.
Without such reflection, no amount of brilliant talent holds meaning.
If Diana became a witch like this, it was obvious she'd seek an apprentice witch again in just a few short years...
"What ever shall I do..."
With a heavy heart, Countess Lucy headed to her private study.
Suddenly, something occurred to her.
"Come to think of it, Diana was more lively than ever when she met that male witch."
Diana at that time had seemed like a completely different person.
According to rumors from those around, she visited him nearly every day to compete on the Wizboard.
She remembered being a bit surprised to hear their matches were evenly matched, with wins and losses about equal.
In any case, after learning of this, the countess had been keeping tabs on his movements in her own way.
Diana wouldn't fall head over heels for some random fool first, but just in case, she kept an ear out for various rumors.
"Could it be...?"
Come to think of it, that male witch had quit being a host.
Thinking about it, the timing of his retirement perfectly overlapped with Diana holing up at home and losing all motivation.
She didn't know the exact circumstances...
But if he could reignite Diana's drive, the countess was more than willing to package him up like a gift and present him to her.
"Well, I'll put that issue on hold for now..."
Today was a rare day when her busy schedule left her with some free time after finishing her duties.
The countess manipulated an ornament in her private study to open a secret room.
The cozy writing nook, filled with the pleasant scent of ink, was the playground for her secret hobby.
"Hehehe... How long has it been?"
The countess settled into her chair, picked up her pen.
Her face bloomed into a bright smile, free of worries and concerns, betraying just how much she enjoyed this.
Writing sensual novels had been Lucy's secret hobby for about a decade now.
Her ongoing serials like the Demonic Deliveryman series, Madam Butterfly series, Dangerous Games series, Paradise Lost series, and dozens of standalone volumes.
As they all revolved around the theme of "witches submitting to men," some witches cast disapproving glances.
Yet those same outwardly prim witches were the first to snatch up new releases.
They received rave reviews from Gehenna's commoners too, stirring up a storm with every publication.
Of course, the entire process from writing to publishing was shrouded in utmost secrecy, so no one suspected these were the works of Countess Yesod.
And she preferred it that way.
The countess's pen danced freely across the blank pages, filling the margins.
"Then today... this scene~"
So why did the countess indulge in such a vulgar hobby as writing erotic novels?
Lucy had once loved a man.
A beloved whom she still couldn't forget even after decades.
He had melted the frozen heart of the proud Lucy with fiery love, gifting her an irreplaceable tenderness.
And the hot passion she felt in bed as well.
"Ooh... Here... like this... that might feel naughty..."
But time cruelly and mercilessly stole him away.
He showed the countess a world she never knew, then departed all too soon, leaving her alone to shiver in loneliness.
Spending time with just any man would be a betrayal of him and a disgrace to a witch.
In the end, she channeled the widow's hidden lust into these erotic novels.
As the countess wrote fervently, her hand slyly slipped inside her clothes.
Today, too, she immersed herself in writing to forget her hungry night.
2.
This morning.
After finishing training with Eloa, Siu returned to the lab.
The Jemernai countess's estate had over twenty magic labs, and Countess Albreo Deneb had kindly lent one to her guest, Siu.
Thanks to that, he'd completely revised his plan to stay in Gehenna for just a week, now devoting himself to analyzing the Red Branch with abundant experimental tools.
"Haa, damn it's hot."
Gehenna was entering winter now.
The season Siu had despised during his slave days.
But after exchanging "body talk" with his master, his upper clothes were always soaked with sweat.
Too lazy to shower, he stripped off his top and wiped down with a damp cloth here and there.
When the warm water touched his heated skin, steam rose as if his eight extraordinary meridians had been opened.
After gulping down water to rehydrate, he sauntered over to the Red Branch tethered by restraints.
The crimson spear floated lightly, wrapped tightly in a black ribbon etched with suppression spells.
If not secured like this, the constant distortion field it emitted 24/7 would cause all sorts of trouble.
A spirit's form might collapse, magic items would break.
He'd recently discovered that even the Orgel Odil gifted him had broken.
As an artifact akin to delicate electronic equipment, it had probably overloaded during his confrontation with the Red Knight in the past.
"Alright, shall we check the samples today too?"
He pulled out a mana paper from beneath the levitating Red Branch to check the accumulated distortion patterns for the day.
It wasn't ordinary mana paper; it had been double-processed with alchemy reagents to capture even minute magical waveforms.
"Hmm..."
Distortion field traces spread across the white mana paper like tree rings.
Comparing it to previous samples yielded no improvements.
"Still no clue..."
No hints or leads whatsoever.
In truth, independently researching magic outside one's specialty was incredibly difficult, no matter how magically gifted one was.
Especially analyzing an "Ancient Relic"-grade artifact.
"Pardon the intrusion."
As Siu pondered with a towel around his neck and mana paper in hand,
A unfamiliar voice suddenly came from behind.
Well, Eloa dropped by occasionally, as did bored Sharon, the lively twins, and even Countess Albreo Deneb passing nearby.
It was called a lab, but it had become half gathering spot.
But the person Siu saw upon turning was a witch he was meeting for the first time, exuding an intensely aristocratic air.
Drawing from his host club experience, he quickly gauged her status.
Her overall impression was "white."
A corset of whalebone, a bobbin lace dress sheer enough to glimpse her skin.
Immaculate white stockings, garter belt visible through thin fabric.
Even a fan of swan feathers—she looked ready for a wedding in her pristine white attire.
"Greetings to you, noble one."
Even among Gehenna's rigid witches, one坚持 such dress was typically orthodox.
Judging by fabric quality and accessories, at least a baroness.
Her ash-toned hair, piled up high and adorned with pure white orange blossoms, gleamed with vitality to the tips.
It felt familiar; seeing her topaz-like scarlet gaze sparkling, he identified her instantly.
She bore a striking resemblance to Diana Yesod, who had challenged him to Wizboard matches relentlessly.
"Countess Lucy Yesod, I presume."
His heart raced for two reasons.
Anxiety that Countess Yesod might scold him for her apprentice witch frequenting the host club.
And hope that she might aid his stalled magic research.
The Yesod family led in distortion field magic beyond compare.
So he probed subtly.
"Do you know me?"
"Yes, I was deeply impressed studying the First Law of Yesod Mana Fields you authored. I still reference it in my research."
This was the sweet talk honed from host work.
The key was mixing sincerity so it didn't feel like flattery!
Fortunately, Yesod responded with satisfaction to Siu's fluid praise.
"Oh ho? Nowadays, witches neglect pure magic for applied spells... You're a rare diligent one. Even as a male."
"You're too kind."
Since she'd let it pass, she probably wasn't here to interrogate about the host club.
"That said... Do you always research dressed like that?"
"Pardon? Ah, sorry. I just finished sparring."
At her glancing gaze, Siu realized he was still shirtless.
Since becoming a spirit, his body had toned like a gymnast's.
After intense training with Eloa, even dense muscles formed; looking in the mirror, he'd think, "Damn, he's handsome and ripped."
Still, it was awkward before a stranger, so he quickly donned his nearby clothes and buttoned his cuffs securely.
Yesod averted her eyes politely until he was dressed, then stood calmly beside him.
"Hmm..."
And silently loitered, peering at the Red Branch.
"Might I ask the purpose of your visit?"
"......"
Even to Siu's question, Countess Yesod didn't reply properly, then suddenly turned to face him.
She was tall for a woman.
Without heels, around 168cm, like Diana.
Siu stepped back lest he invade her scent.
Then she gripped his collar firmly.
As Siu stared in shock at her sudden action,
The countess purred in a sweet, sticky chocolate voice.
Contrasting her pure white skin and attire, she licked her scarlet lipstick-shined lips.
"Your buttons are done up wrong."
And began undoing them one by one.
Not some newlywed retying his tie before work—this abrupt turn left him flustered.
Before he knew it, her white hand slipped through his gaping shirt.
"Does this lab... get many visitors?"
Her neatly manicured fingers raked down his chest like claws, throwing an overt advance.
If it's rarely frequented, let's have some fun... something like that.
Sudden seductions were familiar.
At the host club, ten tried dragging him to bed daily.
Though the rice cakes were tempting, he refused those offered by others...
Who'd have thought a countess witch would act so rashly.
It felt intensely familiar.
That's right.
Just like Countess Albreo Deneb's proposal not long ago.
The circumstances matched too.
Albreo had tempted him then to judge how easily he'd fall for another woman despite her twins...
Likewise, Countess Yesod seemed to be testing if he'd done anything untoward to Diana.
"Countess Jemernai visits often. And I haven't heard why you've come to see me, Countess."
"Is that so? My apologies."
As expected, Yesod withdrew cleanly, composing herself as if she'd never asked such a probing question.
The aura of a lonely widow aching for a man vanished spotless.
"Ahem."
After a brief cough,
Countess Yesod stated her true purpose.
"The reason I've come is that I have a proposal for you."