Chapter 117: The Library (4)
Chapter 117: The Library (4)
“Oh?”
“Huh? Hmm-hmm?”
Her hand was so pale it was almost translucent. I stared blankly at my own hand, which was still resting on top of hers, and asked in a dazed voice, “Professor Iona? What are you doing here?”
“Maybe, maybe… for the same reason as you, Student Yandel…?”
I wasn't the only one flustered. Iona tilted her head, looking just as dazed as I was.
Her hair was a deep, dark crimson, reminiscent of blood. Her skin was cool to the touch but as smooth as fine porcelain.
And finally, there were the elongated fangs peeking through her slightly parted lips.
She looked the same as always, yet for some reason, I couldn't tear my eyes away from her.
Was it because her startled, blood-red eyes held a strange mix of innocence and allure?
Or was it because her usually loose clothing had shifted, revealing a hint of her collarbone?
Whatever the reason, I wasn't the only one affected; Carla and Elisha were also staring at Iona with vacant expressions.
It was only then that I realized what was happening.
It was a dizzying, demonic charm that could bewitch a person just by breathing the same air.
The innate Charm of a vampire—something Iona usually kept strictly under control—had momentarily slipped.
As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I jerked my hand away and began circulating my mana.
Since I possessed such a vast amount of mana, simply keeping it flowing through my body allowed me to resist most status ailments.
“…Ah!”
Sensing the shift in my mana, Iona’s expression turned to one of realization, and she immediately reined in her aura.
The strange atmosphere that had filled the air vanished in an instant, replaced by Iona’s usual mischievous grin.
“What’s this, what’s this? Does meeting your professor in a place like this give you naughty ideas? Hmm?”
“…A little? I was actually worried I might be in trouble.”
“Ahaha! Student Yandel, you’re an adult now. I’m not going to scold you just for looking at some dirty books!”
Iona let out her usual ditzy laugh. However, her face remained flushed, as if she knew she had made a blunder.
It wasn't as if she had suddenly fallen for me or anything, so she must have been genuinely embarrassed.
Carla and Elisha finally snapped out of it, blinking as they regained their focus.
“Professor?”
“Professor Iona, what brings you here?”
“Well, well… like I said, probably for the same reason as you all.”
She then pulled a book from the shelf.
[Picked Up a Self-Proclaimed Genius Mage]
“I saw a book that looked interesting and thought I’d borrow it.”
“Oh.”
“Ah.”
Carla and Elisha looked awkward at Iona’s nonchalant reply.
Well, it made sense. Why else would anyone come all the way back here? Just like us, Iona had come to borrow some erotica.
“…Wait.”
Iona reading erotica?
Iona was a vampire. And vampires didn't reproduce through sex; they reproduced by turning members of other races.
Therefore, typical human sex shouldn't be a source of sexual arousal for her.
Even the Charm she had displayed earlier wasn't meant for seduction in a romantic sense, but rather an evolved predatory trait used to lure prey.
Just as we don't feel hunger or lust toward someone bleeding from the neck, Iona shouldn't be getting worked up over these kinds of novels…
Did she have some other motive?
Even so, for her Charm to leak out—something she normally controlled even in her sleep—was strange.
Given Iona’s age, she wouldn't be so startled just by being caught looking at a dirty book.
It was more logical to assume she was surprised for a different reason.
While I knew several secrets regarding this library, I didn't know everything.
After all, my knowledge was limited to what was shown in H&A.
That was why I knew nothing about this 19+ section, which had never been mentioned in the game.
I was curious.
The thought that there might be secrets hidden in the Academy that I didn't know about made me incredibly inquisitive.
Iona likely held a favorable opinion of me after I had helped root out the cultists following the incident with Edmerec and the Boiling Silence.
If I asked nicely, would she give me an answer?
“Um… Professor Iona.”
“Yes, yes? What is it, Student Yandel?”
I spoke cautiously to Iona, who was clutching the book to her chest as if afraid someone might snatch it away.
“Did you really come here to borrow erotica?”
“T-That’s right?”
“Why?”
“…Huh? W-What do you mean, Student Yandel? I’m an adult too, so can’t I look at things like this?”
“But Professor, you’re a vampire.”
“…….”
Those words seemed to flip a switch. The usually giggling Iona narrowed her eyes.
Her posture shifted, as if she were waiting to hear what else I had to say.
“I’ve heard that once you become a vampire, regardless of your original race, your body and mind change to match.”
“That’s true. It wouldn't do to become a vampire and then starve to death because you’re too disgusted to drink blood, right?”
“And just as your appetite changes, so does your libido.”
I continued, giving Iona a meaningful smile.
“A vampire wouldn't get excited by ordinary smut, so I assume you have another purpose for being here…”
“…Aha?”
Iona’s lips curled into a smirk as if she finally understood.
“Student Yandel… do you really want to know?”
“Of course. You know it too, don't you, Professor? Our goals align in many ways. I might even be able to help you.”
“Hmm, hmm. You have a point. Fine! Lean in and give me your ear!”
Iona waved her hand beckoningly, like a neighborhood gossip.
As I obediently lowered my head, Iona grabbed me and whispered into my ear.
“I… do.”
“Pardon?”
“Unlike other vampires, I actually get excited by ordinary naughty things.”
“…….”
“So there’s no grand scheme or anything!”
My mind went blank for a moment.
Wait, really?
I looked at Iona in disbelief, and she nodded with a snicker.
“It’s true, it’s true. It’s been 300 years since I last drank blood directly from a person! I’ve been living off blood packs for so long that I ended up like this!”
“Wow….”
Iona winked at me as I stood there, dumbfounded.
“But that doesn't mean you’re allowed to have any improper thoughts about your professor, okay?”
“I wasn't having any.”
I shook my head with a hollow laugh, and Iona pulled back from my ear.
“Right, right! What I just told you is a secret between you and me, okay?”
“I’m not so thoughtless as to go around spreading that.”
“Mhm! Since it’s you, Student Yandel, I’ll trust you!”
“And what exactly is the relationship between us?”
“…A favored student and a favoring professor?”
Iona tilted her head and shrugged nonchalantly.
Her tone suggested she was willing to do me a favor whenever necessary, just like when she had helped me buy Elisha.
If this were a game, this was the kind of dialogue that would trigger once favorability passed 80%.
Well, Iona was a non-romanceable character, so no matter how high her favorability went, there were never any special events.
*
After a bit more small talk, Iona and I parted ways, with her reminding me one last time to keep our encounter a secret.
Just in case, I took a quick peek at the contents of the book Iona was borrowing, but there really wasn't much to it.
It felt like a typical slapstick comedy about picking up a pink-haired, large-breasted heroine.
Afterward, I headed toward the section where the books Carla and Elisha wanted were located, as originally planned.
Along the way, I browsed through some other titles, and they were certainly… interesting.
My Lewd Dragonian Maid, Unifying the World with My Wife, About the Chimera I Accidentally Synthesized Being Too Sexy, and so on.
I saw several titles that felt strangely familiar….
Unfortunately, there weren't any genres that completely transcended my expectations, like "fantasy within a fantasy."
Then again, even on Earth, fantasy-like works only started appearing in the early modern period, and the genre as I knew it wasn't established until the modern era.
The Eurelia Continent hadn't reached that level of genre evolution yet.
However, while it was all "fantasy" to me, these books felt strangely realistic to the people here, almost like contemporary fiction.
The romanticization of elves I had sensed at the auction house existed for other races as well.
There were stories about a nymphomaniac elf seducing generations of a human family.
Or stories about raising beastkin like actual pets.
Things like that.
Surprisingly, some genres and tropes were identical to those on Earth.
I even felt a sense of familiarity when I saw a setting where all men had died from a mysterious disease, leaving the protagonist as the only male left in the world.
Yeah… men think the same no matter where they are.
But there were also things I couldn't understand at all.
The erotica written for dwarves was a prime example.
What exactly was sexy about mining an ancient creature made entirely of rare metals and turning it into the tribe's public property?
I could understand the situation itself was meant to be provocative. But descriptions of the "lustrous sheen of the metal" or its "unyielding hardness" just didn't resonate with me!
According to Carla, that was a rather niche category even among dwarf erotica… I just felt glad that Fay was normally attracted to my flesh and bone.
Anyway, after enjoying our library "date" for a while, we each picked out a book and made our way out of the maze.
“Master. How about we try out some of the plays from these books today?”
“Sounds good. But there’s one more thing I need to do first.”
“Huh? Ah, I guess it is a bit much to come all this way just to borrow smut. Is there another book you need? Tell me, and I’ll find it faster than any golem!”
“It’s cute that you’re jealous of a golem, but that won't be necessary. I already know where it is.”
“Hmph… what a waste. By the way, what kind of book is it that you have such an expectant look on your face, Master?”
“You’re right. If I had to name the genre….”
I paused for a moment, a smirk playing on my lips.
“I suppose it’s a Ghost Story?”
It was time to claim the Hidden Piece.
