Chapter 162: Anyway, It's a Secret Tryst (4)
Chapter 162: Anyway, It's a Secret Tryst (4)
"Hehe... thanks... but there's still one more thing left."
"Huh? I thought that was everything I asked for, Senior Fay..."
"Mhm. Not from this time, but what I mentioned before."
Before? Could it be...?
"Did you already make the sensory-linked onahole?!"
"What?! Is that what you were thinking about?! I never even mentioned that in the first place!"
Darn, so close.
Fay let out a long sigh and pulled a staff and a wand out of her subspace pocket.
"This is..."
"That's right. I tried making magic weapons like I said before. The mana amplification rate isn't great yet, but I succeeded, so I wanted to show you. ...Sorry it's not a sensory-linked onahole!"
"I'm joking, I'm joking. But can you actually make one?"
"If I have enough time and budget... No, focus on this first, Junior!"
"Ah, right."
I examined the staff and wand Fay handed me. Uniquely, the gems at the tips were integrated into the wood.
"Normal magic stones are hard to synthesize, so I extracted mana myself, crystallized it, and then refined it. Maybe because it passed through my power once, it's much easier to handle."
"Aha? I thought the material looked unfamiliar. You materialized mana itself and attached it?"
When I channeled a bit of mana into it, the crystal sparkled in response.
However, as Fay said, the amplification rate was still at a mediocre level. It felt like a practice staff meant for beginners.
Still, the fact that she succeeded at all was what mattered.
"I didn't expect you to succeed so soon. If you research this a bit more..."
"Yeah. Not only can I increase the amplification rate, but I'll be able to make all sorts of magical tools. ...Though it'll take some time since I have to study enchanting too."
"Why don't you talk to Iris about that? It might be good if you make a vessel that's easy to enchant, and then Iris carves the magic into it."
"Hmm... that's a bit far from my goal..."
"Ah."
Right. Fay wanted to prove that she could create a finished product using only alchemy.
If she divided the work with Iris, it wouldn't be fundamentally different from the current system.
"Then you could just learn enchanting from Iris. Surely you don't have to self-teach that as well, right, Senior Fay?"
When I playfully tapped the back of Fay's hand, she jumped and grabbed my finger.
"O-Of course not! If that were the case, I wouldn't have come to the Academy in the first place!"
"Good. Then I'll talk to Iris later and get another communication orb."
I was planning to stop by the mansion tomorrow before raiding the cult branch with Iona to pick up the robes and masks for Carla and Elisha. I could mention it then.
I felt a proud smile forming as I watched Fay grow so rapidly, but it didn't last long.
Suddenly, Fay began to squirm and asked in a suggestive voice.
"Hehe. You know, Junior. I did everything you asked, right? I did well, didn't I? Hmm?"
"Uh... I'm not sure what you're getting at, but you always do a great job, Senior Fay."
"Really? I do? Then I have a favor to ask..."
"A favor? Go ahead. I'll listen to almost anything."
"R-Really? Then, during vacation, can you go with me to the village where I lived when I was little? I want to introduce you to my mom..."
"If it's your mother..."
"Yeah. Not in Nidavellir where my father is, but in Lockwood Village where we used to live. Her grave is there."
I did a quick mental calculation of the dates before nodding.
"...Understood. I have a prior engagement to go on a cult subjugation with the Church of Righteous Light, so let's all go together after that."
"Wow...! Thank you, Junior!"
Fay hopped up and down in joy.
Watching her chest bounce along with her was quite a pleasant sight, but on the other hand, I felt a sense of unease that they might fall off.
So, I reached out and held them to steady them.
"H-Hah!"
"Come here, Senior Fay."
With her chest still in my hands, I pulled Fay onto my lap. Then, I whispered softly into her ear, which was hidden beneath her messy hair.
"So, you can make a sensory-linked onahole, right?"
"...I told you, didn't I? If I have the time and budget, I can make it happen."
"Setting aside the time, how much budget do you think you'll need?"
"Hmm..."
Whisper, whisper.
"About this much?"
"Sounds good. Let's start today."
It was a fairly large sum, but it was a very satisfying investment.
*
The next morning.
I finished all preparations by stopping at the mansion early to grab Carla and Elisha's robes, and then arrived at Iona's laboratory.
Knock, knock.
"Professor. We're—"
Creak.
The door opened on its own before I could finish.
"Come in! Come in! Nobody forgot anything, right? Did everyone use the bathroom? Are you wearing your Lost Child Rings?"
"Is that what these rings are called? We're not children, so what's with the..."
I couldn't tell if the rings were to prevent us from getting lost or if they were calling us lost children. Well, from Iona's perspective, we probably all looked like kids, so I could guess the sentiment.
My smirk faded as I realized something else—Iona's outfit was a bit different from usual.
Her sleeves, which usually hung loose enough to hide her hands, were tied neatly at the wrists, and the hem of her robe, which usually covered her lower body like a skirt, was tied at her waist, revealing her bare legs.
Overall, it felt more revealing and tighter. It was an outfit that prioritized ease of movement over being bundled up.
It seemed to be Iona's version of combat mode.
I barely managed to pull my gaze away from her legs, only to see Iona smiling mischievously.
"Lewd! So lewd! Where are you looking?"
"To take away someone's mobility, you have to start with the legs..."
"P-Professor Iona is a good vampire!"
I had only cracked a joke, but Iona jumped back in horror. I gave a nonchalant shrug, and only then did she let out a sigh of relief.
It was actually quite cute to see someone so much stronger than me act like this.
"Anyway. Anyway. If everyone's ready, we're leaving right now, okay?"
At Iona's words, I looked back at Carla and Elisha.
Their masks weren't finished yet, so they only had their robes, but they should be wearing decent equipment underneath.
When our eyes met, the two of them silently pulled out their staff and wand. I also pulled my staff and dagger from my inventory and nodded.
"We're ready, Professor."
"Good! Good! We're going to teleport directly, so everyone hold hands!"
I took Iona's outstretched hand. Her temperature was a bit cool, as expected of a vampire, which felt pleasant. Carla took my other hand, and Elisha took Carla's, connecting us all.
Seeing this, Iona raised her free hand.
"I'm moving us directly with Teleport, so don't resist by drawing up your mana. If you do, you might accidentally end up at the bottom of the ocean or deep underground! ...Or maybe just lose an arm!"
"...I'll keep that in mind."
At her chilling warning, I gripped Carla and Iona's hands tightly and nodded.
As soon as she confirmed this, Iona began to draw up her mana.
Wrooom—
A massive amount of mana swirled and began to condense at Iona's fingertips.
A dark red magical light. It was a similar color to the Teleport Gate Iona had shown when we entered the practice dungeon before.
But this time, the result was a bit different.
Instead of a giant door appearing, Iona traced a circle above our heads with her finger glowing with magical light.
Then, the light flowed down like a curtain.
Perhaps because we were surrounded by such powerful mana, my core began to boil in resistance, regardless of my will. Of course, if I followed that instinct, a terrible accident would occur, just as Iona warned.
"————————."
Before long, I heard the sound of Iona's chanting in my ear.
She was mumbling softly and at such a high speed that I couldn't understand what she was saying... but the will contained within it was clearly conveyed.
I spent some time calming my core using her voice as background noise.
The mana that had been obscuring my vision gradually thinned out and then vanished as if it had never been there.
The surroundings that were revealed... were a completely different landscape.
We had clearly been in Iona's lab, but in that brief moment, we had been thrown into the middle of a forest.
"Wow..."
"This is... amazing."
Carla and Elisha looked around with sparkling eyes.
However, I couldn't do the same.
Trees grew so densely that they blocked out the sunlight. Despite that, there wasn't a single sound of a bird or an insect; the surroundings were deathly quiet. Finally, there was a small mountain cabin sitting all alone in the desolate space where no one should be.
"...Aren't you being a bit too hasty, Professor?"
"Huh? Huh? Isn't this the right place?"
"The location is right... but it's so accurate that it's a problem."
Because that cabin—no, the entire underground area of this region—was the branch of the Narrow-minded Usurpation.
It would have been better if we had arrived a little further away.
"Everyone, get your magic ready. It'll be even better if you use the Undead Assimilation Potion."
Crack—
A hand made of nothing but white bone burst through the ground.
It was a welcoming party from the dead.