Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Not Just Her Virginity? - 2
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In this brutally harsh world, mastering mana is essential.
It's needed to protect yourself, and when something precious comes along that you want to safeguard, it's indispensable for that too.
The world of magic is, naturally, profound.
Moreover, blending the mysterious element of mana in harmony to manifest 'magic' is an act reserved solely for mages.
So, what defines a mage?
Anyone who can wield magic properly qualifies on some level, but typically, only those who graduate from a magic academy are treated as true mages.
Conveniently, all the Elbalom executives were Valhalla Academy graduates, so I gathered them.
Ellis, Dodo, Tyr. That made three in total.
Essentially, everyone except Cheshire, who was out on a mission, was now assembled.
Dodo asked cautiously.
"L-Leader... why did you gather us?"
"Leader?"
The word "leader" coming from Dodo's mouth felt utterly awkward.
Tyr, catching my eye, answered with obvious pride.
"I told them to use 'leader' from now on. Since there's that idiot moron pervert who climaxes just hearing the name."
Ellis drew her wand, but I shut it down. Then I nodded.
"Good job."
Pleased by the praise, Tyr chewed her gum with a smack-smack and continued.
"So, why'd you call us? It's not to watch some fantasy rabbit fountain show, right?"
"Hey, that turtle bitch has been—"
Whoa, whoa. I stopped Ellis as she began sketching a magic circle.
"As you all know, an organization's size is proportional to its power. And the power we're talking about here is obviously magic."
"Magic?"
"Yeah. Whether you're attacking, building structures, or healing, you end up relying on magic's power, don't you? Now you get how crucial it is?"
"We've always known that. Is this a pep talk?"
"No, no."
I shook my head.
And as I shook my head, Tyr's tone started grating on me. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got, so I kicked her in the gut.
"Kyak!"
"Anyway. This time, we're checking Elbalom's overall strength. You're executives, so I need to gauge your abilities."
That was the stated purpose, but the real meaning behind this gathering was a bit different.
I hadn't fully grasped the principle yet, but I had definitely 'copied' Ellis's specialized magic.
After having Tyr and Dodo demonstrate their signature magic types, I planned to see if I could copy those too. That was the true intent.
"Can't we do it later? I'm kinda tired, so... Kyak?!"
This time, before Tyr could finish, Ellis stomped on her foot. As Tyr collapsed, Ellis trampled her while yelling furiously.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"How dare you contradict the master? I can't stand seeing anyone talk back to him! I just can't tolerate it! Die!"
It was clearly revenge for that earlier 'rabbit fountain show' comment Tyr had made. I let out a deep sigh and turned to Dodo.
"Dodo, you first. Briefly explain your magic type and cast it."
"O-Okay."
"And just to check—no tattoos on your body?"
Dodo tilted her head.
"N-No. I don't like tattoos. Feels like it means living too wildly..."
Ellis flinched at that. Anyway, Dodo began her explanation.
"I'm specialized in healing magic. For shallow wounds, I can treat multiple people at once. Let me show you a wide-area healing magic circle."
Dodo might sound hesitant in speech, but when it came to magic, she was incredibly resolute.
Pale green magic circles appeared in the air, circuits weaving together as they emitted a bright light.
With a pop, a section of space was designated as a healing zone.
She'd humbly called them 'shallow wounds,' but Dodo would later develop this healing ability into something tremendous.
It hit me anew: I had to keep her alive and protect her from any faction that might try to steal her away.
"Good."
I nodded with satisfaction, watching Dodo. Then I began retracing the exact ritual she'd drawn.
One stroke, two strokes, three strokes.
The magic circle consisted of twelve strokes in total—simple-looking on the surface. But when I tried flowing mana through the circuits...
Crash!
The magic circle shattered spectacularly. Just as expected, failure.
Next, I turned to Tyr.
"Tyr."
"Yeah? Oh, right. Leader."
"Your turn."
Tyr, who had been tussling with Ellis by the collar, straightened her clothes.
"My specialty is telekinesis. Reason's obvious, right? Using telekinesis to move building materials is pretty handy."
This time, blue shapes emerged, forming a complete magic circle.
A blue circle appeared on the floor, and with a pop, the chair and table inside it floated up briefly before settling back down.
"That's... basically it."
"Good. Well done."
I nodded and began copying Tyr's shapes: two circles, one triangle.
Crash!
But again, problems arose when flowing mana. Copying failed, same result.
"Tyr."
"What."
"Tattoo on your body?"
"Are you insane? I'm not a whore."
"Confirming."
Ellis flinched again, but this confirmed it.
The Restoration Stigma apparently wasn't limited to just restoration abilities, despite the name.
By having physical relations with a virgin, I could partially acquire her specialized ability.
'Not sure if it's limited to virgins...'
Either way, sleeping with Ellis had triggered this effect.
"Ellis."
"Yes, Master. I'm listening."
"We need to share a bed again soon."
"Really? Rabbit yay~!"
Tyr and Dodo looked at us with slightly surprised eyes.
"Y-You two are really close... Makes sense since you're engaged..."
"What's there to brag about being a non-virgin."
Tyr spat her gum on the floor. Chewing was fine, but spitting anywhere wasn't.
"Pick it up."
"Huh?"
"Pick. It. Up."
"......"
Tyr quietly picked up her gum.
I stood before the three women. It was time to wrap this up.
"Train your magic diligently every night before bed after finishing your duties. I checked today, and your levels are downright pathetic. Truly pathetic. Got it?"
The three nodded quietly.
In truth, their magical prowess was already exceptional.
They'd been selected for Wonderland precisely because they were outstanding.
But the path ahead was treacherous. For now, the carrot could wait—the whip was what they needed, so I had to put it that way.
"I'll train hard so I don't burden Master~"
"I-I'll do my best too..."
"Gonna be dead tired after site work..."
I skipped smacking Tyr out of laziness. Oh, right—there was one more thing to tell them.
"And one more. Get along with each other."
Looking back on my Shadow days, the executives hadn't gotten along. Elfriede had orchestrated that.
So, time to do the opposite.
"Support each other when times are tough. This is an order. If I catch you fighting in front of me again, it's defying my authority—summary execution."
At "order," the three nodded awkwardly, but Tyr and Ellis looked like they'd swallowed poison.
"Now, shake hands and say something nice."
No matter how much they hated it, orders were absolute. Tyr and Ellis clasped hands with reluctant faces.
Ellis broke the silence first.
"You're impressive. A turtle building all day. How about hammering nails with your head instead? Similar composition anyway."
"You're more impressive. Masturbating to Leader fantasies all day. Rabbits climax in three seconds—I get it now. Have an easy birth. Oh, you'll pop 'em out breezy since it's so loose."
Dodo snorted and spat out her tea.
"S-Sorry. It wasn't funny, just choked..."
I smacked the two women's heads alternately with my palm.
Smack! Smack!
"Ouch!"
"Ugh!"
"You think this is a joke? Kneel with arms raised until bedtime."
Just as I made them kneel...
-Mansion owner, come out!
-Who's this Florian punk!
A noisy commotion started from the mansion entrance.
From the sound of it, they were looking for me, as expected.
"...Master, looks like Cheshire dragged in a whole bunch."
Ellis gave me a baffled look, but I smiled instead.
"Perfect."