The Mage's Cunning and Shallow... (1)
#
-Knock, knock.
"..."
-Knock knock knock knock.
"..."
-Knock, knock... Bang! Bang-bang-bang!
"Gahk!"
Wh-what?!
I hurriedly pulled on a pair of trousers and leaped from the bed. The knocking was growing too violent to ignore like a Sunday-morning alarm.
When I opened the door, Rebecca was staring at me with an expression that said she was looking at something truly pitiful.
"What..."
"Please forgive my discourtesy. Although the mansion has a bell, it is broken, so I had no choice but to knock."
That was what she said, but Rebecca didn't look sorry in the slightest. Her face silently radiated the question, "Are you even human, lying in bed until this hour?"
Since it was nearly noon, way past morning.
It couldn't be helped. After consecutive nights of all-night sex and even a 3P session yesterday, enough exhaustion had accumulated to make even me sleep late.
It wasn't just me; the girls were still in bed playing dead too.
Of course, it had been incredibly fun. The girls had eventually clung to me asking for more, just like last time.
But despite clinging to me like that, they'd passed out way faster than before.
It was obvious. They'd said that they searched for me from dawn after I stayed out. I spent the night having sex with the Witch, while my girls spent the night searching for me.
And then a 3P right after.
Embarrassed, I let out a dry cough.
"Ahem. Hmm. S-so, what is it? I am sorry, but I will skip breakfast."
"...Lady Ariel told me that you planned to go out with her today. However, if you're b.u.s.y, perhaps the schedule should be rearranged..."
"No, no, it's fine. I got it."
Her emphasis on busy was painfully obvious. She was scolding me: what could I possibly be busy with besides sex?
Of course, sex was wonderful, but I felt as though I had lately become far too much of a kept man, which struck a guilty nerve. Being a human Sex Machine was fine, yet part of me still wondered whether it was acceptable to continue this way.
"There's no need to postpone. I'll get ready and head out shortly."
"Understood. I've placed your companions' meals in their room, so I would appreciate it if you informed them."
"Uh, uh-huh. Got it..."
She knew everything about the 3P session. Had she already checked on them first?! This was mortifying...
# # #
I washed up quickly, left a note for the girls who were still half-asleep and out of it, and then went down to the reception room where Ariel greeted me.
"You've come."
"Yeah. We're going to the bank today, right?"
"That's right."
Ariel said that while looking me up and down with an expression as though she were grading me.
"Hmm... do you not own something like a suit?"
"I don't. When would I ever need to wear clothes like that."
"I suspected as much."
I was in my usual, slightly rough-looking adventurer's gear. In contrast, Ariel was, for some reason, wearing an incredibly beautiful dress.
The silver dress clung to her body and was cut in sheer fabric down to her navel, giving her a cute yet strangely alluring air. Over it, she wore an expensive-looking fur coat.
I'd never noticed while she wandered around in a simple robe and a strange pointed hat, but a proper dress made her beauty stand out dramatically.
"...It suits you."
"Thanks."
Even as she said that, Ariel fidgeted uncomfortably.
"I don't particularly prefer this kind of clothing, but there are occasions that require formality. If I appeared dressed as usual, they might look down on me."
"Look down on you? By whom?"
"The examiner. The loan examiner."
I see. So this was a kind of battle preparation. That explained her concern about a suit.
"But I don't have anything you could call a suit."
Unlike my bewildered self, Ariel seemed unfazed.
"I just asked on the off chance. Rebecca."
"Yes. Follow me, please."
"Uh... huh?"
Without explaining, Ariel sat on the reception-room sofa and began examining some papers, clearly intending to leave everything else to Rebecca.
"This way."
Still somewhat confused, I followed Rebecca into the dressing room. It was rather bare.
On one side, a mannequin already displayed a rather nice-looking tuxedo.
"What? If you had prepared this, you should have told me earlier."
"...We're already running late. Please undress."
"What?! Right here? Don't tell me you're going to...! No. Fine."
Rebecca's gaze grew steadily colder, so I obediently removed my outer clothing. More importantly, could she do this too? She wasn't merely a butler but a super butler.
"You are impressive. Can you make clothing as well? Will there be enough time if you begin now?"
"I intend only to baste it for a rough fit. Please refrain from any violent movement. Otherwise,"
"If I don't?"
"...the situation will become troublesome in several ways. I trust that you understand proper conduct, Yoo-jin. Excuse me for a moment."
Rebecca fetched a measuring tape from somewhere and began to measure me here and there. But, wait—
It felt as though she were using more force than necessary, or perhaps groping me more than necessary. Huh?
"H-hey! Why! Why are you touching there!"
"...My apologies. It was a mistake."
No, for a mistake, her movement was weird. Was it really a mistake? This woman—there was definitely intent behind that touch! A lewd intent!
"..."
No, I guess not.
Rebecca's face was slightly pale, and she looked quite tired.
"Are you getting enough sleep? Want a massage? I'm not kidding."
"..........I appreciate the consideration, but I am fine."
She was hesitating longer than before. She must have been extremely pent up.
"It will not take long, so please wait a moment."
As soon as Rebecca finished taking my measurements, she began working her hands at a fast pace, as if to say no further conversation was needed.
# # #
"It looks good on you."
"Yeah?"
As Ariel had said, this world's formalwear was better than expected—honestly, it was quite good. Some decorations felt unnecessary to modern sensibilities, but because it fit me properly, it still looked impressive.
After we checked the outfit, Rebecca came to the front gate and hailed a carriage for us. Ariel and I then set off for the bank.
"..."
Just like Rebecca, Ariel's face also looked a bit tired.
"You okay?"
"As in what?"
"I mean... since you exerted yourself so much yesterday..."
I trailed off. Asking whether she felt all right after sex in broad daylight felt incredibly strange. This sort of question was supposed to be asked in a suggestive mood after waking in the morning.
"Ah... that. I'm fine. You loosened my body thoroughly yesterday, did you not? I didn't realize it at first, but it was certainly effective."
"Really? You look pretty tired, though."
"I had a lot to prepare for. It is not because of you."
Inside the swaying carriage, Ariel hitched up a slipping shoulder strap as she spoke.
Trying hard to keep my eyes fixed on her face, I asked her something I'd been curious about.
"That's a relief then. That aside, what exactly do you want me to do at the bank? I'd like to hear the details."
After Ariel learned yesterday that my skills did not register through Mana Detection, she asked me to secretly use one at the bank. We'd skipped the rest of the discussion because we were having sex, so now it was time to hear it.
"It's simple. While I explain that slime, use your ability on the examiner. You need not use anything close to the intensity you used on me. A very slight effect—only enough to cloud the examiner's judgment—will suffice."
"Cloud their judgment, huh..."
"The person I'll likely be facing is a considerably old elf."
Ariel said this while folding her arms.
"Elves don't visibly age, but that does not mean their desires remain young. To speak bluntly, the examiner assigned to me is likely to have a greatly diminished libido. It would be difficult to persuade someone like that about a slime used for sex. But if your ability revived that lost desire, the situation would be different."
"I-is that so?"
"That is why your role is important. Since your ability does not register through Mana Detection, it shouldn't trigger the bank's security measures either."
Ariel said it as if it were simple, but I didn't see it that way.
"Hmm. But how am I supposed to arouse your examiner? I can't think of a way. Don't tell me you want me to seduce them with my looks."
Ariel asked, sounding puzzled.
"Did you not once arouse a Silver Tier adventurer with your ability during a spar?"
"Y-you knew about that."
The incident when I'd framed that veteran adventurer as gay in the middle of our fight.
I was horrified. Had I thought I was the only one keeping it secret?!
"That Silver Tier adventurer had never before become aroused by a man in broad daylight, so I suspected that you had done something. Yesterday confirmed it."
"R-right..."
"So, couldn't you just use the same method as that time?"
How had I done it then? I had used Invisible Hand to apply 「Pleasure」 during combat. But she wanted me to do that again?
"Hmm. I think that would be a bit difficult."
"...Why is that?"
Ariel frowned slightly. But there was a valid reason why I couldn't.
"The reason I was able to frame that guy back then was because the excitement of combat kept him from paying attention to his surroundings. In a normal situation, he'd have noticed for sure, don't you think?"
"Would you explain?"
"Mm. I possess an ability called 「Invisible Hand」,"
As I said that, I opened and closed the carriage window with a mere gesture.
"This thing is just invisible, but the tactile sensation and things like that are still perfectly felt. Like this."
"?!"
When I poked Ariel's cheek with Invisible Hand, she jumped.
"Ah, sorry."
"...It's fine."
"Anyway, you get it, right? That guy only didn't know what was touching him because he was busy fighting. Under normal circumstances, you'd definitely be able to tell something was there."
"I see. Is this about right?"
"Yes. You can feel it touching you, correct? Anyone even slightly sensitive would notice immediately."
Ariel furrowed her brow and stroked her chin. A thoughtful expression. After a brief silence, she spoke again.
"Must your ability make contact with the target to activate? Is there no other method?"
"Some other method, huh..."
"Holy Magic includes a spell called Area-of-Effect Healing. It applies a healing effect to injured people within a certain range. Unlike ordinary healing magic, it does not require touching each injured person. Since you too received Divine Power from the Goddess, I believe you may be able to use a similar ability."
Ariel poured out her words nonstop. She seemed even more passionate about skill exploration than I was.
Hmm. She was asking whether I could arouse someone without touching them?
"Hold on."
I began drafting a Skill Proposal.