Dance with the Red Sky (5)
Dance with the Red Sky (5)
#57
From behind, the full incantation of a Unique Magic rang out.
『—O Crimson Lotus Flame—』
Shitshitshit!!!!
N-no. This wasn't right. I'd only been in one fight my entire goddamn life—
No, wait. Had I at least been lucky enough to have sex with a woman this beautiful even once? If it's at all possible for me to be reborn as myself again, please, in the next life, let me be born into a world where I never meet that bitch Rubel. No, better yet—I'd rather she didn't exist in the world at all.
In that instant, the flames suddenly died down.
"... Haaah... Forget it. Mom, put some clothes on and come out. And you too, Subject 601, get out here."
"???????"
She was letting this slide?
What on earth had changed her mind?
What's more, though I had no idea how, she seemed to have already known I was in the mansion. She didn't exactly look surprised to see me.
Anyway, I was alive, so that was what mattered.
The problem was, I didn't have any clothes...
Thump.
A white bathrobe.
Rubel must have thrown it.
I turned my head and looked down to see Risie with her eyes squeezed shut, her face flushed a shade of crimson deeper than I had ever seen before.
***
***
"So, not content with running riot at home with Lady Ordia to satisfy that insane libido of yours, now you want to mix your body with a mere male slave?"
"..."
In front of the massive gray stone dining table.
Risie kept her head silently bowed, unable to offer a single word in rebuttal to Rubel's remarks.
For now, I figured it was best to stay still. In times like this, staying quiet splits the trouble in half. There was no point in needlessly provoking Rubel.
Speaking of which, wasn't the mother supposed to be the charismatic one? She was even one of the Countesses of Arcanum. Wasn't that an incredibly high-ranking position?
I'd heard before about Dukes, Counts, Barons, and whatnot. By that ranking, Risie was an extremely important person.
But the power dynamic in this mother-daughter relationship seemed to flow in reverse. Judging by sheer force of presence, anyone would believe Rubel was the head of the family.
Rubel's gradient anger slowly began to erupt.
"It's a good thing I was the first one to see this. What if it had been the servants, or other guests? Do you realize that if a rumor like this got out, we'd be finished? Finished!!!! Do you even know what you've just done?"
"I'll explain everything..."
"What is there to explain. Hah— I'm just dumbfounded. The moment I saw it, I almost killed him, but I stopped. I stopped because I can't beat you with magic, mom. And even if I concede a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand times over, you were pinned under a man... It's pathetic."
"..."
"And another thing."
"H-hic—"
"When I saw you'd brought that bastard—Subject 601—into our house, I'm certain I warned you. I told you not to touch him and to leave him alone. You never even explained to me where you picked him up from in the first place, did you?"
"That's because it's a matter I'm not allowed to speak of carelessly..."
"He's an Academy teaching aid, right? One that's been missing for days. What on earth were you thinking? What are you going to say to the Director of the Academy Infirmary? Did you seriously even abduct this man? Just to act out those vulgar sexual acts of yours? If you were going to do that, why did you bring him in looking like a corpse? You should've just drugged him up with stamina potions or an aphrodisiac and brought him here."
"No... there are circumstances I truly cannot speak of—"
"What were you doing at the Eurasia estate that you crawled in there to do this? If you'd just done your job properly in the first place, would a Hunter have been able to invade? The whole of Arcanum is in an uproar over that incident. Don't you feel the slightest bit sorry toward Countess Cassian Eurasia and Estelle? And now they're saying they don't even know where Estelle has gone..."
Tears began to well up in Rubel's eyes.
"My precious junior... I can't contact her, I don't even know if she's alive or dead... If something happened to Estelle, I'll never forgive you. I won't ever see you again. I'll leave this accursed household for good."
Bang!!!!
Rubel slammed her hand on the table and stood up.
At that moment—
"She's alive."
Drip.
"It seems the rumors haven't reached the Academy yet. That child is alive. She's just badly hurt and receiving treatment."
"Then where is she!"
"The matter is complicated, so I can only tell you this much. She managed to accomplish something truly significant this time. Once her body fully recovers, she'll return to the Academy. So just know that for now."
Plop.
"A relief... what a relief——"
Rubel let out a sigh of relief and slumped into a chair.
I didn't know who this Estelle person was, but Rubel must've been extremely fond of her. Given how furious she was acting.
The moment I had that thought, those crimson eyes glared this way.
"Hey."
"Yes."
"What are you? What are you to do that to my mother."
Suddenly?
In truth, I was closer to being the victim here.
When I came to my senses, my memories were gone and I was simply getting devoured on the bed as a side dish for Risie's masturbation. And listening to the story, it had been going on for a full three days.
Of course, if I said that, a very unpleasant end would be waiting for me.
"Wait, he has no memory. I'll explain everything."
Oh—nice assist.
Lady Risie, I love you.
"What's that supposed to mean? Why doesn't he have any memory. He seems to know perfectly well who I am."
"I can't give you the details. In any case, he has no memory of the past few days."
"If you don't convince me right now, know that I will kill this man even if it means doing it while you're asleep."
Oh please, I was being treated seriously unfairly here.
"He simply got caught up in the Eurasia mansion incident. He was there by chance and was struck by the Hunter's magic. I picked him up and treated him."
"How does a mere Academy Teaching Aid, who was not even Estelle Eurasia's designated Teaching Aid, manage to enter the Eurasia mansion? Did he sneak over a wall? Does he have a superpower that turns him invisible? You're a fellow countess, do you look down on the Countess's mansion security as if it's some cock?"
She had a point. How the hell had I gotten in there? I had absolutely no memory of it. Perhaps it was a lie Lady Risie was making up.
"That's not it... Anyway, Mr. Do-yun was there and got caught up in it. I couldn't just stand by and watch, so I brought him here. And this man is no ordinary man."
"What do you mean, not an ordinary man?"
"Mr. Do-yun is a mage. What's more, he's the first ever male mage in history."
Lady Risie...
That didn't seem like a good explanation. Honestly, regardless of the truth, it lacked any sense of reality...
"... It seems the time has finally come for me to go view the Book of Fate. I've been happy all this time, mom. I'll lovingly adopt and raise a child to inherit your Unique Magic. I'll raise them to be strong, befitting the title of Valenor of Martial Might. Now, leave the duty of Arcanum's guardian to me."
"No, it's true!!!! Do you think I'd lie?"
"Where was the original Book of Fate located again? Was it only viewable by going to Duke Astravia's representative? I'll have to visit the Academy library. Even if Mom has plenty of lifespan left, can I go see it?"
Thud!!!!
"I said it's true!!!!"
The moment she said that, the bathrobe I had been wearing was stripped off.
A very faintly glowing cock displayed its presence beneath the gray table.
... Please, give me a break.
#58
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence among three people.
Seizing hold of me—now naked—as I awaited Rubel's reaction, Risie opened her mouth.
"Here, look at this, my daughter. Look right here."
Ugh—
Suddenly, a warm hand grabbed my cock and tried to lay it on the table as if handling some object. This woman was surprisingly strong.
"Agh—agh—Lady Risie, it hurts."
"Mom."
"Hm?"
"That's enough. Stop it."
Rubel averted her gaze from the suddenly revealed manhood and murmured. A cold fury seemed to linger in her voice.
"No, look closely here! This kid's cock has an Imprint on it!!!! Just like we have Imprints on our bodies!"
Swiish—
Rubel slightly turned her head and looked down at my manhood.
"It does seem so. That's probably the result of an experiment the Academy conducted when they rented out Subject 601, likely made by a probationary mage from the Untitled Mage House named Elysia Florentia. That girl causes so much trouble, she must have committed this kind of act too."
"Then you acknowledge it, right? Mr. Do-yun is a mage."
"Just because someone has an Imprint doesn't make them a mage. Have you actually seen him use Unique Magic? If not, I can't possibly acknowledge it. Even if this bastard really is a mage, I can't allow any further debauchery in this house."
"... I've seen it."
"What?"
"I've seen him use his Unique Magic. I really wasn't going to tell you this much. Never speak a word of this anywhere. Only House Rosenheim and House Etchellan know this fact. I saw Mr. Do-yun use his Unique Magic. The three of us were witnesses. Of course, those two don't know Mr. Do-yun is a man. At the time, Mr. Do-yun was completely covered in soot and caked with bloody lumps. It was like looking at a single blackish-red sculpture."
What kind of nonsense was this.
Since when did I use magic? Did I actually use magic and then pass out from the recoil? Had Elysia's experiment succeeded that quickly? Congratulations, Elysia, it looks like you've just become the Melon Musk of Arcanum.
"To be precise, I saw Do-yun right after he used his Unique Magic. I don't know exactly what kind of Unique Magic it is, but this man protected the Eurasia child from the Steel Hunter. If it hadn't been for Mr. Do-yun, Estelle would probably be dead."
"A lie."
???????????????
"Deny it all you want, the facts won't change. If you're really so curious, go ask House Rosenheim or House Etchellan."
"Urgh—"
"And I am going to continue living my life together with Mr. Do-yun from now on. Don't interfere in my private life anymore. I'm not going to care any longer what kind of rumors spread about me. Even if such rumors do spread, killing all the bitches who blab about them will be the end of it. This is an order from the head of the House Valenor."
"Are you insane, mom? How does that even make sense—"
"If you really hate it, we'll settle this with a duel. It's a method befitting the shield and spear of Arcanum, the Valenor of Martial Might."
"How am I supposed to beat you, mom!"
"Fight Mr. Do-yun. If you win, you can kill this man or let him live, do whatever you want with him. In return, daughter, if you lose—"
"..."
"You'll have to take this man with you to the Academy, help him study, so he can stand on his own as a mage. Now hurry up, get your ass out to the sparring grounds."
Why was she suddenly doing this? I was telling her, I didn't know the first thing about magic.
Please, spare me—