A Hidden Trait Unlocked Through Intimacy
I woke up the next morning, rubbing my eyes as I looked around. The rumpled bedsheets. The blanket that had been kicked off the bed. Rachel, lying there completely naked. And me, just as bare as she was.
I quietly covered my face with both hands.
"I'm screwed."
I'd completely conquered one of the heroines. Sure, I could try to brush it off by thinking I'd just gained a girlfriend... but the real problem was how the Catel Marquisate would react.
They didn't know anything about their daughter. They'd trusted me as their benefactor, and I'd gone and slept with their precious girl. I could only imagine what kind of reaction I'd get. It definitely wouldn't be a good one.
But there was no way I could hide it. Considering Rachel's personality, keeping a secret like this was impossible for her. She'd probably run straight to her parents and happily announce that she'd started a relationship with me. And then I'd be branded as the world's biggest bastard who'd slept with their daughter and tried to keep it quiet.
"This... this is exactly why I didn't want to conquer any heroines."
My list of things to worry about had suddenly grown longer. The number of relationships I had to manage had multiplied. Wouldn't it have been so much simpler to just focus on leveling up and stacking specs? I had avoided heroine routes all this time precisely because I hated getting tangled up in complicated human relationships and having to read the room all the time.
But I didn't have time to sit around feeling depressed. I couldn't afford to make the Catel Marquisate my enemy.
"Perfect, it's the weekend again."
I quickly got dressed and woke Rachel up.
"Hehe. It's Asbel!"
The moment she saw me, she beamed and threw herself into my arms.
"Kissing you yesterday felt so good."
That wasn't kissing, miss. That was sex.
"Rachel. Let's go home."
"Whose home?"
"Your home."
"To see Mom and Dad?"
"Yeah. Let's go see Mom and Dad."
"Yay!!"
Rachel smiled brightly, looking overjoyed. She was happy, but I felt like I was going to die from anxiety. How would Marquis Catel react? Would he try to cut me in half on the spot? Should I bring the Iron Lion's Greatsword and Blood Thread's Poison Fang just in case? I might actually have to fight.
No. It would look pathetic to show up to apologize while armed to the teeth.
With that thought, I left my weapons behind.
"Are we taking the carriage again?"
"No. Let's use the teleport station."
I still had plenty of money from Marquis Catel. That would cover the cost. Oh god. What kind of position was this—having to go tell a man that I'd slept with his daughter? Just kill me instead. But I couldn't not tell him either.
Sniffling, I took Rachel with me and headed to the teleport station, making our way to the Catel Marquisate.
"I'm sorry!!!!!!"
After the cheerful reunion where Rachel bounced around excitedly to see her parents, I found myself alone with Marquis Catel and his wife. I explained the entire situation, then bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
"It's all my fault!! I failed to properly take care of Rachel!!"
Since I was bent over, I couldn't see the marquis couple's faces. But I doubted they looked pleased.
"If you don't want to see me anymore, I promise I'll never approach Rachel ag—"
"Asbel, please raise your head."
At the marchioness's calm voice, I slowly lifted my head. To my surprise, neither the marquis nor his wife looked particularly angry.
"I'd like to clarify the cause and effect. You couldn't possibly have forced yourself on Rachel. She's not a child who can be taken against her will. If she didn't want something, she would have resisted with all her strength. In that case, you wouldn't be standing here unharmed right now."
"I'm asking because I'm worried my daughter might have... forced herself on you."
"That wasn't the case. She simply said she wanted to sleep with me. I told her many times that it wasn't possible since we weren't lovers, but..."
"She wouldn't listen, would she?"
The marchioness let out a long sigh, as if she understood perfectly.
"Are you hurt anywhere, Asbel?"
The atmosphere felt strangely off. Why were both of them acting like they were worried about me?
"Uh, no, I'm fine."
"That's a relief. In that case, could we continue to entrust our Rachel to you in the future?"
Wait. What was that supposed to mean?
"Aren't you... angry?"
"Why would we be angry?"
Marquis Catel smiled warmly.
"To be honest, Rachel is a child who could never get married. As you know... her mind isn't fully sound. Yet the son of the Lichtenauer Ducal Estate, a talent who was placed in the seventh-year class from the entrance exam, has made things official with our daughter. We have every reason to be delighted, not upset."
Marquis Catel wore a somewhat sly smile. The marchioness looked the same.
"Moreover, the fact that you came to take responsibility puts our minds at ease as parents. Asbel, we have no reason to refuse a son-in-law like you."
What was this? The whole "please take responsibility for our daughter" atmosphere? Had I been played?
"Don't worry. We like you very much. Please continue to take good care of our lacking daughter, if possible."
"O-of course."
Things had resolved far too smoothly. At this point, I had no choice but to accept it. Rachel was now officially my lover. There was no escaping it.
"The wedding would look best after you graduate from the academy, wouldn't it? For now, you should focus on your studies."
"Of course. It would also be better timing to inform the Lichtenauer Ducal Estate after graduation. You're both still quite young."
"Asbel, how many wives are you planning to have?"
This was a question I hadn't expected at all.
"How many wives, you ask?"
"Indeed. My wife Amelia and I... are a rather special case. We're so happy together that I never took another wife, but that's not the norm for most noble families."
"Most families where the head is a renowned powerhouse tend to have multiple spouses. It doesn't matter whether it's a man or a woman."
"It's one of the traditions of the Steel Empire. For someone as outstanding as you, it's advantageous to spread your seed as widely as possible."
It was a rather blunt way of putting it, but there was no better line to describe the Steel Empire. Since it was a nation that worshipped strength, its marriage culture had naturally adapted to match. In this world, it was only natural for the strong to have multiple spouses. And it was possible for both men and women.
But multiple wives? Was he telling me to build a harem?
"I'm not sure yet. I want to focus on my studies for now."
Just Rachel alone was already overwhelming. Lady Cassandra had been giving off a somewhat strange vibe lately, but I didn't want to get involved with any more women. I currently had a blade at my throat. I had no idea when or where the Evil Dragon Cult might strike. Especially with the class president election event right around the corner. I didn't even have enough time to grow stronger for the event—romance was the last thing on my mind.
"I see. Even if you end up taking multiple wives, I ask that you cherish our Rachel."
"Please do, Asbel."
At the couple's polite request, I bowed in a daze.
"Of course. It would be my honor."
It was really going to end this easily? I'd even received permission for a harem.
A harem, huh.
How many heroines would I end up conquering? I had no idea. But I planned to do my best to keep the number from growing. Once was more than enough. Yet why did I have this uneasy feeling that things wouldn't go the way I wanted?
"By the way, Asbel. You seem to have a slightly different aura compared to when we last met."
After the conversation had wrapped up in a warm atmosphere, the marquis suddenly said this to me.
"A different aura?"
"Yes. Something... feels different."
The marquis stared at me intently before extending his hand.
"Let me see your hand."
It was a request from my future father-in-law. I didn't resist and offered my hand. He took it firmly and seemed to focus on sensing something. As the head of a prestigious knight family, he was an overwhelmingly powerful figure even by my current standards. His assessment would surely be accurate.
"As I thought. My intuition was correct."
After observing for about ten minutes, the marquis burst into laughter and released my hand.
"It's only at a very faint level, but you... have developed an Arcane Neuron."
"An Arcane Neuron?"
"Yes. It's a special nerve specialized in handling mana. It's a trait usually found more often in mages than knights. I sensed a subtly mysterious energy from you, so I checked—and sure enough."
Arcane Neuron? Wasn't that one of the hidden traits? It was a famous trait that mage-class players desperately wanted to obtain. And it was said to be the single most compatible trait for the Contractor of Divine Artifacts in theory. But since there had been no way for Asbel to acquire it, it had remained nothing more than a theoretical best-case scenario.
How did this happen? Wasn't it impossible for Asbel to ever obtain the Arcane Neuron trait?
As far as players knew, there was only one condition for acquiring the Arcane Neuron trait.
Being able to wield 25th-circle magic. Only then would the Arcane Neuron trait be automatically obtained.
In Karnadan, 30th-circle magic was the theoretical maximum a human could possess. Even if someone dedicated their life to becoming a mage, it was a trait that could only be gained in the very late game. On top of that, all magic was treated as skill-based, so Asbel couldn't use any spells at all. A person whose mental structure prevented them from even using first-circle magic had zero chance of using 25th-circle magic. That was why I'd considered it an unobtainable trait... yet here it was.
Why? How did this happen?
I suddenly remembered it. Right before I passed out after that intense session with Rachel last night, a status window had appeared. It said something about new enlightenment at 0.1%. Given the circumstances, that "new enlightenment" was most likely the Arcane Neuron.
The moment one obtains the Arcane Neuron, the Contractor of Divine Artifacts theoretically gains supreme firepower.
I could launch a one-ton greatsword at the speed of sound. I could swing a whip-sword at hypersonic speeds or snipe enemies five kilometers away with a spear. The Arcane Neuron multiplied intelligence stats and amplified all mana phenomena by several dozen times in efficiency.
What exactly increases this enlightenment value?
The answer came to me immediately when I thought about what I'd done last night. It was a rather shocking answer.
"How fascinating. You're clearly a swordsman, yet you've awakened a physical trait typically only found in archmages. How did you unlock it?"
"I-I'm not sure myself. I'm quite surprised as well. Haha. Thank you for the diagnosis anyway."
I gave that answer to the marquis, but since I already knew the truth, I couldn't tell him.
Does having intense sex while reinforcing the body with mana activate the Arcane Neuron?
It was a somewhat absurd conclusion, but it wasn't completely illogical.
Come to think of it, I've never once considered wrapping my body in mana and then having sex. So of course I wouldn't have known.
If I'd simply infused mana into my body and done ordinary strength training, it probably wouldn't have triggered the Arcane Neuron at all. Asbel's body had terrible compatibility with exercise and muscle training. But the act of sex aligned perfectly with Asbel. It was all thanks to the Peach Blossom trait. When those two things combined, an unexpected phenomenon had occurred that even I hadn't anticipated.
It was a hidden element I would never have discovered without that surprise Rachel event.
To put it simply, it means this.
The more sex you have, the more hidden traits you can obtain.
My current situation sounded exactly like the title of some cheap erotic novel.