Chapter 119: The Tower Lord (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 119: The Tower Lord (2)
“I find you fascinating, Hyun-woo.”
The Tower Lord watched me with eyes full of curiosity.
She scanned me meticulously from head to toe, as if afraid to miss a single detail. I felt like an animal in a zoo.
“To enter the world of magic through self-study and form a circle in a single day is one thing, but to now be on the verge of mastering the 4th Circle... I was called a genius my whole life, but compared to you, I feel like nothing more than a mediocre talent.”
Hearing such words from the woman known as the genius of the century was a little embarrassing.
The only reason I’d reached the 4th Circle was entirely thanks to the Another World Dating App and Iris. My own talent couldn't possibly compare to the Tower Lord's.
“I was just lucky.”
“Lucky?”
A smile played on her lips.
“You’re quite humble for a mage. I suppose that’s why Professor Choi wanted to set you up with his granddaughter.”
“Pardon?”
“Oh my, was that a secret too?”
Of course, my engagement to Choi Hyena had never been publicly announced. We planned to keep it hidden until after graduation.
“...How did you know about that?”
“Hm, I just do. When you’re in my position, you tend to hear all sorts of things, whether you want to or not.”
Only those in the family’s inner circle should have known about the engagement.
‘...A traitor?’
The matter was too serious to jump to conclusions. For now, the best I could do was give Hyena a heads-up later.
“You wear your thoughts on your face more than you’d think, Hyun-woo.”
“What?”
“Don’t think too seriously about it. It’s quite common for families to plant a spy or two in each other’s households. I’m sure my family has a few as well.”
Only then did I remember that she, too, was from a prestigious magic family.
“Anyway, I’m quite envious of Miss Hyena. She’s younger than me, yet she managed to snatch up a man as handsome and talented as you. The elders in my family just nag me to get married day in and day out, but they never bring me anyone decent. All they know is how to introduce men from other prestigious houses or chaebol families.”
It felt a little strange, seeing the Tower Lord venting to me.
To think that even the most powerful mage in Korea had ordinary problems like everyone else.
“I don’t know... I think it would be hard to find a man in all of Korea who’s worthy of you, my lady.”
“Oh? Hehe, thank you. It seems you’re not only good at magic but also a master of flattery. I think I’m starting to see why Miss Hyena fell so hard for you.”
No, that wasn’t flattery; it was the truth.
Considering the Tower Lord’s background, talent, and looks, only an heir from one of the most distinguished families in the entire world, not just Korea, would even stand a chance.
“However.”
The Tower Lord, who had been smiling at me, suddenly rose from her seat and slowly approached. Before I could say a word, she sat down right next to me.
“Why do you think there’s no one in Korea?”
Our thighs were almost touching. Her subtle fragrance tickled my nose.
It was a soft scent, not as sharp as perfume. It was the natural scent of a beautiful woman, one I had smelled dozens of times before.
“Hah... you smell so good, Hyun-woo.”
Her voice, thick and sultry, brushed past my ear and burrowed deep. It was then I understood why her attitude had done a complete 180.
[Third Step Towards an Alpha Male]
[Grade: Epic]
[Your bodily fluids become sweet.]
[Your bodily fluids carry a faint aphrodisiac component.]
[Your bodily fluids emit pheromones that entice the opposite sex.]
‘...No wonder her gaze seemed strangely off the moment I entered the workshop.’
Looking closely, I saw her eyes were slightly glazed over. I never imagined a 7th Circle Mage could get drunk on pheromones.
“I’ve never felt like this before. I find myself growing more and more interested in you...”
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like she was sexually aroused. Rather, she appeared to be lightly tipsy.
Of course, something like alcohol could never affect a mage’s mind. Having become a mage before she was even an adult, the Tower Lord had likely never had a drink, let alone been drunk.
It wasn’t strange for her to be disoriented by this new feeling of intoxication. It might have been a different story if she could expel the pheromones with her magic, but judging by the situation, that seemed impossible.
“Hoo... it’s a little hot...”
Before I could stop her, the Tower Lord shrugged off her outer garment and tossed it far away.
“That’s much better.”
The sight of her without the garment was so revealing I didn’t know where to look.
Her black evening dress exposed her entire shoulders, and a slight glance downward revealed not only her cleavage but the entire upper swell of her breasts.
‘...Touching her would be a disaster.’
I quickly circulated my Vajra Qi, stopping the blood flow to my dick to kill my erection.
The Tower Lord was beautiful and had a great body, but she was a poisoned apple with no antidote.
If I, the man promised to Choi Hyena, the heir of the Seongbuk Choi family, were caught with the heir of another great magic family, there was a high chance the engagement would be broken off that very day.
In the worst-case scenario, I might never be able to see Hyena again.
Pushing aside my regret, I started to get up to move away.
“Where are you going?”
Grip. She grabbed me.
I felt the smooth texture of her leather glove.
The look on her face was strikingly similar to that of a woman seducing a man. Even though I knew it wasn’t intentional, I found it hard to pull my hand away.
But the Vajra Qi flowing through my veins cooled my head. Just as expected of a Buddhist martial art.
I gently freed my hand from her grasp.
“...My lady, if I may be so bold, it would be wise to keep your distance from a man who is not your kin. This is for your sake, but also because I am promised to another.”
“...”
The Tower Lord said nothing. She simply stared at me with a blank expression.
“It seems your fatigue has built up from overwork. I shall take my leave for today.”
It was a bit early, but I decided to head back. Sticking around would only make the situation worse.
It was unlikely, but if the pheromone-addled Tower Lord tried to overpower me with force, things would become irreversible.
“I will deliver the contract on the first day of the semester.”
I gave a slight bow and hurried out of the workshop.
Clang. The heavy iron door shut behind me.
My mind was a mess and my steps were heavy on the way back. I’d managed to escape for now, but because of the contract, I would have to meet with her periodically from now on.
‘...Do I need to start wearing a chastity belt?’
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with a proper solution.
For now, all I could do was hope that the Tower Lord would find a way to counteract the pheromones.
*
For a while, Han Lael stared blankly at the firmly shut door.
Not long after, she came to her senses and quietly lay down on the sofa.
“Haaah...”
A sigh heavier than any she’d let out when her magic research hit a wall escaped her lips. She even circulated her magic, but the lingering feeling didn’t fade easily.
‘What in the world was that...?’
She felt bewildered by the sensation, something she had never experienced in her life.
It was hard to believe Kang Hyun-woo had done something strange to her. Thanks to her immense magic power, she was immune to not only poisons but most curses as well.
The only other possibility was an artifact, but it was even more absurd to think she couldn’t detect the magic reaction of an artifact.
“Could it be... a unique constitution?”
Occasionally, people were born with special constitutions.
She was one of them. Since the age of five, she hadn’t been able to touch people. A unique constitution wasn’t like an allergy; there was no proper cure. Not even a priest’s healing or holy water could fix it completely. As a result, she had to wear gloves wherever she went.
“I was fine when I met him before...”
But it was a possibility. In her efforts to develop a cure, she had met many people with unique constitutions, and some of them only manifested their conditions under specific circumstances.
‘I was fine at the gate, and at the hospital. Why now...?’
She pondered for a long time, neglecting her next appointment, but she couldn’t figure anything out.
Ultimately, the only conclusion was that she needed a sample from him.
More samples were needed to develop a cure, but people with unique constitutions were extremely rare, even on a global scale.
“For just a moment... I felt like I could touch him.”
To be honest, her relentless pursuit of a cure wasn’t because she wanted to be free of her condition. She simply disliked that something was happening to her own body that she didn’t understand.
Her inability to touch others wasn’t entirely a curse.
In fact, thanks to this constitution, she could avoid unnecessary contact with others and even fend off her family’s pressure to marry.
Recently, however, her family had started spouting nonsense about her getting in-vitro fertilization.
“Honestly, it’s as if they see me as nothing but a baby-making factory.”
It was unpleasant, but as the heir and acting head of the family, she wasn’t entirely uninterested in its prosperity.
Still, she had no intention of undergoing IVF.
“If I’m going to marry someone, he should obviously be tall, and I’d prefer if he looked a little fierce... And younger is better than older, right?”
For the sake of her children, she also thought it would be good if her husband had a talent for magic. But as she’d said before, she disliked the idea of marrying into a prestigious or chaebol family.
As a member of the upper class, Han Lael had interacted with them her whole life and knew just how dirty they could be.
“I suppose... bringing in a husband who marries into the family would be best.”
Ignoring her secretary’s whining, Han Lael blew off her entire schedule for the day and spent a long time thinking about her ideal type.
Her conditions were unrealistic, but she deliberately ignored the fact that a man who met every single one of them was close by.