Chapter 203: Efficiency
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 203: Efficiency
Something like that happened just last week, so it would be a lie to say I wasn't looking forward to meeting the Tower Lord.
“Is that everything?”
“Yes, this should be enough. Thank you for your cooperation.”
But contrary to my expectations, the meeting with the Tower Lord ended simply. Far from asking for my semen like last time, all she did was have me fill out a simple survey and draw some blood with a collection device.
If this was all she wanted, why was she sticking so close to me?
Was she enjoying my reaction?
“Are you disappointed?”
I turned my head at the enchanting voice that tickled my ear. My eyes met the Tower Lord's.
“...I don't know what you're talking about.”
I answered nonchalantly, as if I knew nothing.
Just because something like that happened, I shouldn't delude myself into thinking we've grown close. Mages are overflowing with eccentrics.
Assigning meaning to their every action would only tire me out.
Last time was likely just a simple whim of hers.
From the beginning, what I wanted was a friendly relationship with Han Lael, the next head of the Jinryu Han family and the Gray Tower Lord—nothing more.
Of course, it would be for the best if we could get closer romantically, but the problem was...
‘Choi Hyena hates it.’
I didn't know the exact reason, but Choi Hyena hated it when I got close to the Tower Lord.
As soon as she found out I was meeting the Tower Lord regularly, she flew into a rage, and I had to spend nearly an hour calming her down.
Of course, she stubbornly insisted it wasn't okay until the end, so I had to take her to a deserted classroom for a little ‘education’.
“What a shame.”
The corners of the Tower Lord's eyes curved into a smile.
It was a smile I could never get used to, no matter how many times I saw it. I wondered how many men had been captivated by that meaningless smile.
The Tower Lord uncrossed her legs as if to adjust her posture. For a brief moment, the hem of her dress slid down, revealing her pale white thighs.
Against my will, my gaze was stolen by the sight.
As if sensing my gaze, the Tower Lord stared at me without a word.
Pat, pat.
Suddenly, the Tower Lord patted her thigh. The smile spreading across her lips heightened my anxiety.
“Would you like to lie down here?”
“Pardon?”
I asked back, bewildered by her incomprehensible words.
“This is also part of the research.”
“Is that tool in your hand also necessary for the research?”
“Of course.”
In the Tower Lord's hand was an ear pick she must have gotten from who-knows-where.
“...I don't see how cleaning my ears is helpful in any way.”
“That's for me to judge, isn't it?”
“If you insist, I'll do it myse—”
“Hurry up.”
The Tower Lord repeatedly patted her thigh, urging me on.
With no other choice, I rested my head on her thigh.
Choi Hyena's advice to be wary of the Tower Lord suddenly came to mind. But if a 7th Circle mage like her had wanted to do something to me, she would have done it long ago.
Being on guard now would be stranger.
Anyway, her thighs are really soft.
I felt myself getting hard without realizing it.
“If you feel uncomfortable at all, you have to tell me, okay?”
As if I could feel uncomfortable.
It was so comfortable I felt like I could fall asleep right away.
Just as I closed my eyes and waited quietly, I felt the touch of soft fingertips on my earlobe, not the ear pick.
“Tower Lord?”
“Ah, I'm sorry. This is my first time cleaning a man's ears, so I got a little curious... Did I upset you?”
“...It's fine.”
“That's a relief.”
As soon as she had my permission, the Tower Lord began to touch my ear as if she had no more reservations.
She mostly massaged my earlobe, occasionally rubbing the outer ear.
Her touch was so skilled it was hard to believe it was her first time.
Aside from a slight tickle, it wasn't particularly uncomfortable, but I couldn't understand why the Tower Lord was doing this.
‘Is she really trying to seduce me?’
It wasn't just me counting my chickens before they hatched; there was already a precedent.
But afterward, her attitude of not even mentioning the incident, let alone showing any sign of it, left me uncertain.
It's not like I could just throw her onto a bed like I do with other people.
‘Still... this isn't so bad.’
Soon after, the Tower Lord began cleaning my ears in earnest.
It had been so long since someone else cleaned my ears that my body tensed up slightly without me realizing it.
“Huhu, you don't have to be nervous. I used to clean Seoah's ears myself when she was little.”
“Seoah?”
“She's my younger sister. I believe she's in the same class as you, Hyun-woo. Do you know her?”
“I've seen her around.”
I didn't bother to mention that we were more than just acquaintances—our relationship was about as bad as it could get.
“Would it be alright if I asked you for a favor?”
“A favor?”
“If you don't mind, could you try to be friends with Seoah? She may seem cold on the outside, but she's actually a very lonely child.”
“...”
That girl?
The image of Han Seoah glaring at me as if she wanted to kill me was still vivid in my mind.
“Is there really a need for that? She already seems to have a lot of friends.”
I didn't know if she only showed her true self to me, but at least in the classroom, she pretended to be a good person. Thanks to that, her relationships with her peers weren't bad, and she seemed to have quite a few friends.
She always seemed to be hanging out with the other girls in class.
‘...Then why was she walking down the hall alone this morning?’
It had only been a week, but today was the first time I'd seen Han Seoah by herself. On top of that, when she bumped into me, she was uncharacteristically on edge.
It would be one thing if she knew it was me, but acting like that without even knowing who she was talking to was unlike her.
“...That's a relief.”
The Tower Lord's reply after a short silence felt somewhat out of place.
A younger sister trying to dig up information on her older sister, and an older sister worried about her.
‘There's nothing more annoying than getting involved in complicated family drama.’
I quietly focused on the ear cleaning the Tower Lord was giving me.
It seemed her claim of doing this for Han Seoah often was true, as her touch was so perfect there was nothing to criticize.
Thanks to her, I quickly grew drowsy and felt like I could fall asleep at any moment.
But I held onto my consciousness and opened my eyes to a slit.
Perhaps because of her form-fitting dress, I could see the Tower Lord's lower abdomen.
I wanted to bury my face in it and take a deep sniff, but now was not the time.
I slowly gathered my magic power, careful not to let the Tower Lord notice.
To reach the 5th Circle, I needed to construct an Astral, which is a mental realm.
Iris couldn't open her Astral because most of her power was sealed, but it was a different story for the Tower Lord.
If I could get even a glimpse of her 7th Circle Astral, it would be a great help.
‘I don't know if it's even possible to peek into another person's Astral, though.’
There was no harm in trying.
I closed my eyes and began to erase my senses one by one, starting with sight, then hearing, smell, and touch.
The stimulating scent that brushed past my nose and the tickling sensation of the ear pick in my ear were no longer there.
And yet, the Tower Lord's presence remained vivid. It was possible because our skin was touching.
That wasn't all.
I could also feel the immense magic power lurking within the Tower Lord and her magic circuits, which spread out like countless branches.
Like a vast, sprawling ocean, its depths were impossible to fathom.
This was a 7th Circle mage.
‘So this is one of the masters of the 12 Magic Towers.’
But this wasn't what I wanted to see.
It was her inner world, her Astral, that lay deeper within.
Forgetting even to breathe, I pushed my concentration to its absolute limit. Most of my bodily functions would temporarily cease, but it wasn't a major problem.
As long as magic power flowed through my body, my brain and heart would keep working.
How much time passed like that?
‘...So it's impossible after all?’
Wandering in the darkness, I finally had to admit failure.
But I wasn't disappointed. I had expected this to some extent.
In the first place, it was impossible for a mere 4th Circle mage like me to peek into the Tower Lord's Astral.
Putting my complicated feelings aside, I relaxed my power. Releasing such extreme concentration wasn't something I could do at will.
I had to restore the senses I had erased, one by one.
A single mistake could cause problems with my senses for a while, so I carefully restored them, starting with my sense of smell.
The Tower Lord's stimulating scent brushed past my nose. I had successfully restored my sense of smell without any issues.
Squish, squish—
But when I restored my second sense, hearing, a familiar sound came from somewhere.
I tried to ignore the anxiety that suddenly flashed through my mind as I restored my sense of touch.
‘...Hah.’
It seems it wasn't my imagination after all.
Finally, I restored my sight and opened my eyes.
“You're awake.”
My eyes met the Tower Lord's.
Her face was strangely flushed.
“...Tower Lord.”
“Yes, Hyun-woo.”
“May I ask what you are doing right now?”
Slightly lifting my head, I looked down at the Tower Lord's hand, which was stroking my dick.
She ran her hand over my dick with the same skilled touch she'd used on my ear. With every movement, a creeping pleasure washed over me.
I wonder how long she's been doing this.
“Research, of course.”
“Is there such a thing as this kind of research?”
“Of course. We did it last week, too. Surely you haven't forgotten? Even if it was for research, it was my first time...”
Anyone watching would think she'd lost her virginity.
“If you just want my semen, you don't have to go this far...”
“‘I will actively cooperate in matters of research.’ Do you remember saying that?”
The Tower Lord's finger pressed firmly against my lips.
“For the sake of research efficiency, it's better if I do it myself, you see? So all you have to do is lie still... Hyun-woo?”
I couldn't take it anymore.
No, I couldn't see any reason to hold back.
Getting up from the Tower Lord's lap, I immediately pushed her down onto the sofa.
She might have been surprised by my sudden action, but the Tower Lord seemed unfazed. In fact, the blush on her face seemed to deepen.
“You said it was for the sake of research efficiency?”
I unbuttoned my shirt as I stroked the Tower Lord's hair. The soft, silky texture slipped through my fingers.
The Tower Lord's eyes, looking up at me, were filled with heat.
“There's a more efficient method. Will you leave it to me?”