Chapter 55
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Sluuurp! (2)
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Sluuurp!
That was the sound of me sucking mana right out of Ignatius's body.
...Ah, of course, what I had shoved in my mouth and was sucking on so diligently was his plump tail.
He had said from the start to concentrate the mana at the tip of the tail so I could suck it up directly.
No matter that Ignatius had woken up from his long sleep without growing even a single inch in height, while his chest had ballooned out!
And not just a little bigger, either—it was dragon-heart-level mana pouch territory, enough to make me worry about his center of gravity when he tried to walk!
Still, how could I look at the guy who'd blown through the magic tower's entire fortune just to save little old me—with whom I'd been doting hand and foot for days now—with eyes like that?
Sure, I carried the Zahav name, and everyone treated me like one of House Zahav... but I wasn't a real Zahav.
So there I was, doing my level best to keep my eyes in check while slurping away at Ignatius's soft, plump, scaly tail to refill my mana.
"Uhm. In human form, your stare is far too obvious. You must be a Zahav after all, Enoch."
"...!"
I hadn't expected to get busted so fast.
But really, there was nothing for it. I'd unconsciously compared it to Jevella's in my head, and my gaze had wandered there on autopilot.
I had no clue about the actual size, but her petite frame made it look way bigger than the original proportions.
...Had I always been the type to let my desires leak out so blatantly?
I wasn't devoid of lust. If anything, with a body this sturdy, mine ran a bit stronger than average.
But I'd never worn it so plainly on my sleeve before.
Simple reason. The mother I'd known in this life was the top-ranked whore on the call sheets, and the slum I grew up in was the armpit of slums. Was I seriously going to make a big deal now over some big boobs?
Living in a place like Calypso Territory warped your standards a little. Hell, some of my crewmates paraded around in outfits way too skimpy even in front of me—a guy.
They claimed it was just "letting their hair down" around trusted allies instead of enemies... Yeah, that probably toughened me up to it.
...Wonder how they're all holding up. I'd wiped out most of the real threats, so they probably weren't catching beatings left and right.
Still, I was curious how they were faring.
Living together had been a filthy grind, but every now and then, I missed their ugly mugs.
Maybe later I should send a letter via Aaron, the head butler.
I'd figured I'd have ditched House Zahav ages ago and be wandering the continent by now...
But with how much longer than expected I had to stick it out as one, no sense putting it off.
Anyway, that upbringing had made me way better at hiding my urges than in my past life. So why the hell couldn't I even keep my eyes under control now?
As I mulled it over, still gnawing on Ignatius's tail, a small palm suddenly patted my crown lightly.
"Enough already."
"Huh?"
"No baring your teeth, Enoch."
"...?"
Wasn't that phrasing kinda off?
I stared at her in blank disbelief for a second. Then her vivid crimson eyes blinked, and she sighed.
"I'm a touch sensitive right now, focusing my magic like this. Careful."
"Uh, yeah. Sorry?"
"More importantly, what had you so deep in thought you couldn't even hear me calling?"
Looked like she'd tried hailing me a few times while I spaced out.
I froze for a beat, but it was easy enough to sidestep, so I picked my words.
"Nothing big. Just... ever since I woke up, my emotions have been all over the place. Kinda feel like I've gotten more impulsive."
"Oh dear! An even more impulsive Zahav...! Hm? Actually, come to think of it, you're closer to the ancient Zahavs than the modern ones, so maybe not such a crisis."
"...?"
Such a casual Zahav burn, slipping out so naturally... but by now I just shrugged it off.
"Anyway, it's just throwing me off. Figure once my body's fully back to rights, it'll settle."
"Your condition... yeah, I've got a hunch."
"Oh? Spill."
"Before you knew my magic was a perfect fit for healing you. You were practically swimming in the tower's elixirs—know why we halted treatment?"
"No clue. I was out cold."
"Gruesome scene."
She let out a deep sigh as she said it.
"Mana we poured in leaked out like a bottomless jar—that was bad enough. But what stayed tangled up the instant it settled, like wool crammed in a pouch and shaken silly."
"Uh...?"
"By the time blood trickled from all seven orifices and your heartbeat dragged... even I panicked."
Familiar symptoms.
Back before I learned aura cultivation. Overflowing mana would knot up on its own inside me, churning my guts.
Feels like it'd hit peak severity this time.
Normally it'd be some puking blood, raging fever leaving me bedridden—but not tanking my heart.
Putting together everything Ignatius had told me... With my insides shredded, the mana couldn't flow right or absorb properly, so it knotted among itself.
A body that frail would've croaked from a day's flu.
"But your magic fixed it, right?"
"Aye. Strictly? More like minimized the damage than fixed it."
No helping it—any mana dumped into that trashed body knotted viciously and mauled itself.
Skip the mana, though, and exhaustion would've finished the job quick.
So Ignatius flooded me with her purest mana—the cleanest she knew.
Pure stuff burdens the body less.
"So, tangled but not lethal. Few days' sleep and good as new?"
"Spot on. You've passed stabilization; now it's refill time."
She nodded there. I deliberately looked away from the mana pouches jiggling wildly with the motion.
"So what's the issue you 'guessed'?"
"The recovery process from that tangle itself."
Dead serious as she said it, I hugged her tail with both arms instead of sucking. Her gaze locked straight on mine.
"Enoch. Zahav of this age. My first friend."
"...Why the dramatic setup?"
"Did you know? Your body takes in mana and compresses it on its own—boosts purity, evolves your flesh bit by bit to match."
"Huh?"
"This time, bad shape limited it to my mana... but healthy? Even the murkiest—heck, black magic power, exaggerated slightly—would've turned yours eventually. Painful, sure."
Her soft addendum sparked something in my head.
Every mana tangle floored me, but I'd wake next day feeling leagues better.
Not just hoarding unmanageable mana, then?
Should've burst from bloat ages ago, rampaged past mere knots.
But unknown to me, it'd been compressing, purifying... while my body adapted on the fly?
That's alien as hell.
No magic or aura explanation. Just being.
Unnoticed my whole life, yet lofty enough to metabolize dragon mana, evolve flesh.
Maybe the force that let me claw through alchemist guinea-pig hell, toughening up each scrape.
Realization hit—and gut-deep certainty chased it.
This was my bloodline ability. Whatever the hell it was.
As epiphany shook me, Ignatius's voice brushed past.
"Just like the dragon growth I've known... but no way even you have dragon-tuned flesh for power and longevity. This mood swing? Temporary glitch."
"Ah."
Dragons explode in growth during sleep—dragon heart's insane output.
Different cause, same effect? My process mirrors it.
Human flesh can't hack vast power... mana or whatever. Embracing it—that's my bloodline ability.
Adaptation? Side effect to survive with it. That's how I endured Calypso Territory.
Totally unforeseen route, but... bloodline clue unlocked.
I grinned, nodding.
"No dragon heart for me, but I packed the sun. Close enough."
"Heh. Normally I'd call that peak Zahav arrogance—but knowing your feats? Can't even go there."
We traded chuckles, eye to eye.
Yeah. Can't spill yet that I'm no Zahav.
But someday, tracing my true bloodline's roots... cross that bridge then.
Maybe 'cause I was mulling that—or extra impulsive today—I blurted the stray thought aloud.
"Anyway, tail's got perfect hug-plump. Wonder if I could lop one off."
"...Do that, and I couldn't walk upright human-style!"
"Huh?"
"How balance without tail...?!"
"Ah."
My gaze instinctively zeroed on Ignatius's mana pouches.
Yup. Center of gravity issue.
Three days later.
Body fully mended at last. I stepped out of the room.
But.
"Gasp! The tower lord's tail is weirdly glossy!"
"That room you two shared feels oddly humid and toasty... oh."
"That size...! Baby gear from the start, senior brother?"
"Quiet down, all! Master's a full-grown adult now. Let's watch supportively."
Some bizarre misunderstanding was starting to circulate.