Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Suspicious Magic Circle
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Two days until the first class.
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It had been a day since I'd holed up inside the building to avoid the Saintess. Fortunately, there were no major developments like the holy knights breaching the door or a bounty posted for capturing the illusion magician.
Just a few more days. That's all I needed to endure.
To be safe in case the Saintess showed up, I'd plastered the building with all sorts of illusion magic. Unless Yuna herself came and blasted it with a Yuna Death Beam, this should buy me plenty of time.
So, I thought everything was fine now.
But then a serious problem cropped up from the last place I expected. From Pingbalrez, of all people—the one I'd figured would be totally fine even if the sky fell.
"Thirty-one, thirty-two..."
"......"
Two slimes were jumping up and down repeatedly. That in itself wasn't a problem. Slimes jumping or flipping in midair was fine, as long as it was at the right time and place.
My chest, however, was a grossly inappropriate spot.
The crazy Pingbalrez was now openly rubbing her breasts against my chest. Crude as it sounds, she was being blatantly crude—what was I supposed to do about it?
I could hear the sound of our hard-earned friendship cracking. How could friendship be this fragile?
I hoped it was just my imagination, but no. Clinging to that delusion after this would be the real stupidity. Something was wrong with Pingbalrez's head.
Looking back, there'd been signs ever since I buried the demon sword in the ground. Sure, we were close enough for casual panty talk, but hadn't she dropped those lines that massively fueled my curiosity?
I gave her some serious advice.
"You're brainbroken, you know that?"
"Pardon?"
"Doesn't this strike you as weird? From your common-sense perspective... is grinding your tits on some random guy's chest really normal?"
Pingbalrez tilted her head blankly, her usual expressionless face showing genuine confusion. Then she said,
"As I mentioned before, you're overthinking it. Mad Wizard. I'm just doing push-ups."
"Then why are you doing them on top of me?!"
"Is there any rule saying they can't be on top of someone?"
"Say something that makes sense!"
The most frustrating part was that Pingbalrez wouldn't even entertain the idea that she was under some mental debuff. The world was vast, and magic came in endless varieties—what gave her that confidence?
I finally understood how Yuna felt after constantly tormenting her with nonsense. I'd been too harsh. When I got back to the Violet Tower, I'd give her a big hug.
I grabbed Pingbalrez's cheeks as she kept doing push-ups and stared into her eyes with all my might. Even if it meant throwing down right then and there, I couldn't let this slide.
"Think about it seriously."
"I've put quite a bit of work into my mental barriers, Mad Wizard."
"You really seem under a spell. Like one that makes you see guys as girls, or ramps up your libido or something... I'm telling you."
"Hah, even if you beat me to death, it's not libido."
"Then get your tits off me first before saying that!!"
"Please don't stare so blatantly. I get male instincts, but we should still mind our manners."
"......!!"
I felt my neck stiffen. Calm down. Yelling would just hurt me. She was a poor victim under a spell. I had to look after her, cherish her. I couldn't just leave her to suffer.
But seriously...
If not for my libido suppression magic, this would've blown up a dozen times by now. Shouldn't she be praising my patience instead of acting this recklessly? It was outrageous—maybe I deserved a little compensation for my efforts...
No...!!
I writhed in mental agony.
"Please, Pingbalrez... this is killing me. It's my lifelong wish. Just let me cleanse your mind with mana once."
"......Why are you making it sound so grave?"
Finally, my top-tier plea—Grand Plea—got through. She looked dubious even now, but gathered mana in her fingertip.
It was like washing sticky thighs after spilling cola. A trick to rinse the mind clean with mana flow. But it scratched up mental barriers as a side effect.
That's why she hesitated. A chunk of her carefully built barriers would vanish—it wasn't something to do lightly.
With a deep sigh, Pingbalrez flicked her mana-charged finger against her own forehead.
"A wish, you say? Fine. See? No way I'm hypnotized... fuck!"
"......You're back!"
I cheered in感動. My bro-friend, corrupted into a female beast, had finally returned to boyhood! It had been such a lonely, desolate time.
She'd crossed her arms at my talk of buying a peach, saying, "Aren't there two ripe ones right here?"
When I asked late at night what stockings would suit a Crimson Tower mage, she'd replied, "Will you pick mine too?"
Every move reeked of sticky femininity.
But now, the curse word from Pingbalrez—who'd never raised her voice—brimmed with manly spirit. Pure grit from the dantian. Perfect. I tested her.
"What do you think of your antics lately...?"
"You must've enjoyed it plenty. No need for thanks."
Her unchanged expression and dismissive wave—"Always grateful"—matched the Pingbalrez I knew.
"......You're really back!!"
I hugged Pingbalrez and shouted in joy. I'd reclaimed my friend at last.
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We jumped into an emergency strategy meeting. Something shady and weird was afoot in the academy.
It wasn't a sniper shot aimed solely at Pingbalrez. Experiments on Crimson Tower mages and random passersby showed a common uptick in anxiety or fear. Very... slight, though.
Numerically, about 1%.
Others got anxiety amps, but why Pingbalrez alone got libido boost? No clue.
Even a genius archmage-to-be like me couldn't easily breach Pingbalrez's barriers. If she fell, the whole academy was under influence. Weak output, but exquisitely crafted magic.
Pingbalrez rarely frowned as she muttered,
"Pretty crafty ploy. Can't detect it at all."
"Seems impossible to track with standard methods."
Too weak an effect made pursuit tough. Doubling emotions? Easy to sense and trace. But a 1% nudge? Like chasing a breeze.
"......No way to find it?"
Crack. Creak.
Her fist clenched violently.
I nodded sympathetically. Anyone would want to fold the culprit in half after being manipulated into flirting with a male friend.
Before her rage infected me, I racked my brain.
"There's always a way. I'm a genius wizard, after all... 『Status Window』!"
A translucent holographic rectangle appeared before my eyes.
Of course, this wasn't some reincarnator perk status screen. My handmade illusion magic. No stat boosts or instant foe analysis.
But it quantified emotions in fine detail.
With barriers slightly open:
It showed amplified values next to my baseline emotions.
"Magic usually radiates outward, so effects strengthen toward the center. Track rising numbers to find the source."
"Curious—what's 50 curiosity mean?"
"Violet Tower average was around 20. Tower Master was like me, about 45..."
"If Violet's average is 20, normal must be around 5."
"Roughly."
How dare she judge the tower like that. People want to body-swap with their little bro sometimes—that's healthy curiosity.
Prep to track the academy's mystery emotion amp was done.
Problem: Risky to wander openly. But we had a counter—disguise. Male wizard with suited woman? Too conspicuous.
"『Overlay: Gender Swap』."
『Overlay: Gender Swap』
Illusion disguise / Voice modulation included
I flipped the hologram over me like a cloak. Mirror check: Perfect. A black-haired, dark-eyed long-haired beauty smirked back. Voice changer too.
"Ahh. Mic test complete. Your turn... don't look at me like that."
"Pardon?"
"Don't look at me like that."
For a second, I thought a wild lion was staring me down.
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After batting away Pingbalrez's third skirt-lifting request, I reached a suspicious building. Academy was huge—plenty of secluded spots with little foot traffic.
Places forgotten due to incidents or decay. One such ruin pinged.
"......Nothing suspicious."
"Nah, it's sus enough. Lift the carpet."
Dusty carpet up: Basement door. Hidden well, warded with illusion magic, naturally.
"Yah!"
I stomped it to bits.
"That battle cry—is it meant to seduce?"
"Ow, seriously..."
I dropped the TS hologram in annoyance. Still, her eyes growled like a beast. Getting stronger near center?
Hurry before trouble brewed. Opened door, rushed downstairs.
Passage deep. Long ladder descent numbed limbs before hitting bottom. Tapped walls: Solid.
Took serious time to build this stable.
Pingbalrez clenched fist, led.
"Stay behind me."
"Your walk's off. Straighten up."
"......If it bothers you, don't look."
"You walk like that, how can I... fine, eyes closed."
Her backward glare was feral—scared me straight.
Nearer source, libido rose with fury. Swaying hips seductively, then frustrated sighs. Like she couldn't control her body.
Was she cursed?
Silence for tens of minutes: Vast dome room, floor etched with intricate magic circle. Scale and precision awed me.
"This is... impressive. Not standalone. Satellite arrays?"
"Central hub of a vast array. Can't read meaning without core—like a blind man touching an elephant's leg, calling it a wall or tree."
Observing revealed function: Core control node.
It clicked. Academy had mana-tinged but meaningless stuff—wall graffiti, shop sign decorations mimicking circles.
Fragmented and hidden across academy, activated via this core. Effect:
"......Amplifies subject's strongest emotion by 1%."
Fuels doubt in the doubtful, love in lovers, envy in the envious. Insidiously subtle.
Percent boost, not flat—stronger emotions amplify more.
"......?"
I glanced at Pingbalrez. While others got anxiety or pain bumped 1%, her mere 1% lust amp caused tit-rubbing chaos. So that meant...
"......What."
"N-nothing..."
Expressionless, but ears beet red. She felt shame too.
She chewed her lip, sighed.
"It's because I'm a dream demon. Succubi are born with raging libidos."
"......Succubus?"
"Yes."
"The ones who seduce men and drain their essence...? Hey, Pingbalrez, behind you!"
Rumble...!
A 3m shadow rose behind her. No way this facility lacked defenses. Mistake. I moved to intercept with magic—
"Hiiiiaaah!!"
—screamed in terror. Golem. Illusion mage's nemesis.
Pingbalrez calmly continued as golem rose, arm raised to smash.
"Can't help what you're born with, but I didn't want that life. Deceiving crowds for love... swapping partners endlessly."
"Got it, just run...!"
"So I chose my own way. Don't worry, Mad Wizard. I won't sneak into your bed at night for essence."
"Dodge!"
Grab her before impact? No time—instinct first. Poured mana, stepped—
Clank...!
Chains rattling.
"Metamorphosis - 『True Desire Binding』."
⟨ Binding Chains ⟩
Dozens of chains from void encircled, tightened.
Clank! Clang!
Golem arm bound. Pingbalrez arm bound. Legs too. Chains restrained her—and the golem.
Wrapped tight, she murmured,
"I like pure love, you see."
Crunch. Metal screeched as chains dug in. Golem shattered into rubble chunks.
"......"
So damn cool.
If she hadn't struggled, tripped while bound.
I approached cautiously, looked down.
"Chains that wrecked golem vanished. Why are yours still on...?"
"That's its nature. Self-restraint only. I adapted for combat."
Gazing at chain-bound Pingbalrez,
"When do they come off?"
"Varies by power. Hour this time."
"......Your eyes are sparkling too much. Kinda creepy."
"While active, free from all worldly troubles."
She smiled serenely—like enlightenment. Sage mode during activation.
"So you're not a lesbian...?"
"Bi-leaning, but hetero contact amps troubles. Avoid when possible."
"......"
She answered fluidly, unashamed. Liberated from emotions, no hesitation. Truth serum state.
She'd answer anything now.
I pondered, then carefully asked,
"......We're friends, right?"
"Yes."
Satisfied, I stopped.
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I claimed the emotion-amp circle blanketing the academy. Messing with feelings is wrong. Academy's doing? Evil necromancer plot? Mad students? Didn't matter.
Mine now. Tweaking took an hour easy.
"What'll you use it for?"
"Output booster."
Couldn't illusion all students before. Now? Piece of cake. Hot performance for my class.
First class neared. Time for illusion magic to go viral.