Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Sex
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Humans are creatures of adaptation.
The minimum time it takes to adapt to a new environment and form habits is about 21 days, and usually, after a month, the habits are fully formed, and adaptation is complete.
Just as that proves, around the time my life in the Imperial Palace hit the one-month mark, I had adapted to living here.
At the same time, that meant I had also adapted to this woman's body.
I'd gotten skilled at adjusting the breasts that spilled out after putting on a bra, and even grown accustomed to the discomfort of tight panties digging into my plump buttocks.
I had tried desperately to preserve some masculinity.
The one thing I could call a manly habit—peeing standing up—I attempted several times, but whenever I stood awkwardly in front of the toilet, thrusting my hips forward and spreading my pussy with both hands, the self-loathing outweighed any sense of manliness.
In the end, I gave up and now peed like a normal woman.
"Haaah..."
I woke up early in the morning, showered, and was washing my underwear.
I could leave the laundry to the maids, but
if I tossed my soaking wet panties into the hamper, I had a feeling they'd gossip behind my back, so I washed them myself.
"This is so... not right..."
There were 95 lines left until the magic circle was fully filled.
After the trip to Casteria Town, three more had been added.
Because the Princess groped me?
No.
At night, when I couldn't sleep, I ended up kneading my breasts.
Feeling the fullness of breasts that seemed to swallow my hands whole relaxed my body and brought on sleepiness.
Closing my eyes then let me drift off comfortably.
But every now and then, sleepiness turned to arousal instead.
Usually, I held back, but
if I couldn't and slipped my hand into my underwear, the next day they'd be sticky with love juices.
Of course, that added another line.
I knew rationally that I shouldn't, but the moment of climax, when my mind went blank and pleasure exploded like fireworks, was addictively euphoric, like a drug.
When I squirted like a fountain, I felt an emotion I could never have experienced as a man.
Fine, I admit it.
A woman's pleasure is blissfully good.
Unlike men, who feel enlightened and relaxed after one orgasm, women can experience ever greater waves of ecstasy with each successive climax.
If I had to compare it, it's like ejaculating repeatedly with an erection that won't go down?
So, to make an excuse, it wasn't that three lines were added in just a few days—it's that only three were added.
If I didn't have such strong willpower, I would've filled the circle long ago and settled into being a woman.
Hurrah for my mental fortitude...!
Heh heh!
After finishing breakfast, I headed straight to the lab.
Today, I was alone.
Normally, even if the Princess told me not to come, she'd follow anyway, but she had business this morning and left early.
"Freedom!"
There was the limitation of being in the Imperial Palace, but right now, no one could stop me from doing whatever I wanted here.
"Time for some indulgence, kuheheh."
I brewed black tea.
I put in twice the usual amount of leaves.
It would taste bitterly strong enough to hurt the tongue, but the aroma intensified intoxicatingly.
"Huaaah... this is it..."
The sweet grape scent unique to hazel black tea, mingled with coffee notes, wafted thickly, filling the lab.
Such extravagance.
I cackled as I poured the tea.
"I'm not gonna get in trouble for this, am I?"
Kidding.
It wasn't that precious a tea leaf.
High-end, sure, but common enough among nobles.
For royalty, even more so.
That's why I was surprised when the Princess said hazel black tea was her favorite.
There were tons of more fragrant, delicious leaves out there.
"Today, I can really focus."
I took another sip of the tea and spread out my research notes.
Parchments were densely packed with traces of disassembling and reassembling the magic circle hundreds of times.
This was the best way to understand magic.
By analyzing the shifting flows and waves of mana during disassembly and reassembly, I could verify unknown spells.
Think of it like a puzzle with a fixed sequence.
Except the possibilities were nearly infinite.
Lines of varying lengths and curves of different shapes had to be drawn in a set order inside a circle to form the magic circle.
Thank goodness I'm a theoretical mage.
Otherwise, I'd have thrown in the towel ages ago.
And so, I've made some discoveries.
It's a curse that inverts the foundation of the body from one extreme to the other, so I'm still struggling to find its root, but I did learn that it made my body prone to heating up easily.
The curse's ultimate goal is probably to settle the inverted gender.
To that end, it weaponizes humanity's greatest weakness: pleasure. It heightens the body's senses to about double that of a normal person for easier pleasure.
Sexual sensitivity develops three times over.
No wonder even a light poke with my fingers made my G-spot swell up.
That's why.
And one more thing: there's a way to remove the lines added by pleasure.
I haven't figured out what yet, but after analyzing the surrounding circuits repeatedly, I concluded it's highly likely a specific power can remove them.
That's what I'm researching now: the nature of that power.
Since breaking the curse outright is tough, I need to at least prevent it from completing and settling.
"Come to think of it, how many does the Princess have left?"
She's under the same curse, so the mechanism should be identical.
Completion via pleasure-induced magic circle.
If we take the total needed as 100, I have 95 left.
What about her?
From her behavior, she's enjoying being a man.
I haven't heard details, but she's probably jerking off relentlessly.
"No way..."
Has the curse already completed for her?
"That can't happen!"
I slammed the desk and shot up from my chair.
Absolutely not.
I could see myself on the execution block.
Or dying by the Emperor's hand.
I had to check the Princess's magic circle somehow.
But how?
Only she herself could confirm it.
"Ugh..."
I tapped the parchment with the back of my fountain pen, deep in thought.
To check the curse, elevate the soul to briefly amplify its power.
To elevate the soul, stimulate emotions.
The easiest way: pleasure.
It adds a line as a risk, but it's the surest way to peek into the soul realm and see the curse's magic circle.
Problem is, the Princess has basic magic knowledge.
Easy to say, but seeing the soul realm isn't for just anyone.
You need a certain level of hierarchy, like me.
She'd struggle.
"So I have to check it myself... ugh... hmm... ah!"
After agonizing, one method came to mind.
Match emotions through communion.
That creates a momentary pathway sharing inner worlds.
I haven't tested it.
Long ago, I read a grimoire by an elf who studied human inner worlds.
According to that elf, it's possible.
And the prime example: love between man and woman.
Nothing matches emotions as intensely; through the physical and mental communion of sex, inner worlds connect reliably.
In conclusion.
I scribbled with the fountain pen.
Wrote one word in the center of the parchment.
"Sex."
Just saying the word aloud made my face heat up.
"No! This isn't it! No, no!"
I scratched lines on the parchment hard enough to bend the nib.
"There has to be another way."
But all my thoughts converged on one thing.
That was the elf's final conclusion too.
Not even requiring love.
Primitive communion through sex shares worlds.
"Aaaah! Argh!"
I tore at my hair.
No matter that it's for research—I can't do that.
I won't.
There must be something else.
"Eek...!"
Imagination is terrifying.
Just thinking of "sex" conjured all sorts of scenes in my head.
And those scenes stimulated my body, which craved pleasure like water, awakening female instincts.
I felt an uncomfortable clenching in my lower abdomen, where my womb was.
"No. I won't. Calm down."
I lightly tapped my lower belly with soft punches.
"Hng..."
Bad choice.
Tapping my lower belly heightened the arousal.
"Uwaaaah... I'm going crazy...!"
I dry-washed my face, rubbing hard.
My body reacted and got excited against my will.
My pussy, having tasted sweet pleasure, seemed to threaten me to give it a cock.
"Aaaah, seriously...!"
To relieve this frustrating irritation, there was only one way.
I stood and went to the sofa.
Lifted my robe, took off my panties, and set them on the table.
Lay on the sofa and spread my legs.
In the end, my body craved sexual pleasure.
Masturbating would clear this irritation.
I reached down to rub the bud hidden under its hood—
"Lady Withbel, are you in?"
The lab door opened, and the Princess entered.
"Ah.............."
Our eyes met.
From her position, she saw my shameful state the moment she walked in.
Legs spread, rubbing my pussy, masturbating.
The Princess's lips twisted lewdly.
"Not doing your research, huh."
"Ah... th-this is... um..."
"Pervert."
My face burned like it would explode.
I wished it would.
Haha, hahaha.