Chapter 146
Chapter 146
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: Meiko's Secret Intrusion
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Gulp.
The inside of the shop was quiet.
It seemed Max had finished cleaning before closing up—the shop was spotless, not a speck of dust in sight.
'It's so clean.'
The shop perfectly reflected Max's meticulous and thorough personality.
It was a far cry from Meiko's perpetually cluttered workshop, which made her chest twinge for no reason.
'I have my own rules, you know.'
There was that saying: order within chaos.
It might look messy on the surface, but there was a system to it, so Meiko felt justified in her own way.
'I never lose important papers or reports.'
Sure, she occasionally misplaced things, but that was still pretty good, she always thought.
What I lost back then wasn't important anyway.
That's why I forgot about it.
Pushing down her pricked conscience, she tiptoed into the shop.
Having used the spare key, the security wards didn't activate, of course.
"They've got anti-theft spells everywhere."
Piece of cake.
Disarming basic magic circles was child's play for Meiko.
"Alright."
She carefully closed the door and turned on the lights inside the shop.
With no windows, there was no risk of anyone outside noticing.
After flipping the switch, Meiko entered the workshop where Max always greeted customers and examined the magic circle spanning the entire room.
"It's so intricate."
No matter how many times she saw it, she could feel the care he put into it.
The perfection bordering on obsession made her jaw drop.
She admired the magic circle for a moment.
'It doesn't seem to have any issues...'
But the illusion it produced was far too lewd for that.
As if desire was the most natural thing in the world.
On the surface, the magic circle looked perfectly normal.
"Hmm, could it be a double magic circle?"
Double magic circle.
It doubled the mana consumption, but ensured the effects were reliably applied.
By layering effects, it could amplify the magic circle's power by at least twice.
But the real advantage of a double magic circle was its ability to conceal one effect until the desired one activated.
That made up for the glaring drawback of mana drain.
'I collaborated with the Meister School on research and had the paper on it back then.'
Did I ever tell Max about it?
She'd only given him a basic overview for his magic circle enhancement studies.
'It's a method the Meister School hasn't even published yet, so...'
Suspicious, she carefully inspected the circle.
To probe its hidden areas, she used magic to move the blankets, sofa, and various items obstructing the decryption.
Woooong.
Her physical strength was lacking, so casting spells to shift things was inevitable.
Meiko used levitation magic to rearrange the items.
Once the chaos was sorted, the magic circle became clearer.
"Yep. A double magic circle."
She could now see the secondary one hidden behind, invisible at a glance.
"He pulled this off perfectly with just the basics?"
It shared roots with the double magic circle from her Meister School paper, but the method differed.
Not simply overlapping two circles—instead, drawing a reversed one on the backside to form a new layer.
Less efficient and more complex than stacking, with longer mana circuits that risked overload.
Riddled with flaws, but reliable if mana was plentiful.
Her gaze drifted upward to the device mounted outside the workshop.
A mana battery brimming with potent mana.
'If mana is sufficient...'
This was only possible for Max, with his overwhelmingly vast innate mana reserves.
No other mage could manage it—not even Meiko could guarantee success.
She'd need that external mana battery's aid herself.
'He created his own method from just the introduction I gave him.'
Meiko was awestruck by Max's talent.
"What a prodigy of a student."
She felt proud of her disciple's growth.
But separately from that...
"What effect did he hide on the backside?"
Going to such lengths to conceal it meant it was something he couldn't show others.
"Hmm."
She examined the reverse side.
Quickly deciphering the inverted structure invisible to others.
"...D-desire... yeah, but..."
Meiko's face flushed crimson as she read it.
"S-sexual desire?!"
Sexual desire.
She was no child ignorant of the term.
Knowing it only made her more embarrassed.
To Meiko, a devout follower of the Goddess Church, such words were utterly alien.
For a noble daughter, sexual urges were to be addressed only after marriage.
Yielding to them turned one into a demon.
She remembered the Church's teachings all too well.
"M-my student made this... lewd magic circle...!"
She stomped her feet in distress.
Now she understood why she'd seen that illusion.
The circle's principle was to confront the target's sexual desires, drawing them out.
A cruel method forcing one to face hidden tastes.
Man or woman, who could resist their deepest fantasies made real?
That's why she'd imagined such things with her young student Max.
'Ugh, so embarrassing.'
Just thinking about it burned her cheeks.
"Anyway, wh-what do I do? Should I smash it and convince him...?"
The mentor's duty to guide her student right clashed with the devotee's revulsion at such obscenity.
Yet the teacher's reluctance to destroy her student's invention warred with the thrill of that day's experience.
Conflicting thoughts swirled.
She recalled Aurora saying the circle had no issues.
Of course Aurora would think it fine.
'Aurora wouldn't know about double magic circles.'
He'd hidden it well, but what if another mage came?
A Meister School mage familiar with doubles would notice.
That something was off.
If exposed...
Heresy.
Branded a demon worshiper, dragged to prison in disgrace.
No.
Not that.
He might lack cuteness, but her diligent, hardworking student didn't deserve such misunderstanding.
"Ughhh..."
She bit her lip after agonizing.
Scolding his achievement pained her, but she had to speak up.
One misstep could brand them heretics.
'I'm the teacher. I must lead him on the right path.'
Developing a double circle himself was impressive, but using it for lust-filled illusions?
"Just swap sexual desire for something else."
Her stubborn student might not listen easily, but she had to persuade him.
"I'm his master. Even if it hurts, I must."
Regrettable as it was to lose those illusions...
She had to do what was right.
Steeling herself, she stood.
"Whoa!"
Analyzing had left blankets strewn; she slipped on one.
Thud!
"Owie."
Rubbing her throbbing butt, she groaned.
At that instant, the mana she'd casually used moving items reacted.
"...Huh?"
This wouldn't happen normally.
Mana reacting to a mere fall?
If mana triggered that easily, festival explosions would be commonplace.
But Meiko's situation now was extraordinarily unique.
A massive magic circle.
A mage with potent mana at its center.
Plus the external mana battery.
The circle's precision.
Meiko's overwhelming mana.
Mana stirred from clearing items with spells.
Countless coincidences piled into inevitability.
Kiiiiing!
The mana battery reacted to the vibrating mana and activated.
"Wha—?!"
Oh no!
She couldn't finish the thought.
Fwoosh!
The magic circle activated, birthing the illusion.
"Ah..."
Meiko sighed, dropping to her knees.
"This is bad."
The magic circle had triggered.
"I-I never meant for this."
She'd only come to check its state and leave.
Not activate it.
"Now I can't escape in time."
Her plan was to uncover what circle he'd drawn.
Activation was unplanned.
"Guess I have to find the flaw fast."
Max had controlled it before, hiding the weakness.
'But this is temporary activation—I can crack it.'
Not difficult at all.
As Illusion School head and top illusion mage, breaking illusions was basic.
"Just trace the mana flow..."
She focused to find the illusion circle's flaw.
'Sexual desire-based, so suppress that and done.'
Totally doable.
But she overlooked one thing.
The more you suppress desire, the stronger it rebounds.
And then.
"Meiko sis?"
She saw it.
A boy Max, perfectly her type in height, beaming at her.