Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: Tia's Drunken Research
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"I've met plenty of mages in my life and seen all sorts of magic circles, but this one's a first for me."
Tia said, gazing at the magic circle I'd drawn in my workshop.
"To think something this massive and beautiful could even exist."
Her words could easily be misinterpreted if taken out of context, but she laughed as she approached me.
"Last time was incredible. Honestly, I never imagined an illusion could feel that real."
Her slightly intoxicated eyes scanned the magic circle and me as she let out a hot breath.
"Truth be told, on my way here, I was thinking I wanted to experience it one more time before leaving."
"I'm glad it suited your tastes."
"How does this illusion manifest, exactly?"
She peered at the magic circle with half-lidded eyes.
Though tipsy, her face was shadowed with intense curiosity.
She leaned closer, as if eager to study the magic circle more.
"It creates a virtual world and slightly disrupts the viewer's perception."
"Oh-ho... So that's why the last one felt so real to me."
"Exactly."
"Does that mean there was no physical substance?"
I nodded.
"No substance at all. It's illusion magic, after all."
"Even so, it's so lifelike... Imagine if that illusion had physical form and force. It'd be an astonishing spell."
"Then it wouldn't really qualify as illusion magic anymore."
Probably classified under something else entirely.
Like reality manipulation or summoning magic.
*That won't happen, though.*
I knew full well it was practically impossible.
Even if illusion magic could exert physical force, it had fundamental limits that made achieving the level we know impossible.
And that was even using Bretilla Flowers, which allow illusions to possess physicality, to draw the circle—it still might not grant perfect physical force.
That was my personal conclusion after running various illusion magics up to now.
*Meiko might achieve something different.*
The once-in-a-generation genius might pull it off.
"So, what if someone with slightly impaired perception entered an illusion? Say, someone a bit drunk..."
She grinned mischievously.
It was that mad, obsessive expression unique to researchers brimming with curiosity.
The face of someone who'd do anything for the sake of study and experimentation.
"You want to try it right now?"
"Yes. Is that okay?"
"...It's not impossible."
Viewing illusion magic while drunk.
That case wasn't entirely unprecedented.
There were plenty of instances of people drunk or mentally weakened falling under illusions.
*'The weaker the mental fortitude, the more vulnerable to illusion magic'—that's common knowledge.*
But those were mostly short bursts meant to disorient enemies.
Never a case like ours, fully immersing in and appreciating the illusion.
My guess was that experiencing illusion magic drunk would yield an even more ecstatic high than usual.
"I don't recommend it."
"Why not? You're the expert, so you must know the reasons."
"First, the effects can be overwhelmingly intense. Second, the impaired perception sometimes awakens desires different from what the person actually wanted."
"Overwhelmingly intense, huh? Now I'm intrigued."
Her researcher curiosity had clearly kicked in.
"You still want to do it?"
"Yes! Hearing that just makes me want to challenge it. How good could it possibly feel?!"
"You'll get hurt. Better not."
"You know what the best thing about dwarves is? We're tough as nails. So don't worry!"
She struck a pose, flexing her arm like she was showing off her muscles.
Then, looking at me, Tia flashed another sultry smile and continued.
"Besides, even if something unexpected happens, I trust you'll help me and keep me safe."
She beamed and placed her hand on the back of mine.
"Whenever I hit a wall in my research, you've always helped me out."
How could I refuse after that?
"...Fine. But if I judge it dangerous, I'll shut down the magic circle immediately, no arguments."
"Of course!"
"Any specific scene you want?"
"Hmm~"
She pursed her lips thoughtfully before speaking.
"The research lab would be perfect, right?"
Tia had been interested in the human mage Max for a long time.
Not romantic love or anything like that.
More like admiration for someone walking a similar path.
Admiration for someone clearly far superior in the same field.
Whenever she felt stuck, asking Max for help would see him solve it effortlessly.
She had stepped up confidently to create a semi-permanent mana battery for him—one that consumed almost no mana even when idle.
But unlike her bold claim, she'd relied heavily on his assistance during the process.
How reliable he was every time she hit a snag.
Having risen to her position without a proper mentor, Tia watched Max handle everything with ease and thought, *This must be what having a master feels like.*
*He's so cool.*
She couldn't tear her eyes away as he fused Lutan and mana water before a crowd, flaunting his skills.
He shone so brilliantly.
Maybe that's why.
The urge to study his illusion magic.
Hoping she might learn something.
So, borrowing the courage from alcohol, she volunteered to research Max's magic circle.
*'To stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him someday, I need to work harder than anyone.'*
Then maybe she could help him too.
Max conjured the illusion, and the surroundings shifted.
Unlike the previous one she'd enjoyed—her familiar workshop crammed with machines—this time it brimmed with unfamiliar magic reagents, tools, staves, and magical items.
No one would mistake it for a dwarf's forge.
There, she wore a white robe.
Like a proper mage.
"Ah..."
The moment she saw her outfit, realization dawned.
*This is my desire.*
The desire to become a mage like Max.
As she marveled at the interior, a strange heat rose in her chest.
A peculiar sense of accomplishment.
The thrill of success she only felt after completing a build—her heart raced with it.
Savoring that briefly, she noticed the neatly stacked documents on the lab desk.
Papers filled with dense writing.
Eager to see what magical records they held, she examined them.
And those documents contained...
"Eek!"
Illustrations of men's parts in vivid detail, alongside every imaginable position of men and women entangled.
"W-Wow..."
The pages brimmed with poses Tia had never seen.
"D-Do mages research th-this stuff?"
Is this what it's really like?
Already a bit buzzed, she was startled by the content.
Sober Tia would have blushed and slammed the papers shut.
Even after the previous illusion with the golem made by machines, she lacked such experience.
But the rising buzz.
Her slightly dulled perception amplifying the intense accomplishment from the illusion.
Plus her instinctive curiosity.
These factors seized her hand before she could close the documents.
As if urging her to look a bit more.
"Th-This is so explicit. Humans mate in p-positions like this too, huh."
Face flushed crimson, she flipped to the next page.
And there...
"Oh, my..."
Was a moving photograph.
Of a man and woman intertwined in an unfamiliar pose.
Starting with a nude man facing a nude woman from above, thrusting his hips.
A woman straddling a seated man, grinding against him.
A woman spreading her legs in an M-shape, exposing her most private area as she shook her hips.
Even a man lifting a woman while fully erect, pounding away.
So many varied positions.
One showed a man with a woman's legs over his shoulders on a small platform, hips pistoning.
Another had him plunging a thick shaft into a woman on all fours, ass raised like a beast.
Gulp.
Tia swallowed hard, engrossed in the moving image.
"Human mages research this stuff too..."
Of course not.
No mage in the world studied sex.
Though some might study sex videos.
When it showed a side-lying woman embraced from behind by the man half-draped over her...
*Looks so good.*
Tia began envying the woman on screen.
Her judgment clouded by alcohol, she was several times more susceptible to arousal and pleasure than usual.
That was when.
"Tia."
The door opened, and researcher Max entered.
Wearing the same robe as her, he stepped in casually and looked at her.
"How's today's research going?"
"Ah..."
The instant she saw Max, the latent female desires within her began to stir.
Just as the buzz, accomplishment, and faint excitement from the papers had set her heart racing.
The thick arousal from viewing those papers tormented her.
The blissful expressions of the man and woman in the images lingered in her mind.
And her eyes...
"Max."
Drifted to his crotch.
"This is what research means, right?"
She pointed at the papers she held and asked.
"Of course. Aren't those your research materials, Tia?"
Tia nodded at Max's matter-of-fact words, as if asking why he needed to state the obvious.
"Right. These are my research materials. No reason to hesitate, then."
Her heels clicked as she approached Max.
"Max, for the sake of research, show me a live specimen."
"Huh? What do you..."
Her hand reached for his lower body.
Clumsy but resolute, she undid his belt.
"W-Wait a second, Tia."
She yanked his pants down before he could resist.
Even as a man, a human like Max couldn't easily overpower a dwarf woman's strength.
Her hand stripped his pants away.
And...
"Whoa..."
Max's heavy, flaccid cock dangled limply.
"It's... really big..."
"Just wait. I'm not ready yet..."
"It's fine. I'm all prepared. I even reviewed with these papers earlier."
She took his still-soft cock into her mouth.
Rolling the soft, warm shaft on her tongue...
"Ngh!"
Max's groan sent a dizzying thrill through her head.
*It's getting hard.*
Inside her mouth, Max's once-pliable member stiffened gradually.
*So this is how men react when aroused.*
Tia's passion for research burned ever hotter.