Chapter 155: The Flies That Swarm to the Smell of Money (5)
Chapter 155: The Flies That Swarm to the Smell of Money (5)
The applications for magic stones are endless.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the entire level of human civilization depends on how these stones are utilized.
For the Magic Towers, their power was determined by how they used magic stones, and Barbas had always hoped for the stability of the Magic Tower's influence.
And the woman currently playing the role of Barbas—the Archmage Evelyn—was genuinely bewildered by the technology her younger sister had brought her.
"To think such revolutionary technology sprang from the mind of that Ruji Fermaton."
"Right? Isn't our Young Lord amazing?"
"Our Young Lord, you say..."
Evelyn had no words for her sister, who had become entirely Ruji Fermaton’s person.
Her sister's life was her own.
Since they had already spoken many times, Evelyn could only support her now that she had made up her mind to belong to Ruji Fermaton.
Even if Astarotte had accepted the Succubus Curse.
Even if she wasn't just a regular Succubus, but had become a Succubus Queen.
Even if she was doing strange things at a place called the Dream Factory and making money from it.
Ultimately, if Astarotte said she was fine, Evelyn intended to support her as an older sister and as family.
"Sigh. Asti. You know, don't you? Every experiment to synthesize magic stones or upgrade them to a higher tier has failed until now."
"I know."
"Someone will eventually figure it out. The people of the Magic Kingdom, or perhaps the Archmages of the Empire. Someone will surely notice this..."
"Breast-Shaped Magic Stone."
Perhaps it was because she had been having sex.
Astarotte had no hesitation whatsoever when it came to speaking about sexual matters.
"...Yes. The technology embedded in this Breast-Shaped Magic Stone. At first, everyone will think it's a joke, but eventually, they'll realize. The secret to creating this stone is 'synthesis.'"
Magic stone synthesis.
It was a technology everyone had tried to discover, yet everyone had failed.
In terms of alchemy, it was equivalent to the transmutation of gold.
Magic stones weren't something you could physically mold like clay.
Nor were they like molten metal that could be melted at high heat and then solidified.
Though they took the form of crystals, they were incredibly sensitive; if you broke the crystal recklessly, all the mana inside would leak out, leaving behind an empty shell.
How could magic stones be merged into one?
Was it possible to keep the size of the stone as small as possible while packing in as much mana as possible?
This was a research topic that Barbas—or rather, the successive generations of Barbas—had set as a lifelong goal but failed to achieve.
Yet, that very technology was now sitting right in front of her eyes.
"If it weren't in the shape of a breast, this would be a revolution grand enough to turn the whole world upside down."
Evelyn had intended to be supportive, but she never expected something that would shake the very foundations of the Magic Tower to occur.
"Does Ruji Fermaton know this?"
"Hmm, he didn't seem to take it all that seriously."
"What?"
"He just thought, 'What's the big deal?' It was only after I explained it to him that he said, 'Is this really that great of a discovery?'"
"Well, I suppose that sounds like him."
In the distant future...
If this technology were to advance further and trigger a magical revolution...
Those who studied the history of that revolution would surely be unable to suppress a smirk at its origin.
—The Magic Stone Revolution began with one man's perversion.
They say human curiosity sometimes leads to truly peculiar discoveries and inventions, but for the form to be a Breast-Shaped Magic Stone was a bit much.
"Asti. Wouldn't it be better to suggest making this in a slightly different shape?"
"Like what?"
"Well, a star shape. Or a moon. Even a simple hemisphere would be fine."
"Sister, you're being prejudiced. It just happens to be in the shape of a breast; what matters is the mana inside."
"Yes, I suppose that's true."
Astarotte wasn't wrong, but Evelyn couldn't help but want to argue.
"Look. Isn't it convenient? You can just set it down like this and use it."
The Breast-Shaped Magic Stone, placed on the flat floor, stood firm and perky.
Astarotte began to press around the nipple with her fingers, and soon, responding to her touch, mana began to flow out of the nipple like liquid.
"The contents are Mana Milk, too."
"Ha... I'm actually getting dizzy."
This, too, was a revolution.
No matter how you looked at it, it was the shape of a woman's breast, but with a specific manipulation, it functioned as a type of Mana Potion where mana could be extracted in liquid form.
"Men will love it. They can suck on it to their heart's content without even knowing whose breast it is."
"Oh, this one is mine."
"...What?"
"This is my breast, Sister."
"Hey!"
Evelyn screamed and grabbed Astarotte by the shoulders.
"You're not planning on selling your own breasts, are you?!"
"Of course not. The Young Lord hates the idea of his Knight Order members' breasts being sold off. This is just a research sample."
"Then what about the ones being sold? You said they're being smuggled into the Empire?"
"Those are obviously other people's breasts."
Astarotte pointed toward the Dream Factory in the distance.
"The breasts being sold to the Empire are actually Succubus breasts."
"...And the winner?"
"The winner just joined the Knight Order."
"......Sigh."
Evelyn covered her face with her hands again.
"I really cannot understand the Young Lord."
"You don't have to understand him. The Young Lord is a 'dick-ish' person."
"What? Dick-ish?"
"Mmm, I mean he's a man like a dick. The nuance is a bit strange, but basically, he judges with his dick and profits with his dick. You'll understand later too, Sister. Probably."
For the first time, Astarotte gave Evelyn a smirk.
"Once you have sex with the Young Lord, you'll understand what goes on in his head."
"...Why on earth would I have sex with that man?"
"Who knows?"
Astarotte glanced outside before lowering her voice.
"Fermaton might need a Court Mage, after all."
"You... don't tell me...?"
"Or maybe a mage within the family. Since I'm a Succubus now."
"...I think you've changed a lot since you accepted the curse."
"Really? Isn't it a good change?"
Snap.
As soon as Astarotte flicked her fingers, her body transformed rapidly.
"I've become like this, after all."
"......."
The previous Astarotte vanished, and a Succubus appeared, her shirt buttons looking as if they were about to burst from the pressure of her chest.
"How is it?"
Her breasts had become even larger than Evelyn's, leaving Evelyn speechless.
"Wouldn't even our ancestors acknowledge this much?"
The physical aspiration of the Barbas family.
Even if it was achieved through a Succubus curse, Astarotte had technically fulfilled it.
"...Sigh. Fine. So, what's next? What else are you plotting?"
"Hmm, I'm not supposed to tell, but I'll make an exception for you, Sister."
"Actually, never mind. I think I'm better off not knowing."
"It's nothing much. We're going to make a weapon."
"......."
Evelyn clawed at her face with the hands she had been using to cover it.
"What... did you just say...?"
"The ultimate weapon to protect Fermaton."
Astarotte pointed to her own neck.
"A Bomb Collar."
* * *
What is the best way to handle a prisoner?
It is to make them constantly feel that their life could be snuffed out at any moment.
And for that purpose, Bomb Collars are frequently used in subcultures—no, even in reality.
"Did you really make this?"
"Yeah."
I was having a drink with Serica.
"It looks like you just made a ring out of a magic stone, doesn't it?"
"I can see the mana flowing inside. If you tell them an Explosion spell is embedded in it, they'll certainly be terrified."
"Want to touch it?"
I placed the prototype of the Bomb Collar in front of her, and Serica picked up her Ruji Glass with a sour expression.
"No, thank you. I have no desire to touch it."
"Really? Yurdias is wearing hers right now."
"It is a sign of my loyalty to the Young Lord."
Yurdias pointed to the collar fastened around her neck like a choker.
"The Young Lord can kill me at any time. Hehe, though I trust he won't."
"Of course. There's only one trigger."
Is there actually an Explosion spell in it? Yes.
It's a collar that detonates automatically when a specific trigger is activated. On the surface, it looks like a fetish item, but in reality, it's a vicious restraint.
A restraint that goes boom if one tries to remove it recklessly.
These collars will be fitted onto Fermaton's prisoners from now on, and the magic stones used to make them were all sourced by buying up empty, spent magic stones on the market.
Is it a bit cruel?
Well.
This is a fantasy world.
There are plenty of people who can handle something like a Bomb Collar without breaking a sweat.
"Lady Serica. You could withstand it, couldn't you?"
"Well, I suppose so."
Even Serica, for instance.
"I would just need to deploy a physical barrier before the explosion magic triggers."
I wouldn't use it on Serica, of course, but eventually, people might appear who wouldn't care about the explosion even if they were wearing the collar.
I'll worry about that when the time comes.
"But I heard this isn't a real explosion?"
"It's an 'Explosion,' but not just any 'Explosion.'"
I could make one of those, but it's 'still' too dangerous to produce.
"If I made something that actually blew heads off, I might get on the bad side of the Kingdom's human rights activists or whatever. So, I made something else explode instead."
Causing actual explosions is something the Revolutionary Army would do, not me.
I could make a fortune supplying Bomb Collars to the revolutionaries through Yoanna, but for now, I'm satisfied with just securing the technology.
Exploding something else is more than enough.
"What exactly explodes?"
"Libido."
At my words, Serica froze just as she was about to swallow the wine in her Cock Glass.
"...What do you mean?"
"Exactly what you see."
I pointed at Yurdias, and Yurdias lightly tugged on her collar with her hand.
Then.
"...Ngh."
The seal of Sex Magic began to glow through her clothes on her lower abdomen.
"It's simple. If she tries to take off her clothes forcibly, tries to remove the collar, or if I say a specific word... her libido will forcibly explode."
"Haa, Young Lord...!"
Conscious of Serica, Yurdias slowly reached her hand toward her lower abdomen.
"Wait, that...!"
"Serica. Have a drink while you watch."
Watch what?
"I promised to give Yurdias anal as a reward."
"...That."
Officially, Serica hadn't had sex with me yet.
"...Does anal sex... feel good?"