Chapter 57. The Archmage's Provocation
The Archmage's Provocation
I-seo visited the Magic Tower to meet the Royal Archmage, but finding them absent, she turned to leave.
[Royal Palace, Royal Library Underground Zone]
Wandering through the vast darkness, I-seo scanned the floor as she moved.
This hidden underground area was known only to a select few within the royal court.
She had come searching for a transmutation circle—a possible clue to curing Count Lucian von Eckhart's "Mana Overload Syndrome."
"The royal records said it should be around here..."
But no matter how much she searched, she couldn't find any circular markings on the floor. Just as I-seo sighed and turned back toward the stairs—
Click, click, click.
The sharp sound of high heels echoed through the darkness.
Instinctively, I-seo suppressed her presence and pressed herself against the wall. Had she been caught by the guards?
But the silhouette descending the stairs was far too bizarre—and overwhelming—to be a soldier.
A woman wearing a wide-brimmed pointed hat was making her way down.
Her attire was outrageous.
Though draped in a black witch's robe, the front was daringly open, leaving her chest and legs completely exposed.
The first thing that caught I-seo's eye was her cleavage.
A pair of monstrously large breasts—so huge that the word "obscene" came to mind unbidden.
Covered only by thin scraps of fabric that barely concealed her nipples, those massive mounds swayed heavily with each step, looking as if they might tear through the fabric and spill out at any moment.
In stark contrast to her unrealistically voluptuous upper body, her waist was slender, her hips wide, and her bare legs beneath the skirt were long and toned, without an ounce of excess fat.
Despite wearing sharp high heels, she descended the stairs with rhythmic clicks before stopping right in front of I-seo.
"Hmph."
Peering at I-seo over her glasses, she snorted.
"Well, well... A Serisian? Didn't think there'd be anyone to kidnap in a place like this."
"...!!"
I-seo's heart plummeted.
Her identity was supposed to be a complete secret—something only Count Lucian knew, something no one else should know. Yet this woman had recognized her at a glance.
"Who... are you? How did you get into the royal underground?"
"And how do you know I'm Serisian?"
The woman laughed as if offended by the question.
"Excuse me? That's my line. I'm the one in charge here."
She tapped her ample chest with her staff.
"And as for how I knew you were Serisian... Hmph. You all look the same. Black hair, monolids, that distinct Eastern girl aura."
Her gaze lingered on I-seo's chest.
"And... flat-chested."
Archmage Violetta smirked, hefting her melon-sized breasts with one hand.
'This woman... is the Archmage? I thought they were a man...'
I-seo bit her lip. Seris was a reclusive nation shrouded in mystery, located at the far eastern edge of the world. Just knowing of its existence was impressive, but to be so intimately familiar with their physical traits... She was clearly no ordinary opponent.
"I am... I-seo, maid and secretary to Count Lucian von Eckhart."
At the mention of Lucian's name, Violetta's playful eyes widened momentarily.
"Oh-ho... Lucian?"
She stepped closer, intrigued.
"Well, you're certainly pretty enough for him to keep around. The man's got taste, I'll give him that. But what's a count's maid doing here? Shouldn't you be tending to your master's nightly needs?"
"I was... looking for a way to cure the Count's Mana Overload Syndrome."
I-seo didn't bother hiding it. If this woman was the administrator, she might be able to help—and lying would be pointless anyway.
That was why she had sought out the Archmage in the first place.
"A cure, huh..."
Violetta rested her chin on her hand.
"What a devoted little servant. Though honestly, your body alone should be enough to suppress it. Just spread your legs and take it—wouldn't that solve everything?"
"No. Lucian-sama... wants to sever the curse for the sake of those he cares about."
I-seo's gaze remained unwavering.
"You don't know how much he suffers, what kind of pain lies behind that desire."
"..."
Violetta's expression shifted strangely.
A memory surfaced—helping the Count with his research once, giving him a paizuri with her chest to obtain a semen sample for his Sperm Retrieval Magic.
And how he'd lunged at her to demonstrate the spell on her body, only for her to put him in his place...
'That man... has changed. I thought he only saw women as tools.'
Violetta swung her staff, conjuring a magic circle in the air.
"Waste of time. There's nothing here that can help you. I've already checked everything."
"Huh...?"
"I looked into the condition too, but even ancient texts say the only answer is 'intercourse.' So stop making a fuss and go home."
She delivered the cold, hard truth.
"No matter how smart you Serisians are, you're not mages or alchemists, are you? Don't even dream of biological transmutation or genetic manipulation. Just... keep offering that fresh little body of yours at night. That's the best way to help him."
I-seo clenched her fists.
She couldn't refute it. If the Archmage said so, then there truly was no hope left here.
"Haah... Then..."
I-seo lowered her head, sighed, and turned back toward the stairs.
But halfway up, she stopped and spun around, firing back:
"And for your information... I'm actually above average!"
"What?"
"Even among Serisians—even among humans! I'm not small!"
As I-seo emphasized her chest with her hands, Violetta stared blankly before bursting into laughter.
"What? In Seris? Sure, sure. You must be a real bombshell there. How adorable."
Leaving the teasing Archmage behind, I-seo clutched her burning cheeks and hurried up the stairs as if fleeing.
Her heart pounded as she exited the library.
'That insufferable witch... What's so great about being weighed down like that?!'
But one question lingered in her mind:
'How does she know so much about Seris? Our security is airtight. She didn't just read about it... It's like she's experienced it firsthand.'
I-seo had no way of knowing—
That Violetta would soon be entangled with her in a far greater whirlwind of fate within Seris itself.
The next day, I-seo returned to the Royal Magic Tower. But Violetta wasn't in her office on the upper floors.
Quickly, I-seo headed back to the underground library zone where they had met.
"Mmm... Nngh..."
As she descended the stairs, a woman's voice—somewhere between humming and suppressed moaning—drifted from deep within. Silencing her footsteps, I-seo followed the sound.
Behind a massive pillar, a complex transmutation circle—a Biological Alchemy Array—was etched into the floor.
"Gulp."
Hiding behind the pillar, I-seo watched the scene unfold.
Violetta stood at the center of the array.
Her enormous breasts heaved with ragged breaths as she tightly gripped a large magic staff in one hand.
The problem was her other hand.
Hiking up her robe, it was buried between her legs.
"Ahh... Nngh... Aahhn..."
Pale and pink-hued mana rose from the array, coiling around her body.
It looked less like a spell and more like... masturbation, using the flow of mana. The way she twisted her waist and let out lewd moans was reminiscent of a succubus seducing a man.
"Tch...! Almost there—damn it, not yet!"
Violetta slammed her staff down irritably, and the lights in the array instantly died.
"Haaah..."
Propping her staff against the wall, she collapsed into the air as if sitting on an invisible chair.
[Levitation Magic]
Crossing her legs midair, her slender, bare limbs beneath the short skirt glistened conspicuously.
But what caught I-seo's eye first was what lay between those crossed thighs.
Her lifted robe revealed black lace panties, the crotch soaked and glistening with moisture. Whether from the magic experiment or her own arousal was unclear.
"Serisian stray cat, come on out."
Violetta stared straight at the empty air as she spoke.
"...!"
Startled, I-seo hesitantly stepped out from behind the pillar.
"What brings you back here? I've reserved this array for a while. Got a thing for watching people... experiment?"
Violetta shamelessly left her damp thighs exposed as she spoke.
"There's... an experiment I want to try with the Count on this array."
I-seo mustered her courage. Violetta's glasses glinted.
"What? What kind of experiment?"
"I know this is a Biological Alchemy Array. A place where you can alter genes or transform traits."
"That's basic knowledge. So?"
Violetta sounded dismissive. Lucian's "Mana Overload" wasn't something simple magic could fix.
"If the Count and I... engage in intercourse on this array... while I use my body to... reshape his... I think it's possible."
"...What?"
Violetta's eyes widened.
"By synchronizing my unique Serisian analytical abilities with the Count's mana through the array... At the moment our bodily fluids mix during intercourse, we can alter his genetic traits to make his excess mana controllable."
"Ha! Writing fiction now? None of the books here—hell, none of the ancient texts I've read in my life—mention such a theory. You sure you're not mistaken?"
"It's not in this library's books."
I-seo's eyes shone with conviction.
"It's in the first edition of [The Secret Records of Archmage Kaine]. That book... mentioned something like 'Biological Restructuring via Yin-Yang Harmony.'"
The very book she had once tried to borrow on a "date" with Lucian. He had thought it was a made-up title, but in reality, that rare book had been sitting in a village bookstore within his own territory.
"That book's a legend. I've searched for years and never even gotten close. Where did you find it?"
"At a village bookstore..."
"Hahaha! Hilarious! A mythical book even I haven't seen, just lying around in some village shop!"
Violetta floated down until she was nose-to-nose with I-seo.
Leaning in, her massive breasts pressed against I-seo's arm as she stared intently.
"You... are the real deal. Are all Serisians like this? No, that can't be..."
Violetta's eyes burned with curiosity and fascination.
A legendary secret art, a Serisian capable of executing it, and a man overflowing with mana. As a mage, it was an irresistible temptation.
"Fine. I'll help you. This is very interesting."
"Huh...?"
I-seo had wanted to do this alone with Lucian. Bringing this lewd, dangerous witch into it was the last thing she wanted.
But controlling the array while handling the Count by herself seemed impossible. With an Archmage's support, their chances of success would skyrocket.
"Alright. But... keep it a secret."
"Of course. But in return... I'll be observing the entire 'experiment' up close. Data is precious, after all."
Violetta licked her lips and placed a hand on I-seo's shoulder.
The final gamble to cure Lucian's condition—
Would unfold as the most dangerous, erotic experiment atop a hidden magic array deep beneath the kingdom.
