The Weight of Talent
After finishing her meal, Carmel returned to her cell. Though she had been granted a period of rest, the room was entirely empty. I was somewhat curious about how she would pass the time.
"Would you like me to bring you something to read?"
"No, I don't particularly need anything."
Carmel sat on the edge of the bed and closed her eyes. Just as I wondered if she was about to meditate, I saw mana, flickering like a blue flame, begin to waver around her body. I had seen a scene just like this once before in a vision. It was a memory of a young Carmel learning magic from her mother.
"Come to think of it, your mother was a mage, wasn't she?"
"...Yes."
"How long does one have to train like that? Does it really require innate talent to manipulate mana?"
Carmel opened her closed eyes. Looking at me, who wore an expression of pure curiosity, she spoke.
"That depends entirely on the person. Some can see it once and copy it immediately, while others take years. It's just as difficult to judge whether someone even has the talent for it."
Carmel answered surprisingly meekly. Perhaps this, too, was because of the condition that she cooperate with me as much as possible during her week of subjugation.
"Then, won't you teach me as well? Who knows, I might actually have the talent to manipulate mana."
Hearing my words, Carmel frowned.
"Are you being serious?"
"Of course."
"You want me to teach you magic? Me, to you?"
"Is there a problem with that?"
At the sudden proposal, Carmel seemed to ponder something in her mind for a moment. After staring intently at my face, she finally nodded.
"Fine, I'll teach you. But you must do exactly as I say, understood?"
"I look forward to your guidance, Mother."
Carmel rose from the bed and stepped behind me as I sat in the chair. Her large breasts hovered just inches away from the back of my head. In that position, she stretched her arms over my shoulders, spreading her palms so they faced each other.
"Stretch your arms out parallel to mine. Just close enough without actually touching my hands."
I did as Carmel instructed, extending my arms parallel to hers and opening my palms with a small space between them. Immediately, I saw her mana flowing along her arms.
"I'm moving mana along my arms right now. Try to feel it with your skin. Well? Do you feel it?"
I felt absolutely nothing on my skin, even though I could see it perfectly with my eyes.
"No."
At my response, Carmel spoke in a tone that sounded somewhat gleeful.
"Really? My, you have no talent at all. It seems you aren't the type to be sensitive to mana, at the very least."
She seemed delighted to have found an area where she could best me. Hmm... I wonder how she would react if she knew I possessed the ability to visualize and see mana?
Carmel pressed her body flush against mine and leaned her face over my shoulder. I felt a soft, warm sensation against the nape of my neck. She brought her hands even closer to mine. In a slightly more serious voice, she whispered in my ear.
"I'm going to increase the density of the mana this time. I'll send it right between your palms. The hands are the easiest part of the human body to feel and manipulate mana. You can close your eyes if you need to. Now, how about it?"
The mana emanating from Carmel's hands was slowly rotating between my palms, about the size of a golf ball. Once again, I could see it clearly, but I felt absolutely nothing.
"No, I still don't feel anything in my palms."
Carmel let out a soft chuckle and withdrew both her arms and her mana.
"Well, if you practice repeatedly, you might eventually feel a little. But I wouldn't recommend it. I can only sense an extremely faint trace of mana inside you. Even if you train until you bleed, you'll never reach any significant level."
She seemed to be in quite a good mood now. Returning to the bed, Carmel continued speaking, her voice noticeably brighter.
"For your information, it only took me a week to succeed. And that was using a much more difficult method. I was quite fast at not just sensing it, but manipulating it too."
Listening to Carmel, I recalled that vision once more. A barren land, a monastery teaching heresy. There, Carmel had undergone brutal training, raised by her mother to become a tool to destroy the kingdom. Carmel had been overjoyed when she first succeeded in casting magic. But that joy hadn't been the pride of personal growth. It was the sorrowful relief of finally being acknowledged by her mother.
"Yes, you are truly amazing, Mother."
At my words, Carmel looked straight at me, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"Are you mocking me?"
"No, I truly mean it. You must have put in an immense amount of effort. I have always acknowledged you from the bottom of my heart, Mother."
Seeing my gentle smile, Carmel pressed her lips together. She stared at me as if angry before speaking.
"You say that, yet... you did what you did yesterday? Something that... utterly shatters a person's dignity...?"
"Well... that's because I wanted to see you trying your hardest even through a stomachache that felt like it would tear you apart, Mother. Besides, you were incredibly aroused by the end of it, weren't you?"
"...Ugh..."
The memory of yesterday—the terrifying memory of the enema—seemed to rush back to her. Carmel's fists trembled, as if she regretted bringing it up. After a brief silence, she asked me.
"Did it never cross your mind just now that I might use magic to harm you?"
I had just defenselessly offered my back to Carmel. Furthermore, I had simply watched as she wrapped her arms around me and channeled her mana. No matter how much her heart had leaned toward me, it was undeniably a risky move. It wasn't that I hadn't considered the possibility of her attacking me. However, I possessed Mana Sight. If Carmel's mana showed any suspicious movement, I would know instantly. Moreover, I already knew that without the Book of Enekra, Carmel couldn't cast any high-level magic. She had no means of killing me or doing anything close to it. But those two reasons were things I could never reveal to her. They were based on my greatest trump cards: my Mana Sight and the knowledge I gained from the novel. So, I gave her an answer that was by no means a lie.
"Because I trusted you, Mother. Ah, of course, not in your goodwill, but in the sense that you wouldn't do something so foolish. And in fact, you didn't do anything, did you?"
"...Hmph, fine." Carmel let out a small, disappointed sigh and averted her gaze, as if trying to avoid my eyes.
Quite a bit of time passed. Even by the time night fell, the Curse of Mystillia had not triggered. Lost in thought, I sat beside Carmel, admiring her body as she ate her dinner. This meant two days had passed since the last activation. Did it really require such a long interval to trigger? Or perhaps the conditions for its activation had not yet been met. Maybe it was just my illusion that Carmel had been sufficiently broken, and she wasn't quite at that level yet. If so...
Carmel was happily eating a salmon steak drizzled with a rich sauce. I reached my hand toward her buttocks and began to knead them, guided by my desires. Although Carmel had grown somewhat accustomed to being watched, she widened her eyes in surprise the moment my hand made direct contact.
"W-what...? I thought we agreed... not to do anything like this today..."
"I simply couldn't contain myself. Please ignore me and continue your meal."
"H-how can I ignore you..."
Though her face flushed crimson, she offered no further resistance. Carmel hesitantly resumed eating. Reassured, I continued to squeeze her buttocks. The sensation of her plump flesh filling my hands was magnificent. It was surely no less tender than the salmon steak currently in her mouth.
Just as I had told her, Carmel tried to continue her meal as if no one were beside her, as if nothing were being done to her. Even so, her face grew redder by the second. My hands grew bolder as I kneaded her flesh, sliding deeper until my fingers reached the crevice between her thighs. Finally, a ragged breath escaped her lips.
"...Haa, ah..."
Even though I was only fondling her buttocks, she was incredibly sensitive. Perhaps it was because she had been left alone all day. Her nipples were beginning to harden, a sign that she was starting to feel aroused. Carmel moved her utensils with slightly trembling hands. To be able to move so gracefully even in this situation—I suppose that was the dignity of a queen.
I extended the middle finger of the hand kneading her buttocks and pressed it inward. Carmel glared at me for a moment in protest, but soon refocused on her meal. I hadn't inserted my finger inside her yet; I was merely stroking her entrance gently. But even that was enough to make her feel intense pleasure.
"...Ah...!" She leaned on the table with the hand holding her spoon. Carmel's back arched seductively as she endured the pleasure. Panting heavily, she barely managed to swallow her food.
I moved my hand away from her entrance. Sliding up her buttocks, my hand moved stickily to wrap tightly around Carmel's waist. Even now, Mistylia showed no reaction. Perhaps even if the conditions were met, it required some time to activate. I pressed my body closer to Carmel and stroked her inner thigh.
"E-excuse me... ah... S-Sera..."
"Yes?"
"It's... hard to eat..."
In my attempt to wrap my arm around her waist and reach her thigh, I had pressed so close that Carmel could barely use her left arm. I pulled back slightly and removed my hand.
"Ah, my apologies. Please continue your meal, Mother."
Carmel resumed eating, her utensils clattering. This time, so as not to disturb her, I reached for the thigh closer to me. The sensation here was just as exquisite as her buttocks. Even without any ulterior motive, it was a texture so perfect I wanted to keep touching it forever. From then on, I continued to fondle various parts of her body until she finished her meal.