Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Magic Tower - 7
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Consciousness blurred as her mind went white.
The only thing sharp was the sensation in her body.
She hadn't even kissed yet, hadn't done a single thing from the books, but her entire body burned vividly.
It felt like her body was instinctively seeking out the heat needed to satisfy the man before her eyes.
This is my true nature.
Turns out I'm the kind of woman who stays true to her instincts.
Her body—everything—craved him.
If this kept going deeper... it would really...
"Then... now we'll..."
"Do what, you fucking bastard."
The drooling Leonardo went flying with a kick.
"...Huh?"
Her hazy mind sharpened again. She felt a pang of regret, but the scene before her was so shocking it erased it entirely.
"Leo...?"
"Miss, ignore that scum and let's get out of here."
Ariasfil could only stare in bewilderment at the contradiction of the man telling himself to ignore him and leave. Meanwhile, the fake Leonardo who'd been sent flying brushed the dirt off in the bushes and stood up.
"...What the hell are you...? As oblivious as you look...!"
"You're one to talk. Didn't even recognize you at first—you look nothing like me."
It was a bizarre sight, two identical men insulting each other's appearances. Ariasfil reeled from the successive waves of absurdity and confusion.
"Who... no... why are there two Leonardos?!"
"No way there are two. Anyone with eyes can see that one's..."
"He's the fake!!"
The fake Leonardo struck first.
"What the fuck, you piece of shit!?"
"Think about it, Aria. The real me would gladly accept getting with you. Leaving a girl like you alone would be the weird part, right?"
It was bullshit so blatant even an idiot would snap back at him for spewing crap.
Look—Aria right now...
"...R-Really...?"
Aria was on the verge of buying it. Her face flushed deep red, eyes darting lostly, fingers fidgeting—blunt as Leonardo was, even he could read that.
"Snap out of it!! It's a trap!!"
"You must be the trap. No clue who you are, but polymorphing against me? Got some guts, huh?"
Polymorph or not, the one desperately hiding that this was a dream was obviously the fake.
'...Just kill him...'
Leonardo gripped the black stone. But he let go just as quickly.
'...No. That puts me at a disadvantage.'
This was Ariasfil's dream, so her thoughts were absolute law here.
The fake Leonardo being ridiculously strong? Because that's how she imagined him.
"Hah, ridiculous. You think you like the real Aria?"
He had no choice but to play by the rules of this place.
"...What do you..."
"If you were the real me, and you really liked Aria, would you do that shit in the middle of the street?"
He stiffened his facial muscles as much as possible, but suppressing the burning emotions and rising blood was impossible. Still, without enduring this humiliation, saving Aria was out of the question.
"Ariasfil's a noble—a lady of the Hero Family, no less. You think it'd make sense to mix with a girl like that on the dirty ground, in the damn bushes?"
Endure. He had to endure. Suppress the feelings, hold out somehow. Breaking here meant it was all over.
"Ugh...! That's... true, but...!"
Aria agreeing here was a relief, sure... but painful in a whole other way.
"Well, is it?"
But for some reason, the fake seemed utterly relaxed. Like he had even more to say.
"If anything, I think Aria's the one hoping for it."
"What nonsense...!"
"Then why didn't she resist when you laid her down in the bushes?"
Aria's whole body aflame, she twisted her thighs together to stifle the shame.
"Hey, you pinned me down—what was I supposed to...!"
"Yeah? Aura-wise, she's below me. Arm wasn't broken, core wasn't shattered... so why not push me off?"
It was weird if he thought about it... but just ask her directly and...
"...That was... because... I didn't... want that... but you pinned me so... I couldn't help it... stop..."
Her body drenched in sweat, now twisting not just her thighs but her whole flexible frame as she slowly forced out the words.
"Didn't wanna get ravaged like a beast? Truth is, bed or bushes—you just wanna do it together. With me, I could turn Aria into a beast too."
"That's...!"
"Don't wanna? Fine, I won't force you..."
"Noo...!! Not... like that...!! A little... gentler...!!"
...Now, there was no ignoring it.
Unsettlingly, the fake seemed to understand Aria's psyche better than the real deal. He was born from her knowledge and imagination, after all—winning with strategy like this was probably impossible from the start.
"Then, Aria. Let me ask you."
Buoyed by momentum, the fake went for the kill.
"What can a guy like that even do for you?"
Her words plunged Aria into deep conflict. Honestly, both were appealing... She just wanted them to stop fighting so they could enjoy together.
"For the record, I can melt you nice and slow... Sound good?"
But now, she was leaning toward the beastly Leonardo. Holding back a man like that was too much.
"...Ha... the real one..."
The other Leonardo clutched his head and muttered.
"...Won't remember anyway... fine."
With that, he lowered his hands and opened his mouth as if resolved.
"...Melt nice and slow? Aria?"
"Yeah! In ways a guy like you couldn't dream of...!"
"Wanna melt your face nice and slow too. Physically. But first, one question."
Leonardo let out a sigh before asking. That sigh carried every torment, worry, anguish, and pain imaginable.
"How was your first time? You say that after having one, right?"
"First... time...?"
1, 2, 3, 4, 5... Time dragged on past 10 seconds, 15, and the fake just stammered without a clear answer.
He had no choice.
There was a more fundamental problem than what Aria didn't know.
"Ah... well, my first time was...!"
About 30 seconds in, the fake seemed to fabricate a lie and prepare to answer. But the real one had preempted him long ago.
"None."
"...What...?"
"I've never done it. No first time, never even dated a girl."
Humiliation surged through him, but Leonardo had to say it. At least Aria and the fake didn't know he was a regressor who'd aged decades in his past life—that was his only consolation.
"...What...? You're a virgin?!"
"If you were me, you'd know right away. That's proof you're the fake in this dream."
"No way..."
The fake Leonardo's body began to melt away.
"Wait, why is this happening...?!"
"Bye now. Have fun melting nice and slow."
Aria's heart had already tilted toward the inexperienced Leonardo—and she'd realized this was all a dream.
Finally, the fake vanished like dissolving smoke.
"...Leo...nardo...! That's... I mean, I..."
Aria felt relieved knowing Leonardo had no experience, but she couldn't laugh.
"..."
Leonardo's face was frozen stiffer than ever before.
"Not like... I wanted this dream...! More importantly...! I'll keep the secret, so... cheer up...!"
"...Miss."
In a stiff, deadpan voice laced with chill, Leonardo spoke.
"...Let's head to the exit first. Staying here too long is dangerous."
"Ah... yeah..."
Aria had learned many firsts from Leonardo: techniques, experiences, knowledge... even emotions.
And what Ariasfil felt now for the first time was...
'...Scary...'
Terror.
The fear evoked by silence was incomparable to screams or death rattles.
With nothing there, nothing visible, the dread could swell endlessly.
Heavy footsteps echoed as Leonardo headed to the forest's edge.
The grass peeled away from the ground bit by bit, trees dwindled one by one. It wasn't just the background changing—the colors and canvas of the world were stripping away, leaving only white emptiness around them.
"...This place..."
"That's the exit."
In front of the door stood a mismatched massive gate. Crudely scrawled across it in huge letters: Test over. Come out.
"...Th-Then... shall we go...?"
Stepping outside felt uneasy, but staying here seemed even more dangerous.
"Ariasfil."
But Leonardo spoke first.
"...Honestly... you might think it's stupid, but I didn't notice at all."
Leonardo was expressionless. Not just his face—his tone, his very presence felt devoid of any heart. Only now did Aria grasp what Village Chief Anus had meant.
"No... thinking back, there were plenty of chances to notice. I just turned a blind eye because I was scared to face it."
Self-mocking words followed, a faint sadness seeping into the apathy.
"......"
"...Now it all makes sense. Why you acted that way, why you reacted like that, why you stayed by my side."
Leonardo no longer seemed apathetic. He just felt immersed in profound, icy sorrow.
"Miss, no matter my mental resistance, I won't remember anything from this place. Worst case, you might not either. That's the premise we entered under."
This modified telepathy magic's side effects were memory loss and mental anomalies. Not fatally dangerous, but enough to wipe even Leonardo's recollections.
"So whatever you answer, I'm fine with it."
Leonardo smiled as he asked. No joy in that smile—just sorrow filling the void.
"...Do you like me, by any chance?"
"Th-That..."
Aria couldn't answer. Not just from embarrassment. She simply didn't know what response Leonardo wanted.
She feared his reaction, so her lips stayed sealed.
"...As expected... same as always."
Leonardo grasped the door.
"Sorry. That was too much to ask..."
"It's not like."
At her words, Leonardo turned back to her. No one knew what answer he'd hoped for or what reaction was right.
"Leonardo, I love you."
So the girl mustered her courage.
"...You'll get hurt."
The boy's warning.
"I already know that. It's my burden to bear for loving you."
The girl's love.
"I'm not worthy of that kind of love..."
The youth's self-deprecation.
"Doesn't matter. I'm not loving you for your worth."
This was her love.
"Once you know my past, my sins, you'll change your mind. I'm uglier than you think."
The middle-aged man's regret.
"Your past, your sins... you're right, I don't know them. But I don't love you because you're not ugly."
What she loved.
"You're my goal, just like I'm yours. I've been smitten since we met, and no matter the reason I give, it all boils down to love."
Her way.
"...If it's the first time, if this is the first..."
The old man's reminiscence.
"Even if it's not the first, that's fine. I love you. I'll love you no matter what. I wish you'd love and obsess over me just as much."
Her way of loving.
"Doesn't matter if you love someone else or no one. I'll become even more lovable to you, someone you love."
"...Why go this far? For me..."
His words trailed off.
Her love was enough to silence them all.
"If words aren't enough, I'll make up for it with actions from now on."
As their lips parted, Aria said.
"..."
The boy whose lips were stolen flushed red.
"This is punishment for presuming to know my heart. Leo."
Her love was firmer than warnings or self-mockery, warm enough to melt regrets and reminiscences.
"Now let's go. Next time, I'll take even more."
"Miss. Thank you."
Leonardo took the girl's hand.
"I'll be waiting."
Then he pulled her close and kissed her again.
"...Wha...?!?"
"This is the penalty for not saying it sooner."
With that, Leonardo opened the door.
It really had been a dreamlike time.