Chapter 333

333 Carrot and Stick #7

Chudduck, chudduck—.

Elpride unscrewed the cap of what looked like a leather water bottle and poured its contents onto her calf.

The color was transparent, colorless.

However, it was quite viscous, as it was sluggishly making its way down her calf toward her ankle and foot.

Despite the lack of color, the scent was fairly unique; the moment she unscrewed the cap, a peculiar peach fragrance tickled my nose. With that, Elpride, who had moistened her calf and foot, spoke again.

“Take your shirt off and lie down on the bed.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“You’ll see when you look. It’s nothing strange, it’s an important process, so just do as I tell you, you coward.”

“Who’s scared?”

Still, I was slightly afraid of what Elpride might be up to, as I wasn’t sure what odd thing she might ask me to do. I had come to know various things about Elpride over the two years we’d spent together, and she, in turn, had come to know a great deal about my state of mind, Hassan.

I wondered what exactly she was aiming to do.

I had a strong feeling that she was planning something that I shouldn’t do.

How should I put it?

It felt just like the time when I was in middle school, and pretty high school girls whispered in a secluded alleyway, beckoning me with their gestures.

“Hey, you, come here.”

“Me?”

“Is there someone else in this alley? You’re really amusing. Come here because you’re amusing.”

Back then, with my white socks standing out in loose slippers and an age-inappropriate heavy makeup look, their inviting manner was both frightening and irresistible to me during my awkward teenage years.

-Clearly, something bad was going to happen.

Although I knew full well that this was something that shouldn’t happen and something I should not experience, I was drawn into the alley as if by some irresistible force.

Swoosh—.

Suddenly, several arms appeared out of nowhere, encircling my shoulders, startling me.

“Act like we’re close friends.”

“How long will this go on?”

That day, I had ten thousand won forcibly taken from me. It was an illegal experience in a secluded place. Even though I was the victim, I felt as if I was the one who had done something wrong, my heart racing.

It wasn’t until a little later that I realized the emotion I felt was a mixture of fear and guilt.

Thinking back now, wasn’t it a pretty good deal to have those pretty and scary high school girls buddy up with me for just ten thousand won? But that’s not the point I’m trying to make.

“Hurry up and lie down here.”

Chudduck, chudduck—.

The eerie sensation emanating from Elpride’s calf, covered in some strange honey-like substance, strongly reminded me of the incident in the alley, instilling the same peculiar and guilt-ridden feeling within me.

I realized what she was about to do to me with that.

“Am I about to get extorted?”

“Hah, what the—. Before the mana potion dries up. Quickly, lie down here, look at the ceiling. If you keep fussing, you’ll really get a beating.”

Isn’t this just a repeat of the day when I was a middle-schooler entering adolescence? I already knew how this might end, yet I found myself lying down on the bed anyway.

Given that Fleure’s deadline had run out, I was in no position to make distinctions.

Sweeet—.

Elpride stepped onto the bed beside me, moving her legs slowly. Her leg eventually pressed against my stomach.

Chudduck—.

The softness of her soles and the defined shape of her toes were felt vividly through the strangely sticky liquid.

What is this?

What exactly is this?

I was struck with a sudden confusion because I couldn’t comprehend the significance of why a woman in this world was rubbing her feet on my body.

The pale white leg, illuminated under the dim lantern light, was contrasted by the edge of the daringly short negligee that hung over her thigh. Her red gaze, cold and piercing, looked down at me as if I were either insignificant or a mere insect.

I wasn’t sure where to direct my eyes. I didn’t know if I should close them, so my pupils were restless.

Sweeet, sweeet—.

Am I being looked down upon by a woman right now? Am I being disparaged?

Was this the Great Conjurer of the Spirit World, me?

Oh, the world, I’m truly being trampled on by a girl right now.

If my parents saw me like this, they might lament the hard work they put into raising their son, only to see him used as someone else’s stepping stone.

I understood all this too well, which wounded my pride, but, in some way, something was rising, compensating for the dropping pride.

Wince—.

That something was undoubtedly my lower half, neglected for so long.

Though it’s an embarrassing truth, I was surprised by how pleasurable it felt to have my body rubbed with Elpride’s cold, sticky foot.

If I let my guard down, it would probably sh**t up into the sky like a missile. If she made me erect like this, I’d undoubtedly never be able to show my face in public ever again.

Therefore, trying to maintain my composure, she spoke.

“How’s it going?”

“What—?”

“Nothing unusual that you feel?”

Why was she suddenly asking that? I pondered over the meaning behind her question, trying to comprehend her intent.

I revved up my dual-core brain trying to discern what kind of answer would earn high marks, but nothing came to mind.

“Um, it feels, good.”

So, I just answered honestly as best as I could. Watching me from above, I spotted a slight wrinkle forming on her eyebrows and her pupils.

“No, I’m asking if you can feel the transfer of mana. Not if it feels good.”

“Ah, the transfer of mana?”

I was extremely bewildered since the topic of mana just popped up out of nowhere, but reflecting on it now, this wasn’t about Elpride teasing me with her foot; it was part of the curriculum aimed at helping me do magic.

“Don’t focus on whether it feels good.”

Crush—.

Elpride’s foot, bearing her weight, pressed forcefully against my abdomen. However, my body was toughened up like a sturdy log, so it didn’t hurt.

“To enjoy being stepped on, you’re really a pervert with no comparison. You’re definitely destined to be the god of perverts. It’s disgusting.”

As she muttered these icy words, it strangely seemed like Elpride was in a good mood. Did I just imagine this because of my own feelings, or was she unaware that her ears were flapping up and down?

Frick—.

From this point onwards, the movements of her soles over my belly and chest became bizarre. She used her toes to tickle or pinch my muscles.

“While meditating, focus on the parts where our bodies are connected. Try to feel the mana.”

Somehow, I started to focus on where our bodies were touching — in the space the size of her soft soles — as her breath grew increasingly quick.

Zap, zap—.

Suddenly, a strange sensation spread from her foot through my entire body, reverberating in my brain.

This was an incredibly unique feeling. It was as if Elpride’s body, which was in contact with my abdomen, became a branch extending from myself, feeling like one unified existence.

“Hey, I’m feeling something. It’s really strange. I feel like I’ve become one with you… What is this? What is this? Svel, this is really strange!”

“This is the principle of the staff. It’s about utilizing a tool to make the handling of mana smoother.”

“So, are you saying you’re acting as my staff right now?”

“Yes. We’ve spent a week in the same room, aligning the frequency of our mana. And thanks to the constant massages to reduce resistance from physical contact, this is possible.”

Indeed, is that what happened?

I thought Elpride was just bossing me around and giving me errands to run.

But knowing it was all for the sake of my mana training makes me see her in a whole new light.

Still, one thing came to mind.

“If physical contact has meaning, didn’t you really need to step on me with your feet? Couldn’t you have done it with your palm?”

“Hah? You have an attachment to my feet, don’t you. It won’t have meaning unless it’s something you have an attachment to.”

Svel, how does she know I have a thing for feet? As I tensed up slightly with this thought, Elpride changed the subject.

“Alright, let’s see you use magic, borrowing the mana inside you. Remember this sensation. The sensation of sending mana to me.”

Sweeet.

Elfride conjured a small ball of fire on the palm of her hand. I was taken aback by the odd sensation as if my bl**d left my body.

It was like having a dizzy spell from anemia. My head spun, and my eyes darkened, leaving me disoriented.

It felt as though the energy or life force I’d call vital energy was forcibly being drained from my body.

“Urgh, urgh—.”

“Stop making weird noises and focus. There’s less than half a day left, you know.”

“Ugh, uh, uh—.”

Even though Elpride seemed to be urging me, due to the relentless draining of my energy, I was entirely incapable of focusing on meditation or mana.

It felt like I was turning into a mummy while still alive.

My mouth became parched, and it felt like holes had been drilled into the parts of my body her feet touched, with everything inside me flowing out.

“Hm, now that I look, there’s a strange seal on your belly.”

Swooosh—.

Elpride’s feet moved toward my lower abdomen.

“What? There’s a seal here, so it’s hindering control of mana. But, no matter. Anything like this, once it falls into my hands—.”

Her increasingly warm feet swirled and rubbed against my lower abdomen.

“…What? Who used such a seal? All the pathways for mana are completely closed. With something like this, it’d be hard to even sense mana. How did you manage to detect mana?”

“Urgh, urgh—.”

“It’s completely sealed. At this rate, even working tirelessly for a hundred days wouldn’t have helped. You should’ve mentioned this earlier, stupid.”

Swooosh—.

Elpride’s foot left my body. Therefore, I managed to regain control of my swirling mind.

“Urgh, so, do you not know how to break the seal…?”

“I’ve never seen a sealing spell of this high tier.”

“Does that mean you can’t do it?”

“While I can’t completely break a sealing spell this intricate, it might be possible to make a small hole in it. It’s surprising how even complex and high-level magical patterns can collapse with a single small hole.”

Elfride’s words made me picture a robust dam filled to the brim with water.

That small hole could become the fatal flaw that eventually destroyed the entire strong and powerful dam, right?

“Hey, then hurry and break the seal a little. There’s less than half a day left.”

My eyes faced the window covered with curtains. Although it’s dark outside now, the sun will surely rise in a few hours.

Unlike my slight anxiety, Elpride was calmly wiping the sticky liquid off her feet with what seemed like a handkerchief.

While she dried her feet for a bit, Elpride began to speak.

“It is possible to break the seal. But if there’s plenty of time, then it may be another story, but even for someone like me, a full night’s effort will be required. Your life could be at risk.”

“My life—?”

“I’ll create a small hole in the mana pathway connecting your lower abdomen to your heart. That hole will gradually weaken the seal. But, this isn’t something I usually do, even for my own disciple. It’s extremely strenuous and could be dangerous.”

“That’s true.”

The mana pathway is like the circuits or wiring embedded in the body, they say.

They said it counted like a circuit needed for a level one spell, two circuits for a level two spell, and so on. There’s this memory of hearing that it usually takes several years to increase just one of these circuits. It seemed like Elpride was willing to carve a hole in one such pathway for me.

Surely, this is akin to the esoteric secrets called the essential skills of the wizards. It’s also probably as perilous as an illegal procedure.

Hwaerk—.

At that very moment, a small flame sprouted in Elfride’s hand.

“You just have to swallow this. It’ll be painfully excruciating to the point where it might k*ll you. Some people’s personalities have even changed due to the pain. But as long as you survive, it’ll be more than enough to punch a hole through the seal of your mana pathway.”

Ssuuu—.

Then she handed me the small flame hovering on her palm. It felt peculiar, almost like whipped cream, which was incredibly fascinating.

Swallow this, you say.

To swallow a flame?

I briefly contemplated it but quickly decided without hesitation to swallow it whole.

“Don’t regret it now. It’d be such a waste of time.”

Surprisingly, there was no taste, no sensation of heat.

The moment it slipped down my throat and reached my abdomen, I suddenly realized something was terribly wrong.

“Aaaaargh—!”

A searing pain, as if my entire body was on fire, started wracking my mind from my lower abdomen. It was a dreadful feeling, as if someone had set fire to my abdomen and was roasting me from head to toe.

“Hold on—. It’s about to get much worse.”

La, Mundus, Nigulas Callifar—.

The strange incantation that flowed from Elfride’s lips echoed in my brain like a bell.

With each syllable she spoke, more intense flames erupted from my lower abdomen, consuming everything within.

“Phew, phew—.”

I tried regulating my breath to endure the pain, but I couldn’t last even a minute. I felt like smashing anything and everything with my fists and thrashing around in agony.

“Argghhh—!”

“Rodem, Verofri, Mit Yan Kule—.”

Through my eyes filled with hesitation, fear, and anxiety, I saw Elfride calmly sitting astride the bed, chanting the spell. My instincts—what might be called my survival instincts—screamed to grab her arms.

So, I did. Grabbing her thin arms tightly, perhaps with a little too much force, she furrowed her brows slightly but continued chanting.

“d*mn it, shi—.”

However, it felt as I’d guessed—some of the tormenting flames inside my body were slowly seeping out through the palms of her hands where she and I were connected.

The unstable mana in my body was being dispersed through the connection with Elfride’s body. Could this be the principle behind the staff?

Still, with only the small surface area of her palms, it was futile trying to suppress the overwhelming mana that was ready to burst out from within me.

What should I do?

To endure this for an entire night seemed like it would indeed change my personality beyond recognition.

“Ugh…”

Clamping down on my teeth, I fumbled for Elpride’s arm. I buried my face in her arm or thigh, trying to increase the surface area of skin contact.

The more of my body that touched her skin, the more the flames within me shifted towards her, alleviating the pain.

But even so, it wasn’t enough.

What should I do? In my gaze filled with hesitation, fear, and dread, I stared at Elfride. The thin nightgown she wore—undoubtedly, if I could remove it, I could increase the surface area of our skin contact.

Acting purely on instinct, I reached out my hand. Meanwhile, Elfride simply observed me with an emotionless gaze, continuing her incantations.

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