༺ Suspicious Magic Circle ༻
Time remaining until the first class── 2 days.
===============================================================
A day had passed since I holed up inside the building to avoid the Saintess. Fortunately, there were no major movements such as the Paladins breaching the door or announcements of bounties for capturing an Illusion Wizard.
I just have to hold out for a few days. Just a few more days.
In case the Saintess decided to visit, I smeared all sorts of Illusion Magic over the building we were staying in. With this, unless Yuna came and fired a Yuna Death Beam, we could definitely buy some time.
So, I’m sure there won’t be any issue now…is what I thought.
But then, a serious problem arose from an unexpected place. I’m talking about Pink-Haired Lesbian, whom I thought would be fine even if the sky collapsed.
“Thirty-one, thirty-two…….”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Two slimes were repeatedly jumping and landing. To be honest, that wasn’t really a problem. Whether slimes jumped or did somesaults, it didn’t matter as long as it was at the right time and appropriate place.
But, you know…my chest was a highly inappropriate place.
This crazy Pink-Haired Lesbian was now blatantly blatantly rubbing her chest against mine. It was a crude expression, but what was I supposed to do when she was being so blatant?
I could hear the sound of our close-knit friendship beginning to crack. How could this concept called friendship be so fragile?
I thought it might be a misunderstanding, but it wasn’t. Believing it to be a misunderstanding after experiencing this would actually be stupid. Something had gone wrong with Pink-Haired Lesbian’s head.
Looking back, there were signs since the time we buried the Demonic Sword. Even if we were cool enough to talk about panties, didn’t she utter lines that inflated that kind of curiosity to the max?
I advised her seriously.
“Your brain is short-circuiting. No, maybe it’s malfunctioning.”
“What?”
“Do you not find it strange? In terms of your own common sense…….is it really, truly correct to rub your chest against a man’s chest?”
Pink-Haired Lesbian tilted her head with her usual expressionless face. She truly looked puzzled. Then she responded like this.
“Let me say this again. You are overthinking. Mr. Crazy Wizard. I am merely doing push-ups.”
“And I’m saying why would you do that on top of ME?!”
“There’s no particular reason why it shouldn’t be on top of someone, is there?”
“Say something that makes sense!”
The most frustrating part was that Pink-Haired Lesbian wouldn’t accept the assumption that she……was under some sort of mental debuff. The world was vast and there were countless types of magic, you know? Where was this baseless confidence coming from?
After having always tormented Tower Master Yuna with nonsense, now that I was in the same situation as her, I understood how she felt. I was way too harsh. I should repent. When I return to the Purple Magic Tower, I’ll make sure to hug her tightly.
I grabbed Pink-Haired Lesbian’s cheek and stared with all the strength I could muster. Even if it meant having a showdown, I couldn’t just stand by and let this continue.
“Think about it seriously.”
“I’ve put quite a bit of effort into my mental barrier, Mr. Crazy Wizard.”
“I’m telling you, you’re under some sort of magic, okay? Like one that makes you see men as women or maybe something that increases sexual desire…….?
“Ha, it is definitely not sexual desire. That much I am sure of.”
“Get your chest off of me first before saying that!”
“Please refrain from staring so blatantly. I understand the instincts of a male, but we should still maintain a modicum of decency to each other, shouldn’t we?”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯!!”
I felt the back of my neck stiffen because I was so infuriated. Calm down. Getting angry would only result in my loss. The opponent was a pitiful patient under the influences of magic. I should take care and cherish her. I couldn’t just leave her be and let her be fucked over by such malicious spells.
No, but seriously…
If it wasn’t for the Sexual Desire Suppression Magic, I would have been in trouble at least a dozen times by now. Something would have happened for sure. But instead of praising my patience, she dared to behave so recklessly? It was disgraceful, so maybe I should get some kind of compensation, shoul……
No……!
I writhed in mental agony.
“Please, Pink-Haired Lesbian…….I’m actually struggling. This is my lifelong wish. Just do one Mental Cleanse with mana. Just once.”
“……Why? What’s making you so serious?”
She seemed to have finally sensed the seriousness after I hit the Grand Bow, the most advanced form of a plea in human history. Pink-Haired Lesbian, still a bit dubious, gathered mana into her fingers.
It was like washing off thighs, sticky because of spilled cola, with water. Though a trick to clean the mind with the flow of mana once, it had a certain side effect of scratching the mental barrier that had been set up.
This was why Pink-Haired Lesbian hesitated. After all, a certain percentage of the carefully built mental barrier would be blown away, so it wasn’t something to be taken lightly, no matter the circumstance.
Pink-Haired Lesbian let out a deep sigh and then flicked her forehead with her mana-imbued fingers.
“I shall grant it since you said it is your wish. See, there is no way I could be under hypnos……FUCKING HELL!”
“……YOU’RE BACK!”
I shouted in joy, overwhelmed with emotion. My brother from another mother. The other ball in a nutsack. My good friend, who had fallen into female depravity, had finally returned as a man! It had truly been a lonely and solitary time.
When I mentioned buying a peach to eat, she crossed her arms and quipped, ‘Aren’t there two ripe ones right here?’.
And when boredom struck late at night and I asked her what stockings would suit Red Tower Wizard, she responded ‘Would you pick out some for me too?’.
Didn’t every move she made emanate a distinct feminine allure? That thick smell that screamed female?
But the present Pink-Haired Lesbian, who had never once raised her voice before, was cursing with the vigor of a true Top G. It was a spirit that surged up from her very core. Perhaps, her dantian, if I wanted to put it in martial arts terms. This was very, very good. I asked her another question, just to confirm.
“What do you think of your indecent behavior all this time……?”
“You must have enjoyed it quite a bit. There is no need for thanks.”
Her complexion that didn’t change a single hue and her demeanor that waved me off as if to say ‘Always be thankful’ confirmed it was the Pink-Haired Lesbian I knew.
“…….You really are back!!”
I hugged Pink-Haired Lesbian and cheered. I had finally gotten my friend back.
===============================================================
We entered an Emergency Strategy Meeting. After all, this incident meant that there was something shady and strange going on at the Academy.
It wasn’t a sniper targeted at Pink-Haired Lesbian specifically. After capturing and experimenting on Red Tower Wizard and the passerby, we found a common increase in anxiety or fear……albeit very slight.
In terms of numbers, it was about 1%.
Others experienced amplified anxiety, so it was a mystery why Pink-Haired Lesbian alone suffered from increased sexual desire.
Anyway, even I, a genius (prospective) Archwizard, couldn’t easily penetrate Pink-Haired Lesbian’s mental barrier. If she was affected, the entire Academy must also be under its influence. The output was weak, but the magic was quite intricately crafted.
Unbecoming of her, Pink-Haired frowned before muttering.
“It seems like a significantly cunning trick. I cannot detect it at all.”
“It seems impossible to catch with conventional methods.”
Its weak effect actually made tracking it more difficult. A spell that doubled emotions could be easily detected and tracked, but a magic that barely increased them by 1% was like chasing a mountain breeze.
“……Is there no way?”
Crack. Crunch.
A violent noise came from Pink-Haired Lesbian’s clenched fist.
I made an expression of understanding. If I had been manipulated into flirting with a male friend by someone’s scheme, I’d want to fold them in half, whoever they were.
Before that wrath could be aimed at me, I racked my brain.
“There’s always a way. After all, I’m a genius wizard……. 『Status Window』!”
Ding.
A translucent square hologram appeared before my eyes.
Of course, this wasn’t something like a Status Window I received as a privilege of reincarnating from my previous life. It was purely crafted with Illusion Magic. It lacked features like boosting stats or understanding everything about someone just by looking at them.
However, it could display emotions in very detailed numerical values.
Curiosity : 50.3
I slightly opened my mental barrier in this state.
Curiosity : 50.8 (+0.5)
I detected the amplified value next to my emotion’s original level and displayed it.
“Magic usually radiates outwards, so the closer to the center, the stronger the effects tend to be. If we track in the direction where the numbers increase, we should be able to locate the source.”
“Interesting. How high exactly is a Curiosity value of 50?”
“When averaged at the Purple Magic Tower, it was around 20, I think? The Tower Master and I were similar, around 45 or so…….”
“If the average at the Purple Magic Tower is 20, then a typical value would be around 5.”
“That’s slander.”
Who does she think we are? How was she viewing the Purple Tower? Wasn’t it possible for someone to like, I don’t know, swap bodies with their younger brother? That wasn’t all that bad, right? At that level, it could be considered a sane curiosity.
We were ready to track the source of the unidentified emotion amplification that was placed at the Academy.
The problem was, it was quite a delicate situation for us. So, we couldn’t really wander around freely. But there was a card up my sleeve for that too: Disguise. A male wizard and a woman dressed in a formal suit going around together would certainly attract attention, wouldn’t it? So…
“『Overlay : Genderbender』.”
I put on the hologram. When I checked in the mirror to see if the magic had taken effect, it had. Absolutely perfectly. A purple-eyed beauty with long black hair smiled back pompously. I didn’t forget to change the voice as well.
“Ah ah. Mic Test Complete. Should I cast it on you t……..Don’t look at me like that.”
“What?”
“I said don’t look at me like that.”
For a moment, I thought a wild lion had appeared right before my eyes.
===============================================================
As I fought off Pink-Haired Lesbian’s third inquiry about whether she could try flipping up my skirt, I reached a certain suspicious building. Given the vastness of the Academy, it seemed there were places that had rarely been touched by human presences.
I’m talking about places that were naturally forgotten due to incidents or deteriorated buildings. And I caught a signal from one such abandoned building.
“……There doesn’t seem to be anything particularly suspicious.”
“Nah, I can tell in an instant. Lift the carpet first.”
As Pink-Haired Lesbian pulled back the dust-laden carpet, a door leading underground was revealed. Of course, as well hidden as it was, the basement door was also magically fortified. And what do you know? It just happened to be Illusion Magic.
“Yap.”
I lightly rolled my foot, smashing it to pieces.
“Was that Yap meant to seduce me?”
“Agh damn, seriously…….”
I shivered while releasing the TS hologram. Despite that, Pink-Haired Lesbian’s eyes still roared like a wild lion. Was she getting more affected because we were getting closer to the center?
I felt that if this wasn’t taken care of quickly, something might happen to me. As such, I opened the door and hastily descended into the basement.
The passage was quite deep. Only after climbing down the ladder for a long while, my limbs tingling because they were about to cramp, did my feet touch the ground. I tapped the walls of the passage. They were solid.
It must have taken a considerable amount of time to build such a stable facility, huh.
Pink-Haired Lesbian clenched her fist and took the lead.
“Stay behind me.”
“Your gait is weird. Walk properly.”
“……If it bothers you, then do not look.”
“How can I not look when you’re walking like th…….Alright, I’ll close my eyes.”
When Pink-Haired Lesbian turned around, I saw that her eyes were completely fucking unhinged. So obviously…I was scared shitless.
As the influence of the magic grew, it seemed that Pink-Haired Lesbian’s wrath increased significantly along with her sexual desire. At least, it certainly seemed that way judging from her gait, which seemed to seductively sway her hips, and her sighs of utter frustration. It was as if she couldn’t even control her own body.
Was Pink-Haired Lesbian maybe under some curse?
After walking in silence for tens of minutes, we reached a large dome-shaped empty space, revealing a densely-drawn magic circle on the ground. I was astonished by its scale and intricacy.
“This is……impressive. It’s not an independent or singular magic circle. Is there a satellite magic circle or something?”
“It seems to be a complexly designed giant magic circle, impossible to decipher its meaning unless the central magic circle is found. In essence, it is akin to a blind person touching an elephant’s leg and thinking it’s a wall or a tree.”
Upon careful observation, I could discern the function of the magic circle. This space’s magic circle served as the core axis as well as the command center.
There was something that came to mind. Something that I had noticed, but didn’t think much of before.
When I wandered around the Academy, I often saw objects that contained a bit of mana yet didn’t seem to have any magical significance. Things like scribbles written on walls or decorations in the shape of magic circles on shop signs.
By secretly laying a magic circle across the entire Academy after fragmenting and hiding it…its effect was exerted through this core magic circle. And that effect was…….
“……It amplifies the target’s strongest emotion by 1%.”
It encouraged suspicion in those who were full of suspicion, love in those who were in love, and jealousy in those who were jealous. Very discreetly and subtly, at that.
Since it added a percentage rather than a fixed amount, the effect of the magic circle would be greater the more intense the emotion the target harbored.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯?”
I turned to look at Pink-Haired Lesbian. If Pink-Haired Lesbian was already doing shit like rubbing her breasts against my chest with just a 1% amplification, even though others were only experiencing amplified anxiety or pain, then…
“……What.”
“N-Nothing. It’s nothi…….”
Pink-Haired Lesbian maintained her usual expressionless face, but the tips of her ears were red. So even she was capable of embarrassment, huh?
She chewed on her lips before speaking with a sigh.
“It is because I am a Dream Demon. Dream Demons are born with strong sexual desires, after all.”
“……Succubus?”
“Yes.”
“You mean, the kind that seduces men and sucks their vitality dr……Shit, Pink-Haired Lesbian, behind you!”
Rumbleeeee-!
A massive shadow, about 3 meters tall, rose behind Pink-Haired Lesbian. There was no way a facility this elaborately made would lack a defense system. It was a misstep. I tried to counter with magic, but──
“AHHHHHHHH!!”
──I screamed in utter terror instead. Why? Because it was a golem. The bane of all Illusion Wizards.
Even as the golem rose behind her and lifted its massive arm to strike her down, Pink-Haired Lesbian continued calmly.
“Being born with it is one thing, but I didn’t want to succumb to it and live that way. Sharing love with many people through deceit……….and continuously changing partners was not the life I wished to live.”
“I get it, so just run for n……!”
“That is why I chose to live in my own way. As such, there is no need to worry. Mr. Crazy Wizard. After all, I will not sneak into your bed in the dead of night to suck you dry.”
“I told you to dodge!”
Was there time to snatch Pink-Haired Lesbian away and also avoid the golem’s attack? No, action must precede calculation. Right as I was about to take a step forward after infusing my entire body with mana…
Sssskrrrrrrrrr-.
The sound of chains dragging was heard.
“Metamorphosis (羽化) – 『True Desire Restraint (本望拘束)』.”
Dozens of chains materialized from thin air, swirling into a large circle as they tightened.
Sssskrrr-! C-Clang!
The golem’s arm was bound. Pink-Haired Lesbian’s arm was bound. The golem’s leg was bound. Pink-Haired Lesbian’s leg was bound. The iron chains restrained Pink-Haired Lesbian and simultaneously, the golem as well.
Wrapped tightly in chains, Pink-Haired Lesbian spoke in a low voice.
“I like pure love, you see.”
Cracreeeeech. As the chains dug in fiercely, a cold metallic scraping sound followed. The golem shattered into dozens of pieces, returning to mere rubble.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
She was so fucking cool.
Or at least she would have been if she hadn’t fallen over and floundered around while tied in chains. I approached her cautiously and looked down to speak to her.
“The chains that shattered the golem have disappeared, but why are the ones binding you still here……?”
“It’s because that’s the kind of Metamorphosis I have. Originally, it was meant solely for self-restraint. I just applied it in combat by being a bit creative.”
I asked while looking at Pink-Haired Lesbian, still tightly bound in her own Metamorphosis.
“When will they be released, then?”
“The duration of the restraint varies with the power used, but this time, it should be about an hour.”
“……Your eyes are sparkling right now, you know? Like, to the point that it’s kinda pissing me off.”
“It’s because while Metamorphosis is activated, I’m freed from all passions and worldly desires.”
Pink-Haired Lesbian smiled warmly, seemingly illuminating the surroundings with a serene glow. It was as if she became a Sage during the time that her Metamorphosis was activated.
“Then, does that mean you’re not a lesbian……?”
“Both are fine. In essence, it doesn’t really matter to me. But making contact with the opposite sex tends to amplify my worldly desires. That is why I try to avoid them as much as possible.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Her straightforward answers without any hesitance indicated she was freed from all emotions, hence the lack of awkwardness or embarrassment. She would honestly answer anything when in this state.
During this time, Pink-Haired Lesbian would answer everything, huh.
I pondered for a moment……and then asked cautiously.
“……We’re friends, right?”
“Yes.”
Content with her answer, I didn’t pry any further.
===============================================================
I decided to take over the magic circle that amplified emotions throughout the entire Academy. Playing with people’s emotions was bad, right? Though I wasn’t sure whether it was the Academy’s creation, a wicked Black Wizard’s scheme, or the achievement of some crazy students….
Now, it was mine. An hour flew by as I tinkered and modified the magic circle.
“What are you planning to use it for?”
“Auxiliary Output.”
Casting Illusion Magic on all Academy students was deemed too ambitious, right? Well, not anymore. With this modified magic circle, delivering a spectacular performance to everyone attending my class would be nothing to me. I could do it effortlessly.
The first class was approaching. It was time for Illusion Magic to go viral.
