Chapter 92
I knew the way all too well.
It was the place where I had trained while learning magic compression.
To put it simply, it was a desert with nothing in it. There were training implements scattered here and there, but overall, it was a desolate place.
This time, I saw Professor Plenoare and the hero candidates gathered there.
There are quite a lot of people. It looks like there are at least fifty.
I opened my notebook and checked the attendance points.
I seemed to have arrived exactly on time. Good.
"There's someone here who doesn't belong."
Someone sneered while taking aim at me.
The candidates' eyes became fixed on me.
I knew who that voice belonged to.
"You crawled all the way here without even knowing how embarrassing you are. Dekal."
"We're in the same rank. What's there to be embarrassed about?"
Diana Vanguard.
The thoroughbred of the Vanguard family, raised in luxury.
Her flowing pink hair and blue eyes were remarkably beautiful.
"Heehee."
Diana giggled.
A large man beside her, who was clearly one of her followers, twisted up the corners of his mouth in imitation.
"It's embarrassing that you think you're in the ‘same rank.’
The level is different in this section. This is where the real Melbrit begins. You'd do well to give up early on your dream of reaching the upper ranks like me. Before you humiliate yourself."
"……."
In short.
Was she saying that her score was among the highest in the Wolf rank—somewhere in the eight- or nine-hundreds—and that she wasn't on the same level as me?
Honestly, I couldn't tell what the difference was. Maybe if she were in the Bear rank, but in the Wolf rank……
"Well, you'll soon realize the difference in ability.
Once you see my power, you'll have no choice but to ‘acknowledge’ me, won't you?"
"Since it's something you're doing, Senior, I'll be sure to watch closely."
Even Diana's blatant mockery was welcome now.
At first, I had been angry at the reckless attitude of a young lady from a noble family,
but the hierarchy between the two of us was clear now, so I could overlook behavior that was moderately insolent.
Yes, she was already under a powerful suggestion.
‘Receiving my acknowledgment is the happiest thing in the world to you.’ ‘When you receive a reward from me, all your suffering will be repaid.’
I knew a few suggestions.
From what I had learned through experience in the modern world, I knew of suggestions that were dangerous to impose on people.
One was, naturally, ‘You will become unhappy without me,’ which had led me to my death.
Another was a suggestion that stimulated the human desire for recognition.
The desire for recognition was one of the strongest emotions people learned from birth.
How strong was it?
Humans were animals that wanted to be acknowledged even by someone they hated to death.
If I placed a suggestion like ‘Cherish and love me’ on Diana, who hated me enough to gag, how severe would the backlash be?
The hypnosis would ultimately win out if I did that,
but no one knew how badly her mind would be damaged in the process.
That was why this suggestion suited Diana so well.
Even though she hated me.
No—in fact, because she hated me, it seemed as though she thought my acknowledgment of her was proof of her own worth.
Leading her toward sex would be simple too, but……. Should I watch her a little longer?
"Before we begin the class, I shall start with an introduction, since there may be some of you attending my class for the first time.
I am Plenoare. I am a High Wizard who specializes in the four elemental magics.
My class is Magic and Practical Application. In other words, you will learn how to use magic in real combat. Please show off your abilities to your heart's content."
Learning how to use magic in actual combat, huh?
That sounded like it could be quite useful.
Wasn't the Wolf rank exactly right for my current level?
Plenoare continued.
"Magic is an extremely dangerous yet fascinating field.
Handled correctly, it becomes a powerful weapon, but even the slightest mistake can cause horrific damage to your allies.
Today, we will practice accurately hitting the exact center of that target board with offensive magic. Come out one at a time."
I watched the other candidates with great interest to see how they performed.
"Lightning Bolt!"
"Fire Arrow!"
Everyone handled the basic spells excellently.
I nodded as I appraised them.
That casting speed and accuracy were only possible if they, like me, had three stars of proficiency.
I had used them so often that I could tell just by watching.
"Hmph."
Diana Vanguard stepped forward with a prim expression.
"Miss Vanguard. As you know, accuracy is important this time."
Plenoare added an explanation while sweating nervously.
"I know.
But can you call it magic if you remove its power? That's not magic. It's a pathetic little trick."
Diana stretched out her hand.
Crackle.
The surroundings briefly went dark, and then lightning rose up along the ground.
"Lightning Square!"
An advanced spell of Lightning Bolt?
But even at a glance, it was clearly a spell far removed from accuracy.
Could she really control electricity so freely in the first place?
My question was answered almost immediately. Diana controlled the lightning perfectly and struck all three target boards at once.
"Wow…!"
Exclamations of admiration erupted from all around.
"Amazing!"
"Just like you'd expect from a young lady of the Vanguard family."
"At her age, to have that level of control……."
"Didn't she use Fireball last time?"
Since this apparently wasn't Diana's first impressive performance, praise arose naturally from every direction.
Honestly, I was impressed. So she wasn't merely an immature little girl.
She clearly possessed talent that stood out even in the Wolf rank.
"As impressive as ever, Miss Diana. I award you fifteen points."
"I think I deserve twenty…… But fine, I'll be satisfied with that."
"Is there no one else? If not, then we shall proceed in order……."
That was when my eyes met Plenoare's.
Hmm, I had a bad feeling that I was about to be called on.
"Mr. Dekal. Would you like to try?"
Everyone was watching with curious expressions.
They seemed to want to see the skill of the mage who had come from being an adventurer—the same mage Diana had mocked.
It couldn't be helped…….
I was the goddess's agent.
It wasn't a fair fight against Diana, but holding back wouldn't be cool.
"Fireball."
I stepped forward and cast Fireball with a pre-incantation.
I immediately compressed it to reduce its size, then concealed its heat with a veil of wind.
"It's an intermediate fire spell!"
"Huh? But it's not hot……."
"I can't feel any heat."
Diana had struck all three target boards at once too.
Should I try that as well?
I summoned them with silent casting and compressed them……. Oh, right. I had never tried doing several at once.
The wind spirit seemed to be struggling a little.
But it could somehow be done if I limited it to three.
Confident, I launched the Fireballs toward the target boards.
"I've never seen such tiny Fireballs—!"
The moment the compressed Fireballs struck the target boards, my entire body trembled from the impact.
With a booming explosion, clouds of dust billowed into the air.
"Eek!"
"What the hell was that?"
"Was that really Fireball……?"
All three hit their targets with perfect accuracy.
With the spirit's help, the compressed Fireballs had been incredibly precise.
If they seemed likely to veer off course, I could use the spirit midway to alter their trajectories.
I even wondered if, after the spirit grew further, it might be able to bend their trajectories.
"Cough! Cough! Candidate Dekal. I award you ten points."
Huh? Ten points?
"The power was too strong. One of the target boards has cracked. You broke through its protective magic."
When I looked again after hearing Plenoare's words, I saw that one of the target boards struck by the pre-incanted compressed Fireball had split with a large crack.
"Your aim was accurate, but I think you need to control the power. It is an astonishing fire spell.
If you hadn't damaged the equipment, I would have given you thirty points."
"Hmm……."
Hearing that, I had no choice but to accept it.
I would have to be careful when using pre-incantation x compression.
"Is there no one else? Come out in order."
"……You go."
"You go first."
No one wanted to go next after me, and I saw them pushing one another forward.
When I stepped back, Diana was glaring at me with an indignant expression.
"Dekal!"
"Huh?"
"Don't think you've beaten me just because of that!"
"……."
No, she had actually lost.
She had only received ten points.
"I'll—I will definitely make you acknowledge me!"
"With your magical ability?"
"With anything!"
"Didn't you say you hated me to death?"
"I do hate you to death. But I am the young lady of the Vanguard family. Do you understand? Do you know what that means?"
I didn't.
"It means being acknowledged even by a man like you is important. Got it? Otherwise, would I have even looked at you? You piece of trash."
"Really?"
Fortunately, the large man who had been following her around wasn't here at the moment.
I decided to deliberately provoke Diana.
"Either way, a woman from the Vanguard family is still just a sheltered brat who grew up without ever knowing hardship, isn't she?"
"What?"
It was an insult to her family. There was no way Diana could endure it.
"Take it back. I challenge you to a duel here and now."
"Did you forget how you cried and got your ass smacked while begging me to call off the duel?"
"Ugh…! What could someone like you know? About my family. About my sister and me."
"I know you're no good as a woman, even before we get to your magical ability."
"Kgh, youuu...!"
Diana clenched her fists and trembled.
Before she could lose her temper and lunge at me, I scattered some bait.
"Well, I might change my mind if you prove you're not just some little girl."
"Prove it?"
"Yeah. Then I'll acknowledge you."
"Fine. That's exactly what I wanted. What do I have to do?"
"First... kiss me."
"Huh?"
Diana's face twisted into a deep frown.
"Are you out of your mind? How does that even prove anything?"
"If you're a woman worthy of the Vanguard family, then the parts that aren't visible on the outside should be perfect too, right?"
"Of course they are."
"Then satisfy me."
"Why should I...?"
Diana fidgeted uncertainly.
"If you don't want to, forget it."
"Fine. Do it."
Fire ignited in Diana's eyes.
"But if I satisfy you, you'll acknowledge me."
"All right."
Clap.
When Diana clapped her hands, the large men I'd seen earlier came rushing over.
What was this? Were they planning to gang up on me? I tensed slightly, but Diana glared at me as though she wanted to kill me, her face flushed, and finally opened her mouth.
"You lot. Use your bodies to shield us.
Make sure no one can see us."
"Pardon? Ah, understood."
Diana was serious.
Without realizing how strange her actions were, she had taken the sweet bait and come closer.
Diana rose onto her toes and kissed me.
Then she looked at me.
"?"
"What? I did it."
No, this couldn't be...
Was she serious?
"Wh-what? A kiss is when you put your lips together. Isn't it?"
Diana was enduring her embarrassment, clutching her skirt tightly.
Judging by my expression, she seemed to regret what she'd done.
"That's just the sort of childish game kids play. Lift your head."
Diana lifted her head as instructed.
I kissed Diana and slipped my tongue inside.
"Mmph!"
Startled, Diana pursed her lips to block my invading tongue, then hurriedly pulled away.
"Are you cr-crazy? You stuck your filthy tongue...!"
"Filthy? This is a kiss. What were you planning to do when you don't even know that?"
"Kgh..."
"The Vanguards need to start over with sex education. Tsk, tsk."
At first, I'd made that remark just to provoke her,
but this time, it was a genuine lament.
Wasn't it serious when a grown virgin didn't even know what a kiss was?
Diana bit her lip, then came up to me and kissed me again.
"Mwah. Mmmwah. Smack..."
Perhaps she'd given up on a lot of things, because Diana sucked eagerly on my lips and tongue.
She was so earnest that it was hard to keep up with her, but it felt good.
I sucked on Diana's lower lip as well, mingling our tongues and exchanging saliva in a slow, sticky kiss.
"Mmmwah. Mwah. Mwah."
But...
Closing your eyes during a kiss was supposed to be more natural.
Yet Diana glared at me as though she wanted to kill me while meticulously sucking on my lips and tongue.
Really... What was I supposed to call this? She hated me, but she sure knew how to kiss. Was that it?
Still, seeing how earnestly she sucked on the tongue she'd called filthy, I supposed she genuinely wanted my acknowledgment.
"That's a little better..."
Diana flinched when I muttered that.
With her eyes slightly hazy, she immersed herself in the kiss.
Diana's full breasts pressed against me. As our bodies drew tightly together, my cock pressed insistently against her body.
Rather than avoiding it, Diana continued to suck on my tongue and asked in a sweet voice,
"How much? How much better was it?"
"Pretty good. But..."
I placed my hand on Diana's buttocks.
"Wh-what are you doing...!"
"This is foreplay. A kiss includes all this affectionate physical contact too."
"..."
I opened my mouth.
"Come on, kiss me again."
"..."
Diana hesitated as she looked at me, then said, "I really hate someone like you..."
She initiated another deep kiss.
"Mwah. Mwah. Smooch. Smack. Mmmwah. Mmmwah."
I fondled Diana's buttocks.
They were incredibly soft and supple. Should I praise her a little more?
"That's a captivating kiss. Not bad."
"Heh... Of course it is."
"Are you enjoying this?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Mwah. Smooch. This is your punishment for insulting my family♥ Now you know how good I am at kissing, right? Admit it. Admit that my kiss made you feel good. Mmmwah. Lick... Smooch."
"Fine. I admit it."
"Ah, ahh..."
Diana squeezed her thighs together and let out a sweet moan.
She must have been experiencing an incredibly honeyed pleasure, because she seemed to have lightly climaxed.
"It's a kiss no man could resist. Can I do a little more?"
"Hmph. Mwah. I suppose it can't be helped... Since I'm just so good at kissing. I'll allow it."
I sucked repeatedly on Diana's tongue and lips, letting my saliva flow into her mouth.
Diana swallowed my saliva and clung to me even more tightly.
The way her eyes, which had been glaring at me, gradually softened was alluring.
We continued kissing as though we were devouring one another.
Diana was even more passionate than I was.
As if she were asking for another reward, asking me to acknowledge her.
Unaware that this desire had no end and that satisfaction would never come, she continued to lose herself in it.
"I'm still not sure whether you can satisfy me..."
"What...? I gave you a kiss like that, and it's still not enough? I've even swallowed so much of your saliva."
"The kissing is good. But a man can't be said to be satisfied until he's ejaculated."
"...That..."
That was something she couldn't do.
She probably would have reacted with fierce rejection.
I pounced on Diana's defenseless lips and kissed her again.
"Mmph. Mwah. Smooch."
Diana kissed me instinctively and let me knead her buttocks.
"You want me to acknowledge you, don't you?"
"Y-yes..."
"...Then."
"N-no, I can't. If I ended up carrying a child by trash like you, I'd be so ashamed I'd die."
She might not have known about kissing, but it seemed she'd received at least a basic education.
"I can just come outside."
I clung to Diana and badgered her like a delinquent.
"If you come outside... I won't get pregnant?"
"You won't."
I shamelessly lied.
I'd said I would come outside, but I intended to come inside,
and ejaculating outside didn't mean there was no risk of pregnancy.
But Diana seemed like she would believe it easily.
"With Diana's pretty pussy, it would definitely feel good. You're a woman of the Vanguard family, aren't you?"
"Th-that's true. Of course it would feel good. Trash like you wouldn't last even a moment, would you?"
Diana twisted her hips happily as she sucked on my tongue.
What should I do now?
She was almost won over, but even if I hypnotized her, having sex out in the open like this would be too difficult.
Should I call her to my room? No, I couldn't deceive the eyes of all those enforcers.
Should I use 「Veil of Concealment」 to sneak somewhere hidden? Or should I meet her outside altogether? That seemed like the best option.
As I considered the various possibilities, Diana said while sucking on my tongue,
"Mwah. Smooch. I'll think of a way for us to have safe sex. Wait until then."
"...No, we could just do it outside..."
"Mmmwah. Smooch. ...Shut up."
Diana spoke as she greedily explored my lips.
"It's obvious what trash like you is thinking. I'll make the preparations.
Prepare yourself. I'll make you admit that my pussy is the best in the world.
Then you'll retract every insult against my family and apologize through your tears. Got it?"
"Got it."
Diana's determination was more formidable than I'd expected, and I barely managed to suppress my laughter as I answered.
Diana slowly pulled away, broke the long strand of saliva between us with her finger, and smiled at me with an expression that looked down on me.