episode_0043

“······Ah. I fainted.”

Fainting requires a moment to recollect the situation just before losing consciousness, as it is not voluntary but rather caused by external factors. For an ordinary person, recalling the moments just before fainting would take some time, but as the master of magic, Mir Ryu-In swiftly recollected the situation just before fainting due to his rapid mental processing.

“······Ugh.”

He knew it was necessary to break the curse, but for Mir Ryu-In, who possessed the ability to effortlessly handle everything he wanted and needed in the world without fear, it was embarrassing to have fainted like a mere F-rank Awakener. What’s more, it wasn’t just a simple fainting spell; he had fainted after being carelessly struck on the buttocks by Stae, then slapped on the palm and fainted during the climax.

Last time he fainted, he could at least offer the excuse that he was taken off guard, defenseless, and unable to resist due to the common weakness of strong women, but this time, that wasn’t the case.

“Just from getting hit on the butt, I fainted… This shouldn’t have happened…”

Because this fainting spell was truly absurd, arising from a mere buttock strike, even the most mediocre Awakeners would find it unbelievable, leading to remarks like, “What? Fainting from a butt slap? Is that even possible?” It was an utterly ridiculous situation.

Moreover, fainting twice in a row from the same spanking left Mir Ryu-In in a situation where he couldn’t possibly defend himself or make any excuses.

Ultimately, Mir Ryu-In found himself in a situation where he had no choice but to acknowledge that he was not just mediocre, but a complete failure for fainting from a mere buttock strike, let alone admitting to being a failure for fainting twice in a row from the same spanking.

‘Ugh… I can’t admit it. No, I won’t admit it…! I’ll make you do it again. Next time, I won’t be humiliated like today. I’ll endure to the end and say to the exhausted Stay, “Is that all you’ve got? You’re really pathetic, after all. Hehe.” I’ll openly mock them!’

However, even though Mir Ryuin found herself in a situation where she had no choice but to admit defeat, her pride did not allow her to acknowledge it. Instead, she rejected it disgracefully and ignited her determination for a rematch.

“Fine, if you tell me to try getting spanked again… Ugh. Can I endure this? Can I…?”

But her pride, blinding her to reality, was only a momentary lapse. It gradually reignited the sensation of the spanking she had experienced before, making Mir Ryuin’s cheeks flush with the memory.

‘The Stay’s large, unyielding hand, which, despite its force, considers my well-being, delivers a blow, sending shivers through my womb, spreading shock and pleasure like lightning through my entire body… It’s truly terrifying enough to make me faint from just three strikes…’

Whimper.

‘Ah…♥ No, I can’t endure experiencing that again! Just recalling the shock to my womb has already prepared me for defeat. I’m already resigned to it…!’

As Mir Ryuin contemplated winning against her own buttocks in a showdown with the Stay’s spanking, as she had said, it was impossible.

Merely recalling the sensation had already led her womb to anticipate receiving the blows, resigning Mir Ryuin to her own defeat.

Once her womb acknowledged defeat, there was no way to emerge victorious in the same situation.

“Spanking is not an option. Yeah, trying to endure spanking to win is unreasonable. If that happens, the uterus and I will have no choice but to admit defeat. Yeah. Trying to win against a natural disaster is just like that… Huh? But I can win against a natural disaster, so this analogy isn’t appropriate. Is there another analogy? No, that’s not important right now. What’s important is that persisting in enduring Spanking of Stay is a foolish thing to do.”

Coming to terms with this fact physically today, Mir Ryuin, who had just extinguished the flames of his recent challenge, immediately doused his will for a rematch and began searching for other ways to win. The first thing to do to defeat an opponent is to know oneself and understand the opponent.

Since Mir Ryuin knew better than anyone else who he was, he skipped the process of getting to know himself and delved into his memories to find out who Stay was.

The first thing that came to mind was the most recent incident, the moment just before he fainted from Stay’s spanking.

“Yeah, let’s analyze the most recent Stay. As we go back in information, discrepancies are likely to arise.”

Mir Ryuin decided to retrace the information about Stay in reverse order and immediately recalled the words he had spoken just before he fainted.

[“Are you still in a lot of pain by any chance?”]

“Pain? Really? Still in pain?”

“Well, it’s definitely still quite fresh. So, Mir Ryuin, are you still in pain?”

“Not in pain?”

“You need to answer so I can think about how to improve during the next treatment. I’m asking. Answer me, Mir Ryuin. You’re not in pain, right?”

“Geez, I keep asking if it hurts, but you keep avoiding the question. What the heck. Anyway, your voice is mostly filled with sweet breath sounds right now, isn’t it? Well, since it doesn’t seem too painful at this level, I’ll just conclude that you’re not in pain.”

“Oh, by the way, just so you know, ‘I’ll end it until the treatment is over’ means fainting from spanking.”

The brilliant mind of Mir Ryuin, which was unparalleled, perfectly reproduced the intensity, tone, pitch, and emotions contained in the voice as if he had just heard those words.

Having calmly and coolly reviewed the perfectly reproduced remarks of Stay just before losing consciousness, Mir Ryuin briefly contemplated and reached a conclusion about Stay.

“······Stay seemed a little angry, didn’t he?”

Although each question still showed respect and consideration for Mir Ryuin, there was one very important thing missing from his voice.

“I don’t feel any consideration in his voice.”

Due to being sensitized by the severe spanking, Mir Ryuin’s hand, which had been raised, focused on the gentle, barely perceptible scratching. At that time, he didn’t realize it, but upon reflection now, Stay’s words were merely wearing the mask of consideration without containing any real consideration.

Thinking back to how, despite cruelly tormenting his buttocks and anus, there had always been an unmistakable consideration in his touch and voice, Mir Ryuin couldn’t help but think that Stay was angry.

“Why? Why did he suddenly get angry? I mean, I mercilessly hit his buttocks and made him faint… Why on earth…?”

However, even with the best brain like Mir Ryuin’s, this time he couldn’t come up with an exact answer.

While it might be possible to easily find out through analysis why Stay got angry, there was no way to know if she felt sorry for him because of the emotions she had built up towards Mir Ryuin.

“Why is he getting mad at me? Stay is F-grade. He doesn’t even have the minimum qualifications to feel jealous of me, like other S-grades or A-grades who can’t grasp the subject. Is there any reason for him to be mad at me?”

Because Mir Ryuin was a person who could do anything he wanted and have everything he desired more than anyone else. Therefore, Mir Ryuin, who paid no attention to the crowds that adored and followed him, would not bother with a human who harbored anger towards him.

Therefore, Mir Ryuin couldn’t understand why Stae was angry with her.

“Hmm, it’s quite difficult to endure Stae’s anger in this situation. It could be disadvantageous for me to receive treatment unilaterally. I need to find a way to appease her anger somehow…”

Realizing that it was impossible to figure out the reason in the current situation, Mir Ryuin simply grasped that Stae’s anger wasn’t good for her. She only pondered on how to eliminate Stae’s anger.

It was truly shameless of Mir Ryuin to think only about remedying situations that could be disadvantageous to her without recalling any of her own actions against Stae, and not even considering them, as Stae, who had been quietly listening to her soliloquy nearby, suddenly interjected.

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Huh?! W-what? I, I didn’t realize you were there?”

“Yes, I was trying to leave before you woke up. I didn’t expect to hear such a monologue, though.”

Mir Ryuin was momentarily flustered and couldn’t say anything, but that was just for a moment. Soon after, she regained her composure and made a calculated move that would benefit her anyway, accepting the inevitable awkwardness.

“Well, if you’ve heard it, there’s nothing I can do. So, while we’re at it, let me ask you something. Why are you mad at me, Stae? Weren’t you the one who was about to get angry just now, not me?”

That was bringing forth an unresolved question. Stae nodded in response to Mir Ryuin’s bold question. From Mir Ryuin’s perspective, who didn’t know his inner thoughts, it was natural to think that way. However, instead of acknowledging Mir Ryuin’s words, Stae responded with an answer to her question.

“I just didn’t want to feel sorry for Mir Ryuin. It reminded me of the past, the things that happened between Mir Ryuin and me. Days and nights of just being called in whenever Mir Ryuin wanted, undergoing experiments, over and over again… Being treated like a mere object. Mir Ryuin, who did such things to me, probably slept well with both legs stretched out afterward. Feeling sorry for Mir Ryuin alone seems unfair, right? So I got a little angry and intentionally played a rough prank, refusing to listen when Mir Ryuin said it hurt.”

“······.”

“Are your curiosity satisfied now?”

“Uh, yeah, it’s, it’s done.”

Mir Ryuin was so taken aback by this sudden remark from Stae.

Stae’s voice, full of amusement, as she gently stroked Mir Ryuin’s forehead, clearly revealed her emotions.

“Well, there’s no need to worry. As I mentioned before, the main reason I treat you is for my own benefit. Even now, and in the future, you won’t suffer any disadvantages from receiving treatment from me. I promise.”

Stae’s voice and the hand caressing Mir Ryuin’s forehead were filled with affection.

She couldn’t imagine that the person who had just so simply and honestly revealed her own wounds would be so affectionate.

‘······.’

Realizing that this affection was directed at the one who had caused her pain, Mir Ryuin felt an unfamiliar sensation making her heart pound.

What’s happening? Why is my heart suddenly racing? I’ve never felt this way before. Why all of a sudden…

“And also, it’s true that I was mad at you, Mir Ryuin. But that’s okay.”

“What?”

Without giving her time to analyze this phenomenon that made her heart race, Stae tossed out the words and shook her head.

Being angry but saying it’s okay.

Upon hearing those words, Mir Ryuin felt a different kind of sensation, causing her heart to sink in a way completely different from the pounding sensation she had just experienced.

What’s this? Why all of a sudden? Why are you so uneasy?

An inexplicable unease that made Mir Ryuin’s heart sink became even more pronounced as Stae’s words continued, beginning to constrict her heart.

“I don’t know if Mir Ryuin will consider apologizing or not, but since I never intended to receive an apology in the first place, you don’t have to do it. We don’t have the kind of relationship where we apologize, reconcile, and continue our connection through such actions, right? Our dispositions don’t match, and besides, once your treatment is over, we won’t see each other anyway. I don’t want anything from Mir Ryuin for no reason.”

‘Wh-what?’

“I’m really okay. So, Mir Ryuin, just comfortably receive your treatment, recover comfortably, and then return to being the second-ranked hero of the Magic Sovereign world.”

Stae was clearly saying good things, but to Mir Ryuin, they were nothing but hurtful words.

Why does it feel like my chest is tightening? For some reason, Mir Ryuin felt more tormented than ever before after becoming a plant-human.

At this moment, she experienced an inexplicable and unpleasant sensation, causing her to feel suffocated and tortured by her own heart.

“Oh, by the way, since I asked Mir Ryuin something earlier, I’ll ask something too. I couldn’t hear your answer earlier. My wrist is injured. What should I do? It might be difficult to treat it tomorrow.”

Stae asked Mir Ryuin a question in a very ordinary tone. Earlier, when she heard the same question, she had been so angry, feeling like she was being mocked. But now, hearing the same question again, Mir Ryuin couldn’t have been happier.

Because she had a very easy solution to the difficulty Stae was facing. “Th-that! Just lie down on the hospital bed and rest! The bed I’m lying on right now is an artifact with healing effects!”

Mir Ryuin, Dain Adamas, and Mei Luina had been lying in this special hospital bed for a month, and as she said, it was indeed an artifact.

The pinnacle of healing technology designed solely for the smooth recovery of patients, it was an artifact that could heal minor wounds and injuries even while lying down, so Stae’s wrist injury could easily be treated with this bed alone.

“How about it? I mean, I’m the one receiving treatment from you, and if your wrist isn’t okay, it might affect the treatment, so it’s fine to lie down together and rest, right?”

Based on this reasoning, Mir Ryuin thought that Stae lying down with her for sleep was the most efficient solution for tomorrow’s treatment. Stae sleeping on the same bed as her. For some reason, she definitely didn’t dislike the idea. Rather, her mood improved so much that the agony that had been gripping her heart just a moment ago vanished instantly.

“Oh, really? Oh. Thanks for the info. If I use that info for tomorrow’s Adamas treatment, it’ll be perfect.”

“Huh?”

“Well, it’s getting late today, so I’ll take my leave. You’ve worked hard today, see you on the next treatment day.”

However, at Stae’s words, her mood returned to square one, back to the time when her heart was being squeezed, and he finished speaking, got up from his seat, and tried to leave Mir Ryuin.

“W-wait!”

Upon hearing that Stae was leaving, a reflexive plea came out of Mir Ryuin’s mouth.

“Yes? Do you have something to say?”

At her words, he stopped in his tracks, and in response to his question, she hesitated for a moment, then spoke cautiously with a voice that seemed slightly vulnerable.

“Give me… the speaker before you go.”

It was the best Mir Ryuin could do at the moment.