19. Ability (1)

Blue Sky Thunderclap

How absurd would it be if lightning suddenly struck out of a clear blue sky?

“Mmph! Mmmph!”

“I’m sorry, Lily.”

“Mmmph!”

That perfectly describes how I’m feeling right now.

It’s absurd.

‘Sigh… Lily. I think we’ll have to delay our trip a bit.’

After saying something incomprehensible, Jane tied my limbs to the bed and gagged my mouth.

Then she covered her own nose and mouth with a thick mask.

This makes it seem like I’ve caught some contagious disease or something.

Huh?

“Mmmph! Mmmmph!”

“Just bear with it a little longer. I’ll quickly find a solution.”

“Mmmmph!”

No, explain it to me first!

My chest feels unbearably tight.

Is it really a contagious disease?

If so, did Marie get infected too?

What kind of disease makes people act like this?

I recalled the peaceful situation from just an hour ago.

***

Marie overpowered my insistence on bathing alone with sheer strength.

She barged into the bathroom and insisted on helping me bathe.

Another person’s naked body still embarrassed me.

Marie denied being beautiful, but the youthful freshness of her early twenties was beautiful in itself.

Still, my mental fortitude, tempered by Jane’s nudity, helped me maintain composure and not leer at Marie with lustful eyes.

We finished our refreshing bath, grumbled a bit to Jane, and returned to our room.

Marie naturally positioned herself behind me and began drying my hair.

-Whiiirrr

“I can dry it myself.”

“Don’t refuse. I’m doing this because I want to.”

She smiled while waving the warm air blower Jane had made after explaining hair dryers to her.

“It would take all day to dry with just a towel. I guess that’s what you’d expect from a magician’s house? There are so many fascinating things.”

“That’s true.”

While enjoying the pleasant warm breeze, I started folding the clothes laid out to keep my hands busy.

They were all outfits to wear during my trip with Jane.

“By the way, Lily.”

“Yeah?”

“Didn’t you say the Grand Auction is held in winter? Even though the Empire is far, isn’t it too early to leave?”

At Marie’s question, I hesitated before answering.

“Right, it is too early. Jane said she wanted to take it slow and enjoy the trip. Probably because of me, I guess.”

Marie stifled a giggle upon hearing my answer.

“Why are you laughing?”

“The boss must really love you.”

“Hmm…”

“It’s obvious she thinks of everything centered around you.”

My cheeks burned at her words.

My heart tickled, making me fidget with my lips for no reason.

Marie’s sigh broke the awkward silence.

“I’m jealous. Having someone who showers you with so much affection.”

“Well, why not try dating? You’re free to go out as you please.”

I tapped the leather collar around my neck as I asked.

But Marie slowly shook her head.

“Not really? I’m not that desperate for affection. And I don’t plan to marry.”

“Why?”

“I’d feel sorry for the other person.”

Having accidentally stepped on a landmine, I could only roll my eyes.

What should I say…?

“Then just date without marrying. Jane pays you well, right?”

“Just dating? Hmm… That’s not bad either. But I’m not interested yet. Men are tiresome.”

“What about with a woman?”

Marie stopped moving at my suggestion.

Her eyes in the mirror had widened into perfect circles.

“Lily, I don’t want to be burned at the stake in front of the church.”

“Huh?”

“Homosexuality is punishable by burning.”

This time, my eyes, nose, and mouth all widened in the mirror.

“I… had no idea…”

“It’s something you hear at least once from the church in your lifetime. Ah…”

Marie trailed off while fiddling with my collar.

I naturally became aware of reality.

“Th-then what about me and Jane?”

“Lily, think about it. If the scariest person in the world and her lover were to be burned at the stake, who do you think would actually end up in the fire?”

“…The person who advocated for the burning, I guess.”

“Yeah, burning bright.”

The flames of worry that had been raging were instantly extinguished by Marie’s nonchalant answer.

Feeling lighter, I eyed the dress Jane had insisted on packing and asked another question.

“What do you want to do later, Marie?”

“Later? Hmm… Honestly, I’m so happy now that I’d like to keep working here. But then the boss might kill me.”

“No way.”

“No way?”

“Hmm…”

“Anyway, the pay is good, so I want to save up a bit more and go to the Academy.”

“The Academy?”

“Yeah. It’s late, but learning something would be useful.”

At Marie’s sensible plan, I gave a thumbs-up.

“That’s a good idea.”

“What about you, Lily? What do you want to do later?”

When Marie turned the question back to me, I reflexively asked in return.

“Other than being Jane’s slave?”

“There’s no way the boss would let you go.”

“True…”

Maylily, not Jane’s slave.

Somehow, even imagining it was difficult.

Then, with a single remark from Marie, the peaceful conversation began to derail.

“By the way, Lily.”

“What?”

“I think I smell something sweet…”

“Huh?”

Marie sniffed the air like a puppy.

I followed suit, sniffing the air.

But I couldn’t detect the sweet smell she mentioned.

“I don’t smell anything?”

“No, there’s definitely a sweet smell.”

Marie slowly traced the scent until her gaze fixed in one direction.

“Uh…”

Under her intense stare, I subtly shifted my body to the side.

But her gaze followed me.

“Did you spray perfume or something? I think I’ve smelled it before.”

“No? Not at all.”

“Really? It’s definitely coming from you…”

“What kind of smell is it that I can’t detect?”

I buried my nose in my arm and took a deep breath, but only the scent of the bath salts Jane made wafted up.

At that moment, Marie seized the opportunity to get closer.

“Uh, Marie? Isn’t this too close?”

“It’s not sugar… Hmm…”

The softness vividly asserting its presence through the thin fabric.

I took a deep breath at the female body that had now become the same sex as me.

“Gasp!”

An instinctive desire arose in me as a man.

But that was it.

“Ah.”

The desire remained just that-desire-and didn’t progress further.

My heart was utterly calm.

“Too close. Please move back a little. What if Jane sees? It’ll be a disaster.”

I grabbed Marie’s shoulders and pushed, but she didn’t budge.

“Lily…”

“Eek!”

Instead, she pushed me down and climbed on top of me.

Then she licked my neck.

“W-wait?”

My mind went blank at the very Jane-like action.

No matter how much I twisted my body, my frail physique couldn’t overcome Marie’s weight.

Moreover, my arms, which I tried to resist with, were firmly grabbed by Marie, whose face was flushed red.

A siren began blaring in my ears.

Because I had just screamed without realizing it.

“Please, let’s not do this. If Jane sees, it’ll be a real disaster? You’ll die?”

My face burned hot.

Not from fear of being assaulted or sexual excitement.

But from the terror that Marie might actually die.

And then, finally-

-Bang!

“What’s going on!”

“Master!”

Jane burst in.

***

Fortunately, the master who barged in didn’t kill Marie but merely put her to sleep.

But what followed made me tremble uncontrollably.

Because after hearing my explanation, Jane took my panties from her pocket and licked them.

But.

“Mmph! Mmmph!”

Why am I tied up?

I was just assaulted by Marie, so why…?

“This might be unpleasant for a moment.”

“Hmm?”

Then a haze rose from Jane’s hand.

She placed her hand right in the center of my chest.

“Hng!”

In the bewildering situation, my breathing naturally became ragged before stopping.

And I was inwardly shocked.

Because I could feel the movement of magic power from Jane’s hand so vividly.

“Hmm… The resistance…”

Her hand slowly moved down from my chest.

And the foreign sensation moved with it.

“Hn, hng…”

Jane finally began caressing my overly sensitive lower abdomen.

After probing inside with her magic for a while, she made a strange noise and withdrew her hand.

“Ah, it’s too fast?”

Seeing her look of realization, I struggled again.

“Mmph! Mmph!”

So what kind of disease is it?!”

Jane looked at me and plopped down on the bed.

Then she removed the gag from my mouth.

“So what kind of disease is it? Am I dying? When? Is it serious?”

At my frantic questions, she, who had been smoothing my hair, looked very flustered.

“Calm down for a moment, Lily. It’s not like that.”

“Then why the mask? It’s because the disease might be contagious, right?”

Jane quickly removed the mask at my pointed remark.

Then she gently placed her hand on my heaving chest.

“Breathe in slowly.”

“Haa.”

“Exhale slowly.”

“Hoo…”

“Calm now?”

“Yes.”

Confirming I had calmed down, Jane began her explanation.

“First, the reason for the mask wasn’t because the disease is contagious, but because I might get poisoned by the aphrodisiac.”

“Aphrodisiac? The thing that excites people?”

“Right.”

Only then did I recall what Jane had said after checking Marie’s condition earlier.

‘Aphrodisiac? Where did she get poisoned?’

And a question naturally arose.

“Uh, then why am I tied up?”

But Jane couldn’t answer this question immediately.

From her suspicious silence, I realized she was deeply involved in this incident.

“I won’t get mad, so tell me. Why am I tied up?”

“Well… The source of the aphrodisiac is you.”

“How?”

Jane closed her mouth again.

I narrowed my eyes and pressed her.

“Why is an aphrodisiac coming from me, Master?”

“Hmm…”

“Spit it out!”

“The seed I planted in you has sprouted.”

“Seed? Sprout? Huh?”

What the hell is that?