Ch.359Side Story: Research on Mental Bodies

After Deia left, Findenai casually approached me and placed her hand on my shoulder.

I tried to push her hand away, wondering what she was doing, but the strength in her arm wasn’t just for simple skinship.

It was subtle pressure telling me not to go anywhere.

Since this was a bit burdensome, I tried to pull away forcefully.

While I was distracted by Findenai, Erika slipped in from the opposite side and wrapped both hands around my waist.

Her face was bright red with embarrassment, but I could feel her firm determination not to let me go anywhere.

“Erika, if you’re embarrassed, you don’t have to do this.”

Trying to win over Findenai would just make her struggle while enjoying it. Since Erika was at least showing embarrassment, I tried talking to her.

“I-I’m too old to be embarrassed by things like this.”

“Well said. Some crazy bastard says he’ll wait for you, then tells you to wait endlessly, but now I can’t take it anymore.”

She wasn’t wrong.

It was strange that I was trying to pull away in the first place.

“Sigh, alright.”

Following their touch as they gripped firmly, determined not to let go, I headed to the bedroom.

The bedroom was dark.

Only a few candles were lit to set the mood, but they weren’t ordinary candles—they seemed to be scented. The subtle fragrance permeating the entire room created quite a nice atmosphere.

Also, the Dark Spiritmaster and Stella were waiting on either side of the bed. I’d wondered where they were, and apparently they were here doing this.

[Is the atmosphere nice?]

[We put in some effort!]

The two of them cleared their throats and shrugged their shoulders, looking so cute that I couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

“Yes, you worked hard…”

I noticed some tools poking out from behind the Dark Spiritmaster, which she hadn’t completely hidden.

Restraints?

They sounded nice, but they were essentially ropes and handcuffs used to tie people down during torture so they couldn’t struggle.

“You had such tastes?”

I unconsciously took a step back. I thought it might be too much for the first night, but the Dark Spiritmaster frantically waved her hands.

[No! It’s not like that! It’s just that you might want to run away once we start! I prepared these just in case to prevent that!]

“You don’t really think that’s a valid excuse, do you?”

It wasn’t much of an excuse to begin with. Wasn’t she just saying she’d use the tools for their intended purpose?

But I suppose it also meant she was serious.

“Don’t worry. I won’t run away or disappoint you. It’s for mental body research.”

At my words, Stella made a subtle expression, but the Dark Spiritmaster welcomed me with a bright smile.

[Right? I knew you’d say that. That’s why I said we probably wouldn’t need these!]

I thought my willpower was relatively strong, so I wondered if all this was really necessary.

The excessive preparation was almost off-putting.

But Stella cautiously raised her hand.

[Um… may I give some advice as someone with experience?]

Experience.

Specifically, Stella had spent nights with me for mental body research, so she spoke with a worried expression.

[Well, um, you know.]

Stella tried to explain in detail but eventually closed her mouth tightly and sighed.

[It-it will be difficult.]

For a moment, I felt a slight chill. Come to think of it, who was Stella? She was noble enough to be called a Saintess, a woman who had endured the torture of demons through sheer will.

Yet she never let go of her love for others.

[Pain would be bearable. If it were an enemy, I could overcome it… but this isn’t like that.]

She couldn’t push it away or defeat it. Stella looked at me with such concern, and a strange atmosphere began to build, but…

“Ah, hurry up!”

Findenai pushed me down onto the bed.

“He said he doesn’t need them. So everyone, get out.”

Findenai, now straddling me on the bed, glared at the other women. I wondered if they had established some order among themselves, but they all left the room without answering.

[Call us when the artificial body breaks!]

“I got it!”

After giving a clear warning, the Dark Spiritmaster went outside.

“Did you decide on an order?”

When I asked her as she straddled me, Findenai answered with a smile through her disheveled hair.

“We need to turn you into a mental body. So we arranged it accordingly.”

“…”

“I’ll be here until your artificial body breaks. When it breaks and you become a soul, the Dark Spiritmaster and Stella will come in.”

“And then?”

“If you successfully become a mental body, Erika will come in. She’s the only one here who can’t see souls.”

In their own way.

It was truly systematic in their own way.

Findenai, who could see souls while hosting the Mountain Spirit, would confirm when the artificial body broke.

Then the two souls would come and turn my remaining soul into a mental body.

Finally, Erika would verify.

If I became a mental body, Erika would be able to see me and touch me.

If things had gone according to the original plan, Deia would probably have been there for the last part too.

“By the way, since Deia left, I’m planning to come back in at the end too.”

I’m not sure how Erika will react, but anyway.

“You’re more serious than I expected.”

When I said that, Findenai wiggled and answered.

*rustle rustle*

“Isn’t that obvious? Master said he really wanted to become a mental body.”

“Is that why you’re wearing a maid outfit too?”

“I wore it specially to remind you of when you fell head over heels for me. Does it still suit me?”

*rustle rustle*

“It… does suit you.”

The way she’s been slightly moving her waist to stimulate my lower body has been surprisingly effective.

To be honest, I couldn’t call her skilled. It’s fortunate this is an artificial body, as I did feel a slight pain.

Nevertheless, feeling how much effort Findenai was putting in was what made me most impulsive.

“H-hmph. Are you getting excited? Hm? Are you curious about what’s under the skirt of a maid who’s been well-aged for almost two years?”

Findenai held both ends of her maid skirt and fluttered it, gradually revealing more. Her black underwear and well-shaped thighs appeared and disappeared repeatedly.

“Hm? How is it? Are you getting excited? You shouldn’t break your artificial body too soon.”

“Come on.”

I don’t know where she learned this, but it’s certainly exciting.

The subtle grinding of her lower body while seducing me was enough to make my heart race.

How did I end up loving such a woman?

I couldn’t help but chuckle, and Findenai made an ambiguous expression before tilting her head.

“What? Illuania told me men love this.”

So that’s where she learned it from—Illuania.

“She said if I tease like this, showing just enough, you’d fall for it immediately and start thrusting like a dog.”

She was panicking because the method she learned from her teacher wasn’t working. To be honest, her innocent appearance right now was stimulating my impulses more than anything else she’d done today.

‘Illuania probably knew this level wouldn’t work.’

How should I put it?

The current Findenai felt like a feast prepared by Illuania for her former master, me.

She taught Findenai just enough to stimulate me, then left her to be devoured. Would Findenai realize Illuania’s sophisticated strategy?

“Are you treating me like other men?”

The thought made me smile. I slowly raised my upper body to face Findenai, and she tried to back away slightly.

But I had already placed my hand behind her waist, preventing her from escaping.

“Ah.”

Hot breath swept across her neck. The corners of her mouth, which had been raised, now dropped, and she tried to avoid my gaze.

“Look at me.”

I gently placed my hand on Findenai’s cheek to make her look at me again, and her crimson eyes wandered aimlessly.

“Ha, ha…”

“Ha?”

She was jumping around happily thinking she had control just a moment ago, but now she was quickly submitting.

Her tongue seemed slightly loose as she stumbled over her words, then pushed my chest lightly with her hand and continued.

“Don’t do it.”

“…Don’t do it?”

“Y-yeah, you bastard. What’s the point of you doing things to me?”

“Is that so?”

I thought it wouldn’t matter whether I did it or Findenai did it if the priority was to get excited enough to break the artificial body.

However, for Findenai, that wasn’t the case.

“D-don’t do it. You… b-bastard.”

She pushed me to lie down again, but her voice lacked strength. Seeing her weakened tone even while cursing reminded me of the Dark Spiritmaster who called Findenai incompetent.

I turned my body while holding Findenai’s waist with both hands.

“Huh!”

Findenai gasped and suddenly found herself lying on the bed beneath me.

She moved her hands frantically trying to escape, but I calmed her by pressing my lips against hers.

“Mm, mmm.”

Once the skinship started, Findenai, who had been at a loss, gradually began to relax.

Last time we kissed, she was domineering and arrogant because she took the initiative, but now she was shrinking and becoming small…

“You’re pretty.”

When I broke the kiss and told her while looking into her eyes, her cheeks flushed red.

As she squirmed, not knowing what to do, I kissed her again.

Now that she seemed a bit calmer…

Findenai’s legs began to intertwine with one of mine.

“Y-you bastard… I never thought those stories about masters pouncing on country maids in novels would be true.”

Whenever I break the kiss, she always says something like this, refusing to admit defeat.

Seeing her like this, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Untangle your legs before saying such things.”

What was she saying when she was wrapping around me tightly as if afraid I might leave?

“This is…”

Findenai carefully relaxed her legs, perhaps not realizing what she had done.

Then she got angry in reverse.

“D-do you like it? Are you enjoying playing with a virgin? You bastard, once I get used to this, you’ll…!”

“The Dark Spiritmaster said something.”

At a distance close enough for our noses to touch.

We were continuing our usual conversation while facing each other.

“She said you’re incompetent.”

“What? She’s not any better…!”

“Well then.”

Let’s check.

I kissed her again while gently raising my knee between Findenai’s legs.

The moment my knee touched her damp underwear under her skirt…

“Hnnnggh?!”

Even while kissing, Findenai let out a sensual moan.