Chapter 61 – While Away (3)

Why don’t students listen these days? Or rather, why do they only listen when I get angry?

These thoughts crossed my mind as I pressed firmly on Liv’s stomach.

“Ah… hnn! B-Boss! Please… wait…!”

Watching our Baroness, who kept trying to dash off to dangerous places, felt like a mother cat chasing after her overly curious kitten.

Just as a cat might bite the scruff of its kitten’s neck to keep it in line, I had to press on Liv’s stomach. It was unavoidable.

I slipped my hand inside her shopkeeper’s apron, pulling her slender waist towards me. The soft sensation beneath her thin clothes sent a thrill through my fingertips.

“N-No! I don’t like you touching my stomach… Ahh!”

“Then, will you promise not to go to the Alkaid Magic Tower?”

“…I don’t know.”

If she was going to be this stubborn, I had no choice. I pressed my index and middle fingers a little more firmly into her lower abdomen.

Despite the important organs and muscles gathered there, the unique softness of the female body remained. Like pressing freshly steamed rice cakes, her clothes and flesh yielded as Liv began to pant.

Press, press, press—

I carefully modulated my strength, worried about causing pain or bruising. I watched her reactions closely. Her face flushed crimson, the blush spreading even to her ears beneath her black hair. Liv trembled each time I pressed her lower belly, as if holding something back.

The sight was so sensual that even I felt a twinge of embarrassment.

“Ahh… Hnnn…!”

Her usually pleasant voice, now laden with sensuality, echoed in my ears. As I carefully circled my fingers, which had dug in deep, her black pupils dilated and her trembling intensified.

—— Teacher.

—— Teacher?

Adela’s voice now seemed to come from a great distance.

The more I touched, the more addictive her soft belly became. Even sitting with her waist bent, her stomach was smooth and taut, perfect for pressing.

The slightly protruding area just below her navel, softer than the rest, seemed to be where Liv reacted most intensely. Naturally, I kept targeting that spot.

Of course, I didn’t forget to check her condition periodically.

“Promise you won’t go to the Magic Tower.”

“Hnnn…”

“Promise me.”

“Ahn! Hic…! W-Wait, stop… pressing there so insistently…!”

Even the stubborn Liv couldn’t hold out when I used my knuckle instead of just my fingertips. She grabbed my arm with both hands.

As our bodies drew closer, I could see small beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

She must be exhausted. But seriously, why is she so determined to go?

“You’re not going, right?”

“Mmm…”

Liv, who had been about to nod weakly, suddenly lifted her head and stared intently at something.

What could she be looking at? From my angle, all I could see was the half-open door.

Her shoulders shuddered as she alternated between looking at my hand pressing on her lower belly and the door. Then, she shook her head slightly to herself.

And then—

“No… I don’t want to.”

With teary eyes, she looked up at me and bit her lip.

“I’m going.”

Fine. If that’s how it is, then I have no more reason to hold back. Even if she finds it humiliating or ends up despising me, I would bear it for her future.

I slipped my hand under Liv’s now-creased shirt.

“Kyah!?”

Ignoring her scream, I rested my hand on the softest, smoothest bare skin that had no doubt turned bright red by now.

Being extremely cautious to avoid my hand slipping lower or brushing against her underwear, I began my lesson in earnest.

The atmosphere might have been strange, but it wasn’t as though I was doing anything lewd.

“Kyaah! Hicc…! Ah, haa, ahhn…!!”

After that, Liv’s coquettish moans echoed countless times inside the store.

I’m not sure how long I had been touching her stomach, but when I came to my senses, the sun was already setting. I should’ve been packing up and preparing to leave the academy tomorrow, but… when did this start?

Watching her, with a clear droplet of drool falling from her mouth—a sight quite unlike her usual elegant self—I realized something had gone terribly wrong. I hadn’t expected this to be so addictive… It was like playing with slime as a child.

Still, in the end, I managed to get her to surrender. Though her pronunciation was closer to “I won’t go…,” it was clear my sincerity had gotten through to her.

Sincere persuasion always pays off.

***

The next day.

“Don’t cause any trouble. Feed the Iron Dogs properly.”

“Yes, have a safe trip, Boss.”

“…”

“Adela?”

“…Have a safe trip.”

Leaving behind Liv, who waved with a flushed face, and Adela, who somehow looked downcast, I set off for Sandalphonia with Lehel.

The continent is now divided into several nations like Pennheim, Monarch, Bachran, and Sakel, but in the past, it was ruled by one grand empire.

The Holy Asetarian Empire.

Though the empire has long since vanished, a few secret pieces of information have been passed down among adventurers.

One of those is the Four Great Secret Lands, places said to hide the empire’s legacy.

The lair of the Sakré Dragon, where all the world’s treasures are said to be gathered.

The Uzette Grand Library, which supposedly holds countless books of magic.

The Rubye Shrine, where one can hear the voice of God.

And finally, the Sandalphonia Observatory, built to divine the fate of the stars.

Even the names alone sound impressive. Naturally, I didn’t memorize all this out of a deep interest in this world’s history.

I knew about them because one of those places, the site of the Grand Library, is where a grimoire for summoning beings from another dimension was found—the reason I came here.

According to Terra, all the other books were burned, but that one grimoire alone survived.

Damn bastards… If you’re going to burn books, at least make sure everything’s gone.

The Uzette Library had burned down ages ago, and the Rubye Shrine had become the capital of the current Holy Nation of Monarch.

Though the exact locations of Sakré and Sandalphonia were still unknown, vast regions were named after them, based on ancient markers handed down through generations.

The area where they suspected the observatory to be located was the Sandalphonia Sand Gorge, a land as desolate as its name implied.

Hot winds howled between the gorges, making it difficult for not only people but also plants to survive. Beyond the gorge stretched a massive desert that seemed to go on forever.

Countless people had thrown themselves into that desert in search of the empire’s legacy or to learn their fate, never to return.

It was no wonder that Lehel’s hands trembled at the thought of heading to such a place.

“What are you doing? At this rate, the sun will set.”

“J-Just a minute. I need to prepare myself…”

“Prepare as much as you want. I’ll go take down the Magic Tower.”

“Okay, okay! I’ll go, I’ll go!”

Thanks to the <Teleport Gate>, the journey itself was easy, but soon a fierce sandstorm whipped against our eyes. Lehel, using her short stature to her advantage, swiftly took cover behind me.

“Let’s see… the closest village should be…”

“Ugh! I’m dying here! Cough, cough!”

“Oh, stop exaggerating. Step back a bit, it’s hard to walk.”

Resisting the hot winds blowing between the gorges, we slowly continued forward. After walking for a while, we began to see large, mud-like structures scattered here and there.

It was a small nomadic village typical of the Sandalphonia region.

The entrance was open, and the people had already left. It’s their way of life—sealing off the entrances and waiting out the sandstorms inside their homes.

I entered one of the empty huts with Lehel.

“Let’s rest here until the storm calms down.”

Even though we had walked only a short distance, dust poured off my body in clumps. As I casually pulled out some food left behind for travelers from under the hearth in the center of the room, Lehel approached, looking curious.

“Boss, have you been here before?”

“Yeah, I have.”

“Really? Did you meet the Sisters of Moirai?”

“Yeah.”

“What did they tell you?”

“Well…”

As I hesitated, Lehel, who had been brushing dirt off her hat, raised her head. After a moment’s pause, I decided to be honest.

“They told me to go to Farencia.”

“What did you say?”

That’s right. I came to Sandalphonia after defeating the Demon King.

“When I asked where I should go next, they said ‘Farencia.’”

Together with Eris.

***

After a night passed and the sandstorm had cleared, we set out again. Fortunately, we encountered nomads with a peddler’s cart only half a day after navigating through the gorge.

Lehel grinned broadly and, with the energy of someone ready to trade even her rosary, began buying an enormous amount of food and water.

Floating her much larger-than-herself backpack with magic, she even rummaged through my pockets for more funds.

She fervently argued that we had to stock up on as much food as possible to survive.

“Boss, how long did it take you to get there last time?”

“Oh, that time? It took about two days, I think.”

“That must’ve been incredibly lucky. The desert beyond the gorge is notoriously difficult. Do you know why this place is considered a Hidden Location, or Secret Land? It’s because no one knows the exact location of the Sandalphonia Observatory.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s not just hidden—it doesn’t appear at all.”

Lehel picked up a strange stone tablet engraved with odd symbols from a nearby souvenir stall and brought it to my face as she explained.

“‘To catch a glimpse of fate, you must first prove your worth.’ That’s something passed down in this region for ages. To reach the observatory mentioned in ancient texts, one must endure tremendous hardship.”

“Hmm~.”

“It’s true! Do you have any idea how many mages in this world risk their lives to master the arcane arts? How many of them do you think actually made it to the observatory?”

“Oh, and can you pack this jerky and ice cream separately? It’s for a gift.”

“Yes, of course! Thank you for your purchase!”

“Are you listening to me!? Even if we eat everything we’ve brought, it won’t be enough! If we don’t prepare properly, we’ll die in that desert from starvation or dehydration!”

Usually too lazy to even leave the headmaster’s office, where she watched reruns of the Demon King battle, Lehel was now incredibly motivated when it came to matters involving her own survival.

She had even purchased goggles and a mask, scolding me incessantly right up until we were about to set off.

And then, about an hour after we entered the desert—

“I see it.”

“Huh?”

On the horizon, the observatory slowly emerged, sticking out like a spear.