episode_0334

Chapter 334 – The Wizards’ Banquet

Clank!

Opening the carriage door and stepping out, Stardust Hall, the banquet venue, came into view.

Its sparkling exterior looked as if it were covered in stardust, hence the name.

A soft touch—

As I was admiring the building, a soft touch brushed against my arm.

Turning my head, I saw Roxana, even more gorgeously dressed than usual, linking her arm through mine.

My forearm was completely buried between her ample breasts.

“Ruan. I’ll be counting on you today.”

“Likewise. It’s dangerous, so you absolutely must not let go.”

“I know. That’s why I’m sticking to you so tightly.”

Squeeze!

As if to show off, Roxana applied force, pressing her chest even closer.

That captivating sensation possessed the power to make any lingering anger instantly vanish.

Of course, that might also work differently depending on the person.

“…Why don’t both of you tone it down a bit?”

Deborah, who had been quietly following us from behind, fumed, her eyes flaring with indignation.

She seemed displeased with Roxana and me sticking together, sending us a jealous glare.

The reason for this situation was simple.

The Wizards’ Banquet could not be attended by ordinary individuals, and for non-mages to participate, they had to have a close relationship with an attendee.

Attending as Deborah’s lover wasn’t an option, as her status wasn’t high enough yet. And calling me her disciple was out, since I couldn’t use magic at all. So, becoming Roxana’s partner was the only choice.

The other attendees at the banquet would surely know that Roxana and I weren’t lovers, but that didn’t matter.

All that mattered was having a plausible reason to be there.

In any case, this meant Roxana and I had no choice but to stick together, even if it wasn’t due to an attack by the Dark Cult.

Perhaps because we had already been intimate a few times, this degree of closeness felt natural.

“Deborah. I’m sorry, but it can’t be helped. You understood, didn’t you?”

“Even so, you’re sticking too close! Is Teacher-nim’s chest really that good?”

“…I don’t think there’s any man who would dislike it?”

“Tsk! Pervert.”

As I met her head-on without making excuses, Deborah seemed to have no words to retort with, clicking her tongue and snapping her head away.

It wasn’t that I didn’t understand her feelings.

Who would be okay with their lover openly engaging in so much skinship with their teacher at an official event?

If the roles were reversed, I would have used any means necessary to destroy the banquet before it could even begin.

In that sense, I truly agonized over what to do about Roxana.

To be honest, I desired Roxana.

If nothing had happened from the start, it would be different, but we had already progressed to such a deep relationship that I couldn’t just leave things as they were.

She was already this jealous, so I worried how angry she would get if I said I’d accept Roxana as a lover.

As I pondered to myself, Roxana moved away from my side and approached Deborah.

“Deborah. Don’t worry. We’re only together for today.”

“…Only today?”

“Yes. After today, things will go back to normal. So don’t be too anxious, okay?”

Outwardly, it sounded like sweet comfort.

However, for some reason, Deborah’s eyes sharpened considerably after hearing those words.

The teacher and disciple exchanged meaningful glances, then, as if reaching some agreement, returned to their original demeanor.

“Come on, Ruan. Let’s go in too.”

“…Are you both okay now?”

“Of course. What wouldn’t be okay? Hurry up. We decided I’d introduce you to the Blue Tower Lord, didn’t we?”

The Blue Tower Lord.

An accomplice of the Dark Cult and the person who played a significant role in Roxana’s death.

It might be a needless worry, but knowing that any variable could arise, it was necessary to clearly identify the mastermind.

United once more by a single purpose, we entered the hall.

[Lady Roxana Sprause, the Grey Tower Lord, and her party enter!]

With the announcement, gazes gathered from all directions.

“Oh my. Look over there. It’s the Grey Tower Lord-nim.”

“She’s still so beautiful. But who’s that man next to her? He looks incredibly young.”

“I wonder? But doesn’t he look like he’d be amazing in bed?”

“Yeah. His cock looks big.”

The attention that had been focused on Roxana instantly shifted to me, her partner.

Especially impressive were the desire-filled gazes of the numerous women.

Squeeze!

Perhaps in response, Roxana, who was already pressed close, pulled me even nearer, trapping my forearm between her two breasts.

At this point, it was less about happiness and more about the sensation in my arm slowly disappearing.

“Ruan. I’m telling you beforehand, you absolutely cannot sleep with other women here, okay?”

“Of course not. Do you see me that way?”

“Then how should I see you? A man who already has three lovers and many more sex partners. Can you explain that?”

Roxana mentioned “sex partners” and subtly leaned into me, a silent indication that she, too, was included.

Noticing Deborah’s gaze, I cleared my throat and changed the subject.

“More importantly, there are surprisingly many people here. I thought it would be a small number since only invited mages could attend.”

“We’re not the only ones who brought disciples and partners. If you count all those people, the number is quite high. …Still, it feels a bit crowded today, doesn’t it? Is it because of the Blue Tower Lord?”

Roxana scanned the hall with suspicious eyes.

There were probably Dark Cult members among them. She must be checking for unfamiliar faces beforehand.

It was the same for me.

‘There are many variables, aren’t there?’

No matter how many dozens or hundreds of times I had played this episode in the game, I didn’t know every single detail.

Many of the enemies probably hadn’t even appeared in the game.

Of course, such individuals might just be extras who couldn’t even join the mainstream, but their knives wouldn’t hurt any less.

It would be a disaster if Roxana were to die from a stray knife.

Just then, a commotion came from behind.

“That person is!”

“It’s the Red Tower Lord-nim!”

“She’s just as fiery today.”

Turning my head, I saw a beautiful woman with hair and eyes as red as flames walking toward us.

She was wearing a rather revealing dress, with her cleavage and thighs so exposed that it was hard to know where to look.

Of course, as someone familiar with the female form, I merely admired her physique without much agitation.

Soon, the Red Tower Lord stood before us.

“It’s been a while, Roxana.”

“Has it really been two years? Good to see you, Katia.”

Katia Ignis.

The master of the Red Tower, and the continent’s strongest fire mage, known by the moniker ‘Flame Empress’ for her command over the fires of hell.

True to her fiery appearance, her personality was also incredibly straightforward.

“By the way, who’s this?”

“Ruan Friuli. He’s an academy student. And currently, my partner.”

“An academy student? Hmm… He has a lot of yang energy in his body, doesn’t he? It must be hard to deal with? Shall big sister help you out?”

Katia winked, slowly licking her lips with her red tongue.

What that meant was obvious.

‘How confident.’

I could feel her certainty that she wouldn’t lose the initiative in any situation. If it were up to me, I’d drag her to bed right now and give her a real ‘education’ with full-power breeding press.

Unfortunately, the women standing on either side of me had no intention of allowing that.

“Katia? I know that’s your personality, but could you restrain yourself? Ruan is our Deborah’s husband, you see.”

“What? Husband? Did your disciple get married?”

“To be precise, they’re not married yet. But they probably will be after graduation, don’t you think?”

Roxana gave me a look of pressure.

I quickly nodded, but Katia merely shrugged and went a step further.

“What? So he’s just a lover right now. Then it doesn’t matter, does it? Even if he sleeps with me just once.”

“Then go ahead and try. Instead, when you open your eyes, you might not see Ruan but a pot-bellied old man. Would you still like that?”

“Hmm… that’s…”

At the terrifying warning, Katia held her tongue.

Because no matter how great a mage she was, she couldn’t be completely free from Roxana’s illusion magic.

She might try to ‘recharge her body’ only to end up with an unerasable dark past.

“Haa… I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll give up for now. You said your name was Ruan? If you’re interested, come find me at the Red Tower. Here’s my business card.”

Katia pulled a business card from between her cleavage and forced it into my hand.

She wielded fire magic, and perhaps her average body temperature was also high, as the card felt incredibly hot.

“Well, I’ll be going then. I have people to greet.”

“Alright. See you in a bit.”

Katia, after bidding farewell, disappeared without looking back.

That confident attitude showed her certainty that I would undoubtedly contact her.

As I turned the business card over in my hand, I quickly dodged a hand that shot out like a ray of light from beside me.

The owner of the hand was Deborah.

“Ruan. Give me that.”

“Why?”

“Why, you ask?! You’re not actually thinking of going to her, are you? Absolutely not!”

“Really? I just need to do it once and come back. It’d be perfect for getting stat sharing.”

Katia would likely provide a similar level of magic power as Roxana. My magic power was already overflowing, but there was no harm in increasing it further.

However, Deborah seemed to think differently.

“Because it won’t end with just one time! Once they get impaled by Ruan’s cock, they won’t be satisfied with any other man!”

That confidence, that once someone had sex with me they would never be able to escape, wasn’t much different from what Katia had shown just a moment ago.

The problem was that I thought similarly.

‘Since I’m doing it, I can’t do it half-heartedly.’

Even just to avoid being disrespected, I’d have to go all out, so wouldn’t Katia also end up becoming a slave to my cock?

It felt too arrogant, but with the results I’d had so far, it was hard to simply ignore.

“Alright. I won’t do it with the Red Tower Lord. Is that good enough?”

“Give me the business card too!”

“I can’t do that. I might need it later.”

“You still plan to, don’t you!?”

“I said no, didn’t I?”

Just as the tense standoff with Deborah continued, with neither side yielding an inch, another person approached us.

It was a man with an impressive bright smile.

“Hahaha! It’s been a while, Roxana. How have you been?”

“…Melash.”

His name was Melash Valtier.

This man was the master of the Blue Tower, whom we had been most wary of.

He had openly approached us first.

Smoothly—

I grabbed Roxana’s waist and pulled her closer, intending to calm her.

She flinched for a moment, then looked up at me, a fresh smile replacing the awkward stiffness on her face as she faced Melash.

“I’ve been well, of course. And you?”

“I’m always the same, I suppose. By the way, have you found a lover? You look good together.”

In Melash’s gaze, a small flicker of wariness, almost imperceptible if one wasn’t paying close attention, flashed.

“Melash. Would you mind your words? This is Ruan Friuli. He’s our disciple’s lover.”

“Ah, I see! My apologies.”

“It’s fine. Many others misunderstand too, not just you.”

“Haha! In that case, I’m relieved. I’ll take my leave now. Others are waiting for me.”

“Yes. Take care.”

With a farewell, Melash disappeared.

Roxana, who had maintained an upright posture until then, sighed as soon as he was completely out of sight.

Her body also leaned further against mine.

“Ruan. Was that awkward just now?”

“No. It was incredibly natural. You could even become an actress later.”

A small laugh! “Really? Thanks for the compliment. Now, let’s go get some food. I’m hungry after all that tension.”

“Yes. This way.”

I firmly held her faintly trembling hand and headed with my party towards the food court.

The banquet had only just begun.