I left my room three hours later, leaving Helga behind, sleeping. For three hours, we leveraged my mana regeneration to extract the most utility while enjoying our intimate embrace. Helga gained almost five hundred experience points in the process while I spent over five thousand mana points, almost completing her companion progress for the third stage as well. It was not the most efficient way of farming experience for her, but it was the most enjoyable way.
The fact that it was repeatable and free of danger was just another bonus.
I made sure to cover the room with a thick layer of defense before I left, including an impressive number of life-energy traps in case of a necromancer intrusion. It wasn't supposed to be likely, but after the last two encounters with them, I decided to play it safer. Helga was too important for me to risk. Her skillset was vital, and she knew a lot of my secrets.
If I was less wise, I might even convince myself otherwise, but with great wisdom came an annoying level of self-awareness, forcing me to admit to myself that I didn't want any harm to come to Helga, because she was important to me emotionally. She was mine; mind, body, and soul, and I was willing to go to very scary lengths to keep it that way.
A very dangerous thing considering my skill set. For anyone that was stupid enough to target her, of course.
I focused on more immediate concerns as I neared Cornelia's room, this time not even bothering to disguise myself as a servant but using arcana to hide. I didn't want to reveal my disguise trick in case Cornelia was watching. I was two hours late, not that I cared much. I made my position in her life very clear, which also implied that she was the one that needed to be on time then wait obediently for my arrival. I knew that she was smart enough to realize that.
The question was whether she could control her pride in the application of it. The answer laid behind the door I was standing against, so, after a brief stop to make sure there was no trap, I unlocked the magical lock and stepped inside, and passed the foyer in smooth steps before I arrived in Cornelia's living room.
I was glad to see she was there, waiting for me, and I was even more glad to see her wearing a maid costume. Or more accurately, a naughty approximation of a maid costume, one that fit her perfectly, revealing a lot of skin while managing to keep what was the important secret. "Where-" she started the moment she saw me, her face contorted by anger, only to be interrupted by a spell.
My spell, to be exact. The moment she started speaking, I conjured a ball gag in her mouth, preventing her from speaking. "Careful, firecracker. I almost thought that you were going to lash out at me, but I must be wrong," I said even as I dispelled the ball gag, but she stayed shocked. Understandable, considering the difficulty of being able to conjure anything in another magician's personal space, even if that mage was distracted like Cornelia. I doubted that I would have been able to before my recent level-ups and stat increases.
Cornelia might be a collection of anger and pride, but she was smart enough to realize she was truly outmatched. "I'm sorry sir, I forgot myself," she murmured as her eyes fell to the floor demurely. Since she was such a good sport, I decided to ignore the way her fist tightened.
"You're catching on, it's good," I said, then added in a stage whisper. "A bit slow, though."
The way her chin clenched was almost as satisfying as the way her dress revealed most of her naughty body for my viewing pleasure. "Thank you, sir," she managed to say, even keeping her tone relatively even, impressing me with her control. I would have never expected her to resist such a casual insult. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
The question reminded me that I was yet to take a bath after two very long carnal sessions, limiting myself to cleaning spells. "Draw me a bath, firecracker, I'm feeling exhausted," I said, enjoying the way her eyes brightened in anger whenever I used her new nickname.
"Yes, sir," she still managed to say through her squeezed teeth, making me smile in amusement. She turned to talk away into the bathroom, but before she could take a step, I was next to her, and slapped her ass hard enough for it to ring in the room.
[+100 Experience] 50% Penalty!
She stiffened, but still walked away without trying to turn back, her steps stiff. I watched her walk away, sad that she was walking away without swaying her hips, wasting the potential of her short skirt. She was thoughtful enough to leave a glass of wine already filled for me, and I sipped it, but only after I checked it for poison, just in case she had a nasty surprise.
She stepped out five minutes later, her face redder, and her clothes slightly more transparent thanks to the humidity, giving me a beautiful show. "The bath is ready, sir," she said.
"Thanks, firecracker," I answered as I walked in, only to stop and turn after a few steps in. "What are you waiting for there, come in," I ordered.
"In-inside," she stammered, but when she received a stiff glare, she obeyed immediately. Still, when she arrived next to me, she received another spank to her barely-covered bottom. It wasn't painful, but humiliating. I had no doubt that she would have preferred to be chained to the wall and whipped rather than playing the servant.
Which was the whole point of the deal. Even without the Tantric, I was sure that I could help her, but I needed her ready to follow orders before I did so. I said nothing, just raised my arms and turned my back to her, no doubt tempting her to stab me in the back. Instead, she removed my clothes in a surprisingly gentle manner. I was expecting her to at least slip and accidentally scratch me or something like that.
She failed to hide her blush as she pulled down my boxers, revealing my shaft. And considering she was providing an amazing view of her cleavage as she did so, she met with the full mast version, though I had to admit that the only reason it was still alive was because of my biomancy skill. Even with my endurance, exhausting both Titania and Helga on the same day had been a challenging affair.
"Are you ready for your bath, sir," she murmured, doing her best to suppress her blush as she tried not to gaze at my erection, which was a difficult affair for her.
"I am, firecracker, but are you?" I asked. She looked at me with mild panic. I gave the explanation she didn't ask for. "You're going to properly wash me, of course," I said, then turned my back, ignoring the sudden mana build up behind me, recognizing the bluff. The mana build-up was too obvious to actually be an attack. The frustrated growl she let out confirmed it.
I set myself in the water, but in a way I faced Cornelia, enjoying the impromptu strip show she was about to provide. She reached for the straps of her dress, hard enough to rip it off. I was tempted to ask her to dance, but after consideration, I decided not to, mostly because I wanted to see her natural reaction.
She undressed rapidly, but didn't bother to hide her body, giving me a glimpse of her beauty before she wrapped a small towel around herself. Smart, but only tactically, I decided. She realized that acting shy would have made it more fun for me, and acted to remove that. Tactically a sound move, but strategically horrible, because it forced me to act in a way to satisfy my need for entertainment.
[+200 Experience] 50% Penalty!
I said nothing as she crouched next to me, using a small cup to rinse the parts of my body out of the water, followed by soap. Despite her gentle touch, I could sense her anger from the way her fingers stiffened at each touch. However, considering the way she had been acting when she had the power, it didn't arouse any sympathy from me.
She was reaping what she sowed.
I pulled out of the water, and sat on the corner of the large tub —or more accurately, a small pool— once again giving her full access to my naked body. I grunted in appreciation as she slowly soaped and rinsed my back, her touch soft and gentle.
I opened my eyes when she started working on my legs, because her towel was straining to contain her body as she acted. I wanted to enjoy the full show. When she started on my torso, however, she was struggling to keep her blush down once again, her tiny towel not enough to hide the signs of arousal. I didn't know whether it was my muscles or the fact that I was forcing her to serve me, but I was happy with the result either way.
She even washed my erect shaft without a complaint, though I suspected the sudden lingering touches were not from her obedience, but her desire instead. My senses were sharp enough to smell her arousal after our extended contact.
[+250 Experience] 50% Penalty!
It was the reason I changed my mind about asking for a blowjob. I was planning to until she started showing signs of actually anticipating it. "Towel," I called as I stood up, enjoying the momentary flash of shock that passed across her face, soon replaced by a dull disappointment. Damn, educating her was going to be even more fun than I had expected.
She was quick when she dried me off, and even better, she followed me obediently as I walked back to her living room first, then directly to her bedroom. "It's time for a massage," I said, and she quickly reached for a drawer, pulling out several oil bottles. She was truly prepared.
However, I stopped her when she was about to pour some oil on her hand. "It's not me who's going to receive the massage, but you," I said.
"M-me," she stammered, my statement once again managing to break her bubble of calm. This time, she was angry. "Couldn't you find a better excuse to fuck me?" she said scathingly, her frustration from denial and her frustration from being ordered around finally bubbling out. Of course, when she realized the potential harm of her statement, she blanched.
I ignored her reaction as I walked closer, and when I was just a step away, I pulled off her towel violently, leaving her naked. She didn't even bother to hide her body. "Do you think I need an excuse to take you however I wish, bitch," I said, my tone not playful.
"N-no, sir," she stammered.
"Good that you still have a sliver of common sense," I said scathingly, though my anger was completely artificial, once again tapping into my Subterfuge skill. "The massage is a part of the treatment I promised, but since you know much better than me, maybe I should just follow your lead," I continued, threatening her with the thing she wanted the most.
"No, sir," she gasped in shock, her panic completely genuine. I was planning to make her sweat a bit more when she surprised me by kneeling in front of me, like an obedient slave trying to earn the favor of her master. "I'm sorry, sir. You're my only hope. Please forgive my impudence."
"You're lucky that I have a soft heart, firecracker," I said, my tone once again soft. She raised her head, her eyes shining with hope. It seemed that she was even more fragile from her lack of leveling than I had been expecting, which was suspicious. "Tell me what happened," I said in a sudden bout of inspiration.
"I have received a message from my uncle, setting up a challenge between me and my cousin, or more accurately, his champion," she said. "My only chance is for you to be my champion, but even then, it'll be for survival only. They'll know that I'm not strong enough to challenge my uncle, and it'll be game over," she said.
It was definitely an inconvenient development. I was hoping for more time. "It's bad, but at least you'll be alive," I said, confident of defeating whatever champion her family could put in front of me, though not appreciating the necessity of revealing myself. "When is the challenge?" I asked.
"In a month," she answered despondently, followed by a shocked gaze when I laughed out loud. "Is my suffering amusing to you, sir?" she said, which made me laugh even harder, especially since she still added the honorific.
"Quite a bit," I admitted without shame. "But it's not why I'm laughing, firecracker. Believe me, a month is more than enough to solve your little level problem," I said in confidence. A month might as well be an eternity with all the options I had in front of me.
"Really, sir?" she asked, this time hope coloring her tone.
"Yes, but don't forget the price. If you take my help, I'm going to make you my toy, mind, body, and soul."
"As long as it's behind closed doors, I accept the bargain, sir," she answered rapidly, showing more determination than I had expected. Or maybe it was the impression I made on her.
"Good, then go lay on the bed on your face, and we're going to start the first phase of the treatment," I ordered, she threw herself on the bed. It was interesting to watch a prideful woman like her folding into an enthusiastic maid because of a threat to her position, especially since she was so proud of her dominance.
When I stood above her, I spent a moment enjoying the splendor of her naked figure before putting my hands on her body. First, I checked the spell that I made to detect whether she followed my order about playing with herself, and much to my surprise, it seemed that she followed it.
I put my hands on her back, and started delivering a top tier massage that applied the full range of my abilities, even using the occasional Biomancy trick. Soon, she was biting the pillow to contain her moans, and that was without me touching any sensitive locations. She was backed up for too long, it seemed.
[+500 Experience] 50% Penalty!
She let out a surprised gasp when I put a finger in her mouth without a warning and ordered her to suck. "I need to use my mana to check your status," I explained, and slipped my mana in her, only to meet a very stiff obstruction. Despite my increased skill, analyzing her was harder than doing it to Titania. I barely got a glimpse of her core, with virtually no detail. I couldn't even identify her fire skill.
It might be the effect of the level cap, I decided. But more likely, it was the Companion System that allowed me to access their core. I didn't have enough evidence to decide one way or another at the moment.
Luckily, it could be solved easily. I could have slipped inside her, finally taking her virginity to trigger the Companion counter, but it wouldn't be amusing enough. Instead, I cast a spell on her to prevent her from climaxing, then I continued to massage her, driving her crazier and crazier.
Soon, even biting the pillow failed to prevent her from crying in pleasure, turning into putty in my hands. "Please," she murmured.
"Please, what, firecracker?" I asked her, and got a shy moan. I leaned into her ear, whispering throatily. "I'm going to give you two choices. If you want me to keep away, just say so, and I'll never touch you again, no matter what, but still help you. Or, you can ask me to fuck you, and I can give you the best, most delicious orgasm of your life. Choose, firecracker."
"I want you to…" she murmured, her voice dwindling into a moan as I continued to massage her.
"Clearer, sweetie," I said. "I can't hear you."
"I want you to … do me," she murmured once again.
"Use the exact words, sweetie, or I will assume that you don't want to do it," I threatened.
The way she froze under my fingers triggered a primal part in me, begging me to take her, make her mine. Still, I waited for her answer. "Please, fuck me, sir," she moaned deliriously, trying to flip over, only to be prevented by my arms.
[Achievement: Delicious and Delirious. Seduce a stubborn vixen through an extended denial of pleasure, teaching her the place she deserves. +2 Strength, +500 Experience]
The achievement was a nice thing, but it had fallen wayside at the anticipation of finally getting really familiar with the Flame Queen.
[Level: 19 Experience: 182600 / 190000
Strength: 22 Charisma: 32
Precision: 15 Perception: 19
Agility: 19 Manipulation: 24
Speed: 17 Intelligence: 24
Endurance: 16 Wisdom: 26
HP: 1691 / 1691 Mana: 1359 / 2375 ]
SKILLS
[Master Melee [100/100]
Expert Arcana [75/75]
Expert Elemental [75/75]
Expert Biomancy [75/75]
Advanced Subterfuge [50/50]
Advanced Tantric [50/50]
Basic Speech [25/25]
PERKS
Mana Regeneration