Ah, what a blunder. I shouldn't have done that, but I couldn't hold back my interest. Regret flooded my mind.
Mysteries are much more interesting than the truth, by a long shot. A well-dressed lie is infinitely more seductive than the naked truth.
But I couldn't help myself at the time. I was starving for some form of stimulation, to the point that I stuck my nose into something I shouldn't have...
My hands had reached their destination. There was no return from what I had done. The moment I put my fingers on her ears, I got the answer I so desperately wanted.
They were rounded, small ears that l correctly identified as human ears, as I had suspected. My hypothesis was correct... or so I had mistakenly thought until I heard something strange come out of the girl's lips.
A breathless, startled moan that sent shivers down my spine. It was a sensual type of response that I had not anticipated in the slightest.
My eyes widened in surprise and I froze like a statue at the thought of what I had done. Even before I completely acknowledged the nature of the situation I had gotten myself into, I already had already formed an instinctive understanding of what had happened.
There was only one race on Masulan that considered their ears an... erogenous zone. That knowledge was so widespread that any random person of the street could have given you the answer.
"Y-You're not a human... are you? But that can't be possible, no one's allowed to use—"
My voice was abruptly cut off when the girl slammed her hand on my mouth with an intense expression. I couldn't move her hand off my mouth, no matter how hard I tried to push it off.
It was then and there that the pieces of the puzzle started to assemble themselves for me. Frankly speaking, there should have not been any way for a girl of her stature to have lifted me the way she did.
She lifted me almost effortlessly as if I had been a bag of feathers. That should have been the first red flag.
I was a hundred and eighty pounds of lean muscle, far too heavy for a girl like her.
She looked like she weighed no more than a hundred pounds, give or take. No way someone like her should have been able to pin me down the way she was right now unless...
This princess had some of that Old God magic running in her blood. That was the only justification I could come up with to make sense of her herculean strength.
No doubt she had inherited a vestige of the Old God, Nothric, from her parents. A hereditary blessing from the Age of Worship that survived the Great Collapse of Magic.
An ancient remnant of one of the natural, divine blessings that Nothric once gave to extraordinary beings like heroes, kings, sages, and other important people who had a major role to play in history.
Originally plenty of people had blessings, even commoners and nobodies, so long as they offered their faith to the Old God. Minor blessings like being immune to pollen allergies or having a green thumb with all crops. Simple, utilitarian blessings for peasants.
But they vanished the day that God shat the bed and died. It's miraculous enough that the more impressive blessings survived, even if they're only a shadow of what they once were.
Still, it's a bit shocking that this is how I'd encounter someone with an Ancient Blessing.
By having an elf with a [Strength Enhancement] blessing pin my sorry ass down. What a fucking riot.
An elf with this sort of blessing? Oh god, it's too much to handle...
When I burst into tears and started laughing, the girl's face turned a deep shade of black, and a terrible scowl formed on her beautiful face. She wasn't having it at all.
"You find this humorous? Don't think that you'll walk away from this unscathed. I told you not to do it, but now it's too late for you."
I was getting tired of ominous warnings and her hand on my mouth, so I did what I thought was the best course of action. Yet again, I extended my hands and grabbed the girl's ears, though this time I was much more gentle in my approach.
She, naturally, did not think that I would have the sheer audacity to fondle her ears again after recognizing that she was an elf, but she clearly didn't know me. It startled the living hell out of her, which loosened the grip she had on me, more than enough for me to escape her grasp.
Her face contorted in anger, shame, and embarrassment as she grimly said, "...You did it again. This is the second time you've touched my..."
"You know what? I take it back, Princess. You're sort of cute, even if you're a stuck-up bitch for the most part. Consider me impressed. Never thought I'd see an aristocrat like you."
My half insult, half compliment angered the blonde girl even more, to the point she clenched her fists in balls of fury. For a moment, I thought I had finally gotten through her impenetrable shell, but she quickly reigned in her emotions when she recognized I was enjoying myself.
I was honestly impressed. She went from furious to deadpan in a heartbeat. It was an impressive command of her emotions, especially since she's probably never dealt with someone like me before in her life.
It only served to pump me up, even though she likely did it to deny me of my entertainment.
Teasing aristocrats never stopped being fun for me, regardless of the situation. Bringing down these princes and princesses was a blessing all on its own. That, alone, was enough to motivate me into messing with her some more.
"What's the matter, Princess? I only touched your ears, you know. It's kinda weird for humans to go about touching another person's ears, but it's not that big of a deal. Why the overreaction, hmm?"
The girl glared daggers at me and coldly said, "You're absolutely insufferable. It seems the rumors about you being a feral creature were true after all."
"You wound me, Princess! And here I thought that we'd finally started getting along. But this one hell of a surprise, though. To think I'd meet someone using a restricted spell on herself on school grounds! And it's a prim and proper elf, too!"
I chortled reflexively when I thought about the situation I got myself into. Not out of humor, but anxiety.
Use of restricted spells without proper authorization and government-sanctioned approval was a one-way ticket into the fucking slammer. Last I checked, it's a twenty-year sentence for a single instance of using a restricted spell illegally.
And that's for a human sentence, by the way. The sentence scales depending on the race of the criminal, after all, for an elf, twenty years is nothing.
It doesn't matter if your daddy's former nobility, has a bazillion credits or the most powerful legal team on Masulan — you're going to serve that time regardless.
That's how strict the laws are when it comes to magic, especially restricted magic spells. You don't fuck with them, period. Not unless you've got balls of steel or don't give a shit about doing time.
I'm pretty sure I know the spell she's got on herself. It's a variant of the restricted spell, Illusionary Veil, which is banned everywhere under national law.
Even the Feds can't use it without getting a special warrant from the government.
Being able to transform oneself into a perfect replica of another person was considered a threat to the public, so it was one of the first spells that got banned when the Fifty Wisemen set up their rule.
You can't trust people with that type of power. Criminals turning into other people and committing murders, thefts, kidnappings, or scams were the biggest concerns for the populace. The government also feared the possibility of spies infiltrating places of national security and even committing assassinations.
The possibility of Illusionary Veil being misused was all but guaranteed. And in the hands of a criminal with half of a brain, it was a tool of inconceivable horror.
I felt my heart beating a little faster just being around the girl in front of me, even if I was technically in the clear myself. Nevertheless, it did not bode well for me when I thought about it.
Two people all alone in a place they shouldn't be at all. One of them was using a restricted spell and the other person was a notorious student with a terrible reputation.
Even if I didn't get arrested, I'd probably still get expelled for breaking into the library. I had no doubt that the school board would make something else up if that wasn't enough fo kick me out.
This was a school that lived off of its reputation of being squeaky clean and spotless. It was a school for the ultra-rich, after all. Having someone associated with a severe crime like the girl in front of me would not be in the school's best interests.
In short, I was doomed.
I rushed up to the girl, surprising her, and hurriedly grabbed one of her arms, pulling her out of sight from the window in the room.
She flung my hand off of her with a cold snort, but I didn't care about her reaction anymore. The dumb game between us was over, as far as I was concerned.
"...Tell me you have the authorization to use that spell. If you don't, take it off right now. Were you incognito when you activated it? I'm not sure how far back I clear your logs, but I'm sure I can wipe enough that they won't be able to trace you back to here, specifically.
At best, they'll have a rough estimation of your position. The nearest districts around us at the worst if you haven't been using it regularly every day."
It was a long shot, but I was confident in my skills. This... wasn't my first time performing a hard wipe of an artificial fairy's access and authorization logs.
I had prior experience. A history of sorts with bad people, bad ideas, and bad decisions...
The girl stared at me mutely as she processed what I had said and smiled slightly.
"This is why I told you not to touch me. You already know too much. Normally, I would have told the board chairman about this and he would have expelled you, but..."
...What is she talking about? Is she on something or does she really have that much power? Does she actually have the authority to use something like Illusionary Veil? Oh, fuck. ...Who IS this princess?
"I'll make an exception for you, Mr. Katché Wisfern. I hope that don't won't disappoint me and take my generosity for granted."
The girl walked over to the window and pulled the semi-transparent blinds, blocking any potential voyeur from seeing into the room.
Soft, muted sunlight poured through the blinds and showered the girl in front of me as she stood a couple of feet away from me.
"You wanted to know who I am, right? ...Do you still want to know? If you promise to never speak of what happened today, I promise that nothing will happen to you, Katché.
You can just forget today and that'll be the end of this.
But if you want still want to know, understand that you'll be tossing yourself into something that you'll never be able to distance yourself from. That's the kind of weight my... name and face have."
Her words were cold and uninviting as a frozen tundra and yet, there was something in the back of my mind telling me that I'd regret it if I didn't say 'yes' right now.
But why? Why do I feel this way? Why do I care about a literally nobody I've never met before?
It isn't compassion. I'm pretty sure it's not. Is it because she's interesting? While that's true, I don't think that's enough to warrant entangling myself with her business.
Just say no.
It's the smart choice.
It's the logical choice.
It's the safe choice.
Don't meddle in something that isn't your business, Katché. You know that you're only going to get hurt again. Stop it. You know better.
Even so, I couldn't stop myself despite everything that I had experienced and known. No... how could I?
The instant I gazed into those flickering, nervous eyes, I already knew what was going to come out of my mouth.
"....Well, don't keep a guy waiting after you've hyped yourself up, Princess," I said with a cheeky smirk on my face.
Little did I know that this would be the turning point for my miserable school life. Things would only get...
"I'll give you a final hint to guess who I might be before I release my spell. Do you know who funded this library, Katché?"
I recalled the name of the library and thought to myself in silence as my eyes slowly widened into full moons.
"...Kalden Malvano Deloux. As in, THE richest farmer in recorded history," I said in a hush-quiet voice as I stared at the girl in front of me in complete disbelief.
There were some things that people couldn't accept even if they were told that it was the truth.
There some things that you needed to see for yourself in order to accept them as the truth.
And this was one of those things.
The girl nodded her head silently and raised a single finger up to her lips, requesting my silence.
I nodded.
It was then and there that she finally revealed herself to me. An artificial fairy appeared out of thin air — it was an adorable creature that looked like a big, fluffy cloud... except that it also had four legs and a tail sticking out of it.
Is... Is that a dog? I'm pretty sure that it was a dog, I think.
The white cloud and the girl discussed something amongst themselves and then the adorable fellow disappeared.
But not before it shot me a menacing glare, which I presumed was supposed to be a threat. I nearly burst into laughter when I saw that but I held myself back.
Golden light radiated off the girl as she grabbed the veil she had on herself and pulled it out off. A flash of brilliance blinded me for a brief moment and then my eyes readjusted... revealing the truth.
I felt as if my entire world had come to a screeching halt.
Golden, honeyed locks of hair turned a shade a blue a had never seen in my life. It was a pure, innocent azure hue that resembled the boundless skies of this world.
To many cultures, this was an auspicious trait that was widely thought of as hard proof of the connection this race had with the very planet itself.
A connection to the skies above that pitiful mortals have no rule over. Only those who belonged to heaven had the right to reside in the sky.
Her azure irises faded away and revealed a set of jeweled eyes that were akin to glass prisms — they dispersed light into its constituent wavelengths.
It was, admittedly, one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen in my short life so far. Her eyes glimmered with all the colors in the visible spectrum like the most mesmerizing rainbow light show on Masulan.
At no point in time where her eyes the same exact color. They were always in a state of flux depending on the angle that light was hitting her eyes.
This yet another trait that could only be found in one race on Masulan. They were eyes coveted and admired by all who laid their sight on them, for it was nature's smile made corporal.
An elegant, porcelain face peered out of the veil and gazed at me with an uncertain expression. I realized then and there why she had to wear that magical veil.
If she didn't, I was positive that she would simultaneously become the most beloved and despised individual in this godforsaken academy.
"...What do you think? Was it worth the trouble you're going to get into now?"
I didn't hesitate to voice my feelings and said, "More than worth it. Hell, if anything I think I came out of this whole thing a little richer."
The girl laughed a little bit and said, "It seems that being a simple man has its own certain benefits. ...Good for you, Katché."
Simple man, huh? That stings a little bit, but I can't find the heart to deny her claim. Not with what she's shown me.
I mean, shit, which man wouldn't turn into a bumbling buffoon in the presence of a girl like her? Who the hell raised the difficulty up to 'impossible mode' for me?!
If it wasn't God, then it must have been the Devil.
"...You still haven't told me your name yet, you know. How long are you planning to make me wait for it?" I asked with a bemused expression.
The beauty in front of me made an "Oh, that's right!" and said, "I'm sorry about that, it's just... I'm used to people knowing who I am before I even meet them. My family's reputation precedes me, after all."
She formally bowed toward me and said with a crystal clear voice, "I am... Lyla Malvano LeDoux, granddaughter of Kalden Malvano LeDeloux. It is a pleasure to meet you, Katché Wisfern."
She was the real deal. A bonafide heiress of the LeDeloux family was standing before me.
I suddenly felt the weight of what I had gotten myself into as my peanut-sized brain put the facts together.
I had groped the ears of what was arguably one of the most powerful individuals alive by virtue of her familial ties. I violated what was considered to be a living avatar of nature itself, or rather the planet.
A thin layer of sweat formed on my forehead as I struggled to comprehend the potential ramifications for myself and my family.
Nevertheless, it didn't seem to disturb the girl in front of me at all. If anything, I felt a genuine kindness in her voice when she introduced herself.
I was unable to detect even the slightest amount of hidden malice, contempt, or insincerity within her eyes. Although they were a bit sharp, they were pure and devoid of the evils I so often saw in the aristocrats of this academy.
She meant what she said. As in, she really did find it a pleasure to meet someone like me...
A lousy, snarky, crude troublemaker with a penchant for being an asshole. That was my public image here in Afon O'Mir, but she didn't even mind it.
I let out a small sigh and said, "Likewise, Princess... Lyla. I hope that you can... forgive me inconsiderate behavior. It was most unbecoming of myself and is not representative of who I am."
I kneeled in front of her, as was customary when dealing with former royalty of the Age of Worship. Although her family no longer had any political power by means of blood rights, they were still one of the biggest titans in this modern age.
She was a modern-day princess in all but a formal title, the heiress of a global mega-corporation that spanned this whole planet.
A digital-age princess in an era of holographic computers, magi-tek fiber-optic jungles, and artificial, man-made gods.
I was at a loss for words on what do next out of nervousness, so I did what I always did under pressure.
I made a joke.
In my infinite wisdom, I lifted my head up toward the princess in front of me and extended one of my hands upward.
It sort of looked something that I will not describe out of embarrassment. I regret doing that even to this day.
The High-Elf known as Lyla Malvano LeDeloux froze when she saw my gesture.
She seemed lost in thought, so I broke the awkward silence and said, "If you would, Miss Lyla. I would be endlessly grateful if you—"
Lyla's eyebrows furrowed and she emotionlessly said, "Who do you think I am, some sort of easy—"
"...Would give me my fifteen credits back now. Thanks in advance."
...Needless to say, I did not get my credits that day.