Ethan did not need to be told twice to accomplish the noble task. His hands moved almost on auto-pilot, directly to the buttons of Ivy's shorts.
Garments in Promiscua were surprisingly similar to Earth's, with zips, buttons, belts, and collars. The difference was better fabric quality and a greater inclination towards embroidery and comfort. They liked aesthetics just for the sake of it.
On her end, Ivy realized how thrilled her brother was. He did not waste a second before trying to strip her. Moments ago, the boy was clueless, staring at her with God knows what intentions. Now, he had the enthusiasm of a horny dolphin.
The cotton shorts were snug against Ivy's hips, and it took Ethan a lot of effort to remove them. Once free from her toned waist, he pulled them down greedily.
A pair of silken panties exactly greeted the boy's sore eyes. "These are—"
"Yeah, exactly like Gwen's…" his sister replied. "Don't have to rub it in… Just help me out."
"Fine…"
Ethan was in no hurry. He took a bird's-eye view of the situation. A hot fantasy girl with a gym-toned body was bent over right before him.
Next, the Cromwell heir took a worm's eye view. The panties barely hid Ivy's ass cheeks. They were like ripe apples, toned and tanned, soft and smooth.
It could not be disputed that the girl pampered her body and skin. Despite being grilled daily as a warrior trainee, she ensured her looks remained flawless.
Was the beauty actually eager to show off her lower body to guys? Especially to her brother?
"Don't stare," Ivy murmured impatiently. "It's making me uncomfortable. Quickly find the rune and get me out of this mess."
Ethan gulped nervously, fighting a desperate impulse to grab her ass cheeks and maybe take a bite out of them. "Yeah, I'm on it."
The Cromwell heir noticed tiny symbols in two vertical lines on the back of Ivy's thighs. Warriors and Elves alike used magical runes to circumvent the universal rule that magic was only allowed to witches. Ethan had yet to learn the science behind it.
"Which one is for disentanglement?"
"The third from the top on my left leg," Ivy replied reluctantly.
Ethan spotted the specific rune and observed it up close. It was no larger than a coin, etched with black ink. "Is it the one shaped like a cactus?"
"Yes, correct! Place your finger over it."
Ethan almost drooled from his mouth as he followed the instructions with his left hand. He was close to Ivy's behind and wanted to rub his face against the back of her thighs. The boy in him really wanted to. "Done."
"Now cross your fingers in the right hand and say—Effugium!"
"Effyewggem… Umm, nothing's happening."
"No! The pronunciation has to be accurate! Say—Eff-oo-gee-um…"
"Effugium!"
Almost instantly, Ethan's MP bar shortened by a little. The rune under his finger glowed for a second. It twitched as if it were alive. "Whoa…"
The severed ghost hands that trapped Ivy dissipated suddenly. "It worked!" she exclaimed, crawling back to escape the tunnel. "Oh, God, finally!"
Her brother had different plans for her, though. He immediately activated the phantom arms, grabbed her wrists with one, and severed one ghost hand with the other. Ivy was taken captive again by the same trick.
"What is going on?" the girl exclaimed in exasperation. "The magic should have worked! Do it again!"
Ethan smiled to himself, satisfied with the results. 'You're not getting out of this until I am satisfied, bitch,' he thought. 'Let me enjoy your body first…'
"I feel faint all of a sudden," the boy said, collapsing over her body. His crotch pressed between the girl's behind, and his arms wound around her for support.
Ethan's hands found their target—her braless breasts through the shirt. He was almost doggystyle while groping.
"Control yourself, pervert!" Ivy barked. "Get your dirty hands off of me!"
She suddenly realized what was happening and corrected herself. "You're feeling unwell? I forgot to tell you that activating magical runes consumes magical power. You never practiced the arts before, so you may even lose consciousness!"
"I feel better already," Ethan replied, giving his sister's tight-hanging breasts a good squeeze before getting up.
The boy wasn't lying about feeling better. A healthy erection had formed a tent in his boxers already. Now, all he had to do was convince the girl to do sex stuff.
"Alright. If the disentanglement rune did not work, then nothing magical will," Ivy lamented. "I am out of ideas!"
"God, this is ridiculous!" she let out her frustration. "Why did I come to your room in the first place?! I am a goddamned future holy knight! Getting stuck in my brother's closet should be the least of my worries!"
"If I ask for outside help, the entire Fondel County would be rife with rumors! I might get kicked out of warrior training!"
As his sister spiraled out of control, Ethan decided to play his gamble. "Listen, I think I have to leave."
"What? Right now? Why?"
"Ermm… It's a bit embarrassing, but I have an erection…"
"What's wrong with you, Ethan? Have you been running perverted thoughts all this time?"
The boy defended himself. "Of course not! I didn't invite you to come to my room! About the erection—it's early morning when most boys are vulnerable to getting aroused. Combined with the stress you've been causing me, my body acted strangely. How is it my fault?"
"Oh…" was all Ivy replied. She was speechless that her actions would inadvertently lead to her brother getting an erection. Even her single-word answer sounded sympathetic in the tone.
"I'm sorry for being insensitive. It's just that I'm stuck, and you decided to leave, which made me panic. Let me know first—will you presently go to an elf and have sex with her?"
Ethan laughed aloud. "Sex? Hell, no! Do you think I desire or get to sleep around with women? I am the future Count of Fondel, am I not?"
"It's just that I have to do a few things to survive. That includes preventing the Chaste Devil's curse from getting triggered. Last time, Elaine used her hands to relieve me. That encounter made me so self-conscious that I fear facing the Elves now!"
"I'm sorry… Now I understand why you decided to ask Gwen for help…"
Ethan did not mean that, but it was a convenient excuse. "Yes, Gwen is my sister, and I am very comfortable with her physically and emotionally. With Elaine, my only consolation was that I healed the injuries she sustained in a wild boar attack."
It was weird for the siblings to have a proper conversation for the first time since they became adults, and that too inside a closet in a compromising situation.
"I've read about it…" Ivy said. "The miraculous powers of fertile male seed when consumed through the orifices… That the effect is different for different races?"
"Yeah, that's accurate. It can be a powerful catalyst for powerful witch spells, or can cause a physical transformation in werepeople, and so on…"
The elder sister considered the information for a moment. "What miracle does it bring when consumed by humans?"
Ethan had to choose his words carefully. The conversation had to go perfectly so that Ivy would arrive at a particular decision all by herself. She must not suspect being manipulated even for a single moment.
"All I know is that the effect is feeble on humans. However, it is different depending on the situation."
"I don't understand…"
"What is so difficult to comprehend? If humans have minor injuries, male seed can heal them. If they are poisoned, it acts as an antidote. An artist having trouble composing a song may get inspiration. A warrior unable to learn an advanced move may do it successfully. And so on."
Ivy, regardless of her captive situation, sounded impressed. "Depends on the situation, huh? Umm… Listen…"
"What?" Ethan was already celebrating internally. 'Here it comes…'
"Could your fertile seed get me out of this tunnel? I'm just asking."
"I am not sure, but theoretically, yes. Do you want me to bring some residual semen after I am done with Elaine?"
"No! Please don't go!" Ivy pleaded. "What if someone else comes by while you are gone? It's morning already, and maids have started doing their rounds. Even worse things could happen—Isabella may return to follow up her last visit."
"Then what do you want me to do?" Ethan asked in an impatient tone. "I have only a few hours before the Chaste Devil's curse is triggered."
"You can go to the washroom—"
"I know what you're suggesting, but masturbation will only accelerate the curse. Mom said a fertile seed trader recently turned to stone after jerking off while he was trapped in the hills."
Ivy went silent all of a sudden. Now, the two were openly talking about Ethan's semen. It was both ridiculous and arousing for the boy.
"You mean… you need a woman to…" his sister mumbled.
"Yes."
"In that case… You could…"
The Cromwell heir bit his lip to prevent cackling aloud. He was his sister's captor and would be her savior. "What? I could do what?"
"You could use me," Ivy replied, almost hyperventilating. "I mean, we already have a deal, right? Me in exchange for Gwen? Let's put that into practice. I would've waited a day before allowing the deal, but desperate times require desperate measures."
"Are you sure?" Ethan asked, sounding concerned. "My thing will have to touch your body."
The girl sighed heavily. "It is disgusting to even think about it. But I don't think I have an alternative way to escape right now."
"Alright," Ethan replied, basking on the fact that he had explicit consent from his sister. "Here I go!"