"Did you call for me, my lady?" Cassian asked, bowing as he approached Katherine, who was searching for a book on her bookshelf. She nodded and said, "This is for you," as she pulled a book from the shelf.
Cassian took the book and glanced at the title: Leg Devotion. The name reminded him of a book he had recently finished, making him uncertain whether it was about massage—like the previous one—or something weird, given the title's ambiguity.
His guess was correct. Katherine explained, "This book covers techniques for massaging calves and thighs. Please read it and begin practicing the techniques described in a week."
He hadn't even finished mastering foot massage techniques yet, still a long way from advancing to the first level of proficiency. Now, he had to learn another set of skills.
He hoped the system would find something useful in this new book. To his relief, the system's voice echoed in his mind, making him smile.
[Chaos mana detected. If the trainee allows the system to absorb it, a new skill will be provided.]
'First, promise me it won't be as useless as that foot massage skill,' Cassian thought, flipping through the pages as if he were reading, not wanting Katherine to know he was talking to someone in his mind.
[The system cannot determine which skill to provide, as it is based on the book, but it will attempt to find one that matches the host's needs.]
This response left Cassian a bit disheartened, thinking he might end up with another impractical skill. Still, at least he wouldn't have to start from scratch, even if it was another massage technique. He silently consented. 'It's all yours. Absorb it.'
[Absorbing chaos...]
The system began absorbing the chaos without even thanking Cassian for allowing it, he looked bit annoyed but thinking 'At least it's giving me something in exchange,' he waited for the reward. Since the system was taking its time, he turned to Katherine and said with a smile, "It will be done, my lady. But instead of waiting a week, could I start practicing now? The techniques are similar to foot massage, just with a few different strokes. I'd like to go through it once."
Katherine looked surprised, as the techniques in this book were nothing like the foot massage ones. However, Cassian spoke with such confidence that she gave an amused smile and said, "I'm free all day, so take your time."
"Thank you, my lady. It'll only take a couple of minutes at most," Cassian replied, stepping to the side and beginning to flip through the pages.
He had considered asking her to leave but was too impatient to wait. Since the book mentioned thigh massage as well, he wanted to see if massaging Katherine's thighs would have the same effect as it did when he massaged Laureen. Cassian didn't realize that just thinking about massaging Katherine's thighs was already causing a reaction—he could see a small bulge forming in his pants.
[Absorption complete.]
After a few minutes, the system's voice chimed in, making Cassian smile. It spoke again:
[The skill has been granted. You now possess 'Leg and Thigh Massage Mastery'. This skill enables you to identify massage points on the thighs and legs and provides comprehensive knowledge about the legs of humans and other beings with a similar anatomy. Does trainee Cassian wish to learn it?]
'Yes.'
Just like that, a surge of information began to fill his mind. As before, it was knowledge about various life forms, but Cassian noticed that most of these beings had similar physiology to humans, with only a few extra muscles or bones here and there.
As the information continued to flood in, the system spoke again, surprising him.
[The skill 'Leg and Thigh Massage Mastery' will be merged with 'Foot Massage Mastery,' creating the new skill 'Lower Body Massage Mastery.']
But the surprises didn't stop there.
[Another skill is in development. As the system processes the absorbed chaos, it will be completed and granted to the trainee in time.]
Cassian was momentarily confused by the system's announcement. He had questions about what it meant for a skill to be "in development" or "digesting the chaos," but he decided to set those thoughts aside for now.
As Cassian anticipated working on another set of thighs, he watched Katherine engrossed in her work at the study table. He walked up to her and said, "I'm done, my lady."
Katherine looked up in surprise and asked, "Already?"
Cassian simply nodded with a smile. Katherine returned his smile with amusement, then shifted her legs to the side to make room under the table. "Well, go ahead then."
To Cassian's luck, Katherine was wearing a long skirt, which meant he could work directly on her skin rather than through clothing. Taking his seat under the table, he gently grasped her feet and asked, "Shall I start with your feet and work my way up, my lady?"
"As you wish," Katherine replied with a smile, adding, "But did you really learn it so quickly?"
"Yes, my lady," Cassian said with a smirk. "Just let me warm up your feet before showing you."
He began massaging her feet, and within minutes, they began radiating warmth, helping Katherine relax as she felt the tension and tiredness ease from her body.
As Cassian observed Katherine's relaxed expression, he shifted his hands from her feet to her ankles. Lightly stroking his fingers behind her ankles, he moved up to her calves, applying more pressure as he continued. Katherine responded with a breathless gasp, "Ohhh... ha... ha... haa," and then laughed, surprised and excited. "You weren't lying...you really learned it."
Cassian smiled smugly at her reaction. While it wasn't his skill that allowed him to learn quickly, Katherine didn't need to know that, so he could afford to be a bit arrogant. However, not wanting to come off as a genius, he said, "It's not that I learned all the techniques—just a few that matched the foot massage ones."
"Well, it's already surprising that you learned so much in just a few minutes," Katherine said with a smile, continuing to relax in her chair. "Your aptitude is perfect for Magisteria."
Cassian looked puzzled, not knowing what Magisteria was. He asked, "What is Magisteria, my lady?"