Chapter 7: Chapter 7

I was back in the library, doing my mind-numbingly boring menial tasks. I couldn’t say I disliked the opportunity though, as it gave me the excuse to think about more important things, such as the close calls I had experienced the previous day. During those events, I had stretched my abilities to the limit, both magical and mundane, risking everything, though the reward I received was above my expectations as well, giving me a job with an amazing perk, continuous access to Marianne’s luscious curves…

For that reason, I had picked up a few books on anatomy and medicine, trying to get some hints on how to improve my massage technique. It was tempting to get a few skills on the topic. My performance was satisfactory, but there was no harm in enhancing it further.

But the situation with Marianne wasn’t my only noteworthy achievement, I thought as I glanced towards the table where Helga was sitting, her eyes turning towards the entrance with an unexpected frequency. Apparently, I had managed to impress her quite a bit, or more accurately, our mysterious ranger did. She was even sitting on a table close to the corridor rather than skulking in a hidden one to avoid students that might be struck with the idea of bullying her.

It was interesting just how much a crush affected her usual behavior. I would have expected her to act more jaded, but it seemed that the continuous isolation left her hungry for positive interactions, however fleeting. It would be a pity if she missed meeting with the one that she had been waiting for, I decided. So I walked around enough that I could disappear for a couple of hours without raising suspicion.

So, the Mule disappeared behind the shelves, and after careful layering of several soft illusions, Ranger Orlin stepped in his place, with his reddish hair, strikingly-wounded face, and easygoing charm.

I started walking around the shelves, looking like I was looking for a book, while roving closer and closer to Helga’s position. I wanted her to think that she noticed me first. It was a small leverage, but these kinds of small things have a tendency to compound if managed carefully.

I had been expecting her to notice me after a couple of minutes, after I came closer to her, but I saw her standing up within seconds of my appearance, showing that she was paying even more attention to her surroundings than I had been expecting, or maybe she had a better observation skill. “Orlin!” she called, barely able to hide the enthusiasm in her voice.

“Helga?” I said in response, letting a smile bloom, which widened hers even further. I closed in, bent my knees slightly, and opened my hands in expectation, though I was careful to angle my body correctly, so it followed the traditions of Northern Lands which she belonged to, rather than the Empire.

Her blush was positively cute as she put her hand on my palm, which only intensified when I brought it to my face and pressed my lips on her second knuckle, rather than fourth, a subtle indication of interest according to tradition. My research on Northern traditions turned out to be quite as she reddened further.

“So, what are you doing in the library this early?” I asked. “Aren't you supposed to be in a class?”

“I don’t have any today,” she said, with a slight bitterness. She either had one and dropped because of the constant bullying, or failed to take a class she wanted to because the professor would not give her a seat; if her tone was any indicator.

Regardless of the reason, I needed to pull her away from the negativity. “It’s my fortune, then,” I said, accompanied by the most attractive smirk I could manage, bringing all my charisma to the forefront. “Because this gives me the opportunity to spend some more time with a radiant beauty like you.”

I had a feeling that without my speech skill to boost my stats, the only thing a line that cheesy would have earned would be a hasty escape, or a slap if she was in a particularly bad mood. Instead, she sputtered without an answer as her breathing quickened. “Thanks,” she barely managed to utter.

“Excellent,” I said. “You don't mind helping me look for some books on Arcane Magic, do you?” I said, and before she could say anything in reply, took her hand and started walking, dragging her with me. Funnily enough, she was about to resist it until she realized I was moving deeper into the library, towards the areas that lacked any students. Usually, a girl would resist being pulled into such an area, but her desire to avoid her bullies were stronger than her common sense.

For the next few minutes, we walked between the shelves, or more accurately, I dragged her with me while she tried to process the casual yet intimate contact we were sharing. As we walked, I started to ask her questions about various books, which slowly evolved into a discussion about the fundamentals of magical theory.

When the discussion moved on to topics where she had a stronger aptitude, she was quick to shed her crippling shyness. Though the blush still remained, so did occasional stammer, but she was actively contributing to the discussion, explaining the fundamentals of magic. She kept the discussion at the absolute basics, not knowing I had the Arcana skill, but even then, there were the occasional comments and interpretations that were novel for me.

As we talked, I realized this ruse that could benefit me in more ways than one. After picking a few books, I led her towards a desk, and deliberately sat on a corner of the desk, leading her to do the same, thus creating a more casual and intimate environment than the distant placement of the chairs would have caused..

Then, slowly, I started to make seemingly unintentional slips in the discussion, not enough to reveal the full extent of my wisdom, but enough to suggest that I had already taken the Arcana skill and achieved quite a bit of progress without maximizing the basic version. Even then, I had to push the envelope quite a bit for her to notice that fact. “You’re not trying to decide whether or not to take the Arcana skill,” she said with a shocked manner. “You already have it!”

“Guilty as charged,” I said with a smirk. “You’re even smarter than I had assumed, catching me this quickly,” I added, as flattery never hurts, especially when backed with a healthy dose of manipulation and some speech.

“I guess so,” she murmured before her gaze sharpened. “But why did you lie?”

“It was supposed to be a secret, as my people have rather strict ideas on daring to learn magical skills when you’re not from one of their noble bloodlines, claiming to be cursed otherwise. It will cost me a lot if they realize that I had dared to take one.”

[+1 Speech]

Her expression softened as she was caught by the similarity between her struggle and my fake one. “I understand,” she said. “But you owe me one for that omission,” she added in a way that was supposed to be whimsical excitement but came across choppy and shaky. She was really bad at flirting.

Luckily for her, I wasn’t. “Of course,” I said before leaning forward, and continuing with a whisper as the distance between my lips and her ear dwindled dangerously. “Whatever you wish for, milady.” When I pulled back, her face was bright red. “Are you okay?” I asked cluelessly, putting my hand gently on her cheek. “You look like you have a fever.”

“Just a little cold,” she answered, jumping at the provided opening with both feet. “Anyway, since you already have some background, I can help you study magic.”

“Really?” I said with enthusiasm I didn’t need to fake. “You would do that for me? Smart, beautiful, and kind! You’re a godsend!” I said as I hugged her.

“It’s nothing,” she tried to stammer, overwhelmed by my response.

“Believe me, it’s not,” I said, squeezing her harder, which had the added benefit of familiarizing her with my muscles while I enjoyed the pressure of her breasts against my chest. She really had a spectacular body.

[+1 Speech]
[+20 Experience]

After letting her go, I pushed forth a serious expression onto my face. “But we need to keep it a secret. It would hurt me a lot if it got exposed that I have been studying magic. I only managed to disappear today by claiming I was going on a hunt.”

“That’s okay,” she said. “We can meet up here and I will help you.”

“Thank you,” I said, caressing her cheek gently. Another rather forward action, even by the relatively lax standards of the Northern lands, but she only smiled at the closeness.

“So, what can you do,” she asked.

“Only these two spells,” I said, and quickly showed-off my telekinesis and my shield, but I made sure to cast them in a lower capability, much noisier than I could manage, though I didn’t skimp on the general finesse and strength.

“Not bad,” she said. “But you need to be more careful while balancing the energy matrix of the spell…” she added, launching a lengthy explanation, impressively detailed, and actually effective enough to bring my understanding of the subject to a higher level.

“Really? Tell me more,” I said after she finished, and meanwhile, put my hand on her knee in an absentminded manner. She blushed, but didn’t ask me to pull it away, instead started another lesson on fundamentals of magic.

The next hour passed in a serious academic mood, broken occasionally by my casual touches, exploring the safer spots of her body, her knees, shoulders, back, and very rarely, lower parts of her thighs. She started to react with less panic after each touch, but her quickening breath was enough to assuage my fears about the effectiveness of my strategy. And while I had some close-calls, my newly enhanced speech capabilities managed to bridge the gap.

[+2 Subterfuge]
[+3 Speech]

But like everything beautiful, it also had some limits. While it was fun to spend time with her, some distance would only intensify her feelings. “Thank you very much,” I said as once again I placed my hand on her thigh. “But I need to return. I still need to visit the forest and hunt something. It would be suspicious if I return from the hunt empty-handed.”

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“You’re right,” she answered, though reluctant.

“Don’t worry,” I said with a chuckle. “We can meet tomorrow as well. Same place, at the same time?”

“That would be wonderful,” she murmured.

“See you then,” I said and leaned to kiss her on the cheek, though, at the last second, I felt a bit more mischievous I feigned like I was going left while reaching her right, and as she turned to her left panickedly, presenting her lips to my reach for the perfect accidental kiss while trying to avoid the same.

[+100 Experience]
[Achievement: Plotted Peck. Carefully engineer an accidental romantic kiss, fit for the ballads. +300 Experience, +1 Precision. +1 Manipulation]

I kept the kiss lingering for a moment, then pulled back, leaving Helga in dazed confusion, though a smile was blooming on her face. “I’m so sorry!” I said with an exaggerated panic. “I would have never done something like that with you if it wasn’t a complete accident,” I added, stressing the word never.

“Why?” she said with sudden sharpness. “Is there something wrong with me?” she added, her good mood instantly evaporating at my sudden vehemence, so much that she didn’t pay any attention to the fact that she had just let a near-stranger kiss her.

“Of course not,” I said, suddenly abandoning my exaggerated denial in favor of a husky tone while I took a step forward, closing the distance once more. “You are a beautiful woman, and you deserve a kiss better than the ridiculous touch that we just shared…” I leaned forward while she failed to keep in line with the sudden reversal. “Like this,” I whispered before my hand slid into her hair, and our lips touched.

This time, it wasn’t a passive, fleeting kiss. No, I brought forth the full range of my capabilities while my other hand moved to her back, trying to gauge her reaction. Luckily, she was too shocked to hide her reaction, allowing me to quickly correct the various aspects of my reaction.

And my lips weren’t the only source of pleasure for her. My hands on her back, dancing in patterns, using the pressure points and sensitive spots taught by my research on sensual massage. I could feel her body trembling as she struggled not to melt, a losing battle that she nevertheless tried to fight.

Soon, her lips joined the dance, but in a small, fleeting manner. They opened and closed, trying to follow my rhythm, but always at least one step behind, failing to bring about the appropriate result. I was tempted to push her down, sprawled on the desk, to test how much it would take to overwhelm her crush.

Unfortunately, that had a big risk of exploding to my face, so I pulled back, a smirk on my face. “That was much better, right?” I said as I gently caressed her chin while leaning forward like I was about to kiss her for the third time.

“Yes,” she murmured, her lips parting slightly in preparation for our kiss, but this time, I changed direction at the last second, and in a twisted reflection of the first kiss, placed a soft, lingering one on her cheek. “See you tomorrow,” I said before I left, leaving a confused girl in my wake.

[+400 Experience]

---

Orion’s job was over after I left Helga behind, so I shelved him in a trip to the depths of the library, the Mule coming out once more.

I picked my cart, piled with books, and started walking around. During my passage, I realized that Helga was absent, probably too overwhelmed with what had happened, choosing to disappear back to her room instead of trying to study.

With my favorite target absent, I started walking around the library, occasionally using telekinesis or another spell to mess with the students or the other workers, enthusiastic about experimenting with my newfound talents. It was incredible just how much I had improved in just an hour of tutoring.

Nothing short of a small miracle considering my arcana skill was currently maxed out. It made me understand how Helga managed to get a spot in the magical section of the school despite her status as a foreigner commoner. Another sign of just how useful that kind of approach could be.

More importantly, it made me change my intentions towards her. Initially, she was just a convenient target to enhance my power, but the fact that she could help me that much in less than an hour meant that she was an untapped treasure. I needed to find a way to acquire her long term, and not just as Orion the Ranger, but with my real identity.

It was a long term objective, as I had no intention to reveal anything to anyone else before I was strong enough to defend myself, or sleek enough to avoid any adverse attention. I needed to keep a low profile foras long as I could manage.

Unfortunately, as much as I wished it to be, I hadn’t had the option of concealing myself passively while scavenging for opportunities. While the future opportunities of Marianne and Helga were more than enough for my prospects, there was something I needed to address to maintain my tenuous hold on them. Or more accurately, someone.

Cornelia.

She had a strong hold over both Marianne and Helga, which meant that no matter how elaborate my plan, how strong my hold, I couldn’t predict when she would interject and break my plans. I had no information on her, not even why she was risking to have her dalliances in the library rather than in her room. Was it just a fetishistic preference, or did it have a more important reason?

Luckily, I had recently come up with a way to learn it.

When I saw Cornelia entering the library, I took it as a sign to get away. Following her to see whether she would bring me another opportunity to earn some experience was an option, but the lack of information was too dangerous in my case. I needed to learn what makes Cornelia tick.

I sneaked out of the library an hour before the supposed end of my shift, and after a brief stop at my room, I was once again wearing my maid costume, and started walking in the wing where it held the rooms for the female students. Though, this time, I made sure to apply a different face. With a few extra lines on the face, graying hair, and a slouched walk, I was replicating the sight of a forty years old maid perfectly.

This time, I had more confidence in my walk, not only did I have a better command of the layout, but also my skills in speech and subterfuge were sufficiently high enough to dismiss the suspicion of any maid. Most of them were Abnormals, and the rest, I doubted that any of them had enough in their stats to penetrate my improved disguise.

I started looking around to find someone to help me. A minute later, I succeed, in the form of a young maid skulking in the shadows, trying to avoid work. I had a feeling that she wasn’t very bright, trying to hide in such an obvious location, though it worked well for my intentions. “Greetings, youngster,” I called her, who flinched when she realized that her scheme had failed. “Do you have a minute or two to answer my questions?”

“Of course,” she said with relaxation when she realized I wasn’t planning to order her to do some kind of menial work. “How can I help you, honored elder?” she asked.

“My lady is about to join the halls of this esteemed institution, and they asked me to come early to pick her room and everything. So, I wanted to learn about how everything operates. Would it be a bother for a smart young girl to guide her elder.”

[+1 Subterfuge]

Excited to find flattery rather than the admonishment she had been expecting, she was quick to launch a detailed explanation about how everything worked. Funnily enough, half of the information she provided was inaccurate, conflicting with itself, thereby forcing me to keep a mental tally of everything and crosscheck the results. Still, after fifteen minutes, I had managed to learn quite a bit about how they operated, including a lot of casual secrets about the maids.

“And how about the students,” I gently prodded. “After all, I need to pick a nice room for my ward, and neighbors are important.”

“I don’t know, we’re not supposed to talk about the nobles…” she murmured, but when I twirled my fingers and a silver coin appeared between them, her tune changed. “But on the other hand, your mission is also important. It’s hard to decide.” The amount of silver in my hand doubled. Her hand moved with an eerie quickness, her greed overcoming her limits.

[+2 Speech]

“Now, the first thing to know…” she started, and I listened…

[Level: 5 Experience: 11740 / 15000
Strength: 6 Charisma: 12
Precision: 9 Perception: 9
Agility: 7 Manipulation: 11
Speed: 6 Intelligence: 8
Endurance: 8 Wisdom: 17
HP: 180 / 180 Mana: 240 / 285 ]

SKILLS
[Advanced Subterfuge [43/50]
Basic Arcana [25/25]
Basic Speech [12/25] ]

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