Chapter 340: 125: Engage! – Part 1

I put my claws on Nono's juicy thigh and squeeze it as I introduce her, "This is Nononya Andera, a noblewoman from Rabanara who studies [Summoning Magic]." -I grin ferociously and glance at my piece of rabbit meat- "She'll also give birth to my child one day, and though that doesn't mean she's officially my woman, you can see what kind of relationship we have."

Nono's pale face reddens, but she doesn't look away or even try to deny my affirmation.

"Hm…" Petra hums and awkwardly nods once, then she stiffly introduces herself, "I'm Petra Grosshil, Supporting Descendant for my brother, and daughter of Stefan Grosshil, an ally of the Ryders."

"W-well met," Nono hesitantly replies and nods deeply, making her long rabbit ears bounce.

I release her thigh and wrap my arm around her waist, then I pull her closer to me. She stiffens in surprise for a second but then relaxes into my arm.

This helps her regain some confidence as her voice becomes more assured once she continues, "I was born a commoner and married a noblewoman, so forgive me if I seem to lack manners."

Petra smiles warmly and gently shakes her head as she reassures Nono, "Don't worry about such a thing. I'm more of a Lady than a noble since my magic is unfit for battle, so I hardly deserve the respect that my Title demands."

"You two have more in common than one might easily see, it seems," I remark coolly, then I assume a more solemn tone. "But let's talk about business." -The two stiffen subtly, following my lead- "The reason for this meeting is that we want to remake [Summoning Magic] from the ground-up by shoring up its weaknesses and making it competitive power-wise with the other types of system magic."

Petra's dark eyebrows rise up on her forehead. "A bold endeavor, but I know little about [Summoning Magic]," she prudently warns.

I nod and continue, "Yes, but perhaps [Alchemicism] has what we need to boost Summoning." -I absentmindedly squeeze Nono's thigh again- "You see, one of its weaknesses is that all summons are made to be intelligent. This creates an unnecessary overhead in complexity because why should you summon an elemental that can shoot [Fireball]s autonomously when you can simply cast the same spell yourself a few times?"

Petra hums in understanding and comments, "Ah, yes, the Theorem of Spell Balance."

"I don't have enough knowledge of magical theory to know what that is," I immediately admit.

Nono gently lays a hand on my thigh, dangerously close to my dick, and kindly explains to me, "There are no shortcuts to stronger spells. Every path a mage takes to improve their spells means that they become weaker at something else. So, there are no inherently 'better' spells, only mages who know when and where to best use them."

Petra nods in agreement and continues, "The Theorem itself defines three paths a mage can take to grow: they can learn how to 'build' their spells better, increasing their efficiency; or they can raise their level with the skill, allowing for more complex spells; or they might simply raise their own 'Magic Power' or [Mana Control] to increase its strength."

Magical theory sounds surprisingly simple.

I hum in understanding and grab my chin in thought as I deliberate, "So, all spells fall in a triangle between 'cost,' 'complexity,' and 'strength'?"

Nono giggles girlishly, and her fluffy ears tickle my cheek. "Yes, that's exactly it."

And Petra continues with a rather smug tone, "Items like robes and staves serve to either increase strength or lower cost, but the balance is still mostly in the hands of the mage. [Alchemicism] tries to circumvent that completely by searching for alternative sources of power to traditional magic, which has the side effect of making spells rather 'unpredictable.'"

"More like 'completely unreliable,'" Roxanne grumbles with a sneer in my soul space.

My thick tail waves slowly as I deliberate, "What I want, specifically, is to lower Summoning's high base 'complexity.' Currently, all summons are kind of pre-built within the spells, which is another unnecessary thing, so we can start by trying to find something that replaces the need to 'mold' summons, and that would do wonders to tone down the difficulty of learning the magic school."

"I assume you already have an idea for how to accomplish that?" Petra calmly replies.

And I grin excitedly. "Remember the Tale of Creation? Everything is in a Cycle, so the priests believe that there's one for spirits too, where all of them gather after their death. I want to use the minor moon of 'otherworldliness' to tap into that Cycle, then find the spirits of dead heroes and use [Summoning Magic]'s function to copy souls so that they can be summoned to serve us without actually pulling them out of Paradise."

Petra freezes from shock in her lady-like pose. "That is… a daring plan."

Her expression is really pleasing to me, for some reason. "But wait, there's more. Since this is obviously an advanced spell, the lower level spells could tap into the collective consciousness of the humanoids to summon simple objects that could be useful, like weapons."

And her face lights up as she begins to fully grasp our plan.

But I've got no more bombs to throw, so I finish, "Since you're the only person I know who has learned [Alchemicism], your input is integral to ascertaining the viability of this plan. So, what do you think?"

She looks away and spends a moment deep in thought, then she gives us a cautious answer, "This is an extremely unusual request. I can help you tap into the power of the moons, but we won't know if you can actually summon anything through it until we try."

With my free hand, I put a claw under my rabbit's chin and prop her up. "Nono here will be the one to cast it since I don't have the time to research this, and I'm very much a system mage, so I know almost nothing about altering spells."

She glances at Nono, who grins unashamedly, and narrows her eyes as she whispers, "I see… Well, first, we'll need a location where we can build a 'funnel' for the power of the moons."

I wave my claws dismissively. "We're still 'growing' the Institute, but I'm sure there's an empty lab there that you can use."

And she tentatively explains, "We'll need a lot of shielding to filter the power, so a lot of emellanat metal, too, which will be expensive."

"Our funds aren't unlimited, but I can personally give you a reasonably high level of funding since this is a personal project."

The dark-skinned beauty subtly leans forward out of interest, then she pushes back a lock of curly hair that gets in front of her face. "Will I be considered a hired researcher of the Institute?"

I smile and huskily reply, "Yes, you will."

She glances at Nono again. "But how about her? She lives in Rabanara, no?"

"Her wife is also a close lover of the Chosen Descendant of Rabanara, and both sides are in agreement to let her use the [Eternal Gate] for free, so it's a non-issue for her to come and go every day."

She raises a thin eyebrow. "What a complex web of relationships."

Nono swallows nervously while I chuckle softly. "That's just how the nobility is," I wryly remark.

Petra clenches her jaw in irritation and changes the topic, "Anyway, I have some ideas about how to build a simple 'funnel,' so we can begin testing if Madame Nononya can sense and manipulate the lunar power."

"Then let's visit the Institute and see where you can start setting up your lab."

I call for a mage, and while we wait, I show Nono the view.

"Ooh~…" She coos softly in wonder, and her bushy white tail wags cutely a few times.

I stop by the edge of the balcony and motion with my hand towards the town far ahead and below us as I cheerily illustrate, "You should see it at night. The mist from the making of Eia pills floods the town, but it doesn't go past the Shell, so it's like we're at a dam, surrounded by a sea of mist."

She fearlessly leans on the railing, something that Earth-me would be very hesitant to do, and hums with a gentle smile on her cute, red lips. "This town is so beautiful. I can't believe we're high up in huge trees."

"Aren't you afraid of how high we are?" I curiously ask her.

She smiles coyly and glances at me. "Will you catch me if I fall?"

"Of course I will," I huskily answer and grin.

"Then there's nothing to fear," she replies matter-of-factly and smiles adorably.

I just admire her cuteness in silence for a moment. This woman has captured my heart, so I should start thinking about making her exclusive, but I shouldn't be too hopeful because considering how Silvane has been corrupting Nono, she may be too depraved to settle for only me.

Now's not the time, though, so I soon continue, "Ever seen the High Forest from the ground?"

She shakes her head gently, and my eyes are drawn to the bobbing atop her head. "No, not really. I've only seen the High Trees from far away when I was passing through Goldcross."

"Didn't you come from Conchononoi? Why travel so far?"

Her smile becomes bitter as she remembers something not so pleasant. "My homeland isn't very rich or fertile. Leaving and trying your luck also isn't a good idea since wererabbit women are even more 'prized' than werecats outside of Concho. But when we heard that Rabanara was accepting anyone as a citizen without the need to pay taxes, my parents scrounged up enough to send me here."

I frown in worry and question, "Now that you're married, are you going to bring them here?"

And her bushy tail wags a few times. "I'm trying to, but it takes a long time to send letters there, even if you have access to teleporting mail."

And I earnestly offer, "If you ever need any help, my family will always be available. Also, I'd like to meet your parents when they get here. I am going to be the father of your child, after all."

Her pale cheeks turn pink, and she looks away in embarrassment, then nods shyly.

A mage arrives, and we take a [Gate] to the Institute. It might be a good idea to set up an [Eternal Gate] there, but our offices here aren't ready yet, so there's no good location for it.

We've just taken over the [Weaverism] magic school that already existed and grown more buildings. They follow the grassland elf style of trees grown wide enough to be hollowed out into a multi-story building, so they're nothing special, but at least they're very well made and sturdy.

There are plenty of Chimeras about, and I'm not sure what they're all doing. It does seem like they're having scholarly discussions, but a few of them are just hanging around, and, of course, there are some doing "just Chimera things" in the public garden.

Petra's gaze tells me that she's a straight woman. She's likely in her late teens just like her brother, but I very much doubt she has lost her virginity, so I delight myself in imagining what's going through her mind.

At least the entrance to the buildings is controlled, so there are no unknown strangers inside. The teams working on the planes are quite small, so they only need to use a few rooms, leaving plenty for the girls to choose from.

Since I own the place, I just flag a clerk and introduce him to the girls. The two need IDs to get in and out, supplies, and the keys to the lab, so they'll be spending quite some time talking to him.

Now that everything seems to be progressing on its own, I decide that it's time to leave. "I honestly would love to see you two work, but I have some other things to deal with, so I'll be taking my leave. If either of you ever need anything, you can just talk to me or my wives directly."

Nono nods repeatedly while Petra gracefully replies, "Thank you for the consideration."

I wink at Nono, then I return to the castle.

I go to the Lordsguard headquarters at the Shell between the inner and outer rings. I need to hand over the notes from the lizard-scientists to our mages for them to study. I don't have the time to decipher them personally.

The poor young mage that receives all the bloodied papers goes white. He probably isn't fit for battle if he has hemophobia. Unless he's actually scared of me, but I think I look pretty cuddly except for when I'm intentionally trying to look threatening.

I pass by the Celestial Horns as they train, and I notice that Lorena is with them. She's the girl who decided to continue serving as a spirit after death, and I believe Oritiki might be grooming her into becoming one of the Horns. Loyalty like hers is too precious to not make full use of it.

Then I decide to make a stop to watch Hana give her brother a beat down. He may be strong and talented, but Hana is a grizzled and ferocious warrior. Even the twins are here to observe the beating.

Hermann falls flat on his back, then he turns his head to the side and spots me. His eyes immediately light up, and his grimace of pain is replaced by a grin, which actually makes me feel a chill go down my spine.

"Wo-… Lord Wolf, fight me!" He shouts, and Hana lightly hits his temple with the flat side of her blade.

"The fuck're you thinking? You can't even score a hit on me!" She grumbles, slightly offended.

He ignores her poking and promptly declares, "I want to see how far apart we are."

The twins raise their eyebrows in surprise and stare at me, eager for my answer.

I shrug and hum, "Fine."

After a quick change into clothes that won't stick to my every form and bulge, I walk into the sand arena and draw my elven shortsword. I'll try this out without a shield and see how it goes.

Hermann wields a heater shield and a bastard sword like an imperial knight. He strikes quite the imposing figure despite his young looks, but he's not as savage as a true dragonkin like Hana can be.

I smile and motion with my hand for him to come as I declare, "I give you the initiative. Come at me, bro."

His eyebrows twitch at my challenge, then he smiles ferociously and advances.

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His sword meets with mine, then he deflects my attack towards his shield so that he's free to counter.

I just glide backward with [Telekinesis] and get out of his range. He senses the spell and braces for impact in surprise, but I wasn't using it offensively, so he gives me a cautious look and finally notices that my feet aren't touching the ground.

"This is my specialty," I proudly state and smile, but he remains serious and suspicious of what else I might throw at him.

We exchange a few more blows, measuring the other's skill level, and we both quickly realize that mine is quite a bit higher.

But then he surprises me with a sneaky deflection that leaves me open, forcing me to use a burst of [Telekinesis] to not get sliced.

Weird…

That was… unexpected. Not just surprising, but it's as if I was "blindsided."

"That's his talent showing," Hana's proud voice echoes in my soul space.

I see…

Skill levels aren't everything, but in a duel, it becomes quite easy to measure the difference in level between two warriors, and it seems like Hermann can occasionally bridge the gap solely through talent.

My casual demeanor changes as I'm forced to glide backward repeatedly, and he becomes bolder with his strikes, trying to hit me faster than I can retreat.

I suddenly switch gears and lunge with [Muscle Explosion], forcing him to use it, too, to dodge my attack, then I linger within his range as bait, which he promptly takes.

I make a simple attack, and the tip of my blade slides along the length of his, getting closer to the hilt, then he uses his greater leverage to press my sword against his shield and takes a step forward as he pivots his sword so that the tip points towards me.

A brilliant move as it locks my weapon in place while he can lunge and stab me, but it was all according to keikaku.

I can't move the tip of my sword away from him, but I can still push it in or out.

I also advance and use [Muscle Explosion] to dodge his stab while I push my blade towards his shield at the same time, giving me the leverage to pivot and slide the edge along his cheek.

He steps back in surprise and tries to slice me as he pulls his sword back, but I use [Dodge] to bob out of the way.

His [Muscle Explosion] seems to be at level 1, so it has a much longer "recharge" than mine, which is at level 5. My specialty isn't actually fighting with weapons, it's countering others with strategy or exploiting an obvious weakness like this one.

The sight of his own blood angers Hermann, then he growls and throws aside all caution, going all out on the offensive.

His sword has a longer reach than mine, so he easily puts me on the defensive again, and I'm forced to use my free hand to parry his attacks. My scales and hide are so tough that I can actually use [Block] with my hand, so it seems that I don't really have much need for a shield anymore, except to protect myself against projectiles.

I'm actually at a disadvantage here, though, so I have to be creative to get a hit in. And I don't want to win with a thousand cuts, so I'll play it big.

He lunges, and his blade slides between my fingers as I use my claws to divert its path away from my face. I could grab his sword right now, but a contest of "Strength" isn't going to go in my favor when he's so much bigger than me.

I stop gliding along the floor and use [Telekinesis] on the tip of his weapon to pull it forward, and he grunts as he struggles to not lose his grip, keeping him locked in place for just a second, but that's all I need.

I grab his exposed wrist and dig my claws into his skin, then I jump, pull my legs towards myself, and brace for impact as he instinctively bashes his shield against my body, but this was obviously all according to keikaku.

I use [Telekinesis] on myself again to remain still in the air as I take the hit, then I shove my blade into his chest.

This is "gg," so I let go of both his wrist and my sword and glide away.

Hermann grunts in pain and drops his shield, then he grips the blade in his chest and begins to slowly pull it out.

I motion to the healer on call to help him. "This is over; go heal him," I order.

The man salutes, and the referee blows the whistle, then Hermann finally releases his sword and kneels down in pain.

I didn't aim for his heart, but I might've pierced a lung, so he's probably in a lot of pain right now.

Yet he still raises his head and grins at me. "How much… did you hold back?" He asks with a strained voice.

I summon my tentacles and use them to pick up the practice weapons at the edge of the arena, then I instant cast [Discharge] upwards, creating a huge web of lightning that makes some of the audience flinch in fear.

Hermann snorts and chuckles, then lowers his head and lets the healer do his thing, so I start to make my way back to the stands, and I'm showered with applause.

The twins have complicated expressions. I know they're a bit envious of me, so seeing the truth must be shocking. It's one thing to see me kill droves of monsters, but it's another thing entirely to see how much I have to hold back just so that a duel is fair.

Hopefully, this inspires them to train hard.

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