Chapter 90

Thanks to my ability to track the location of Cornelia and Helga, I managed to find their exact location in the town easily despite the chaos that filled the stress during lunch hour. They arrived in a street filled with inns, though, before choosing one, a small argument went between Iomene and Cornelia. The distance between us was considerable, but Cornelia's body language was familiar. She was clearly unhappy with the quality of the inn, and demanding to go for a luxury one, only to be vetoed by Iomene, who ultimately won the argument, and led them into a more modest one.

Cornelia didn't look too happy with that conclusion, as evidenced by her glowing hands like she was about to launch a fireball while Iomene walked away from her confidently. I shook my head in amusement at Cornelia's attitude. It seemed that her rash arrogance was alive and well despite my lessons. She had just learned not to use that on me.

Rather than following them directly into the inn, I went for the back entrance —the windows. That close, I could find them with my eyes closed, so it wasn't particularly hard to identify their exact location. An illusion spell allowed me to climb the wall of the inn while avoiding notice. The inn was warded against the intruders, of course, but to someone with my skill, it was no different than not existing. To the defense of the inn, it wasn't exactly their fault.

It was hard to defend against someone that could erase the town itself singlehandedly if they were sufficiently motivated...

I expected them to be in their private rooms, and was trying to decide which one I should be talking about first, Cornelia or Helga. Surprisingly, I detected them staying close, even after they went into their room. Curious, I moved toward their room and perched under their window, once again relying on my magic to stay hidden.

A simple arcana mirror allowed me to spy inside their room, to check whether the whole team was sharing a room, only to realize Cornelia and Helga were sharing a single one, looking at each other silently, the atmosphere thick enough to cut with a knife.

To make things more interesting, neither of them was aware of my relationship with the other. Cornelia's information about my greater aims had always been limited even though she had a good understanding of my abilities, and while Helga had a better view of both my abilities and my greater aims, I deliberately didn't inform her about my relationship with Cornelia yet, wanting to leave that particular fight to a later, less sensitive time. Looking in hindsight, it might not be the best idea, as instead, it turned into a timed explosive at the most sensitive time possible.

Maybe I should stop procrastinating the important things.

I could have easily sneaked inside, but I stayed out, resting in a concealed spot in the outer walls, watching them through the spell. I was curious about how they would react to each other, so that I could resolve it more effectively. If I interjected immediately, I would suppress their argument, which would keep the issues suppressed until they explode.

Neither spoke until Helga quickly cast a silencing ward, missing the curious glance Cornelia sent to her way. Helga tried to keep her development hidden, but I knew from experience that it was hard to fake that after experiencing a comprehensible improvement. And Helga did so, both in Levels and in Stats. The fact that Cornelia had also experienced a radical jump in both, allowing her sensing abilities to transform significantly, made it virtually impossible for Helga to hide her abilities. At least, not without paying much more attention than the dismissive way she cast that particular ward.

"So, how have you been since our last meeting?" Cornelia asked, unable to prevent herself from adding a victorious and vicious edge to her smile despite the clear intrigue she felt at Helga's proficient magical display. Her outburst against Iomene first, now this... It seemed that I failed to fuck mindless arrogance out of her, and simply taught her to never employ it against me.

Step by step, I sighed in surrender.

"I have been well," Helga said curtly, sending Cornelia a haughty look before focusing on organizing her wardrobe, once again making me shake my head. Apparently, Cornelia wasn't the only one suffering from excessive arrogance. I understood Helga's point of view intimately, and to be fair, I had also experienced the arrogance of rapidly improving, which led me to rather ill-advised actions, but it was always easier to criticize the flaws of the others.

Unsurprisingly, Cornelia didn't appreciate the lip Helga was giving her, not since their latest meeting had included Helga being wrapped in chains while being whipped by Cornelia. Though, she managed to react it better than she did against Iomene's decision, and didn't threaten her with a spell. "I see it has been a while since we had a session, if you have forgotten your lessons enough to bark," she said instead. It was direct and combative, but from what I observed, it was closest to diplomacy Cornelia could achieve against someone she saw as inferior, which was an achievement in itself.

They weren't resorting to spells yet, which was a fortunate miracle.

If it was before, I would have just walked in and helped Helga to suppress her, to help her take revenge against the previous indignity she had suffered in Cornelia's hands, but things had since changed. For better or worse, Cornelia managed to earn a place in my life as important as Helga in my life, which meant I couldn't just help Helga break Cornelia.

Helga huffed in dismissal. "There's not going to be another lesson," Helga said decisively.

"So, you found another 'sponsor' then," Cornelia countered, her tone bitter. "How enterprising." I snorted at Cornelia's statement, as she herself had no problem acquiring a 'sponsor' to resolve her leveling problem or helping her to power-level. Trying to shame Helga for the same thing was rather ridiculous.

"I did," Helga said with a wide smirk, prideful in her achievement. She opened her mouth to continue to brag, but a moment later, she stopped, smart enough to realize bragging might have endangered my secrecy. Of course, Cornelia was in the know for most of those secrets, but Helga didn't know that yet. "Too bad that despite all your beauty, you have all the charm of a porcupine, unable to get anyone unless you buy their loyalty first."

Cornelia snorted in dismissal, which was a rather uncharacteristic response. "If you say so," she added, her disregard clear. I realized that Cornelia was measuring the imaginary new supporter of Helga, only for that portrait to come short against me severely.

I couldn't help, a snort escaped my mouth as well, making the girls aware of my presence under their window. "Who's there?" Cornelia jolted to action, her hand once again glowing with a flame spell, ready to lash out. Helga was not too slower, immediately crafting an arcana shield, reinforced by two ancillary wards and a third connection ward ready to connect it to the inn's general wards, showing the extent of her development.

And impressive development, for both girls.

I could have easily escaped, but doing so would have been pointless. I had already learned what I wanted to learn by observing them. They didn't have a burning hostility ready to explode, and the rest of their problems could be better mediated through my presence.

"Hi, girls," I said as I pulled myself into the room.

"Caesar," the girls said simultaneously with an elated tone, though it lasted only until they were able to process each other's tone. "No! Not her!" they said angrily, again, simultaneously.

"I love how smart you girls are," I said, making sure to smile roguishly, earning a pair of blushes, their emotional fluctuations enough to defuse their anger for a moment, which was all I needed. I walked to one of the beds with deliberate slowness and sat down, while they just watched, trying to handle the sudden change of pacing. I patted both sides of me, and ordered. "Why don't you girls take a seat. We have quite a few things to talk about."

"No, that's too much-" Cornelia started while Helga already took a step toward the seat I showed.

I cut her off quickly. "Sit," I ordered, my tone stiff and demanding. Cornelia quickly caught up with Helga, triggered by my order. She looked frustrated, but underneath, her arousal was not to be hidden. She was getting triggered by her submission more and more, which was a weird combination with her still-existent sadist tendencies.

[+ 2 Speech]

"So, do you girls learned anything more about the mission?" I asked after they sat down, putting my hands on their thighs, one each, and squeezing gently.

"Nothing much, it's just a routine cleansing mission, for a reported pack of shadow beasts making night raids. Apparently, they don't want to have any problem while the undead crisis is going on," Cornelia answered immediately, quick to take the role of team captain. Helga looked frustrated by her assumption, but a tight squeeze of her thigh was enough to silence her.

"I see," I murmured, not particularly surprised by the lack of useful information, but it was better to check to be through. "So, you girls don't find it suspicious?"

"Not particularly, no," Helga murmured, but her tone was indecisive. "At least, not until you suddenly appeared. It seems like just another emergency mission, many other students had received such orders." Cornelia looked equally confused and alert, their hostility forgotten in the face of immediate threat.

"Don't you feel the exact configuration of the group is a bit suspicious?" I asked, while moving both of my hands at the same time, pulling their robes high. It was evidence of our closeness that neither girl was bothered the slightest by my wandering hands, caressing their naked thighs underneath their clothes.

Helga continued to look confused, while Cornelia realized what I was talking about after a moment of silence. "It's an ambush for me," she gasped in shock.

"That's what I'm suspecting," I said.

"What?" cut in Helga, her surprise understandable since she was lacking critical information. "Who exactly is targeting her, and why?"

I gestured to Cornelia, wordlessly suggesting that there was no problem mentioning the truth. "Probably a rival house," Cornelia said instead, electing to keep her situation undercover. Which was rather pointless in my perspective, but I was willing to leave that as her choice. "The important thing is, how are they planning to achieve that? Do you think instructor Iomene is on their side?"

"Probably not," I answered. "Frankly, there's more than one way, but from the way they had arranged the group with students without a background, led by a foreign newcomer with almost no internal support, I'm inclined to expect a blunt approach, rather than a surgical strike."

"Should we retreat?" asked Cornelia. "I still have enough pull to cancel a mission, at least."

I smirked at her suggestion, even as I let my hand travel higher on their thighs, caressing the soft inner side, making Cornelia mewl in unexpected pleasure. Helga managed to hold on, but just barely, speaking instead. "We shouldn't," she suggested, but her tone was soft and indecisive, waiting for my approval. I nodded, and she continued. "Since they won't be expecting Caesar's presence, we can counter their plan, maybe even discovering the identity of the attacker."

"Exactly," I said even as I pulled Helga on my lap before sliding down her panties until they hit her ankles, leaving her core free for my assault. Cornelia's expression of jealousy was just delicious.

"No need," Cornelia bristled as she stood up and took a step toward the door. It wasn't an ordinary step, but more of a stomp, highlighting her displeasure. She was jealous, not because I had another girl in my lap, but because that girl was someone inferior to Cornelia, at least in her own perception. "After my latest level up, I can take whatever they throw at me."

"Really?" I said even as my hands danced over the buttons of Helga's robe, removing it with a rapid movement, not making a move to stop Cornelia, even when her hand landed on the doorknob, signaling that she was about to leave. Rather than turning it and leaving, however, she looked back angrily, waiting for me to ask her to stay. Rather than catering to her ego, I decided to bait her instead. "So, you're saying that you don't need an additional level?"

"Another level?" Cornelia gasped with no small amount of shock, her fingers pulling away from the doorknob. "This soon? How's that possible?"

"I'm a man of mysteries, of course," I said even as my fingers shifted to the buttons of Helga's shirt after quickly removing her robe, leaving her wearing only a corset and a skirt. Helga moaned in arousal, enjoying the treatment immensely. "Do you think that I would allow my maid to stay as a weakling?"

Cornelia bristled at being called a weakling —which wasn't an entirely unjustified reaction considering she was likely stronger than half of the faculty after her latest level up— her face colored with anger, though even with that, her eyes danced on Helga's body for an extended stretch. Neither her anger, nor her desire for more power didn't prevent her from enjoying the view, it seemed. She said nothing for a moment, just watching as I started kissing Helga, our tongues dancing with an extended dance, while using the opportunity to transfer some mana, but rather than directly helping her to level up, I reinforced her soul space at first, strengthening her leveling.

[-1679 Mana]

Then, after a minute of heated kissing, I pulled back. "Sit down," I ordered once again. Cornelia looked reluctant to follow my order, though considering she had no problem with that before, it was likely about looking weak in Helga's presence, who she deemed as lower class. Still, her reluctance was nothing compared to my dominance. "Now," I added, my tone once again sharp, and this time, she started walking closer, her aroused expression contrasting with her hesitant steps.

[Level: 30 Experience: 442500 / 465000

Strength: 39 Charisma: 51

Precision: 33 Perception: 35

Agility: 33 Manipulation: 38

Speed: 32 Intelligence: 42

Endurance: 30 Wisdom: 44

HP: 5010 / 5010 Mana: 5765 / 6300 ]

SKILLS

Master Melee [100/100]

Master Tantric [100/100]

Master Biomancy [100/100]

Master Elemental [100/100]

Master Subterfuge [97/100]

Master Arcana [91/100]

Expert Speech [70/75]

Advanced Craft [50/50]

PERKS

Mana Regeneration

Skill Share

Empowerment (1/1)

Teleportation

COMPANIONS

[Cornelia - Level 17/25]

[Helga - Level 13/18]