Chapter 36: Minor Progress

Imagining the expression of Cornelia as her arousal was slowly dismissed put a smile on my face. I would have liked to be there, watching as her joy and arousal was replaced by horror as she understood just what she had signed up for. Also, if I had stayed there for the night, it would have made the process even smoother, allowing me to suppress any sign of rebellion before it even started.

However, I had more important things to do.

The encounter with the necromancers spooked me, not only because I had met with a danger much stronger than what was supposed to exist, but because it showed me just how little I knew about my surroundings. I needed more information. Luckily, as a library worker, I was in the epicenter of information. Sneaking into the library in the middle of the night wasn’t even a challenge for me, and more importantly, I had a ready excuse if I got caught.

My abominable reputation was occasionally helpful.

After entering the library, I ignored my usual destination, the shelves on magical theory or leveling, instead moving to where historical battle records were held. I knew a lot about battle tactics and abilities of necromancers as well as many other fringe organizations because they were talked about in detail in the magical theory books, but I had no idea what their aim was, or the reason for their existence.

After quickly skimming through several books, however, I wasn’t any closer to the answer of those questions. From what I could discover, their existence stretched back for hundreds of years, but there was nothing definite about their origin, which was suspicious. Not because the lack of information itself, but there were also very few theorizing anything about their roots, which was weird considering that despite their sparse existence, the necromancers were allied across the continent, and knowing their origins would have allowed a much better understanding about their organization.

The more I read about it, the more suspicious I got. It was like they were intentionally avoiding finding an answer, making me even more curious about its roots. But no matter how many books I browsed, I wasn’t any closer to its source. Soon, the idea solidified in my mind even further. It was known, but was being kept hidden for some reason.

Before I could delve deeper, however, a chilly sensation passed near me. If it had been any other time, I would have dismissed it as a night chill, but I had remembered that exact sensation from earlier, where I had been fighting against the undead. It was necrotic energy, only much weaker than what I felt against the horde, so weak that I doubted I would have been able to feel it without my biomancy. Feeling the same energy in the middle of Silver Spires was not a good sign. The smart thing would have been to turn my back and leave the library. My identity was already tricky without angering a nebulous organization with a horde of death at their beck and call.

However, in the end, my curiosity won, and I started following the energy from a distance. Soon, I was close enough to the source to see a shade moving deeper into the library. It was both good and bad at the same time, because while shades were excellent scouts, they were utterly rubbish when it came to any kind of confrontation. Their value lay in their near-invisibility to any kind of senses. Too bad it caught me when I was most alert against that kind of energy.

However, there was a complication. Like any necrotic construct, their range of control was limited, meaning there was actually a necromancer in the confines of the school controlling it. That was dangerous news, no matter the situation. Necromancers sneaking into the school easily was not good news, but it was still better compared to the alternative. Moreover, shades contained a small piece of soul from their creator, meaning they couldn’t be given to others to use. They needed to be near their creator.

The school had a traitor inside.

I doubted anyone other than myself would have reached that conclusion that easily, but I was the living proof that the vaunted security of the school was less than perfect against a sneaky approach once the initial infiltration was successful. It was supposed to be impossible for a necromancer to hide their unique aura, but I was the evidence that saying something was impossible didn’t make it so.

With that in mind, I continued following the shade, but being careful to stay hidden, only to receive another shock. The shade arrived in front of the vault and slipped through the wards while taking a complicated route. Another evidence of long-term infiltration, otherwise, the shade would have never known the way to bypass the wards that easily. I waited outside, while trying to understand the point of sending the shade into the vault. Shades didn’t have physical presence, so they wouldn’t be able to take a book from the book. Even flipping a page to read a book was above its capabilities.

Regardless, I followed it when it left the vault as easily as it entered. Its controller clearly had a reason to send it there, and I was still curious about its owner. Luckily, shades had another drawback, that they couldn’t communicate their findings remotely. They needed to be reabsorbed by their creator. So, I followed from a distance, hoping to find the owner. I had been expecting it to go toward the creature forest, giving me the opportunity to spy on the owner, maybe even ambush them in the dark.

I received another shock when the creature started moving toward the central section, where the most prestigious professors lived. The situation was even worse than I had thought. It was either one of the keystones of the school was traitor, or a necromancer was hidden there, good enough to avoid the detection of the best the school had to offer. Combined with the three necromancers I had faced, it pointed to a disaster.

I was a selfish person, but not selfish enough to do nothing after stumbling on a situation dangerous enough to threaten Silver Spires. I decided to take action. I took a breath to still my trembling hand before sending a jolt of arcana energy, destroying the shade, therefore preventing its controller from learning whatever they were trying to get. Then I dashed away, my heart thumping crazily.

I cast several arcana spells rapidly to hide my presence before dashing back to my room, fearful and excited at the same time. I could almost feel eyeballs on my back, afraid of being caught. Unless I had been severely underestimating the undercover necromancer, they were already aware of the destruction of the shade. I had no doubt that if they weren’t worried about blowing their cover, they would have already caught me. But they didn’t have the luxury of raising alarm, not more than I do.

I tried to sleep, but it proved elusive, rejecting to arrive no matter how many twists and turns I had to take. Luckily, the library wasn’t the only place that held distractions for me. I had another destination where my imposition would be greeted with enthusiasm while also helping me to level up. So, I stepped into the corridors once more and started walking, glad that Marianne’s room was not close to the central residential or the library itself. Even if someone was searching, a servant walking around in the middle of the night, carrying stuff, was not something to pay attention to.

Sneaking into Marianne’s room was a simple task, though after entering, I made sure to put an extra alarm ward just in case. The living room was empty, so I moved to the bedroom, only to meet with an amazing sight. Marianne was on the bed, sleeping with a soft smile on her face, occasionally letting out soft moans. Even more impressive was her body, partially revealed as her covers slid away, displaying her amazing lingerie, pure white, short, and transparent enough to give a hint of skin underneath and to reveal the absence of underwear. Her nipples pushed against her nightie determinedly like they were trying to cut free, making me excited for the next step.

[+50 Experience] 50% Penalty!

I quickly shed my clothing and slid into the bed next to her, careful not to wake her up as I pulled her head on my chest. She hugged me immediately as a soft moan left her mouth, but she stayed asleep. Curious about the depth of her sleep, I caressed her shoulder with no effect, before slipping my hand under her nightie to meet with her generous breasts. I gently squeezed, but the only reaction was another sleepy moan, and her nipples hardening even further. So, I squeezed her nipple.

That managed to awaken her from her sleep. “Such a nice dream,” she murmured as she looked at my face from her barely open eyelids. Since our bodies were close, all she needed was to turn a bit to capture my lips in a soft, fleeting kiss. I continued caressing her breasts while her hand dragged down, slowly tracing my chest first, then my stomach. But a gasp escaped her mouth as she wrapped her hand around my shaft, and looked at me much more alert. “It’s not a dream, is it?” she asked in a trembling voice.

“Guess,” I answered with a smirk as I initiated another kiss, gentle and slow. Meanwhile, I was enjoying the feeling of her breasts, kneading her impressive globes with a slowly ramping up intensity, her lips following the trend immediately as well. I didn’t know whether it was the sleep grogginess, or whether our last lovemaking session had managed to destroy her shyness, but I was loving her taking initiative.

[+300 Experience] 50% Penalty!

[Companion Acquisition: Progress 19%]

Still, I was surprised when I felt a pair of soft hands on my shoulder, pushing me back. I let her succeed, curious what she had in mind with such an aggressive move. She climbed on my lap, hovering over the length of my shaft close enough for me to feel the heat. “Close your eyes,” she whispered in a sudden bout of shyness, and I did so, unable to resist her cuteness, even when I felt her leaving the bed and hurriedly pulling open a closet, followed by the sound of fabric.

Then, a warmth covered my shaft, and curiosity overcome me, only to see Marianne leaning over my shaft, brushing its top with her tongue while her hand was wrapped on its bottom, gently moving up and down. Moreover, she surprised me with her change of clothing. Her white nightie was gone, replaced by a pure black corset that pushed her already-amazing breasts to perfection. Moreover, from her reflection in the mirror, I could see a very noticeable absence of her panties, replaced by a pair of thigh-high stockings. However, with the cute expression of concentration on her face, she looked like an angel who was doing her best to act rebellious.

It was a cute view, Marianne gently teasing the crown of my manhood, occasionally pulling back to appreciate the throbbing head before leaning down once again. Then, she did something that surprised me, and plopped an ice cube into her mouth before returning to her task.

I couldn’t help but gasp in pleasure as the combination of cold and hot assaulted my shaft, though I was equally impressed with Marianne actually going out of her way to try a new trick. She truly managed to impress me.

[+200 Experience] 50% Penalty!

[Companion Acquisition: Progress 20%]

I decided to respect her wishes and kept my eyes closed, enjoying the way she moved deeper and deeper with every repeat. Soon, she was holding most of my shaft hostage in her mouth, her hands dancing on the bottom, occasionally slipping down to my balls to enhance the sensation. Minutes passed as she moved back and forth, slowly and sensually like she was worshiping my presence. Understandable, as not only had I taken her virginity in every conceivable way, but I also impressed her by thoroughly defeating her hero in front of her to a point that Cornelia hadn’t been able to react.

It was going to be fun when I educated Cornelia enough to make her serve us while I was together with Marianne.

As the time passed, she slowly deserted her slow and sensual motions in favor of wilder, more aggressive activities. As the heat enveloped me deeper and deeper, a gag reached my ear. But Marianne impressed me when instead of pulling back, she pushed even deeper, her hands clamping on my thighs to get extra strength. Soon, the familiar tightness of her throat wrapped around my head, pushing me closer to climax.

I could have held back, of course, but seeing she had gone through such an effort, I decided to reward her. My shaft started twitching inside her mouth, which she was alert enough to recognize and pulled out a bit, just enough to keep the crown in the perfect position. It wasn’t a scene to be missed, I decided, watching as Marianne was humming in enjoyment as she devoured my seed enthusiastically, managing to catch all of it without spilling any.

[+300 Experience] 50% Penalty!

[Companion Acquisition: Progress 22%]

“How was it?” she murmured, her shyness feeling a bit ridiculous considering she was wearing a sexy corset withpanties absent, and had just finished a voluntary blowjob that went much deeper than I would have expected.

“It was amazing,” I answered as I grabbed her arm and pushed her down. “It’s my turn now,” I said as I leaned down over her, positioning nicely between her legs. I kissed her clit, but it was a sharp, aggressive kiss, one that implied dominance despite the supposed subservience the position implied. I was amused by the way her body jumped, but instead of saying something, I let my tongue work on more important tasks, such as exploring the area surrounding her knob.

When my tongue moved down, her hips started to move, following my beat to increase her pleasure. “Yes, more please,” she moaned out without bothering to keep her voice down. Her reaction was understandable, considering she was already sopping wet when I started, and her passion only intensified as the time passed. Soon, she was gasping and moaning helplessly while I cut loose, my tongue penetrating her again and again, pushing her closer to a climax.

[+200 Experience] 50% Penalty!

[Companion Acquisition: Progress 24%]

However, I wanted to make the moment of completion where she got her achievement from the system more memorable, so I pulled back which earned me a short-lived disappointed gasp that turned into an excited moan when I hovered above her, ready to take her in the missionary position. “Do you want me?” I asked her as I leaned forward, capturing her in my gaze.

“I want you,” she murmured helplessly, her chest moving up and down wildly with her breaths.

“You want me to do what?” I asked again even as I pressed my shaft to her entrance, but didn’t push forward.

“I want you to … fuck me,” she whispered. I would have made her repeat it, but she gasped with such a thick sense of desire that I decided to have a little mercy and pushed deep inside her. “Yes, fuck me! Hard!” she moaned, her expressiveness surprising me, or maybe I just misunderstood how horny she had been feeling. I slammed into her mercilessly, ferociously, until her expression was dominated with pleasure. I didn’t stop even when she started showing signs of climax, and impaled her until she started shuddering helplessly.

[+500 Experience] 50% Penalty!

[Companion Acquisition: Progress 25% – First Stage Completed +5000 Exp]

[Companion Acquisition: Relationship not sufficient for the second stage]

Level UP!

[Select one of the following skills: Expert Biomancy, Master Elemental, Basic Observation]

I quickly chose biomancy despite the combat-related advantages I would have received from improving my elemental skill. After two encounters with necromancers, I wanted to be better prepared against their presence, and biomancy allowed me to directly counter their necrotic energy.

Meanwhile, Marianne’s eyes popped open in shock in the middle of her arousal. “Do you like your gift?” I said confidently, at this point, aware that she had received an achievement. It was a pity that our relationship had yet to reach a point that would allow us to progress to the second stage, meaning I need to find a way to help her progress, but still, it wasn’t a huge challenge.

“How? Why?” she murmured dazedly, the shock of receiving an achievement not helping her to process her orgasm.

“It’s a secret,” I said to her even as I started moving inside her once more. “You need to keep it secret for now, but I can say that it’s just the beginning. Understood?” I added, and she nodded enthusiastically, though I wasn’t sure how much of it was true comprehension and how much of it was her enthusiasm for another session. Regardless, I pulled out and flipped her over before putting my hands on her back, pinning her in place. “Are you ready?” I asked.

“Yes!” she moaned, which turned into a loud cry as I plunged deep inside her. With my other hand, I grabbed her hair tight, pulling it back enough to give me access to her beautiful neck, sucking and licking to increase her arousal.

She was in the mood, I had no intention to sleep, so we continued our lovemaking until the sunrise.

[+5000 Experience] 50% Penalty!

I would have continued further, but I had another expedition with Helga and Aviada, and after the event with the shade, I had no intention to skip it. They were my only allies, and the stronger they got, the better.

[Level: 17 Experience: 146150 / 153000

Strength: 18 Charisma: 25

Precision: 13 Perception: 14

Agility: 17 Manipulation: 20

Speed: 13 Intelligence: 17

Endurance: 14 Wisdom: 21

HP: 1275 / 1275 Mana: 1621 / 1649 ]

SKILLS

[Master Melee [100/100]

Expert Arcana [75/75]

Expert Elemental [75/75]

Expert Biomancy [50/75]

Advanced Subterfuge [50/50]

Basic Speech [25/25] ]

PERKS

Mana Regeneration