Chapter 142

--- 23rd Day, Evening ---

After returning home and getting a welcoming hug from Azura, she went back to playing with her sisters, while Zoe headed into the kitchen to cook something for us. I went upstairs to drop off my things in our room.

Amber was sitting at the table with an open book, scribbling something on notes aside. She greeted me, but immediately returned to whatever she was doing. I moved behind her, leaning against her back, resting my chin on her shoulder, and sliding my hands beneath her arms to hug her from behind.

“You’re still on that book?” I asked.

“Yeah…” she murmured, finishing writing something down. “It’s quite old, and they tested some interesting methods.”

“Interesting how?” I asked.

“After making a potion, or sometimes even while brewing it, they would freeze it. Depending on the potion and ingredients, to different levels, but then they’d remove the ice, making the potion more concentrated and stronger.”

“Can’t you just add less water?” I asked.

“No,” Amber replied, shaking her head. “You need enough for the potion to brew, and some comes from the plants themselves. You can remove it by boiling, but some potions lose their effect that way. I thought there was no way to make them stronger through processing, but apparently there is,” she added, tapping the book.

“Why haven’t you heard about it before then?” I asked.

“Because there isn’t an easy way to freeze a potion,” Amber replied.

“There isn’t some magical stone that could do that? Like the ones that heat bathwater, but in reverse?”

“They don’t get cold enough to freeze,” Amber replied. “The author of this book had help from an ice mage.”

“Oh, you’re hoping Mari will help you,” I said.

“It depends on what skills she has, but yes. She should be able to do it.”

“Are ice mages that rare?”

“Kind of. But they also don’t want to spend their mana on potions, and from this book, it’s not even clear if it’s worth it.”

“Mari will need her mana in the dungeon.”

“Fortunately, you have a lot of it, and you’re not using it that much,” Amber replied.

“Ah, everyone just wants to suck me dry,” I joked.

“You’re not funny,” Amber said, rolling her eyes.

“Zoe would laugh,” I replied.

“She would giggle at anything you say just to make you feel better.”

“Don’t you want to make me feel good?” I asked.

“I prefer other methods,” Amber purred. “But now I need to work,” she added, focusing back on the pages in front of her.

“Where did you get that book?”

“From the library, obviously,” Amber replied, a smirk dancing on her lips.

“You went there to meet Selira?”

“You won’t believe it, but some people go to the library for books, not for the cute librarian working there.”

“You think she’s cute?” I asked with a smile.

“She has some appeal,” Amber murmured. “And she didn’t throw herself at you like a cheap whore.”

“You forgot we barely talked for a minute before you invited me to your bedroom?” I asked.

“That’s different,” the elf replied.

“Sure,” I snorted with a chuckle.

Amber didn’t answer, writing something down in her notes. But I had a different idea. I brought my lips to her neck and kissed her softly, brushing along her pale skin until I reached her long elven ear. She grunted when I blew slowly along its length.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Azura is playing with her sisters,” I replied. “Zoe is cooking. And I need to take a bath.”

“So what? I’m your last option?” she hissed.

“No,” I replied, bringing my lips back to her ear. “But we could have some time alone.” I caught the tip of her ear between my lips and gently grazed it with my teeth. Amber moaned as her body shivered.

When I pulled away, her lips were parted, panting softly, her pale blue eyes locked on mine. I chuckled at how easy it was to rile her up and moved toward the door to head for the bathroom, but Amber suddenly jumped out of her chair and leapt at me.

Her lips were pressed against mine before we even landed on the bed, her body on top as her hands urgently grabbed at my shirt, pulling it off. When she broke the kiss, sitting on my crotch to take it off, I did the same with hers, exposing her tits, free of any bra.

My hands immediately moved to grab the soft flesh, squeezing firmly as she ground her crotch against me.

“You’re so hot,” I groaned, pinching her already hard nipples.

She moaned, throwing her head back as her hips gyrated against me. Sitting up quickly, I grabbed her and rolled us over, putting her on her back.

Getting rid of the rest of our clothes, I leaned down and kissed her again as my hard cock pressed against her pussy. Her hot pressed against my length. Our kiss grew sloppy as I thrust against her, sliding along her labia, spreading the wetness over my shaft.

Positioning myself, my tip parting her lower lips, I thrust forward. She groaned into my mouth, her nails digging into my back as her pussy enveloped my cock, sending a blissful spark through my whole body.

“You’re so wet,” I murmured, my lips still close to hers.

“Just fuck me,” she hissed, bucking her hips, her insides clenching around me.

Pressing my mouth to hers in another kiss, I did as she asked. Her legs spread wide as I thrust again and again, filling her with my cock, which I enlarged mid-thrust. Quickly, she wasn’t able to focus on kissing me anymore, so I moved to her neck, more groaning than kissing as I got lost in the pleasure of her heat wrapped around me.

It crossed my mind that I could try to enslave her again, but the moment didn’t feel right. This was just quick sex, and that felt more suited for a longer session, one where I could take my time and remind her who she belonged to properly.

But with that thought, I could still mark her as mine in another way. I waited until Amber crossed the line, her body arching, pressing her soft tits against my chest as her pussy spasmed around my cock. Already close, it was all I needed. I throbbed deep inside her and erupted, filling her with my seed.

[Level up!]

[Class: Sex Mage (Level 13)]

[Stat Points Gained: 1]

[Unlocked new skill: Resonant Bliss (Level 1)]

I dismissed the notifications while closing my mouth on Amber’s neck, grazing it with my teeth before sucking hard. Grinding my hips into her with each spasm, I rode out the wave of pleasure.

Her pussy was still quivering around me when I was done, and while I remained hard inside her, I lifted my head from her neck, admiring my work. Not just the fresh hickey, but the dazed look on her face as she lingered in the aftermath of her orgasm.

Panting deeply, she finally focused her eyes on me, a smile spreading across her lips before she frowned and brought her fingers to her neck.

“What the fuck was that?” she asked, her tone soft.

“I marked you as mine,” I replied, pecking her lips before sliding out of her and lying down beside her.

“You spent too much time with Zoe,” Amber grumbled, though she cuddled into my side.

I ignored her comment and focused on the new skill I had gained.

[Resonant Bliss Level 1 (Toggle: Inactive) - While active, whenever a woman brings you to orgasm, she shares the experience and reaches her own peak of pleasure as well. Each activation consumes mana, and only one woman can be affected at a time.]

I immediately toggled the skill to active, wondering how exactly it would work. Would they climax instantly out of nowhere, or would it build alongside my own release? What if more than one woman pleasured me at the same time, which one would it affect?

It would be easy enough to test. A plan for later began to form in my mind, and for now, I decided to keep the skill a secret, to surprise them. Or at least one of them.

“Let’s go take that bath,” I whispered, brushing Amber’s back with my fingertips.

“Mmm… it’s comfy here,” she mumbled, pressing more tightly against me.

I turned us around so she was on her back, while I hovered above her. Before she could say anything, I pressed my lips to hers, kissing her, but at the same time slid off the bed. Turning sideways, I grabbed her in my arms, breaking the kiss.

“Hey!” she squealed as I lifted her off the bed, her arms wrapping around my neck.

“Someone needs to scrub my back,” I said with a smile.

“I’m not your maid to wash you,” Amber snarked.

“You’re lucky there are kids in the house, or I’d drag you to the bathroom naked,” I murmured, setting her down. “Put some clothes on,” I added as she slid back onto her feet.

She pouted, but obeyed. The clothes we put on didn’t stay on for long anyway, as we dropped them in the bathroom moments later. Despite my words, once we slipped into the hot water, she ended up sitting between my legs while I washed and massaged her pale body.

Despite my cock being hard and pressed between her soft ass cheeks, we didn’t have sex again. We mostly stayed quiet, the silence comfortable, as I groped her.

Her head rested on my chest, and while I was playing with her tits, I eventually shifted my gaze to her face. Her pale blue eyes were locked on me with a strange expression.

At least strange for Amber, there was an affection there I usually only saw from Zoe or Azura.

“You okay?” I whispered, still cupping her breasts.

“I… I need to get back to work,” the elf replied, flustered. She quickly pulled away from me and got out of the bath, keeping her back turned.

My gaze lingered on her perky ass as she got dressed.

“Nice ass,” I said with a smirk, staying in the bath.

Amber snorted, looking back at me with mock indignation. “Pervert,” she murmured, though she couldn’t hide her smile before slipping out of the bathroom.

There was something more developing between me and the bratty elf, but she seemed to have trouble admitting it. Not that I was in a rush, we had time to let things grow naturally.

Alone now, without a naked woman in the bath with me, it got boring quickly. I didn’t stay long, got dressed, and headed toward Mari’s room. But before knocking, I hesitated and turned toward Zelda’s room instead. Despite living in the same house, we hadn’t spoken in a few days. She’d been busy healing Mari or dealing with something else, and I barely saw her.

“Hey, I wanted to ask, if everything goes according to plan? Will you finish healing Mari tomorrow?” I asked when she opened the door.

“Yeah, she should be back to full strength the day after tomorrow,” Zelda replied.

“How is she feeling today?” I asked. “We were supposed to go to the library, but I don’t know if she should.”

“She’s weak and tired. I recommended she stay in bed, but she’s stubborn, so you can ask her.”

“Are you leaving after you finish healing her?” I asked.

“Yes. But I’d like to talk with you and Zoe tomorrow evening. I’ll watch over Mari to make sure everything’s fine, then leave the day after.”

“Okay,” I said, then hesitated before adding, trying to sound casual, “Do you tell Sage when I leave or come back home?”

Zelda chuckled. “She got into your head?”

“She admitted she hired someone to do it, and I’m trying to figure out who.”

“Sometimes the simplest answer is the right one,” Zelda replied.

“You’re probably the simplest answer,” I said. “Unless Sage is actually wasting her time watching me herself.”

“Okay, maybe the simplest answer for me,” Zelda admitted. “Sage pays guards to report who enters and leaves the city. She probably just added you to the list. Simple.”

“So you’re not informing her?” I asked.

“No,” Zelda said with a smile. “I try to keep my contact with her to a minimum. She gives me headaches.”

“Alright. Sorry for suspecting you,” I said, choosing to believe her without checking with the Truth Seeking Stone. Even if she was lying, she’d be gone soon.

“Sage makes people paranoid. That’s how she keeps control,” Zelda added. “And she enjoys it.”

“What class does she have?” I asked, trying my luck.

Zelda snorted. “Just because I told you a few things doesn’t mean we’re suddenly friends and I’ll tell you everything. Besides, if Sage hasn’t told you yet, she’s planning something. I’m not getting involved.”

“What could it be?”

“Good luck,” she said simply, stepping back and closing the door.

With a sigh, I turned toward Mari’s room. The idea of guards working for Sage made sense, and it meant no one close to me was involved. I decided to talk to Gemma about it later anyway.

When Mari invited me inside, she was lying in bed on her stomach, her face pale, clearly exhausted.

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

“Tired.”

“Alright. I’m heading to the library to draft the work contract with Selira.”

“I can go,” the kitsune replied, turning around to get up, but stopped with a grimace of pain.

“Stay. We’ll just write a draft and go over it later when you’re back to full strength,” I said.

She frowned at me, but then lay back down.

“Is there anything you already know you want included?” I asked.

“I’m not going to…” she started, then paused with a grimace. “Write clearly what my obligations are. And that I get a share of income from dungeons and any jobs I help with. And that you provide a place for me to sleep. Alone.”

“Anything else?”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Alright. That’s okay so far, but don’t overdo it.”

She just snorted in response.

I considered mentioning Amber’s idea about freezing potions, but decided to leave it for later, when Mari was fully recovered.

“I’ll bring you the contract later today,” I said. “Get some rest.”

“I’ll do whatever I want,” Mari hissed.

“Sure, go run laps around the house just to disobey me,” I replied, shaking my head with a smile.

“I’m supposed to rest, and with you talking over my ear it’s impossible,” the kitsune grunted.

“Right,” I snorted, and left her room without saying anything more. After that short talk I finally headed downstairs to check on Zoe’s progress with the food before we left for the library.