Chapter 23

### Chapter 24: How to Steal a Wizard's Woman (1-7)

I came to the terrace as usual today.

It's been a week since I checked if Luna was there and then left.

But today, Luna, who should have been there, was nowhere to be seen.

I didn't think she would give up so quickly.

I thought she would at least last a month...

'No perseverance, no perseverance... These days, people just...'

[....]

Back in my day, you know? I waited up all night for two weeks to buy a game!

*Click, click, click, click.*

'Well, can't help it. Might as well enjoy the view a bit. Ah...'

[...She's looking this way.]

From a distance, Luna was walking over quietly.

Since she had already seen me, there was no need to run away.

She came up to me and greeted me.

"Hello."

"...Hello."

After saying that, she naturally passed by me, went to the terrace, and stood in her usual spot, looking at the sunset.

'Good. She'll keep coming for a while.'

[Would you like to go inside?]

'Hmm... Let's see how it goes.'

I left Luna at the terrace and walked back to the dormitory.

***

As soon as I returned to the dormitory, I opened my status window.

-[Fire Attribute LV 0], [Water Attribute LV 0], [Wind Attribute LV 0], [Earth Attribute LV 0], [Lightning Attribute LV 0]-

I pondered over the five attributes.

It was time to learn an attribute.

It had been a week since I arrived here, and I received 20,000 Enel.

The Enel needed to unlock my main and secondary attributes arrived just in time.

"Hmm... Which one should I start with?"

[Personally, I think Wind Attribute would be good.]

"Right, it uses less mana, right?"

[Yes, since your ultimate goal isn't magic, it seems advantageous to start with something that uses less mana.]

"Alright. Armonia, start with Wind Attribute. Make it Level 5."

[Understood.]

The Wind Attribute reached Level 5.

I tried to visualize the magic circle for Wind Attribute as an experiment.

Instantly, a trembling blue circle appeared in front of me.

"Wow, this is on a different level from other Wind Attribute users?"

[Thanks to your ability to use magic circles, the circle feels very stable.]

Wind Attribute is known for being difficult to create magic circles, but the Magic Circle Mastery skill covered that.

Learning Wind Attribute was a wise choice.

However, while creating the magic circle was easy thanks to the Magic Circle Mastery skill, maintaining it was difficult due to the low attribute level.

After creating it, if I didn't maintain my focus, the magic circle would wobble and then dissipate.

"I'll just learn Wind Attribute for now and think about the other one later."

[Understood.]

"Next is..."

-[Sacred Techniques LV 2], [Oral Techniques LV 3], [Empathy LV 1], [Pheromones LV 1], [Hand Techniques LV 555]-

These are the grand sacred techniques.

That Hand Techniques level is really annoying every time I look at it...

If I had OCD, I might have gone crazy and died...

I tried to look away from Hand Techniques and focused on the two skills in the front row.

-[Sacred Techniques LV 2], [Oral Techniques LV 3]-

"...After all that with Viola, these only went up a little?"

Starting from Krel and continuing in Kibotos, I did a lot, but they only reached Level 2 and 3.

Luna is not an easy target like Viola.

Even if I find her weakness and make her submit, I need a useful card.

Hand Techniques is definitely a powerful skill.

While I could knock her out with just Hand Techniques, that kind of pleasure might make her hate me more when she comes to her senses.

That would be like going all-in at a casino.

I don't want Luna's body; I want her body and her heart.

"Empathy and Pheromones don't seem to improve with effort, right?"

[There might be ways to improve them, but using Enel would be more efficient for you.]

"Let's try to get both to Level 5."

[Understood.]

Nothing happened, as expected.

Moreover, unlike the Wind Attribute I just learned, there was no way to feel any difference.

At Level 5, it's hard to expect any significant effect...

I lay down on the bed and covered myself with the blanket.

"Well, it's a passive effect, so it's probably weak. I might as well go to sleep."

[Good night.]

That night, I had a dream where Viola appeared and kept saying, "Mr. Suho, do it!"

***

The next day, after the basic attribute class ended, Sonia approached me as I was about to leave the lecture room.

"Student Suho, do you have a moment?"

"Ah, yes. What is it?"

"Can we talk for a bit?"

Sonia led me to a corner of the lecture room.

Luna, who was sitting next to me, glanced at me and then left the room.

After confirming that no one else was in the lecture room, Sonia spoke.

"I'm really sorry about yesterday."

"Ah... It's really okay..."

While it was nice to talk to her alone, it was a bit annoying.

'Is she still dwelling on what happened yesterday...?'

[It seems that your appearance yesterday really hurt her.]

'If she feels that bad, she should let me touch her chest.'

[....]

I'm not joking; I really want to touch her chest.

It's been over a week since I arrived here, and the desire has built up.

The dream I had last night with Viola might be related to that.

If I had a chance with Sonia, I think the annoyance would disappear.

'...Armonia.'

[Yes.]

'I want to... do it...'

[You can act freely as long as it doesn't interfere with the mission.]

'Yes, sir!'

While I couldn't do it right away, the enthusiasm inside me started to rise.

When I suddenly smiled brightly, Sonia tilted her head and smiled.

"Huh? Did you think of something funny?"

"Ah, not really... just..."

"?"

"I'm just happy to be talking with you, Professor."

"Oh."

Sonia laughed and tapped my elbow.

"You can't tease an older woman."

"Wait, are you married?"

"Yes. How old do you think I am? Do I look so unattractive that I can't get married?"

"No, I just didn't think you were old enough to be married."

"Oh, thank you..."

I didn't expect a woman who looked like she was in her late 20s to be married.

Well, in this world, people tend to marry younger.

Suddenly, Sonia leaned in and sniffed me cutely.

"?"

"Student Suho, do you use perfume?"

"No, I don't use anything like that."

"Ah... That's strange. You smell really good..."

The effect of Pheromones was showing.

'Jackpot! It seems to be working?'

[The effect is subtle but appears when you're close.]

'Oh, so the key is to stay close.'

However, when I saw other female students in the lecture room today, I didn't notice any significant changes.

It seems the effect only works at very close range.

They didn't even want to come near me.

Did the effect work on Luna?

Well, that's not important right now.

Sonia suddenly remembered something and said,

"Oh, right! I called you over for something... Sorry. Actually, I wanted to... invite you to a club."

She introduced it as the Lightning Magic Research Club.

She explained that it was a small club with almost no members.

She asked me to join, even if it was a bit embarrassing.

I complained internally.

'Ah, I barely managed to get out of the last one...'

The last one was about joining the Magic Circle Research Club.

That ended in a fiasco because of me.

A guy named Louis kept trying to persuade me in front of everyone, but I kept refusing.

When Louis also decided not to join, the others gave up easily.

I don't understand why they want me so much.

After listening to Armonia's advice, I asked why she invited me.

"Yesterday, I saw that you admire Maximilian Vinter. This club was created by him during his time at the school. Would you like to join?"

"That... sounds good, but I'm a bit shy."

"Don't worry! I'm in charge of the club. I'll help you make friends."

It's annoying... really annoying... but...

'If I want to, I have to join. Well...'

[While it's not related to the mission, joining a small club might help you test the skills you've recently improved.]

'Great!'

The thought of being alone with her in a small room made me more enthusiastic.

I answered Sonia.

"Alright. I'll join."

***

Sonia led me to a 100-square-foot club room.

And there...

"Hello."

"..."

"Hello... again."

Luna greeted me, while Louis glared at me.

'...Why are these two here?'

[....]

Louis and Luna were sitting in chairs, looking at me.

"These are the new members. Ah! You're in the same class, so you know each other, right?"

"Ha... ha... Yes."

Thinking about it, Luna's tardiness yesterday was probably because of this.

'So that's why she was late yesterday.'

[But it's strange that only these two are here.]

'Well, maybe he wants to be alone with her.'

Sonia formally introduced the club.

"This is the Lightning Magic Research Club, and our goal is to... study and improve the lightning magic that has been created so far."

Since lightning magic is not well-known, the idea was to gather students to study it.

The 2nd and 3rd-year students from last year couldn't attend due to their busy schedules.

"Participation is always voluntary. Feel free to come and participate without any pressure."

The club activities only last about an hour after school on weekdays, and there are no activities on weekends.

The club room had a rectangular table that could seat six people.

Luna and Louis sat next to each other, and Sonia and I sat next to each other.

"..."

"..."

Luna and I were facing each other.

She didn't say anything, just kept staring at me.

"Since we're all here, let's try drawing the lightning magic circle we worked on yesterday."

Sonia took out a stick and drew a small magic circle on the table.

It was about the size of a palm.

A yellow magic circle was emitting threatening sparks.

"This is a magic circle that only uses the attribute and output. Try drawing it."

"“““Yes.”””

As soon as Sonia finished speaking, I instantly drew the magic circle with my finger.

"Wow! How can you draw it so beautifully? Amazing! But..."

Sonia praised the shape of my magic circle but looked disappointed.

The magic circle I drew was pure white.

Unlike the yellow magic circles drawn by Luna, Louis, and Sonia, my white magic circle didn't look dangerous at all.

"Even though it's drawn correctly, the fact that it's white means..."

"Ha ha, it seems Student Suho doesn't have any talent for lightning magic."

Louis started explaining, which I didn't want to hear.

He said that if a magic circle is drawn as a pure white circle, it means the person has no talent for that attribute.

'Thanks for the explanation, you jerk...'

[It seems he still harbors hostility, which will make dealing with him difficult.]

Finding a way to provoke me, he started taunting me.

But his mouth didn't show any signs of stopping.

"Student Suho, that's too bad. You can't do anything about a lack of talent~"

"Lewis... that's enough."

"Luna, you need to help him face reality quickly..."

Zap!

While Louis was talking, a spark suddenly hit his forehead.

"Ouch!?"

A small burn appeared on Louis's forehead, and smoke rose.

"Ugh, what, what is this?!"

"What..."

"Oh my!"

The three of them looked at the direction of the spark in shock.

In front of me, a small, threatening golden magic circle was generating sparks.

I smiled at Louis.

"Thanks for your concern, Louis. It seems I've developed some talent thanks to you."