CH 56

Chapter 56: A Sense of Deprivation

The magical contract with the Ice Dragon, Dia.

This one experience confirmed for Luke a fact that magic seekers spend countless years pursuing and finally grasp only a glimpse of, but he would have had no way of knowing it.

—The invisible magical connection.

By entering into a contract with Dia with him as the master, Luke confirmed the existence of this connection. No matter how far apart they are, he can feel Dia’s presence with certainty through this connection.

Now, let’s go back to when Luke and the others were put onto the carriage.

Thanks to the several information magic spells that are always active, Luke sensed the presence of some kind of magic. By investigating more closely without being noticed by the other party, he realized that he was being watched.

At that moment, Luke was inspired.

—“When using magic remotely, isn’t there still this ‘magical connection’ that exists? If so, can’t it be used in reverse?”

He further developed the knowledge gained from his magical contract with Dia.

And he intuited that he had a talent that could be described as a monster.

Luke started by reverse-searching for the other party’s location. Keeping in mind that he was being watched, he was conscious of not being noticed.

By the time they arrived at the mercenaries’ hideout, Luke had fully grasped the other party’s location. They were in the capital of the Myrstia Kingdom.

Luke was slightly surprised. There was quite a distance from here to the capital. His magical precision was tremendous.

“Well, how was it? Did you enjoy it? — ‘Dark Suction Magic.'”

However, there was no problem at all.

Luke’s dark magic traced the invisible connection that linked the capital and this place in reverse, and then—

That was a sudden event.

When I witnessed the two girls’ tremendous magic, I was reminded to be cautious of the magic power in this country.

“…Eh?”

The ‘Darkness’ sneered at me. In that instant, the dark magic overflowed from the crystal I was peering into.

“Kuh, ah, ah—!”

A merciless feeling of being robbed, my magic sucked like a hole had been torn open. No matter how much I resisted, it was meaningless. This only increased my sense of helplessness.

“What… is this feeling?”

“Hmm, it doesn’t have any attributes. Is it just an application of information magic, or is it a magical tool, or is it amplifying magic with a magical tool? Well, it doesn’t matter.”

The “Darkness” said something, but I didn’t have the leisure to listen to it. It wasn’t painful, nor was it agonizing. What was much more terrifying was the indescribable intense pleasure that dominated my entire body.

At that moment, an old memory resurfaced. It was when I was praying to God as a child. I remembered the urge to urinate vividly. It was an intense urge that couldn’t be resisted.

But I couldn’t say anything. When praying to God, I couldn’t just say, “Can I go to the bathroom?” So I…

…wet myself.

Yes, that’s right.

The feeling of having my magic forcibly taken away by dark magic was very similar to the feeling of wetting myself that I couldn’t forget even if I wanted to.

A little pleasure mixed with shame, humiliation, and liberation.

“This is dangerous… incredibly dangerous… aah—!”

My body trembled. And then I realized… that I wanted more.

No, Nicole, stop it!

It’s foolish to surrender to temporary pleasure!

Remember your loyalty to the Lord!

“For now, take a deep breath… inhale… exhale… It’s okay… I’m still okay…” I muttered to myself, trying to calm down.

“Listen carefully. This is a warning. I’m feeling generous, so I’ll let it slide this time. But there won’t be a next time, got it?”

“Luke, who are you talking to?”

“Kuku, it’s nothing.”

And then, crackle.

With those words, the crystal shattered into pieces, and all my magic was instantly drained away.

My body was still trembling, as I gasped for air.

“Hah… hah… That was terrifying.”

It wasn’t just my combat abilities that were lacking, but something else entirely. Though I only heard a few words through the crystal, I could feel it deep in my bones.

There was a dangerous charm that could draw others in, even enemies like me, if I let my guard down. It was like the charisma of a ruler, and it reminded me of my lord in some ways.

“But I knew I couldn’t win in direct combat with my current abilities… It’s okay. If I can eliminate the ‘darkness’ in time, then that’s all that matters. At least I’ve gained valuable information. That’s a big win.”

I sat back down at the desk and immediately began writing a letter. I had to inform my lord of everything that had just happened. The power and charm of the ‘darkness’, the magical abilities of those around him, and the sensation of having my magic stolen away by dark magic – it was like losing control of my body and experiencing a strange, indescribable pleasure.

I documented everything, not just the objective information but also my personal experiences and feelings.

“…there’s no other way, is there? Someone close to the ‘darkness’ will have to kill him.”

But the person who was there with him probably wouldn’t be able to do it. I could tell by their eyes that they were already enamored with the “darkness.”

“I need to investigate more…”

I realized that I was lacking information, overwhelmingly so. While considering my next move, I began to act.