Chapter Thirteen: Stimulant Anesthetic Energy Potion?

The two of them found Osyclis in the grand hall on the first floor of the tower. While waiting for the paperwork to be processed, Louis witnessed the so-called “female beastfolk.”

Gazing at the alluring, enchanting woman seated on the sofa nearby, holding a small mirror and admiring herself, Louis’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

And she was dressed in a tight leather outfit!

Wasn’t the influencer-faced “vixen” with the fuzzy ears on her head just cosplaying “02”? Was that bushy tail at her waist really not just some prop that would come off with a tug? And that other voluptuous woman, chatting animatedly with Osyclis—a petite dragon girl—were those horns atop her head not a clear imitation of “Tiamat”?

So this was what passed for a sexy female beastfolk?!

“What’s the matter, Louis?” Noticing Louis staring with his mouth agape, Osyclis turned back with a sly smile. “It seems you’re quite interested in the Ministry of Magic’s latest proposal?”

At these words, several visiting ladies from other realms turned their curious eyes toward Louis as well. The vixen even threw him a flirtatious wink.

[‘Cross-Species Reproduction Experiment’—this is the latest proposal approved by the Ministry of Magic. At present, the primary site of the experiment is right here at the Sacred Oak.]

[That’s right, all these lovely ladies before your eyes are participants—‘female beastfolk’ involved in the experiment.]

[It’s clear the ladies find you especially intriguing; after all, a wizard with such vibrant vitality is a rare sight indeed.]

[Once, you were given a choice and failed to cherish it. Now, Osyclis offers you another chance. You decide…]

[A. “Yes, yes, yes, absolutely!”
Reward: Helen and Osyclis favorability -50, foreign ladies favorability +MAX, 19 adorable female goblins, 1 dose of anesthetic per day]

[B. “Your Highness, ladies, I’m of the ‘Drakefolk’—just look at these muscles.” (Show off your 4.9 strength.)
Reward: One resounding slap from Osyclis, dragon and foxfolk favorability +MAX, foxfolk will proactively seek you out +N, 60 stamina potions per day]

[C. “Your Highness, I’m really not interested in beastfolk, please…” Follow up with a righteous critique of current social trends.
Reward: Helen and Osyclis favorability +5, foreign ladies favorability -100, magic +1]

[Note: This is your first contact with those from other races. Your response will determine their initial favorability.]

Clearly, it was Osyclis who had the final say in choosing among the female beastfolk, not the foreign ladies themselves—what a scam!

And being a “drake” didn’t seem as easy as it sounded, either.

Louis rubbed his face, feeling his embarrassment gauge had been maxed out by the narrative itself.

This wretched system was obviously messing with him.

I was just curious and looked a bit longer—how did things escalate so quickly? And Osyclis is really hard to deal with, isn’t she?

There was no way he could choose A, and he absolutely couldn’t bring himself to say B.

But if he picked C… Well, he was a proper gentleman, wasn’t he?!

Those decadent trends in society deserved criticism. If the ladies’ favorability dipped, that only showed their values were questionable!

And besides, he was a transmigrator—what was he here for, anyway? The system didn’t bring him across worlds just to fool around with pretty ladies.

Hmph, the carnal world and mortal bones—just fleeting illusions.

Rolling up his sleeves, Louis made a show of revealing his sturdy arms, coughed, and began to share his “insight”—or rather, his perspective.

“Your Highness, ladies, to be honest, anyone would be tempted to fall in love with such charming ladies as yourselves. ‘Yes, yes, yes, absolutely,’ as they’d all say. Ahem.”

As he spoke, Louis casually flexed his arms, displaying his 4.9 strength.

Seeing Osyclis and Helen’s eyes glaze over a bit, he quickly added, “But I do think there’s an issue with the Ministry’s latest proposal. I heard that not long ago, there were even ‘drakefolk’ involved in the experiment, all because their muscles were so perfect…”

Abruptly shifting the topic, Louis began a rambling discourse on the Ministry’s latest proposal, spouting a stream of nonsense about “drakefolk” and muscles.

The ladies were left utterly bewildered.

What did any of this have to do with drakefolk? What exactly was this guy trying to say?

Still… this handsome young wizard did look rather strong! Such exuberant vitality! Could he have dragon blood?

Yet the foreign ladies’ eyes sparkled with delight.

[Dragon girl favorability +MAX]
[Foxfolk girl favorability +MAX]
[Helen favorability +2]
[Osyclis favorability +5]

“???”

Louis looked blankly at Osyclis and Helen.

You two are acting very strange!

Helen awkwardly turned away. Osyclis hurriedly coughed and changed the subject. “Ahem, Louis, what exactly are you trying to say?”

“Well, I have no objection to the freedom to love,” Louis replied, “but how can such a thing be treated as an experiment, to be observed like a specimen?” He launched into a critique of modern society’s trends and then padded it out with a string of hollow, sanctimonious platitudes.

At last, after Louis’s relentless efforts, the foreign ladies all rolled their eyes.

Soon after, they each found various excuses to sway their hips and leave.

In the end, although their favorability toward Louis had dipped a bit, it still hovered around 80—he was amusing, if a bit hypocritical. And perhaps a little afraid of his teacher.

Once they’d all departed, Louis quickly whispered, “Ahem, Your Highness, I really have no interest in beastfolk… honestly.”

[Magic +1]
[Osyclis favorability -2—Clearly, your deliberately hushed tone was a bit too contrived. Still, you’ve made your stance clear in public. Osyclis decides to let you off for now.]

“If you’re not interested, that’s that, Louis.” Osyclis massaged her forehead. “Don’t worry, I do have quotas to meet, but I won’t force you to join the experiment.”

“???”

So the quotas Osyclis had were for female goblins!

Louis wiped cold sweat from his brow.

He stealthily checked his pocket and found an extra bottle. A glance at the narrator confirmed it was [Granny Stia has secretly slipped you a ‘Numbing-Stamina Excitement Potion *1’].

Numbing, stamina, excitement—what on earth was that supposed to be?!

While Louis was lost in confusion, Osyclis’s mind had wandered elsewhere.

She stared at Louis for a while, face oddly conflicted, before suddenly asking, “Louis, who gave you that incantation?”

Hearing this, Louis feigned confusion—he was ready for this question.

Feigning deep thought, he shook his head and produced a small slip of paper.

“Your Highness, this really is strange,” Louis said, frowning. “At the time, I didn’t know what else to do, so I thought I’d try the exorcism spell Helen gave me. But just as I was about to review it, I found the incantation completely changed! With no other choice, I read it as it was.”

As he spoke, Louis handed the slip to Osyclis.

Osyclis took it with a puzzled expression. One look told her it wasn’t her spell at all. The script itself was odd, each stroke winding and curling like new shoots on a vine—brimming with fairy energy.

Helen, peering over curiously, suddenly widened her eyes at the sight.

Osyclis’s eyes gradually grew damp. She knew who had written it. She and Helen shared a glance and smiled.

“Teacher, who wrote this spell?” Louis asked in confusion. “It seems quite advanced.”

Osyclis smiled without elaborating. “It’s indeed impressive.”

When Louis seemed about to press further, Helen grasped his arm and made a mysterious shushing gesture. “It’s a secret, Louis. Don’t tell anyone.”

Louis nodded, half-understanding.

“And you really need to study your incantations,” Helen said crossly, though her expression soon turned peculiarly bright.

Wait a minute… That dancing handkerchief spell earlier—wasn’t that Louis’s doing?

He… he seemed far more skilled than she was!

“Yes, Louis,” Osyclis said, frowning in exasperation. “The Sacred Oak is nothing like the Forbidden Sanctuary; you can’t pass just by writing a thesis here. Though you’re not exactly… ahem… gifted in spellcraft, you do have some ability. Still, you need to read more. Spend these weeks studying with Helen (‘Sister, sister… boo hoo.’ ‘Yes, Teacher.’). And what if you fail the makeup exam again? Do you want to be a temp all your life? (‘Yes, yes, Teacher.’)”

Louis clapped a hand over Helen’s mouth and replied with a beaming, eager grin to Osyclis’s lecture.

Osyclis glared at her two unruly “children,” feeling a mixture of emotions.

It had to be something written by Granny Stia—there was no way Louis, such a greenhorn, could manage this level of spellcraft.

She went on at length, but in essence, she concluded that while Louis lacked talent, diligence could make up for it.

Louis nodded repeatedly, putting on a humble, attentive air, which greatly pleased Osyclis.

After scolding Louis, she turned her ire on Helen.

Rebuked, Helen pouted, rubbing her eyes in grievance, and lost all interest in tattling.

Osyclis, exasperated, pinched her younger sister.

Her three students had made spectacles of themselves today—how mortifying.

Ironically, it was Louis’s performance that most surprised Osyclis. Though the spell came from Granny Stia, it was Louis’s composure and calm that truly impressed her.

And it wasn’t just a single malicious spirit he’d faced today—there had been a whole crowd eager to see him make a fool of himself.

Under such pressure, Lufield and Terys had both fallen apart, but Louis, during his recitation, hadn’t made a single mistake!

As if he’d written the spell himself… Yes, his memory for reciting other people’s spells was rather good.

But what pleased Osyclis most was that this bookworm knew how to flatter at crucial moments.

Osyclis felt thoroughly satisfied.

His speech earlier at the podium was quite impressive. She’d originally thought that after reciting the spell on the spot, they’d all be doomed, but she hadn’t expected such a dramatic reversal.

Granny Stia’s recommended exchange student really did have something special.

At the very least, he possessed all the qualities a true wizard ought to have—though, for some reason, he still felt more like a knight…

She shook her head to dismiss the absurd thought, rose from the sofa, and said, “Come, let’s go to Director Triff’s office. He should be back with the paperwork by now.”