NOVEL WEB Chapter 17 – Any day now.
Slurp*
"Yeah bitch keep going."
I hear noises in my mansion. That i never expected to come from anyone other then me. I run to the abandoned section of mansion. A place that is very isolated and difficult to hear noises from. The only reason i ever heard them, is because i have a full monitoring system set up. Recording everything happening. There wont be a fly that trys to take a shit without me knowing. A monitoring system i was developing to be rolled out on the general populace. Big brother style.
I flip the door open forcefully making a loud bang. I am pissed off, as i walk into the room. The maid and butler jump up in shock. Both of them have their mouths hang open. The maid has the dick fall out of her mouth as it rapidly deflates. Their faces go to ghost pale color, as their affair has been suddenly exposed to the last person that should have been informed.
"Follow me, You are under alot of trouble."My face is a deep scowl, i motion for them to come. They trip over each other as their half dressed figures tangle up.
I lean back to my chair. Finally done reprimanding and firing those idiots infront of the whole staff, including the adventure party. Making the whole thing a spectacle of public humiliation. You might think its a little excessive. But this was a great opportunity to punish the whole work staff and make an example of them. All of them were acting relaxed and slacking. Acting more horny then they ever did before. I guess hearing a woman constantly screaming from orgasms can do that.
Children really take after their father. In this case they mimic their boss in attitude. God damn it, do as i say and not as i do. Isnt that one of the few doctrines that despots rule their underlings through. How can i continue a hedonistic lifestyle if the people around me are doing the same. Thats just a feedback loop of self destruction.
Speaking of a feedback loop of self destruction. I need to deal with something that has been looming over my head for a long time. I wish it would just fix it self, I wanted to spend this time working on my ascension to the next circle. Perfecting my curse magic up to the 4th level. But to keep up with the lie, i had to release the nature spirit. As far as the elfs are concerned it was solved by the sylas kingdom after it came to their attention.
It didnt remember meeting me. So i easily fooled it into thinking the whole situation is the same as the lie i told the elfs. Spirits are naturally more naive and trusting, a little bit of gaslighting and manipulation made it convince it self that what happened is exactly as i told it. The whole thing left me in a foul mood.
The court official told me to make the curse seem like it was fixed, when i finished explaining the situation and the lie i told them. His attitude was way more apathetic then i thought it would be. In the academy learning curse magic and other dark magics was looked down on. I thought it was because it was looked down on in the broader world, but i guess its because my academy is a snobbish place for nobility and their values.
"Wardour come to my office." I click on my table and a piece mage tech beams the sound directly inside his head. Using illegal mind magic, something you can only learn/research with permission of the academies.
"Yea boss." The dwarf spellsword walks into the room. He sheepishly looks at me. My eyes are blood shot, hair and clothes are disheveled. Exuding an upset aura. He is afraid of me, even though he is 4 times older then me. That doesnt matter, as i keep an iron fist over them either way.
"Its time that we form the party for something useful."A bit of my aura leaks, passively amplified with my cursed staff. A staff that will eventually wither if i dont regularly infuse it with stolen vitality.
"Yes sir, should i inform the others." He stands up stiffly. The most uncomfortable I've ever seen him infront of me.
"Tell them to gather infront of the teleporter. i expect them to be there in 10 minutes fully equipped." I dont wait for a response from him and force push him out of the room. He flys back out. He would have tumbled if he wasnt forcibly held upright. The door slam, as he goes past it.
I look down and open a drawer, It has the book about curses. The one that i used to make my staff with. The same one i was about to use to raise my level through. I pick it up and start flipping through the section that involves mind magic.
Curses that effect psychic energy. I look at a particular spell. A 5th circle spell. It involves splitting a piece of my mind and nurturing it until it becomes a clone of my mind or a creature that deeply resembles me. I delved deeply into methods that would speed up my learning and work speed. Most of them involve 8-10th circle magics that speed up or improve intelligence temporarily. There are some forbidden and dangerous techniques like this one that could be used as a work around.
This spell was intended to be used as a way for the mage to clone their mind or slowly corrupt a mind. This spell could be used to take over the mind of a creature using a curse that feed on the minds of others. Its because of spells like this one, that this book is banned. Curses are taught, but never to this depth or of these types of heinous spells. A spell that needs the mind of creatures to be slowly consumed, to have an effect that a competent mind mage could easily achieve with no sacrifice.
I know that this is an extreme escalation. But it feels like i am behind schedule for some reason. There is this aching feeling of a future threat that will doom me. No matter what i do, this feeling only grows stronger. When i am lazying about, Its because of this feeling that i even dared to use criminal magics. to try to improve as fast as possible.
I slam the book close and teleport it to the inside of the vault. A section that if any foreign magic fingerprint or person trys to open it. It would destroy its content and then attack the person. I keep some rare documents and a concentrated vitality potion from the nature spirit inside of there. an illegal high grade ingredient that could only be made with an obscene level of sacrifice.
Many magical trinkets fly all around me and slowly equip them selves onto my body. I have stopped keeping a hoard of money in the vault since the initial reseller problem. So i started spending, as i got the money. Mostly on expensive ingredients and artifacts that will empower me. I now look like one of those old time peddlers that have hundreds of trinkets adorned all over their bodies.
Curse paper flows and wraps many folds around the staff. Improving the effect for no extra cost. But with this paper it makes it obvious that my staff is no longer a nature attuned artifact, but a dark magic staff. I can no longer pretend to be a good natured mage. With the cat out kind of out of the bag. I start preparing cursed thread.
A magical construct that is used as a ingredient in many dark type spells. Strings float around me, anything they touch withers slightly. giving me a menacing vibe of a dark mage. Unskilled dark mages usually have gaunt or skeletal figures, because the magic hurts their physiques. Spending the rest of the ten minutes conjuring these strings. I prepare to go to the teleporter.
As i walk through the halls. The servants jump in surprise, quietly shuffling through their work. Giving me respectful nods. The aura of the whole mansion is gloomy. It not just because they are scared from the discipline that just happened. As the mansion is coated with my magic, the energy reacts to my will. Individuals inside the area of influence will feel the general vibe.
Its the same reason that 8th level mages dont have 0 circle mages living inside their houses. Unless measures are actively taken. Then the normal person will be overpowered from just being inside. My master has shown this effect, when i first met her. She made the passive mana that just happens to be near her to swirl only moments after staying near it
"Hey big man, whats the matter." Griselda stands infront of the teleporter room. wearing her full set of equipment. All the others are also wearing the equipment that i bought for them.
"We are going to fight an ancient tyrant to get its heart wood to fix the surround forests." I continue walking, actively going past them.
"Wait. why are we going so suddenly." She stops me and speaks to me.
"We are going now, i am not in the mood to consult my workers. everytime i decide to do something. Now shut up and follow." She shows a surprised look and is simply to flabbergasted to respond.
"Hey what typ-" Lyan the scout spoke up. Not happy with my tone.
"ENOUGH. Do as you are told. Did you think that you can laze around and not expect to work. Then i can throw out to the curb right now." A massive gust of wind expels from around me. Pushing everyone back a little. I might be 3rd circle mage now. But my mana levels are around level 5. So things that only use base mana have a massive effect.
I dont bother anymore and walk to the teleporter. Everyone quietly follows behind me. The dynamic was easy going and light hearted. But from now on it will become heavy and serious.
I am on the clock, i dont know why. but everything needs to be rushed right now.