"Marisa, people shouldn't... at the very least, they really shouldn't..." Faced with Marisa's request, Patchouli stammered out her objections.
She never expected that despite all her loud protests, Marisa's body had already reached a terrifying level of honesty.
If she had already played so intensely with the boss last night and just earlier, what would happen if magic was added to the mix? Patchouli didn't even dare imagine the state of the shop!
Hearing this, Marisa immediately put on a pitiful expression and shook Patchouli's arm—
"Patchouli, just teach me! I really need this kind of magic, or I'll go insane from not being able to take it anymore!"
"N-not being able to take it?!"
Patchouli's face flushed red. What kind of outrageous talk was this?!
Seeing Marisa cling to her stubbornly, she could only nod in reluctant agreement.
"I don't know much about this kind of magic, and I'm not sure if it'll even work..."
"No problem! I believe in you, Patchouli!" Marisa stared at Patchouli with unwavering determination, as if willing to stake her life on this trust.
Patchouli sighed and raised her hand, a dazzling purple magic circle appearing before her.
As an ancient-looking grimoire floated out from it, Marisa's expression grew increasingly excited.
Finally! It's happening!
"Let me see... Ah! Here it is! Succubi... ahem, certain special youkai possess similar abilities to expedite feeding."
"The following spell can increase sensitivity by three to five times..."
"That's not—I want something to lower sensitivity!"
"Huh?" Patchouli blinked before letting out a sigh of relief, though the way she looked at Marisa became increasingly strange.
Three to five times isn't enough?! Just how wild are her usual sessions?!
Not daring to ask further, Patchouli quickly flipped through the pages in search of a countermeasure.
"Countermeasures... countermeasures... Ah! This spell can temporarily purge all negative effects on the body and restore it to its original, healthiest state for a short period."
"However, it consumes a significant amount of magic power, and after use, the natural recovery rate of magic power will be drastically reduced for a while."
"Additionally, using external means to replenish magic power during this time may lead to unexpected side effects, so caution is advised."
As she read, Patchouli's eyes suddenly lit up.
'Restoring the body to a healthy state for a period of time! This is perfect for research!''
Marisa also grew excited—"This one! This is the one! How do I learn it... Whoa, why does it look so complicated?"
"You need to use a magic engraving pen to inscribe the spell formula onto your body. I have one, but the formula is extremely intricate, and too many mistakes can cause problems."
"I'll need to practice for a while. Once I've got it down, I'll apply it to you."
"Got it! Thanks, Patchouli! I'll treat you to a big bowl of mushroom soup later!"
Marisa cheerfully agreed before skipping out of the room.
Even if it would take Patchouli some time to practice, as long as she could endure and avoid causing trouble in the meantime, she'd be safe!
Now that the defensive magic was settled, the next step was to ask Yukari Yakumo for escape techniques!
After watching Marisa leave, Patchouli turned her attention back to the grimoire.
Staring at the listed warnings, she frowned slightly, an inexplicable sense of unease stirring in her heart.
But under the temptation of restored health, she dismissed the risks. No matter how bad it got, it couldn't possibly be worse than Marisa's situation.
Just as she began preparing to practice the spell formula, Rin had already finished moving all the wine barrels out of the storage room.
"You're sure you want to clear out all of them?"
"Of course! Leaving even one would be disrespectful to the wine!"
Suika puffed out her chest and declared. These few barrels weren't even enough to wet her throat.
Yuugi nodded in agreement while sneakily shifting a few barrels from Suika's pile to her own—only to be caught and dragged back immediately.
Hoshiguma pouted but still handed over a thick wad of cash.
The moment the transaction was completed, the Sage's voice echoed in Rin's mind—
『 Special Quest ─ Sell 100 Premium Scarlet Daughter's Wine[COMPLETED] 』
『 Unlockable Special Alcohol ─ Wasted Dreams 』(T/N: Original Name is 醉生梦死. MTL to english (Google and Yandex) respectively is drunkenness and Dreams/Drunk and dreaming to death. I changed it to 梦醒无痕 which means Waking up without a trace/Wasted Dreams)
『 Alcohol's Effect ─ After consumption, the drinker will experience unparalleled euphoria, with additional benefits such as healing hidden injuries, enhancing physical constitution, improving sleep quality, and amplifying inner emotions. 』
『 Caution ─ Consumption may induce hallucinations, and the drinker will enter a state of absolute truthfulness for a period of time. The more alcoholic the consumer, the more intense the effects. 』
『 Due to the unique nature of this alcohol, only one bottle will be restocked per week. 』
『 Daily Stocks Have Been Refreshed 』
As the Sage's voice faded, an unusual fragrance subtly blended into the rich aroma of the Scarlet Daughter.
Subtle yet unmistakable, it latched onto Suika and the others' cravings like a venomous snake, instantly seizing their attention.
Under Rin's watchful gaze, Suika and Hoshiguma's eyes began to gleam with an almost feral intensity, their rationality teetering on the edge of evaporation.
"B-Boss... you've been hiding something good?"
Yuugi asked in a daze, her drool nearly dripping onto the treacherous depths of human greed.
Considering there was only one bottle, Rin thought for a moment before warning—
"It's not for sale right now. Maybe in a few months, it'll be available."
"How long?!" The two nearly turned green. Waiting that long might as well be death!
Just then, a certain restless hand stealthily reached toward the source of the intoxicating scent.
Before it could even touch the bottle, Rin smacked it away—
"No touching. I haven't even tried it yet."
With that, under the group's longing stares, Rin retrieved an exquisitely crafted bronze box.
The box was only the size of a palm, but staring at it for too long made one's vision waver, as if on the verge of hallucinating.
When Rin opened it and peeked inside, his eyelid twitched.
The bottle inside was tiny—barely enough for a single small sip, as if deliberately designed to prevent anyone from drinking themselves to death.
Before he could even take it out to taste, a small hand tugged urgently at his sleeve.
Suika swallowed hard before poking Hoshiguma's ample chest and whispering temptingly—
"Boss, I'll loan Hoshiguma to you! Just let me take one sip! One!"
"Suika, you little—!"