A Reality Marble—in other words, a type of magecraft that manifests one's inner mental landscape. Even Sajyou Izaya himself hadn't expected that on this journey he would actually acquire this special magecraft, this so-called "taboo."
With that thought in mind, he opened his current status panel.
[Sajyou Izaya]
Strength: D
Endurance: C
Agility: C
Mana: B
Luck: A+
Noble Phantasm: B (This Noble Phantasm grows according to the number of grudges purified.)
[Scorched Earth]
Category: Anti-Army Noble Phantasm
Description: In the Tunguska explosion, the corpses of countless living beings turned into vengeful grudges and eventually formed the Beast of Pleasures.
Because you used Empathy Magecraft to purify the grudges of the dead, you obtained their acknowledgment. One day, you might become the ruler of this land…
Empathy: B
A special ability that can soothe the souls of others and condense the emotions of enemies into magecraft for your own use.
Eye of Disaster: Rainbow
When a disaster-class energy reaction appears in your field of vision, your Mystic Eyes automatically analyze its energy composition and feed back the optimal weak point to you in the form of visual information.
…
Well...
Right now, this stat sheet still looks somewhat ordinary, but Sajyou Izaya is still young, and the Sajyou family teaches him magecraft every day.
More importantly, his Noble Phantasm can evolve!
Handling Servants in a Holy Grail War would still be somewhat difficult for him right now, but for dealing with most magi, it should be no problem.
After all, in the Nasuverse, magecraft and various parameters do impact combat strength, but what really opens up the gap between Servants are Noble Phantasms.
And Sajyou Izaya's currently acquired Reality Marble is already enough for him to protect himself in this cruel world of magecraft.
That said, from the description above, it sounds like he'd be able to summon the creatures of the Tunguska blast from within and have them fight for him…
Would that include Koyanskaya as well?
If someday, in the middle of a Holy Grail War fight, his inner world suddenly opened, and the Beast of that land was summoned onto the battlefield…
That would be interesting.
…
The moonlight was like water, pale and bright like frost.
Over the entire scorched earth, only the night wind howled across the dark sky. Charred branches creaked in the gusts, desolate and alone.
In the darkness of night, a slim, luminous figure appeared quietly.
Sajyou Izaya tilted his head up with mixed feelings, just in time to see the tent flap lift. Entering was a mature woman with loosely draped pink hair and an alluring air about her.
Even at night, her tight, flawless skin remained snow-white. The lavish dress she wore did nothing to hide her voluptuous figure.
But as she noticed the boy's gaze lingering on her, a faint, almost unnoticeable blush flashed across Koyanskaya's face.
Before she could speak, Sajyou Izaya suddenly took a step forward, moving closer. After carefully observing her for a moment, he said with some concern:
"Did you absorb a lot of grudges from the undead of this land today?"
The magical aura floating around the woman's body was clearly a bit violent—exactly the same as when he'd first seen her more than two months ago.
Obviously, she had "eaten" a lot today and even had a bit of indigestion.
Koyanskaya raised her brows slightly, then said in a detached tone:
"It's nothing. For now, let me teach you today's magecraft lesson first."
"Give me your hand."
You once told Koyanskaya that in your era, Magics from the Age of Gods are almost extinct. Even if you became an outstanding magus in the future, you might still never be able to use them.
So Koyanskaya is now combining the knowledge you call "modern magecraft" with Age of Gods techniques, fusing them together.
She takes your hand and teaches you—using the most primitive, traditional way—how to merge Age of Gods techniques with modern magecraft, and how to make use of your own advantages in the future.
"Breaking through from 'Empathy' magecraft alone is difficult," she said. "What you need to do next isn't just to listen. You have to combine Empathy with magecraft so it can truly work for you."
"In short, don't use 'Empathy' only as a spell that soothes or purifies. Your Mystic Eyes can analyze disaster-level energy and their weak points. If you combine that with Empathy, you might be able to see a new world."
Her voice seemed able to soften a person's bones.
"Relax your body. Feel my guidance with your heart. Don't only depend on your eyes. Let the power of your Mystic Eyes seep into your soul—give sight to your Empathy."
Sajyou Izaya did as he was told and closed his eyes.
The vast sea of resentment in front of him began to change within his perception.
At first, all he could feel was a choking pressure—a pain in his chest from the waves of hatred.
But under Koyanskaya's guidance, the rainbow-colored "Eye of Disaster" started to activate passively.
In an instant, the "structure" and "weaknesses" of the sea of grudges were simultaneously presented in his mind as three-dimensional visual information.
"See it now?" Koyanskaya spoke quietly. "This time, give new meaning to their deaths—with words."
"Come… recite with me."
"I, who grasp the pain of death—"
Sajyou Izaya reached out his hand, as if he wanted to touch the invisible sea of grudges.
"With the rainbow eyes, I observe the principle of calamity—"
"With a heart of Empathy, I compile the preface of hatred—"
The surging torrent of wrath began to disassemble, be analyzed, and reorganized!
"Your end shall be my beginning!
Unfurl—Calamity Schema!"
As the incantation left their lips, the countless resentments of the creatures outside the tent quietly gathered around the two of them, like trickling streams or cerulean tears of the sea, radiating a mysterious, captivating glow.
Soon, the grudges were purified and gently flowed into Koyanskaya's body.
Sajyou Izaya slowly opened his eyes and looked straight at the pink-haired Beast.
Her pure-white, aristocratic dress shimmered with a deep blue luster. Her hair floated in the air; the white skirt was gently lifted by the breeze, highlighting the graceful lines of a mature woman's charm in vivid contrast.
Perhaps because she felt the boy at her side was someone she could trust, her expression was especially relaxed. This beautiful, moving posture unconsciously drew Izaya's eyes to her.
Her plump, enticing figure and delicate, sensual red lips seemed born to tempt criminals into sin…
Even her current unguarded appearance…
Anyone who saw it would find their heart stirred.
Compared to the vigilance she'd shown at the beginning, the fact that she could open her heart like this now was really…
…truly adorable.
Sajyou Izaya still had a bit of childishness to him.
After a while, Koyanskaya finished absorbing all the grudges.
When she opened her eyes, she faintly sensed a gaze at her side.
Realizing the situation, the two made eye contact. Panic flashed through her eyes, and she shyly pulled her hand back.
"Alright, that's it for tonight's magecraft lesson. Get some rest early—"
But just as Koyanskaya turned to make a hasty retreat, Sajyou Izaya reached out and held her hand. That soft, cool sensation quietly spread through her palm.
At the same time, the warmth of the young man's hand made her body tremble slightly.
At that moment, Sajyou Izaya explained in all seriousness:
"Today, my Empathy magecraft seems to have improved quite a bit. Let me try and delve into your spiritual world and see if I can purify the grudges you absorbed today into pure energy."
Koyanskaya's delicate, plump red lips pressed together. She looked like she wanted to say something, but in the next second, Izaya intertwined his fingers with hers, holding her hands even more intimately.
"!"
In an instant, an indescribable surge of emotion crashed into her chest. Her voluptuous bosom warmed for no reason, and a tipsy blush climbed over her face.
"For Empathy magecraft, there's no need to hold hands like this… Just what are you trying to do—"
"You already know what I want to do, don't you?"
The boy's extremely earnest voice suddenly made Koyanskaya's words get stuck in her throat.
She unconsciously raised her head, looking straight at the not-yet-fully-grown teenager in front of her.
At some unknown point, the distance between them had become so close that Izaya's youthful cheek seemed like it might brush against her with even the slightest movement, brushing against that astonishing gentleness.
His soft black hair was slightly tousled; a faint smile rested upon his handsome face. The moonlight was cold, but the youth's smile seemed able to melt a frozen heart; seeing it for the first time would surely put anyone in a better mood.
Koyanskaya's previously tense body slowly relaxed, and a warm current flowed from his palm into her own body.
And as a result, the heart of BEAST, born from resentment and vengeance against humankind, gradually began to beat faster.
His hand was so warm…
So reassuring…
She didn't want to leave him…
If only he could always stay by her side—
Many different thoughts flashed across her mind. At last, her lips parted slightly, and in a somewhat trembling voice, she whispered:
"…I like it. I… like this…"
After receiving this positive answer, Sajyou Izaya closed his eyes in satisfaction and began to guide a thread of his spiritual power into her inner world.
In that moment, the two were not only physically close—they were also spiritually connected.
Koyanskaya stared fixedly at the boy. His face was still a bit youthful, pale, and beautiful. Right now he was completely focused on sensing her spiritual world through Empathy.
He kept his eyes closed, as if he didn't notice the greedy, longing gaze the woman was now giving him.
She would never openly approach Sajyou Izaya. Only when he was practicing magecraft or when he was asleep would Koyanskaya secretly watch him.
Why did she peep at him like this…?
Even she didn't know.
Of course, when they first met, she'd looked at this human with nothing more than tolerant curiosity. But the longer they spent together, the more she began to… fear him.
Even now, in such a moment, she was secretly watching him in such a filthy, utterly shameful way.
Why...?
She… couldn't do this.
She worried that if he found out, he'd hate her.
After thinking for a while, she finally arrived at an answer.
Right. She was the "Beast" of this planet—this world's "Cancer." Humans were born with feelings of "disgust" and "fear" toward that Beast. Let alone the fact that he was still her prisoner here.
If he were to learn about the special feelings a Beast harbored toward a human, he'd surely reject it… wouldn't he?
—Yet throughout this entire time, she had never once sensed the emotion called "fear" from the teenager's eyes.
On the contrary, she often saw a special heat in his gaze. Even just now, when their hands were interlocked, she could feel the boy's quickened heartbeat.
Perhaps, unlike other humans… he neither loathed nor feared her existence.
Her thoughts were a mess. Almost without realizing it, Koyanskaya reached out her hand and gently caressed the boy's face.
Her slender, snow-white fingertips slowly slid from his cheek down to his chest. Her mature, beautiful face gradually drew closer.
The distance between them shrank, and her sweet breath fell on the sleeping boy's face.
At the same time, the Empathy magecraft that connected the boy to Koyanskaya's mental world seemed about to come to its end.
Once the "purification" was complete, fatigue set in. He slowly opened his eyes.
And what immediately entered his line of sight was a delicate, stunning face and a pair of small, temptingly red lips right before him—as if, if he leaned forward just a little more, he would be able to touch those sakura-colored, sensual petals.
The soft moonlight highlighted the mature, plump, and beautiful curves of her figure. Her pink hair was tied up high; her neck was as slender and white as a swan's; her proud chest pressed tightly against her dress.
Her skin was snow-white and smooth, her lips full and glossy—breathtaking to behold.
However, at this moment, Koyanskaya's beautiful pupils suddenly shrank. She clearly hadn't expected him to open his eyes just then.
But as her mind went slightly blank, she heard the boy speak from the bottom of his heart:
"…You're so beautiful."
That utterly sincere, deeply moved praise made Koyanskaya's muddled mind slowly clear again.
Eh...
What… is he saying?
Beautiful.
A human being was truly praising the beauty of the Beast?
While she was still dazed, the boy suddenly leaned forward on his own initiative and gently pressed his lips against her soft, tempting ones.
That gentle contact that made her heart tremble, and the sweetness lingering between their lips, spread in an instant.
Koyanskaya's eyes flew open as if waking from a dream. Her voice trembled slightly.
"You…"
"What's wrong?"
But the boy only blinked innocently and looked at her with a feigned confusion.
These days, whenever he purified grudges or practiced magecraft, he could always faintly hear the woman's sounds…
Even an idiot would understand what that meant.
Perhaps to most magi, the Beast was a terrifying and dangerous existence, never to be considered as the "opposite sex."
But to Sajyou Izaya, the other party's existence stood above a mere "Beast."
In his heart, she was a woman first—and only then a Beast-like existence.
The atmosphere between them suddenly became a bit ambiguous. Koyanskaya's red lips parted slightly.
That intimate act just now clearly should've earned him a scolding from her…
Yet for a long time, though she wrestled with herself internally, she couldn't bring herself to say even a single harsh word.
"…It's nothing. Just go to sleep. I'm… tired too."
Sajyou Izaya smiled and nodded.
"Goodnight."
Without another word, Koyanskaya's figure retreated in a fluster.
Tsunderes really are the most interesting creatures in the world…
And when they're faced with a dead-straight confession, their reactions are also ridiculously cute!
Watching the woman's retreating back, Sajyou Izaya couldn't help but smile. He could still feel the faint taste of Koyanskaya's lips lingering upon his own.
After a busy day, he was already exhausted. He lay down on the soft, snow-white bed and soon fell into a deep sleep.
But in the middle of the night, he faintly heard a strange sound.
"Izaya-kun…"
"Mmm~…"
Half-asleep, he dimly heard some sort of muffled, moving sounds.
Sajyou Izaya woke up from his drowsiness and stared in a daze in the direction of the neighboring tent.
He could see…
Was that where the sounds were coming from?
…