Chapter 2: Contagious Curse — Part 1: Meaning of the Curse
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Warning: This content may contain explicit or mature themes and is intended for viewers 18 and older. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.
Volume 1: Witch Carly Arc
Chapter 2: Contagious Curse
— Part 1: Meaning of the Curse
When Aurelius first arrived, the town appeared rather small, with reportedly fewer than five hundred residents.
Still, the town was encircled by a moat and guarded bridges.
Yet, the moat was shallow enough to leap over with effort, its depth seeming manageable even if one fell in.
With no pressing matters, the duo attempted to enter through the main gate.
"Show your identification."
The unfamiliar pair was naturally stopped by the guard.
Luckily, Magnolia had her adventurer's permit, which resolved the issue.
"An adventurer, huh?
There's no adventurer's work in this town.
Rest and resupply, then? Fine, go ahead."
Grumbling, the guard allowed Magnolia to pass through.
However, for Aurelius, there was nothing like that at all.
And he had absolutely no idea what to do.
"He came from a small village on the frontier.
Well, you can't really call it a village. There was only one house, after all.
That's where the people who raised him lived until they passed away, and I happened to pass by and brought him along.
He intends to become an adventurer."
Magnolia, who was used to traveling, spoke. And since the gatekeeper is a man, a woman would be better.
"Become an adventurer, you say? Can someone with such a slender body wield a sword?"
"Well, yes, but at least he's stronger than you."
"Really? Don't lie to me.
Well, alright. In this town, you can only be provisionally registered.
You have to register as an adventurer in a much bigger city."
"Yeah, I get it. We came here for provisional registration so we can enter that big city."
"If you understand, that's good. Just make sure not to cause any trouble in town."
"Yeah, I get it."
Magnolia explained everything, and Aurelius was also allowed into the town.
And so, they headed straight for the Adventurer's Guild.
When they reached the counter, they applied for Aurelius Adventurer's ID.
"He wants to become an adventurer,"
A middle-aged woman was at the counter.
"Here, we can only do temporary registration."
It was an unfriendly reply.
"I understand. That's fine."
"And besides, the director isn't here right now, so I can't issue a temporary ID either."
"When will he be back?"
"Who knows? Maybe he'll be back by the end of today."
The receptionist was rather nonchalant about it.
"Could you tell me where he went?"
Aurelius interjected from the side.
"I don't know where he went."
"Try looking around there, he might be there."
"Do you really not know?
But you probably have a general idea.
For example, shops, taverns, nearby houses, your own house, houses of acquaintances, houses of influential town people, the town mayor, one of his followers, a house that operates a shop, if not a tavern then a blacksmith, a general store, a grocery store, perhaps.
Got it, I'll look around casually."
When Aurelius left the adventurer's guild, Magnolia also came.
"Magnolia, where can I find a grocery store?"
"Huh, are you really going?"
"Probably, the director is there."
"Why?"
"The person earlier said he would be there.
If he shows his face clearly, anyone will recognize him."
"Huh, I didn't notice at all."
While grumbling, Magnolia asked around for the grocery store.
Indeed, men in town are kind when approached by women.
There were several people at the grocery store.
"You're the director of the adventurer's guild, right?"
Aurelius walked straight up to the person who seemed to be the director.
"Oh, that's right."
He really was the director.
"I want to register as an adventurer. I need the paperwork.
After that,"
Not knowing the details, Aurelius left it to Magnolia.
Soon, the three headed to the adventurer's guild, and Aurelius's temporary adventurer's ID was issued.
"But, Aurelius, this is your first time in this town, right?
How did you know he was the director?"
"When I said 'director,' everyone looked at one person, so I knew right away."
"Is it a bluff, or are you surprisingly perceptive?"
"But I'll have to leave the procedures to Magnolia."
The initially troublesome temporary adventurer's ID was obtained easily. This seemed to wrap up their business in town.
Still, they spent a night at the inn and restocked on supplies.
Though Aurelius's storage box was still packed with supplies, he added more variety to the food, thinking he might get tired of the same things.
"Normally, after camping out, staying at an inn would be nice, but with Aurelius, it's the opposite. For some reason, camping meals are tastier, and the bed feels better.
Well, if I can sleep with you, that's my best bed."
The two snuggled up and slept in one bed.
Afterward, they visited a large city within Cubec, where Aurelius acquired an official adventurer's permit.
Introducing himself as a mage and demonstrating a simple spell immediately earned him recognition as an adventurer.
After all, what matters for adventurers is skill, and all Aurelius needed to do was prove he was strong enough.
Yet, he showcased his magic abilities so swiftly, turning a wooden target into ash, much to the surprise of the guild staff.
Aurelius and Magnolia continued their journey, ensuring they made love every other day.
They did so because otherwise, Magnolia's health seemed to take a strange turn.
Of course, neither Aurelius nor Magnolia had any objections, and each time they loved each other passionately.
Initially, Magnolia, with her experience, led Aurelius.
However, it always ended with Magnolia experiencing intense pleasure.
Afterwards, they would cuddle in bed, finding happiness in each other's presence.
After walking for about ten days, they entered the neighboring Romero Kingdom from the Kingdom of Cubec.
The Romero Kingdom, renowned for its reverence of the earth deity and its expertise in agriculture and pottery, lay ahead.
Though they planned to purchase a few pieces of pottery, they had no intention of lingering too long.
After all, the Lima Kingdom, where Magnolia's comrades resided, lay on the opposite side of the continent. They still had a long journey ahead.
However, about five days after entering the Romero Kingdom, Arelius began to feel a strange sensation in his lower abdomen.
It wasn't quite pain, but a sensation he had never felt before.
"What's wrong, Arelius?"
"I'm feeling something strange. This sensation is new to me."
"Perhaps you overexerted yourself. If it's every other day, maybe it's less severe."
"Yeah, maybe.
It doesn't quite feel like that, though.
But I do feel a strong desire to reach Magnolia."
"Since yesterday was a rest day, today should be fine.
I'm ready whenever."
Magnolia leaned against Arelius's arm, and they exchanged smiles.
They arrived at a small town later that day and checked into the only inn available.
"We'd like to stay for two. Do you have a room?"
"Yes, we do. Would one bed be sufficient?"
"Yes, that's fine."
Magnolia took charge of negotiating with the innkeeper.
Since the innkeeper was male, it seemed preferable to deal with him from a female perspective.
Meanwhile, Arelius glanced around the dining hall and tavern next to the reception area.
Several men who appeared to be adventurers were eyeing them.
Their pairing of a female adventurer and a mage seemed to attract attention, much like in previous inns.
Amidst the onlookers, Arelius noticed a man sitting alone.
He resembled a merchant, yet something about him felt different. Ordinary merchants tended to be sociable to everyone, as it benefited their trade. However, this man sat alone, looking somewhat aloof.
Curious, Arelius inquired to the innkeeper.
"Excuse me, is that person sitting alone a merchant? If he's selling unique wares, I might be interested."
"No, it's best not to get involved.
He appears to be a fortune-teller outwardly.
But if his readings go awry, he'll try to sell you expensive items.
No one in town seems to engage with him anymore.
It's better not to entertain him."
"Understood, thank you."
It seemed there was more to this man than met the eye.
Once they entered the room and took a short break, the two headed to the dining hall.
The dining hall was moderately bustling with adventurers and townspeople.
The rare and beautiful female adventurer, Magnolia, was warmly welcomed. Magnolia, not minding the attention, happily drank her liquor.
Aurelius, who was not fond of alcohol, sat quietly and gathered rumors about the fortune teller that had piqued his interest.
Apparently, the fortune teller would recommend buying a pot if the fortune was bad.
This pot, called the "Jade Pot," was exceptionally expensive.
The fortune teller claimed that buying the Jade Pot and praying with it daily would dispel misfortune and bring good luck. Some people in the town had actually bought it, but it was said to take a few days for the effects to show.
Rumors suggested that there were no such effects, and the fortune teller might have been scamming people by selling the pots at high prices. The fortune teller kept saying that the effects would show soon and promised to refund the money if they didn't. The fortune teller claimed they would be in the town for another ten days, so those who bought the pots decided to wait until then.
Aurelius also thought it was probably a scam.
After wrapping up the drinking session, the two returned to their room.
They were teased quite a bit, but there was no helping it.
Once inside the room, they washed up as usual, and Aurelius and Magnolia got into a single bed.
Then, from intense kissing, it escalated to intense sex.
It was a usual night.
Aurelius used magic to soundproof the room and ensure no one could enter from outside. They should have been able to enjoy their time as lovers without restraint.
In fact, Magnolia kept moaning in pleasure. Happy with this, Aurelius continued his efforts.
"I-I'mmmm
Ugaah, I-I'm… going to cum…
I—I'm cummmmming…"
As Magnolia reached her climax, Aurelius could no longer hold back and ejaculated, or so he thought. But something felt off to Aurelius. Something was different.
"Gah, haa, haa, haa"
Magnolia, recovering from her climax and breathing heavily, also felt something was different.
"What's wrong, Aurelius? If you want to go again, it's fine."
As he looked at Magnolia, it seemed he had another thought.
No, this was strange too.
Usually, when Magnolia reached such a powerful climax, she would be satisfied with just once and then they would sleep in each other's arms.
However, today she seemed unsatisfied.
Despite having felt so good and having such an intense climax, something seemed to be missing.
"No, that's enough for today. Let's just sleep."
"Alright, okay."
Wanting to believe it was a misunderstanding, Aurelius tried to go to sleep.
Magnolia quietly closed her eyes too.
By morning, their usual journey was supposed to resume.
Aurelius, who woke up first, noticed something strange.
Usually, after sex, he gets very tired and falls asleep without cleaning up. Last night was no different.
In the morning, he would wash himself and use his magic to clean the dirty sheets.
However, today the sheets were not as dirty. Since he was still naked, he touched his cock and found no traces of semen.
"Magnolia, is it okay?"
"What is it? Do you want to do it again this morning? Fine, I suppose."
Magnolia, still groggy from sleep, was turned on her back, and Aurelius touched between her legs. As expected, there was no semen, which would usually be there.
Yet, Aurelius distinctly remembered ejaculating. It was impossible that he was mistaken or had fallen asleep halfway through. He had to be sure, though he could hardly believe it.
"Magnolia, how about we take it easy here today?"
"What's up, Aurelius? I don't mind, but is there something going on?"
For some reason, the naked Magnolia looked even whiter than usual, almost glowing in the morning sunlight.
"Just something I need to check. We'll take it easy at the inn today. Also, I have a favor to ask, if that's okay."
"Sure, what is it?"
Magnolia was still drowsy, but that was probably for the best. Aurelius sat up and leaned against the headrest.
"I'm a bit aroused. I'd like you to… you know, use your mouth."
"That's unusual. Well, I don't mind."
Magnolia, still lying face down, positioned herself over Aurelius's legs and brought her face close to his cock.
Mwah, tsu', tsu'—
She took the tip of his cock into her mouth and moved her tongue.
Aurelius had experienced oral sex many times before. However, he always asked her to stop midway because it felt too good, making it hard for him to last long during intercourse.
But today, he wanted her to go all the way because he had a reason.
"Uh"
The sensation of her tongue moving felt delightful to Aurelius.
If he weren't so anxious, he would have wanted to pounce on Magnolia since early morning.
Tsu', tsu', tsu'—
Moving her face up and down, she began to rub against him with her lips.
"Uuuuh…"
Aurelius expressed his pleasure as he gently stroked Magnolia's hair.
"Fufufuh"
Magnolia, whether out of joy or mischief, continued her caresses.
Tsu', tsu', tsu',tsu', tsu'—
Slurp-slurp-slurp-slurp-slurp-slurp
"Fuu, how long must I keep this up, until you cum?"
After briefly withdrawing from his cock, Magnolia spoke those words, then kissed its tip and moved her tongue.
"Uh—
It feels so good.
Yes, I want more, but is that okay?
Maybe I'll cum in your mouth, but is that okay?"
"Fufufuh.
That's unusual for you.
I'm fine with it, really.
Fufufuh, then I'll really let loose."
Magnolia's caresses became more intense.
Tsu, tsu, tsu, tsu, tsu, tsu—
Slurp-slurp-slurp-slurp-slurp-slurp
Mwah
Tsu', tsu', tsu', tsu', tsu'—
Tsu, tsu, tsu, tsu, tsu, tsu, tsu, tsu—
Apparently, she had been holding back until now. Now she was determined to make Aurelius cum.
"Ohh, ohhhh…"
Involuntarily, Aurelius moaned with pleasure.
And the feeling of ejaculation was approaching.
Until now, he hadn't been able to ejaculate into Magnolia's mouth, but now was different. That's why he had allowed her caresses.
"Ugh, uugh, hah, kwaaa"
Surrendering entirely to pleasure, he ejaculated without holding back.
However, although he felt the sensation of cumming, he didn't feel semen passing through his cock.
"Uh, I've had enough, Magnolia."
"Already done?"
There was no trace of semen in Magnolia's mouth after withdrawing his cock.
"Um, it was really good, so I'm satisfied."
Despite that, his cock lost its vigor as if he had just ejaculated.
"Okay, you can rest now."
"Is that so?"
He gently touched Magnolia's head on his knee and stroked her hair. She closed her eyes in comfort and drifted off to sleep.
It seemed the calming magic had done its work.
Carefully laying Magnolia's now peacefully sleeping head down as a pillow, Aurelius slowly got out of bed. He dressed and left the room.
At the front desk, Aurelius informed the innkeeper that he wished to extend his stay for a few more days and settled the payment.
Returning to the room, he conducted various tasks.
He examined Magnolia's sleeping form, inspected his own lower body, took out a book and perused it, and finally scrutinized Magnolia's body once more.
Despite his serious expression, he wasn't engaging in anything indecent.
"Fuaa, that was a good sleep.
By midday, Magnolia also woke up.
"Magnolia, how are you feeling?"
"I must have slept too much; something feels off with my body.
What's wrong? Why the serious face?
Are you upset because I've been sleeping all this time?"
"No, it's not that. There's something important I need to discuss about us, about you and me.
It might take a while, so how about we eat lunch first? It shouldn't be a problem for either of us."
"What's this about? You're not going to tell me we're breaking up, are you?"
"I don't think so."
"Really…"
"Let's just have lunch first."
They went to the dining hall and silently finished their meal quickly. Because of their difficult expressions, no one around them dared to speak to them.
After finishing their meal, they quickly returned to their room. The tense atmosphere silenced both the innkeeper and the other guests as they watched them leave.
Entering the room, Aurelius directed Magnolia to sit on the bed while he settled into a chair.
"Magnolia, something serious has occurred.
I regret it, but I examined your body while you slept.
That's when I discovered the extent of the issue."
"Could it be… am I pregnant?"
"I wish it were that simple. During my examination, I found out that the curse has disappeared without our knowledge.
However, there's a twist: another effect of your curse has affected me.
Listen carefully.
Your curse has somehow transferred to me, yet it remains on you. It seems the essence of this curse lies in its ability to multiply. Let me explain. Your curse has been transferred to me, but yours remains intact. It seems the curse has split into two."
"Why did it transfer? What will happen to you now, Aurelius?"
Magnolia questioned, visibly shocked and unsure of what to make of this news.
"The reason for the transfer isn't clear, but it seems transferring the curse might be its purpose.
The condition for transferring appears to involve sex, specifically the ejaculation of semen inside you. It doesn't transfer immediately; the affected man doesn't show symptoms right away.
That's how women unwittingly spread the curse, while men unknowingly receive it.
It's a particularly nasty curse."
Attempting to compose himself, Aurelius continued,
"Now, regarding the effects of the curse on me. There are two main effects.
First, I can no longer ejaculate.
Even though I feel the sensation, nothing comes out. It seems my curse absorbs my own semen, just as yours absorbs the semen you receive.
That's why yesterday, when I was with you, I didn't ejaculate. Even this morning, when you performed oral sex on me, I felt the sensation but nothing came out.
I asked you to check to confirm this.
I also wanted to know if you were feeling the urge to attack me uncontrollably.
If semen isn't received for more than two days, your curse becomes more active."
"I'm sorry, to burden you with my curse like this. I am truly sorry."
Magnolia lowered her head on the bed.
"No, this is on me. I shouldn't have embraced Magnolia without fully understanding the curse. It was my own weakness, drawn in by your charm. It's not Magnolia's fault; it's mine and the witch's.
So, are you feeling agitated, like you might want to act on it?"
"Well, about that…'
Magnolia hesitated.
"Truth be told, I still want Aurelius to hold me close. Even though we were together just yesterday, I find myself strangely drawn to you.
If this continues, I might end up forcing myself onto Aurelius."
"Please try to resist.
Even if you give in, no semen will come out, it won't alleviate your frustration, it will just make things worse.
If you can't control it, let me know. I can cast a spell to calm you down."
"I think I can manage a little longer."
Aurelius was also struggling, but Magnolia seemed equally uneasy.
"Alright, let's continue.
The second effect of the curse is quite dangerous.
A woman appears in my mind.
She has long, black hair parted down the middle, eyes slanting up, a narrow nose, and thin lips. She's probably the witch named Carly.
I start to admire this woman and feel compelled to rush to her, wanting to pledge my loyalty."
"Wait, that's…"
"Stay calm. Magnolia means much more to me than any witch.
But slowly, the witch is gaining power. It won't be long before I succumb to the curse too."
"If I lose Aurelius as well, what will I do?
And I can't help wanting Aurelius to hold me close."
"No, I should be okay for a while. I can use magic to keep it in check."
Truthfully, Aurelius was bluffing.
If he didn't use magic to suppress it within the next day, he'd likely fall prey to the witch's curse.
"I want to see if I can do something about this curse now.
For that, I want to be alone in this room and think it over carefully."
"If that's the case, I should probably go out."
"No, Magnolia is in a pretty bad state herself. It's dangerous to wander alone; who knows what she might do.
I'd rather have Magnolia stay here and rest.
It feels like the safer option.
What do you think?"
"If Aurelius says so, I'll stay quiet, but I doubt I'll be able to sleep.
I've already had enough sleep."
"If Magnolia doesn't mind, I can put her to sleep with magic.
I want to do that, but is it okay?"
"If Aurelius wants to, I don't mind. It shouldn't be uncomfortable sleeping under a spell."
"It probably won't be much different from sleeping normally. I've cast it on myself before; it shouldn't harm the body.
Okay, I'll do it."
Aurelius shaded his hand in front of the lying Magnolia and cast a sleeping spell. She closed her eyes immediately and fell asleep.
"Good night."
Aurelius kissed the sleeping Magnolia.
She showed no reaction while asleep.
"Damn, this curse is tough."
Aurelius muttered to himself, trying to analyze the curse without letting the witch's face appearing in front of him distract him.
Curses were beyond Aurelius's expertise, but he had to find some clue to a solution. Most likely, the deadline would be tonight. If he stayed awake, he could resist with his mental strength or stop it with magic. However, he didn't know what would happen if he fell asleep.
Taking such a risky gamble was out of the question.
Next to him, Magnolia wasn't sleeping peacefully; she seemed rather distressed. She must also be struggling against the curse. Aurelius couldn't afford to lose this battle either.