When Shiomi arrived at the Magecraft workshop, he found Scáthach already waiting for him.
She was idly fiddling with the Magecraft equipment, clearly bored, yet with no intention of actually making anything.
"I'll be heading back to my room a bit later. Sorry for making Master come all this way just to urge me to rest," Shiomi said as he pulled out a chair, sat down at the desk, and continued organizing the relevant materials.
Having lost three Lostbelts in succession and with two Crypters captured, this was certainly not a situation Kirshthalia, as the team leader, could sit still about.
No matter where they were headed next, there was no room for complacency.
"Anyway, everything Artoria and I were handling has already been handed back to you," Scáthach said casually as she strolled to the door and locked the electronic lock with a flick of her hand. "As key combat assets, all we really have left to do is train the others."
With that, anyone outside would need to knock before entering.
"Yeah. While I was gone, Master and she both put in a lot of effort, so from here on—" Shiomi lifted his head, about to say as much, when his words were abruptly cut off.
Scáthach braced one hand against the desk, lifted his chin with the other, and kissed him.
Shiomi stopped what he was doing, his palm resting over the wrist she had placed on the edge of the desk.
In the Magecraft workshop, filled with a distinctly modern atmosphere, only the soft, lingering sounds of lips and tongues intertwined echoed quietly.
"…Rather than thanks, I'd be happier spending some time alone with you like this," Scáthach murmured, leaning down until their foreheads touched. "There are more and more women around you lately. It makes me a little uneasy."
"Eh… My feelings for you haven't changed at all, Master," Shiomi said quickly.
"No, it's mainly Skadi," Scáthach replied. "Unlike me, she has a kind of maternal gentleness and warmth. It's something I don't possess."
Shiomi couldn't help but laugh. "But that dignified, commanding presence you have is something Skadi doesn't have either."
"You really know how to talk," Scáthach said, giving him another light kiss.
Then she withdrew her hand, stroking down along her disciple's chest as her fingers slowly traveled lower.
When she sank down between Shiomi's legs, he froze for a moment.
"Wait… Master, are we really doing this now? I still have things I need to finish," Shiomi tried to remind her.
"Why not take care of this first?" Scáthach replied.
She deftly undid his fly, leaning in closer, her eyes curved with a languid, bewitching smile.
As if caught by a charm spell, Shiomi felt his mind go completely blank, incapable of handling any complicated thoughts. All he could do was surrender everything to his master.
Of course, he knew perfectly well that Scáthach wasn't using Magecraft, nor did she need to.
Her very existence was already the most effective temptation for her beloved disciple.
Lately, it seemed his master had grown fond of this sort of thing, deliberately choosing moments like these to come and "trouble" him.
As time passed, Shiomi found his fingers interlacing with Scáthach's without thinking. When the emptiness in his mind finally burst, his fingers were tightly locked with hers, their palms warm and slick with sweat. Meeting his master's mischievous gaze, he realized his rationality was only a hair's breadth from snapping.
Then, a visual call notification came from the door, breaking the sultry atmosphere and pulling Shiomi's thoughts back to reality, if only for the moment.
"Mm… is it this button? Tenkei, are you in the workshop?" Skadi's voice sounded from outside.
Shiomi hurriedly helped his master up, hastily straightening himself out. When he went to zip his pants, his nerves made him pull too hard, nearly ripping the zipper tab off.
It wasn't even an affair, yet he was this flustered. Even Shiomi found it strange.
He glanced back at his master. Scáthach merely covered her mouth lightly, looking completely unhurried. As Shiomi unlocked the door, the corner of his eye caught the subtle movement of her throat as she leaned against the desk, and a chill crept up his scalp.
Being interrupted like this made the mental stimulation twice as intense.
"I'm… here. What is it?" Shiomi asked, forcing himself to sound calm.
"That tool for making shaved ice… that's what it's called, right? It seems to be under maintenance in your workshop?" Skadi walked in naturally, nodding politely to Scáthach. "Scáthach is here too. Were you discussing something?"
She had already gotten used to referring to herself simply as Skadi, to avoid confusion with Scáthach.
"More or less," Shiomi said with a small smile. "The shaved ice machine was modified into a Magecraft device. Just pour in water and it turns into ice immediately. It'll be sent to the cafeteria tomorrow."
"I see…" Skadi sounded a little disappointed.
She had just had a sudden craving for another serving of shaved ice, really liking that cool, delicate texture.
"Well, if you absolutely want to make some now, it's still usable. It's just that the workshop doesn't have any syrup—cough—"
Before he could finish, Shiomi saw his master open her mouth behind Skadi, silently showing him that it was completely empty.
She had eaten everything.
The sheer impact of that realization made Shiomi start coughing.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Skadi asked. "The man who plans to become a god, catching a cold?"
"N-no, that's not what I meant," Shiomi said, turning his gaze aside, refusing to look at his master, who was clearly suppressing laughter.
"You seem a bit off today. Less composed than usual," Skadi said thoughtfully. "And—"
She looked around the room.
"What?" Cold sweat broke out down Shiomi's back.
"I've been in your workshop before, but today there's a strange smell… kind of unpleasant, but not exactly," Skadi said, assuming he had brewed some odd potion. She sniffed the air again.
In the end, she followed the scent all the way to Scáthach.
"That's the scent of life. You'd agree, wouldn't you, my dear disciple?" Scáthach said leisurely, clearly waiting to see Shiomi's reaction.
"…Yes…"
Shiomi leaned against the wall, having no idea how he was supposed to respond.
"The… scent of life?" Skadi froze for a second before finally understanding, her face instantly flushing red.
Though she had never married, she was hardly an ignorant child.
After all, she oversaw the survival and reproduction of nearly ten thousand humans. There were things she inevitably knew.
"Y-you-you-you… what were you doing in the Magecraft workshop?!" Skadi panicked, a rare sight indeed.
Compared to Shiomi's earlier tension, she was on an entirely different level.
"Judging by your tone, you're not completely unaware," Scáthach said calmly. "Why not confirm it for yourself?"
She approached Skadi from behind, guiding her forward until she was pressed up against Shiomi.
"I…" Skadi fumbled helplessly, ending up leaning against Shiomi's chest.
"Um… Master, you're acting a bit strange today…" Shiomi said, looking at Scáthach. He was certain now she wasn't joking. She was serious.
"Having one's private time interrupted would make anyone annoyed," Scáthach replied. "Let this goddess pay the 'price' for her unintentional mistake. Besides, she was the goddess bride promised to you by the great god Odin from the start. It was bound to happen sooner or later, wasn't it?"
Scáthach wrapped her arms around Shiomi from behind.
Caught between master and disciple, Skadi had completely lost the ability to think.