Konrad wasn't the type to beg—not in his second life, unless it was to fool his enemies.
Or in this special case, as he saw Lily's hips swaying as she walked away.
As usual, she wasn't overdressed. The rough scraps of fabric covered only the essentials, leaving most of her back bare. He loved her stomach the most—but this view wasn't bad, either.
No, there was nothing wrong with some begging if it was for someone as stunning as she was.
Everything else could wait.
He dropped the Green Mage's codex—it had lost its appeal—and left Zoltan fuming.
"Hey," he yelled after him, "I also told you I'd charge nobles in hard coins."
Oh, right. The Code of Conduct made him aristocracy—and the Church's enemy.
Too bad, the book didn't have what he was looking for.
He found some runes that would have come in handy during his escape from the catacombs.
A magic circle for drawing mana from the cracks between worlds. Easier than his previous method, but it was nothing new. The symbol for essence transfer was still missing.
"I don't have gold." Konrad paused. "But I can pay you in adamantite if you finish copying."
"Ada—" The illusionist's mouth gaped. "I've been trying to get my hands on some of that ore for a year, but—where'd you find such rare stuff?!"
"Find?" The boy smirked. "I've made it myself."
If not for Lily, he'd rub it in his 'master's' face with all the little details. How he escaped the catacombs and the issue he ran into with Stella's bracelet.
But he was in a hurry. He needed to take a bath—and, well, Zoltan could've used one, too.
The vinegar stench got worse the closer he'd gotten.
"You're not making sense." He shook his head. "And I have copied everything I've found."
Konrad hesitated, glancing at the messy scrawl on the book's final page.
Could that codex be the last thing the Green Mage had ever written? He wanted a look at the original, but not now—he still remembered how things went with Lily the last time.
Her falling into a coma had come at the worst possible moment.
"Okay," the boy sighed. "I need a rune that transfers my mana to another body, or into an object. The focusing symbol did nothing when I tried, and—"
No, he would've had to explain the whole thing with the transmutation artifacts.
"Oh, that's simple." Zoltan shrugged. "It's in the beginner's tome, I can—"
"Yes, please." Konrad waved him off. "Get it ready for me."
It was great news, but he had already wasted too much time.
He barked a few more words over his shoulder as he left.
"Ask the executioner what the bracelet does, and figure something out while I, uh—"
He didn't finish, only smirked.
"Executioner?! She's an executioner?"
If his 'master' wasn't pissed enough already, that must've done the trick. But the boy was out, rushing to the Tanidia Inn's public bath without explaining anything.
It wasn't as majestic as the name suggested—a few wooden tubs for the tavern's guests.
And for Konrad—it could've been the gateway to the heavens.
Even as he washed away the week's adversities, his mind wandered.
Before he realized, the water had gotten cold, and he was only halfway through theorizing.
Was the Green Mage working on better ways to recharge mana when he stumbled upon something else? He only saw Zoltan's messy copy of the original.
He'd imagine those margin notes must've been erratic.
The old sorcerer could've found something when he peered between the planes.
But what Konrad would find when he reached Lily's room seemed more important now.
Wait. She and Gabrielle had fallen into a coma at the same time.
Did the duke's daughter also wake up?
"Don't you remember the seventh rule?!" The petite ginger jolted him, hands on her hips.
And what hips they were—her flat stomach with the slightest curve was on full display.
Was there even anything about her that wasn't perfect?
"W-what rule?" the boy asked, confused—and aroused.
"In the dungeon? After our first kiss?" she scoffed, yanking him into the room.
Right. She did say something back then, but—
"I told you not to fantasize about others when you're with me."
Konrad gulped.
"How do you even know what I am thinking?"
"Oh, Konny, I know many things." Lily grinned, growing cat ears in front of his eyes. "I'm a demonic sorceress, you know. I can see the future, or read minds—but don't ask for details."
She still acted like a chunibyo—but proved that she was the real deal many times before.
"Yes, I am." Her grin widened as she unbuttoned his shirt. "Yes, Gabby's back. And no, I'm not telling you where we were or what's coming next—except this."
The cloth fell to the floor, and Konrad hit the bed before he could realize.
The freckled catgirl was already straddling his thighs. Her fingers inched their way up his torso.
"Your guardian angel told me I'd have to wait a few years for this, but I guess I have waited long enough." She leaned in for a kiss, and the boy's eyes fluttered closed.
Her lips were so soft, yet so demanding—
Their tongues twirled, a wet and sensual dance lasting only a few seconds.
"Mhm, at least you remember rule number one," she murmured, pushing him down on the bed. "And I have to give it to Lu; he picked the right body for you."
For a moment, Konrad wanted to ask how the hell she even knew about his guardian, but—
With her fingers tracing patterns on him, his mind went blank.
And a familiar tightness grew beneath his clothes.
"It seems you did miss me," Lily giggled, her palm sliding lower.
Thoughts like his quest for power and control all slipped away when that hand landed on his crotch. As delicate as this girl was, she could wrap him around her little finger at any moment.
"That's right, big boy," she whispered, kissing his ear. "You're mine."
Yeah. If he had any questions about it before, she was reading his mind.
And she was making fun of him—but who cared?
Konrad's arms wrapped around her waist, trying to pull her closer for another kiss.
And at the same time, away from the growing tension below.
One wrong movement, and he would have needed another bath and a clean pair of trousers.
That demonic girl knew it all well.
Her hand escaped his grasp, landing on the exact spot he wanted her to avoid.
But did he, though?
Her touch sent electric sensations through his body, and all he could do was grip her tighter.
"Things'll get hectic from now on, so who knows when we'll have the next chance," Lily murmured. Her fingers wrapped around him like a vise, leaving no room for interpretation.
She was in control of his desire, of him, of everything.
Not what he'd imagined when he made that wish on his deathbed in his pathetic previous life.
But for the first time in either life, Konrad let go—and whether ecstasy or disaster would come next, he left it up to her.