Standing behind Ludmila, I held one of her wrists with one hand while the other rested on her waist, steadying her in this position.
‘I shouldn’t cross the line.’
This is a test.
Ludmila is subtly testing me to confirm something through this situation.
What kind of test?
‘She’s seeing if I’ll make a move on her.’
As the [Cutting Wind], as Ludmila Lionheart, and as a fellow student in the same class from the Old School Building, Ludmila is currently testing me.
In simple terms—
‘She’s an assassin sent by Ederson Lionheart.’
An assassin sent by the Lion King.
Though “assassin” might sound too harsh, in this context, that’s an accurate way to put it.
Marriage is the grave of life.
Going to the grave implies death, and an assassin is someone who brings death to their target.
In other words.
Ludmila has likely received an indirect order. More precisely, she’s been given a recommendation about a certain “Phoenix”—a presence suggested by her grandfather that might be better to ‘capture’.
Why?
Questioning the reason would not be very… attractive.
Considering all I’ve done for Ederson Lionheart and the male students of the Academy, it wouldn’t be strange if the Mercenary King saw me as a worthy grandson-in-law.
‘You came over faster than I expected.’
With the recent “Turbulence” incident, I thought her opinion of me might have dropped. But it seems Ludmila has come to her own conclusions and made up her mind to some extent.
‘This is good for me.’
She came over secretly.
Even just by pushing her back like this and trying to gently touch me, I could tell what she was thinking.
‘You can’t touch me now.’
Again, I remind myself—this is a test.
‘If I make a move, she’ll overpower me right here in this position.’
No need to panic.
This is Ludmila’s trap.
When does a male gain the upper hand over a female?
It’s when he takes a stance from behind, seeming to “mount” her in this position. When the male assumes dominance over the female in such a way, it can imply strength.
Ludmila, if faced with someone capable of forcing her into such a position, would likely open her heart to such a “strong individual”.
But I am not that kind of strong male from Ludmila’s perspective as the [Cutting Wind].
I am someone who supports others to become stronger, a “supporter” of sorts, which distances me from the strong male image she might have.
‘So I have to be even more cautious.’
I doubt Ederson told Ludmila everything he knows about me.
But he likely hinted something like, “Be cautious of Student Phoenix. Within him lies a beast beyond our understanding.”
‘Respect from the Mercenary King must have piqued her curiosity, but it’s frustrating for her that she can’t discern my true strength.’
I can sense Ludmila’s thoughts.
Is Phoenix perhaps an S-rank or higher?
Even if he’s acting as a new student supporter, isn’t he actually as powerful as the White Sword Saint Esta or the Mercenary King Lionheart? Or perhaps even they haven’t fully assessed his capabilities.
If such a strong figure were to overpower her out of a fleeting desire, Ludmila would willingly yield to that strength.
‘But that’s not the way.’
Conquering the original heroine would be far too easy.
But that is not the right path.
For the sake of the future, Ludmila’s ideal concept of a man needs to change.
Not simply “a male with superior genes”, but someone she grows to love based on genuine feelings.
In that sense, Ludmila still falls short.
Even if she allows this level of physical contact with me and initiates body contact of her own accord…
If you ask if she truly likes me as a person, that’s still uncertain.
I don’t want to be just a breeding partner; I want a lover.
Ideally, within a harem.
“…Hah.”
Ludmila let out a deep sigh.
Even while contemplating this, I continued assisting her in stretching as she directed, leading her to sigh deeply and lower her head.
“…Phoenix.”
“Yes, Miss Ludmila?”
“If I may ask for a favor…”
Still in her initial position, with her legs extended and her torso bent forward at a 90-degree angle, Ludmila turned her head to look back at me.
“I’d like to try practicing that technique once more.”
“That technique…?”
“The one from the baking practice room.”
“Ah.”
Turbulence.
“Is it alright? Now?”
“If not now, then when would be a better time for such training? But this time, I’ll control the power very, very slowly.”
Ludmila straightened her posture, placing her hands on the wall for support.
“Help me move the mana while staying as close as possible. We’ll be moving it very slowly, very subtly.”
“We’re already close…”
“This close.”
Practically, her entire lower body—from her hips to her ankles—was pressed against me.
The thought crossed my mind that if Turbulence triggered recklessly, things could end explosively… but thankfully, Ludmila didn’t seem to have such an intent.
Swoosh.
Ludmila straightened up, leaning her back against me.
Simultaneously, she took hold of my hand, guiding it—
She makes me hug her from behind.
And just like that, she pulled me into a firm embrace from behind.
“Miss Ludmila?”
“Just like with Miss Yunia, like we practiced in the lab. It’s just training… after all.”
Ludmila murmured with a hint of an excuse, igniting her mana.
“If I can control Turbulence, I’ll be able to go beyond my current limits.”
“And how do you plan to do that?”
“As soon as the mana starts leaking as wind, I’ll shape its path and gather it into a single stream.”
Ludmila extended both hands forward.
I had a rough idea of her intent, so I held her firmly from behind, like a trainer supporting a client, aligning our bodies securely.
“Huuuu…”
With a deep breath, Ludmila began to channel her mana. A surge of energy began to stir fiercely within her second core, making her legs momentarily tremble as if about to falter.
“No.”
“…!!”
Leaning in close, I whispered softly into her rabbit-like ears.
“You can control it, can’t you?”
“Ugh…”
“Focus, slowly channel the mana, and let it flow here.”
“!!”
I placed my index and middle fingers on her lower abdomen.
Gently, I began to move my fingers in a steady path up her body.
“Wind moves freely, yes, but this isn’t just wind. It’s mana in the form of wind.”
“Hoo, Hoo…”
“Feel it. Let it flow along the path. Wind may be free, but your [Cutting Wind] is not.”
Natural wind follows the current of air, moving in harmony with nature’s principles.
But Wind-attribute mana is different.
“It’s wind that flows with your will. If you can’t control it, who else will control the wind inside you?”
“…”
Slowly, Ludmila’s hands began to move.
Her fingers traced the same path along her body where my fingers had moved, following the route with precise accuracy. As she aligned her hands with mine, her mana began to shape itself into a defined path, flowing steadily along her body.
Swoosh.
The path was not a straight line—it traveled along her waist, then up through her abdomen, following the lines of her toned core, winding up toward her ribs, and finally curving beneath her armpit.
It was a complicated route, more tangled than a skein of thread, yet I guided her hand along her side, slowly directing her mana to the opposite hand’s fingertips.
“There.”
Placing my fingertip on her palm to mark the endpoint, I completed the trail of mana, holding Ludmila’s hand to support the flow.
“Try it. Very slowly.”
“… [Turbulence, activate.]”
The moment Ludmila’s eyes glimmered—
Boom!
Like a fuse leading to an explosive, her green-tinged mana burst forth in a powerful blast from her hand.
“!!”
“Did you memorize the path?”
“I, I think so…!”
As I began to step back, Ludmila reached out, pulling me close again.
“…Since this is my first time trying it, I think I’ll need repeated practice.”
A lie. There’s no way a woman of her caliber—a top-tier hunter, the [Cutting Wind]—didn’t memorize the mana path already.
“I see. True, it’s not an easy task.”
But I played along, feigning ignorance.
“I’ll assist until you can release it smoothly.”
Slowly, I channeled mana along the path I had marked on her body.
“I’m just like a mana trainer, after all, here to guide you, Miss.”
Physical contact is simply a part of the trainer’s job.
* * *
A while later.
Phoenix had left.
Ludmila, feeling drained, took a quick shower and attempted to head to bed, only to collapse onto her desk.
“…”
She slumped forward in a position reminiscent of when Phoenix had supported her from behind.
“…Hmph.”
Recalling the intensity of that close encounter, Ludmila slowly summoned the energy of the Turbulence within her.
One thing.
There was something she kept a secret from Phoenix.
“…Hah… Haa…!”
When she reached a certain emotional state, it allowed her to summon the Turbulence’s energy more smoothly and rapidly.
“…!”
Her pupils began to tint with a faint red glow, and her heartbeat quickened.
As she imagined… something.
