The Incubus Archduke Dreams of a Pet Human - Chapter 55

Asmod’s claim that he was proficient in anything involving the body was undoubtedly the truth. If it were otherwise, rendering a single illustration could not possibly be this taxing.

“How is it?”

Theticia presented the Horned Rabbit and the Nightmare she had spent a full hour laboring over to Jess. As she waited for the evaluation, cold sweat trickled down the nape of her neck.

“Do they not look like the real things?”

“No, they bear a resemblance. The Horned Rabbit possesses a horn, and the fact that the Nightmare has four legs is quite distinct.”

Jess’s expression was impossible to discern beneath her fixed, motionless bonnet, yet the care with which she chose her words was audible. Ultimately, her patience exhausted, Theticia collapsed weakly against the desk.

“Thank you for speaking so kindly.”

Just as Asmod had promised, Theticia had ventured outside the Archduke’s manor several times with Glacia. Today, however, she was obliged to remain within the manor, held by the extensive preparations for the upcoming inspection of the domain.

The detailed scientific illustrations she had seen in Levia’s encyclopedia had been such a shock that she intended to emulate them; however, a first attempt at such meticulous work was never going to be easy.

“It is easy to remember them one by one, but for some reason, it is difficult to recall two animals at once. I thought it would be easier to compare them if I drew them out,” Theticia murmured, pressing firmly against her temples.

“If you speak to His Grace, he will hire a painter for you.”

Jess gently suggested she give up. Theticia held her head and rubbed her forehead against the desk.

“That is a bit… I am already receiving so much, so asking for more feels improper. He seemed busy preparing for the inspection.”

“It is my understanding that His Grace does not suffer from a lack of funds. If you were to ask, he would grant you anything. Has he not already opened the library to you?”

Jess lifted her bonnet, casting a transparent gaze across the massive library.

Perhaps because Theticia had looked upon the charred remains of the monster encyclopedia with such profound regret, Asmod had granted her permission to enter the study. The Archduke’s grand library housed countless volumes, including ancient monster encyclopedias.

“That is true, but…”

Theticia murmured, glancing at the mountains of encyclopedias and books related to demonic beasts.

“…To be honest, I do not have the courage to face other demons.”

She had nearly been assassinated by Levia, who had seemed so kind, without even realizing it. Knowing that made her realize once again just how dangerous the Demon Realm truly was. The position of a human in Pandemonium was that of the very bottom of the ecosystem, where one’s life could be taken before either party even realized what was happening.

Theticia lifted her head, rubbing her forehead where a faint red mark remained.

“I wish I could simply transfer what is in my memory exactly as it is.”

At those words, Jess’s bonnet tilted slightly.

“Do you know how to use magic, Lady Theticia?”

“…No? I have no idea how to use it at all.”

Asmod had mentioned that she was overflowing with mana, but she flatly denied ever having cast a spell. Jess gave a small nod of her bonnet.

“Would you like to try? While you cannot force your drawing skills to improve, transferring a memory directly onto paper is a fairly elementary spell. It is often used in the kitchens to copy recipes.”

“…!”

Theticia’s pale blue eyes sparkled as she leapt from her seat.

“Please, teach me quickly!”

Magic. She was finally doing something befitting of the Demon Realm. With a fluttering heart, Theticia listened intently to Jess’s explanation.

According to Jess, magic was much like weaving. If one could entwine the mana drawn out like thread into a specific pattern, the spell would be complete.

Focusing her mind and feeling the flow within her body, just as Jess had taught, was the easy part. In fact, it was only possible because she had experienced a similar sensation several times before.

‘The sensation I felt while being intimate with Lord Asmod was the flow of mana.’

But her progress came to a grinding halt at the stage of releasing the mana.

“The thinnest parts of the body, especially the fingertips, find it easiest to release mana.”

“…Are you certain this is supposed to be easy?”

Theticia groaned, clenching and unclenching her hands. While mana leaked faintly from her palms, it refused to gather with any sort of density. It was as if she were trying to summon a stream of water, only to have a faint mist gather on a windowpane.

Her grand initiation into magic ended after two hours of simply straining her fingers.

“Do not be too disappointed. Just because one’s mana is vast does not mean they can manipulate magic well.”

“I only wanted to draw properly…”

If this was how it was going to be, she should have practiced drawing during the time she spent wandering around looking for medicinal herbs. Her stomach ached with frustration because she could not transfer the vivid images of all the demonic beasts in her head onto paper.

The bonnet tilted affectionately.

“Even so, being able to read the flow of mana is a great talent.”

“Mhm. I suppose so. But I do not know where I would use such a thing.”

“Now that you have grasped the sensation, do you not feel anything else?”

“Hmm… If I had to pick something else, it is something I have been feeling for a while now.”

At the end of the mana that flowed like a brook circulating through her body, small threads were fraying out here and there. If nothing else, she could feel one of them with absolute clarity.

“…I feel as though Lord Asmod is right where the mana leads. Could this be because of the mana?”