Chapter 11: What Kind of Desire is This?

The pink-gold mist around Talia Vane resolved into clear text at the edge of Arthur’s vision.

[Repressed Desire: Wants to find a man who can satisfy her within 5 days]

[Block: Body altered by extreme Mana Skin training. Almost no man can bring her to climax]

[Intensity: High]

Arthur stared.

Mimi floated beside him, both hands covering her mouth as she shook with silent laughter.

Talia was still speaking to the class, completely unaware.

"Aura Layering does more than protect you. Used at full potential it becomes a bridge. You can coat a fist or a blade with Mana Skin and then pour your Grimoire ability directly into that layer. Fire becomes a precise impact instead of a wild explosion. Ice becomes a cutting edge instead of a clumsy wall. Density and control rise together. Most of you will spend the next year treating Mana Skin like a simple shield. The ones who graduate will treat it like a second weapon."

A few students nodded slowly, already turning the idea over in their heads. Others still looked shaken from the earlier barrage.

Mimi’s voice sang inside Arthur’s mind, bright with amusement.

"Don’t look so shocked. This is exactly what the Eros Codex is for. It doesn’t care how altered or demanding a woman’s body has become. If the desire is real, we can answer it. Every kind. Every intensity."

Arthur kept his face neutral while the last of the reading faded.

Mimi tilted her head. "Want to know why she’s in such a hurry? Why five days specifically?"

He answered in thought. Tell me.

"Her breeding cycle has started. She’s a beastkin. Someone placed a very high-level disguise spell on her years ago so she can live inside the empire as human. The spell holds her ears and tail in check, but it does nothing for the rest of her biology. When the cycle hits, the need becomes... urgent."

Arthur’s mind went blank for a second.

Beastkin. He had heard the rumors every Fringe child heard. Other races existed beyond the empire’s borders. Beastkin, dragonbloods, things that walked like men but were not. He had never seen one. He had never expected the first to be standing ten meters away in academy instructor silks.

His imagination filled in the missing pieces without permission. Talia’s already dangerous body with animal ears twitching atop her head. A thick tail lashing behind those low-slung briefs. The same fierce eyes looking at him while she demanded to be filled. Heat rolled low in his stomach. He forced the image away before it could show on his face.

Talia finished her explanation and clapped her hands once.

"That is enough for today. Think about fusion. Next session we will attempt simple spell-coating under controlled conditions. Dismissed."

Students began to scatter. Some rubbed bruises. Some spoke in low, excited voices about the Legion and graduation numbers. Talia turned and walked toward the far edge of the platform, the sheer crimson scarf trailing behind her like a living shadow. The gold chains at her hips caught the light with every step. The high cut of the briefs and the bare midriff left very little to the imagination.

Arthur did not look away.

Talia’s shoulders stiffened for a fraction of a second. She glanced back over one shoulder and found his eyes on her. Most first-years would have flushed or dropped their gaze. Arthur held the contact and let a slow, unmistakable flirting smile touch his mouth.

Talia’s red eyes moved down his body. The training shirt had been torn in two places by her earlier blasts, revealing hard lines of muscle across his chest and abdomen. The large mana pool that had tempered his body for years was no longer hidden. She studied him for a long moment. Then her gaze lifted again and she gave a single, deliberate glance toward the instructor towers, followed by a small tilt of her head. The message was clear.

Office. After classes.

She turned and left without another word.

Mimi spun in the air, wings beating so hard the petal skirt flared wide.

"She invited you! Already! Master, please let me watch this time. I will be good girl. I will stay quiet. I just want to see the look on her face when she realizes the Codex can actually keep up with her."

Arthur started to answer, but Mimi’s expression suddenly shifted. She looked past his shoulder, eyes widening with fresh interest.

"Oh. Here comes another one."

A cool, clear voice cut through the remaining chatter on the platform.

"You. Tier 1."

Arthur turned.

Princess Iris Blackthorn stood three steps behind him, long dark-blue hair moving slightly in the high wind, violet eyes fixed on his face with unreadable calm. The cyan house crest of Nova sat clean on her collar. Up close she looked even more composed than she had during the sorting, every line of her posture perfect, every emotion locked away behind a polished surface.

Mimi’s delighted whisper brushed Arthur’s mind.

"Well, well. The princess herself. This day keeps getting better."