My Servant System

"I expect to get paid for teaching you anything! After all, this isn't knowledge given out freely, least of all to such a large and powerful house like the Asmodia's! I would be charging an arm and a leg for this, but I like where my arms and legs are right now..."

Kolia let out a sigh as she lifted her head from the table, glaring at me as she muttered "There is nothing more frightening than a woman hellbent on obtaining something, you know that? It's in your eyes that you weren't letting me say no... Where did that nice, well mannered little girl go?"

I just raised a brow as I replied "She still lives somewhere. Just no need to use my 'well mannered' self with people I know and trust. After all, I know you were going to teach me one way or another; the money wouldn't be a problem, and if I needed to pay it all up front, well... I think you'd like one of the things that we brought back from our trip to Ungrida~!"

Piquing her interest, I chuckled and said "If it isn't coin that you want, I could interest you instead in two garnets laden with mana that we retrieved, or perhaps a bundle of alloyed metals for you to use? Ah, or perhaps you'd be interested in Anput making something for you instead as payment? Or..."

I reached over and grabbed her small book with a grin, showing her the cover and watching as the woman's pale cheeks flushed red, and I leaned back and avoided her snatching hands as I added "I could have Cali draw up a couple of nice books for my dearest tutor~? I'm sure I could pick her mind and find out some juicy stories for you to peruse freely... perhaps with that Wind Djinn Aurae~?"

Kolia's cheeks darkened some more, and I couldn't help but chuckle as I handed the book back to her, further adding "Or I could ask Leone to brew up some 'useful' potions? I can verify that they work... quite well too; those nights were rather unforgettable~!"

"You..! J-Just be q-quiet! We're p-perfectly alright!"

"Oh~? But aren't you curious~?"

I didn't even need a mirror to know that I had a sly grin on my face, the teasing of the usually so composed Kolia bringing me far too much amusement as she went from an Arch Mage to just a woman; perhaps Jahi had rubbed off on me, but watching both Kolia and Adelina blush so hard at the thing I viewed so casually was adorable, though I knew not to push it too far.

"Well, if you want the coin, I can talk to the Marquess, or if you want the gemstones I can go get-"

"... no."

The Serpentkin blushed hard as she shook her head, making me pause as I stared at her for a moment, waiting for her to elaborate on that minuscule 'no'.

Silence dragged out between us for a few seconds before she looked up and said "C-Could you g-get Leone to brew those potions..? A-And ask 'C-Cali' to write those down..?"

She couldn't stare me in the eyes for long, and I held back from grinning like a loon as I heard her price, finding it extremely amusing that she was willing to 'sell' her secrets to me for something as simple as aphrodisiac potions and smut stories...

Though, considering how smart she was and who her partner was, there was a good chance they would break down a potion and begin concocting their own, while the stories would provide many different positions and interesting nights for them, so perhaps it was worth it...

"Certainly~! Now, do you need preparation for this, or..?"

Taking the lifeline gratefully, the Serpentkin woman coughed into her fist and calmed herself down, shaking her head and saying "No, since the first portion is non enchanting related. It can be done anywhere, anytime."

Not letting me question what she was talking about - or try to confirm my suspicions - Kolia began to close her various books and stack them neatly beside herself, while the thin book went back into her robe, hidden away completely this time.

"The first part about enchanting that most people overlook - and think that they've mastered - is controlling your mana. The difference between having decent control and perfect control is quite vast."

With her blush steadily receding, Kolia held out her hands and said "Place your palms on top of mine, and push your mana down towards me. Just like you were trying to enchant something. Don't worry, I can block it and prevent it from actually setting into my flesh."

Doing as she asked, I rested my hands on hers and took a deep breath, beginning to harness my mana again and guide it from my Core down towards my hands, before I gently and controllably pushed it into her hands.

I waited for a signal, keeping the stream of mana consistent and smooth as I could possibly manage, only to stop as she said "That's enough. Now, I want you to feel the difference."

Nodding, I stopped my mana and waited, before furrowing my brows as I felt the slight warmth of her mana brushing against my skin, permeating the outermost layer but not pushing any deeper.

It slowly grew stronger, but the gentleness of her mana remained the same even as the output increased, and I observed it in awe as she altered the output randomly, going from very weak to very strong to neutral, changing it constantly and yet still maintaining a perfect balance that didn't cause any damage.

"So you felt it? How I can push out my mana in a thicker wave before quenching it moments later? That is what separates a good enchanter from an excellent one. Some runes are NOT needed in an enchantment as much as another, so this allows you to regulate the strain of the enchantment and ease off of certain parts of it, while strengthening others.

For instance, a simple blade spell that could give your sword some more range and elemental damage? You don't need the shape as much as you need the power, velocity, and density. The mana naturally takes the shape of the enchanted item, and unless you're trying to cut something a hundred feet away, that shape rune can be weak. It's still needed, but it doesn't need to be so strong, whereas more strength in the power, velocity, and or density rune would be quite beneficial."

"Then... doesn't that mean there are a vastly different amount of possibilities with enchantments now..?"

Kolia just grinned, and I felt a small headache coming on as I realized just how much research I was going to need to do...

Though it would certainly be worth it.