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nThe first thing that Layn heard when his consciousness returned, was the sound of a material rubbing against other material. This gentle scratching coming from right above his head was similar to the sound treatment that some of the higher-class brothels offered for those too tired to actively pursue other goals.

nBit by bit, the archmage was returning to his senses. The next thing he felt, was the soft warmth underneath his chin, keeping the entire side of his head cozy. With his eyes slowly opening up, the peaceful sight of Irea's hands continuing to carefully wrap the twig against the core filled his vision.

nAbsorbed in her word, the girl failed to realize that Layn returned to his senses. Focusing all of her attention on covering the ever-growing ball of twig with more and more layers of it, Irea's face turned solemn as if she reached some sort of enlightenment.

n'How cute…' Staring at the adorable expression of the focused girl above him, Layn decided to enjoy his treatment for a little longer. Moving his eyelids down, he left his eyes only slightly open, with the gap of the squint covered by his eyelashes. Sneaking a constant glance at the girl's peaceful face, Layn soaked the atmosphere of the moment.

nAnd for the second time since he arrived in this time, he found some time to do some thinking.

nHe was in an unprecedented situation. 'It was never my intention to go back so far. From today's perspective, it matters not what I will do here at all…' While that was the main line of thought that formed the foundation of Layn's perception of his current life, his pragmatical nature made it hard to actually accept such a solution.

nThe only good thing about the entire situation was how the return mechanism of his spell wasn't perfectly in line with the part of the runes responsible for how far back in time was his gran arcana originally supposed to bring him. While the distance that this magnificent spell could traverse depended on the linear scale of the mana supplied, the 'calling back' function was more of a logarithmic function.

nWhile still bound to the amount of mana infused into the arcana, given how it grew at a way slower pace, Layn estimated that he had between a single year and a century in his current timeline before the calling back would activate.

n'And that's another reason to be wary of what I'm leaving for the ancients to learn from.' Given how he was the very first pioneer attempting to conquer the time itself with magic, Layn had no one to consult his doubts with. But ultimately, there were only two options.

nHis actions could elder influence the future, or not. In the first case, every single action he would do right now would later reflect in the changes to the future he knew of, turning it into something entirely else. Given how the pace of technology and magic development only accelerated at a greater pace the higher it reached, if he were to push the events of the history he knew forward just fifty years, the world he would potentially return to would have nothing to do with the future he knew about.

nOn the other hand, there was a chance that his actions would prove completely futile, leaving the world exactly as it was. As unlikely as this theory was for the archmage, given how it would mean that the entire history as he knew it already incorporated his influence before he was even born, the archmage had no choice but to assume it as a possibility as well.

n'In the end, it's super risky. It would suck to return right into Ortensia's hands, especially with all my mana drained…' Just the thought of moving back to the time he initially escaped from was enough to send a shiver down Layn's spine. And given the position of his head atop Irea's lap, this sudden shake of his muscles managed to pull the girl out of her focus.

nHer thighs twitched before her hand fell on Layn's hair.

"Are you okay?

" Putting the item she was working on gently to the side, Irea used both of her hands to slowly massage the scalp of the man. Brushing her delicate fingers through his hair, she appeared to be way calmer than she was before as if all her doubts about Layn's plan disappeared.

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"I guess you felt it already.

" There was one obvious thing that Layn already figured out. It was also one of the reasons why he intentionally 'forgot' to refill his strength with one of the stones, allowing the weakness to take over.

n'To think that this trick would work even in ancient times…' Amongst many things that Layn was interested in, psychology held a special spot in his heart. Although he never really dived deep into its possibilities, there were some laws that the archmage was aware of.

nAnd as if he was in a casino den, he knew that once the girl would invest herself into the project, she would have a hard time suddenly giving up on it. Hence, it was no surprise to the archmage when he saw the girl picking up the treasure-in-making as he was losing consciousness.

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"I did. This twig… How could it produce so much energy?

" Casting a quick look at the treasure beside the two of them, Irea squinted her eyes a bit.

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"For now, it's important that you realize what this twig is capable of. And I don't think I need to spell it out loud how it become this way.

" Turning his head slightly to the side, Layn could feel the back of my skull rubbing against the fleshy thighs of Irea.

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"That stone dust, huh?

" Still running her fingers through Layn's hair, Irea seemingly didn't mind letting him use her lap for a pillow at all. Then, she suddenly shook her head, before putting her hands below Layn's chin and leaning over his face. Stuck between the warmth of her thighs at the bottom, her chest over his forehead, and her face right above his lips, even being the archmage didn't allow Layn to escape from Irea's clutches.

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"Still, I still owe you an answer for earlier.

" While the treasure has yet to be finished, Irea clearly understood the value of what the archmage created. Because the most essential part of the entire treasure… was actually the twig.

nAs the only part enchanted with the stone dust, it was responsible for the entirety of magic production, or rather, magic suction. Once its own capacity would reach its limits, the mana would have no other place to go but to the empty magic stone at the core of the treasure. The only thing left to do, was to create an outlet for this power, turning a mana bomb into a mana outlet.

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"This thing…

" Looking towards the treasure for a moment, Irea smiled before moving her eyes back on Layn's face.

"This thing doesn't leave me any room to hesitate. And just as promised, from today onwards…

" Lowering her head a bit more, Irea pressed her lips against Layn's for a moment, before bringing her head up a bit and smiling..

"I'm all yours.

"

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