I spent the better part of two hours wandering around the Magic Branch of campus. A while ago, I had realized that the art around the place was constantly changing. Primarily, the walls sported various celestial formations. Constellations, planetary alignments, swirling galaxies, solar systems that took the shape of summoning circles, that kind of thing.

I had, occasionally, spotted pictures of attractive women around. Following Omnius’ invitation to a room hidden behind an illusionary wall, I had realized that these were most likely depictions of members of his Anomalia. After all, that white-haired goblin had been one of his. It further stood to reason that this was a way the Master of Magic had to be available to the initiated few.

Well, if I was in his shoes, I would have used this ability to scatter a number of personal retreats all throughout the building. That would allow me both to make mysterious entrances/exits by disappearing behind walls and give me space to fully appreciate my Anomalia members in the downtime. Since Omnius struck me as a fellow man of culture, I would expect this to be exactly what he did.

Regardless of why or how he did anything, important to my current situation was that I failed to locate either this cosmic lamia or any other pictures of attractive women. Either I was unlucky or he was avoiding me. I truly hoped it was the former. There were ample reasons why Omnius could have been busy for two hours.

The belltowers announced the 20th hour of the day. Not wanting to intrude at such an hour, I instead returned to reliable training methods. I was still dressed in my sports clothes, not having taken them off after the Unarmed Combat class. A deliberate decision, as I would be running the way home.

Once I hit the road, I began sprinting. The usual advice for long distance running, I whole-heartedly ignored. The goal was neither to train my stamina nor to cross the distance effectively. What I wanted to do was to push myself to the edge of exhaustion.

The distance barely sufficed for this. The path home was about five kilometres and even if I was only at the starting point of being a superhuman, I was still above any regular athlete the worlds could produce. Only towards the last fifth did my limbs get struck with the leaden feeling. I carried on, challenging myself to push it to the edge.

I arrived home, drenched in sweat. Deliberately, I stopped. The adrenaline dropped, making the heaviness of my shoulders that much worse. I filled a cup with tap water. Cold water ran down my throat. My breathing stabilized. Everything inside me urged me to take a rest, but I refused.

What I had to train above anything else was my will. Increasing my physical prowess in this manner was recommendable, but not what I needed to overcome Taurus’ challenge. I needed to overcome the suggestions and demands of my instincts. Even if it was crude, to push my body to the edge and then assert that I would continue regardless of aching bones and wailing muscles was a worthwhile way to increase that discipline.

I was outside, right next to the pool, doing a variety of workouts without a clear goal. I just moved whatever part of me was still capable of moving. I reached the point where I no longer felt heavy. Instead, I simply felt incapable. My arms were light, but my sinews refused to lift them. When I did manage to get them up a little bit, they fell back down.

Barely, I could turn my head to see Esther approach me. “The mischief I could force upon you at this moment, admirable Karitas,” she whispered while caressing my head. I was too beaten to even give that a response.

It was far from the first time she had found me like this recently and it would become a regular occurrence for these next few days. We both were less than three weeks away from the promised date. Three more tries to get the challenge cleared. Twenty-one days to sort out her insecurities.

My eyes were glued to Esther’s thighs. Squatted down right next to me, wearing only her swimsuit, her smooth, meaty legs were all I could concentrate on. That was until she parted them just so slightly. The stretchy, dark fabric of her swimsuit hugged her crotch tightly. Although the neoprene piece was fundamentally of a plain, conservative design, her curves transformed it into the most seductive swimwear that could exist.

When I mustered the necessary concentration to look up to her face, I found her flushed and biting her lower lip. It was like she had taken a bath in the oil I had concocted. I could smell her desire in the air of this lovely summer evening. The sweet smell of pheromones mixed with that of distant flowers and the surrounding forest.

There was an aphrodisiac above all others when it came to Esther: effort. Nothing had a more immediate effect on the lady of my love than watching me try my hardest. More specifically she loved watching me make an effort towards something she also wanted and that I could get. If I tried to scale a smooth wall with all I had, she would have simply berated me.

The something in this case was another woman, that other woman, the only one Esther felt had approached me the correct way so far. Aclysia joining in time was important to both of us.

I expected her to help me up or to turn me over and give me a back massage. That was her normal encouragement during these situations. When she instead yanked my pants down, I groaned in surprise. My cock went to full mast practically in record time, my beating heart needing to get my blood somewhere. It made me feel dizzy and then she wrapped a hand around the base,

“Oh, Esther…” I gasped. All my nerves were on edge, and that included my cock. Precum soon lubricated her pumping motions and I was left shamelessly groaning. “Good girl,” I whispered to her.

“Keep those words until your submissive Queen has earned them, my Karitas,” she purred. My cock twitched at the sound of those words. Even though I was helpless, my woman was so eager to remind me that I was in charge. Could one ask for more?

The same joy that made me wish this situation would last forever put me on the speed lane towards orgasm. She bowed down to my crotch and wrapped her lips around the tip of my cock. Eagerly, her tongue swirled around the engorged tip. The words ‘cum inside my mouth’ vibrated through her lips.

I held on for a little bit longer. One hand, I managed to raise. I ran my fingers over her cunt. I could feel the wetness through the stretchy fabric. Pussy juice stuck to my fingers. Her perfect ass was right next to me, in all its juicy roundness. I stared at it intensely and came.

I had to hold onto my consciousness to not tap out. Each spurt, she so greedily swallowed, made the blackness encircle my vision. Her hand flattened against my groin, her red lips pushed further and further down. When the last few drops were pumped into her, her lips brushed the base. Slowly, she went back up, her vacuum tight mouth rubbing what little semen remained in my shaft. She gulped that down too.

Breathing heavier than I had been when she arrived, my field of view was filled with dancing dots around the edges. Ever so slowly, they were pushed back. I moaned, when Esther licked my deflating cock, having spotted another drop of my cum. “Are Willt and Arlethia out?” I managed to gasp.

“No,” Esther responded as plainly as ever. “Does it matter?”

I shook my head and smirked. ‘How truly blessed I am,’ I thought. Esther’s inhibitions towards public exposure had been low to begin with, so this was not exactly surprising. If my friends or Aclysia stumbled across us having sex around the house, then that was just the hazard of living in my mansion. As far as me and my Queen were concerned, there were no issues as long as we did not interrupt anything and cleaned up after ourselves.

With calming breaths came some control over my exhausted limbs. I pulled Esther’s swimsuit aside and fingered her hairless cunt lazily. Her cooing moans were enticing, but not enough. I had the obligation as a man to take full advantage of outdoor sex and as her partner to make her feel at least as good as she had made me.

A demanding tug gave her the signal and seconds later she straddled my face. Her bubble butt rested on my face and I took a deep inhale of her citrus aroma. Getting her to climax took no time at all, turned on as she was herself.

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Not three minutes later, we were laying side by side on the tiles. They were pleasantly cool in the late summer weather. Once the semester was over, we would enter a short autumn, followed by a long winter. I would miss spending time outside in little clothes.

Shaking from the exertion, I sat up and reached between Esther’s legs again. She shivered softly when I found and pressed the bottom of the butt plug. “What size are you at now?” I asked.

“Size 2,” she responded. The 4-sizes starter set had served us well. Size 1 was honestly useless. Aside from a short, initial stint with it, Esther had left it in the packaging. During our aphrodisiac-fuelled engagement we had used the Size 3 for a while. In everyday use, Esther had found Size 2 to be more comfortable for the moment. It had only been three days. Taking time to climb the ladder was reasonable, as was preferring smaller sizes during ‘passive’ usage.

Recommended was to not try proper anal until Size 4. While I was understandably eager to expedite the process, it was not my backdoor that was at the risk of tearing. Consequently, I left it to her better judgement. All I had to know was that Esther wore these out of her own volition even when I was not around.

“Aclysia claimed the basic size,” Esther informed me. Had I been any less tired, I would have immediately popped another boner. I would have to investigate what the maid’s enjoyment of anal was. Wouldn’t want any of my haremettes to think they were expected to do something they were uncomfortable with. “You talked with insolent Karona?”

“Yeah.” I kept playing with her thick thighs and pussy lips as we talked. She was just too beautiful not to touch. A logic that I usually ignored when I looked at females that piqued my interest. This one was mine, however, and she smiled softly at the attention I paid her. “I got what I needed,” I said and proceeded to catch her up to what had happened.

Afterwards, Esther stood up and helped me on my own feet. We had the decency to fix our clothes, before she pointed me towards the shower. After cleaning the sweat off and having dinner, I collapsed in my bed. I was ready to pass out when Esther poked me painfully in the ribs.

“You can move a little more,” she stated and spread her pretty pink pussy for me to see.

I was a very simple man to motivate.

_______________________________________________________________________

My hand moved with slow precision alongside the neck of the guitar. Every movement hurt. The drawback of using physical means of exhausting myself was that my muscles hated me the next day. The Astral Body fixed many ailments, but the kind that was imposed by one’s own body was not among them. Some pain was necessary for growth. Matter of fact, some pain was the very cause for growth.

The way the cords of the guitar pressed into my fingertips was similar. Because I viewed the mild pain as a learning experience, I experienced the discomfort of plucking the strings. In the end, the Astral Body was an instinctual reaction to physical trauma. Had it reacted to every last issue with the body, the magic would have drained with every bit of dust I inhaled, every step I took, and every nail I clipped. As it was, I still had to cough sometimes, the skin of my soles had hardened, and I had to file down my nails.

Not a habit I had until recently, but Esther had complained that a badly trimmed nail had stung her butt recently. For the privilege of clawing at those marvellous cheeks, I was willing to spend some extra time grooming myself.

I glanced up, when Maria opened the door to the insulated room. The Asian music teacher had the sexy secretary look down to a T. Dark hair tied up in a bun, tightly sitting white shirt, even tighter pencil skirt, and a pair of dark-rimmed glasses. She was young and attractive, appearances suggested early thirties, misguiding as that could be. An Anomalia mark wrapped around her left ring finger.

A deterrent that I, perhaps, required. Fundamentally I was not going to fornicate with a teacher in earnest and bring upon me the consequences such an action could have. However, to flirt and position myself approvingly for after graduation, that was possibly on the menu. This was a university and moral concerns were greatly lessened by the students being firmly in the adult category.

That being said, I doubted I had the patience to leave an Anomalia slot open until graduation. I fully intended to see my harem filled by the time the placing tournaments happened. That gave me roughly six more months. While that sounded ambitious, I was confident that it could work. To grow an Anomalia was easier once it was established and between Esther and Aclysia, I had to be recognized as a big deal. I already had a certain goblin on the shortlist, for one.

None of that had anything to do with Maria though, who closed the door behind her and watched me expectedly. I plucked the cords as if she wasn’t there, one after the other. As I went on, I hummed the notes I struck in my baritone. My voice was my primary instrument. I had picked the guitar up just because. The pretty, popular guys often played guitar and embodying an archetype was advisable when one wanted the same successes.

“You’re worse than last week,” Maria commented and sat down on a stool.

“As much as this may displease you, I must admit that I taxed my body immensely the day before this. There is something I must achieve and for that, I must steel my nerves. A drop in the quality of my music is a sacrifice I am willing to make,” I gave the long-winded answer and struck another cord. “Truly, I am only in attendance because moving here was difficult.”

“Preparations for the Headmaster’s test, I assume?” Maria asked.

“Yes.” I finally put the guitar aside. It was normal for Maria to check on the students that had scattered throughout the various studios. Now that we were transitioning from musical advice to life advice, the instrument was in the way. “Do you happen to have been around when it last happened?”

“I was,” Maria responded with a nod. “Must have been… eighteen years ago? It wasn’t one of Derilea’s daughters.”

“Anything remarkable the man did?” I was willing to integrate whatever had worked previously. Only a fool dismissed the lessons of the past because they sounded odd on the face of it.

Maria shook her head. “He was already at the end of his second year here and had progressed far enough where he cleared it after only a couple of tries. It’s quite impressive you’re trying despite how early in your development you are. Does the suffering inspire you?”

“To write a song? A little bit,” I admitted and rolled my shoulder. Every part of the motion hurt. It would only get better if I kept moving. Active rest and all of that. “I was wondering if I could use it to distract myself. You know, channel my distress into music.”

“As it is happening? It would be an impressive performance if you managed that.” Maria put her legs in parallel and I kept my eyes on her face. “In your mind it may work. A personalized mantra, so to say.”

I nodded, that was mostly what I was thinking. “I would feel silly singing to the Headmaster anyway,” I joked. “Although the confusion may cause him to ease up.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Maria chuckled. “You’re a good man, Karitas, so I feel comfortable in giving you a tip about something that may help you.”

“I’m all ears?” My tone reflected scepticism. Helping intentions were appreciated. Platitudes were not. I was not convinced that anything could be said to me that I had not thought of already. An open mind was something I prided myself on, however, so I did give her the chance to surprise me.

“Attempt to have an audience.”

That was not something I had expected or thought of before. “Why?” I wondered immediately.

“I have come to the conclusion that you, Karitas, are a performer. You meet the challenge of the spotlight, love the occasion when you can prove yourself before people. It wouldn’t surprise me if you were incapable of finishing a song until you performed it.” Maria made an off-handed gesture. “It’s pretty regular among Diamond Kings. It’s your individualism, your whimsical need to prove what is special about you.”

I contemplated her words. ‘Would I perform better with an audience?’ I wondered and the answer was an immediate ‘Yes.’ The confirmation came from a deep part of my mind that was more me than my active thoughts. The wisdom of the subconscious that really made up all that I was, even if I did not always listen to it. ‘Especially if that was an audience of women. It is of most dire importance that I impress the ladies.’

“Am I correct?” Maria asked, already knowing the answer.

“Absolutely,” I confirmed for her. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Maria stood up and stretched. “Now, keep practicing. I understand that maids make men go crazy, but you have a talent that I intend to see blossom.”

“I’ll do my best,” I responded and grabbed the guitar again. By the time the padded door closed behind her, I was back to plucking the cords. ‘A song to my current trials, hm?’ I thought and imagined myself thundering vocals in a steady tone, shrugging off Taurus’ influence to the swooning of the audience. ‘A power fantasy of the most juvenile kind, pleasing as it is,’ I reined myself in. There was no way I could formulate any sentences under his pressure, much less sing. I won if I managed to keep standing.

That was challenging enough. It was Thursday, so I had two more days until the next Sunday rolled around. This would be the last ‘test run’ I afforded myself. If I did not manage to make large improvements, the last two tries would be desperate. It might be that my worst enemy was time. My current training regimen was not sustainable. It was possible that it even decreased my performance, unless I gave myself the necessary time to rest.

I hummed to myself and tried to make my fingers keep up with the tune. Universally, I failed. My skill in the guitar was amateurish, to say the least. This was the third time I even tried it. Before I knew it, the class was over.