Just as Liuli was lost in her thoughts, she felt a sudden itch in her legs.
The sensation reminded her of the day she had just completed her transformation—the kind of itch you feel when your legs aren’t protected by Stockings.
To be honest, thanks to the Stockings provided by Saint Laia Academy, she’d almost forgotten that feeling these days.
But now, it suddenly came back to her.
Could it be…
Just as Liuli was wondering if this was the sign of Resonance that Teacher Lin had mentioned, the itching stopped.
Then, a strange heat welled up in her lower abdomen.
It wasn’t painful, but it made Liuli feel uneasy in another way.
The burning sensation made her think of heroines in classic stories who’d been drugged.
No way.
Could this really be a sign of Resonance?
Isn’t this way too embarrassing?
Who ever heard of a normal person’s Resonance sign being… a heat of desire?
Originally, Liuli thought this burning would fade away like the itch had, but that wasn’t the case.
Instead, the feeling grew stronger, almost like a fire had been lit in her belly.
“Lin~ ah—Teacher Lin, I—I’m not feeling so well.”
Liuli felt she had to ask her teacher what was going on.
But she’d overestimated her current state; what should have been a simple question came out trembling and wavering from her lips, as if… as if she was inviting something.
“No way. Could this be the Resonance sign of a Nine-tailed Celestial Fox?”
Teacher Lin obviously hadn’t seen anything like this before either, and sounded uncertain.
But to Liuli, that didn’t matter at all anymore.
Because right now, she could barely hold on.
Her Nine Tails behind her swayed restlessly, as if yearning for release.
“I—I’ll go get Serveyia right now!”
Lin Ya keenly realized the situation was beyond her ability to handle.
Compared to that, it was necessary to bring Serveyia in and see how to deal with this Little Fox in such a tempting state.
“No~ don’t go—”
Without paying any attention to the sweet, almost dripping voice behind her, Lin Ya left the room without looking back.
People always said being close to a ruler was dangerous, but no one mentioned teaching a Princess could be just as risky!
As for Liuli in the room, she felt like her brain was melting.
Dizzy and hazy, she had no capacity for thought.
But then, she seemed to hear a voice.
“Oh? So this is my descendant?”
“Who—who are you?”
“I am your ancestor, the one who left you this Nine-tailed Celestial Fox bloodline. You may call me Ancestor Jiuyun.”
“Jiuyun~ Ancestor~?”
“Hehe, it seems you’re facing quite a predicament. Is it due to Magic Power Resonance?”
“Eh? Yes～”
If someone had recorded this exchange and played it for Liuli in her normal state, she’d have died of shame from the sweet, sticky sounds.
But in her dazed mind, Liuli couldn’t think of such things.
“Don’t worry.
Being able to hear my voice proves your Magic Power Resonance has completed.
After all, not everyone gets a chance to hear the words of their ancestor.
Though I’d like to say more to my little descendant, seeing you like this, I doubt you’ll remember a word.
In that case, let’s wait for your Mana Sickness to pass, then choose a good day to properly talk with my long-lost kin.”
“No—don’t go—!”
Liuli wanted to beg her to stay, but the voice in her mind didn’t answer her again, leaving her alone.
She didn’t have to wait long, though, before Serveyia pushed the door open and entered.
“Little Fox, is this… Mana Sickness?”
“It seems~it seems so…”
Seeing someone familiar, Liuli tried to move forward, but her legs gave out before she could take two steps.
Fortunately, Serveyia was quick to catch her.
“Help me, Serveyia!”
“How do you want me to help you, Little Fox?”
“I—I don’t know, can you make me feel less hot?”
“Little Fox, listen to me.
You need to hear the voice deep in your heart.
Normally, the way to resolve Mana Sickness is to satisfy your inner Desire.
As long as that longing is fulfilled, Mana Sickness is nothing.”
“Desire? I don’t know—Serveyia, I just know I feel so hot right now…”
Looking at the Little Fox clinging to her and acting spoiled, Serveyia couldn’t sit still any longer.
What a joke.
She wasn’t a saint—being spoiled like this was enough to get a reaction from anyone.
Besides, seeing Liuli like this, she probably lost her reason a long time ago.
At times like this, negotiating was meaningless.
Maybe helping her vent was the only way?
Serveyia locked the door, drew the curtains, and made sure no one would disturb them.
Then she tied up her hair and trimmed her nails for good measure.
“This is something you asked for, Little Fox.”
Serveyia didn’t even know why she was saying this, or who she was saying it to.
Given the state Liuli was in, she probably couldn’t answer any questions anyway.
But not saying it just felt wrong somehow.
What happened after that, Liuli couldn’t remember clearly through the haze, but she did feel the burning in her lower belly slowly fade.
Of course, all this was thanks to Serveyia’s dedicated efforts.
When she finally stood up again, sweat dampened the hair at her temples, but a satisfied smile lingered at her lips.
She could feel the Little Fox lying limp on the bed no longer radiated that overwhelming Desire, and the symptoms of Mana Sickness had eased.
But honestly, if this was how Mana Sickness had to be treated in the future, it might be a real headache.
Either way, for now, it was best to let their Little Fox rest.
***
When Liuli regained consciousness, she found a thin blanket covering her and Serveyia sitting beside the bed reading a book.
“Awake, Little Fox?”
“Mm…”
Liuli tried to speak, but her throat felt hoarse, probably from shouting.
But had she really screamed that loudly?
She couldn’t remember…
“Here’s some water.
Drink slowly—no rush.”
Serveyia handed her a cup, and as Liuli sat up to drink, she realized her clothes had changed.
“Serveyia, why are my clothes different?”
“Because you just had a Mana Sickness episode, I helped discharge the excess Magic Power from your body for your safety.”
Mana Sickness…
Liuli remembered.
It was a fuzzy impression, but she really did recall acting all needy and unsatisfied.
Wasn’t it all seen?
If only Serveyia had seen her, it’d be fine—but Teacher Lin had also witnessed her disgrace.
Now she was truly mortified.
“How about it, Little Fox—are you a grown-up now?”
“I guess…?”
“Why does that sound like a question?”
“Because while I was all hazy, I heard someone speaking in my mind. She said the Resonance was complete.”
“Someone? Do you know who she was, Little Fox?”
“I just remember she called herself my ancestor.
Jiuyun… I think.”
“Jiuyun?”
“Do you know her, Serveyia?”
“I do. She didn’t lie. She’s indeed your ancestor, and the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox before you. Did she say anything to you?”
“Not much, just that Resonance was complete and that she’d talk to me properly when the time was right…”
Liuli was uncertain.
The scene was so much like a novel’s power inheritance moment.
Did this senior show up to tell her something important?
“Ancestor Jiuyun was actually a very unique Nine-tailed Celestial Fox. Though she had strong support abilities, she wasn’t content to be just a supporter. On the contrary, she loved to fight. If she wanted to talk to you, Little Fox, I can’t imagine what kind of conversation it would be.”
“She wouldn’t want me to charge the front lines like her, right?”
“Of course not. This isn’t an era for fighting and killing. Besides, it’s just a conversation—the initiative is still in your hands, isn’t it?”
“By the way, Serveyia, since I’ve mastered Magic Power Resonance, why don’t I feel anything special?”
In Liuli’s mind, even if she couldn’t freely manipulate Magic Power, she should at least be able to sense the Magic Power in the air.
But right now, she felt nothing at all.
Did she really complete Resonance?
“It’s fine. That’s an easy problem to solve. As long as you familiarize yourself with Magic Power, you’ll naturally be able to sense it.”
“Um, but will I get exposed to too much Magic Power during the process?”
Liuli was now worried about getting Mana Sickness again.
If that happened in front of others, the shame would be unbearable.
“No, not at all. Doing it little by little is fine. As long as you absorb all the Magic Power each time and don’t let it accumulate, there’s no problem.”
Serveyia looked at the Little Fox before her, who seemed to half-understand, and continued with a smile.
“But even if you don’t bother with all this, it’s fine too. With me here, I can handle it for you any time, Little Fox.”
“?!”
Liuli didn’t expect such wild words to come from Serveyia.
She thought she herself was already repressed, but now it seemed there was an even more twisted maid than her?
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll lose control in public?”
Liuli thought, as a Princess, she should care about her reputation.
If she lost it due to Mana Sickness in public, it’d be a scandal she didn’t dare to imagine.
“Mm, in that case, I’ll just monitor your Magic Power threshold and release it for you in advance. That way there’s no problem, right?”
“You—you—you, have you gotten addicted or something?”
Serveyia just smiled.
She felt Liuli was right.
Though she’d only helped the Little Fox clear out some excess Magic Power, and it hadn’t even lingered long inside her, the Magic Power tinged with Nine-tailed Celestial Fox aura alone was enough to be addicting.
“Um, Serveyia, did you really get hooked?”
Liuli was genuinely curious what had happened while her mind was muddled to cause such a change in Serveyia.
“How should I put it… it just strengthened my resolve to protect your Stockings, Little Fox.”
“Um, Serveyia, are you secretly embezzling?”
Liuli hadn’t forgotten what she’d seen in Serveyia’s house that day.
Combined with her current state, she was really a bit scared.
“Embezzle? What nonsense—”
Just as Liuli was about to breathe a sigh of relief—
“With a real person in front of me, who’d care about substitutes? Let me hug you, Little Fox.”
It seemed she’d still overestimated Serveyia—or perhaps underestimated her own charm.
Being bear-hugged by Serveyia, Liuli could only cry inside.
“Don’t blow on my neck. It tickles, okay?”
“Hehe, I didn’t realize the Little Fox was this charming at first, but now I’ve experienced it for myself. I almost want to take you away and lock you up!”
“Wait, wait—Serveyia, do you realize you’re saying some pretty dangerous things?”
Locked up and such—that was way too risky!
Sure, being pampered was great, but there was a world of difference between being kept by a rich lady and being caged by a yandere.
“Haha, of course it’s just a joke. A cute Little Fox like you can’t be monopolized—otherwise, the others would protest.”
So that’s where the problem was?
Why did it feel like Nine-tailed Celestial Foxes were like canaries kept by powerful organizations?
Hopefully, that was just her imagination.
“Has Teacher Lin already gone back?”
“Yes. Teacher Lin had never seen a Nine-tailed Celestial Fox experience Mana Sickness in person, so after making a panicked report to me, she left first.”
“So… Teacher Lin saw my shameful state?”
“Don’t worry. Teacher Lin will keep her lips sealed. As for being embarrassed—it’s really not that bad. That’s just your own perception, Little Fox. Maybe others would see it as a blessing?”
“Only a perverted maid like you would think that’s a blessing!”