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”This is a really bad idea.” Sieg protested to the other gathered males. Aside from his brother, everyone here was from the eighth year, and Sieg had mostly joined to build bonds with the others. Mostly. At least that’s what he kept telling himself.

“A bad idea? This is a suicide! You do know Karna will kill us all, right?” Shaheera was a bit more vehement with his opinion. Yet he made no move to leave either.

“So you say, but when will we get a chance like this in the future? Perhaps never!” Rein was actually one of the main instigators of the whole thing. “Yes, there are risks involved. I will not lie to you. Grave risks. But with such risks come commensurate opportunities! What kind of opportunities? Men’s dreams, that’s what! You all know what we can find on top of that hill! Now is there any warm-blooded male that can resist such temptation?!”

Sieg had to admit that Rein could be pretty convincing when he put his heart into it. It also helped that while his speech was a little cliché, they all knew why they were here and were willing to brave grave dangers. So in a way, Rein was just preaching to the choir, making sure no one’s courage failed at this point. In truth though, while this was something to build camaraderie with the guys in the class, the main reason they had gathered so many people was to diffuse blame.

“You’re trying awfully hard to make the whole thing sound noble. However, that doesn’t change the fact that all we’re doing is trying to peep.” Shaheera poured cold water on their fervor.

“I don’t see you leaving. We both know why.” Rein, undeterred, turned the accusation around.

"Oh, I'm not turning back. Us Leonid are brave enough to face any danger. I just wanted to make sure no one had any illusions about what we’re about to do. It’s a creepy and shameful thing we're about to do. I want everyone to be cognizant of that when we do it. And the girls will likely hate us for it. At least for a while.” Shaheera showed some of his fangs as he grinned in an almost feral way.

"Then we'll go into the darkness knowingly because the prize is worth it!" Rein shouted and lifted his fist into the air, followed by the other gathered guys cheering for him. "Now climb, and may the Divines be with you! We will not all make it, so those that do have to make sure they enjoy it for all of us!”

Sieg shook his head. This was a really bad idea. They were trying to get a look inside the Headmistress’ own private hot springs. Much like many other things with the Headmistress, she was rather liberal with the bathing area that belonged to the living quarters she was currently sharing with her disciple. The hot springs were open air, as a kind of challenge to everyone brave enough. But much like other things in the Academy, the whole thing was also a test, as the path up was trapped and no one flying would be able to see inside. Trying to fly over just the traps was the quickest way to be caught in them as well.

It was almost customary for some guys to make the same journey they were now going for every year, though usually, only a few guys were brave and depraved enough to make the attempt, despite how attractive the Headmistress was. What made this time special was that they all knew she wouldn't be alone this time. A certain group of friends would be there, and perhaps most importantly, that included the new belle of the Academy.

The guys all had their own reasons for making the attempt. Rein was going for the sake of Callista, and a couple of the elves were here for Miralen, who had blossomed in her own way into one of the most popular girls in the Academy. Then there was the Headmistress of course. The woman always teased others with her attire, so finally seeing beyond that would usually be the main driving factor for these sorts of attempts. Usually. They all knew what the grand objective this time was though. Even Sieg found it impossible to walk away, despite knowing this was wrong.

-----

“So the guys really don’t realize that voices carry quite well up that cliff?” Miralen asked with a certain amount of amusement mixed with apprehension. She had quite enjoyed her bath so far, and she didn’t cherish the idea of getting out.

“No. Though most groups that make the attempt don’t stop to make speeches like that either.” Tsumi laughed as she allowed herself to be submerged in the warm water. She was also considering how she should broach the subject of the Emissary with Karna once they were alone.

“It seems your boyfriend was instigating everyone else along.” Mayumi egged Callista a bit. The impression was ruined a bit by the fact that the part-Yuki-Onna girl clearly had trouble dealing with the heat from the water, as she was completely flushed. Her long hair was tied up in a huge bun on top of her head to cool her off a bit, but even that didn’t seem to help.

"If he keeps these kinds of things up, then he won't be my boyfriend for long," Callista replied with a dissatisfied voice, although they all knew she wasn’t all that serious. She had pined after Rein for so long after all.

"Oh, this is still quite standard for boys their age. They can hardly resist. That's why I've set this whole thing up. Besides, isn't it a bit nice to know your guy is willing to brave dangers just to catch a glimpse of you like this? That just shows how much he likes you!” Tsumi didn’t seem bothered at all. In fact, something like this was a rite of passage among the Alpyrans. It was a bit less common among the more prudish Magocracy, but hardly something too odd either. The people of this nation were just as lustful as any other, they were just a bit more private about it.

“Is he here for me though?” Callista asked rhetorically with a bit depressed tone. She also looked meaningfully towards the last person getting into the hot spring. They all did, and they all felt a pang of jealousy as Karna slipped into the water with them.

It was a well-known fact that the bodies of cultivators and mages slowly changed towards their ideal when they grew in power, and eventually, even relatively large and conscious changes could be possible, though they often came with a price. Because of that, there were very few high-ranking people that looked completely unattractive, unless they wanted to look that way or were maimed in ways that could not be fixed. However, that didn’t mean certain people couldn’t be more ‘blessed’ than others when it came to appearance and physical attributes.

“Now, now. Jealousy is not an attractive trait. Besides, it’s not like you aren’t attractive enough yourself.” Karna chided Callista with a gentle tone, while releasing a small satisfied sound as the warm water engulfed her. She really enjoyed hot springs. This world had access to proper baths and showers, but a hot spring was always a hot spring. She'd often create one in her home during her other lives as well. Making a dragon-sized hot spring was sometimes a little challenging, but she valued her comfort.

“To heck with that, I want an explanation! How in the Divines did you manage to swing a body like that? I know we can change our bodies somewhat when we grow stronger, but I’ve never seen something like that and you’re only fourth rank! And you already looked like that when you were third rank! That’s how you appear naturally, and it bloody shows!” Miralen asked with a somewhat jealous yet also jesting tone.

“It’s all about genetics and bloodlines I’m afraid. Combined with diet and exercise of course, but we all have that part covered.” Karna replied with a smile. She wasn’t even lying. She was a Godling with clearly very powerful parents, and her past lives affected her in this one. She’d been rather busty even in her first life; a feature that had only grown more obvious with more lives lived. She still didn’t know which of her bloodlines were responsible, but she was the bustiest one present by a wide margin, and the others weren’t exactly petite in that department either. She’d also found it odd that she could not change that part of her physique for some reason, not that she really tried that hard. She knew the advantages outweighed the negatives.

“Yeah, yeah. That’s what you always say.” Miralen gave up with a sigh and looked down at her own relatively impressive assets. She was the slimmest of the group, but it wasn’t like she was unhappy with what she had. The comparison was just too unfavorable. “By the way, we are going to get up and go inside before the guys actually do manage to scale that cliff, right? By the sounds of it, they’ve already made it about a third of the way up.”

"You can go inside if you want," Tsumi said calmly, showing no indication that she planned to do so.

“Wait, you’re not going to go inside?” Mayumi asked surprised and somewhat intrigued.

“Of course not! That would be very impolite of me. They’ve braved the danger, so denying them their prize would be defeating the whole point of the exercise. If they actually manage to make it the entire way that is. The traps get more difficult the further up they get.” Tsumi grinned. This too was a part of the way Alpyrans handled such things. There was a certain type of honor in what she was doing in their culture. “That said, everyone involved will naturally be punished once the whole thing is over, so…”

“I’m also staying. Many of them made the trip for my sake anyway, so it would be quite impolite of me to stomp on their determination. Besides, I just got here, and it would be such a shame to get out now before I’ve gotten the chance to enjoy the water.” Karna said with a playful smile.

“You two are just exhibitionists!” Miralen accused them, and not entirely without reason. Tsumi was an obvious case as an Alpyran and her usual way of dressing, but there had been certain signs when it came to Karna as well. Signs that had only really started to materialize in the last few months.

"You're not entirely wrong," Karna admitted with a small smile. She knew her body was perfect, and she had developed a bit of an exhibitionist streak in her previous lives. Unlike many younger women, she also didn’t feel shy about showing her assets either. It wasn’t like plenty of people hadn’t seen her naked in her previous lives anyway, so that sort of sense of shame had been forced out of her a long time ago. She’d even worked as various types of performer, ranging from simple dancer to a huge celebrity, in many of her lives. This was the perfect opportunity to entertain that particular streak of hers.

Tsumi’s laughter sounded so pleased it caught most of the others by surprise. “My disciple secretly has a lot more lust and playfulness inside her than most people think!”

"I wasn't really keeping it a secret or anything though," Karna muttered. There simply hadn't been much reason to talk about such things before.

“Secret to others I mean. I had sensed it a long time ago. In fact, I’m somewhat surprised you haven’t indulged that side of yours before. It’s not like you would’ve had trouble finding willing partners. I know the people of this country are a little prudish and tend to be closeted perverts, but you reached physical maturity years ago, and you’ve been mentally mature enough even longer. Even legally you reached the age of adulthood a few days ago.” Tsumi voiced the thoughts she’d had for a while now. She could sense that there was a growing need and desire inside her disciple, so why didn’t Karna indulge herself?

“Ah, that’s because of my presence. You all can tell I affect those around me. Well, that presence is also affected by my own feelings. So far my presence has had a certain flavor of innocence and immaturity to it because I’ve purposefully kept it so. While many people find me attractive, they don’t really approach me with lewd things in mind. However, once I go down that path, my presence will also change. It already has to a certain extent, but I wanted to be a bit older before I take the leap. I think we’re starting to approach that point anyway.” Karna explained. In a word, she was getting so horny that it was affecting the presence she was giving off. Despite being mentally much, much older, her body was still that of a teenager, and that had an effect on her. Especially since reincarnators had a bit of a penchant for lust anyway, and she hadn’t managed to avoid that part of the draconic instincts entirely. She could control that part of her, but it was still there.

“Ah, that explains it.” Tsumi nodded in understanding, even if the others didn’t quite get it.

“How often do these challengers actually reach the top?” Mayumi asked, also a bit worried now as the sounds were getting closer.

“Very rarely. The last ones did it twenty years ago. The ones before that were actually Arjuna and Wolfgang. That said, usually they don’t make the attempt with a group as large as this time, as they try to be more secretive.” Tsumi said thoughtfully, tapping her full lips with a finger. “I think they have a pretty good chance this time, especially considering who’s involved. Shaheera and Rein have been training with Karna for years. The traps were not adjusted with that in mind. I doubt most of them will make it, but…”

“Yeah, I think I’m getting out!” Miralen declared, rising out of the water decisively.

“Me too. The water is too hot for me anyway.” Mayumi used the heat as an excuse, though looking at how red she was, there was actual truth to her words as well.

Surprisingly Callista stayed submerged. “Cal? You’re really planning on doing this? We can leave the whole thing to the two pervs over there.” Miralen asked while gesturing towards the master and disciple that had already declared their decision to stay.

Callista chewed on her lip a bit. “I will stay. I don’t want my boyfriend to look at others. Just me.” She finally said decisively.

“You’re crazy, but I can respect your bravery at least.” Miralen nodded before the two girls left.

After they were gone, Karna turned to Tsumi. “So are you planning on just giving them a small glimpse, or are you putting on a full show?”

Tsumi laughed. “It hasn’t happened enough times to say I have a policy on such things, but I’ll follow your lead.”

“Show it is then.” Karna grinned. If you decided to do something, might as well go all out.

-----

Sieg wasn’t sure how to feel about the fact that he had actually made it to the top. He still had this dirty feeling about the whole thing, like he knew he was doing something he shouldn’t but he was going to do it anyway. “Is this how all those morally bankrupt people start?” He had a brief philosophical thought, which was soon interrupted by the arrival of what remained of their group.

The traps had taken their toll. He was surprised so many of them had actually made it. Then again, only two people aside from those that regularly trained with Karna had made it to the top, and one of them was Sieg himself. “I see you made it brother.” Rein stated solemnly. “Despite your earlier words, here you are. You could’ve chosen to turn back, but you didn’t.”

"Here I am," Sieg said simply. He had made his choice. It was too late to turn back.

"Well, let's not stick around waiting for them to leave. We made it this far, so we might as well get to it." Shaheera declared and moved to climb a tree near the stone wall surrounding the open-air paths. The vantage point would allow him a great view of the hot springs and the washing area inside. The others quickly followed him, not wanting to miss the opportunity in case they were inevitably discovered.

They all got to see the vision of their lives, something that would unite them in a secret brotherhood for years to come. The first one they could see from their vantage point was Callista. The girl was submerged up to her neck in the warm water, her long blond hair being placed on the stone behind her to keep it mostly dry. Despite being submerged so deeply, the clear water granted all of them tantalizing glimpses of what lay under the water, and they could all tell the girl had a well-proportioned body. Much of it was hidden by her arms though, which were placed somewhat protectively around her even under the water. She gave a pleasant shy impression for some reason.

The next one they could see from a side angle was the Headmistress herself. The older woman was much bolder, with her elbows placed in the side of the hot spring they were in. That obviously meant that she only had water until about her abdomen, which was nice and toned. That left her large and soft breasts completely visible, and all the guys got a real eyeful of the magnificent display. The small brown nipples contrasted well with her well-tanned skin, and they moved around enticingly as the woman herself moved.

What really drew their eyes though was the girl sitting with her back to them. Even though her back was towards them, their vantage afforded them a nice look over her shoulders to her front and at her magnificent peaks. Her assets were also large enough that they got to see a bit of sideboob from behind her. And just as they were getting enthralled by her, she stood up. Hot water cascaded down her impossibly smooth skin, and they got the perfect view of her from behind.

Karna had long smooth legs that connected to a nice and round behind that was the perfect mix of feminine curves and athletic tightness. Her butt looked at the same time soft enough that it would feel heavenly to touch, but at the same time tight and hard enough to crack an egg on. As the soft swell of her nicely rounded hips flared out, forming an enticing looking gap between her thighs, they came to a narrow waist and a straight and flawless back that was covered by her long blueish-white hair.

The guys watched on mesmerized as her hips swayed a bit as she took slow and careful steps out of the hot springs, giving them tantalizing glimpses between her legs, and at the muscles that moved under her seemingly soft skin. She moved towards a small stool in the bathing area, leaning over at the waist to pick up a bucket from the floor, almost giving the guys a heart attack. At the same time, she turned towards them and sat on the small stool to wash herself. Her bountiful breasts swung almost hypnotically as she straightened. Those breasts were large and heavy, yet at the same time, they rode high on her chest and managed to look both impossibly perky and invitingly soft at the same time, swaying to her every movement.

She slowly started to wash and lather herself, running her soapy hands all over her perfect body. The guys were almost catatonic as unknown to them, the most beautiful woman they'd ever seen went into a full exhibitionist mode. She purposefully washed herself as slowly as possible without arousing suspicion, as every millimeter of her skin was 'soaped' by her own hands. They almost fell from the tree as she started pouring water on herself, of course in small enough portions that she had to do it slowly and multiple times to get all the soap and dirt off. One of them, and none of them could tell which one, made an involuntary sound as a particular rivulet of water ran a stream along her silky smooth skin and disappeared between her breasts, and when a particularly stubborn drop of water hung on the tip of her pink and hard nipple before falling down.

To add to Karna’s merciless teasing, Tsumi soon followed after her and put on a similar show. This would be a memory all four of them would treasure for the rest of their lives. Whatever punishment they would suffer, it would be worth it. This one trip would fill their dreams for years to come. The guys actually managed to fall from the tree as Tsumi judgmentally grabbed one of Karna’s breasts, one hand being grossly insufficient to hold the entire mound. They barely managed to see as the Headmistress' fingers sunk into the soft flesh, and they heard her comment. "Your breasts truly are outrageous. I've never seen anything quite like them." At that point, darkness took them as they managed to land on one of the traps.

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