Witch Taming System

After eating, Lancel realized another problem.

"I need to use the bathroom."

"Ah, it’s over there."

"Thanks."

The problem, however, was that he had difficulty walking, much less even standing on his own to feet properly.

He tried to move, but the moment he did, pain flared through his joints and bones, painful enough to make him stop.

Even attempting to control his body with telekinesis proved difficult. While he could force his limbs to move, the sensation of his bones and joints straining didn’t disappear.

In fact, it only made it worse.

"...Should I help you with that too?" Fiore asked, her voice turning noticeably bashful.

"Could you...?"

Even Lancel felt a hint of embarrassment, but at this point, he didn’t really have a choice. It only dawned on him now that he hadn’t relieved himself for two weeks.

With Fiore’s support, Lancel slowly pushed himself up. His arm draped around her shoulder as she helped stabilize him, carefully guiding his weight as they made their way toward the bathroom.

Once inside, Lancel paused for a moment.

"...I know I’m asking for too much, but could you... look away?"

"Ah, yes..."

The atmosphere turned awkward almost instantly.

Fiore quickly turned her head to the side, her face heating up as she tried to focus on anything else. The faint sound of a zipper being undone broke the silence, followed shortly by the sound of water.

Neither of them spoke.

Even the simple act of unzipping sent a dull sting radiating through Lancel’s arms and shoulders, but he pushed through it.

Still, there were lines he refused to cross. Not once did he consider asking her to help him take out his little brother and aim it at the toilet.

Meanwhile, Fiore’s face grew hotter by the second. Despite her best efforts to look away, curiosity took over.

She was no stranger to the sexual aspects of human anatomy, yet in this tense, intimate silence, her gaze kept drifting back for quick, involuntary glances.

"...."

It felt strange.

It was embarrassing.

And... oddly enough, it was difficult to ignore.

’So this is a man’s penis...’

Truthfully, erotica wasn’t anything new in Riviere. If anything, it was far more common than most would expect. While the outside world leaned toward classical literature, the witches of Riviere had their own preferences.

They liked smut.

In fact, if one were to walk past a bookstore, the novels displayed right at the front windows would more often than not be erotica, openly presented without the slightest bit of shame.

"Haa..."

"Miss Fiore?"

"Y-Yes?"

"I’m finished... But I think I’d like to take a shower..."

"Yes? Yes?"

What Lancel meant was simple. He was asking her to step out.

With that misunderstanding lingering in her mind, Fiore stepped out.

Left alone, Lancel let out a breath. From what he could tell, most of his injuries were internal.

The bandages wrapped around his body were largely precautionary, and judging by the lack of fresh blood seeping through them, it seemed safe enough to remove a few.

"Akh...!"

Even so, the moment he began unwrapping them, pain flared through his body. His movements slowed, and he frowned as he forced himself to continue.

Still, he understood.

This was necessary.

If he didn’t start moving his joints now, the stiffness would only worsen. The pain would remain longer. So he endured it, gradually peeling away the bandages that restricted most of his arm and limited his movement.

Just a quick shower.

That was all he needed.

Truthfully, there was another reason. Earlier, he had caught a faint, unpleasant scent coming from himself. Even without being particularly close, it had been noticeable enough.

Which meant... Fiore had probably noticed it too.

That fishy smell.

"...."

Lancel braced himself against the wall, supporting his weight as he slowly made his way toward the shower.

While heating remained traditional outside Riviere, within the city, witches made use of something far more convenient.

Heating runes.

They embedded these runes into their showers, allowing instant access to hot water. Of course, such a system required the use of mana, something only witches could normally operate.

That wasn’t a problem for Lancel, however.

In fact, he had enjoyed this luxury back at Faust’s place.

Reaching out, he activated the runes. In the next instant, water began to flow from above.

"F-Fuck!"

He flinched, his entire body tensing as the heat struck him immediately. It was far too hot.

Instinctively, he pulled back and tried to adjust it. It seemed he had poured in far more mana than intended.

That... was strange.

He was certain this was the same amount he had used before.

Lancel paused, staring at his hand as the realization slowly settled in.

"...."

Perhaps... he really was getting stronger.

Not just physically, but in magic as well.

His fingers curled into a fist, then relaxed, before he carefully adjusted his mana, lowering the heat to something bearable.

Lancel let out a breath as the stream of warmth spread across his body. Despite everything, he couldn’t deny it. The simple comfort of a hot shower felt... good.

Slowly, he reached out for the soap.

"Ah."

The moment his foot shifted, his balance gave out.

His weakened body failed to support him, and with the slick surface beneath him, there was nothing to catch himself on.

Thud!

Lancel fell straight onto his back. The impact sent a sharp jolt through his entire body as the breath was knocked out of him.

"Ghk...!"

Pain spread instantly, running from his spine and ribs. His vision shook as he lay there under the running water, unable to move for a moment.

"...Fuck."

"Lancel!"

At that moment, the bathroom door swung open. He was certain he had locked it.

But who was he kidding?

This was Riviere. To witches, there was no such thing as a locked door.

Fiore rushed in, her expression filled with concern.

Lancel tried to push himself up, wincing as pain spread through his body, but before he could steady himself, Fiore was already there, quickly supporting him as she helped him back onto his feet.

"...."

For a brief moment, his thoughts paused.

His gaze had dropped to her cleavage, which he shouldn’t have been able to see, considering Fiore’s rather modest outfit earlier.

"...."

Then, slowly, Lancel took in her appearance.

"...Why are you wearing a bikini?"

She was, indeed, wearing a bikini.