Chapter 231

“Certain requirements?” Sabina prompted.

Heat rose on Zoey’s cheeks. “The skill uses up Holy Energy, which I collect through—all of the stuff involving Aria and the temple.” She didn’t need to specify. Seeing how Sabina was a bright woman, she could read between the lines. “And in doing so, it can move a person through advancements.”

Sabina stared at her. As far as reactions went, that was her equivalent of gaping.

“Move a person through advancements,” Sabina repeated flatly.

“Yeah. It’s ridiculous, I know.” She hesitated. “What advancement are you, anyway? That’s a personal question, I know, but it’s becoming relevant. Like I said, I want to use it on you, and it’s gonna be more expensive the higher you are. At least, that’s the assumption.”

Sabina studied Zoey, obviously digesting the shocking announcement, before she answered as smoothly as ever.

“Fourth.”

“Fourth?” She wasn’t so rude as to say, that’s it? But her tone probably gave it away.

Fortunately, Sabina only seemed amused, not offended. “Craftsmen-type classes advance slower than combat ones,” she said. “Or rather, there’s fewer means to advance—and the best of them, obscenely expensive. I’ve been working with limited resources. I’m no scion of a noble family.” An eyebrow went up. “Nor sponsored by a goddess. Fourth advancement is respectable for my circumstances.”

“Sorry, yes, of course. I didn’t mean to imply it wasn’t.” She laughed abruptly. “My expectations are just way out of whack. I mean, I’m also fourth in my alchemy rune.” As Sabina already knew. “And you’re like a thousand times the alchemist I am.”

“Mm,” Sabina said. “You’re developing competency quite quickly.”

Which was a nice compliment but not a rejection of what Zoey had said. Sabina was the expert here; she was intelligent, passionate, and had years of experience. The two of them weren’t even comparable in the field of alchemy. Just, as Sabina had said, she had no goddess’s patronage to cheat her way through ranks in mere weeks of dabbling.

“And I suppose I’m indirectly about to be sponsored,” Sabina mused. “Simply by an upcoming goddess rather than an established one.” She waved her hand. “You mentioned requirements?”

“Right.” Her cheeks colored, and she wondered how best to broach the subject.

“Sex?”

Zoey briefly choked on her reply. “Well ... yes.” Of course Sabina had made that deduction. “It’d be a ritual. Aria would have to help, I think.”

“A religious rite,” Sabina said, considering. “Yes, of course.”

“I don’t even have holy energy to use right now, but I figured I should make you aware of the situation sooner rather than later.” Not the type of announcement she should drop in Sabina’s lap the day of. She hesitated. “Is that something you’d want?”

“Would I want to be magically pushed through advancements?” Sabina asked, an elegant eyebrow arching. “No, I wouldn’t turn that opportunity down.”

Zoey considered how to express her actual concern. “You mentioned preferring giving rather than receiving, once.” Hence why most of her interactions with Sabina ended up with her strapped to a table or rutting into a ‘milking machine.’ “So, you know. Aria seemed to think the ritual would be pretty involved.”

Sabina shrugged, more nonchalant than Zoey would have expected. “It’s not that I have an aversion to, hm, more traditional methods. It’s not that I dislike it. I just find it more interesting to have tools on hand. To extract reactions.” Her lips twitched in amusement as she looked Zoey up and down. “But as I said, it’s no problem. Besides the fact that my student will be cheating her way to her final reward.”

“O-Oh?” she asked in surprise.

“That was supposed to be your prize for an exceptional performance on a quiz,” Sabina tutted. “How am I supposed to motivate my student to stay focused without that?”

With heat rising on her face, Zoey managed to fight back on Sabina’s straight-faced teasing. “You’ll have to come up with something equally enticing, I suppose.”

“Hm. Yes, I suppose I will.”

Zoey tried to hold eye contact without growing too flustered, but those calm gray eyes and that utter lack of emotion won out easily; she coughed and looked away.

“Though, I’m not actually sure what the ritual would require,” Zoey said. “We’ll need to speak with Aria about it. I wouldn’t want to, um, cheat my way to my reward, either. Maybe something else will work. Just a normal—” She coughed. “Handjob, or something, not to be crude.”