This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

"Third sister, I'm back to report on my duties and will be leaving in a few days. Also, just so you know, I was personally appointed Governor of Laguge by Father, not exiled."

After Dick finished speaking, he gracefully performed a noble gesture of respect to his third sister, but because he was standing on the stairs, he was looking down at her. This made Finney, who was less than 1.6 meters tall and had always been anxious about her appearance because of her short stature, feel insulted. She squeezed the noblewoman's fan so hard that it made a cracking sound, but she didn't dare to retaliate immediately.

Because Finney knew she was utterly useless, she was like a dreg who inherited the flaws of both her parents. She knew neither martial arts nor magic, while her annoying younger brother was a magician and a well-known duelist at the magic academy. So while she looked down on Dick, she was also always afraid of him.

"All bark and no bite" perfectly describes someone like Finney.

Ignoring his twisted third sister, Dick strolled out of the hall. Rita and Hongye stood guard outside the door. They boarded the carriage with Dick and headed out to the Magic Academy.

Meanwhile, at the window of the Duke's study, Duke Rune kept his eyes fixed on the carriage that Dick was riding in, and even after the carriage was out of his sight, he did not look away.

Then he said, as if talking to himself.

"Arrange for that child to meet Prince Heinz. Make it seem natural, and don't let that old man in the palace notice."

After Rune finished speaking, a shadow flickered in the corner of the room behind him, then everything returned to normal. The Duke returned to his desk, picked up the "Records of the Lagug Lands," and began to read it again. The corners of his mouth slowly turned up, and finally he laughed out loud.

Meanwhile, near the royal hunting grounds on the southern outskirts of the capital, there was a vast royal estate. A black-haired youth was reading the same report. After finishing, he gently blew on the report, and the entire booklet instantly turned to ashes and drifted away with the wind.

He glanced at the scenery outside the window and muttered to himself with a smile.

"I can't wait to see him."

The author says:

Author's note: 2023 is almost over.

Hello, 2024!

Chapter 097: The Path to Breakthrough

On his way to the academy, Dick kept thinking about what was going on with this earldom that had suddenly been bestowed upon him.

He believes the most likely reason is related to the royal family's policy of splitting up.

From the very beginning of the empire's establishment, the royal family has been dedicated to dismantling the powerful clans and families within the country, breaking down those influential families into numerous smaller ones, and then scattering them across the country. If they could also create some conflicts to prevent them from uniting as one, that would be even better.

To put it bluntly, in order to consolidate their supreme rule, the royal family does not want to see any entity in the country that could pose a threat to them.

Therefore, in the emperor's eyes, the Best family, as the leader of the southern noble group, was undoubtedly one of the local powerful families he most wanted to dismantle.

Meanwhile, the noble families would try every means to resist the royal family's policy of dismantling the royal family.

Of course! This kind of confrontation between the royal family and the nobility is a power struggle within the ruling class, and they can compromise on some issues. After all, they share common class interests, so unless absolutely necessary, it generally won't escalate to the point of armed conflict and civil war.

After traveling for more than half an hour, the carriage finally arrived at the Magic Academy.

The full name of this place is the National Magic Academy of the Black Forest Empire. It has a Magic Academy responsible for talent education and a Research Institute responsible for technology development. The two academies have a series of affiliated institutions, but outsiders who do not know the inside story generally cannot distinguish them and will use general terms such as magic school or mage school, which are not entirely accurate.

The entire Magic Academy occupies nearly one-fifth of the inner ring area of ​​the capital, and is located right next to the foot of the sacred mountain where the imperial palace is situated. Standing in the academy, one can look up and see the palace on the mountain, while the emperor can overlook the entire academy from the observation deck in the palace.

Returning to the school he had left a year ago, Dick didn't dwell on the past but went straight to the research institute.

He came back this time to inquire about things related to "bloodline talent".

Before his death, Hammuradi revealed a lot of "big gossip" to Dick, but what he wanted to know most after hearing it was how the succubus race could break through to the Saint rank, and what kind of talent bonus they could gain after breaking through to the Saint rank.

Hammuradi only mentioned that after Lilith broke through to the Saint rank, her ability to break curses greatly increased, helping him break the curse cast by a demigod-level sorcerer. She also gained an incredibly powerful talent boost. But just as Dick was about to press for details about this talent, she tilted her head, attempting to feign death to trick them into releasing the barrier. Dick's caution thwarted her plan, and in her anger, she remained silent until her death.

Left with no other option, Dick had to find a solution himself.

According to common sense, for a mage to break through to the Saint rank, two basic conditions are the full opening of their spiritual meridians and a breakthrough in their mental state. Beyond these two basic conditions, each race also needs to fulfill certain unique requirements.

Among these, the human race, as the representative of "balance," has the simplest special condition to meet: there are no special conditions.

However, since humans have the shortest lifespan among all advanced intelligent races, with a theoretical upper limit of only a hundred years, and physiologically they begin to decline after the age of thirty-five, if there are any special conditions for humans to break through, it is that they have to rely on talent to outrun time. If they cannot reach the high level before the age of thirty, they can forget about reaching the Saint level.

Dick's current predicament is largely related to his bloodline. He is a hybrid of human, elf, and succubus. He became a high-level mage at the age of seventeen and later received the blessing of the Winter God, opening all his spiritual meridians. Theoretically, he has already stepped halfway into the realm of the Saint, but he just can't take the other half.

He felt he had hit a bottleneck, but couldn't figure out how to overcome it. This greatly troubled Dick, but he also knew how luxurious such trouble was!

After a winding and circuitous journey, Dick arrived at a small building in the research institute area and knocked on the door. After a short wait, a female magician who looked to be over fifty years old opened the door.

"Excuse me, are you Professor Britt?"

"It's me. You're... Grandor's little apprentice?"

"It is indeed I, Professor! I've heard that you are a leading authority on the study of different races. I have some questions about racial talents that I would like to ask you. Is this a convenient time for you?"

After glancing at Dick, the female wizard, respectfully addressed as "Professor Britt," nodded, gesturing for Dick to enter.

The two entered the living room, and Dick looked around, feeling as if he had entered a library. Bookshelves lined the walls, and research manuscripts were scattered everywhere. Professor Britt's living environment was the epitome of a stereotypical scholar.

Professor Brant was of average talent in magical cultivation, with his personal strength only at the intermediate level, but he was an undisputed authority in the field of magical biology. Therefore, when Grandor learned that Dick had to return to the capital, he suggested that he consult Professor Brant.

Without mentioning his succubus bloodline, Dick described to Professor Britt the problems he had encountered in his cultivation, especially the part affected by his bloodline.

After listening, Britt said that she had also investigated some half-blood mages before, and their situations were largely similar to Dick's. Half-elf mages, in particular, showed a strong early advantage, reaching the mid-to-high levels much faster than their peers. However, once they reached a certain point, they were trapped and could hardly advance any further.

Britt believes this is a conflict between different bloodlines. While mixed-race children gain the advantages of multiple bloodlines, they also have to bear the corresponding defects. And multiple minor defects, when interacting, are very likely to become intractable diseases.

Of course! The theoretical solution is to achieve the specific conditions required for each bloodline breakthrough as simultaneously as possible. It's not guaranteed to be 100% effective, but it's worth trying.

At this point in the conversation, Dick pretended to be curious and asked, "So what are the breakthrough conditions for each of the known advanced intelligent races in this world?"

"The Elven race's condition is to go to the Moon Spring. In the spring, elves can temporarily transform into spirits and communicate with the elemental forces of this world on a spiritual level, thereby gaining the elements' approval. Dwarves, on the other hand, must go through the caves left by their ancestors to the molten land deep within the earth, allowing their bodies to be tempered by the spirits of fire. However, this is the path to breakthrough for dwarven warriors, while their mages are in the same situation as humans. This is the case for the three major races, and other alien races are similar; all must undergo trials from the gods to become saints."

"Then... what about succubi? Rumor has it that succubi are alien creatures that came from across the subspace. Unlike Earthlings, they can also learn magic and martial arts, but I don't think I've ever heard of any Saint-level succubi."

"Succubi? They are indeed a very special race. Although I have never heard of any succubuses having produced a Saint-level expert, I estimate that their path to breakthrough is related to their unique sex magic, which had another name in the Middle Ages... called Domination Magic!"

Chapter 098: A Glimmer of Hope Amidst the Darkness

Professor Britt's tone was clearly tinged with excitement when he mentioned succubi.

She told Dick that among the many known highly intelligent races in the world, succubi are definitely "the most interesting beings" and are of great research value.

Like the dragons that once lived in this world in ancient times, succubi are extradimensional beings from other worlds, and therefore their existence itself contradicts the fundamental laws of this world.

For example, all creatures native to this world need to eat, drink, and excrete in order to live a normal life, but dragons and succubi can defy this common sense.

The former possesses a heart capable of generating infinite magic, making it a veritable biological perpetual motion machine; the latter has the unique skill of sexual magic, allowing it to draw energy from desire.

So don't be fooled by the moral guardians among humans who stand on the moral high ground criticizing succubi, saying that this race is shameless and a bunch of lewd and unrestrained demons. In their hearts, they actually envy the succubi's constitution that never feels "powerless".

Furthermore, the rumor that "succubi drain human life force" is actually a fabrication spread by human prostitutes out of jealousy that succubi were taking away their business.

In reality, having sex with a succubus doesn't result in being drained of energy; most of their sexual magic has positive, beneficial effects. After absorbing desire, a succubus will instinctively share some of the converted energy with her partner to enhance their constitution, accelerate recovery, and allow them to "play" with her for longer—it's all about sustainable energy extraction.

Moreover, while succubi draw energy from lust, they also absorb the negative emotions of their partners, effectively alleviating psychological trauma or depression.

Therefore, apart from the addictive nature of succubus bodily fluids, having intercourse with a succubus is truly beneficial in every way and harmful in the only way.

It's clear that Professor Britt is a "succubus enthusiast," as he becomes quite talkative when discussing the topic, almost as if he wants to preach to Dick and recruit him as a fellow enthusiast.

But upon hearing this, Dick couldn't help but feel puzzled. If succubi's sex magic had so many benefits, why was it called "dominance magic" in the distant Middle Ages?

Professor Britt stated that she had seen the claims about control magic in some ancient texts, but they were only vague fragments. She suspected that they were related to the addictive nature of succubi's bodily fluids, and that the effect of sexual magic in absorbing negative emotions could indeed cause some people who had suffered severe psychological trauma to develop an attachment to succubi who helped them alleviate their pain.

The two chatted until evening before Dick left Professor Britt's residence.

Before he left, the professor gave Dick a copy of her book, "The Book of Succubi".

This book was Professor Britt's life's work, but unfortunately, it just wouldn't sell. The mainstream academic world thought it was too vulgar, while the erotic literature community felt it wasn't explicit enough. This resulted in almost all of the two thousand copies she self-published going unsold. Therefore, Professor Britt would give away a free copy to anyone who came to visit.

On the way back, Dick casually glanced through the book and thought to himself that the professor's research was indeed very in-depth. There were many things about the ecological habits of succubi that even he, who actually had succubus blood, did not know.

According to the book, pure-blooded succubi are all female, and after mating with other races, they can give birth to hybrid offspring who look exactly like the male's race. Among these hybrids, there is only a very low probability of producing a male hybrid succubus, accounting for only about one in twenty to one in thirty, making them extremely rare.

After four to five generations of reproduction, these hybrid succubi have a chance to trigger a reversion to their ancestral traits, giving birth to pure-blooded female succubi.

The succubus race uses this method of reproduction to secretly integrate their bloodline into other races. Many people may not even know that they actually have succubus blood.

In legend, when the dragons left this world, the ancient succubus race, under the leadership of their superiors, also perished. The succubi existing in this world are actually descendants of humans who have reverted to their ancestral forms. Therefore, these new generation succubi have a cultural disconnect from the ancient succubi. They can use some basic applications of sexual magic, but they do not understand the true nature of this innate ability in their bloodline.

"So my one-quarter succubus bloodline is this awesome?"

After reading for a while, Dick saw that the carriage was about to return to the Duke's mansion, so he put the book back into his spatial bracelet, planning to continue reading it later that evening when he had more time.

After all, it was Dick's first day back in the capital, and even if he wasn't staying at the Duke's mansion, he would definitely have dinner at home with his "family."

It was just a meal, and Dick figured he could just put up with it and it would pass.

Upon returning to the Duke's mansion, Dick led Rita and Momiji into the residence. As soon as they entered, they stumbled upon a scene full of lesbian romance in the corridor: Nora, the second daughter of the Duke's family, was flirting with a petite and adorable maid.

The young maid was pinned against the corridor wall by the second young lady, who was a whole head taller than her. Her face was flushed with shyness, and she looked somewhat reluctant to accept it.

The second young lady, Nora, was a tall woman with a fair complexion and a kind of androgynous beauty. In addition, she deliberately cut her hair short and always wore men's clothing, which made her very popular with young noble ladies. Later, she did indeed come out as gay, which gave the Duke a lot of headaches with this unconventional daughter.

In the Best family, Nora was the only one among her generation who never bullied Dick, but she never stopped her other siblings from doing evil either, and she simply didn't care about Dick, her half-brother.

Having accidentally stumbled upon her second sister's "good deed," the little maid fled in terror. Nora watched her fleeing figure, rubbing her fingers that had just touched the maid's face with some regret, as if reminiscing about the touch, before turning to look at Dick.

"Oh, you're back?"

"I'm back today. It's been so long, Second Sister."

Nora looked Dick up and down, then smiled and said.

"You little rascal, it's a real shame you weren't born a girl."

"Haha, Second Sister is so funny."

Because their past relationship wasn't bad, Dick walked towards the dining room with his second sister, Nora. When they arrived, they saw that the other members of the Duke's family had arrived, and everyone looked at Dick with different expressions.

Duke Rune's expression was gentle, while the three ladies all wore poker faces, their expressions revealing neither joy nor sorrow. Among the siblings, the eldest brother Reinhard's expression was somewhat complicated, the eldest sister Durice seemed preoccupied and didn't notice Dick at all, the third sister Finney was full of hostility, and the other brothers generally maintained their unchanging contempt.

Dick took in everything, bowed politely to everyone, and then quietly sat down in his place as the youngest in the family.

Halfway through dinner, the Duke announced to the public that Dick would be granted the title of Earl of Lagog.

Of the four older brothers, the eldest, Reinhardt, must have known about this all along, so he remained calm throughout, showing no obvious fluctuations. The other three brothers, on the other hand, all looked surprised, but the first to object was the third sister, Finney.

"Father, why should he be made an earl? He's just a disgrace to the family..."

“Phineas, watch your words! It’s true that your fifth brother is a half-elf, but his half-human blood comes from me, his father! He is also my child, my seed!”

When the Duke glared at her angrily, the third sister, Finney, immediately became obedient, while her mother, the second wife, was speechless at her brainless daughter.

Of the eight children in the family, she is the dumbest!

However, for most of his family, Dick being made an earl was of little consequence.

After all, Dick was the youngest son born out of wedlock. Although he nominally had the right to inherit the dukedom, he was last in line, with not only his four older brothers ahead of him, but also several uncles.

So the three wives and several brothers all offered their congratulations to Dick in a lukewarm manner. The third brother, who had previously bullied Dick the most, even unusually showed generosity, saying that he would prepare a magical artifact as a congratulatory gift when Dick was awarded his title.

After dinner, Dick boarded a carriage and left the Duke's mansion for the St. Mary's Hotel.

It's rather awkward, really. Not long after Dick left the Duke's mansion last year, the small courtyard where he used to live was demolished and turned into a flower garden. Although there were plenty of guest rooms at home, it was still a bit awkward to stay there. It would have been better to stay at a hotel.

After arriving at the hotel, Rita and Momiji, as usual, first checked the room to make sure there were no magical devices for eavesdropping or spying. Then Dick released a barrier that could block remote spying before letting Lucoa out of his arms.

The Dragon Girl transformed back into human form, stretched, and wobbled all over.

"I'm so bored today! Dick, let me make a brooch tomorrow, so I can at least go outside and see the scenery."

"I'm truly astonished. You hid in the young master's arms all day and didn't cause any trouble?"

"I did think about it, but Dick's belt was too tight, and I just couldn't squeeze through."

"Alright, stop talking nonsense. You've been running around all day, so get some rest."

"Hey! It's still pretty early, and if you're feeling tired, Dick, the three of us would be happy to help you!"

As Lucoa spoke, she hugged Dick from behind, making Dick feel as if two mountains were pressing down on him!

Dick knew his succubus nature perfectly well; he could work all day long if he wanted to! Not sleeping wasn't a life-threatening problem. But his human soul still made him yearn to occasionally close his eyes and lie in bed for a lazy, good night's sleep.

But just as he was about to refuse Lucoa's invitation, the dragon girl, who had been mistaken for a succubus, whispered in his ear in a devilishly seductive voice.

"Dick, I'm a dragon too. I was listening in on your conversation with that professor during the day. I think I saw that branch of the dragon race that once resided in this world a long time ago, including the succubi who traveled through the warp with them. So, I might have some clues about the breakthrough method you need!"

Chapter 099: Don't Treat Yourself Like a Person

As one of the creator gods of the world of "Miss Dragon Maid," Lucoa was a woman of considerable age and experience. So, when she overheard Dick and Professor Britt's conversation that afternoon, she quickly realized, based on the historical description of the dragon migration, that they were very similar to a dragon clan she had once encountered.