It had been another four weeks since Felix acquired his new form. Calendars existed in this world as well. The differences between the time measurements of his home world and this magical one were quite noticeable. Similarly, a week had seven days, and a year had twelve months. However, these months were consisted of twenty-six to twenty-eight days, rounding off the year's days to be three hundred and thirty-one. The time until dawn till dusk could be distinguished, too. Though Felix had acclimatized with this small change rather fast.

During this period, he had mastered sliding smoothly in his serpent shape, and now he could locate every inch of his lengthy body to move it at his will. Furthermore, his control of mana had improved remarkably. Although the shape he managed to turn was not near to its original size, he was sure to squeeze into some pipes and holes without much issue.

In the span of these four weeks, Felix non-stop continued every type of education Tsilonee could provide him. The language learning being first, he learned how to act as a woman; common habits, clothing properly, how to apply makeup and other minor quirks that these world’s women should know. There were not many complicated matters he had trouble with, but small stuffs that required time to get accustomed to took him long to appear as an ordinary maiden.

A few hours of being among a crowd was not something that worried him. What if he had to spend days in public? Tsilonee herself insisted he learned these manners, so he just indulged her wishes like an obedient side partner.

In these past weeks, this woman made her move on him three times. For some reason, she didn’t want an intercourse with him in his male form. It could not be said she was only into women, considering her scent was often intermixed with her bodyguard’s. The relationship between the two must be quite strong if she was restraining herself to this degree, or she just found such kind of sex to be with her own doppelganger extraordinary.

In any way, it was high time for Felix to begin his scouting into this mansion he had been residing. Just a week ago, using his body strengthening, he made a rent on the wooden floor, putting sheets and pillows to dampen the sound of cracking. He discovered an interesting route fitting to his serpent form. Actually, He had expected this outcome from the beginning.

Under the floor, there went miniature tunnels of a heating system this mansion utilized, which was a most convenient means for his plans for a night strolling. Now was the time for investigating nearby chambers around his room, and soon, he would find out the entire structure of the mansion, if he were to be careful and stealthy enough.

He dove into the hole unhurriedly, his long train-like entity taking time to go through the crack. Felix’s current form was a snake whose length reached a little over two meters. When he first transformed into this form, its extend was over four meters long. After many trials, he was able to convert his serpent figure into this acceptable measured shape. Though, it was still a long way to the oversized worm-reminding creature that now lay on a corner of the subfloor.

Felix slid through small tunnels, sweeping dust and ashes along his path. Unfavorable to him, the heating system was divided into multiple sectors. He had no choice but to risk going outside the subfloor to slither along the hallways from time to time.

Silence ruled many of the chambers he passed, occasionally there were unusual noises that prompted him to find a crack on the floor and look up. There were also hearths that intended for firewood and to clean the heating system. When he peeked, he witnessed an intense threesome were taking place; two young half-unclad women and a burly buck-naked man were its participants. The guy was between one of the ladies’ legs, thumping mercilessly. The second woman was making herself busy with the breasts of the woman being pumped.

Can’t say I haven’t expected this. Maybe I should learn the proper course from this joyful bunch.

Felix didn’t linger too long. He left them alone and moved further to observe other places. People were fast asleep in most chambers. One of the rooms was obviously built for training purposes. Swords, daggers, spears and other bladed weapons he couldn’t name were hung on the walls. Two tall sturdy shelves were the only furnite in this small hall, probably for the weapon storage. He took a gamble to oversee this facility in his human form. In his Sareen figure, he inspected the place closely; he experimented the edged weapons in his own hands, utilized his mana to enhance his physical traits.

After some playing around, he continued his night patrol. The neighboring room was occupied by two young men going all the way. Felix swiftly moved on.

He had been paying attention to the scent patterns of the people he had checked until now, in case he encountered the rooms of the individuals he was most familiar with. Finally, he detected the smells in the stale air of the small tunnels, and tracked their source. Predictably, they were in the same place. He watched the room through a lowly lit firewood burner above his serpentine head. Orange, red and yellow colors were floating in every view he took.

The first thought came to Felix’s mind was if there were several people in this apartment, expecting him to appear in this spot. But he quickly dismissed the idea and paid closer attention the surroundings. The objects he was seeing were rather similar in shape. Furthermore, he could only perceive two presences’ scents: Tsilonee’s and Seron’s.

The two lay side-by-side, on a single bed that appeared to be broader than the one in Felix’s room, not stirring much. He focused on their breathings; their lungs rising and falling. It was in sync along with the ones on other sides.

Reflections! They are all mirrors?

Felix didn’t spot anything else noteworthy, and didn’t even think about taking a huge risk to search for anything useful in the room. Seron would just cut his tiny-scaled body in half without a thought if he were to wake up.

He left the place after marking the mental map he had been keeping. He would come here often from this time on and listen to their conversations if they were having one. The chamber blocked sounds like his own did. Not all the underground facilities had this function, he had noticed. If the head prostitute was talking in this apartment, that would be worth eavesdropping.

Days passed by without incidents after Felix started his secret outing. Tsilonee meanwhile intensified her education called ‘how to be an excellent woman’. She even introduced him to another cute and eye-catching young maiden whose name was Lina. It was crucial to get to know each other as much as possible, as Tsilonee said. The mission she was about to give him depended on how well he knew Lina’s habits, the way she behaved, everything. It seemed the time he was to exhibit his ability in real situations at last arrived.

Felix increased his night strolling activities as well, but there wasn’t any overly valuable information he had collected until now. His had mapped every nook of the place thus far, memorized the guards scents and faces responsible for important entrances to the underground parts of the brothel. The mansion was a real prison. He wasn’t able to locate a single hole he could use to get out. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if he caught words about spying network here.

The most useful piece of data he could gather so far was that, despite her appearance, Lina was a magic warrior, an inner mana user. It was a great opportunity to learn body strengthening from this woman. But directly asking this request would be equal to shackle himself and give the chain’s end to Tsilonee. Therefore, he started observing her training process in order obtain some comprehension of mana control.

He didn’t cease his spying on the Tsilonee and Seron couple. However, on that front, the gains were quite negligible. He had ensured the jealousy in Seron’s heart was a real thing, but he didn’t know how to exploit this to his own advantage yet. The man, it seemed, was really possessive of his lady from anyone. Tsilonee would often tease the young man to the point that he would almost drag her by the hair and bang her mercilessly. 

Now Felix understood. The purpose of the soundproof walls wasn’t just for secret matters. The head prostitute’s moans and screams were exceedingly high that it could even reach to the upper part of the compound if it wasn’t for the sound dampening function of the chamber. Maybe why Tsilonee hadn’t had sex with his male form was for this very reason. The bodyguard was a real wild bull.

Felix’s watchmen slightly loosened their schedule. This motivated him to double his training routine. When Lina enhanced her physique, he had discovered that the duration of her being in powerful mode was far longer compared to his. She would clash swords with her partners for half an hour without showing a sign of fatigue. In addition, she was capable of nearly instantly increasing her body’s potency. Although it didn’t give her the peak power level she was able to reach, it was at least enough to defend herself from a sudden assault. She could practically toy with the barghest pack he encountered on his first day.

The bad news was, Felix didn’t have a slightest idea how the hell she was able to prolong this state so long. No matter how many methods he tried, he could only extent his mighty state for a measly few seconds. It was like a bottleneck for how he was able to maintain his self-taught. He was struck.

If he truly wanted to be free one day, he had to take a risk and use his skill against the people of this mansion. Unfortunately, the guards and servants used some kind of passwords to get in and out through the underground facility. He had watched the guards exchange some special words, every time different codes. This just added to Felix’s headache about his escape plan.

However, an opportunity presented itself one of the days he was observing Lina’s fights against other warriors.

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Tsilonee watched Kalin fight with two of her female guards at once and beat them without much effort. The nobleman she worked for had sent this swordswoman together with her twin looking partner, Lina. The two were inexperienced in her line of business; in prostitution. But that was manageable in a few weeks of time. And this woman, Kalin, exceeded her expectations further than she anticipated, and caused to go up her esteem toward her higher-ups by a large margin.

Kalin’s prowess as a mana user was quite applauding, and her mastery of sword use was not lower than Seron’s. Given a few years’ of time, she would be a perfect match to her bodyguard. She must figure out an excuse to keep this warrior under her own wing.

If she could keep her good relationship with the shapeshifter and make this swordswoman loyal to herself, having three powerful magicians would take her even to the capital one day, where the most comfortable life awaited her.

“What do you plan to do after you accomplished your mission?” Tsilonee asked the warrior, who was barely sweating after a mock battle.

“His Grace wishes me to be at the city of Chindon in six weeks’ time, ma’am,” she said with her usual courtesy.

“Ah. So soon. I plan to go there, too, after I finish my own businesses in this town. How about we leave together in three months’ time?” Tsilonee suggested in her most innocent and convincing manner.

“If my lady wishes so. But I fear His Grace would be displeased if I show opposition to his orders,”

“What if I ask his permission for you to remain here by my side?” Tsilonee persisted.

“I would only be glad.” The swordsman didn’t even twitch a muscle while answering.

What a control over emotions. Tsilonee was inwardly amused.

“Then I’ll send a letter to Duke Sivin about this matter,” she said to the inner mana user, and then faced to other warriors present in the facility, “you all may leave.”

Once the room was empty, safe for Tsilonee, her bodyguard and her another would-be bodyguard, she started her discussion with the two in a lower voice.

“How you two would put your odds against Lord Geelim if you were to fight him?” she asked the magic warriors.

“It’s impossible to win,” her bodyguard responded without a thought.

“What if he is weakened? Poisoned, so to say?”

The duo in front of her sank into deep thought for some time before giving her an appropriate answer.

“If we use the tezenis blades in our possession, we have a chance of inflicting a fatal wound to the town lord,” the swordswoman gave her a reply first, and her bodyguard nodded in agreement.

“Good. But I expect the things won’t precede that far. If the events unfold according to my plans, there will not be a need to risk your lives for the sake of the mission. The Kartan will be no more.”

The female swordswoman took a quick glance at Tsilonee, only to see the solemnity behind her smiling face. The head prostitute looked at her back, her eyes emitting confidence, and implying a question whether Kalin would agree to follow and become her subordinate.

“What about... her?” Seron hesitated a moment before completing his question.

Tsilonee didn’t need further hints to realize what her bodyguard was indicating. Nevertheless, she paused to consider how to squeeze through the truth regarding the shapeshifter she had been accommodating. If Kalin didn’t consent to stay by her side, she would risk exposing about possessing a high-stage inner magician to her masters. On the other hand, his existence wouldn’t remain hidden for long. She had to decide how to add Felix to the game without revealing his great talent to anyone, in a way he wouldn’t be snatched away by her superiors.

“There is another member in the mission, apart from Lina, of course,” she finally settled to clue in Kalin a bit about the third key participant about the upcoming operation. “A large part of the plan depends on her. You will be let in into the manor with her assistance, and she will also provide that our hands stay clean out of this.”

Kalin seemed to want to know the identity of the person they were speaking of, her brows faintly cringing. Though she didn’t utter a word, probably suppressing her curiosity. It was sign that she chose to be silent and just accomplish given orders. A very nice quality of a servant, Tsilonee noted in her mind.

“You will meet her when the time comes. For now, only focus on learning Geelim’s fighting style, in case it might be needed,” she instructed the swordswoman.

They left the room soon after, letting Kalin to hone her fighting skills even further. They were not aware of a pair of slit eyes that had been watching them.

--------------------

Felix rushed to his chamber after, at last, gaining the necessary information he had been hoping to acquire. That woman turned out not someone who he thought her to be; maybe a twin. Whoever she was, now he paid closer attention, had a scent that was dissimilar to Lina’s he had met for the first time. Additionally, by observing Tsilonee’s treatment towards her, he discovered she was a valuable piece like himself to the head prostitute’s schemes.

The plan itself clearly included an assassination attempt to the town lord. Felix was an unwitting partaker to this uprising, therefore, he should come to a decision whether to take part in this riot or not. If he chose to participate, he would have to help Tsilonee kill someone and become a murderer in the process, not knowing if it was for the good of townspeople or just for the power struggle. There was mentioned of a high ranked individual in their conversation, so there was more to this mission than he could imagine.

If he were to choose to act against this rebellion and went to warn the town guards of this incident… Could he do that? Why would he do so?

The option was critical to his future in this world. It was unknown what Tsilonee intended to do with him after this was all over. Would he remain by her side, becoming her pet to please her at the times she wanted? Or please her guests, instead? Or would she hand him over to the nobility she was working for?

Both options were unacceptable. He had to do something at this point. No use in being idle and wait the fate to decide his future for him. His desire was to do what he wanted, unrestrained from any shackles created by the high authority of this continent. What could he do?

Felix reached his room and slid into his blanket that was lodged by his two pillows. It was a safe means not to be spotted if his watchman was already in his place. Fortunately, he didn’t detect any other presence besides himself and quickly turned into his human form.

It was late evening, so he didn’t expect Tsilonee to come, unless she had a wish to spend the night together. Felix lay still on his bed and started contemplating his future actions regarding the coming events.

The warrior woman seemed pretty docile, her dedication towards performing orders were absolute. It didn’t look possible to convince her to collaborate and escape the prostitute lady’s clutches together. However, if he managed to exploit her duty-centered behavior to extract more information, that would be another story. Or even more, if he found out how often she would be let out, and in this way, transformed into her, maybe there would appear a way to escape. If only he knew the passwords to the entrances.

There was no other choice but to take a gamble and visit the swordswoman as Tsilonee. What would he say? Ask? About what?

Nothing came to Felix’s mind as he pondered and pondered about outcomes of the actions he could take. He eventually gave up and fell asleep, not being able find any solution to his problems.

Days went by relentlessly, not flaming any hope in Felix’s heart to escape from his large cell. Nevertheless, he didn’t stop venturing from his scouting and spying through every room and hole in the mansion. Opportunity would arise eventually, he just had to be a little patient.

In these days, he mastered the local language to the level that he wouldn’t shame himself if were to speak with natives. His dialect would still betray him that he was not from around this country. His skill at shapeshifting was developing in a satisfactory pace, along with his animal transformations; he now practiced turning into Tsilonee’s bodyguard, her other guards, and a few other servants that worked in the mansion. Attaining the code words of the entrances was still an annoying issue.

One day he caught a word of a visit to the said manor from Tsilonee, when she was talking with the magic warrior woman. There was a hesitation in Felix whether he would do something in this situation. Would he do it? Change into the swordswoman and follow Tsilonee to the town streets, then give the slip if a possibility presented?

He had to. The punishment if he was to be caught wouldn’t be that severe. At least, he hoped so.