Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 101: Unleashing the Aqua Ring

That seemed rather vague.

"I have a lot of questions, but first, is Leonide going to be alright? Isn’t that going to mean he’ll also experience magic depletion?"

"Yes, that’s correct," Theo said casually.

"Isn’t that a bad thing?"

Damien was concerned about putting Leonide through such a difficult experience.

As Damien contemplated how to persuade Theo, he was interrupted by Leonide.

"Master, I’ll be fine. Fortunately, the symptoms I experience during magic depletion are just extreme drowsiness that leaves me unable to stand, so there’s no need to worry."

"Damien, my decision is based on my understanding of Leonide’s symptoms. I’ll declare tomorrow a special leave day, so everything will be alright. Right? That’s okay, isn’t it, Sebas?"

"The decision is ultimately up to you, Sir Damien. However, if I may offer my advice, I believe that a half-day should suffice."

Sebas’s words were quite stern.

But on the flip side, it meant that taking half a day off tomorrow would be enough...

That said, as a caring friend, he didn’t want to burden Leonide any more than necessary.

"Master," Leonide spoke to Damien with determination in his eyes as he noticed Damien’s hesitation.

"If it’s for your sake, I want to do this."

Wow... With those eyes, Damien couldn’t bring himself to say no...

"...Then I’ll allow myself to be pampered for half a day tomorrow."

"Yay!"

Damien felt a rush of affection; Leonide looked so cute that he wanted to kiss him.

Such impure thoughts flooded his mind as he observed Leonide’s joyful expression.

"Sorry to interrupt this lovely moment, but I think Damien will be stuck in bed tomorrow as well," Theo pointed out.

Oh, right. Damien would also experience magic depletion.

Wasn’t that a problem?!

"Alright, with everything settled, let’s get started on the experiment!"

Theo clapped her hands together to wrap up the discussion. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Wait, wait. I have a second question. We talked about using up all my remaining magic for this spell—are you sure that’s okay?"

The water Leonide created with most of his remaining magic was a substantial amount.

Would it really be fine to create water using all of his considerable magic?

"I think it should be fine," Theo said nonchalantly, seemingly unconcerned about Damien’s worries.

"I’ve used up quite a bit of my magic as well, so it’s not surprising that my remaining mana is low. Ignoring Sebas, who has a smaller amount, Leonide is almost empty. Lucian, who has more than most, has used over half of his magic. So, I don’t think Damien has much mana left after using all of theirs," Theo explained.

That made sense, Damien realized.

Wait, was Lucian that powerful?

"Then for my final question: if I only use as much as Leonide has left, why should I not worry about magic depletion?"

"Oh, that’s because if you use magic without a consumption limit and only consume as much as the caster’s remaining mana, you would need quite a number of attackers to deplete your magic. From the looks of it, you likely have an amount of total mana equal to or greater than mine. Therefore, unless you’re forced to use all of it in one go without a limit, at least the guards should arrive before you’re fully depleted. So there’s no need to worry," Theo clarified.

That made sense.

If there were multiple attackers trying to deplete his mana, it would be meaningless if they were using their own magic to do so.

Even if there was someone as powerful as Theo, it was unlikely they would be disposable. It seemed he wouldn’t get depleted and abducted in no time after all.

"I got it, that clears up a lot. Then let’s just get the unpleasant stuff over with."

"Right. I’ll take full responsibility for caring for you, Damien, and we can arrange for Leonide to take some time off afterward."

Wow, Theo was being very generous.

With that thought, Damien steeled himself to do his best.

Leonide also looked quite happy.

...He hadn’t even considered that his cheating abilities were beyond the realm of normal expectations.

Damien and Leonide stood once more in the center of the experimental facility. At Theo’s signal, Leonide unleashed the Aqua Ring without a consumption limit...

The overflowing water caused the experimental facility to burst.

It all happened in an instant.

As soon as Leonide cast the Aqua Ring spell on Damien without setting a limit on its magic consumption, a sickening sensation swept over Damien as all the strength drained from his body at once.

The wave of nausea hit him so hard that he instinctively clutched his mouth and doubled over. In the next moment, water erupted from around Leonide, filling not only the entire room but also the experimental facility itself. The torrent surged, breaking through walls and tearing apart the ceiling as it continued to expand.

Tossed helplessly by the violent currents, Damien lost all sense of direction—he couldn’t tell left from right, or even up from down.

Leonide who was already unconscious, drifted by in the water unmoving. Damien was panicked, so he reached out his hand to grab Leonide’s clothing, pulled him close to him and holding him tightly.

Where’s Theo?!

He looked around desperately, searching for Theo amidst the chaos, but there was no sign of him. Instead, he caught sight of a large column of bubbles rising among the debris of the facility... Just then, he was overwhelmed by a lack of air, and his consciousness faded.

...

He dreamed he was clinging to a swim ring, kicking his legs as hard as he could.

Although his feet flailed energetically, his kicks were far from graceful, and he barely moved forward. His parents, who were gently pulling the float from the front, provided most of his momentum.

But Damien was having the time of his life.

"Here we gooo! Full power!!"

He kicked even harder, hoping to go faster, but all it did was create a bigger splash. His parents just laughed at his efforts, not quickening their pace at all.

"Alright, if that’s how it is!"