Chapter 19: The Feeling of Noble Love

Like the shadows and emotional voids of childhood that require a lifetime to heal, some habits, once formed, accompany one forever—even if reborn on the continent of Roland.

Zohan had once been a doctor, a profession that easily cultivates a penchant for cleanliness. He mastered myriad methods of disinfection and sterilization—physical means like ultraviolet light, hot water, and steam; chemical methods such as high ozone, disinfectants, and aerosols.

Living in a hospital environment, he lost count of how many times he washed his hands, face, and body each day.

Moreover, he had endured years of solitary life at home, always wearing a mask, repeatedly disinfecting anything that came into contact with the outside air.

He was hungry, yet he insisted on hygiene.

Zohan continued to examine the freshwater clam before him.

Thanks to his "Freshwater Clam Cleaning Technique," the top of the shell had been stripped of corroded debris, revealing the concentric patterns with clarity, and the edges now gleamed with a polished hue.

Inside the shell, this clam—possibly thirty or forty years old—under the influence of magic, displayed meat of fresh tender color, soft and slick, wriggling slightly at a touch, full of vitality.

A gentle press revealed the columnar reserve of food, tightly enveloping a pearl nestled within the clam meat.

Freshwater clams are cold in nature, salty and sweet in flavor, a common delicacy in Zohan’s native water town.

They can be fried, sautéed, or used in soup, but even after applying the cleaning technique, a hint of fishy river scent remains, making them unsuitable for raw consumption.

He sniffed, confirming this, and realized the magic’s circuit design was not yet perfect.

Zohan took out his notes, meticulously recording the key points, then decided to adjust a few details before experimenting again with another clam to improve the "Freshwater Clam Cleaning Technique."

This time, it was nearly flawless—the clam met his standards of cleanliness so well that eating it raw posed no problem.

Now, this was true ceremony.

Zohan gently released the two clams back into the river, then stood upright, gazing at the shallow riverbed stretching out before him, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun.

“Mr. Zohan, are freshwater clams truly magical materials?” Mrs. Aldous asked with curiosity.

Having lived here all her life, she had never imagined such an ordinary river delicacy could be linked to the mysterious and noble world of magicians and be held in such regard by him—it felt novel indeed.

She also harbored a subtle intuition that his magical research on the "Freshwater Clam Cleaning Technique" was somehow connected to her.

But what exactly that connection was, with her limited insight into magic, she could not discern.

“Mrs. Aldous, do you understand men?” Zohan did not answer her question directly. Instead, he put away his staff, clasped his hands behind his back, and spoke in a low, serious tone.

“Ah—”

Mrs. Aldous found it difficult to reply.

She was accustomed to tailoring her answers to suit his preferences, but now she truly did not know what to say.

To claim understanding would make her seem worldly and experienced, which was impossible.

Her standards were high; in a place like Red Hazel Town, only this man before her stirred her imagination and romantic longing.

To say she did not understand seemed affected.

She was no childish girl; sometimes, just a glance at those men revealed their lecherous thoughts—like the lord’s brothers, for instance.

Zohan did not require her answer anyway.

He continued, “A man’s life bears the weight of national duty, social responsibility, and family burdens—a heavy pressure. This breeds a restlessness, a frenzy with no outlet, wild fantasies that have nowhere to be placed.”

Then he turned to look at Mrs. Aldous's beautiful face.

“Now I too need a place to contain this frenzy and these fantasies. I wonder, beautiful lady, can you understand?”

Mrs. Aldous gazed into the young magician’s faintly luminous blue eyes.

In the sunset’s glow, a shimmering golden layer seemed to captivate her, holding her breath as she returned his look.

“I hope you can soothe my frenzy with a gentle heart, absorbing my impulsive fantasies like a sponge.”

Zohan took Mrs. Aldous’s soft hand in his, feeling the pure allure of the opposite sex she radiated.

Mrs. Aldous could not help but feel a surge of excitement—how elegant!

All along, this was the feeling she had yearned for.

She knew he did not love her; he could never love her. He merely sought to use grandiose words to obtain her body.

But that was exactly what she wanted...

In the serialized novels she had read, the seemingly refined and gentle steward was just such a seducer of noblewomen.

He spoke sweet words while already plotting his escape afterward!

Even in the most tender moments, there was intrigue and scheming!

Everyone knew the other's thoughts but played along, making the charade appear dignified for both!

Yet within such an atmosphere, the ambiguous tension escalated, ultimately igniting into passion!

Such a tale, rife with hypocrisy, pretense, drama, and reversals, could only unfold among nobles and elites, beneath the bright magical crystal chandeliers of bustling cities.

In Red Hazel Town, men only bared yellow teeth, exhaled breath reeking of alcohol and foul odors, and stared with bloodshot eyes at the bodies tightly wrapped beneath elegant gowns.

Now, this young magician finally brought her a sensation she had never before experienced but had long awaited.

Who was truly more restless? Who needed their impulses absorbed more? Whose desires would be fulfilled?

It was impossible to say.

With these thoughts, Mrs. Aldous’s delicate body softened, and she sighed contentedly, leaning into Zohan’s embrace.

Since that was so, it was time to return to the manor. Though passion burned hot, no one wished for anything to happen on this cold riverbank.

Zohan and Mrs. Aldous quickened their steps, sharing a tacit understanding through their exchanged glances.

Mrs. Aldous finally grasped the true purpose behind Zohan’s research on the "Freshwater Clam Cleaning Technique."

He intended to apply magic to affairs of the heart and flesh—wasn’t this just like the little tactics the male protagonist used to seduce the duchess in the serialized novel "Rules of the Nobility"?

Apparently, he even found her somewhat unclean and in need of cleansing...

Mrs. Aldous did not resent this. After all, her original status was merely that of a rural merchant’s wife—never truly worthy of him.

What he cleansed now was not only her body but also her soul, burdened with inferiority.

Mrs. Aldous believed that henceforth, she would become more proud and elegant.

For she would be thoroughly purified by the young magician’s abundant magic, fresh and tender as a maiden...

She had seen the effects of magic with her own eyes.