An interlude between Prologue Chapter 124, “Family Talk,” and Chapter 125, “The Tale of the Capital University.”
After dragging things out with Irina all night on some sloppy sex, I ended up returning to the baron’s estate at dawn.
“Where the hell have you been, Andy?”
”…I’m sorry, just a bit with Irina…”
Diane wore an expression of mild concern.
“Ah, well, not like I’ll stop you or anything… but let’s confirm this—do you actually intend to make Irina a female slave as well?”
“Don’t talk like Phazer, okay?…”
Everyone throws around the word ‘slave’ so casually it numbs me, yet having someone labeled a ‘female slave’ is certainly something that would make onlookers recoil in horror.
“So what kind of relationship do you envision with her then?”
”…”
Right now, we’re basically sex friends, but when you say it like that, the whole situation does feel dangerously precarious in every sense. Yes, it does.
”…Honest to god, my first impression is this.”
“Huh?”
“She’s already in a state far beyond being merely possessed; even though she hasn’t officially spoken her mind yet, I’m convinced she’s functionally reduced to something worse than Luna’s condition—a true female slave, if you will.”
“N-no, no, no!”
“For an elf to engage with humans and bear a half-elf is hardly an act tolerated freely among their kind. Given that you’re the hero who rescued Break Core and Dyel, there won’t be any open condemnation directed at you. Still—”
“U-uh…”
True enough, the elves are only just now beginning genuine exchanges with the outside world like Trot; Selen and Apple likely remain uncast aside from their own achievements alongside me. Their prejudices haven’t been fully overturned yet.
”…Well, Anzeros’s father belongs to the White Clan, and Irina’s family wouldn’t follow such radical policies… but even back seventy years ago, Irina’s maids who were impregnated by outside bandits were collectively exiled for their ‘tainted blood.’”
”…Y-yes, that’s right…”
But given how shamelessly I’m fucking her to my heart’s content, I do look like a total pervert.
“But, Andy, what you need to focus on isn’t that. It relates to it, but it’s not about it.”
”?”
“What matters is this: despite all the harsh realities, Irina is actively clinging to you, offering herself up willingly… Don’t treat this too lightly,” she insisted.
”…Yes, I understand.”
That might have required immense courage on her part.
And yet, I’d been playing it off as just a ‘sex friend,’ treating Irina with far too much levity.
Or perhaps I’d gotten carried away, recklessly indulging my desires and growing complacent in the fact that such things were permitted.
Maybe I should stop being so casual… though thinking about it now—after I kept fucking her pussy relentlessly just moments ago, only to drain her over and over again while half-asleep—I’m not sure what else could go wrong.
“You’re making a face like you’ve just realized something.”
“Y-yes…”
“So let’s clarify this properly… If Irina were to be exiled from the forest, how exactly would you define your relationship with her? How do you plan to resolve it?”
“Huh?”
“It’s not a situation where you could simply say ‘no more sex’ and be done with it. Irina is fully aware of the obstacles ahead yet still follows you, repeatedly engaging in sex with you. You shouldn’t be debating whether to sleep with her or not going forward. What you need to decide is whether to enslave her as a female slave, treat her as your wife, or discard her once your needs are met.”
“Discard…?”
“Well, I don’t think you’d go that far, but do give it serious thought. Given the choice between staying in the forest or staying with you, Irina would undoubtedly choose to be exiled for you rather than leave you behind. Don’t try to sidestep this with half-hearted words.”
”…”
Hearing Diane say that, I realize now she’s right.
Though she technically refuses intercourse on paper, Irina never actually rejects sex—and once the deed is done, she immediately lets go of any pretense and clings to me wholeheartedly. Should a child be born and you tell her, ‘Breed it, then leave the forest,’… I can’t help but wonder if she’d really make that choice.
”…Huh?”
“Excuse me, Diane.”
“What is it?”
“I know this comes out of the blue, but aren’t you doing something that sounds a lot like what Faze calls training her?”
“Bringing her to her knees, driving her wild, making her obey your every command… Oh, right. Yeah, out of all the female slaves I’ve had so far, she definitely fits that description the best.”
Irina wasn’t even close to me personally until we finally slept together. And honestly, it was true that once we did sleep together, she became incredibly clingy and affectionate in a whole new way. With all the other girls before her, things like basic goodwill, minor misunderstandings, racial quirks, or personal sexual preferences usually came first anyway. But with Irina, there simply hadn’t been an example where someone fell so squarely into the trap of a purely sexual relationship from the very start.
“Ee! Please don’t call me that.”
“Well… just don’t let Faze know about it, got it?”
She’d been cast aside.
Yeah, when things get this far beyond repair, you just abandon someone normally.
Past noon. Sometimes I stay out of the smithy and instead focus on marching drills and target practice with my crossbow. If I slack off, my stamina drops fast. Even though I leave the brawling to the others, I can’t let myself be stuck in a situation where even escaping becomes impossible. So that’s why I’m constantly shuttling back and forth along the path beside the forest, shooting at scarecrows standing out in the grass to keep my physical condition up.
“Hah…” Lately, I’ve been getting less beat-up on my bed nights, but it seems using muscles for sex is quite different from running. Even so, my actual running distance hasn’t really improved much.
“Hmm… My vigor is returning.”
“Irina.”
Without me noticing, Irina was sitting on a rock by the roadside.
“Anyway, you ran that far in just one day? I swear, after I woke up last night, I couldn’t even stand straight for a while.”
“Ah… sorry.”
“I’m not saying anything bad, am I? …Hm. Sometimes it’s good to ignore the time and follow your desires…”
She hung her head slightly, blushing shyly. Well, you really can’t talk like that when you’re in the zone for sex. But then again… “Hmm… Ignoring the time…” Her embarrassed expression stiffened into a serious look. She sat there pondering for a moment.
“Thinking so hard, Irina?”
“Mm? No, well… By the way, Smyson-sama isn’t actually that familiar with the forest after all, is he?”
“No, sure. If you asked me if I’m knowledgeable or not about this place…” My mind was still a bit foggy from the warm-up run, so my response felt a bit sluggish. “I think Trots like me are probably top-tier when it comes to knowing the forest.”
Caught off guard by her sudden topic shift, she nodded solemnly and firmly took my hand.
“All right then, I’ll take you for a short tour of the forest today. Guiding others is my true purpose.”
“E-What?! Out of nowhere!?”
“There’s something strange about the hero who saves the forest, Smyson-sama, not knowing the forest well himself. More than half the territory belongs to clans, yet you don’t even know it. If I bless them like this, the elves of the Northern Forest will surely call us ungrateful.”
“To whom!?” It does sound a bit forced, but I couldn’t shake Irina’s hand as she pulled me along steadily and stepped into the woods.
”────. Open.” We crossed the ancient barrier.
The area just after entering the forest belonged to the Silver Clan’s territory.
“If we’d arrived straight from marching training, Lyra and Diane would start complaining later, so let’s turn back first and…”
“What? Don’t worry. I’ll send a messenger later.”
Irina walked with an oddly cheerful gait toward the central village of the Silver Clan, known as the Tribal Manor.
The one following her.
“Oh, Lord White Irina! How are you?”
“Hm, what fine weather it is.”
Elves we passed on the road cut a simple blessing sigil for Irina. It seems among elves, this is their proper greeting when addressing someone of higher status.
“The Reverend Polka Smyson also be in high spirits,” said Irina.
“Oh, hello there.”
I offered a light bow in return.
Since the Silver Clan’s elves hold an somewhat ambiguous position, it was hard to tell their true stance until you got to know them. Some middle-aged elves even looked down on me with scornful remarks like tch, and Feyzer himself was from the Silver side too.
But on the other hand, they were also subordinate clans of Mist Palace, where Maya hailed from.
Most dragons at Mist Palace treated me almost entirely friendly, so just as those who greeted me now would avoid treating anyone based on a dragon’s whim harshly, many followed suit.
Also, being located very close to Polka himself was a major factor. With the dragons’ backing and naturally curious young elves, quite a few had reached out to interact with Polka. Among them were some who already began considering humans as good friends.
“It must be because of the sweat you’ve put in—let’s soak in hot springs, Lord Smyson♪”
“Aah… that would do.”
The Silver Clan territory was also a spring area sharing its origin with Polka.
Their curative effects were nearly identical.
However, since few people visited these obscured woods, there was likely no need to build proper bathhouses, or perhaps it was simply tradition—several springs had merely been left as-is without fences or changing rooms, allowing anyone to wander in casually wherever space allowed.
Moreover, none of the springs were officially designated for either gender. In such a state, peering in during someone else’s bath to confirm if they were already inside was considered acceptable, and even sharing a spring with mutual consent wasn’t frowned upon.
”…So this colony under Diane had the same setup too.”
“It is said precisely because of this custom that most non-Silvers rarely enter the springs, drinking only from the fresh water instead.”
“Honestly, normal elves are so shy about this…”
While wandering through the forest and peeking into various springs, I noticed many women were present, likely concerned with their beauty. Seeing me and Irina, some gave a wry smile and asked, “Shall we join?” ready to accept eagerly, but Irina had already declined before I could respond.
“By the way, it’s said that Mist Palace’s dragons have no care for nudity, and this habit influenced the Silvers as well.”
“I greatly respect Mr. Brool and his group right now.”
“You fool!”
I was struck with a wooden stick.
After seven or eight all-nude elves, or perhaps it took walking around several springs before finding an empty one deep in the woods finally free of anyone.
“Alright, let’s go in then.”
“Mm.”
As I removed my clothes, Irina naturally followed suit, taking off her panties as well.
“Hold on—are we entering together?”
“Hm? Why would you suddenly start caring about that?”
“I’m not against it, but is it okay?”
“From the very beginning, wakarawa (I/we) intended for us to be together, eh?”
Irina smirked mischievously as she pulled down her skirt, exposing her hairless crotch to the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees.
“I’m pretty tired right now,” I said.
“Hmm.”
”……Your dick is acting like hell, but you still want to get in with me?”
“Tired or not, it makes no difference.”
Irina took off her jacket too, draping it over a nearby branch. She tied her hair into a ponytail using a vine leaf and stepped into the spring, grinning as she waited for me to strip down.
“Excellent,” I replied.
“That’s right then.”
I quickly undressed and slid in beside her. The water was pleasantly warm—perfect for a long soak.
And then…
”……Phew.”
“Haa……What wonderful water, isn’t it?”
After we both sighed contentedly:
“Alright, let’s begin.”
“Fufu… W-wait, why aren’t you enjoying the bath more slowly, you bastard?”
“No way! Don’t run!”
“Catch me if you can! You’re a soldier after all—this is gonna be a test of endurance♪”
Splash splash—we ran and played in the spring together. Halfway through, she cast a spell to walk on the water’s surface, positioning her ass just at eye level with mine. As I chased desperately while getting needlessly goaded by the sight,
eventually, we ended up pushing Irina down onto the shallow floor of the spring—she seemed almost like she let herself be caught on purpose.
“Fu-fufu… It’s been ages since I’ve been this silly in a bathhouse,” I teased.
“Even as a clan leader, you shouldn’t behave so shamelessly.”
“And yet, who is it that was thoroughly provoked into looking all flushed and lustful while pinning you down?”
“I am.”
I’m sorry for being out of control.
“Nn…!”
“Nnnngh… It’s getting…”
“N-chngh… Maaan—”
”……Phew.”
We kissed. Her thin tongue and small mouth didn’t resist my intrusion; instead, they actively tried to wrap around my own.
Defiantly, I pursued her tongue tip further, our mouths sliding and swirling together in mutual exploration.
”……You bastard. You say such lofty things while using your tongue with such filthy skill…♪”
”…A punishment for that shameless clan leader.”
“I merely stepped into the Silver Lands and followed their customs? If anyone got worked up on their own, it was you.”
“Well, of course I’d get worked up normally!”
”…How would I possibly know what ‘normal’ means to you? I hardly know anything about you except for your strange ferocity… so yes♪”
Irina lightly placed one foot against my waist. She was tempting me. Honestly, falling for such an invitation straight away feels a bit uncool in this kind of situation. But— “Well then, let me teach you something good. I’m an absolute pervert.”
“It’s… well known about that… uhnngh!!” I followed her lead and thrust inside. Being a bit crude is fine—Irina is precious, so sweetly lovely. There’s no way I could be the kind of smooth-talking guy who’d worry about my appearance enough to hold back in a situation like this.
“Ah… uuuhk, haaah… ♪” Irina’s damp ponytail spread across the shallow water only a few centimeters deep, rippling with complex waves as she moved them against the current. My hand gripping both of her arms locked her in place so there was no escape; anyone watching would see me as the villain. Yet her legs clamped onto me like crab pincers, refusing to let go. As my hips thrust forward and backward in a rough rhythm that tried to slip away, she seized them firmly and took every single stroke without hesitation. And her vagina, which suited me perfectly, happily swallowed my penis whole. Her young, inexperienced channel—now thoroughly accustomed to being ravaged by me—tightened around each thrust with a series of “squeezing” motions while whimpering in pain. The overflowing lubrication seemed synchronized with the distorted expression of pleasure on Irina’s face, dripping from her lips and pooling in her eyes.
“Haa… haaah… ♪”
“Irina… Irina, you’re doing me in, your body…!!”
“W-wah, w-warewa too… w-warewa too, feeling like I’m melting…♪”
“I think we’re about to reach the point of release…”
“W-well understood by now… let’s go outside, spill it there…!”
“Yes, I understand… I get it, but…”
Irina’s feet refused to leave my body entirely.
”…Someone’s telling me that being randy like this means we can’t go out, so it seems impossible.”
“Who is it making such nonsense? That pervert wah… ♪”
“Who could it be…? U-ungh, I’m going to come, I’m going to release on you, Irina!!”
“Aaauuuh… ah, inside… this idiot has got to go inside…♪”
Even as she cursed me, her legs squeezed tight and she accepted my ejaculation deep within her vaginal depths.
Exhausted, I slumped forward and covered her body with mine. A groan rose heavy from beneath my chest as Irina rested her head sideways against me, sighing contentedly.
”…Haa, haaaah…”
”…We did it yet again… Well, since I kept inseminating you right through the night, there’s no real need to pull out now anyway… Though being this shameless is a bit much♪”
“I thought about pulling out… Yeah, I’m not doing anything wrong.”
“Don’t just lie, smear your seed juice deep inside my womb first!”
“Did they find out?”
“They couldn’t possibly find out anything. I’m the one who’s been ravaged by you myself!”
Pesh! My head got tapped sharply.
”…About time we switched.”
”?”
I had assumed there was a usage time limit at this spring bath, but instead Irina rolled me over and made me lie below.
“You’ve been lying on top of her for too long and must be heavy. I’m small-sized myself?”
“Sorry.”
”…Honestly, you should show a little consideration.”
“But you’re not pulling out, right?”
“I’m tired now. You’d better take some rest in bed here.”
Irina swallowed my penis once more, then collapsed onto her stomach directly on top of me with a soft pe- sound—or rather, she just curled up and clung to me like spoiled child. ”…You really won’t go limp or lose your erection, will you?”
“If you just lay there as is, even without moving a muscle, you’ll probably cum about every thirty minutes.”
“Irina’s insides were so damn good it felt like heaven.”
“Let me try then?”
“For real?”
They went on until he truly couldn’t hold back any longer and finally spilled his seed.
He wasn’t sure if he’d been thoroughly cleaned out or just blissfully relaxed.
We left the Spring Forest and headed toward a plaza located at a designated spot within the Clan Estate.
The plaza was oddly shaped, though every single Clan Estate had one of the same peculiar design.
By activating simple magic, we could teleport directly between these plazas.
“Next… well, since we’re making the trip anyway, let’s head to the Golden Estate.”
“What’s so special about ‘Gold’?”
“The Golden Territory has a mighty great river running through it. The scenery is second to none.”
Irina boasted with pride before activating her teleportation magic.
The Golden Territory was dominated by a single mountain tower as high as—maybe even surpassing—the Blue Serpent Peak.
Beside this towering peak flowed a wide river, part of whose source traced back up into the mountains themselves.
Somewhere within the territory stood a waterfall nearly one hundred meters high spanning several hundred meters across, and right next to it sat the Clan Estate.
“Wow.”
“Incredible indeed.”
“You’re absolutely right. I’ve traveled with expeditions as far as the Great Almonica River before, but I’ve never seen anything this insane.”
“That Hero Peak and this waterfall are two of Gold’s greatest boasts.”
“Hero Peak?”
“According to our legends, any Elf of noble stature who dies becomes a lower-ranking spirit and takes residence in that very mountain. Someday they will become part of the Light Spirits.”
“Huh… Elves have traditions like that too?”
“Do humans have something similar?”
“There’s plenty out there. The doctrines of the Trot Church say that after death, one’s soul rides the flow of breath until it eventually makes its way to Mount Lyca.”
“Interesting.”
“At that sacred mountain, the Guardian God of the Earth passes judgment, granting a new fate and rebirth.”
“And besides that?”
“In Celesta, there seems to be as many different beliefs on life and death as there are colonies themselves. Though these days, people who don’t believe in local traditions seem to be increasing.”
“Pitiful indeed.”
As we chatted, led by Irina, we made our way to a nearby ranch.
The ranch kept several Unihorses, though on a small scale.
We borrowed one of them and planned to ride it together up along the riverbank to visit the massive cliff that ran alongside the stream.
“Ugh… it’s hard to find someone willing to let us ride their beast.”
“There’s this whole thing about Unihorses being virgins-first lovers, so maybe they’re refusing Irina right now because of her scent?”
“D-don’t be absurd! It’s YOUR stench that’s repulsive!”
Irina was absolutely failing to catch any Unihorse.
“Ugh… Gorsk’s sister married off and still rode Unihorses without a care in the world…”
“Do you mean when Gorsk’s wife took residence here? Did she actually marry Gorsk? Or are we supposed to be adopted siblings of sorts?”
“If we trace back four or five generations, it’s true that one of Gorsk’s uncles was related to me. But personally, I have no brothers.”
“Ooh, I got scared… if word got out that Iriina did something to Golksu, I might’ve gotten killed.”
“That rascal often visited the White Dominion in those days; back when I was young, he was a playmate of mine. Doesn’t make sense?”
”…Uh, listen—if we get interrupted, I’ll die on the first hit! Unlike Anzeros or anyone else, I have absolutely no defenses whatsoever!”
“Heh-heh-heh, if it comes to light, it’ll be a big deal, won’t it? ♪”
Iriina laughed maliciously.
In the end, since one old horse seemed like it might actually agree to move, we hitched up a small carriage built for two or three people and began heading upstream along the riverbank.
“Surprisingly, there aren’t many elves here.”
“The number of nobility is particularly low, you see. As Christie once pointed out, Spirit Peak’s excessive purifying power likely severely stifles their reproductive rate.”
“If that logic holds, doesn’t that mean there are even fewer Vermilion ones?”
“Not really. Despite everything, the Vermilion clan tends to venture outside more often; thus, they’ve likely absorbed enough negative energy to maintain a decent balance,” Christie remarked again.
“There’s so much variety…”
“Nothing too extraordinary compared to the mundane outside world.”
We climbed steadily up the slope—step by step, step by step—until we reached the waterfall. We drove the carriage slowly forward for a while longer, and soon enough, we could see elves playing in the river below.
By the way, it’s still summer. Even though Polka is already deep into autumn, the seasons progress much slower within Evergreen Forest.
Still… those elves looked completely naked. There’s no point complaining about Silvers now that I think about it.
“Hey, folks here have pretty low inhibitions too.”
“The upper cascade is designated for women bathing; the lower one is for men. Do not approach any further under any circumstances—if shot at, we’ll pretend we know nothing.”
”…Got it.”
Yeah, exactly. Yep.
We arrived at the Great Clifftop just as the sky turned crimson.
A masterpiece carved by the river into the earth itself.
Its height seemed to reach well over five hundred meters. Viewed from below, its imposing grandeur was staggering.
“There’s something like this? I never expected the Elf Forest to be so impressive either. I thought it was basically nothing but trees.”
“Due to distortions caused by ancient barriers, its actual size exceeds three times that of the Kingdom of Trot when measured by area alone. With such vastness, one would naturally expect a proportional diversity of wonders.”
“But wouldn’t touring everything like that take at least a month or two?”
“Well, I’ll just guide you through the highlights—those areas we can cover in two or three days. Express your gratitude and worship accordingly.”
“No way, you dragged me here against my will! You said it was to avoid being accused of not appreciating the Elves’ hospitality or something like that!”
“For the Elf clan as a whole certainly. But whether you personally feel grateful toward me is entirely up to you.”
“Ah… well, whatever. I do kind of feel like we’ve seen some amazing sights, though.”
“Heh-heh-heh.”
Beautiful Peaks, the Great Clifftop, the gentle great river, and then the waterfall creating a rainbow.
One could indeed give thanks. The view was truly majestic enough to inspire such sentiments.
“Now…” He paused, stammering slightly. “If you’re feeling grateful, wouldn’t showing it through your actions be considered proper etiquette?”
”?”
”…Well, fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—I’ve already received several roundhouse finishes from you today without any resistance. No matter how many more times I let myself be overwhelmed, there’s no change.”
“No wait! What kind of thing are you saying out here in the open like this, Clan Leader?!”
“E-Eh? Elves don’t bother retiring indoors before mating. In fact, couples intending to conceive usually venture deep into the forest together—it’s symbolic of procreation.”
”…Ah.”
“So… um…”
“I get it, I get it. …Such a lecherous bastard.”
“Huh…♪”
“Yeah, one more thing…”
“Hmm…?”
”…Do you mean a lover? Irina?”
I ask this, pretending it’s just something that came to mind while passing by, but it’s actually quite important.
“Oh, y-yes…”
Tugging at the hem of her skirt, Irina hangs her head low, flushing deep crimson as she stammers incoherently.
“Well, you’re a hero after all, yet ultimately just a human. And I… I am one of the pinnacle members of our Elven kind. While it’s only natural that you’d fall for me, maintaining a relationship between us might be somewhat difficult.”
“I see…”
“But…”
Irina grips my hand tightly, her expression turning desperate as she gazes at me.
”…If it were you, I could simply ignore my own convenience.”
”…Ir—”
“Please… possess me forcefully, against my will…?”
”…Let’s be clear about this, Irina.”
”…—.”
“I call that kind of thing a female slave.”
”…I’m aware.”
“A ‘female slave’ is an incredibly embarrassing term compared to what you’re thinking. And I have no hesitation in possessing my own female slave.”
”…I know.”
“Even so…”
I say it deliberately.
“Even so, do you want to be violated? Lecherous one?”
Using harsh words to drive her away while simultaneously creating an escape route for her, yet pushing forward with a voice that somehow still carries the sting of my own vanity.
”…I am a clan chief,” Irina declares, standing her ground in only form. “Chief Irina of the White Clan.”
And so, with nothing but a facade of resolve, she challenges me further while unclasping and letting fall the brooch holding her mantle.
”…Of course I know you’re just saying that.”
“Because I’m lecherous, after all♪”
With each blaming the other for their shared descent into this moment, we kiss and tumble together into the dense foliage beneath us.
The Unicorn whinnyed softly through its nostrils—did it laugh at the sheer absurdity of our situation?
(To be continued…)